GAM 224 Strategies in Game Design
Mondays 5:45-9:00 Room: TBA Professor Robin Burke Office: CS&T 453 Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:00-4:00 pm and by appointment Phone: 312-362-5910 Email (preferred): rburke@cs.depaul.edu

Description

This course approaches the study of computer games from three angles: first, as examples of media that can be analyzed and critiqued for their thematic elements, formal structure, plot and interactive appreciation; second, as complex software artifacts subject to technological constraints and the product of a laborintensive design and implementation process; and three as a cultural artifact with behaviors and associations comparable in import to other popular art forms. Student will study the principles of game design and use them both to analyze existing games and to develop their own original game ideas. Students will also learn about the process of game development, starting from the game's narrative concept and moving to consideration of a game's components: the representation of the player, of artifacts, the virtual world that contains them and the interaction between them and the player.

Prerequisites

Course Text
Rouse, R. Game Design: Theory and Practice. Wordware Publishing. 2001. Other readings handed out in class or available on-line

Other requirements

Students may need a memory card or other storage media for their game analysis project.

Resources

Students in the class will have access to the CTI Computer Game Lab. Some assignments will require that student use specific games available in this lab. Students performing assignments will have priority for the use of the lab, except during "development team" hours. See http://www.defragdepaul.edu/ for information on lab times. Please remember that the lab is staffed by volunteers be understanding. You will be required to give provide your student ID when checking out game hardware and/or software. The course web site will be an important resource for all aspects of the course: http://josquin.cti.depaul.edu/~rburke/courses/w05/gam224/ The schedule listed below may change during the quarter: the web site will contain the most up-to-date information.

Assessment

Student progress will be assessed through a combination of regular homework assignments, short reaction papers for each game genre, an individual project analyzing a particular game, a group game design project, and participation both in the class generally and as a discussion leader. Homework 15% Genre study papers 10% Game Analysis Project 25% Game Design Project 25% Group Leader 15% Participation 10%

Genre Study

An important component of the course will be the critical study of game genres. Each week, we will study a different game genre, beginning with Arcade and Action games in week 3. Each student will be required to spend at least one hour during the week playing a game of that genre, as assigned by the professor. The gameplay experience will be written up as a one-page reaction paper, which must be submitted in class. Students without their game reaction papers will get no credit for course participation for that day.

Discussion Leader

The first part of each class will be devoted to game genre discussion. We will meet in small groups with group leaders, discussing the key elements of the genre, and then work as a class to come to a better understanding of the genre's appeal, capabilities and limitations. Each student will serve as discussion leader twice. We will sign up for discussion slots during the first week of class. The discussion leader will have the following responsibilities: Play and report on at least two games from the genre, Demonstrate a game during class, Lead a group discussion during class time and take notes on the group's findings, Write a 5-page genre summary paper due the week after the discussion.

Game Analysis Project

Each student will perform an in-depth analysis of a single game title resulting in a mid-term paper due on 1/31. The following are required: Substantial play-time with the title, sufficient to master basic game play and to encounter most of the game's components. (Playing the game all the way through would be ideal but not practical for many titles.) Researching the game's community presence through FAQ files, walk-throughs, fan sites and other documents. Researching the game's genesis and history, the developers of the game and their prior titles, any articles published on the game's technology or development experiences. (Game Developer Magazine is an excellent source. The full run of the magazine is available on-line as an e-journal through DePaul Library in the ProQuest Computing database.) The midterm paper should be 8-10 pages, approximately 2000-2500 words. All references used should be cited including on-line works and the game itself.

Game Design Project

Students will work in teams to develop a new game design. This will be an outgrowth of game design activities throughout the course. Teams will be formed during week 5 and there will be design milestones throughout the rest of the quarter, culminating in a concept document submitted during finals week.

Weekly Schedule

1/3: Introduction Reading: Rouse, Ch. 1 & 2, Crawford, Ch. 1. Squire, K. "Cultural Framing of Computer/Video Games" Game Studies 2(1).
1/10: Guest Lecture: Robin Hunicke, Northwestern University The game industry latest trends. 1/17: Design Principles and Examples Genre: Arcade / Action Reading: Rouse: Ch 3, 4, 5, 6. 1/24: Gameplay and Modeling Genre: Strategy / Simulation Reading: Rouse, Ch. 7, 8, 9 & 10 Frasca, Gonzalo. "Sim Sin City: some thoughts about Grand Theft Auto 3" Game Studies 3(2). 1/31: Narrative and Character Genre: Role-playing Reading: Rouse, Ch. 11, 12, 13, 14 Midterm paper due 2/7: Game Design Documentation Genre: Action / Adventure Reading: Rouse, Ch. 15, 16, 17, 18 2/14: Level and Artifact Design Genre: Sports / Racing Reading: Rouse, Ch. 19, 20, 21, 22 2/21: Playtesting and Design Evaluation Genre: Fighting Reading: Rouse, Ch. 23 2/28: Game Criticism: Violence Genre: First-Person Action Reading: Anderson, C. "Violent Video Games: Myths, Facts, and Unanswered Questions ". On-line. Jenkins, H. "Lessons from Littleton: What Congress Doesn't Want to Hear About Youth and Media". Online. Kent, S. "Manhunt to Mortal Kombat: The Use and Future Use of Violence in Games". Game Developer Magazine. 3/7: Game Criticism: Gender Genre: Children's Reading: Cassell and Jenkins, "Chess for Girls? Feminism and Computer Games". Ch. 1 in From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games. 3/14: Final project due

