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Jenni Lada brings us information about all of the groovy new gaming imports from around the world.
Jenni Lada brings us information about all of the groovy new gaming imports from around the world.
A. I am Christopher Lee Buckner, 28 years old, living in Sacramento California. I am the Lead Designer, Writer and Creator of Conquest of Heroes.
Q. What previous experience did you have before joining Burning Man Studios (BMS)?
A. I worked for another, smaller Independent Game company named Prime Mortal interactive for about a year from 2006 to 2007, which was based out of my hometown. There I did pretty much the same job I am doing here with BMS. Design work, some art, story development, research and general team lead. The company was owned by my college computer animation and modeling professor, so it was pretty serious. I got the chance to learn from a real pro who knew, not necessarily a lot about the game industry, but a ton about real-world production, design, animation and modeling and general business management. I also did some basic production work for my college on a short CG film, so I have plenty of experience about pre-production. Other then this, I’ve been writing for about 10 years, seriously for about 5.
Currently I am also being paid to write for Gamertell.com, a video game web site where I do general news, articles and features. It has been really fun and challenging in completely different ways then what I am used too. I think my writing has certainly improved since joining Gamertell as I have to focus on other things that might not be as important or up front in novel writing.
Q. How do you think that past experience has helped to prepare you for working with a game company?
A. Simply the amount of experience and knowledge I have with pre-production, design and story development has helped a great deal. A lot of problems and issues I’ve faced with BMS I have dealt with before. I have had to do more with BMS then I’ve ever had to do in my past jobs. But, those previous projects have giving me the ability to not panic, think things through, and find the best possible way to overcome a particular situation.
Q. What do you hope to bring to Burning Man Studios and its primary game title?
A. Most of all I really hope to bring a strong, well-told epic story that will appeal to a lot of people. I hope through BMS that I am able to lead and work with the various members of our team and production. I guess really what any artist wants is for his or her stories and artwork to be seen and liked by a wide audience. I like to think that my stories, while traditional, people will see that they are fun, adventurous and make you think about you’re the world we live in.
Q. What has been most challenging for you?
A. Most challenging is creating the worlds, characters and events that make up Conquest of Heroes. I don’t think most people really know or understand how hard it is to create an entire universe with its own history, cultures and characters. Sometimes, I won’t see the sun for days at a time, because I am too busy beating my head against the wall trying to build CoH into a fun and interesting world.
Q. What has been most surprising for you so far?
A. Most surprising are the people. I don’t count too many people in real life as friends, but even though most of us haven’t meet face-to-face, I can easily say that these guys are my friends…something very rare for me to say. The second is simply that while all of us come from different countries, background and cultures, it is quite interesting how we have similar interests and passions.
Q. What tools/software do you use?
A. For my writing I use a Sony laptop with XP and Windows Office. Nothing too special. For my artwork I use mainly, Bristol paper 14 x 17 in., mechanical pencil 0.5, various sharpies pens, various micron pens, French curves, Indian inks and Photoshop 7.
Q. What do you hope to get out of Burning Man Studios?
A. Like any job, more experience and knowledge in pre-production and development and the chance to work on something that is really cool and fun. Sometimes seriously, I work 15-hour days on Conquest of Heroes, sleep 6 hours then wake up and get right back to work. It is just that much fun.
Q. Did you have a previous interest in video games prior to your work with Burning Man Studios?
A. Oh boy yes. I’ve been playing video games since I was 4 or 5, on the old Atari system in the early 1980’s. Haven’t stopped since. I am a console guy. I’ve never really gotten into playing PC games beyond Warcraft. The only MMO I’ve played was City of Heroes for about a year and a little beta testing on Guild Wars. But, I can’t live without my Xbox 360. I playing RPG’s, FPS, Action, Adventure and Military games the most. Really anything with action and story. The only thing is, I can only move forward with games. While I have many classic games that I love, if you gave me FF7 now, I would probably not be able to get into it. I hate Nintendo. Period. It’s a joke - sorry.
Q. How did you come to join the team at Burning Man Studios? What drew you to the project in the first place?
A. Just luck and fate I would have to say. I was just sifting through some job applications on ConceptArt and came across Steven’s request for artist. I applied though for writer, asking if he needed any. Thankfully for me (not really for him) Steven had lost all his files for Ruthless Earth, so having another guy to do the writing seemed a good idea on his end, so I joined. I really wasn’t sure at first if I hadn’t made a mistake or not, namely because I wasn’t sure if I could work on someone else’s story and world, or how serious Steven was about BMS. I really didn’t want to waist my time on something that wasn’t going to go anywhere, but I stayed around regardless.
