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- Tell us a little about yourself, what have you accomplished in life?
I grew up in a ping-pong paddle factory in San Diego, CA. My family carved paddles out of chocolate one ultra-rich player with a sweet tooth. Other than working for various game companies, I have become a master of ping-pong.
- What are your favourite computer games/board games and why?
Pong is my favourite because it's like ping-pong, but electronic. So far I haven't been able to find a board game that can really emulate the feel of real ping-pong. Oh, and I really like Star Control II, especially on 3DO.
- What hobbies do you have besides computer games?
Playing ping-pong, designing new combos for ping-pong, custom paint jobs on ping-pong paddles and tables.
- What are your favourite bands/artists (music) ?
Pink, because it sounds sorta like ping-pong.
- Tell us a little about your role in the making of Fallout 1/2/3 (Van Buren)/Tactics ?
I had nothing to do with the creation of Fallout 1 or 2. For Fallout 3 I started out as a designer when they cancelled Jefferson. Eventually JE Sawyer was so impressed with my phat ping-pong skills that he made me lead story designer for the game, which let him focus on the technical aspects (interface, game mechanics, etc.). As story lead I managed the overall story and continuity, wrote several areas, and beat the other designers into submission with my special Fallout ping-pong paddle, nicknamed "Duck and Cover."
- What’s your favourite Fallout memory?
Stumbling into the Cathedral without going to the Necropolis, getting my ass kicked by the Nightkin time and again, eventually working my way through the upper floors, getting my ass kicked again by the "pets" in the basement, then deciding to finish other parts of the game because I clearly wasn't powerful enough to be at the Cathedral yet.
- What specifically inspired Fallout for you? What were the biggest influences?
I used the first two games (primarily the first game) as my primary inspiration, though movies such as The Road Warrior, Mad Max, and Dr. Strangelove all played a part. Forrest Gump did, too, because of the ping-pong.
- Pop Culture played a big role in Fallout, what pop culture influences you?
Ping-pong.
- How was it to be a part of the Fallout team?
Great! They were a good bunch of guys. Damien didn't even beat me up when they gave me his office and put him back in a cube.
- Were there things that you wished you had added to either Fallouts?
I liked playing FO1 more than FO2, but the interface improvements in FO2 spoiled me and it would be really nice to have them in FO1. I'd also like an easter egg about ping-pong.
- What were you favourite places in fallout and why?
For not capitalizing "Fallout" in the above sentence, you should be punished. You're no fan!
The Necropolis was damn creepy. The Cathedral was, too, mainly because of those damn TV sets and the weird cultists everywhere. I liked Junktown, though I never really felt a strong incentive to befriend that fat bastard Gizmo. I liked the parts where you learned a lot of history (whether world history or personal campaign-relevant history, such as the exploration of the Glow by the paladins or the notes on the FEV research).
- What is your hope for future Fallout games? Would you like to be a part of a future Fo team?
I hope more Fallout games are made on PCs, because while Fallout is a really interesting franchise in terms of what you can do with it (shooters, RTS, etc.), at its heart Fallout is a good and popular game because of its involved story, and that's done best on a PC. I'd like to work on a Fallout game in the future (I'd like to finish FO3 and work on FO4 to deal with all of the hints we put into FO3 about what's going on with the rest of the country), but I don't see a new Fallout RPG in the works in quite a while, and in the meantime I'm going for the national ping-pong title.
- Who would you bring with you in a future Fallout team and why?
I'd at least try to get Sawyer and Avellone back to work on it. And maybe Daniel Messmer from Escalade.
- In your opinion, what are the key ingredients that every RPG should have?
Fun, a good story, and ping-pong. If it's not fun, nothing else matters, nobody will want to finish it except out of stubbornness. A good story engages you and makes you care about the people you're interacting with in the game. Ping-pong ... well, because everything should have ping-pong, right?
- Where do you see computer RPGs going?
Hopefully someone will make some really good ones in the next couple of years. Right now the trend of doing smaller games on consoles or MMORPGs is kind of annoying; each of them can be fun but that's not my favourite kind of game.
- How does the fan base hinder/help the projects that you’ve worked on?
They're a good way to find what people think are the best aspects of the game. They're also very difficult to please because they can't reach a consensus on what they want it the game; "make it perfect" and "make it exactly how I want" is the only thing I can all agree on, so the designer has to understand that he's not going to be able to please everyone, and just do the best he can.
- When planning the story how do you go through the process of integrating themes and story with the constraints on software?
It's a cycle. You present a story, then get feedback from the artists and programmers on limitations to what you're planning. You revise the story and repeat. Fortunately most of the issues come down to specific elements rather than entire themes, so it's more a question of asking, "Can we have on-screen hallucinations for extended use of a Stealth Boy?" rather than "Can the art and programming teams support the game's themes of being a prisoner of one kind or another?"
- If you could make any computer game that you wanted, which would it be and why?
I'd want to work with Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III on a good sequel to Star Control II.
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A washed-up former ping-pong star.
- Any last word to the Fallout fan base?
Keep the faith, someday a good RPG sequel in the Fallout franchise will happen.