Policies

Students are expected to attend all classes and participate in in-class exercises. Class will start promptly. Students are individually responsible for material they may have missed due to absence or tardiness. Most assignments will be submitted to the Course On-Line site. Do not submit assignments by email. All assignments should be completed and submitted by class time on the due date. Late assignments will be accepted up to two days after the due date with a 10% penalty per day. The final project and midterm paper may not be submitted late.
Assignments (except for designated group assignments) must represent a student's individual effort. While students are permitted to discuss assignments at the conceptual level, under no circumstances should students share specific answers (electronically or otherwise).

Domain Description

GAM 224 is included in the Liberal Studies program as a course with credit in the Arts and Literature Domain. Courses in the Arts and Literature Domain ask students to extend their knowledge and experience of the arts by developing their critical and reflective abilities. In these courses, students interpret and analyze particular creative works, investigate the relations of form and meaning, and through critical and/or creative activity to come to experience art with greater openness, insight, and enjoyment. These courses focus on works of literature, art, theatre, or music as such, though the process of analysis may also include social and cultural issues. Students who take course in this domain choose three courses from such choices as literature, the visual arts, media arts, music, and theater. No more than two courses can be chosen from one department or program.

School Policies

Online Instructor Evaluation Course and instructor evaluations are critical for maintaining and improving course quality. To make evaluations as meaningful as possible, we need 100% student participation. Therefore, participation in the Schools web-based academic administration initiative during the eighth and ninth week of this course is a requirement of this course. Failure to participate in this process will result in a grade of incomplete for the course. This incomplete will be automatically removed within seven weeks after the end of the course and replaced by the grade you would have received if you had fulfilled this requirement. Email Email is the primary means of communication between faculty and students enrolled in this course outside of class time. Students should be sure their email listed under "demographic information" at http://campusconnect.depaul.edu/ is correct. Plagiarism: The university and school policy on plagiarism can be summarized as follows: Students in this course, as well as all other courses in which independent research or writing play a vital part in the course requirements, should be aware of the strong sanctions that can be imposed against someone guilty of plagiarism. If proven, a charge of plagiarism could result in an automatic F in the course and possible expulsion. The strongest of sanctions will be imposed on anyone who submits as his/her own work a report, examination paper, computer file, lab report, or other assignment which has been prepared by someone else. If you have any questions or doubts about what plagiarism entails or how to properly acknowledge source materials be sure to consult the instructor. Incomplete: An incomplete grade is given only for an exceptional reason such as a death in the family, a serious illness, etc. Any such reason must be documented. Any incomplete request must be made at least two weeks before the final, and approved by the Dean of the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems. Any consequences resulting from a poor grade for the course will not be considered as valid reasons for such a request.

Game Syllabus

Arcade/Action Asteroids Battlezone Berzerk DDRMAX2: Dance Dance Revolution PC / MAME PC / MAME PC / MAME PS/2
Defender Eye Toy: Play Frogger Fuzion Frenzy Gauntlet Ice Wars Katamari Damacy Mechassault Metroid Zero Mission Midway Arcade Treasures Missile Command Pac-Man Q*bert Space Invaders Star Wars Super Monkey Ball 2 Tetris Worlds Tron Wario Ware, Inc. Strategy / Simulation Age of Empires Age of Empires: Rise of Rome Black & White Deluxe Edition Chessmaster 9000 Civilization 3 Evil Genius Full Spectrum Warrior Pikmin 2 Railroad Tycoon 3 Rise of Nations Star Trek: Armada Star Trek: Armada 2 The Sims 2 The Sims: Double Deluxe Warcraft 2 Warcraft 3 Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne Role-Playing Tales of Symphonia Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Deus Ex Diablo 2 Battle Chest Fable Final Fantasy X Action / Adventure Enter the Matrix Grand Theft Auto III Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Grim Fandango
PC / MAME PS/2 PC / MAME XBOX PC / MAME PC PS/2 XBOX GBA GC PC / MAME PC / MAME PC / MAME PC / MAME PC / MAME GC XBOX PC / MAME GC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC GC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC GC XBOX PC PC XBOX PS/2 PS/2 XBOX PS/2 XBOX PC
Metal Gear Solid 3 Myst 10th Anniversary DVD Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Prince of Persia: Warrior Within Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy Resident Evil: Outbreak Sly 2: Band of Thieves Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow Star Wars: Bounty Hunter Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Suffering Thief: Deadly Shadows Zork 1-3 Sports / Racing ATV Offroad Fury 2 Burnout 2: Point of Impact Deer Hunter ESPN NFL 2K5 Fight Night 2004 F-Zero GX Madden 2005: Collectors Edition Midnight Club 2 MLB Slugfest 2004 MVP Baseball 2004 NBA Ballers NBA Street Vol. 2 NFL Blitz Pro NHL Hitz Pro Project Gotham Racing 2 Red Card 2004 Sega GT 2002 SSX 3 Tony Hawk Underground 2 Fighting Dynasty Warriors 4 Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Soul Calibur 2 Super Smash Bros Tekken 4 Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Street Fighter Anniversary Collection First-Person Action America's Army Battlefield 1942 & The Road to Rome Contra Shattered Soldier Doom 3 Half-Life 2 Halo Halo 2 Star Trek: Elite Force Star Trek: Elite Force 2
PS/2 PC XBOX PS/2 PS/2 PS/2 PS/2 XBOX PS/2 PS/2 XBOX XBOX PC PC PS/2 PS/2 PS/2 XBOX XBOX GC PS/2 XBOX GC PS/2 PS/2 PS/2 GC GC / XBOX XBOX XBOX XBOX PS/2 PS/2 XBOX GC GC GC PS/2 XBOX PS/2 PC PC PS/2 PC PC XBOX XBOX PC PC
Star Wars: Battlefront Tribes Tribes 2 Tron 2 Unreal Tournament 2004 Wolfenstein Enemy Territory XIII Children's Advance Wars Backyard Baseball Classic NES: Donkey Kong Classic NES: Legend of Zelda Classic NES: Super Mario Bros I Spy Spooky Mansion Deluxe Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor Pokemon FireRed Railroad Tycoon 3 Simcity 3000 Sonic Advance 3 Super Mario Advance 4 Zoo Tycoon: Complete Edition Zoombini's Island Odessey

