The studious developers of kick ass games at Bungie find themselves cramming to create a brave new world that we sincerely hope that you will love. Despite our deepest urges, until those assignments are finished, we simply cannot invite you to look over their shoulders. That would be cheating. This does not mean that they don’t miss you dearly. Fortunately, the honor falls to me to conduct field trips that enable them to visit the petting zoo that you call Bungie.net. Please join me in welcoming the lucky souls who were given a hall pass this week.
Lars Bakken, Design Lead
Andrea Fonger, Engineer
Scott Kankelborg, Bungie Skank
Dan Miller, Senior Engineer
Kurt Nellis, Technical Cinematic Lead
Jeremiah Pieschl, First!
Cameron Pinard, Artist
John Stvan, Neither Cool Nor Important
Jason Sussman, Senior Artist
Michael Williams, Senior Engineer
School is in session, people. Take your seats and let’s open the sack. This first question was one that I forgot to run last week. I like its existential contemplation so much; I saved it as a delicious snack for later.
Lobster Fish 2 If you had to die today, how would you want to go out?
First!
Jeremiah Pieschl
Well fed, mama told me I should always eat before going out.
Dan Miller
Saving a bus full of kids from machine gun toting robot dinosaurs. Of course, I’d go out saying something inspiring and heartwarming to the last kid I saved. He/she would go on to do something great, like coming up with an anti-robot dinosaur gun.
Kurt Nellis
With a clean pair of underwear on.
Scott Kankelborg
Pushing an orphanage out of the way of a satellite strike.
Michael Williams
Nuclear explosion in space seems like the flashy way to go out, but my sentimental side would choose being surrounded by friends and family.
Cameron Pinard
I totally want to ride off a cliff on a flaming motorcycle with a backpack full of bottle rockets and fireworks while smoking a cigar and drinking a bottle of Jameson (don't drink and drive kids). In reality, I'm sure I'd wind up dead because I tried to get bread out of the toaster with a fork.
John Stvan
Editor’s Note: Jeremiah didn’t actually answer your questions. He just responded to the message I sent to solicit wisdom from the Bungie Panel with “First!” See how that feels, Internet? It doesn’t feel very good, does it?
chubbz Do the guys at Bungie have a strict 9-5 schedule? Or are there multiple shifts, with guys coming in at multiple times?
Engineers, Producers, and organizational types hit the beach at the crack of dawn with a balanced breakfast already being converted to precious development energy in their stomachs. Designers, Animators, and other artistic types stagger in like war-torn reinforcements sometime before the crack of 10:00 AM with dark circles under their eyes, mumbling about coffee.
sam da man 2008 If you had one thing you could add to Bungie Studios, what would it be?
More showers. Two is not enough!
Dan Miller
A Pancake House right next door. I miss that amenity from our old office.
Lars Bakken
A replica of the tavern we frequented in Kirkland, complete with purple drinks.
Jason Sussman
I would add a fire pole from the upstairs to the downstairs. It would speed up a trip that is surprisingly circuitous. Plus, it would add 1000% more awesome to transit.
Michael Williams
Shooting range.
Scott Kankelborg
More natural light. Sometimes I feel like I work in the Bat Cave. I mean, if I did work in the actual Bat Cave, that would be pretty sweet.
Andrea Fonger
Tetherball.
John Stvan
More people? Has anyone mentioned we're hiring! An indoor skydive would be pretty sweet.
Cameron Pinard
Editor’s Note: Thank you, Cameron. What would a Mail Sack be without an obligatory link to our
Careers page? Take our jobs, if you dare. And why wouldn’t you dare? Read on…
Kr1egerdude What was your worst deadline experience?
Halo 3 Trench Run - but what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.
Dan Miller
During ODST. At one point I and another artist rebuilt an entire level in one week.
Jason Sussman
The last minutes before we had to turn the ODST countdown clock off, praying for a last-minute reprieve from the governor.
Michael Williams
Last Bungie Day.
