Also, thanks everyone for asking questions on Facebook and here on Patreon! Here are all the answers compiled into one neat little article. Please enjoy!
Cassiano Messias: What was your main inspiration with Half-Quake?
Initially I was inspired by the movie Cube, and obviously Quake and Half-Life. For the style of HQA in particular I got some inspiration from the tutorial level of System Shock, and from the game American McGee's Alice, but it began with a dream I had. I saw three white dots in darkness, and those three dots turned into persons - which is the intro scene of HQA.
Andres Ivan Mata: What was the meaning of SOMOS?
Son of Masters of Sadism. I actually put the answer in the MP3 tag of the song "Rising Son" of the HQS Soundtrack.
Andres Ivan Mata: Do you have any future plans to make something with Somos as the main part of the story? Or maybe expand the lore of the comic a little more?
I'd love to, but for now I'm not trying to do anything HQ related. In case of the HQA Comics, I consider those done. It would be fun to make a Somos sideproject. I'll have to think about it!
Chris Abbott: Were you inspired at all by Mr. Bungle for some of your music you created? What did inspire you for all of the Halfquake music tracks?
I haven't heard of Mr. Bungle up until now :D Back then I was mainly inspired by Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Beck, Björk, Aphex Twin, Garbage, and Alanis Morissette, to name a few. Right now, I listen to De La Soul's new album, Low Roar, Imogen Heap, Yoko Kanno, Coheed & Cambria, and Ed Sheeran. And the soundtrack of Anno 1404 is pretty amazing. (:
Mathias Abrahamsson: What was the most challenging part in creating HQA?
I think the most challenging part was creating the RPG level (Sapience) because of all the stuff that had to go into one single map. I remember it kept crashing when I changed some structures later on, and as soon as it stopped crashing I refrained from touching it ever again. :D
Hombre De La Luna: What are the chances of a feature length HalfQuake movie?
HQ was inspired by Cube, so if you watch the Cube movies, you pretty much already have what a Halfquake movie would turn out to be. Also, would you be able to see and follow a person in a super dark area with only a few white lines? I think it works better as a game, especially HQA. But Mathias Abrahamsson made a pretty good HQS trailer, so maybe he should give it a try!
Paul Danyliuk: In one of your interviews you said there were lots of yet undiscovered easter eggs in HQS. Would love to know which ones :)
I think most of them have been found, except for maybe two or three really obscure ones. I'll list them in another update!
Matthias Mohr: If you look at HQA today, would you change anything / is there anything you don't like and you would/could do better, now that you have more experience in making games/mods? Also: why dragons? :)
I would fix the ending of the Patience level (originally you were supposed to ride the Sadism train to the next station), and I would make Somos do more stuff in the end. Other than that I don't know, going back to fix old stuff is like trying to change the past, and that's never a good idea, because it is what made you :D There are dragons because the Sapience level was an RPG spoof, and every RPG has got to have dragons! I didn't actually have a dragon model, so I just wrote "DRAGON" on the headcrab's texture and recorded a friend of mine shouting "I'm a dragon". I thought it was pretty convincing! :D
Kein Em: Would it be possible to record an unplugged version of the best tracks of the soundtrack?
Yes, I've been thinking about that actually! It would require a lot of planning and people who'd want to play along with me, but it's definitely something I'd love to do.
Austin Selkowitz: Will there ever be another Halfquake game? And which was your favorite Halfquake you made?
I'm working on a mini-game right now, but I'm experimenting with FPS in Unity. If a fourth Halfquake's ever going to happen, it will be in Unity. Right now though, I'm more leaning towards a "spiritual successor".
Each Halfquake was my favourite at the time I made it (; I know it sounds like a cop-out answer, but these games are snapshots of my life, and it was always what I loved doing at the moment. I'll admit though that the Somos fight at the end of HQS is my favourite out of the three :D
Richard Archer: Do you keep in touch with anyone from the old team?
I do actually. I meet Jazzymike and BJ from time to time to watch a movie and/or talk. It's getting rarer though, and I'll have to do something about it!
Richard Archer: I never hit F5 so much in my life... and I couldn't help but think somebody is out there laughing at my horrible attempt to finish the game. How did the whole schadenfreude concept become a main focus in the game?
The original Quake is very mean spirited. There's a scene where you see the key you need, and once you get there, it gets locked up and disappears in the ground. You can almost hear the devs laughing at you. There are a few more evil moments that started it all.
Benedikt Hug: I always thought the first one was darker in tone and more serious, while the other two (or at least the last one if I remember correctly, been a few years) were more...funny. Maybe thats just me or was that intentional?
It's really based on how I felt at the time. I always sat down and made something based on my current mood. I think in a way it's just like a diary, and you can probably see how I changed a little bit over time. (:
Florian Stinglmayr: How hard would a Steam version be? And is that something you would want to do?
It would be a challenge, but it's on my list, including a script for a new trailer (: We'll see!
Again, thanks everyone, and I hope to see you again next year :D