Unofficial Title: "Charlie"
What is it you do on a daily basis?
QA Analysts deal mainly with the gathering and analysis of our game player metrics. Our metrics are essentially recordings of many aspects of game play across all of the servers, and we use this data frequently to write reports. This helps everyone keep an accurate eye on many facets of the game, and sometimes assists us with finding possible bugs, exploits, or other issues of concern.
So, if you ever want to know the average Initiative of a Rank 36 Archmage, how much time players spend in Nordland, or how many quests in Altdorf are completed on a daily basis... well, I'm your gal.
What is your background? Where did you go to college and what did you study? Has it helped you with this job?
Actually, I'm a licensed nurse and I worked in that field for 10 years previous to working here at Mythic. While nursing is completely different from working in the gaming industry, there are some innate skills that seem to apply to both of them. At the very least, passion for your work is one of the most important qualities for either one. Sticking people with needles... .well, erm, I guess that's not exactly a skill in the gaming industry...
What other titles have you worked on in the past? In what capacity?
Warhammer: Age of Reckoning is the first title I have worked on. I must say, I think it's an excellent first title, too. :)
What was your "welcome to the game industry" moment when it hit you that you were really making games for a living?
While I was not new to gaming, I was a complete newbie to working in the industry. As a player, you really have no idea what it's like, no matter how long you've been gaming. It didn't really hit me at first - that I was actually part of making a game. The day it did, was the first time I got back a bug that I had put in the system, to be retested after it had been fixed. I thought "Whoa, I just helped make the game better!" It was a good feeling, and it's an extremely rewarding part of working in QA.
What excites you about the Warhammer property? What makes it perfect for an MMO?
I will admit that I knew very little about the Warhammer universe when I was hired. When I started testing the game though, I had to learn. The game drew me in, and made me want to know. When I opened the first book I was lent, I knew immediately why this was perfect for an MMO. It is a never-ending war, and one heck of an epic story. It just has such a beautiful history! Fantastic lore, great races, interesting characters, kick butt ladies with swords... who wouldn't want that in a game??
Now that WAR has launched, what aspect of the whole experience are you most proud of?
I'm just so proud of the company. Everyone at Mythic has worked so hard, and we all have a lot of passion and enthusiasm for the game. I'm proud and excited about what it has become. WAR has progressed and grown so much since I started working here, and I feel incredibly privileged to be a part of it.
Do you collect Warhammer figures? What army do you play?
I have a couple figurines in my cube from various sources, but I'm not an active table top player at all. I'm personally partial to the Daemonettes though. They're awesomely scary, entrancing, and beautiful - all at the same time.
Now that I think about it... I do have an army in my cube. I have a small but ferocious army of Dark Elf Peeps from our Microwave Peeps War last Easter. They're pretty solid, so I bet they could cause a nasty bruise.
What are your hopes/goals for the game?
I really wanted the game to show off the universe that GW has created, accurately and favorably. I wanted the TT fans to be happy with that world in MMO form, and the MMO players to be introduced to the Warhammer world. More than anything, I wanted gamers to enjoy it! I think the game has exceeded all the goals I wanted for it.
What are your key influences when making the game? Anything besides Warhammer?
With the industry as big as it is right now, it would probably be impossible not to be influenced by other games in some way, specifically MMOs of course. The biggest influence by far though, is still GW's baby. There are plenty of bits there to inspire.
What is the biggest problem with current MMOs you hope to fix with WAR?
The world needs another good Realm vs. Realm game! There are a lot of games out there that are full of either PvE carrots, or straight player killing and griefing. Every gamer has a favorite style of gameplay, but there really is nothing like RvR, and I think it has massive appeal for everyone. I certainly hope to bring that part of MMO's back in full swing and remind players what's great about it.
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?
Well, I've played a lot of MMO's, and there are things I loved about all of them. DAoC was my first MMO, so it will always have a special place in my heart. My first PC loves were the old Gabriel Knight games. Oh how times have changed.
A co-worker and I have started picking the most bizarre, obscure or cheapest games at the store and running home with them. So the most recent one I've played was "Dirty Dancing" the game. I am absolutely not kidding. Not even a little bit.
If you're not playing WAR, you need to be, duh!
What music are you listening to right now?
Lately I have developed a teensy obsession with the band Mute Math. They're like a modern and electric upgrade of The Police. They have a crazy fantastic drummer. I can't stop listening to them.
Is there a recent movie you've seen or book/comic you read that you'd recommend to others?
The last books I read were Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. I have no shame in admitting that. I do have a bit about going to see the movie though. <hangs head in shame>
