It’s been an exciting week for lovers of science fiction – which we totally are at Bungie. Sometimes truth is even stranger than fiction, like when a band of scientists use a flying saucer to park a car on another planet. Curiosity Fever has gripped many an imagination in our studio. As a break in that action, we are obeying the usual ritual of addressing your curiosities – the ones that you so lovingly deposit on our forum every week.
Here are your arm-chair star-gazers…
Derek Carroll, Designer
Andrew Davis, Artist
Joey Gibbs, Production Assistant
Nate Hawbaker, Technical Artist
Scott Kankelborg, Test Engineer
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer
Dave Mongan, Writer
Tom Slattery, Content Manager
Alan Stuart, Engineer
John Stvan, Graphic Designer
Scott Taylor, Producer
Michael Williams, Engineer
Ben Wommack, Production Engineer
We are now in orbit around Bungie.net. Let’s open the Sack.
MiloOmega First!!!!
You’ll regret that.
OIO CABOOSE OIO What did you guys think of the Curiosity Landing on Mars?
I have this recurring dream about journeying to Mars in which I become the hero of a colonial community of mutants by defying an oppressive regime and activating an ancient alien relic that ends up producing a breathable atmosphere. It’s exciting that we might actually get the chance to do that someday. I am sure the Bungie Panel has some less delusional thoughts…
People here were jealous – some folks in the studio would trade everything for a chance to go to Mars!
Ben Wommack
You can't prove I cried.
John Stvan
Go humanity!
Alex Loret de Mola
What a great opportunity for the country to, if only briefly, become once again enamored with the sciences.
Nate Hawbaker
How ironic it would be if it turned out it had landed on a Martian cat.
Tom Slattery
I am astounded by humanity's creativity and engineering prowess. I can't wait to see what we do next.
Michael Williams
Per audacia ad astra.
Alan Stuart
I found it bittersweet. I see the amazing things humanity can achieve, yet we spend so little money on it, compared to the ugly things humanity does.
Andrew Davis
Oh come on now, Andrew. Don’t be so cynical. Just think of how amazing “The Real Housewives of Mars” will be.
triggerhappy964 Will you answer this question without the use of sarcasm?
Nope. When you try to part us with our sarcasm, we get really defensive. It’s like trying to snatch a blanket from the hands of a child that is not ready to let go. To make this abundantly clear, I won’t answer this next question sincerely either…
AxJARxOFxDIRT This is a question for Mr. Martin O'Donnell (but I guess you can answer it). Besides the piano, what is your favorite instrument?
Marty is busy, so I got this. I find the Altimeter and the Geiger Counter to be pretty useful instruments.
Okay, okay… Marty told me that he likes the Cello, too. But only second to the Piano!
spawn031 As we made history this week during the Mars Curiosity Landing, we learned that the guys over at NASA have a tradition of eating peanuts for good luck. When Bungie Employees are crunching at work and need some good luck, what do you guys eat?
I don’t eat for luck. I do often wear my “Bungie, fix your –blam-” t-shirt when in bug crunching mode. More for irony than luck though.
Andrew Davis
Brotein bars. Also brotein shakes and egg white bromlettes.
Joey Gibbs
NASA engineers. You may claim it’s a silly superstition, but it works!
Derek Carroll
Fried chicken and red vines. Just kidding! That's our normal crunch fair. People chug the Red Bull pretty regularly during long hours, but I don't think that has anything to do with good luck – more like desperation.
Ben Wommack
It used to be Swedish Fish, until I looked at the back of the package and saw they were actually made in Canada. It felt like my entire life had been a lie.
Tom Slattery
Meat. In the kitchen we literally have a cabinet labeled "Meat" that is magically refilled every morning.
Alan Stuart
Soylent Green!
Alex Loret de Mola
That’s gross, Alex. Don’t you know it’s made out of people?
Kage24Neko Do the B.Net team feel like bees in a trap?
What exactly are you asking here? If you are asking if the Bungie.net Developers feel imprisoned by their work, the answer is “No, certainly not!” They love what they do. If you are asking if they are slicked in a delicious sheen of honey, the answer is “Most definitely!”
TheSpiderChief What is the longest amount of time you have spent awake whilst making games?
Exactly equal to the time it’s taken to make all the games I’ve made. (Or did you mean consecutively?)
Andrew Davis
I believe around 30 hours was my maximum, back during Halo 2.
Michael Williams
25 hours, back during Halo 3. Though this last year has challenged that record a couple times.
Ben Wommack
I remember being awake for 3 days during Reach.
John Stvan
I stayed up for over 48 hours during the crunch for MechAssault. I went to bed when I started hallucinating smoke filling the room.
Derek Carroll
While working on another game before coming to Bungie, I spent a solid six months with less than three hours of sleep each night (other than the occasional Saturday where I'd crash hard and literally sleep through the entire day). Kids, don't try this at home.