IQP DMO 3263

THE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT: A HISTORY OF THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY
Interactive Qualifying Project Report completed in partial fulfillment of the Bachelor of Science degree at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA
Submitted to: Professor Dean M. ODonnell (advisor)
Christopher M. Williams Francis X. Williams III

February 18, 2009

___________________________ Advisor Signature
This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its web site without editorial or peer review.

Abstract

The purpose of this IQP is to add to the ongoing Oral History project. The project consists of videotaped interviews with game developers. First, we learned interviewing and editing techniques from Dean ODonnell, Jason Scott, and by watching other documentary films. After that, we conducted interviews with Paul Neurath, founder of Looking Glass Studios, and Brian Sullivan, founder of Iron Lore Entertainment. These interviews were then edited to make clips suitable for a museum exhibit.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the following individuals and organizations:

Paul Neurath

Interviewee.

Brian Sullivan

Dean ODonnell
Provided us with insights into the process of making a documentary film. He provided feedback on all aspects of the project.

Jason Scott

Taught us some very useful techniques in both interviewing and editing. He also provided feedback on how we were doing.

Jacleen Becker

Provided training on editing software.

Rodney Obien

Coordinated with us and the WPI Archives to reserve a room for us to conduct an interview in and items associated with Brian Sullivan.
WPI Academic Technology Center
Provided us with the necessary camera equipment to conduct our interviews.
WPI Archives & Special Collections
Provided paraphernalia and a room to conduct one of our interviews.

Authorship Page

Our project began with a series of practice interviews. We conducted these interviews with members of the WPI undergraduate class. Frank and Chris both took turns being the interviewer and the secondary cameraman. After we gathered the footage, we edited them to make short clips. We divided the editorial work in such a way that both authors did about the same amount of editing. Frank did the majority of editing on one interview, and then Chris did the majority of editing on the next interview. We made sure to critique each other and provide help when necessary. Chris handled communication with the WPI Academic Technology Center to take out the necessary equipment needed to conduct the interviews. For the next phase of the project we had to contact possible interviewees. Both of us researched possible candidates, and we compiled a list of them. Frank asked the potential subjects to do the interview and coordinated an interview date with them. Once Paul Neurath and Brian Sullivan agreed to do the interview, each of us chose one person to focus upon for research. Chris researched Paul Neurath, while Frank researched Brian Sullivan. Once the research was mostly done, we reviewed each others work and made suggestions and improvements. For the actual interviews, Chris once again coordinated with the Academic Technology Center and the Gordon Library Archives to reserve the equipment and a room to conduct one of the interviews. In the case of Paul Neurath, we drove to Waltham, MA. Once there, Frank operated the HD camera and conducted the interview, while Chris operated the secondary camera and got footage of the environment. For Brian Sullivan, we conducted the interview in the Archives room at

the Gordon Library. Once again, Frank conducted the interview and Chris operated the secondary camera. After the interviews were conducted, the footage needed to be edited. To split up the work, we decided that Frank would edit the Paul Neurath interview and Chris would edit the Brian Sullivan interview. Although the two interviews were split up, we each did work on the other and acted as quality assurance agents.

