Become Game Designer!
Excerpt translated from French in the Summer 1998 issue of Programmez!

Virtools... propose an unusual tool, Virtools Dev, to develop games while focusing on the essentials, that being the job of game design. (Dev) allows at the same time to prototype and produce more quickly than with the use of multiple tools. Like Director for 2D multimedia titles, Virtools posesses artistic and technical qualities exploited to serve the requirements of the software publishing industry. Capable of producing 3D characters like those found in Alone in the Dark, in highly refined and interactive decors, Virtools Dev is predestined to 3D action/adventure games. The software is conceived for cooperative teamwork, and its interface serves just as well graphic designer as programmers. Without forgetting editors who can visualize very quickly the modifications such as those seen by the final user. Industry standard file formats are imported into Virtools... You then can then create and edit the interactivity or narration through the definition of competencies and behaviors. These game elements can be programmed directly, can be generated in the GUI or can be imported from other behavior libraries. To be precise, these behaviors can be exchanged on the web, as is being done on the site sponsored by Virtools. The object and event management is reproduced in a tree-like hierarchy in the project window (Level View). The complete SDK is available in the total package. On the other hand, Virtools Creation, released at the end of the year, is a simplified version of Virtools Dev (without the SDK) and will be aimed at the small studios and freelancers, with a price yet to be determined.