Alex Loret de Mola
MiloOmega Where do you get most of your ideas for your story? “Your Mom” is not an acceptable answer.
You again? Remember when I promised that you would regret being First? Skank, he’s all yours…
“Your Mom!”
Scott Kankelborg
a rascal cat Who is the funniest employee?
Travis Pijut. He’s the silent killer.
Joey Gibbs
DeeJ is by far the funniest looking.
Nate Hawbaker
While Bungie still worked at Microsoft, Mat Noguchi was kicked off the internal "Xbox Discussion Alias" for a multitude of policy infractions. I think Mat is hilarious.
Alan Stuart
Luke Timmins without a doubt. Sorry DeeJ. You're a Fun Guy, but no one tops the Sausage King.
Ben Wommack
Achronos cracks me up. He's so amusingly bitter! (Please don't hurt/ban/fire me Achronos!)
Alex Loret de Mola
On a given day many fellow employees will make me laugh, but the one of the most consistently successful for me is Mr. Rajeev Nattam.
Michael Williams
Stormkiller626 Why do you guys never answer my questions? Seriously, I think this is rigged...
You really don't want to treat the Mail Sack like an election or a popularity contest. We ain’t choosing a Prom King here. This is our chance to keep in touch as we fumble toward each other through the darkness. The best questions are ones that provoke sparkling conversation on a topic that doesn’t cut too close to the bones of the game we are creating.
coolmike699 They answer lots of my questions. If it's rigged, I like it this way.
Again, Mike, I’m not playing favorites here. It just so happens that you have a habit of asking cool questions that serve up some red meat for our Panel, like this one:
You're the head coach of a sports team that you have, through montages of training, brought from a fumbling bunch of novices to the state championships. What do you say to motivate these people to victory?
Allow me to fully appreciate the fact that you are measuring the density of training in montages, rather than time. Let's see how our panelists would inspire their minions to greatness.
“No slaughter!”
Andrew Davis
“It's not impossible. I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home.”
John Stvan
“Free beer if we win.”
Alex Loret de Mola
"Remember, the enemy gate is down."
Michael Williams
Derek Carroll
WestCoastRonin Can I single out Dave Mongan? What book(s) should every writer read?
Paging
Dave Mongan. Would
Dave Mongan please pick up the nearest Mail Sack courtesy phone?
Dave said: If you are asking what to read to become a better screenwriter, I definitely have a few recommendations. “Story” by Robert McKee gives great insight into the process of crafting compelling characters and tales. It’s not a quick read, but it’s invaluable. “Save The Cat! Goes to the Movies” by Blake Snyder is at the other end of the spectrum – light on theory, but very easy to read and absorb because it breaks down story types using modern-day movies as a reference. Probably the best recommendation I can give, though, is to find screenplays for your favorite movies (either online or in bookstores) and break them down scene-by-scene, act-by-act, character-by-character. Not only will you (hopefully) learn the importance of structure in successful storytelling, you’ll also learn proper screenplay formatting and see how a story translates from the page to the screen, which is oftentimes quite an eye-opening experience.
Of course, if you just want to bend the spine on a great read, that’s another story entirely. I have a few authors from very disparate genres that I particularly dig: Iain M. Banks for sci-fi, Michael Connelly for mystery/thrillers, and of course the horror master himself, Steven King. Oh, and don’t forget comic books. I’m currently loving me some old-school Larry Hama “GI Joe,” and the newest “Dark Knight” series written by friend & former co-worker, Gregg Hurwitz.
Malfar What is one of your most cherished possessions?
My ’09 Sportster 883C. I call her Athena (my first bike was Boomer).
Andrew Davis
My Xbox 360 hard drive. Whenever I go on vacation I stash it somewhere in my apartment so that robbers won’t find it.
Joey Gibbs
A Spanish dollar (piece of eight) dated 1608 gifted to me by my grandfather. The coin is worn extremely thin by the countless hands that have touched it. I often wonder about the people that possessed it before me.
Alan Stuart
My Windows Server 2003 Leatherman pocket tool.
Ben Wommack
My coffee-stained copy of Atlantis by Mark Doty.
Alex Loret de Mola
I've got an intact "casino map" from an amazing puzzle hunt I participated in (my first puzzle hunt ever). Embedded in the map are a huge number of puzzles that eventually convert the thing into a 3-dimensional Indiana Jones style solution reveal.
Michael Williams
My mirror.
John Stvan
R0flc0pt3r What's the worst part about your job?
Facing John “Halcylon” Stvan in a playtest. He’s not bad at the game, and not all shy about reminding you of this fact if he kills you within earshot of your desk.
im am b0red What is the most difficult game you guys have ever played?