Table of Contents

ABSTRACT....P.1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....P.2 AUTHORSHIP PAGE.....P.3 TABLE OF CONTENTS....P.5
INTRODUCTION....P.6 BACKGROUND.....P.8
2.1. 2.2. Paul Neurath.P.8 Brian Sullivan....P.13

METHODOLOGY....P.18

3.1. 3.2. 3.3. Learning the Process P.18 The Interviews..P.20 Editing.P.21
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION / ANALYSIS....P.23 CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS...P.25
BIBLIOGRAPHY....P.27 APPENDICES.....P.31
A. B. C. Practice Interviews.P.31 Paul Neurath.P.32 Brian Sullivan.P.33

1. Introduction

The goal of this project was to add video clips suitable for a museum exhibit to the ongoing Oral History project. We were tasked with conducting interviews with two game developers considered pioneers in the industry. Our first interviewee was Paul Neurath. He is a programmer that worked with Origin Systems and later founded the game development companies Looking Glass Studios and Floodgate Entertainment. Our second interviewee was Brian Sullivan. He was one of the founders of Ensemble Studios and later founded his own studio, Iron Lore Entertainment. The IQP took place over three terms; each term had separate goals and milestones. For the first term, we learned about the process of interviewing and editing. To do this, we watched documentary films, such as First Person, The Aristocrats, and BBS: The Documentary. After watching these documentaries and discussing the different techniques involved, we conducted several practice interviews and edited them. We conducted them with each other and with other WPI students. After we had done a few practice interviews, we met with Jason Scott, an independent documentary film maker, to learn even more about the process of interviewing and editing. He gave us helpful tips and pointed out what could be done better in our own interviews so that we may be more successful. Some of the things he taught us was to use secondary shots, to make sure that the audio quality was superb, and to ask questions that would invoke a better response from the interviewee. While we were learning the process, we were also tasked with figuring out which game developers we were going to interview. We did preliminary research on several candidates, and contacted them. Eventually Paul Neurath and Brian Sullivan agreed to be interviewed. The second term of the IQP was focused on the actual interviews. For the first half of the term we researched our two subjects. We needed to know about what they had done in order to ask relevant questions during the interview. Once we had the research, we began coming up with questions. Although we created a list of questions, they were only used as backups if we ran out of things to ask. During the final few weeks of the term, we settled on interview dates with both subjects and conducted the interviews. The first interview was with Paul Neurath. We drove to his office in Waltham, MA. and conducted the interview in about two hours time. The second -6-

interview took place on the WPI campus. We couldnt get an interview set up at Brian Sullivans house, so he thankfully came to WPI. The interview was conducted in the archives room at the Gordon Library in about two hours. The third and final term was spent finalizing the project. First, we had to edit the raw footage that we gathered so they would be in a format more suitable for a museum exhibit (short, coherent clips). Throughout the editing process, we continually used feedback from Dean ODonnell (the project advisor) and Jason Scott to make the clips better. Besides working on the actual clips, we had to do the necessary paperwork, prepare the DVD hard copies, and start converting some of the project to become the IGDA Oral History project.

2. Background

The following two sections contain the in-depth research we did on both Paul Neurath and Brian Sullivan.
2.1 Paul Neurath Origin Systems was founded in 1983 by Richard and Robert Garriott. Prior to this, Richard had made a couple of games, including Ultima. His initial games were so successful that he had enough money to found a company, named Origin Systems. 1 The company was originally located in Richards parents house in Houston, Texas, where Richard gathered his close friends: Chuck Bueche and two ex-Sierra On-Line workers, Mary Fenton and Jeff Hillhouse.2 Robert, who was living in Massachusetts at the time with his wife Mary, actually commuted to Houston to work at the company. In 1983 the company relocated to Massachusetts to end Roberts commute. There, they published their first game together: Ultima III.3 In 1995, Origin released Ultima IV, the first Ultima game to feature moral components and the first time Origin topped the bestseller list.4 By 1987, Origin had moved to New Hampshire because they needed more office space.5 Richard eventually grew tired of New England, but Robert wanted to keep the company in New Hampshire. After much feuding, Richard moved the development team back to Austin and, gradually over the next year, most of the team followed.6 Origin Systems main focus was on quality and innovation. Producer Warren Spector stated in an interview that There was a feeling of creating something new, of being on the cutting edge; that was incredibly exciting. That more, than anything else,
John Borland and Brad King, Dungeons and Dreamers (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003), 60. Ibid., 60-63. 3 Ibid., 62-72. 4 Ibid., 74-75. 5 Ibid., 75-Ibid., 76.
drove people to do exceptional work.7 When Richard got back to Austin, he started recruiting talented individuals. For example, Chris Roberts joined the company and created the Wing Commander series.8 A major reason why Wing Commander was so successful was its revolutionary sound and music: it began with a virtual conductor direction a symphony.9 Another example of them going to extreme lengths to make a quality and innovative game was their efforts on Ultima VII. When Ultima VII: The Black Gate was estimated to require a megabyte of graphics, which wasnt available at the time, they went ahead and created their own operating system for the game.10 Eventually, Origin found itself in financial trouble. The troubles began for Origin when it was decided that Ultima VI would not be ported to the IBM PC, because Richard thought it was a piece of garbage.11 This miscalculation could have put the Garriott brothers in $1 million dollars of debt; however, the game did come out, on time and intact. They decided to sell the company to EA in 1992 to provide more financial stability.12 Origins creative, innovative and quality driven style did not meld well with EAs business style.13 In 1997, Origin launched Ultima Online, whose huge success of 250,000 subscribers helped launch the MMORPG genre.14 In 2004, EA shut down Origin Systems. Matt Scibilia, president and CEO of Critical Mass Interactive Inc., said that the closing came as no surprise: there wasnt a lot happening at Origin besides Ultima Online.15

MobyGames. Paul Neurath. Gamespy, 20 Questions with Warren Spector p. 3. Available from http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/interviews/spector_c.shtm; Internet; Accessed 12 November 2008. 23 Gamespy. Looking Glass and Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri; Available from http://www.gamespy.com/articles/495/495425p1.html; Internet; Accessed 12 November 2008. 24 Ibid. 25 Ibid., 1-3.

