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- Tell us a little about yourself, what have you accomplished in life?
High school, college, work, family. Typical stuff (just finished painting the exterior of my house...whew.) I am currently working in photography, though I surely miss working on games, and plan to get back into it soon.
- What are your favorite computer games/board games and why?
King's Bounty is a relatively new game, but it's the first game I've played in years that I consider to be one of the best of all time. The formula for the main strategic portion of the game is what I can make any game great: simple to learn, difficult to master, and always fun.
- What hobbies do you have besides computer games?
I've spent the last few years biting the bullet and improving my traditional 2D art skills, mostly painting with messy oils. Spending time with my family, working on the endless honey-do list, goofing off with friends.
- What are your favorite bands/artists (music)?
Elliott Smith, Portishead, LTJ Bukem, Nick Drake, Iron Maiden, NWA, and lots of local artists here in Austin.
- Tell us a little about your role in the making of Fallout 1/2/3 (Van Buren)/Tactics ?
I was the third artist on the project, after Leonard and Jason. Stayed till almost the end, but took a lead job at another company just before ship.
- How was it to be a part of the Fallout team?
One of the best teams I've ever worked on. Leonard and Jason were both great leads, and easy to work with. Tim was very good about holding meetings every week to see what we all thought and where we'd like to see the game go. The entire team was at least somewhat (or even heavily) involved with design, which is what I think really gave the game a lot of character. There was very little design-by-numbers and a lot of "hey check this idea out, let's make it work" that went on with all aspects the project. Improvements also happened quickly, as there was little -if any- ego, attitude, or red tape keeping everyone from doing their jobs efficiently.
- Were there things that you wished you had added to either Fallouts?
I wish I would have made more creatures. We certainly would have put in anything that was cool and fit into the game universe, and it would have been cool to vary it up even more. I would have liked to have stuck it out a few more months until the game shipped.
- What were you favourite places in fallout and why?
I loved the destroyed cities. Gary Platner really brought his skills to the table for the environments.
- What is your hope for future Fallout games? Would you like to be a part of a future Fo team?
I'd like to see future Fallouts bring the character back to the game. Fallout had those little bits and pieces scattered throughout the game and the details of the design which gave the game more depth than many of its counterparts. Design, art, and programming was all quite freeform in the details as we went about turning the game into something that belonged to us, but everyone was also very focused and hard-working throughout the project.
- Who would you bring with you in a future Fallout team and why?
I have met so many talented people over my years in the game industry that this would be hard to pin down. However, I think that -at least creatively- any good Fallout team starts with Leonard.
- In your opinion, what are the key ingredients that every RPG should have?
Simplicity in base design, gameplay, and story. Details that a player won't really focus on, but that bring the world to life behind the scenes. Assume your player base is intelligent, and refuse to dumb down a game to make it "more like bestselling Game X."
- Where do you see computer RPGs going?
I think multiplayer RPGs will continue to get bigger and flashier as a rule. However, I also think that this will open up the market enough that there won't only be one or two be-all-end-alls of MMORPGs, and niche multiplayer RPGs will flourish. They might not make a jillion dollars a year, but they will be economically viable business models and smaller teams will be able to give their smaller player bases more choices and more of what they want.
- How does the fan base hinder/help the projects that you've worked on?
The fans have always been great. It's always great when someone points out something they loved in a game and it's something that you were responsible for.
- If you could make any computer game that you wanted, which would it be and why?
I would definitely like to work on an RPG again, they present the most opportunities to get creative and add details that would go otherwise unnoticed in other types of games.
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Sitting at my computer with a big glass of sweet tea tabbing between Modo, Mudbox, Photoshop, and iTunes.
- Any last word to the Fallout fan base?
Keep the faith. Even if a sequel or two happen to let you down, there are people still out there who are working hard to make something sensational. Keep your eyes on those European developers...they're really starting to hit their stride.