What is it you do on a daily basis?
On any given day, I can wear a lot of hats, depending on what's going on. I help manage the production and implementation of content that gets put into the game. This can range from new content like some of the stuff we have planned for future patches to bug fixes or improvements to existing content. Along with managing or mentoring the other content developers during each milestone, I also have my own workload of content to develop and implement, so it can be hectic at times. Finally I facilitate communication between content development and other staffs so that we are working in synergy towards a common goal.
What is your background? Where did you go to college and what did you study? Has it helped you with this job?
After college but before I came to work for Mythic, I was a manager with a large electronics oriented retailer. It wasn't glamorous work, but it paid the bills and kept me going while I was examining options after college and looking for the 'dream job'.
Prior to that, I attended Virginia Tech in lovely Blacksburg, VA and graduated with a Business undergraduate major, a creative writing minor, and a Masters in Business Administration. I think that the combination of studying management, marketing, and creative writing has really helped me over the years as I've been able to apply the management skills in my lead positions and the creativity in my content development.
The only drawback to a Masters? You put in extra years, but you don't get a cool title like you do with a PHD. It's not like anyone will call you Master, no matter how much you ask them to...
What other titles have you worked on in the past? In what capacity?
I started with Mythic as a part-time CSR, eventually quitting my day job and becoming a full-time CSR Team Lead. I really enjoyed the interaction with the customer that that job enabled. It was fulfilling to be able to directly help out our customers on a daily basis.
From there, I was tapped to work on Imperator as a content developer and soon after that as a content lead. The Imperator mythos that was being developed was a rich tapestry and the work was rewarding.
After Imperator, I went to work on Dark Age of Camelot and worked on a variety of projects there as a Senior Content Developer. While working on Camelot, I got to manage and develop content from Darkness Rising through the recent Doppelganger Invasion and Ghost Keeps.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the Camelot job was that I got to serve the customer indirectly though patches and new content as well as directly via my frequent Grab Bag appearances as the 'Bearded Wonder' or via a multitude of Road Trips all across the country.
Recently, I had the pleasure of joining the Warhammer team, working on the Tome of Knowledge prior to launch and taking over as Team Lead for RVR and Cities with the launch of WAR!
What was your "welcome to the game industry" moment when it hit you that you were really making games for a living?
I think it was when I was asked to write a 'developer diary' for the Camelot Newsletter. (Which ironically looks very much like this one.)
Okay, no really. That's a tough one, I'm not sure I've really had one of those, but I do have a nice story I can tell you that is close enough.
I went with a friend from work to Wendy's for lunch and we both happened to be wearing Mythic Entertainment branded shirts that day. While we were there, a group of young adults spotted our shirts and put two-and-two together and asked if we worked on Dark Age of Camelot. It was a bit odd to be called out for working at a game company while picking up fast food at lunch. They were an affable bunch with their questions, although when we got our food (to-go), one of the bunch began to follow us as we left the building, pleading for us to help him with a 'stuck' character. We told him how to contact customer support for his issue and then got in my car and got out of there. Hopefully, our crack CS team took care of the zealous teen and all ended well with our tale.
What excites you about the Warhammer property? What makes it perfect for an MMO?
The most exciting part about the Warhammer property is that it is an IP that is amazingly diverse and developed. This rich history that Games Workshop has created makes it perfect for an MMO because it offers virtually unlimited potential for adventure in a fleshed off universe. This framework becomes the tapestry that allows us to all to join in and participate in the grand WAR and become our own heroes.
Now that WAR has launched, what aspect of the whole experience are you most proud of?
I'd say the thing I'm most proud of as a team is that we were able to create a living breathing world that echoed the primary theme that 'WAR is everywhere'. I think for my own part, it is great that I could get in and help make the Tome of Knowledge integral to the experience of the world, offering players rewards and incentive to explore as well as the opportunity to brag about said accomplishments.
Do you collect Warhammer figures? What army do you play?
No, I do not collect Warhammer figures, so I don't have any armies, but I do have a handful of figures. I have just recently taken up painting miniatures in general with the help of Games Workshops excellent line of paints and accessories.
What are your hopes/goals for the game?
