Interview: Bruce Shelley - Lead Designer (03/13/98)

Archangel: Will the campaigns in AoE II be extended to include reasonably realistic and accurate renderings of 'important' stages of history such as the extended period of invasions of what are now the British Isles?

Bruce Shelley: We are considering several interesting periods for campaigns in AOE II. We want the individual scenarios to be interesting and fun. That is our priority. We hope the scenarios and campaigns will be reasonably realistic and accurate, within the framework of the AOE system.

Archangel: Will campaigns/scenarios reflect more intensely and realistically specific deeds of heroism/greatness, such as portrayed in Arthurian legend and Scandinavian Sagas, to lend a more 'personal, adventurous' feel to the game?

Bruce Shelley: We are considering heros for AOE II. Keep in mind that it is hard to be "intensely and realistically specific" about people and events that are largely legendary. The historic Arthur, for example, is mentioned only in four or five sentences in historic documents. We know next to nothing about this person and cannot identify the location of even one of his reported 11 victories over the Saxons. Even for well-documented historic figures, much is unknown.

Within the context of scenarios, it is possible to change the scale of play. For example, units could represent individual men instead of large bodies of soldiers. At this scale there are opportunities for action where the player can take on a more personal role.

Archangel: What modifications will be made to AoE II to support this better than AoE I currently does?

Bruce Shelley: One thing we are considering is a piece in play that represents the player. Capture of this piece might eliminate the player or cause payment of a ransom. This is just a concept at this point.

Archangel: Will we be able to rotate the map? I guess not fully rotational, but 90 degrees for example, for four views?

Bruce Shelley: Sorry, no map rotation. It would require too much work to implement for the return.

Archangel: Obviously, a number of Ensemble employees have been in the gaming industry for quite a while, but some are relatively new to it. What would be the best way for someone to break into the game industry and what skills should they posses or be working on (programming, graphics, etc.)?

Bruce Shelley: Artists need only an education (3D Studio or ?) and a good demo reel. Programmers need education, experience, and probably a demo game. Designers need experience, communication skills, research ability, maybe management ability. Everyone needs to be passionate about games and should be able to play games critically (consider what is working and what is not, and understand why).

Start anyway you can. Be a tester for a local game developer. Send your resume to game developers. Look for their web sites. Most are always looking for talent. Keep trying. Demonstrate that you are passionate, highly motivated, very enthusiastic, that you just want a chance, that you have some skills and are willing to learn.

Archangel: Could you describe the life cycle of a game from its inception to shipping the final release copy?

Bruce Shelley: This is the evolutionary process mentioned above. New version each morning. Test for hours. Note what works and what doesn’t. Make suggestions for improvements deletions. Recode in the afternoon. New version tomorrow morning. Keep at it for months until Tim Deen is happy with the game.

Archangel: The addition of gates will be a great feature for AoE 2. However, how will they be controlled? Will we be able to open/close/lock the gates?

Bruce Shelley: The open and close by clicking on them. They probably can be opened only by the owning player, or perhaps an ally. They can always be destroyed if you lost your key :).

Archangel: The addition of formations is also a great feature, although it may add some unwanted complexity. How will the formations operate?

Bruce Shelley: Good question. We have several models for them now. Testing will tell us which is the best solution.

Archangel: What will you do, if anything, to give the game more substance and length for two not equally matched players? Will strategic implementations be more of an issue, against fast moving of the mouse and remembering keyboard shortcuts, in determining the winner of a game?

Bruce Shelley: We hope that several new features such as permanent farms and formations will allow players to get better at strategy and not just at using the interface.