Zookey is the star on CCN's Broadway this fortnight  . He is the Co-Founder of and Game Designer for Team KAIZEN.How did you find out about CCN?
Back in the day (which, according to one of my staffers, was apparently
a Wednesday) I used to work for XrucifiX (back then, Two Guys Software).
At that time, the TGS/XX forums were hosted on the CCN and I became a
member of CCN so I could work with XX. I was a storyline writer and
conceptualist. What games did you work on while at TGS/XX?
I helped write the script and create the characters for Eternal War:
Shadows of Light. I also helped create the characters and story for
Eternal War: Nightmares. During production of Nightmares, I felt time
had come for me to try and start my own studio so I left on friendly
terms. I still talk to Mack all the time, although the subject of
Nightmares' story elements hasn't really come up a lot so I am honestly
not sure how much of the story and character work I did for it was
retained--Mack has shown me some concept pics of characters from time to
time though and I have to say he and his team have progressed their
style very in a very unique way. It is kinda funny, when I was writing
stuff for Mike (one of the characters) I had this whole thing in my
imagination about how it would look then Mack sends me a pic a few
months back that was totally 199% different, it is a cool thing to see
how two people (or more) can imagine the same character in totally
different ways.* What kind of job do you have?
I am Co-Founder of Add-A-Tudez Entertainment Company
(www.addatudez.com) and Lead Game Designer of Add-A-Tudez's game studio,
Team KAIZEN. My brother, Trevor, is the other Co-Founder. Do you enjoy it?
Yep hehe! Crazy but fun. What games are working on now for Add-A-Tudez? Have you sold any games?
I am working on Shattered Soul. Shattered Soul is a fighting game which
will combine elements from both standard 3D fighters (such as Tekken or
Soul Calibur) and roam around fighters like Ehrgiez or PowerStone. I
have always loved fighting games, so it is cool to be finally working on
one. It has been a lot of work getting everything to where it is with
our studio, and we still have a massive road ahead but I know God is
guiding it and we will be ok  . We haven't sold any yet since Shattered
Soul is our first. How old are you? How long have you been working with computers?
23. I have been working with computers since middle school, although
before that my mom had a cheap word processor that I also had a very
early game design document on it. When did you become interested in computers?
Mainly, games and the ability to write alot and save it all in one
place. Ultimately, my gaming interests ended up leaning towards consoles
anyways but it was a nice thing to say I finally could play PC games
back when we got our first computer. What is it about the computer that interests you now?
Basically the same, writing, work and some games. The only PC game I
can't live without is Roller Coaster Tycoon 3--I am severely addicted to
rides and roller coasters and I love that I can recreate them and ride
them. My gaming PC died so I ended up getting Thrillville on my PSP so I
could do the same. I like Photoshop but my skills in it aren't stellar,
I would love to learn a vector-based program sometime soon as well. What operating system(s) do you normally use? Why do you use them?
I use Windows strictly because it is what came on my Mom's laptop (the
only current working PC in the house). Soon, I plan to get a Macbook or
an Imac and possibly dual-boot Windows on to it. Overall, I am really
impressed with Apple and I like that they enable users to have both
their cake and eat it too by the dual boot option. What other operating systems do you semi-frequently use? Why do you use
them?
Yellow Dog Linux, just because it could be booted on my PS3. It is
nice, but our TV is kind of trashy so it is tough to read the finer
details. Still though, it is wicked to say I have a fully working Linux
machine LOL! What other things do you enjoy doing on a computer?
I once saw a USB missile launcher--I bet I would have fun with that!
Although the cat would be scarred for life....oh wait, she already is
scarred for life so I guess it is all good! Do you buy computers mainly for their looks or their specs? Or do you try to comprimize between the two?
It has to look pretty and run very well, so I guess compromise hehe! My next PC will be a Macbook Pro and those things look pretty sweet on the outside, so not that bad of a compromise. Do you prefer Email or Instant messaging when communicating with someone?
Depends, mostly on the person I am communicating with. Some people do
well with email and others with IM and yet others can rock both--if you
want to effectively work with people you kind of have to accept both so
I don't have a real preference. What kind of Email/Chat client do you use? What's it's name?
Thunderbird for email, MSN for chat. I would consider using a different
chat program, but right now I have too much going on to look into the
other ones. Do you blog? Often?
LOL yep! On our site (www.teamkaizengames.com) I have a blog that
includes a post about the recent trip to Tokyo my brother, mom and I
went on. We also have Myspaces (www.myspace.com/addanews and
www.myspace.com/teamkaizen) although, admittedly, I have been way lazy
with updating those on a consistent basis. What are the specs of your home and/or work computers?
I currently use my Mom's Alienware Sentia laptop that was configured
mainly for word processing--so not massive but has the geek bling logo
on the front that makes up for any lack of power LOL! Do you have a game console? If so what is it and why did you buy it?
Yep, my PS3. It is named Steve (a joke from the film, /Over the
Hedge/). I bought it because, after researching all the features, it has
the most. I also owned a 360 and a Wii but traded them in after weeks of
not playing them. I wouldn't consider myself a fanboy though because I
research my views and don't chew others out for picking different consoles. If you have a game console, what was your first?
