Michael Capps
President
What role did you play in the Gears of War project?
As President of Epic, my role is to build a great team, give them everything they need to succeed, and get out of their way. The Unreal Engine team and Unreal Tournament team also report to me, so I split my time between Gears and those other projects.
Give the readers an idea about your day-to-day tasks.
My schedule is extremely variable, because I tend to fill in wherever I’m needed. For Gears, I do PR trips, review marketing plans and materials, give feedback on the game design, tweak dialogue scripts, help with scheduling, interface with Microsoft. I manage our relationships for licensed products like the faceplates, strategy guides, and so on. Lately, I’ve basically been Epic’s party planner, trying to find the right date for the gold party, getting people to the release party, that sort of thing. ;)
What was your favorite aspect of the project?
I’m not a ‘favorites’ ‘kind of guy—there’s so many things that were fun that I’d never give up. E3 this year was just amazing; we had such a great reception. I love the “Ooooh” I get from a crowd when I pan around one of our environments in a demo, and the cheers I get when I say “this is all real time, we don’t do any of that pre-rendered B.S.” I guess what I like most is the guys on the team stopping by my office lately saying, “You know what, I played the game through and I freakin’ love it! It really is as good as everyone says!”
After they complete the game, what do you expect (or hope) players will say?
I want them to grab their friend, girlfriend, whatever and drag them to the couch so they’ll play through it again in co-op.
What was the trickiest task assigned to you and how did you solve it?
A while back, some parts of the gameplay just weren’t coming together. It was my unpopular job to say that certain systems needed refactoring, and that others needed cutting entirely. That kind of process can lead to hurt feelings and politics, but I think everyone on the team knew we needed a fresh approach and we came out of it much stronger. People always talk about a game team being a family—and this one really is. Heck, I think we all spent way more time with each other than our families over the past year.
I think I’m the crazy old coot grandfather, who says, “Back in my day, we used Excel sheets for scheduling. And we liked it!”
What did the Unreal Engine 3 allow you to achieve in Gears of War that you couldn’t have accomplished without it?
All of it!
Despite the advanced Xbox 360 hardware, were there any gameplay elements that just weren’t feasible with today’s current state of technology?
We pushed the hardware so far with graphics and lighting that we really couldn’t go as far as we would have liked with physics. I look forward to more progress in that direction in the future.
What are you most proud of concerning the game?
It passes the mom test for next-generation. That is, even your mom can look at screenshots from this game and say, “Oh, I get it, that’s why you want an Xbox 360—your Xbox or PS2 could never do that.”
What originally attracted you to the video game industry, and how did you get your start?
I double-majored in creative writing and computer science in college, so I’d always thought about games. Instead, I got my PhD in virtual reality systems and was a teacher. Then one day the Army came along and asked if we could recommend anyone to build a video game for recruiting, and our faculty jumped at the chance. I proposed a squad-based shooter based on latest tech, built a team, and a year and a half later we shipped America’s Army.
AA was the first game that shipped on Unreal Engine 2—it even came out before Unreal Tournament 2003 and Unreal 2. The Epic guys wanted to start a new studio to build Unreal titles, and they tapped me for the job. Scion Studios later merged into Epic, and here I am.
What keeps you in the game industry?
Who knew—it turns out you can meet hot chicks this way!
What titles have you worked on?
America’s Army, Unreal Tournament 2003 and 2004, Unreal Championship 2, and now Gears of War.
Do you have a pet tactic or any tips you’d like to share with our readers?
I’m a pretty good shot, so I play to that. I get into distant cover and aim for the sternum, using the recoil to walk up the body and get a few head-shots in as well. For Raam, it’s all about having the Boltok and the Torquebow. I hit him with the bow to clear the Kryll, then pop off six shots into that big head of his. Do that a few times, and it’s over.
Rod Fergusson
Producer
What role did you play in the Gears of War project?
I was the Producer, which means I oversaw development by managing the schedule, setting the priorities, mitigating the risks, and facilitating communication between all of the different disciplines on the team and our publisher.
Give the readers an idea about your day-to-day tasks.
My biggest daily task was to make sure everyone had what they needed to be successful. Usually, that was communicating information between people on the team or to the publisher.
What was your favorite aspect of the project?
My favorite aspect of the project is the “join in progress” co-op play. The ability to be playing Gears in single-player and see a friend come online, invite him to join and have him take over Dom without ever leaving your single-player game is awesome. Co-op has always been my favorite feature in any game, and I’m so excited about how we did it in Gears.