John Stvan
I don't really have a "worst" experience. We've had those long crunches - days where we go home super late and come in super early - and the last minute push to get the perfect release candidate, but I work with awesome people at an amazing studio. We're all in it together, nobody slacks off, and it all works out.
Scott Kankelborg
The project I pushed myself the hardest on was ODST. It was a painful, but important, learning experience. Even thinking about it now, I remember some of gut wrenching nervousness about not letting the team down.
Cameron Pinard
da bomb drop Whenever a team have finished a movie, there is always that "That is a wrap, crew" moment on set, when bungie has made a game go gold, what is the reaction like in the office?
It's like when the Rebel Cruisers get past the Imperial Blockade in The Empire Strikes Back.
Dan Miller
There's a wrap vibe, but it's different than on film sets. Each team ends up 'wrapping' at different rates, so while a group of artists will suddenly cheer before disappearing to go party, there's always some group still working. Even at the launch parties, there is still a group of engineers and IT experts making sure that everyone putting their disk in for the first time would be able to play. Those are some hard core workers, and I always make sure to have a drink for each of them.
Kurt Nellis
It’s much the same, only we instantly walk onto the next set and get ready to do another.
Jason Sussman
There are any number of those kind of moments throughout development. Going gold has a strange feel to it, as there are usually a lot fewer people actively working on the project at that point, but there is generally a feeling of relief and happiness when it does happen.
Cameron Pinard
BRADEN OWNZ How do you become a voice actor?
First, submit yourself to training in the pure craft of the theatre arts, with dreams of glory and fame on the stage or screen. Second, get really tired of the taste and texture of ramen noodles. Third, invest way too much money on a professionally produced demo reel. Fourth, send said demo reel to a bunch of agencies and casting directors. Finally, pray your very best prayer to whomever you think is listening. If you are famous, you get to skip all of these steps, and accept an offer for some easy cash.
LordJebe What are the chances of a Finnish bloke ending up in your magnificent team?
Finnish the Fight?
EZcompany2ndsqd If someone just happened to get past Jerome, who or what would be your second line of defense?
That’s where the fun begins. You’ll never expect the third line of defense – or the fourth.
coolmike699 What's your favorite rumor that you remember reading about Halo?
I don't read rumors. I create them.
Dan Miller
That one could receive Recon by asking. Wait... Favorite?
Jason Sussman
I've always been impressed by the number of fake UI screens that claimed to be leaks in the Halo 3 era and beyond. Protip: 90% of the time, if you see a "leaked" UI screen, it has been created by some dedicated fan with a lot of time on their hands.
Michael Williams
Master Chief being a woman.
John Stvan
Pretty much anything related to the BR/DMR.
Scott Kankelborg
Everything from the heady days between the Macworld reveal and the MS buyout is going to top most other stuff. That was long ago before I worked at Bungie, and nobody really knew what Halo was going to be back then. So, stuff got really crazy.
Cameron Pinard
krazygamer1011 Can I get a tour of your studio if I fly across America?
Yes. One caveat: You must accomplish this without the benefit of machinery or the fabrication of a personal array of wings. If you can do that, we will be very interested in meeting you.
Paddydark When will you guys start interacting with the community again?
How dare you? I slaved for hours over a hot keyboard to cut and paste together this masterwork of community interaction. Questions like these could get a guy fired, you know. And where would you be then?
CTN 0452 9 When it comes to playing games, what makes a good game, great?
Your mom.
Scott Kankelborg
Alcohol?
Dan Miller
Polish is the most important part of making a good game great. If you take time to look at your game and refine it (tweaking damage, AI, gameplay, art, etc.), it will show. Taking that time can make a normal feature into a brilliant one - and can make the great parts of a game ones people will remember long after they have played it.
Michael Williams
When it sucks you into the world and won't let go.
Andrea Fonger
Attention to detail.
Cameron Pinard
ClassicRckr What's the most important aspect of any game?
Shipping it.