Q. How far do you think the company can go? And what place would you like in it down the road?
A. I don’t waist my time on pipe dreams and while you could argue that BMS is just that, truthfully, it isn’t. BMS really does have the makings to go all the way. In what form? I really can’t say. We can be bought out, picked up, do only small online MMOs, I really have no clue but with this team, just about anything is possible.
What place I would like in BMS in the future, well most people have to wait a really long time to see their ideas put into games, luckily I’ve been able to skip a few levels, so I would very much like to remain where I am at, only with more money, a larger team, and a place to call our home. That is unless Steven fires me sooner ;)
Q. Have you found working with people that live hundreds, if not thousands of miles apart from one another and in different countries difficult?
A. Honestly, yeah it can be kind of hard. There are of course some language barriers that we have to be overcome, namely when it comes to a certain country’s slain or phrases, even with those in the UK. Other then that, trying to explain something to someone in regards to level, character or music design, can be difficult some times. You can only write so much description. Verbal is so much easier. We have managed to get around it though. After some time, we all begin to click like a well-oiled machine, finishing one another’s sentences and thoughts. It can be scary sometimes in the best of ways.
Q. What do you think the state of gaming is now? And what do you think BMS can bring to gamers and the industry?
A. That can be difficult to say. I had to do a lot of research into the yearly growth and capital that is going on in videos games for my last company I was involved with, and it is quite outstanding how powerful video games have become around the world. But, while there has been a lot of really great games that have come out and are coming out, both on consoles and the PC, games are running the risk of falling into the trap that Hollywood is in right now, and that is releasing the same junk year after year. There is a lack of original IP’s in the game industry, not to the point that it is hurting the industry, but it certainly can begin to effect games if something is done soon.
I can’t say too much for MMO’s though. Most MMO’s seem to be the same to me…same graphics, same game play, same set up and locations, and same audience. I think a lot of general gamers, namely console players such as my self are still put off from joining the MMO crowds. There have been some attempts to bridge this gap by making more MMO’s based off of popular franchisees, from Star Wars, Warcraft, Lord of the Rings, etc, but they all still seem to be the same to me. I think we at BMS stand a good chance at doing something different and unique, both as I am coming from outside MMO’s, and that Steven has played just about every MMO ever made. I hope and believe that Conquest of Heroes can have the chance to cross all medias and platforms, grabbing those MMO holdouts such as my self. Time will tell I guess.
Q. Be honest. Do you think BMS is just another fan-hobbyist group looking to get rich with a wild idea, or is there some really behind the company?
A. As I said, I don’t waste my time on crap that I don’t believe in. There have been times when it seems that BMS is on the verge of collapsing, but somehow, we always seem to pull through, mostly do to the core team’s dedication and passion for the company and game. I know that a lot of independent game companies are little more then fan-hobbyist groups with wild dreams that don’t have a chance in hell of making it to the front door, and there really isn’t any way I can prove to whom ever reads this that we are any different, but if you are with this team for a couple weeks, then you’ll know first hand how serious we are about making BMS a real powerhouse in this industry. And frankly, I know I am speaking for a few members of BMS, we really just can’t imagine doing anything else with our lives.
Q. What are your thoughts on MMO’s as that is BMS’ ultimate goal?
A. As I said earlier, I don’t like MMO’s that much. Not because they can’t be fun and aren’t interesting, but simply despite how many there are out there, I don’t see too many of them being different from one another. There a couple that have my interest right now such as Stargate Worlds and Star Trek Online, but they always seem to promise more then they actually deliver. Graphically too, I’ve never been impressed with them either. But, with that said, having an outsider’s view of MMO’s and with a team that is determined to do something different, I think Conquest of Heroes can manage to do something that is different and most of all, unique, namely because I won’t settle for second rate or a weak story. Story is the real challenge, as it has always been little more then a weak setup for most MMO’s. Making the story actually part of the game and more then something that the player skips over as they jump from one mission to the next, is a major challenge, something I am more then ready to take on.
Q. What, if any mark, would you like to leave behind, both in the BMS and its game, and the game industry in general?
A. I am kind of have a one track mind as all I really care about is making a game that has an amazing, interesting and compelling story that can and will branch over across multiple medias. I want people to not just hop onto Conquest of Heroes for a few hours, kill a few mobs and get off…I want players to want to live in this world, learn about its history, question where it is going and hopefully, reach out and buy all the extra stuff that will come along with the game, such as comics, novels, posters, cards and what ever else we might be able to do with the franchise.