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by objects would also inform the AI of their surroundings.26 Thief was one of the first stealth-based games and one of the first games in which sound played a major role in game play, both for the AI and the player, as opposed to the normal visual cues. The last game Looking Glass would release, before shutting its doors, was Thief II: The Metal Age in 2000. Looking Glass was forced to lay off its 60 employees the week of May 26, 2000, when publisher Eidos backed out of a plan to acquire Looking Glass. Eidos spokesman Greg Rizzer attributed this to the fact that a lot of people were buying low-end PCs at the time and they couldnt run Looking Glasss high-end, 3D games.27 While working at Looking Glass, Neurath oversaw the development and design of such titles as Ultima Underworld, Terra Nova and Thief. 28 After Looking Glass went under, Neurath founded Floodgate Entertainment and is the creative director there. Floodgate is comprised mostly of members of the deceased Looking Glass.29 Floodgate has been working on major brand mobile titles, such as Age of Empires for PocketPC, Nascar 07 and Pirates of the Caribbean Multiplayer.30
Gamasutra, Post-mortem: Thief: The Dark Project, p. 3. Available from http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3355/postmortem_thief_the_dark_project.php?page=3; accessed on 12 November 2008. 27 Looking Glass Closing, Laying off 60 Workers Failed Deal Cambridge Game Developer. Boston Globe, 26 May 2000. Database on-line. Available from LexisNexis Academic. 28 Andrew S. Bub, Rick Ernst and Paul Neurath on NWN: The Shadow of Undertide (PC), available from http://www.gamespy.com/pc/neverwinter-nights-shadows-of-undrentide/6532p1.html; Accessed on 12 November 2008. 29 Floodgate Entertainment, About Floodgate, available from http://www.floodg.com/company.html; accessed on November 11 2008. 30 Ibid.

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2.2 Brian Sullivan In the mid 1990s, the Dallas IT-scene was booming. There were many professionals and companies in the area. In 1995, two brothers, Tony and Rick Goodman, wanted to begin making games. They envisioned a real-time version of Sid Meiers Civilization. They asked Bruce Shelley to join them, and he took the job. Shelley previously worked at MicroProse with Sid Meier.31 Around the same time, Brian Sullivan also found himself in the Dallas area wanting to get into the game industry. After graduating from Carnegie-Mellon, he moved to Dallas and had a successful Software Engineering career. Soon after the Goodman brothers had picked up Bruce Shelley, Brian Sullivan joined the team as the last co-founder.32 They called their company Ensemble Studios. Ensemble went on to create their flagship product, Age of Empires. It was met with initial success, although it had its problems. Brian Sullivan worked as a designer for the title.33 The design team and studio executives all felt that they had made a good product. There were many design philosophies that went into the making of Age of Empires. First of all, the games setting was a shift from the norm. Instead of a science-fiction or fantasy setting, AoE was set in a historical setting. It was the first realtime strategy game to have a historical setting that changed throughout the game. The game was built to be very easy for users not familiar with RTS games to pick up and play. They made sure that the game would appeal to the casual market. They also included features for more advanced users to use, but new users didnt have to even
Rusel DeMaria and Johnny L. Wilson, High Score! (McGraw-Hill Professional, 2003); Internet; accessed 11 November 2008. 32 Iron Lore, "The People"; Internet; accessed 31 October 2008. 33 Moby Games, Age of Empires; Internet; accessed 13 November 2008.

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know about them.34 Ensemble is also notorious for stressing quality in their games. They often delayed games so that they could polish them more and make sure they had great products. For example, Bruce Shelley directly attributes the long-term success of the series to sacrificing an early release for more quality.35 Even with the release of Blizzards blockbuster hit, Starcraft, Ensemble was still seeing success. In 1998, Age of Empires was honored with awards at the Game Developers Choice Awards, including a spotlight award for Game Design for the design team (including Brian Sullivan).36 They began work on an expansion pack, and a sequel. The sequel, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. The game was scheduled to be released in 1998, but was delayed for quality concerns. Instead, Ensemble released the mildly successful expansion to AoE, Rise of Rome. By this time, Mr. Sullivan had moved over to the production team.37 There have long been stories of poor work conditions in the game industry. Unlike these stories though, Ensemble strove to make sure that they had a great work environment. Ensemble did more than just have picnics, company outings, gaming events, etc. though. The philosophy was to bring in talented individuals and keep them there for a long time. For example, instead of giving out large bonuses (the company was healthy enough to do so), they gave out stock options to the employees and fostered the mentality that the company belonged to everyone in it. They strove to make the environment a family. They didnt want Ensemble to be just another filler-

Chase Murdey, "Age of Titans: Brian Sullivans Latest Adventures," Gamasutra; Internet; accessed 31 October 2008.
Mark Walker, Games That Sell! (Wordware Publishing, Inc., 2003); Internet; accessed 11 November 2008. Game Developers Choice Awards, Archive / 1998 Spotlight Awards; Internet; accessed 13 November 2008. 37 Moby Games, Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome.

