Jobs: Roman Zorin, company producer Playkot

Tell me, what do you do in the company

I'll combine the two roles: producer and lead game designer, responsible for the integrity of the product.

As a producer, I create the conditions in which my team can be realized by 100%. That is, I've been to the boys was everything from working computers and comfortable tables to the lack of conflict, free flow of information and the feeling that the project and ideas belong to a team, and not imposed above.

And in this regard I have to restrain yourself and do not push the idea, if their team is not yet taking. In addition, there are some things that will not be the last word for me and for my colleagues, for example, in matters of art.

And who is a game designer?

The different companies under the game designer to understand the different specialists. For myself, I divide them into two groups: technical and creative.

Technical game designers see the game as a set of rules, such experts are looking at the gameplay and mechanics. These are people with a mathematical turn of mind, who are able to feel and figures can endlessly balancing system.

Creative game designers - people who are able to generate ideas and thus to enrich the game. They can not just think of something, and be creative is in the framework of the project. It is important that their ideas are feasible and improved product. For this part I attribute narrative game designers, writers, who are working on peace themes.

Somehow, it is believed that making games - it's easy. As a rule, most of the candidates for the post of game designers - crazy city with a "brilliant" ideas.

Large companies share the game designers on the tasks: Level-designers and designers responsible for the combat system, and so on. The company of Guerrilla, which made the Horizon game for the PlayStation, there is a separate designer who is responsible for the movement of the characters: as a character runs as climbing, jumping. In small companies all the problems dumped on one person.

What knowledge must have a game designer? Who is he, humanities or technician?

Occupation game designers much discredited, as we have historically a very strong component of mathematical education, and humanitarian suffering. Under the humanitarian knowledge we mean reading the collected works of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky. And almost no attention to the fact that in the creation of the story, too, has its own laws: there monomyth, has the hero's journey. To understand this, you need to at least read review articles about how scripts are written in Hollywood.

In the West, it turned out that they have a strong creative direction, they have a much steeper able to tell stories and arouse emotions. There creatives school grows out of a huge reservoir of people who love the tabletop role-playing.

Game designer from an early age feels the inherent desire to do something. In the West, people begin with, start behaving as a game master tabletop role-playing games. We have this huge problem, because the layer of geek-nordov, which has existed since the 60s in Europe and America, we do not yet available.

How did you come to geymdev? What was the turning point in the decision?

In 15 years the first time I played in a role-playing game and immediately knew I wanted to drive as a game master. In this case, my friends, who have played computer games do not always understand what is happening, why sit at the table, the words to describe some heroes.

The notion of role-playing games, the player's task and gives master popular show HarmonQuest.

The first test job on the job just was that to come up with a chain of quests, locations and describe the characters, the dialogues. Not bad, and they took me. No work experience.

What can you advise to those who want to come into the gaming industry, and to become a game designer?

No need to reinvent the wheel. Learn the basics of script work, it is enough to read one sensible book.

It is important to read the Dungeon Master Guide for Dungeons and Dragons (any version), write a detailed module on it (preferably several), including the battles that are coming players, and the plot. So you will understand a lot about balance, level design, placement of enemies, difficulty curve (to develop interesting characters and not at once).

You will have only a piece of paper and a pen with which it is necessary to captivate players with its history.

Explore the full game editor for one of the coolest modern game: Divinity: Original Sin, Shadowrun series, Starcraft, and so on. Make with the help of a mini-campaign or mission mode. There handy book Beginning Game Level Design Harold John Feil and Marc Skatterguda.

Begin to understand the Unity 3D and make a few small games on it. This can be accomplished without technical training. But in the portfolio you will have a specific result, instead of a pack of ideas and documents.

Make sure that there is a basic knowledge for calculations. Here, I can recommend "Higher mathematics for economists" N. Sh Kremer, "Guide to solving problems of the theory of probability and mathematical statistics" and "Theory of Probability and Mathematical Statistics" B. E. Gmurman.

How to start creating the game?

With the idea. In Playkot we organized process, which call internal Greenlight (greenlight), where any employee can propose the idea of ​​a future game. We have a few people in the companies that make up the GREENLIGHT-Committee.

