Hello Face Off players and fans! We're back with our third installment of Meet the Dev! Today we're interviewing Ratgirl. She's our lead programmer and we cornered her in the hallway to ask her some questions so you can get to know her a little bit better. She steps into chat here and there so some of you have already talked to her. For those of you hoping for a closer look here we go!
I think the first question everyone would like answered is: Why Ratgirl as a handle?
It's a reference to a scene in the movie The Abyss where a rat is submerged in breathable liquid. After a long career as an application programmer I was invited to jump into the deep end of the game programming pool where I had to quickly learn to "breathe".
You work a lot behind the scenes on March of War: Face Off. What are you busy back there doing?
Well, analyzing support logs, trying to reproduce and fix whatever I can find from those, programming enhancements in the game engine and UI, coordinating with the programming team. A lot of stuff, really. Whatever is needed most on a daily basis I try to do.
When you were offered / applied to work on March of War: Face Off what was the thing about the game that made you most interested in it?
When I started working on Face Off it was in its infancy stages. After playing the game I thought it was really fun and had a lot of potential. It has been exciting and satisfying as a programmer to be a part of the game's evolution. And I still think it's fun.
As someone who looks at all the bugs what would you say is the greatest weakness in-game at the moment?
Based on the recent reports, I would say connection issues / game hangs for players. But don't despair, we are currently working to improve that situation.
If you could go on an adventure with any game character as their sidekick which character would you quest with?
It would have to be someone from Face Off. Let's see, probably the Dragon Monk, because she is always ready for action and I like where she shops for clothes. Together we could probably get into trouble and have fun doing it.
In exactly twenty words (no more no less) describe your personality!
I'm a very particular problem solver who thrives on challenges. I'm tenacious, competitive, resilient, yet sensitive. Just a typical girl.
Who in the team would you say you work most closely with? What are they like?
I work closely with everyone from time to time, but lately it has been with Pietr (Lothar). He's a determined, intelligent programmer and knows a lot about our game play and units. But I could say that about everyone on the team. They are all a great bunch to work with.
What would you, on a personal level, say the long term goals for MOW: Face Off are?
Long term, it would be great to have a large player base on desktop / laptop and mobile platforms with frequent content updates to keep the game fresh and compelling. I'd love to see the UI become more beautified and cohesive. Maybe make things more interactive on and around the gameboard, giving the players ways to customize how things look and function.
Of all the things you do for the game which would you say are your least favorite?
Analyzing a PvP game issue when only one player has submitted a log. It's frustrating because many times I'd be able to figure out what went wrong if only I could see the other side of the story. When I have both player logs, I can reconstruct exactly what happened quickly, and usually that will lead to a solution.
If you could have any superpower which would you choose?
To breathe underwater, of course!
Ratgirl, ladies and gentlemen! Like most of the team she's been working very hard and doing her best on the game. The entire team is very devoted to the game and making it run smoother while adding content and keeping it fun. We've definitely got some personalities among the group, though.
Our next interview will be with Mark! Putting the questions together now. Until next time....see you on the battlefield!