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job.38 Ensemble also had an innovative recruiting process, as far as the gaming industry is concerned. Ensemble allowed their members to veto potential employees. The main benefit for this is that it helps ensure team cohesion; it helps ensure that the new employee will work well with the current group of developers. Sullivan would later use this at his company Iron Lore.39 Ensemble continued to use their proven strategy to make many more games. Some of the top sellers include Age of Empires III and Age of Mythology. After the release of Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, Brian Sullivan left the company and headed to New England. On February 8, 2001, he announced that he had officially created a new company with life-long friend Paul Chieffo, called Iron Lore Entertainment.40 Although the company was announced in 2001, it was actually created in October 2000.41 About two months after his new companys announcement, Ensemble ceased to be an independent company. On May 4, 2001, it was reported that Microsoft would be purchasing the RTS powerhouse, Ensemble Studios.42 After the purchase, Ensemble continued to make strong sales for Microsoft. It was even contracted to make a Halo RTS, which is Microsofts largest franchise. Recently, it was announced that Microsoft would be closing down Ensemble Studios. This announcement came as a shock because Ensemble was doing extremely well. On the companys website, Bruce Shelley has conveyed the news. Since Ensemble continually
Bruce Shelley, "Sells like team spirit"; Game Developer, July, 2002, in Academic OneFile [database on-line] , accessed November 11, 2008.
Francois Dominic Laramee, Secrets of the Game Business (Charles River Media, 2003); Internet; accessed 11 November 2008. 40 Iron Lore, News Archive. 41 Jeff Goodsill, "Iron Lore's TITAN QUEST"; Game Developer, October, 2006, in Academic OneFile [database on-line], accessed November 11, 2008. 42 Alex Pham, Microsoft Buys Ensemble, Los Angeles Times, May 04, 2001, C-3, http://articles.latimes.com/2001/may/04/business/fi-59169 (accessed November 11, 2008).

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saw good sales, it didnt seem like Microsoft would close the studio down. The company will still be finishing the upcoming game Halo Wars for Microsoft though.43 Brian Sullivan and Iron Lore began working immediately on Titan Quest. Titan Quest is an action-RPG set in a mythological time period. Sullivan came up with the idea for the game while he was working on Age of Empires. The two games have many similarities. Besides the obvious, such as the overall setting, many of the same philosophies of Ensemble were used at Iron Lore. The game was designed so that anyone could play the game, not just the hardcore action-RPG fans.44 The early stages of the development of Titan Quest were very shaky. The demo team worked extremely hard to try and get a publisher signed.45 It wasnt until July 21, 2004 that Iron Lore announced its partnership with THQ to publish Titan Quest.46 Iron Lore saw some initial success with the Titan Quest and even produced an expansion for it (Titan Quest: Immortal Throne). After the Titan Quest expansion, Iron Lore produced Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Soulstorm with Relic Entertainment. It seemed as though Iron Lore was off to a great start and would continue making games, but that wasnt to be the case. On February 19, 2008, Iron Lore announced it was shutting down. Apparently, THQ decided to stop funding the studio, so there was no income or contract to make a new game.47 Although Titan Quest was fairly well-received, it did not come without criticism. The main criticism of the game is that it is too much like Blizzards Diablo II. Sullivan, in an interview with Gamasutra, does not deny that the game is very similar, but instead
Ensemble Studios, Ensemble Studios Closing; Internet; accessed 13 November 2008.
Chase Murdey, "Age of Titans: Brian Sullivans Latest Adventures," Gamasutra; Internet; accessed 31 October 2008. 45 Jeff Goodsill, "Iron Lore's TITAN QUEST." 46 Iron Lore, News Archive. 47 Iron Lore, News.

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states his reasons for why that is the case. Core Titan Quest game play is very similar to Diablo, because Diablo basically defined the genre,48 In his perspective, he is making a game of the same genre, in the same way that many of the RTS games are of the same genre. The difference is that there are many RTS games, and far fewer action-RPGs. He also goes on to state how games such as World of Warcraft may have played a role in keeping away potential customers. Since MMOs are so engaging, it seems as though people dont have time for other games (or do not want to play them).49

Chase Murdey, "Age of Titans: Brian Sullivans Latest Adventures. Chase Murdey, "Age of Titans: Brian Sullivans Latest Adventures.