After they complete the game, what do you expect (or hope) players will say?
I hope they’ll say, “That was awesome. Now let’s play co-op on Insane.”
What was the trickiest task assigned to you and how did you solve it?
Everything about making AAA games is tricky. Hopefully you liked our solution.
What did the Unreal Engine 3 allow you to achieve in Gears of War that you couldn’t have accomplished without it?
Shipping a game this big with a team this small.
Despite the advanced Xbox 360 hardware, were there any gameplay elements that just weren’t feasible with today’s current state of technology?
No.
What are you most proud of concerning the game?
I could probably write for pages on all the things I’m proud about, including the team, the process, and the final product. But if I were to pick one small area that I was involved in, I’m especially proud of the voiceover work. I was involved in the casting, the directing, and even some of the writing, and I helped design the combat chatter system. Hearing our very talented cast bring our characters to life and make the game experience that much more rewarding to the players makes me very proud.
What originally attracted you to the video game industry, and how did you get your start?
Being a gamer is what attracted me to the industry initially. When your career is based on your favorite thing to do, how could it be any better?
My path to games was a bit convoluted. I was self-employed as a business analyst doing government database systems when I got hired into Microsoft Consulting Services in Ottawa, ON Canada. As a Microsoft employee, I then decided that my goal was to work my way onto main campus in Redmond and get into the games group. A year and a half later, I had a job offer from Redmond as part of Enterprise Services, and a year and a half after that I was interviewing for Flight Sim. Oddly enough, the same day as my interview for the scenery Producer for Flight Sim, a new position opened up as the Producer for MS Train Sim. I jumped at the chance to produce my own game and got the job.
Twelve years ago, I was doing data flow diagrams for government lawyers; today, I shoot monsters in the face with a shotgun. Nice career path…
What keeps you in the game industry?
First, it’s the people. I love nothing more than to be working with passionate and creative people who all love what they do. That’s very difficult to find in a typical corporate environment, but not so for most people working in games. Making games sounds like an easy job but it’s not and you really have to want to work on games to keep up with the time and effort required.
Second, it’s the work. I’ve never had a job where I got to do so many fun and creative things. For example, I get to work with the writers to help create dialogue and story, with the designers to help create new ideas and features, with the artists to help shape environments and characters, and with the overall team to determine how we’re going to go from nothing to what we hope is an amazing experience. How could you leave that?
What titles have you worked on?
I’ve worked on several titles that have never seen the light of day—one of which included a focus-group member looking directly at the one-way mirror, saying, “Do not make this game.”
In terms of shipping titles, I’ve worked on MS Train Simulator (don’t laugh; it sold over a million units worldwide), Blood Wake (okay, now you can laugh, but it was fun and I still think BW2 would have been awesome), and Counter-Strike Xbox. If you listen closely while playing CSX, you’ll hear me as one of the ‘bot voices.
What can we look forward to in the future with the Gears of War franchise?
It’s up to gamers whether the Gears of War franchise has a future. But if it does, I’m sure it will be a fun one.
Do you have a pet tactic or any tips you’d like to share with our readers?
So many to choose from… There’s the DBNO bait, the suicide hug, the Torquebow mine… Hmmm… Well, I guess one of my favorite tactics is really more about flair than skill. When you get caught out in the open and need to close the distance between you and your victims/attackers, I like to have my shotgun equipped and evade into them. This way, you close the distance fast, make yourself harder to hit, and then, as you unroll, you take off their head with a shotgun blast. When you perform it smoothly, it feels oh so good and a little sticky.
Cliff Bleszinski
Lead Designer
What role did you play in the Gears of War project?
My position is Lead Designer.
Give the readers an idea about your day-to-day tasks.
Brainstorm. Play the game. Harvest, filter, and mediate team member ideas. Write documentation. Engage in many, many meetings. Sell my ideas to the other developers, the leads on the project, the press, management, and ultimately gamers.
What was your favorite aspect of the project?
I’m very happy with many aspects of the game but, in particular, I’m most excited about what Active Reload does for the shooter genre. I can’t play another shooter now without wanting to reload faster. I still mess up my occasional AR, which results in a horrid gun jamming for which I blame myself for trying!
After they complete the game, what do you expect (or hope) players will say?
Nothing. I hope they’ll take a nap because the game is a beautiful, exhausting experience. So maybe they’ll snore a bit.
