We often mention our team in terms of "Amplidudes and Amplidudettes", but we haven't talked about them in a while. You've guessed it, it's time for another installment of our (semi-)regular feature, Meet the Team! If you want to know more about us, or your nephew wants to learn more about the career path of a game developer, or if you're just curious, read on.
Today, we're talking to the mastermind of our battle systems, Rémi, aka Obyguane!
Who are you and what do you do at Amplitude?
My name is Rémi (Obyguane on the forums but I don't think you guys noticed me), I am 30 years old and I am currently Lead programmer at Amplitude. I started as a simple programmer on Endless Space a few months before release, then I worked on its expansion and updates. I very minutely (and very briefly) participated to Dungeon of the Endless's creation, then I took part in the development of Endless Legend's battle system; nowadays I work full time on Endless Space 2, as I have since its very first moments.
What were you doing before you joined Amplitude?
I started the adventure of game development with Ubisoft Montpellier (down in the south of France). I stayed there for about two years before, mostly working on a console TPS (third-person shooter) that was unfortunately cancelled, then on Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. I then worked on social and mobile games during a year and a half for a completely unknown studio in Luxemburg (which has closed since), and finally I ended up with Amplitude Studios.
When did you join the studio?
I arrived at Amplitude almost 4 years ago now, in February 2012, and looking back, I think time really flew by since I landed here!
What feature have you worked on that you're super proud of?
I worked on a lot of different things since Endless Space... If I had to remember just one thing, it would be the development of Fighters & Bombers (on Endless Space) for the Disharmony Expansion Pack. It was a really interesting challenge. We wanted to break the existing codes of battle. We wanted dynamism, evolving behavior depending on the way the battle was going, its context... in short, everything that was missing from the system as it stood.
My roadmap was pretty concise and I had carte blanche to try out new things and suggesting combat choreographies meeting our pretty strong constraints while being agreeable to watch. Time was tight and the results lack polish a bit, but I think we did it! It was really a great experience. Since this episode, I've sort of become Mister Battle for Amplitude.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on Endless Space 2, mainly on... space battles, surprisingly.
What's your favorite game of all time?
Contrarily to a lot of people here, I've always been a console player. I have been a fan of Naughty Dog games for a while (since Jak & Daxter), but my most treasured memories are linked to PlayStation-era J-RPGs. At the risk of appearing really consensual, I would say Final Fantasy 7 is my favorite game. I liked everything in this game: the universe, the characters, the gameplay... It resonated with me even more since it was one of my first forays in the universe of J-RPGs, and it paved the way for a lot of other games in that genre which have since made their way into my game library.
Is there anywhere on the Internet where I can see more of your stuff?
No. I’m too old for this shit…
What's your favorite faction or character in our games?
I'm a big fan of the Hisshos. I love the look of their heroes and their ship design...
Is there a funny story that happened to you at Amplitude?
I don't have any events in particular in mind, but I love it when from time to time, at the end of the day, a Nerf war breaks out in the office and part of the open space turns into a battlefield.
What's the most played song in your music library?
I listen to a lot of music when I work. It helps me isolate myself from ambiant noise from the open space, which can be distracting. Most of the time I avoid songs with a lot of lyrics, since they tend to make me lose focus. I have a very limited musical culture, so I often follow Youtube suggestions to discover new stuff (with more or less success
). I listen to a lot of movie or game soundtracks, but also to bands and artists relatively obscure (at least in France), mostly Japanese, such as Toe, Jizue or Nujabes among many others. There are two songs I've listened to on repeat a lot more than others, sometimes for hours on end: a live version of Toe's Goodbye, and Luv(sic) part 2 from Nujabes.
If you could relocate the studio in any country, where would you want to go?
Without hesitation, Japan. I know work conditions aren't always easy (especially compared to France) but I am a big fan of this country. I already went there a few times (always as a tourist) and I now want to discover it as a home. I do not think many people from the studio would jump at the chance so I have little hope for it to happen, but you never know!
That's it for Rémi! We hope you found this interesting. Comments or additional questions, feel free to ask!
If there's a question you would like us to ask the interviewees, let us know!