Dan Miller
How the game feels to play. It has to be responsive and fun to move around in the world. If those basics aren't there, you're going to have a tough time making anything else feel correct on top of it.
Lars Bakken
That it's finished.
Kurt Nellis
Having a cohesive vision throughout the game. With art, design, and story.
Jason Sussman
A game is the sum of its parts. Without the music, art, code, animation, bug-less operation, or all the other components that go into the game, the experience would not be the same. I suppose you could say the most important part is the implicit conversation it creates between the creator and the consumer.
Michael Williams
Whether it's fun to play!
Andrea Fonger
That it resonates with someone. If there is no connection, it's just all process.
Cameron Pinard
Replayability.
John Stvan
Your mom (that's right DeeJ - I used that one twice. I'm a rebel)
Scott Kankelborg
Editor’s Note: Skank was going to answer all of your questions that way, until I told him that he could only do it once.
borrowedchief How do you feel about The Artist taking top honors at this year’s Academy Awards.
Not bad. Eh? How nice for them. I can’t speak for everyone in the studio, but if I had made that movie, it would have featured more explosions. And been in color. With talking.
THORSGOD You get to throw two b.net members into a coliseum and watch them fight to the death. Which two do you chose?
You, and whomever has a beef with you. Any takers? I will send a “
Burn Bright. Burn Blue.” t-shirt to anyone in possession of the courage to meet this Norse legend in hand to hand combat.
Editor’s Note: Not really. That isn’t actually the Mail Sack challenge for this week, nor do I condone fights to the death between fans.
Krimm117 Who currently holds The Shaft, and without giving specific details, can you tell us why?
But it just so happens that I can give you specific details. The Shaft is a PVC talisman of excruciating manual labor. This relic from ancient Bungie History is placed on the desk of someone who has been saddled with a task that no one would wish on their worst slingshot-bound enemy. Currently, it resides on the desk of Test Manager Jamie Evans, who tells us:
I have it, because Test normally knows who breaks the current build of the game... and we can give it to them.
Moral to the story: You break the build, you fix the build. Don’t break the build.
UnderTheKnif3 What's the most fun part of development? I'm talkin' the whole sha-bang.
Adding music, and hearing it (you're welcome Marty).
Dan Miller
When everyone on the team is firing on all cylinders at the end of development. The amount of sweet and amazing things that happen per minute is just mind blowing.
Lars Bakken
If you ask me: The people I get to work with. If you ask my parents what they think: Getting to play whatever game I want and eating potato chips 100% of the time.
Kurt Nellis
Having the giant beast you've been working on ship. After putting so much effort into a project, seeing it all come together, and then releasing it to the world.
Jason Sussman
There is this amazing moment near the end of game development when all the art polish starts being included. Suddenly, those grey angular levels you've been playing turn into these rich works of art. That is the moment for me when the full scope and beauty of the game finally sinks in. It is a really good feeling to see the game doing something, and think "I helped make that happen."
Michael Williams
Hearing people talk about something you worked on.
Andrea Fonger
I love the process. Don't get me wrong, it's great seeing the end result. But I love getting into that flow of getting things done, banging out assets, fixing bugs, solving problems, and tweaking that one variable to make something sing.
Cameron Pinard
That's a dumb question. Who let you in here?
John Stvan
Editor’s Note: John is friends with the person who posed this question. As hateful as it may seem at first glance, what you are seeing exchanged above is actually a bizarre form of love.
AcedannyK 7 What is your least favorite part of game development?
When the tools are new.
Dan Miller
That lull between when the game is out of our hands and before the fans gets to play it. The wait is just as excruciating for us as it is for you.
Lars Bakken
That the job isn't like the movie Grandma's Boy and we can't just play games all day.
John Stvan
Seeing a favorite idea or feature getting cut.
Kurt Nellis
The stress and anxiety of wondering if people will enjoy it.
Jason Sussman
One of the worst feelings is when you are at work well past midnight, finally check in your work, and then the build fails. You realize you will still be at work for hours, and call your loved ones to tell them you won't be heading home yet (assuming they are still awake).