What was the trickiest task assigned to you and how did you solve it?
Making it fun and useful to employ cover in combat. We used a combination of things, from making the initial decision to slam into cover (with proper audio and effects) to the context-sensitive A Button system.
What did the Unreal Engine 3 allow you to achieve in Gears of War that you couldn’t have accomplished without it?
Rapid prototyping and amazing visuals are the two main things that come to mind.
Despite the advanced Xbox 360 hardware, were there any gameplay elements that just weren’t feasible with today’s current state of technology?
I’m not certain there’s any gameplay element that a determined designer and programming team could not pull off given enough time and resources. We set out to make a great cinematic cover shooter, and the Xbox 360 happened to be a perfect match for the vision.
What are you most proud of concerning the game?
I’m most proud of the interesting universe we’ve crafted and the crisp gameplay contained within. For me, the game just “feels” right, and that feel is one of the hardest things to achieve as a designer
What originally attracted you to the video game industry, and how did you get your start?
I knew the moment I played my first game at the age of six that this was the future of entertainment. How could one not find this compelling and want to work in this sector of the entertainment industry?
What keeps you in the game industry?
A desire to see this medium reach its full potential as a commercial and artistic product.
What titles have you worked on?
The videogame series that I’ve worked on include Jazz Jackrabbit, Unreal, Unreal Tournament, and now Gears.
What can we look forward to in the future with the Gears of War franchise?
We’re not committing at this point to any follow-up products. If we were to consider it, I’d imagine more great combat, visuals, and characterization.
Do you have a pet tactic or any tips you’d like to share with our readers?
Practice with grenades, head-shots, and blindfiring. They’ll save your life more often than you’ll think!
Lee Perry
Lead Level Designer
What role did you play in the Gears of War project?
Lead the design and implementation of the environments through the game, set up combat scenarios, worked with LDs to generate the level geometry, scripting, and audio. Basically, working with LDs to create the game world. Also, loads of boss combat, weapon function, mini-game, and gameplay prototyping.
Give the readers an idea about your day-to-day tasks.
This changes greatly throughout the course of a project. Early on, the tasks involve groundwork design and development. Later in the project, the load shifts to oversight and management of the team, and making decisions about the work that’s being done. Lots of meetings, lots of email.
What was your favorite aspect of the project?
Seeing the various approaches to game systems come online and eventually shape something we all found really fun to play. It was also great working with the scripting tools to get much of the early design in a playable form before people had to spend real time on implementing the ideas.
After they complete the game, what do you expect (or hope) players will say?
“Dude! Lets get online!”
Well, and I hope they walk away missing our core gameplay in future games. I want them to play a run-of-the-mill shooter after Gears and think, “Wow, it’s pretty stupid to be running around in the open like this…” That would be a marked evolutionary step in shooters across the board.
What was the trickiest task assigned to you and how did you solve it?
Probably getting everything in the game to load off disk in a streaming manner and within memory. The levels were blocked in and underway when the decision to make them stream was made. So, we had to retrofit levels to make that happen, as well as adjust all the action, scripting, and ever-evolving gameplay to work with those layouts. However, doing this after the levels were laid out helped make the environments not seem as contrived, or “door-hallway-door-hallway” in layout.
What did the Unreal Engine 3 allow you to achieve in Gears of War that you couldn’t have accomplished without it?
The tech has been fantastic! The tools were instrumental in allowing us to design and implement gameplay scenarios without having programmers shoulder that load. If we wanted a complex series of events to happen, we could do it as designers and see it working before we ever had to commit to it. It represented a fundamental change in how we designed things. Before, we would have designed so many theoretically fun scenarios on paper; with these tools, we could just try it to see how it works and iterate on the results.
Despite the advanced Xbox 360 hardware, were there any gameplay elements that just weren’t feasible with today’s current state of technology?
Not particularly. I know it’s a great tagline to say we’re pushing the 360 as far as it can go, but the reality is that there is a huge space for improvement. By the end of the project, we find that we could easily push substantially more detail than we are in some areas. I grin from ear to ear when I think of what we’ll be doing that really will be pushing it as far as it can go.
What are you most proud of concerning the game?
The core gameplay loop. I think we really got something there. It’s difficult to ask or expect players to adapt to a different style of gameplay than what they’re used to… You really have to offer something spectacular as incentive to relearn how you should play a shooter. We were massively nervous about this through much of production, but once we had it in place and saw that people really were able to pick it up and adapt after only a level worth of exposure, the tension was released greatly—you could hear the sighs of relief from the East Coast to Seattle.
