I work primarily on items design, which also means being involved in development of anything remotely associated with items in the game. At the moment, I’m focusing on implementing PvP drops, which involves a lot of number crunching. (I’m still waiting for someone to create a magic wand for me so that I can make the numbers play nicely with just a wave.) Because of the game’s structure, my PvP work means a lot of communication with teammates about plans for the RvR side of things.
If I’m not hunched over my computer, going blind by staring at numbers, I can be found talking to folks from other departments and dodging Nerf gunfire from unruly artists. At other times, I am sitting in my office with a mace so that I can defend my supply of coffee. (Hey, I take my coffee seriously.)
What is your background? College? Degree? Has it helped with the job? How long have you been with
Mythic? Have you worked anywhere else?
I have a degree from the University of Florida in microbiology, which might sound very unrelated to
my current work, but studying science taught me the importance of being systematic and organized.
However, looking at little things under microscopes didn’t sound like an exciting career, so I worked
in restaurant management after school. I did that for a few years before I shifted to doing phone
support and writing documentation for a legal billing software company. Around that time, I started
playing MMORPGs and became hooked.
(Really, it was a natural progression – I talked with soulless lawyers in my day job and killed
soulless undead online.) After nearly burning down our rental house (preoccupied with playing +
unattended food on stove = near catastrophe), my family and I moved to Maryland. (Firemen had a
sense of humor about the whole thing; landlord, not so much.) I began in a part-time position
with Mythic in 2001 and have been here five years now.
What other titles have you worked on in the past? In what capacity?
My first job as a game developer was on Dark Age of Camelot where I started on the
Items team right after Shrouded Isles launched. I gradually worked my way up through lead
positions until I was the Content Manager, beginning with Darkness Rising.
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 really hit me for the first time when I saw the Dark Age of Camelot expansion box
in a software store. I stared at it and thought “I helped make that possible.” Of course,
I had to walk to the counter, casually bring up the fact that I worked on the game, and bask
in the “wow that’s cool!” comments from those around me. Sure, it was a cheap ego stroke, so sue me.
What excites you about the Warhammer property? What makes it perfect for an MMO? What cool things
in the Warhammer universe do you hope to bring to life?
I think the most exciting (and challenging) part of Warhammer is that it comes with such a rich history
and background. Between umpteen guide books, supporting documents, and even novels, the Warhammer
universe provides developers with an amazing, diverse amount of content, most of which seems to
have been created with an MMO in mind! There are questing story lines galore, and the game just
oozes a feeling of player vs. player combat. I mean, just look at the squigs. I have to think
that they sit around and try to figure out how many dwarves they can fit in their mouths.
Do you collect Warhammer figures?
Although I love the figures, they have a habit of vanishing around my son. (Usually I get the
“what, me?” innocent look when I ask where the latest figure went.) I’ve started to play the game
with him because it improves his spatial thinking and math skills. Or it might just be a transparent
excuse to collect the figures.
What are your hopes/goals for the game?
My goal is to make a game that doesn’t have one “right” play style. If you want to quest, you can do
that. Had a bad day at work? You can log in and quickly find something to obliterate, whether it’s
mobs or other players.
What are your key influences when making the game? Anything besides Warhammer?
I draw on a variety of things. I’ve been a heavy fantasy reader for years, which helps when
thinking of items. Being a big reader helps me figure out what would fit into our system
organically and not be a “where the heck did that come from?” kind of thing. Also,
I’m influenced by just about every game I’ve played, whether MMORPG, first-person
shooter, whatever. All of those experiences help by providing examples of what game
mechanics were fun and what drove me nuts.
What are your favorite video/computer games of all time? What games are you
playing right now?
I’m still a huge fan of the old SNES RPG’s like Final Fantasy II and III, Secret of
Evermore, and Secret of Mana. I’m playing DAoC, Civilization IV on the PC (a
freaking phenomenal god game), and I’m also looking for the Resident Evil remake on the DS.
What music are you listening to right now?
An odd randomness of Garbage, Beethoven, Rob Zombie, Slayer, Carbon Leaf, and Poe.
In other words, anything that is NOT Coldplay.
Is there a recent movie you’ve seen that you’d recommend to others?
Hmm, does it have to be recent? Okay, I guess the best movie I saw recently was Layer
Cake, which I really liked because of Daniel Craig's acting. Yeah, his acting, that's it.
