What is it you do on a daily basis?
Throughout the day my job is to ensure various departments are working well together, deadlines are being kept by the city art and content teams, and the overall vision of the capital cities is being maintained. I spend a good portion each day running through the cities looking at ways to amp up the ‘excitement’ factor, whether this is through the addition of city ambience or even more fun tasks to do while within the city limits.
What is your background? How long have you been with Mythic?
I have been with EA Mythic for 6 years now. I was playing the Dark Age of Camelot beta when I saw a job posting for a technical support lead. I sent in my resume and the rest is history.
What other titles have you worked on in the past? In what capacity?
I have worked on various projects at EA Mythic including building the dungeons in Darkness Rising, designing and implementing the massive Labyrinth dungeon, re-designing the terrain areas in Mag Mell, Cotswold and Mularn as well as managing the live Dark Age of Camelot team.
What was your “welcome to the game industry” moment when it hit you that you were really making games for a living?
The first time I was able to run around inside a dungeon I created was a pretty darn cool moment. To think, all those years in gaming I had been playing in someone else’s creation and now someone would be playing in mine. That was a mind blowing realization.
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?
War is everywhere! That about sums it up. We did an exceptional job with RVR in Dark Age of Camelot and fans will love what we are doing in WAR. Warhammer fans will most certainly love what they see in the game when they realize just how much of the tabletop game has been brought to life in the online game.
What are your hopes/goals for the game?
I am hoping to continue and build great RVR excitement. We are taking RVR to a new level and I know the fans will enjoy it.
What your key influences when making the game? Anything besides Warhammer?
I have been playing fantasy games on the PC since the days of Kings Quest and Quest for Glory (ah, the days when you had to type out your commands), and each of those game have left there mark. Dark Age of Camelot is also another major influence and definitely sets the foundation for the player vs. player elements of WAR.
What is the biggest problem with current MMO’s you hope to fix with WAR?
The main issue I have right now is that when you load up that next MMO, it still feels like you are playing that previous MMO. Warhammer raises the bar on many levels, and I believe we will be carefully studied by other MMO companies upon release.
What are your favorite video/computer games of all time?
Too many to list! But if I had to pick a select few I would say The Dig, Colonels Bequest and Battlefield 1942.
What games are you playing right now?
Call of Duty 4, WOW, The Witcher and Mass Effect.
What game should the reader be playing if he’s not?
The Witcher is an excellent PC RPG and I highly recommend it. It represents story-telling at its finest.
What music are you listening to right now?
Mostly music I listened to during high school, such as Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and, of course, 80’s metal! I just can’t get into much of the new music these days.
Is there a recent movie you’ve seen that you’d recommend to others?
Sunshine. Sci-fi movies are hit and miss but this is one I feel sci-fi fans should check out.
Anything else you want to add?
I’d like to give a shout out to Pearl Jam 2 and wish them luck! (They’ll need it.)
