Australian Gamer 10 Questions :: 10 Game Industry Questions

POPULATION DECLINING

10 Game Industry Questions - Christian Carriere

AUSTRALIAN GAME INDUSTRY Q and A - 10 Questions with Christian Carriere - Level designer for Krome Studios, Brisbane

Discuss in official forum

View Screenshots

view profile

Fullname: Christian Carriere

Nickname: Juggernautz (Juggz for short)

Gender: Male

Age: 21

Current Company: Krome Studios, Brisbane

Current Project: Unannounced Title

Gaming Systems Owned: Nintendo DS Light / Playstation 2 / Beast of a PC / XBOX 360 and an awesome HD projector! :D Roomy has an original XBOX and soon to buy a Wii.

1. What is your job role where you work and can you explain what it entails?

Well, covertly I sell company secrets to major international businesses in exchange for arms and guaranteed approval votes in the UN.

Officially however, I am a Level Designer. The role entails... designing levels. OK, so I'm being facetious. Seriously, the role is very creative and diverse. Initially we are tasked, under supervision by whip and chain of the game designers, to come up with a whole bunch of ideas for game spaces within the limitations of the project and engine. From there, we will sketch out some schematics of the layout of these levels, much akin to an architectural blueprint. Then we'll do it again a hundred times because the Lead Level and Game designers point out the many initial flaws. Then we start working on the 'grey box' which is essentially the absolutely basic 3D layout. Nothing fancy like rocks, trees or anything cool like that. Just the heights and distances that are needed to make the game fun. Then, we run around it until we can see it with our eyes closed and play it with our hands behind our heads, and make sure it�s enjoyable just to move around in.

Then comes the (more) fun part! We get to do all the fun scripting, camera work and set dressing! This includes setting up AI spawn points, navigation nodes for the AI, interactive props, cameras and feature cams, all those cool set piece sequences that make you go "AWESOME!" and try very hard to make sure the game doesn't break whilst you're playing it. Then comes the bug fixing phase where we trawl through hundreds of bugs and fix them. But they're like the Zerg... for every one bug you quash, 4 turn up in their place. But the war is eventually won.

And that's my job. Also, I make coffee. For myself.

2. What games have you been directly involved with previously?

Medieval II: Total War (PC)
Hellboy: The Science of Evil (360/PS3)
Numerous mods and maps for Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament that no-one has probably ever heard of. Was great practice though. :)
A couple of Unannounced Titles.

3. How did you get your start in the gaming industry?

By getting into vast amounts of debt in order to get my degree. :P Before I decided I wanted to study for the games industry, I had played around a lot with animation and 3D modelling. I worked on a few mods and made maps using the tools released with various games such as Quake, Unreal Tournament, Starcraft, Warcraft and Neverwinter Nights. After school, I grabbed my Bachelor of Interactive Entertainment majoring in Animation at QANTM College, and from there managed to land a job as QA at Creative Assembly where I got my first taste of the gaming industry... and a lot of respect for long time QA staff. It's not easy. I also increased my already substantial dependence on caffeine. Whilst I was working at CA, I heard on the grapevine that Krome Studios was looking for level designers. I applied, and am happily working in that position today.

4. What has been the most positive experience of working in the games industry so far?

Claiming stuff on tax. Nah, just kidding. Sort of. Honestly, the greatest part of working in this industry are the people and the projects. I am constantly surrounded by people who love games almost as much as I do. I am immersed in a human sea of creativity, artistry and vision. Being that I've only worked in the industry for a relatively short period (2 years), the scope and the quality of the work that the people around me perform every day often astounds me. From concept, to design, to sound, to management and admin, I don't believe there's a more creative industry in the world today that employs so many talented, quirky and eccentric people. Being that I'm quirky and eccentric, I fit right in. Also, company social nights involving many beers and shenanigans are definitely a high point too!

5. What has been the most negative experience of working in the games industry so far?

Not getting the tax back that I claimed for. That's about the worst thing. Oh, actually I know. The fact that sometimes when I'm playing games I start analysing them, trying to think and even pointing out to people around how things could be done better. Then I have to slap myself in the face and consciously stop myself from doing it because it disrupts the fun of the game.

6. What advice can you give to other people looking to get into a position such as yours?

Bribe someone. Failing that, practice, practice, and more practice. Go out and get familiar with editors for all your favourite games. Create maps and MODs, models and textures. Once you feel you've got a grasp of some of the tools, further your studies. Almost every major university now has some sort of games degree. Whereas it used to be just QANTM College and AIE (who are still going very strong), most other universities now have games design/programming courses available. Have a look around and find the one that suits you best, as a degree in these fields is now almost a necessity. Also, apply for as many QA and focus testing positions as you can, it's all about the experience. Create short, fun projects and try and get them noticed at conferences such as the Australian Games Developers Conference, or Game Connects. And that's all the advice I can give.

