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Colin Hicks, Deputy Producer

What is your official title? Do you have any unofficial titles? You know those names people call you be behind your back. Deputy Producer. I've only recently moved over to the WAR team from Mythic's Technology and Tools team, so I'm not sure I've earned a nickname from the Warhammer crew yet. If I have, it's not flattering and I'm not sure I want to learn it. What is it you do on a daily basis? I'm basically the Producer's, Lance Robertson's, right-hand man. In addition to helping Lance with whatever he needs on a daily basis, I help foster communication between the various departments (content, art, programming, design) and I approve content as its being developed and tested. I also manage the advancement of development tools and processes so that the developers' jobs get easier. Generally, I try to be around to help whoever has problems or questions during development. What is your background? How long have you been with Mythic? I have some college, though I decided that goofing around on Internet MUD's was more fun. That's actually how I ended up at Mythic, so I guess that worked out. I've now been with Mythic for 10 years in one role or another. On what other titles have you worked? In what capacity? I've worked on nearly all of Mythic's titles, from our first text-based MUD's to our early internet-based shooters. I then worked on Dark Age of Camelot and several of its expansions. I have worked as a level designer, world builder, content designer, associate producer, and producer. What was your "welcome to the game industry" moment when it hit you that you were really making games for a living? When the first game I worked on, Rolemaster: Magestorm went live on the internet and people started playing it! I spent hours in invisible mode following them around in the game watching them play my levels. What excites you about the Warhammer property? The great British humor is certainly one of the most unique (at least for an ugly American) things about the IP. I think in a lot of cases, MMO's take themselves a bit too seriously, and we definitely want to convey the sense of humor and irreverence that is inherent in all aspects of Warhammer. It's a game after all, and it should be fun! Do you collect Warhammer figures? So far I've been resisting the urge to spend hundreds of dollars on figures. I have no time to paint. (I have a new baby at home and it's amazing how much time the little critters eat up!) However, every day I find myself gazing lustily at all the awesome figures scattered about the office. I suspect that I'll soon cave in and order up an army, probably Dwarfs. What are your hopes/goals for the game? I hope that WAR becomes a title that people can enjoy on many levels for a long period of time. I hope that it introduces many gamers, who might otherwise be unfamiliar with the Warhammer universe, to all the rich, deep, and funny content that the world provides. What has influenced you most while making this game? Anything besides Warhammer? Well, all the years wasted reading trashy fantasy novels and playing role playing games has been a huge influence. I could list all the classic fantasy books and games, but it would read just like all the other developers' bios. It seems my entire life has been spent preparing for this job, simply soaking up all the aspects of geek culture. What is the biggest problem with current MMO's you hope to fix with WAR? When I play a game, it is important that it offers me flexibility in terms of the time commitment needed to have fun. I need to have a rewarding play experience even if I don't have several hours to devote to a play session. Providing an opportunity for time constrained gamers to enjoy a title just as much as those with excess free time is essential to a title's broad appeal. What music are you listening to right now? Right now I'm listening to a lot of White Stripes and Johnny Cash. I know it may sound like a weird combo, but it works for me. Is there a recent movie you've seen that you'd recommend to others? Well, I don't get to see first run movies much anymore (again, the baby thing), but I was able to get Batman Begins on DVD and was blown away. It's such a huge departure from the previous movies, and it went in a really cool direction.

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