Q&A With Gears of War Pointman CliffyB
CliffyB, the lead designer of the upcoming Gears of War for the Xbox 360, did the interview circuit lately. If there’s one thing he proved, no question thrown at him is too hard to answer. We put together his thoughts about anything and everything Gears of Wars. And then some. If you read all the way to the end, he even has a suggestion to all you wanna-be video designers on how you can land a job as cool as his.
What it takes to put a game as ambitious as Gears of War together:
“The team has fluctuated from twenty five all the way up to forty five people. We believe in working smarter, not harder – our tools and talent are some of the best in the business.”
On the personalities of the Gears of War characters:
“We knew we wanted the main anti-hero of Marcus – sure heÂ’s gruff and a badass but heÂ’s smart as well. Dom is the best friend, weÂ’ve also got the ass**** of the bunch – a guy named Baird and then thereÂ’s the one and only Augustus Cole aka the “Cole Train.” HeÂ’s a former Thrashball champion and he seems to love fighting the war. “
On the team’s approach to Gears of War’s weapons:
“I like combination weapons. I remembered the “gun-blade” from one of the Final Fantasy games and a while back I was at the Met in New York City when I saw that they actually DID have gun-blades briefly back in the day. I like combining things and Gears was going to be about this concept of “intimate violence” so a chainsaw bayonet made perfect sense.”
What’s it like to develop a game for the Xbox 360:
“The systemÂ’s been a joy to work with. Microsoft has a similar philosophy to Epic in that they believe that you need to remove as much of the technological hurdles as possible so the creatives can do what they do best – make amazing and fun games! Our tools are extremely easy and intuitive to use which is why weÂ’ve been able to make such a cool game with so few people.”
His opinion on gamers’ opinions:
“I pay WAY too much attention to the forums.I Â’m all over them during my off time and yes, maybe a little bit while at work. Any time I see the word “Gears” or “Epic” I always read the thread. I think people are just a tiny bit excited about this gameÂ…!”
If Hollywood suits wanted to make Gears of Wars – The movie:
“The only way weÂ’d ever consider doing a film of our property would be if the absolute right people were attached who understood not only the game and its universe but also the rabid fanbase that weÂ’d like to acquire.”
How upcoming video game designers can break into the business:
[Making mods for existing games, doing solo creative projects, or getting a university/college education] are valid ways to get into the business. Everyone is hiring and we canÂ’t find enough truly talented folks. If you really want to be a designer youÂ’ll kick and scream and claw your way to the top. I knew I wanted to do this since I was 6 years old and I was going to find a way to do it no matter what. ThatÂ’s what you need to do in this day and age!”
CliffyB, the lead designer of the upcoming Gears of War for the Xbox 360, did the interview circuit lately. If there’s one thing he proved, no question thrown at him is too hard to answer. We put together his thoughts about anything and everything Gears of Wars. And then some. If you read all the way to the end, he even has a suggestion to all you wanna-be video designers on how you can land a job as cool as his.
What it takes to put a game as ambitious as Gears of War together:
“The team has fluctuated from twenty five all the way up to forty five people. We believe in working smarter, not harder – our tools and talent are some of the best in the business.”
On the personalities of the Gears of War characters:
“We knew we wanted the main anti-hero of Marcus – sure heÂ’s gruff and a badass but heÂ’s smart as well. Dom is the best friend, weÂ’ve also got the ass**** of the bunch – a guy named Baird and then thereÂ’s the one and only Augustus Cole aka the “Cole Train.” HeÂ’s a former Thrashball champion and he seems to love fighting the war. “
On the team’s approach to Gears of War’s weapons:
“I like combination weapons. I remembered the “gun-blade” from one of the Final Fantasy games and a while back I was at the Met in New York City when I saw that they actually DID have gun-blades briefly back in the day. I like combining things and Gears was going to be about this concept of “intimate violence” so a chainsaw bayonet made perfect sense.”
What’s it like to develop a game for the Xbox 360:
“The systemÂ’s been a joy to work with. Microsoft has a similar philosophy to Epic in that they believe that you need to remove as much of the technological hurdles as possible so the creatives can do what they do best – make amazing and fun games! Our tools are extremely easy and intuitive to use which is why weÂ’ve been able to make such a cool game with so few people.”
His opinion on gamers’ opinions:
“I pay WAY too much attention to the forums.I Â’m all over them during my off time and yes, maybe a little bit while at work. Any time I see the word “Gears” or “Epic” I always read the thread. I think people are just a tiny bit excited about this gameÂ…!”
If Hollywood suits wanted to make Gears of Wars – The movie:
“The only way weÂ’d ever consider doing a film of our property would be if the absolute right people were attached who understood not only the game and its universe but also the rabid fanbase that weÂ’d like to acquire.”
How upcoming video game designers can break into the business:
[Making mods for existing games, doing solo creative projects, or getting a university/college education] are valid ways to get into the business. Everyone is hiring and we canÂ’t find enough truly talented folks. If you really want to be a designer youÂ’ll kick and scream and claw your way to the top. I knew I wanted to do this since I was 6 years old and I was going to find a way to do it no matter what. ThatÂ’s what you need to do in this day and age!”
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