A NES so long ago..... Do you touch the graphics field of computing very often (such as modeling, or 2D art, etc)?
No. Do you believe in freedom (primarily in software) the was the FSF
believes in it?
I am not honestly versed enough in this issue to make a definitive
statement on my view of it. Do you have a favorite movie or TV show?
Scrubs, Dog the Bounty Hunter and Mythbusters for TV. Movies? My
current is Pan's Labyrinth, saw it on the flight to Tokyo! What other non-computer hobbies do you have?
Roller coasters. Got to ride some good ones in Japan :-) I talk about
them in the blog. I also collect random game stuff like cool controllers
or collector edition stuff such as posters. You posted pictures of your trip to Japan on the forums. Do you have a favorite electronic gadget that you saw in Japan?
That is a tough one. The cell phones over there were unreal (you can
even get toys of them to hang on the real deal as a decoration, cell
phone decorations and charms are a massive industry over there and a
great way to get small souvenirs) and could do things like TV which was
cool, our guide actually said some people there aren't very psyched for
the iPhone because their phones over there do many of the things iPhone
does already. I also saw a small laptop (that ran Windows ME) that had a
full size camera built in so you could shut the unit and take pics, that
was pretty sweet too. But, my all-out fav was probably the different
color PSPs and DSs you could get: I got a cobalt-blue DS (which isn't
available here--but both PSPs and DSs are region free so I can play
North American games on it) and I was considering the pink, blue or
gunmetal PSPs. Good thing I backed out tho (I backed out due to already
owning a black PSP) since Sony announced the new PSPs that come out in
September, which happens to be my birthday month, YAY! How would you describe your relationship with Christ?
Really good. He is my friend and my inspiration. I think a lot of
people understand the idea that being a Christian means accepting Jesus
as your savior, but not as many look at what he said and did before the
cross. Salvation is awesome but there is so much more there too that is
real and can serve as great basis for storyline ideas, especially since
many of his points were conveyed by him in a story format. How do you imagine a way that you could use your talents and experiences to serve Christ?
By making AAA quality games. LOL I know that sounds like a canned
answer but it is all I can think of on that.... You mentioned outside of this interview that Team Kaizen got a table at The Extreme Tour (www.theextremetour.com). What will you be doing at The Extreme Tour?
Add-A-Tudez and Team KAIZEN have confirmed that we will be set up
with a table at the Great Falls stop of the Extreme Tour which will
happen August 18th and 19th. We plan to show some promo art of Shattered
Soul there as well as hang out with people and have fun. This is
happening because we know the individuals who worked to bring the
Extreme Tour to Great Falls and we decided to help make the festivities
that much more fun! They have some cool ideas set up for this event (in
addition to the Extreme Tour) and we seriously didn't want to miss it,
the location and more specific information should be made available
soon. The Extreme Tour's site is www.theextremetour.com and, according
to their site, several major artists have started by touring with them
and they are the longest running underground tour in the US. What kind of geeky projects do you see yourself doing within the next couple of years?
Well, first of all I want Shattered Soul on the market, then I will be
working towards pushing the subsequent Team KAIZEN titles that come out
as well as positioning Add-A-Tudez Entertainment Company to be a
powerhouse. I do plan on eventually taking on the role of a producer as
well, having other studios at Add-A-Tudez that develop games while I
work with Team KAIZEN and I only jump in for bits and pieces on other
projects. I also plan to form more alliances with other companies so we
can be on the forefront and make games that truly highlight the
qualities of the system it is being made for. I desperately want to talk
about Shattered Soul at this point and some of the things we have lined
up, but a lot of the info is stuff I have to keep back for now--but
working through this experience has kind of jaded me towards
multi-console development. I say that because, for instance, the 360 and
PS3 are so different that to develop a game for both seems to result in
a game that really pays homage to neither system. I understand people
need to make money, but at the same time I have a lot of ideas in my
head and many of them are based off of PS3 (we are applying to be PS3
developers) that we either couldn't do easily or couldn't do at all if
we made the game for more than one system. Some people think it is weird
on that note, that such a small start up company blatantly claims they
are making a PS3 title. But, we have a lot of exciting ideas for
Shattered Soul and we looked into it very carefully (examining the 360,
Wii and PS3) and chose the PS3 because we felt it was the biggest canvas
for our art, and I do VERY strongly feel God has placed this vision in
our hearts and such early victories as signing with Fortitude
Entertainment Group have only strengthened it, so even though we are
still a start up I have no qualms saying we are doing this and it is
going to be done right! We have learned a lot over the last year to walk
on faith and do what we can while allowing God to handle the 'impossibilities'. The next interview will be with Mack, one of the first CCN moderators. This interview is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License |
Interview Series:
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All Your Base Are Belong To Us!!! chown -r us ./base
"After three days without programming, life becomes meaningless.'' -- Tao of Programming Book 2 "Oh, bother," said the Borg. "We've assimilated Pooh." "Socialism works great... if there are no people involved." -- Pastor David Ginter, Union Church of Guatemala. My Programming and Hacker/Geek related Blog [This message has been edited by CPUFreak91 (edited July 24, 2007).] [This message has been edited by CPUFreak91 (edited September 25, 2007).] |