I probably only played the most difficult game I ever played for a few minutes, because it was too difficult. Probably some 80’s side-scroller where you have to dodge projectiles. Too hard!
Andrew Davis
The stock market.
Tom Slattery
I WANNA BE THE GUY. They basically threw all of the usability heuristics right out the window.
Joey Gibbs
Sunset Riders. I was also 9. Actually scratch that. After reading others responses, I'd like to revise that to say Trials Evolution.
Nate Hawbaker
First of all, let's invalidate competitive multiplayer. Second, any game which is only difficult because of bugs or poor design. That leaves us with Demon Souls / Dark Souls, and WoW raiding. Heroics are hard.
Ben Wommack
Trials HD.
Alan Stuart
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the NES (it was also available on the Amiga, from what I hear). I've actually beaten it fair and square, however. My childhood was sacrificed on its merciless altar for the sake of seeing its crappy 30 second ending.
Alex Loret de Mola
I tried Battletoads once... it did not go well. There was also this one time on Bungie Day when we challenged the community for steaks... it, also, did not go well.
Michael Williams
Sunburned Goose Do other game developers share their games with you before they are finished?
OJ (you remember
OJ, don’t you?) made some friends at a development house called Squad. They hooked us up with some codes to play Kerbal Space Program. It’s a space exploration simulator that’s in Alpha right now. You should check it out…
Would you like to play? I can score you a code. If you want to channel your inner rocket scientist, all you have to do is emulate the haircut that has made
Bobak Ferdowski (Flight Director of the Mars Curiosity Mission) an Internet sensation.
Seriously. Be one of the first three people to
produce a “before and after” comparison photo (both shots taken on the same day), and I’ll get you a code to play the game. I’ll also feature you in the Mail Sack for next week.
(Kids, be sure to get permission from your parent’s before you mutilate their precious image of you. I don't want a flood of angry emails from mothers who are enraged over the fact that their little angel looks like a Mohawk spaceman.)
Mythical Wolf Favorite Olympic sport?
Beach Volleyball.
John Stvan
Archery. An admirable skill, and one of the few featured in the Olympics that would genuinely help in a post-apocalyptic world.
Alex Loret de Mola
10M diving. I used to dive back in high school. Did you know that people have been known to literally break their thumbs on the tops if their heads if they don’t keep their elbows locked on entry? Crazy.
Joey Gibbs
Gymnastics--unbelievably impressive.
Ben Wommack
I’ve been digging the bicycle sports this year. I hadn’t watched track racing, and it’s pretty fun.
Andrew Davis
I actually like curling a lot.
Michael Williams
Triple TiVo Fast-Forward.
Derek Carroll
I like the one where they go fast.
Nate Hawbaker
defnop552 What's the new site update codename?
We've been lovingly referring to it as “Bungie.next.”
CODE OF DEAD If you had three wishes, what would they be?
1. To be good at math.
2. To like math.
3. To have Spider-Man super powers.
Joey Gibbs
1. Infinite wishes.
2. Preview of results of each wish.
3. Unlimited undo.
Derek Carroll
1. World Peace.
2. Interstellar Travel.
3. And to have a live sitcom audience follow me around.
John Stvan
It would go down something like
this.
Michael Williams
Hylebos Are there any good webcomics you'd like to recommend?
For the second week in a row, a Bungie Panelist has invoked
xkcd to answer your questions. It’s "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language" – or so they say. Last week, I didn’t credit them (at least, not until I was corrected by Andrew Davis) for an image I pilfered from their site. This week, I’ll use your question to double-down on the credit they so richly deserve for illustrating the highs and lows of development culture.
MightyMarcher01 What is your favorite video game enemy?
Kefka, Final Fantasy VI. His schizophrenia was palpable.
Alex Loret de Mola
Frankystein Mark II. After beating that boss, it really convinced you of how strong you had become.
Nate Hawbaker
Marines in Starcraft 2, the cursed devils. (I play Zerg)
Ben Wommack
Kefka, but I'm a little biased. (Also my favorite video game character to write dialogue for!)
Tom Slattery
OddJob.
John Stvan
Ragnaros at level 60 with 39 other people working together to bring him down. That was truly epic.
Alan Stuart
The dude who challenges you to a game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" in order to beat a level in Alex Kidd in Miracle World.
Scott Taylor
GLaDOS. A complex and interesting opponent who is also written brilliantly.
Michael Williams
Ryaanski What would you think if I sang out of tune?
I would stand up, and walk out on you.
Kidding! I kid you. What I would really do is harmonize with you in lovely dulcet tones that would make up the difference. Also, we would need to grow a mop of long hair.
We’ll sing some more of this duet next week. When I saw “we,” I mean Bungie and our Community – you know, the royal we. Keep your eyes trained on our forum Monday for your chance to write your portion of the sheet music.