I am Timo Kloss, was born on 3th of March 1982 and live in Schneverdingen, Germany. "Inutilis" is currently only a name for a hobby-project, but it becomes more and more official and (I hope) more professional with the time. "Inutilis" does not have real co-workers, but since Johannes Conrady is involved in many things ("Ermentrud"-storywriter, Moonlight), he is a sort of co-worker. He has even an "Inutilis"-email address (Johannes@inutilis.de)!!! "Inutilis" was created as pure software-project (under the name "Scum"). Since 1996 I called the project "Inutilis Software", but among them I did not have anything published (It was only one hobby). 1997 we created with our first short-movie "Space Dogs" "Inutilis Pictures", which has however no professional requirements! Currently "Inutilis Records" was added, with which I have quite professional intentions. The remainder remains probably a hobby-project.

How did you come to the Amiga?

My older brother had in former times a A500, on which I became fast creative with DPaint and AMOS. 1996 I bought a Amiga 4000 for my own, because my brother bought a PC.

Which Amiga do you use currently?

An Amiga 4000T from the Escom time. It is equipped with: OS3.9, 040/25MHz, 16MB FAST-RAM, CV64/4MB, Prelude, 1GB-HD, 4xCD-ROM, ZIP100-Laufwerk, ProMIDI-interface, 19 inch monitor.

What do you like at the Amiga particularly?

The Amiga OS, because it is fast and clear. If there is any problem thereby (which occurs very rarely), I can find and recover the error fast. With a Win2000-PC you can go to toilet, when it starts up! My Amiga with OS 3.9 is much faster! Its sad that OS 3,9 isn´t on ROM, because then would it be much faster!

What are your current Amiga projects?

Actually the Grafikadventure "Ermentrud ", but thus I had the idea to publish the engine with a developer package. So this ("Inga") is currently my main project.

To Ermentrud: How is the current status of the project? When will it be ready?

I cannot say a publication date yet at all. At the moment the engine and the developer package must become finished. Afterwards I will work on "Ermentrud" again. I must admit that I did not even looked for additional artists for the adventure! But dont worry: It is still my absolute target to finish this adventure!

Have you further games in planning?

I have many ideas, but I can´t say more in the moment. Something will already come, I promise!

At the moment you are looking for beta-testers for the development-package of your aventure-engine "Inga". What is contained in this developer package?

The package contains the engine in an incomplete version. Free updates are guaranteed thereby. Then there are still four tools, which you need for the development with Inga. The most important tool is the "Scriptshell", with is for administrating and compiling the script files. With "Inutilis Graphics" you are able to convert IFF-pictures into the necessary format, with the "Person-Wordprocessor" you create files for persons (regard!), and the "Local-Wordprocessor" simplifies the creating of locations.

How will the sales/final version look like?

The sales version will presumably come in a DIN-A5-Ordner, with a photo-copied manual and some diskettes. Mainly I will sell the product, but I still try to find additional selling-partners.

How many beta testers do you have actually?

There are ten prospective beta-testers. And almost every tester has a better equipped Amiga than me (snief!)!

How is the current staus of the "Inga" engine? Which features are already included, which features are still missing?

You can make actually almost everything, therefore I can publish the engine. What is missing is still another menu screen, on which you can store your current position in the adventure and a "sequence system" with which one you can make Intros and intermediate sequences. Additionally the engine is to be optimized within many areas.

How came the idea come to develop a adventure-engine for the Amiga?

The engine was originally developed only for "Ermentrud". When I noticed that the engine becomes not sooo bad at all, I decided to develop the engine as independent product. Additionally it´s more motivation, if your target (finishing "Inga") is in the near future. Finally "Ermentrud" can last still eternally...

You need a gfx-card in your Amiga to use "Inga". Will it be possibly to use "Inga" with AGA in the future?

No, AGA is unfortunately too slow. Perhaps a Coder can write faster gfx-drivers for AGA. I am not so involved in this performance-tricks.

What is a "good" adventure in your opinion?

An Adventure is good, if you have fun while playing it. The technical aspects may not be so bad, that they disturb the play benefit. In some aspects "Inga" hangs even after "Monkey Island 1"(for example no zooming), but in my opinion that does not matter, if the story can convince.

What are your favourite adventures on the Amiga?

I played only "Monkey Island 1" and "Monkey Island 2" on my Amiga (on the Amiga 500). So these are probably my favourite adventures...

On the "Inutilis"-homepage I noticed, that you are not only develop for the Amiga. You have also film- and CD-projects. How did you come to it?

Those are all Hobbies. As I already said, "Inutilis" is so far a "hobby enterprise", therefore everything that I make, carries for this names.

What was the story/idea behind the "Ermentrud"-movie?

