We often mention our team in terms of "Amplidudes and Amplidudettes", but we decided we should give you folks an idea of who we mean. You've guessed it, it's time for another instalment 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.
He only agreed to speak with us on the condition of strict anonymity, meet
Who are you and what do you do at Amplitude?
Hello! For obvious security reasons, I can only give you my nickname: Mysterarts. My official position in the studio is game designer. My objective: attempting to subdue you all into total dependence to our games, whatever the cost, even if I have to hurt you in the process.
Arthur, what were you doing before you joined Amplitude?
Nothing. Anyway, nothing according to my file. I actually was polishing my skills by studying computer stuff, then by doing a game design Master's degree in training for my mission here. I was also taking part in many game creation contests (nowadays I prefer organizing them with the association my friends and I put together).
When did you join the studio?
I joined Amplitude 3 years ago at the start of production on Dungeon of the Endless. This means more than 2 years spent in the obscure depths of Auriga, polishing this diabolical project.
What feature have you worked on that you're super proud of?
I created an internal tool that is absolutely great to edit XML files, but you don't care, huh? Even my colleagues haven't ever really paid attention.
On Dungeon of the Endless, the design aspect that I like the most is the simplicity we tried to keep for Hero basic control, inspired by board games. Sometimes they can be frustrating, but this then allowed us to mix functionality on top of what we had while keeping the game playable.
What are you currently working on?
I was told we wouldn't talk about this! Didn't you get the memo?! All I can say is: there will still be lasers, and explosions. And tears.
What's your favorite game of all time?
Okay, go get me Francois (NDE: That's me! Eep!), you can't be asking such cruel questions. I'll still go ahead and answer Age of Empires 2, the first RTS in which I poured my heart and soul, that is for an hour a week (my parents were pretty strict). In turn, I spent my evenings in front of the manual looking at the tech tree and planning my strategies and build orders on graph paper. I also learned a lot about life playing the game during my first LAN parties...
Is there anywhere on the Internet where I can see more of your stuff?
I have a small website with the minigames I make during creation contests. You get a day or two to create a whole game, as a team or on your own. Might as well tell you that these aren't AAA titles: http://mysterarts.com
What's your favorite faction or character in our games?
Elise Ness, our “Freelance Demolitionist” in Dungeon of the Endless! I love all the characters in this game (except one). Yet if I had to go on a mission, I would take this lady as a teammate and I'd hide behind her minesweeper armor. Have you seen what that machine gun can do?!
Is there a funny story that happened to you at Amplitude?
There's a rumor going around that we have VR headsets at the studio. If this were to be the case, one day I was testing a game, I got down on all fours to pick up an item I had dropped on the floor. To get up, I try to lean on a virtual counter top... and you guessed it, I fell down like a clown.
What's the dish you cook to impress people?
I discovered two years ago that cooking was a pretty awesome crafting game, and now spend more time doing that than playing my computer.
O: I don't have a signature dish yet, but today I made a parmesan crumble with leeks, chilli, mustard chicken and chorizo, and I'm pretty pleased with the results (rare, power +8, speed -3).
What's your favorite fictional character?
You guys gotta stop with these "favorites" questions, alright? There are so many heroic, intelligent or supernatural characters whom I love! Anyway, since there'll only be the one, I'll have to pick my role model: the amazing, irreplaceable Michael Scott from The Office (US), played by Steve Carell. One day, i know it, I'll be this magnificent.
That's it for Arthur! We hope you found this interesting. Comments or additional questions, feel free to comment!
If there's a question you would like us to ask the interviewees, let us know!