Michael Williams
I don't have a reserved parking spot on the 1st floor. That pretty much sucks.
Scott Kankelborg
Anytime you're blocked from working, be it from a bug, or just a lack of a tool you need. Nothing more frustrating than that.
Cameron Pinard
antony X1000 Are there any other days like Bagel Fridays?
There are, but they are far less popular. Mucous Monday is by far the least favorite. We had to completely cancel Get Tazed Tuesday for insurance purposes.
AmX15 What is your favorite interwebz meme?
Dan Miller
Michael Williams
Scott Kankelborg
Andrea Fonger
risay_117 Do you plan to answer all my questions?
Your list was an agonizing 58 questions long. The only one I could answer was this one. Your answer is “NO!”
KUZOKU85 Are there any martial artists within Bungie's legion? If so, what rank and what style?
There are lots of Krav Maga folks.
Jason Sussman
We have an entire gang of Badasses.
Dan Miller
Pat Jandro claims to be a Maroon belt in the art of Kung Pao.
Kurt Nellis
We all have a black belt in rolling and pushing.
John Stvan
I know some people who do Aikido, Krav Maga, and MMA. I'm sure there are other martial arts represented. We've got a very diverse group of folks here.
Michael Williams
Back in my youth, I did Tae Kwan Do and got a black belt in it. I'm horribly embarrassed by how inflexible I've become. I'd probably break a hip trying to do anything too serious now.
Cameron Pinard
NoWise10 Do you need to be an "artist" to be in the game developing industry?
LOL. No. You need to be an "artiste".
Dan Miller
Yup, but only if you're looking for a job as an artist.
Kurt Nellis
Nope! You still have Programmer, Audio, Animation, Test, IT, Designer, User research, and Production.
Jason Sussman
Not in the sense of drawing or modeling skills. "Programmer art" is legendarily bad across the industry (as my stick figure flailing can demonstrate). However for every discipline you need to have a dedication to quality, and a deep attention to detail. I know I've seen code snippets that I could consider art when they do a difficult task in a simple, clean, and beautiful way.
Michael Williams
Definitely not. I couldn't draw myself out of a paper bag (I challenge anybody reading this to create such a drawing).
Scott Kankelborg
Heck no! If that was required, I wouldn't be here. I do draw a mean box in Paint though.
Andrea Fonger
I'd say you don't have to be a good artist, not to get all after school special on you but everybody is a little artistic. I think to work in an industry that is based on creative output you should actively nurture that side of yourself regardless of what you do.
Cameron Pinard
See: DeeJ.
John Stvan
BRADEN OWNZ What computer programs do we need to know inside and out to get a job at Bungie?
I mostly use Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Yuke How much do you love your fans?
They can now fly Pelicans and Phantoms and dance with the Grunts in Halo: Reach.
Dan Miller
Oh, you have no idea...
Lars Bakken
To the moon and back. But no further without having met. Then it's probably at least back to the moon again.
Kurt Nellis
|---------- this much ----------| (but not an inch more)
John Stvan
So much that we even love the haters.
Michael Williams
Most places in Washington don't have an AC unit, so during the summer I love my fans a bunch. They're pretty much useless in the winter, though.
Scott Kankelborg
I get to do the amazingly fun job I get to do because of them. It’s hard not to be grateful for that.
Cameron Pinard
Achilles1108 Why am I so much better than everybody else?
Because you are a
Mythic Member of the Bungie.net community. Everyone knows that those people’s lives are worth far more than their junior contemporaries. I am surprised that you even had to ask, since you Mythics are reminding us of this fact at every turn. I guess the old wisdom is true: The best questions to ask in an interview are the ones to which you already know the answer.
With that final kernel of higher-learning, our Mail Sack for this week is closed. Class is dismissed. We will see you back here when it is time to stand and deliver all over again. In the meantime, know that the Bungie Panel, and all of their colleagues, are hard at work to give you something exciting and new to talk about in the halls that you roam so diligently.