Q. How do you feel your team has worked out so far?
A. The core team members work great with one another. We have a lot of open communications and everyone knows how to draw the fine line between suggesting ideas over pushing them onto people. Everyone seems to really understand their roles and most important, trust the rest of the team to do their work right. Trust I would have to say is the hardest thing for me personally to give out, but a lot of our team has proven them selves more then worthy. I can’t say it has all been rosy. Sometimes people come on board with lots of interests and a promise to work, then we don’t hear form them for weeks at a time…often never finishing their work. I know that everyone has lives outside of BMS, but I am someone that when gives his word, carriers it out. It is false promises and lack of communications that can really drive me crazy. I personally think, that if you can’t live by your word on a small project, then you have no hope of making it for a major game company.
Q. What have you found to be the most rewarding and frustrating so far working with BMS?
A. The most rewarding so far is two things…the friendship between some of the members. As I said earlier, I don’t count a lot of people as my friends. But I have found that I generally have started to care about what is going on in some of our team member’s lives. Second, is simply how strong our story is. I don’t like to toot my own horn, but it is damn good. Most frustrating has to be the ups and downs we have faced with certain team members, mostly artist. Being an artist my self, I’ve lost a lot of faith and respect for my own kind. I find that a lot of artists tend to complain a lot about how they want to work on something that is really fun and cool, but in the end, they are so unrealizable and difficult to work with…often time’s money becoming a serious factor. I don’t want to put every artist out there into this category, but again, a man is only as good as his word.
Q. Do you believe your current game title will appeal to a wide audience, or is it selective?
A. I know for a fact that it will, namely because of its strong comic book roots. It can be kind of hard to explain to some of our European team members how powerful and popular comic books are in the United States are and how there isn’t any more fanatical group of people in the world then comic book fans. City of Heroes showed that, as it was one of the few MMO’s to come out in the past decade that drew in a wider audience because of its comic book influence. I talked to a lot of people that had never touched a MMO, but had to try City because of its comic book flair. However, while that game is cool, it has no edge and is geared more towards classic Silver Age of comics…Conquest of Heroes is hardcore comic books that will appeal to a more modern fan. It also helps that our game will have a strong sci-fi, military, real-world and history theme to it, and with powerful female leads. I am sure a lot of women will enjoy Conquest of Heroes as much as the guys.
Q. How do you attend to be different then all the other large, small and independent companies that are developing MMO-based games?
A. Well it is kind of hard to say how we will be different when we still have to prove ourselves in the eyes of many people out there, and with good reason. It is easy to say you will do something, but not follow through with it, so I can’t promise anything really, speaking for my self. What I can promise you though is, that I, and a lot of the people working for BMS will not settle for second rate material, game play and story. If you are going to do anything in life, you have to give it your all…your whole heart and soul, or it isn’t worth doing.
Q. What is BMS’ main focus at the moment? Demo? Recruitment? Funding? Etc?
A. Truthfully, just about everything is our main focus. Like any major company out there, some of us are working towards the development of our demo. Others, are looking towards recruitment and funding. It can all be kind of a juggling act sometimes, but we as a team have managed to keep the eye on the prize.
Q. When will there be a point that you abandon your goals and company? What do you think can bring you to that point?
A. No one can predict the future, no matter how hard we might try. Tomorrow, any one of us could be offered a job that we just can’t say no too. Or, someone might take notice of BMS and throw a lot of cash our way for development, you just never know. I stopped trying to predict the future my self a long time ago…I try right now just to focus on my work that is in front of me, and keep my hopes high.
Q. Will Conquest of Heroes be only for the PC? Do you have any plans on brining the game to next-gen consoles, the Mac, or other sources?
A. MMO’s are home on the PC so I am certain for right now that that will be our direction. Of course, consoles are starting to break into the MMO market, so anything is open. But always, start with what you know best, and that is PC.
Q. What are your hopes for BMS’ future?
A. Of course, the big hope is that BMS will be able to finish our demo, get noticed by a wider audience and then, be funded in one way or another. I would very much like BMS to become as well known as EA or Lucas Arts, but hey, even if we lived in the shadows while being funded and only having a few thousand loyal fans, that would be great too. I think I can speak for most of us at BMS, we aren’t looking to be millionaires, we just want to do something in our lives that is meaningful and fun. If some groups out there decide what we are doing is worth the effort, then I can safely say that I will be happy with that.
Read all 10 weeks of “Burning Ambition: How to make your mark on the videogame industry:”
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