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3. Methodology
3.1 Learning the Process Before we could conduct the interviews, we needed to learn how the process of interviewing and editing works. Some of the first resources we used were documentary films. We watched The Aristocrats, BBS: The Documentary, and First Person to see how the craft is done. First of all, we learned that there are many ways to conduct and edit an interview. There isnt really a right or a wrong way to do things, but there are some general guidelines and tips that we learned. When a subject is talking about something that might not be common sense, it is a good idea to use shots showing visual aids that illuminate what the subject is talking about, also keeping the audience entertained in the process. Clips should generally not last more than thirty seconds because the audience might get tired of seeing someone drone on about something for too long. The interview should be edited to be as succinct as possible, without losing meaning, which provides a more enjoyable experience for the audience. The background of the interview should contain many items that help explain the subject; the items should provide clues as to who the subject is, because a short interview might not provide that information. Besides watching documentary films, we conducted practice interviews. First, we took turns interviewing each other about what our favorite games were. After editing, we got feedback from Dean ODonnell as to what worked and what didnt. Our background was boring and didnt provide too much information about the subject. Also, our sound quality was very poor. We edited that interview again and made it shorter and changed the topic. We didnt use any additional footage, so changing the

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topic seemed pretty difficult at first. This was a purely editorial exercise to see if we could juxtapose various segments together to form one coherent clip. Not only did this provide us with practice editing and moving segments around, but it also showed us the importance of asking good questions during the interview. The editing process can often be open ended, and it is better to prepare for a broader range of possibilities, without being too vague. After conducting interviews on each other, we began conducting interviews with other WPI students as the subjects. The goal of these exercises was to practice working with two cameras, a better microphone, the high-definition IMGD camera, to practice asking questions on the fly, and to see which one of us was better at certain aspects of the process (like asking questions, operating the cameras, etc.). We continually made progress with sound quality and the backgrounds through trial-anderror. We also gained confidence in our ability to come up with questions impromptu, because preplanning an entire interview does not take into consideration what the subject likes to talk about. Near the end of the first term of this project, we made a trip to Jason Scotts house, where he and Dean ODonnell taught us even more about the interview process. Jason Scott makes his own documentary films, so he was an invaluable resource to this project. Jason looked at our work, and provided us his thoughts on what worked and what didnt. The most important issue was our sound quality. He taught us that video clips can be replaced, but the sound must absolutely be clear. For example, an overlay of a game could be shown instead of the interviewee, while the interviewee is talking about the game. Also, people are more willing to forgive visual blunders, but they are not as willing to forgive poor audio. He also showed us many other videos that show

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how different people edit documentary films. He even showed us how he conducts the interview. We learned that the questions should be urging the subject to tell a story. So, if someone isnt talking about one thing, it is best to try and find a question that the person will talk about.

3.2 The Interviews

The first interview was with Paul Neurath. It took a while to finally select a time that both parties could commit to, but we eventually settled on one. We conducted the interview at his office in Waltham, MA. When we arrived, we were told that we could use the conference room and that he only had about an hour. We quickly set up the equipment and began as soon as we could to maximize the amount of footage we could get. We had a high-definition camera, a standard-definition camera, and a wireless microphone with a clip. When setting up the equipment, we tried to get some of the posters of games that Paul had worked on in the background. Since there wasnt much in the room, the only other object in the background was the white wall. We had previously figured out what we wanted to ask him about (questions pertaining to his past) and stayed pretty much within those confines. We managed to get through all the main questions we wanted to ask. Throughout the interview, we moved the second camera around the room so that we could have many different kinds of shots. The second interview was conducted at WPI with Brian Sullivan. He could not conduct the interview at his home, so we reserved the archives room. We set up the room to have a lot of paraphernalia associated with Brian (which was generously provided by the WPI archives). We placed those items around a chair for Brian and off in the background. As far as the equipment goes, we used the same set up as the first - 20 -
interview. For this interview, we got through our main questions, but had more time to explore other avenues; we had a chance to ask follow-up questions that helped clarify what he was saying. At the end of the interview, we even got some footage of Brian standing next to a very large Titan Quest statue that is in the library.

3.1 Editing To edit the interviews, we focused first on content and being succinct. Since our questions were already split up into various categories, we used those categories to make the different clips. We took all of the footage pertaining to a clip and segregated it from the rest. We did this for each category. Once each was split up, we arranged the segments so that they would answer a question, or tell a story (so each clip would make sense). We also cut out portions that were superfluous or unnecessary. Again, the goal wasnt to just have a pioneer talk, but to provide something worthy of a museum exhibit. Once we had the clips edited for content (or arranged in a succinct way), we focused on improving the entertainment and informative aspects. Generally, we tried not to have clips that were longer than thirty seconds. Since we did have a bunch that were longer (because what was being said was important), we decided to cut to the secondary camera to at least break up the visual clips into shorter segments. Also, we made sure that transitions from segments that had been juxtaposed switched from one camera to another to disguise the fact that the segments didnt occur next to each other in the raw footage. We also went through and put in game box shots and game footage so that the audience can see what the subject was talking about. For example, when

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Brian Sullivan was talking about how units looked in Age of Empires, we showed a screenshot of the units lined up. The final stage of editing was used to do touchups to make the quality of the clips better. If there were any glitches in the way transitions from segment to segment looked, we made sure that they were smoothed out. We also had to do some color and light correction. Since the two cameras were different cameras filming at different definitions, we had to make sure that they at least looked similar in the final product. Besides the lighting, we also had to boost the audio on the Paul Neurath interview so that it was more audible.

