Adam Engels
Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Crowbar Collective.
I’m 35 years old and live in central New York. I started gaming on the original NES and got to grow up with the video game industry. I split my time between gaming and being active outdoors. Today I try to maintain that as a game developer and a volunteer firefighter.
I started on the team as an artist, became the art lead, then project lead, and now have the honor of owning the company. These days I manage the business, help manage the team, and provide direction for the games we make!
What do you enjoy the most about Black Mesa?
I’ve been really enjoying the new HECU combat we added with 1.0.
During the early years of the mod, a lot of us worked in bubbles, as we had not yet quite figured out working remotely around the world. To this day I am still impressed by the level of detail put into the environments, and how the team made the Black Mesa Research Facility come to life. I am still finding new things after over 14 years of being on the project.
What was the most challenging hurdle that was overcome during development in your role?
I’ve had a few roles throughout my time on Black Mesa, each with their own unique challenges. I would have to say the hardest part has been maintaining a business and an international decentralized team. There are a lot of resources for learning art, there are some good resources for learning design, but business is like a black hole of information.
What software did you use for your work?
I pretty much live in Google Docs these days...
How did you get involved with Black Mesa (If you joined later on)?
I was in college and our group heard about a remake of Half-Life being made by a mod team. We all figured it would be a great portfolio piece to get hired in the industry, so a lot of us applied. One of us got on the team as a level designer, and worked to get a bunch of us on the team!
How did you resist getting burnt out over such a long development process for Xen?
It was difficult, especially being an all-remote team. At the end of the day, it was our love for the original game, and the crazy good work in progress posts by the team that kept us all going. You may be stalled, but seeing the fantastic progress made by others could motivate you out of it!
Do you accept pineapple on pizza or are you against it?
I love pineapple on pizza. Don’t @ me!
When did your interest in game development begin?
It actually started with watching how movies were made in middle school. I used to watch “Movie Magic” on the Discovery channel, and I loved to see how everything came together. After movies like Jurassic Park and The Matrix, I got more and more into 3D modeling, took CAD classes in high school, and started messing around with the Hammer Editor (called “World Craft” at the time). I applied to one college for “Game Art and Design” and got in.
If you had unlimited time, money, and help, what game would you make?
The game we’re making now ;)
What is your favorite weapon to use in Black Mesa?
The MP5 is my crutch...