7. How do you see Australia as a market when compared to the rest of the world?

Despite a completely ridiculous lack of an adult rating for games in this country, which is creating a drastic chilling effect on the industry, I think the Australian industry has so much potential. The only problem we currently have is the lack of governmental support for the industry, despite its meteoric rise to the top entertainment choice of people worldwide. We are already seeing a bevy of top notch Australian developers producing truly AAA titles. Krome, 2K Australia, Pandemic, Creative Assembly, THQ, and more recently, Infinite Interactive are supplemented by the smaller successful companies like Halfbrick, and the list of quality developers is growing. Also, in a recent study by the IEAA and Bond University it was found that the Australian industry already employs 5,000 people and that Australia earns $100 million each year from games export revenue. And it's growing. In the first half of 2007, the market grew by 30% so I think it's vitally important that the people and government of this country take the industry very seriously, and offer the same benefits to games development as are enjoyed by the film industry. A quick look at Canada's support for their industry will show you the benefits it can provide to a country�s economy.

Once we have those benefits, I think we will see a lot more companies working towards original Intellectual Property rather than working with established licenses. At this point in time, it is extremely risky to do so and can have disastrous results as can be seen with the tragedy that saw most of Auran shut down. XBOX live titles are a great way to produce original I.P and still see some financial return but Australia needs its version of Grand Theft Auto, Starcraft or Final Fantasy and we aren't going to be able to do so with so much financial risk in the country.

I could go far more in depth with this serious tangent... but I'll leave it at that. :)

8. Got any good stories you want to share?

No.

Actually there is one. I have a foot-in-mouth story! Once we were working late, late nights in order to hit a very important milestone. I was tired and venting, trying to fix a whole lot of bugs. So I got one particularly uninformative bug from QA and continued to spew forth a rather impressive list of expletives directed at their department. The room goes silent for a second, and when I turn to my right I see the QA Manager standing there grinning at me like some vile demonic spawn intent on devouring my soul. (Hi Tim!) "Oh... I totally knew you were there...." Word to the wise, NEVER be too quick to judge QA. They are the bread and butter of the industry, and should they choose, can make your life hell for many nights to come...

9. What are your favourite games and why?

Starcraft
The absolute epitome of multiplayer RTS. Each side is so vastly different, and yet so extremely finely balanced that any game is always enthralling and competitive. Not to mention the quality of the single player experience, the endearing characters and the amazing (in usual Blizzard fashion) cutscenes.
Quake 3
I know it's a little long in the tooth now, but I put SO MANY hours into Quake 3. I used to be able to flick-rail people from across the map whilst sideways jumping on bounce platforms. I used to jump online and still win with pings of 600+. I just loved the insane speed of the game and the balance of the weapons, and the amazing level design. As OP as the BFG was, it was always very difficult to get to and made you the immediate target of everyone around. Love it.
Final Fantasy VII
It's Final Fantasy! SEVEN! That says it all.
Civilisation. One
Oh yes. Civ 1. At a time when my computer could play nothing else fancy like Wing Commander or DOOM, I could play Civ 1. And play I did. I must have played the game a thousand times. I even created an Australian Empire and nuked the hell out of everyone! So much to do, so many different paths to take. I have recently been playing Sins of a Solar Empire and the game has so many similar aspects to the Civ series, and Galciv of course, that it made me nostalgic for the time of turn based strats.
Diablo
Both Diablos, but especially Diablo 1 holds a dear place in my heart. I was so enthralled with the game that me and a mate of mine would take turns at playing the game until we beat it. When one of us got tired, we'd have a nap and let the other take over until we had defeated the mighty Lord of Terror himself. I beat that game many times. Then Diablo 2 came out, and the game dominated my life for a very long time. Best. Action. RPG. Ever.
WoW
Yeah, so I play WoW. GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?! To be honest, I've been getting really bored of it as of late. I used to play it really hardcore, raiding every night. Then I took an extended break and now only play casually, mostly to do arenas. I have a 60 priest on Kil'jaeden who I retired because American raid times were no longer viable. Then I started my awesome main Juggernautz on Jubei'thos, my lvl 70 PvP Warrior. As much as people say it's so anti-social, I have made some amazing friends through WoW that I would have never made otherwise, and we go out often for drinking and shenanigans, so I believe WoW is a great social experience and don't regret at all putting so much time into it. Beats the hell out of watching TV.

10. If you could meet any gaming character in real life, who would it be and why?

There's two actually...

Guybrush Threepwood - One of the best characters ever created in the history of everything. The Secret of Monkey Island was the game that first got me into graphical adventures, and the leading protagonist was one of the funniest, odd characters I'd ever seen. I can imagine going out on the town with this dude and getting into all sorts of mischief in the search for loots and Elaine Marley. What other series has a character spraying ghosts with seltzer, using giant ear buds as keys, rubber trees, rubber chickens with pulleys in the middle, insult swordplay and three headed monkeys? None, that's what!

Alyx Vance - Poor chick has been through so much, and the dude she likes won't even talk to her, even after the death of her father. Also, she is definitely one of the most endearing, believable characters in a video game; one that you actually get to know more as you play. Even if Mr. "I'm too cool to speak" Freeman won't pay her any attention. Gordon Freeman, you are a douche. But I still love viewing the world through your eyes. And shooting those damned headcrabs!

If you have any questions for Chris he will be available for a limited time to answer them in the forums here

Discuss in official forum

View Screenshots