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4. Results and Discussion / Analysis
For the most part, the basic core of the project was successful, but there was a lot that could be different with the final quality of the project. Overall, we made clips that were succinct, showed the interviewee, had visual aids, and had no jarring technical errors. This means that all the content needed for this project is sound. As with most other art forms though, there is a lot that could have been done differently to make the project better on the surface. As far as the questioning is concerned, we asked enough questions that were fairly well informed, so the clips have good points being made about the subjects. There are many other questions we could have asked, though, that would have elicited even better responses. This is largely a product of practice though, and probably cannot be mastered easily over the course of a three term project. Our lighting and sound quality was decent enough to have a pretty good final product, but could have been better. For Paul Neurath, we used completely environmental light because the room we were in had one whole side covered by window. The lighting for that interview came out pretty good, but the sound quality suffered because of the close proximity to the street. At one point, sirens from outside overwhelmed the sound from the inside, which rendered that portion of the footage unusable. The Brian Sullivan interview was quite the opposite. The archives room was quiet and wasnt close to the street, so the sound quality came out great. Unfortunately, the lighting suffered a bit because of our inexperience. On the far right side of Brian, the ceiling lights were not on. Over him and on his left the lights were fine, and seemed fine at the time, but presented problems with the secondary camera. We had to darken

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5.2 Recommendations
The most important thing that future IQP teams need to keep in mind is to pay attention to both Dean ODonnell and Jason Scott (and anyone else who is providing help). They know what they are doing, so it is best to listen to them. Also, make sure to seek help from them and to arrange a meeting with Jason as soon as possible. The earlier the meeting with Jason, the more practicing can get done. As far as the interviews go, start early (as in the first day) on finding an interview subject. The field of pioneers grows thinner and thinner each year and it will be hard enough just to find a persons name, let alone actually get said person to do the interview. This is especially true when doing multiple interviews. We had to do two, and the first was supposed to be done several weeks before the second. Unfortunately, they were done within a week of each other, so we werent able to learn as much from the first one going into the second one. Finally, make sure to be prepared. Asking good questions isnt as easy as it sounds, so make sure to do plenty of research. The more that is known about someone, the better the quality of the questions can be. It is also advisable to make sure that you reserve the cameras and other equipment in advance. It seems like it shouldnt be a problem taking out the IMGD equipment for an IMGD IQP, but the cameras are used by others. Making a reservation a week or two in advance can prevent many headaches from trying to scramble around last minute.

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Bibliography
Answers.com. "Top Gun: Fire at Will." Available from http://www.answers.com/ topic/top-gun-fire-at-will-game-1. Internet; accessed 31 October 2008. Arena behind the scenes. Available from http://www.elderscrolls.com/tenth_anniv/ tenth_anniv-arena.htm; Internet; accessed 12 November 2008. BBS: The Documentary. DVD. Directed By Jason Scott. Boston, MA: Bovine Ignition Systems, 2005. Borland, John and Brad King. Dungeons and Dreamers. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Bub, Andrew S. Rick Ernst and Paul Neurath on NWN: The Shadow of Undertide (PC). Available from http://www.gamespy.com/pc/neverwinter-nights-shadowsof-undrentide/6532p1.html. Internet; accessed 12 November 2008. Byrne, Edward. Game Level Design. Charles River Media, 2005. Available from http://books.google.com/books?id=iX3oWHNf9hMC&pg=PA166&dq =Ensemble+Studios. Internet; accessed 11 November 2008. Callaham, John. "Titan Quest Interview." FiringSquad. Available from http://www. firingsquad.com/news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=9999. Internet; accessed 31 October 2008. DeMaria, Rusel, and Johnny L. Wilson. High Score!. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2003. Available from http://books.google.com/books?id=HJNvZLvpCEQC&pg= PA297&dq=Ensemble+Studios. Internet; accessed 11 November 2008. Ensemble Studios. Ensemble Studios Closing. Available from http://www.ensemblestudios.com/blogs/bshelley/archive/2008/09/22/ensemblestudios-closing.aspx. Internet; accessed 13 November 2008. Errol Morris' First Person - The Complete Series. DVD. Directed by Errol Morris. 2000; Jericho, NY: Independent Film Channel Films, 2005. Floodgate Entertainment. About Floodgate. Available from http://www.floodg.com/company.html. Internet; accessed November 11 2008. Fullerton, Tracy, Christopher Swain, and Steven Hoffman. Game Design Workshop. Focal Press, 2004. Available from http://books.google.com/books?id =oTDZ0DoAchUC&pg=PA280&dq=Ensemble+Studios. Internet; accessed 11 November 2008. Gamasutra. Post-mortem: Thief: The Dark Project. Available from http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3355/postmortem_thief_the_dark_projec t.php?page=3. Internet; accessed 12 November 2008. - 27 -

Sullivan, Brian. Interview by author, December 2008, Worcester, MA. Video tape recording. The Aristocrats. DVD. Directed by Paul Provenza. 2005; New York, NY: ThinkFilm, 2005. The NextLevel. TNL Developer Spotlight: Looking Glass Studios. Available from http://www.the-nextlevel.com/features/developers/looking-glassstudios/history.shtml. Internet; accessed 12 November 2008. Varney, Allen. "The Conquest of Origin." The Escapist, 11 October 2005. Available from http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_14/87-TheConquest-of-Origin.3. Internet; accessed 11 October 2008.

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Appendix A: Practice Interviews

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Appendix B: Paul Neurath

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Appendix C: Brian Sullivan

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