The task of man, who proposed the idea, - to carry away a few colleagues in the company, to form a skeleton, which will make the prototype. Before starting predprodakshena with GREENLIGHT-Committee agreed to the terms and purpose. Created a plan for the development and release.

The project could be three outcomes after Greenlight. The project gets a green light, and goes into production, or red - and we are launching. Yet it happens that there is a potential, but there were questions that does not meet the prototype. Then we give additional time for completion.

We try to avoid situations where everyone makes prototypes, but nothing is available. Everything is built around the results. Upon the steepness of the game is determined by how much money you could earn on it. If people like what you do, they will pay.

Creativity can not be borderless.

If you look at all the projects that are implemented mankind, whether it is a flight into space or creating legendary games like the same Diablo, Starcraft or Warcraft, there is no steep projects without super efforts and restrictions.

What is most important in the game?

The most important thing - this fan, which in the game is to get the player, not the designer.

Do you have a favorite project and why it is the most-most?

The coolest thing I did for my 12 years of work - it's Age of magic, which is now run. It was created with the strongest team and creates the strongest emotions.

How to work with remote employees?

Previously, we thought that the whole team has to be together, but now came to the conclusion that the steep professionals, we need to live in other cities.

Guys - it's part of the team, we bring them to the corporate parties, when possible, they come to stay in the office. We held daily stand-up for 15-20 minutes, when the whole team gets together.

The working messenger use Slack. Of course, in the case of remote employees have a certain loss of information: you can not just walk, a pat on the shoulder and ask a question. But this is offset by the fact that the guys a lot of experience that they bring to the project.

Tell me, without any application you can not do in your work and life

I use e-mail client, a calculator, dictionary, because a lot of reading in English. Messengers - Skype, Telegram and Slack. Social networks - Instagram, Facebook, «VKontakte». This is due to the fact that the producer's part of my job involves a lot of communication with both the guys within the team and outside the company.

If we talk not about the applications, and on the basic tools for the job, for me it Excel or Google signs, text editor Word or Google Docs. game designers work mainly happens in the mind, and therefore need the most simple tools.

A programmer even if the code is open, and I sit and look at any picture, well even if it is a plaque with the balance - this is something you can explain. But when you're just stuck in the wallpaper on your desktop, from the outside it looks scary. :)

You have a very interesting office. How is it working in the open space?

IN open space difficult to work if there is no culture, if you ignore the fact that other people are doing. We have a special this is no problem. If we need to discuss something, we're going to peregovorki, you can always go to the terrace to be aired. We are all working head and there is no random people on the team.

But in fact, you can work in the cellar. If you are passionate about the task, the people around you, too passionate, and there is a culture of work, the work can be done anywhere.

Tell me, where do you get your inspiration from? After all, something must be constantly coming up with new

I boom, So I love comics, role-playing games, wargames, movies and games, and books. From this I draw inspiration and ideas.

And if we talk about the work, you just have to sit down and do it. And here there are two approaches. First - it is on the forehead when you can not, but you sit down and start doing all the same. For example, the character is not thought out or does not work any mechanics, the same calculation points in the tournament. And often manages to break this logjam and move on. Just have to sit down and start thinking.

Professional does when it is necessary, instead of waiting for inspiration.

If the forehead is not obtained, it is possible from the same problem to take the other part. For example, think not about the tournament and about the awards. You think you go into flow and then return to the original task. More importantly, what not to do - give in to procrastination. When faced with difficulties, people are looking for motivation, although they need discipline.

You mentioned games, you have the power to them after work still remain?

I am 28 years old play video games, I'm a fan of games. I try to at least get acquainted with all the new cool things that go on different platforms. In a year I go through 3-4 full single-player games, MMO-project receives only view, since they require a lot of time.

My family knows that if there was a new Mass Effect, then everything, Dad disappear for a few days and will play night after night. But such spree I happen 2-3 times a year.

If not talk about inspiration, about the forces, they are taken from the family. Wife, daughter, the time we spend together, a trip out of town - is the most important thing.