1. What is it you do on a daily basis?
I mainly spend my days working on content requests and follow ups for WAR, along with miscellaneous tasks that require revisiting areas we've already "finished". It is my job to make sure the team has the resources we need to get our work done at the level of quality we'd like it. I personally try to take on the tough tasks that would normally disrupt the timetable of our main schedule.
2. What is your background? College? Degree? Has it helped with the job? 1st game industry job? How long have you been with Mythic?
I went to the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and ended up with a degree in English. It's definitely helped in this job, although I'm sure the guys all hate updating the documentation to include all the insane grammar issues I find. Mythic is actually my very first game industry job and I've been with them for about four years now.
3. What other titles have you worked on in the past? In what capacity?
In the past I worked in Customer Service for billing and technical support, and then I moved on to Quality Assurance (QA) or what was then referred to as the PQ team. After a short time there, I moved up to the WAR Polish team, then Implementation, and soon became a Senior Content Developer, first for the City team, and now on the Greenskin vs Dwarf pairing.
4. What was your "welcome to the game industry" moment when it hit you that you were really making games for a living?
This first occurred to me when we launched our first Beta and the feedback came pouring in. When you realize all sorts of people are playing your content, it brings a whole new perspective to the job.
5. 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?
The best thing about the Warhammer property is the universe. It's enormous with so much to it; that's what makes it perfect for an MMO. MMO's are always expanding their worlds, and since we've only tackled a small portion of Warhammer so far, there's plenty more to add. With so many different sides, angles, and armies to choose from, the potential for creativity is enormous which gives us a great opportunity to take an established IP and still make something original.
6. Do you collect Warhammer figures?
I do not collect any Warhammer figures, although I've been meaning to look into getting an army just to spend time painting them. I did take up the Dark Heresy RPG which has been a lot of fun so far, even though I just started.
7. What are your hopes/goals for the game?
Probably too numerous to list here! My largest hope is that the people who know and love Warhammer will log into the game and feel the excitement of a world come to life that they've only imagined and seen pictures of.
8. What are your key influences when making the game? Anything besides Warhammer?
The biggest influences are other games that I've played. The main MMOs that I've played for longer periods of time are Dark Age of Camelot, Everquest II, and World of Warcraft. My experience in playing MUDs is also helps since this is where I learned the basics of online gaming.
9. What is the biggest problem with current MMO's you hope to fix with WAR?
I think the largest problem with current MMO's is that they tend to end up unintentionally catering to specific types of players. One may be great and well known for PvE, while another is great for its PvP. Others cater to the more hard core players with not enough for the casual gamers. I think that Warhammer is making a great effort to appeal to all players to create a fun experience for everyone.
10. 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?
I don't think I actually have a favorite video/computer game of all time. My favorite genre is survival horror (Resident Evil/Silent Hill). Games I can always go back to are Diablo II LoD and Bubble Bobble, but as far as an all time favorite, nothing is really jumping out at me. Although, I think it was Silent Hill II that did a great job with the audio. It really freaked me out while I was playing. I'll definitely be checking out the new Resident Evil and Silent Hill when they finally make it out.
11. What music are you listening to right now?
Right now I'm listening to the soundtrack for the movie Stay. I highly recommend it for people who like something for the background. There's no lyrics and it's pretty soothing, but fairly modern at the same time.
12. Is there a recent movie you've seen or book/comic you read that you'd recommend to others?
I tend to like every other movie I see, so my recommendations aren't always the best. I thought Iron Man was great and would recommend it to any one that likes action movies. The best book that I've read recently is All Quiet on the Western Front. It's very easy to see why the book is a classic once you finish. I also recently finished The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Although extremely depressing, it's a great, realistic depiction of a post apocalyptic world.