What originally attracted you to the video game industry, and how did you get your start?
I’ve always wanted to be a game designer—nothing else has ever been on my radar. I started my career as an artist, knowing that people simply aren’t looking to hire someone to design a project… You have to work your way into it from another angle. Back in the early ‘90s, virtually nobody was doing 3D work, but I picked it up as a skill and found myself a slingshot into the industry. More than a decade later, I’m finally getting where I want to be.
What keeps you in the game industry?
The work environment, the creative outlet, the chance to do what I love and support my family with something I’m passionate about.
What titles have you worked on?
UT2003, UT2004, Anachronox, R&D and cinematic projects at Squaresoft, a fistful of PlayStation and PS2 games.
What can we look forward to in the future with the Gears of War franchise?
More than you’ll expect. We got the core down, now it’s time to have some fun! 
Do you have a pet tactic or any tips you’d like to share with our readers?
FLANK! This is the one game you’re likely to play where it actually counts for something. You can stay behind cover and play whack-a-mole for 10 minutes with a given enemy, or look around for a second and discover there’s almost always a side route to make his cover useless…and this goes triple for multiplayer. Don’t get sucked in—get behind that sucka!
Jeremiah O’Flaherty
Art Director
What role did you play in the Gears of War project?
I was the Art Director on Gears of War.
Give the readers an idea about your day-to-day tasks.
Day-to-day is crazy for the Art Director. I tend to get into the office pretty early (i.e. 5-8 a.m. depending on crunch or not) so that I can take care of emails, feedback, cinematic work, and any tasks that require uninterrupted focus. By 10 a.m., many other folks are beginning to arrive at the office and I start working with specific people to give them the direct feedback they need, looking over their shoulder, or us reviewing it on my computer, etc. My role is very much about the beginning (the concepts) and the end (all the pieces coming together), so depending on the stage of the project, I spend more time focused on one or the other. Organized meetings are a huge part of the daily “core hours” time spent. We have Leads meetings, animation meetings, UI meetings, level meetings, monster meetings, etc. Staying on the same page is super important and so is participation in the way things are done, so meetings are a fast way to facilitate those things. Between meetings, I manage emails and walk around talking to other folks on the team about what they are working on.
What was your favorite aspect of the project?
Working on a new franchise with the expectations of Gears has been a blast. From the very early days, the Gears team has been striving to create a really fun and visually amazing experience, and maintaining that throughout the development has been the goal. From the animation system, to the post-processing, to the cinematics, we tried to push well beyond where we had been before and make something people will really have a good time playing and viewing.
After they complete the game, what do you expect (or hope) players will say?
That it really looks like you are playing in a “movie” environment.
What was the trickiest task assigned to you and how did you solve it?
In general: Working with Cliff to bring his crazy ideas to solid form in the game was tricky at times. I trust his design sense but there are a lot of bad ways to make a chainsaw on a gun, for example. Taking the time to iterate with the concept artist until we believed in the idea as much as Cliff meant we had found a solution.
Keeping the HUD in Gears as simple as it is was an exercise in persistence. There are only so many ways to indicate things to the player, and most games depend on color in the HUD to do that. By limiting the gameplay guys to only using black, white, and red, we had to be really creative to make sure the player gets the necessary feedback without betraying the minimalist HUD design.
What did the Unreal Engine 3 allow you to achieve in Gears of War that you couldn’t have accomplished without it?
It allowed us to make the game look like a feature film. From the subtleties in the shaders, to the lighting, to the post-processing, the engine allowed us to really tailor the look around the filmic style we had set out to create from the very beginning.
What are you most proud of concerning the game?
The overall look and feel turned out great in Gears. We achieved a cinematic style in the visual quality, filtering, and motion. The in-game, hand-held camera look of Gears that carries through to the cinematics really helps underline that film look that we were after. Add to the fundamental art of the game the weighty feeling of the animations and the physics-blended motion, and we were able to create and finally layer on the coolest blood and gore that I’ve ever seen pushed into a game. The visuals from top to bottom make me smile with joy every time I play the game.
What originally attracted you to the video game industry, and how did you get your start?