1998 we did the movie "Titanic..." and I wanted to create a sort of chaotic "Fantasy-Middle-Ages-hero-movie". I took simply the most unimaginative Story (princess is kidnapped, heroes save her) and wrote a very rough film script (a line per scene). I found the name "Ermentrud" in the index of a book concerning the Middle Ages, and because he sounds so stupid, I named the hero "Ermentrud". Unfortunately the production pulls itself already enormously into the length (almost three years!). I hope that can finish the movie someday!

What was first, the film or the adventure?

The film was first. I liked the story of "Ermentrud" so well that I used the story for an adventure, which I wanted to make already for a long time. There are parallels in the story, but the film and the adventure are not identical! Here I would like to say also, that the play will not have the sub-title "a life for the king". This is only the sub-title for the the film!

Are there already new film projects or plans?

No, since we will probably have no more time for large film projects (school is out). So we will create only short-movies, but this movies will be created without any plan!

How do you actually cut your films? How do you create the special effects? Do you also use an Amiga for the rework?

We cut the movies quite simple, only with two video recorders. For the Special Effects I used my Amiga with Cinema4D. The computer sequences in "Titanic" simply filmed from the monitor! For "Ermentrud" we need however an Blue screen effect, which we will make with a PC. My Amiga is unfortunately not suitable for such a thing.

To the "Moonlight"-CD: How did it happen? Who is involved in it?

It began 1998 with a piece of a song, which I had composed with OctaMED Soundstudio. To that time my friends and I heard a lot to "Deine Lakaien" (band), therefore I teamed up with my friend Johannes Conrady to make similar music. He wrote the lyrics and wanted to sing, too. A short time after this Claudia Schlüschen, who sat with us in a school break and received something of our plans, came to us. She said "I want to sing, too!" and thus she was in the band. Later on I bought a keyboard at did all the songs we created again with it. From the "Deine Lakaien"-style we removed more and and more and the "Moonlight" concept was born(very calm and spherical).

Which role played the Amiga during the CD-production?

In the meantime I attached two key boards with MIDI to my Amiga. I work with Camouflage, with which I wrote all songs. Also I took the keyboard-accommodations at the Amiga with "Prelude". I developed the CD-cover with "ArtEffect". Only for the singing-accommodations and for the mastering we went into a studio, where a PC was used.

Are you satisfied with the sales of the "Moonlight"-CD?

So far it ran quite well, however the "friendship-bonus" is used up, since almost all friends have already bought the CD. Soon some magazines will take a lokk on the CD (Zillo, Sonic Seducer), and I hope that this will be some advertisement for it.

What are your plans/projects for the future?

I will begin soon an audio engineering school, and I hope that I can find a job within this area. Beside I will try to structure "Inutilis" further, whereby I hope I can earn my monea with it in the future. I have already a new music-project ideas for other projects...

What do you think about the current plans of Amiga Inc.(Amiga OS 4,0, AmigaOne, AmigaDE)?

For me the the AmigaDE-concept was perfect, but mainly as stand-alone operating system (without host). Why Amiga Inc. deviated from it, is incomprehensible to me! A OS 4,0, which does not run on old Amigas is senseless for me. Amiga Inc. says, that for a stand-alone version of the DE no market exists, but where is the market for a OS 4,0? One greate advantage was the compactness of the DE, but where this advantage remain, if the DE merges with OS4.0? Also the small RAM-requirement of the DE will be obsolet, if it runs on Windows 2000! For me the plans of Amiga became uninteresting!

Do you think that there will be a future for the Classic Amiga?

At least for me the Classic Amiga has a future, becaues I will stay on the Classic Amiga. "Inutilis Software" will probably continue to support the Classic Amiga always.

Is it possible, that you buy an Amiga One?

No, because of the reasons I told you before.

Do you think that you will develop software for Amiga OS 4.0 or Amiga DE?

Perhaps my projects are transfered by someone else to the DE or to OS4.0, but I will stay with the Classic.

Which games do you play in your spare time?

Actually none, but I´m still waiting for "Dafel: Bloodline".

From which Amiga Games you were impressed in the last time?

I cannot say so exactly, because I see the games almost only in magazines.

Which games(conversions) do you miss on the Amiga?

Perhaps online-role-plays? Otherwise it is "Dafel: Bloodline", but it will be released already.

What would you require of AMIGA Inc. for the future?

Well, a stand-alone version of the DE and a completed Classic OS version on ROM. Then they should focus again the development of the DE; OS4.0 is a waste of time for me!

Do you have a few final words for the Amiga Community?

Yes! Everytone schoulkd buy a lot of "Inutilis" products to help me creating a world-empire!!!

Thank you for the interview and have a nice vacation! (and good luck for creating your empire;-))

Thank you, too!
 
 

Interviewer/Editor: Anton Preinsack.