Interview: Chris Campbell - QA Lead (05/29/98)

Well folks that pretty much sums up my interview with Chris. I do want to mention that like Chris my favorite type of game is the RPG as well. I've always been addicted to their type of gameplay. I can't get enough of it and I think with the introduction of Final Fantasy VII we will be seeing quite a few good RPGs in the future. We actually did the interview over lunch while he ate Wendys. I myself having overslept this morning had just had breakfast so I just pestered Chris while he ate. Chris and the rest of the guys at Ensemble are a great bunch of guys with a very bright future ahead of them. I'm very happy to be associated with them.

DeepWater: What brought you to Ensemble Studios? What actually attracted you to the company?

Chris Campbell: It's was really like a Cinderella Story. I'm a serious hard core gamer and I was working at J.D. Edwards one day. Coincidentally J.D. Edwards is located in the same building as ES. I saw Online Gaming Review magazine and that they had an article describing how Microsoft was working with a company called Ensemble Studios to create a brand new Real Time Strategy Game. I was interested so I took a look at Ensembles site while I was in J.D. Edwards. I didn't realize that Ensemble was actually in the same building just on the second floor. I thought it was really cool so I sent an e-mail through the contact page on Ensembles site. It happened to be Tony Goodman, the president of the company. Within a few minutes Tony came down to J.D. Edwards to meet me. He was ecstatic that they didn't even have a game out yet and they already had a fan. I was invited back up to their offices to take a look around and talk with some of the other guys. I spent a good deal of time with ES getting sneak peeks at the game, the play balancing, and certain steps along the way. I was in turn invited to the release party. At this time they were in need of a QA guy and after the party Tony asked me if I would like the job. I jumped at the chance...I was very happy to accept. That's how I came to work for Ensemble Studios.

DeepWater: What is your favorite part of your job?

Chris Campbell: Well there are actually two things. One is that I get to see the game as it is made. I get to see every step of the progress. As a gamer this is the ultimate. It's great to see a game you love take shape. The other is that I just love talking to fans and I love e-mailing them. I remember when I was on the other side of the fence and there were people who thought they were better than me. I'm just another guy here and I want to let the fans know that we really care. I think it makes them feel better, feel closer to the company, and it makes our fans that much more loyal.

DeepWater: Why do you think AoE has garnered so much success?

Chris Campbell: Well I think the main reason AoE has garnered so much success it it's wide base of appeal. It can appeal to some who wants to kill, kill, kill or to someone who wants to win based on a strong economic presence. The history in the game also makes a big difference. I remember an e-mail I received one time from a father and son. This twelve year old kid and his dad would play AoE with a specific civilization and have a great time doing it. Once done with the game they would sit down and learn all about the civilization they just played. It also appeals to women because of the broad range of features that are available inside the game. Basically it spans all age groups, genders, and races. The game can be enjoyed by the young and old alike.

DeepWater: What are you trying to do with AoE2 that you didn't do with AoE? What kind of enhancements are you looking to make with AoE2?

Chris Campbell: Well first off AoE was the game we wanted to make. With the success of AoE it has given us the ability to take AoE2 and make it a game that the fans want. AoE2 is basically an update based on fan request, opinions, and comments on AoE. We are basically doing AoE2 for the fans. To note some of the enhancements that will be in the game. Immediately you'll notice the size. The map is five times larger than it was in AoE. Also the art is much more realistic and detailed. Just look at the Asian Castle. It shows that our artists have really put a lot of hard work and effort into making AoE2 the best game it can be.

DeepWater: Can you expand on how ES really has a family oriented environment?

Chris Campbell: Now this analogy may sound weird but it's a lot like the mafia where we have the GodFather, Tony, who gives us our direction. We are a really tight knit group. If something happens to one of us then we are all there for them. I guess you could also say we are like the three musketeers. All for one and one for all. We all go out to parties and company luncheons, and we try to involve our wives and children with us. We really try and go the extra mile so we are all involved. That's why it is so hard hiring people because we spend a lot of time making sure they will fit in with our family.

DeepWater: What do you think of the competition in the gaming industry?

Chris Campbell: We really try to involve ourselves with other gaming companies like id, Ion Storm, Ritual, Rogue, Rebel Boat Rockers, and 3D Realms. We are pretty close to a lot of the other gaming companies outside of Dallas. We have a lot of respect for Blizzard and they have a lot of respect for us. A lot of people think we are at each others throats, but we're not. Total respect to Blizzard from me. I try to encourage the gaming companies to get together more often. I have a little website that a lot of the other developers go to. It's a trivia website where they can test their skills on just how much they know the gaming world. On the site I ask questions like what were the four ghosts in PacMan. It's really a lot of fun to work with. I will be making the site public soon so that all of our fans can see just how good their favorite developers know their games. I'll be providing Heaven with the address soon.

DeepWater: Hehe! Cool! Is there anything you'd like to say to the fans out there?Chris Campbell: Well I'd love to tell them a little more about my history and some of my little known facts. Well I'm 25 years old and I'm married, with a kid on the way. My favorite color is plaid and my astrological sign is Neon. A little known fact is that I speak fluent Italian. I love anime. My favorite game of all time is a tie between Ultima IV and System Shock. I love Warren Spectres work...and I just can't get enough of it. The storyline in System Shock is one of the best I've seen..I loved it.

DeepWater: What's the first video game you ever played?

Chris Campbell: The first video game I ever played was Adventure for the Atari 2600 I think.

DeepWater: What's the most played game at ES?

Chris Campbell: The most played game at work is Mortal Kombat 3. We have some vicious battles and to tell you the truth I'm not really very good at the game.

DeepWater: As Ensemble's QA lead, what is the most asked question you get?

Chris Campbell: When is the beta coming out? and how can I get on the beta team?

DeepWater: Coolest thing you've seen at E3 so far?

Chris Campbell: The coolest thing I've seen at E3 is the stuff from Squaresoft. I really love the look of Parasite Eve. I think it's gonna be awesome. Of course I haven't seen Gillian Anderson, from the X-Files yet.

DeepWater: Any other games?

Chris Campbell: Games I'm looking forward to in the near future are Fallout 2, Ultima IX, Anachronox, and Warren Spectres new project...I wanna see what it is. See I do play other games than AoE. Rival Schools United by Fury also looks really cool. I also want to say a little bit about first person shooters. I'm worried about the fact that all first person shooters are starting to look alike. It happened to Real Time Strategies and it's happening to the first person shooters. I hope something will be done to remedy this problem, if not only the strong will survive.

DeepWater: One last thought for our readers?

Chris Campbell: One last thing that I want to say is that I love RPGs. They are my favorite type of game because they actually make you think and get you attached to the characters that you play. I really feel we need more RPGs in the market. Hopefully in the next year we will see an increase in them.

DeepWater: Thanks for the chat, Chris.

Chris Campbell: You're welcomed.