As a blend of technical, art, and film, the game industry has worked out really well for me. When I was twelve, I was programming and designing my own games on the first home computers that came on the market back in the ‘80s. As computers progressed, my brothers and I would split up the tasks of programming and art, and I gravitated toward the art side of things. At eighteen, the first game for which I had helped design and create the art was published for the Amiga. While continuing to create games full-time, I also went to art school and film school to bone up on some of the fundamentals that I have continued to use to this day. I started making games because it was fun and challenged me in all the right ways. I continue to make games because, after 18 years, it still continues to challenge me and keep me on my toes visually and technically.
What keeps you in the game industry?
The women! Seriously, a wife and daughter with expensive taste. What? Were you thinking I meant “women” like a guy in a band would say it?
What titles have you worked on?
More interesting are the companies I’ve worked for. I was one of the founders of Ion Storm. I did two years in the desert working at Westwood, and now I’m working at the best game company in the industry. Along the way, I worked on a bunch of Amiga titles, PC titles, and a few console titles.
What can we look forward to in the future with the Gears of War franchise?
Oooh. If I told you, then it wouldn’t be as much fun to watch the forums (http://forums.epicgames.com) and see what people are guessing.
Do you have a pet tactic or any tips you’d like to share with our readers?
Use cover and curb-stomp as often as you can. We put the gore in there for a reason, so have fun watching your character’s skull get crushed and have fun crushing a few yourself.
Chris Perna
Lead Artist
What role did you play in the Gears of War project?
Lead Artist. This included managing anywhere from 10 to upwards of 20 artists at certain points throughout the project. Interfacing with an art director, producer, designer, engine programmers, gameplay programmers, and level designers on a regular basis to make sure everything runs like clockwork. I was also responsible for a great deal of artwork, lighting, and visual prototyping for the project.
Give the readers an idea about your day-to-day tasks.
Keeping the art team motivated and inspired so that they continuously churned out top-quality work within strict scheduling deadlines was a top priority.
On top of that, I had to keep up with the insane pace set by the artists by creating artwork myself. Outside of meetings and scheduling concerns, my main tasks were character and monster skins, some weapon materials, environment models, materials and textures, lighting levels, and the visual prototyping of certain areas throughout the game.
What was your favorite aspect of the project?
I’d have to say it was getting to interact with such a talented team on a daily basis. It was truly a pleasure to work with the entire team from art to engine, level design to gameplay programming and design.
After they complete the game, what do you expect (or hope) players will say?
“WOW.”
I really hope that they have a fun little escape from the daily grind. As an artist, I’d love to hear people saying how nice the game looks, but I also want them to enjoy the whole experience. Gameplay design and sound is also top-notch, and I really hope that people get into the story as well, because it’s outstanding.
What was the trickiest task assigned to you and how did you solve it?
Getting a massive amount of content complete without sacrificing quality was probably the trickiest thing for art. We solved this by outsourcing some content, but most of it was a labor of love for the artists on the project, so long hours and extremely talented professionals in-house did an outstanding job.
What did the Unreal Engine 3 allow you to achieve in Gears of War that you couldn’t have accomplished without it?
UE3 allowed us to push the graphics envelope further than ever before. The sheer amount of polygons on screen is mind-blowing, as well as the texture resolutions, shader complexity, and animation.
Despite the advanced Xbox 360 hardware, were there any gameplay elements that just weren’t feasible with today’s current state of technology?
Not that I’m aware of. Graphics and AI will continue to evolve as we get more familiar with the hardware, but I think we’re pretty satisfied with what we have.
What are you most proud of concerning the game?
I think, for me, it’s the overall visual style of the game. It’s brutal and raw—everything in the world feels heavy, as if there’s mass or weight to it.
What originally attracted you to the video game industry, and how did you get your start?
I started drawing monsters when I was very young (like, two years old). Growing up, that’s all I wanted to do. My teachers told me I’d never make a living doing that. I listened for a while and did a few years in advertising and graphic design. Eventually, I started seeing games coming out with cooler and cooler graphics and decided to give it a shot. That was around 10 years ago and I haven’t looked back.
It was games or movie effects, and games were easier to get into.
What keeps you in the game industry?
I’m still that little kid who wants to draw monsters and this is where I can do it and bring them to life.
What titles have you worked on?
Lots. Unreal Tournament 2003 and 2004, Anachronox, Deus Ex, Daikatana, and now Gears of War.
What can we look forward to in the future with the Gears of War franchise?
Fun, fun, fun.
Do you have a pet tactic or any tips you’d like to share with our readers?
When in doubt, smash it with a bat.