Well, my hopes and goals for the game are rather simple I guess. I just hope that people that pick up the game find something to enjoy in it. Whether it's PVE or RVR, or some combination of those, I hope that the mixtures that WAR provides gives people a reason to log in and enjoy themselves, no matter what else is going on in their lives.
What are your key influences when making the game? Anything besides Warhammer?
Man, influences? That's a tough one to nail down. Ultimately, we are all a gestalt of our experiences, likes and desires; so that makes it hard to quantify, but I'll try.
I'd say that when I got on the Tome of Knowledge team, I tried to draw some influence from Call of Duty 4 of all games. The game had a great list of achievements for completing the single player game, but they didn't stop there. They took multiplayer FPS and added in a whole independent set of challenges and unlocks that allowed you to level your character up. The system was engaging without being overpowering and it gave you incentive to play more and more.
I also enjoy humor in my games, whether it's direct or indirect, and I think that I'm influenced by games or other media that are able to infuse comedy with their central themes, and I hope that we were able to do that to a small degree in what we accomplished.
What is the biggest problem with current MMOs you hope to fix with WAR?
One of the biggest problems with current MMOs? I think it would be presumptuous of me to try and narrow that down, but I can tell you one issue I've seen and how WAR is designed to fix that.
Ultimately, in a MMO, the impetus in playing a game of it's ilk is the MM portion of that equation; the social aspect of the game is the drawing power. WAR provides a number of options to allow easy sociability without forcing it onto players. Whether it's aiding in a Public Quest, participating in a Scenario or Open RVR, or just joining a public group (or having people join yours); WAR is rife with ways to help simplify the social aspect of the genre. Combined with the proven and engaging RVR mechanics of the game, the ability of the social systems to draw people together really allows WAR to bring home the MM portion of MMO and keep people interested and together.
What are your favorite video/computer games of all time? What games are you playing right now? What game should the reader be playing if he's not?
What's my favorite game(s) of all time? I'd probably have to go with Super Mario Kart or Super Bomberman for sheer replay value and mindless fun.
Right now though, I'm playing Lego Batman (360), Mercenaries 2 (360), and Call of Duty 4 (360) and I have a number of other titles sitting in a pile waiting for me to finish them. Of course, that pile is likely to grow soon as I'm really looking forward to this month's releases: Saint's Row 2, Dead Space, Fable 2, and Fallout 3. I have no idea how I'll find the time with Warhammer Online taking so much of time too...
As for what games should the reader be playing if they are not, I'd have to go with Carcassonne or Catan on the Xbox 360. Both are excellent examples of obscure cult board games that have been made into excellent online console games. As a backup suggestion, if you have a DS, pick up Puzzle Quest, it's an intriguing blend of a puzzle game and RPG.
What music are you listening to right now?
Right now?
If you mean literally right now... Nothing. I don't have my music hooked up as I moved offices over the weekend. I do have a melody in the back of my head, but I can't for the life of me place it.
If by 'Right now', you mean in general what do I normally listen to when I listen to music, which I assume you mean, then the answer is 'it varies'. I have over a thousand CDs at home and a 40gb IPod that is full of music and covers a wide range of genres, except country. I'm not a big country fan.
That being said, the CDs that I physically have at work to drown out background noise when I need them are as follows: Violent Femmes, "Violent Femmes"; Depeche Mode, "The Singles"; Weird Al, "Straight out of Lynwood", and the Beastie Boys, "The Sounds of Science".
Is there a recent movie you've seen or book/comic you read that you'd recommend to others?
The most recent movie that I've seen that I really enjoyed was 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'. Judd Apatow can seem to do no wrong these days with raunchy adult-oriented comedies and that's fine by me. I recommend it highly, I mean what other movie has 'Nothing Compares 2 U' sung in Hawaiian during the end credits?
For literature, I'll go to the comic category for my recommendations. It's a toss-up between Brian K. Vaughan's "Pride of Baghdad" and Steven Seagle's "It's a bird." The former is a look through the eyes of four escaped lions from the Baghdad zoo that are freed during a battle in the early part of the Iraq war and how the devastation affects them. The latter is a very different take on a Superman story wherein the author gives us a glimpse into his life and how he approaches the task of relating to the American Icon in order to write a story about him. Both are excellent graphic novels and I highly recommend picking them up.
