5th Greyhawk Journal

Jarinor · Aug 9, 2003

Some guy called Aaron who works for Troika has done the fifth journal at the RPG Vault. Read it <a href="http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/432/432548p1.html">here</a>.

No, I can't be bothered quoting.

Dark Elf · Aug 10, 2003

Jarinor said:

No, I can't be bothered quoting.
Click to expand...

You damn lazy Aussie .

RPG Vault said:

Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil Journal #5
After a year on the Troika team, Programmer Aaron Brunstetter looks back at various truths and misconceptions.

August 07, 2003 - At first glance, Hommlet seems like many another village. It lies nestled within the Kron Hills, 10 leagues south of the city of Verbobonc, somewhat east of the Lortmil Mountains and just west of the Gnarley Forest. This region is peaceful, fertile countryside suited to such pursuits as farming, herding, woodcutting, hunting and trapping, so it was only natural that a prosperous little settlement should arise, located on a crossroads leading to the Wild Coast. Alas, many sinister characters and vile creatures were drawn there too, establishing a nearby community called Nulb. In this iniquitous place, a chapel was erected, one dedicated to vice, damnation and the worship of various immoral and malevolent deities. Over time, as more loathsome beings came to visit, it grew into the Temple of Elemental Evil, filled with dark priests and their corrupted servants.

This was the setting for the very first module within the pen and paper Greyhawk campaign, which was introduced with the release of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rule set in 1985. Now, it's serving as the backdrop for Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil, an RPG in progress at the offices of California-based Troika Games and targeted for release later this year. When the title was announced in January, we were told that it will feature the most faithful implementation to date of the current 3rd Edition D&D rules including numerous feats and skills, hordes of classic enemies and traditional turn-based combat. Thanks to Project Leader and Lead Designer Tim Cain along with other members of the team, we've been able to learn a lot more since. Today, Programmer Aaron Brunstetter takes his turn advancing our education.

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Hello, everyone. My name is Aaron Brunstetter and I am a programmer here at Troika Games. Earlier this week, Tim wandered the halls searching for a volunteer for this edition of the Temple of Elemental Evil Journal. I jumped at the chance because I thought I could offer an interesting perspective on the making of Temple of Elemental Evil and the gaming industry as a whole. (I also wanted to stop fixing bugs, and creating new ones.) As a recent college grad, I came to Troika with many preconceptions about life as a game developer. And, after a year here at Troika Games (and in the gaming business at all for that matter), it turns out most of my notions were far less than accurate. I would like to discuss what I was wrong about, what I was right about, and my biggest surprise over the last year.

First off, let's get talk about my misconceptions. You know the ones I'm talking about:
"You make video games? You must get to play games ALL DAY LONG!!"
This is simply not the case. At a recent family reunion, I had to reassure countless relatives that I actually had a job that required, well... work. Don't get me wrong; we have lots of fun around here. But we also work very, very hard. It's amazing to see the talent here. All of the artists on the Temple of Elemental Evil team can model, texture and animate. It's crazy! No resource is left untapped. And almost every morning (read: 11 AM) when I get into work, there is an e-mail from another programmer who worked through the night until 6 AM! (90% of the time, it's Huy.) Right now, we're doing some major bug fixing, so we've all spent the last month working 80 to 100 hours a week!

Here's another:
"I won't be able to do that. I've never done anything so complicated before!"
Originally, I thought that that game development would have such a steep learning curve that it would take me years to contribute. After all, when I arrived, my professional experience amounted to almost nothing. But I was wrong. There are so many things going on where we are all invited and encouraged share our views and offer input. I've come to learn that Troika is fairly uncommon regarding its policies toward group involvement. There are no barriers to cross when someone wants to voice their opinion, so it was actually easy to come in and make an impact. Certainly, there are aspects of our game (programming tasks especially) that require gobs of experience and technical know-how, but most tasks require simple problem-solving and reasoning skills, and a love of games in general.

And my personal favorite:
"Game Developers are all Geeks!"
I should qualify this last misconception as perhaps a problem of semantics. What I personally expected to find in the gaming industry was a lot of unsocial, stinky hermits who preferred as little human contact as possible. And while some of us do fit certain parts of that description, I've been so happily surprised with how much fun we all have together. We've all got our quirks (like the guy who sits behind me and dresses up his Barbies during compiles). But even with these idiosyncrasies, we love to spend time together hanging out by the MAME cabinet, or sipping a beer on the patio of our favorite lunchtime hangout. I have met numerous thoughtful, creative and articulate people during my first year in the games business, and I'm glad because of it.

Now, on to the stuff that could be expected:
"You're a game developer? Wow, that must be fun!!"
It is!! I never imagined that I could have so much fun at a job. A few years ago, I was talking with my brother about my (at that time) unresolved career aspirations when he said to me, "Aaron, at some point you're going to have to realize that you may not be able to do what you love. You may have to settle for just doing something that pays the bills." I love my brother dearly, and his words were true, but I am so glad that I didn't heed those words of advice. Every day here at Troika, we have a blast. We work hard together, and we have fun together. We've played board games in the conference room until after midnight; some of us play Frisbee golf every Tuesday. We even have Cooter, Tim's dog who comes in to the office in the afternoons to cheer us all up and beg for cookies!

"Games are so cool! You've got to be logical and creative to make them!"
Making Temple of Elemental Evil has been challenging. I can't tell you the time I've spent sitting in my chair trying to think of the most efficient way to handle a big task. At the beginning of every month, we are given tasks. And almost every month, I wonder if I'll even come close to finishing those tasks. It's always a stretch, but they always get done. I still think like a student, but for me, the most challenging part of my job is to force myself to learn something new. It's hard for me to keep pushing forward. In games, it's always new. It's got to be new and revolutionary, or it wouldn't be cool! I suspected that working in the games industry would be challenging, and I was right.

Surprise
My biggest surprise has to do with love. Not the mushy, person-person love, but the kind you have for your most prized possession. You know, the way you some people love their new Mercedes C Class automobile. You've seen that guy who's got the Windex in his trunk and he's buffing out his windows while pumping gas (love you, Dad). I have been blown away by the sense of ownership I feel towards our project and our game. It feels like having a child, and I never expected that. It's like, when I see the things that still need fixing, it's almost like I would feel sending a child off to his first day of school wearing tattered, ripped up clothes. I want Temple of Elemental Evil to have all the things I didn't have when I was growing up... now I'm going a bit overboard, but you get the point. I know I am not alone. We love our game, and we want it to be its shiniest when the world gets to see it.

My first year here has changed the way that I look at game developers and the gaming business in general. It has been a pleasure sharing these experiences. I hope I've been some help to anyone interested in embarking on a career in this wacky business.

Buy our game.

Aaron Brunstetter
Programmer, Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil
Troika Games
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