Have you ever wanted a chance to work on MMORPGs? Cryptic Studios is looking for new staff members. Managing Editor Jon Wood sits down with a number of Cryptic developers to talk about what they're hiring for, and who they would like to hire. Joining Jon for the interview are: Michael Lewis, Chief Executive Officer, Jack Emmert, Chief Creative Officer, Bruce Rogers, Chief Technical Officer, Shayne Herrera, Art Director, Victor Wachter, Community Relations Manager, and Denise O'Laughlin, Senior Staffing Manager.

MMORPG.com: I've noticed over the last little while that you have quite a few job postings on your company website. Why the sudden need for so many new bodies?

Victor Watcher: Because Cryptic is growing! We're continuing to develop and support City of Heroes and City of Villains, while also starting new projects like Marvel and others that aren't announced yet. We have a lot of cool opportunities, but it takes talent to make them all come true.

The full Q&A is here.

Hehe, I don't believe Victor, when he says: we make product we want to play.  It is maybe the case for him, maybe the whole staff "pretend" it is the case, but I would be surprise if actually more than 50% are actually looking forward to playing the game they work on.

And there is nothing wrong with that.  Some of the best artists I meet as a designer myself, they barely never play ANY game.  That doesn't change the fact they are freaking great artists and make kick-ass games as I would like to put it myself.

Honestly, the only part of the staff that should dream about the game and actually play it in their free time, it is the designers.  If they don't, it isn't good.  Other staff are welcome to play it, but you really should try having an open mind and accepting that many staff member don't play the game they work on.  Diversity is good and healthy.

See, a game that have only staff that want to play it would have other problematic, you need to keep some critic minds, and if everyone is playing the game, you may take a wild curve that a critic mind would have warn you, but you never consider this wild curve, as it was cool with the staff who play, but maybe not to a new player, and the staff who doesn't play always bring the point of view of a new player, a noob, a casual, someone you want to hook to the genre.  See, the best example I have for this...I was with my team on a project, we where working hard and thinking it was kick-ass and perfect...we where drooling.  1 of the artist, a very sweet and very pregnant lady see a huge weakness that none of us ever consider for any moment, we where all fans of the game and dreaming to play it.  She made sense and once we adapt the game in accord to her comment, it was a LOT better for a new player, which is the point of having non-playing staff member, they represent the noobs, the casuals, the new blood. Without them, you would end-up with hardcore mechanics without even noticing it (and more snakes kicking!).  This experience would be hard to get otherwise, because if you ask a casual to check exhaustively the game...it is easy to lose his casualness or interest, while someone working, even if they are more or less interested, they are working, thereby they will keep focused about this game and why it is good or bad, even if they don't really want to play it, ever.

So having a part of the staff which doesn't play the game is not only acceptable, it is desirable, because they represent the noobs, the peoples who are not hooked yet, the outsiders, the peoples you want to seduce.  Even if you don't seduce your own staff, it may make the difference between a WoW and a...AA.  I am pretty sure that most of Blizzard didn't play the game, and I am also pretty sure that Net Devils are playing AA all the time, all of them or almost...but you can check with Net Devil, you have some links to get true answers from them.  I know that a big chunk of the original staff of CoH didn't play the game...at least not the PvE game it was and make it a success, they where obsessed with the PvP...and this obsession is also partly why it never appeal to the masses, because too much fans.  You can check with Netdevil, but the few comments I made about their game, they where kinda casual, from a noob point of view...which is indeed quite rare that I fill such a role, as I am a GD myself and extremely fanatic about gaming...but with the distance from it now, I feel they lack much casual-input.  AA was extremely sweet and nice IMO...anyway, just my 0.02$

PS: I may have an opposite point of view once, but I did think more about the topic with time...and it is natural to hate peoples who are differents...especially in a gaming company, hating non-gamers would be too easy...and not good at all.  You want the non-gamers there, they add much.  Of course, you need the gamers even more, but it is like everything in life, you need some balance to be healthy.

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Originally posted by spookytooth

But seriously where the hell are they getting all this cash to make all these new games? CoX has been good but I hadnt thought of it as an mmo money tree. Maybe microsoft owns their soul and is dumping truck loads of money on them. Thats almost as good as a money tree...

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I am not on the insider, but here are my 4 guess for money income:

- Marvel, they didn't need any money, everything is provided by Marvel who want the game done by THIS team, which explain why much of the key staff was moved to that new project, when someone pay, they have a right of decision.  This is likely their main income now.

- CoH/CoV bring some money, enought to allow the new IPs and the maintenance of CoH/CoV.

- NCsoft may be funding some, NCsoft is fighting for MMO dominance and Cryptic was successful, so some funding from NCsoft for a precise project doesn't sound unlikely.  However, NCsoft is likely to wait AFTER Marvel, since they know Cryptic is busy and their is no point in sending money their way now and distract them from their current task.  Marvel makes more sense than anything new they may send toward Cryptic, so waiting for Marvel is logical...NCsoft may also be funding the Marvel project as well.  Not to forget, for NCsoft to wait just make sense, a team may became a bad horse after a race or two, so again, checking if Cryptic is still in after CoV questionnable successes is a good move IMO.  Not like they are left beside, they are still with Cryptic for that project about Marvel...so, all is good that way...if Marvel is good, I expect them to try to get the next MMO from this team hehe, but that is quite ahead in time.

- Whatever initial source they got for CoH may fund them again, but I think it is unlikely.  As an initial source, I would expect to get some back, not to put more back in.  This is the way capitalism work, but it isn't impossible and I honestly wish their initial investor is just that cool for games...but nobody can expect that, hoping is the best you can do.  Anyway, whoever they are, they are cool enough in my book. 

PS: I hope that Marvel would be less bad than LA was with SoE, but I hope they won't give total freedom, this team requires some supervision from Marvel IMO, otherwise they may get into self-satisfaction too easily...so a Marvel watchdog is definitely in order, as long as they are not donkeys like LA is always, I know Marvel prolly want to be cool and friend, but they shouldn't be too friend, in order to make sure they work hard.  Hehe.

I think what you're going to find is the "City" franchise continuing its downward spiral into obscurity while Jack diverts resources from it to build his dream game. Jack is positively euphoric about working on next-gen consoles. He gravitates to the newest shiny thing. Like Bethesda did with Elder Scrolls, Cryptic will spend the bulk of their efforts on console development and let the PC gamers pay for it while getting crumbs in return. If you want to see who's going to be paying for this next big adventure, look for the poor schmucks with wings and all the extra Veteran Rewards. It doesn't matter to them that all the lower level zones are fairly empty on a Friday night. They get their epeen from telling the world that they were there in beta. Whoop-de-doo! I was there in beta too, but had the good sense to stop playing when things got stale.

You don't give away free copies of your game when things are going good. What Cryptic will do is dispense just enough enticements to keep the faithful salivating, then yank them back for more "testing". The latest carrot is Inventions. Wait and see. Jack wants to keep you engaged so he has enough capital to get MUO past the sparkly cinematic stage, then he'll be trying to draw in investors. Marvel won't be putting up much money, either. They don't have it. Comics are not the hot property they once were and Marvel is going to be piling more eggs in their movie-making basket since that's where they're seeing success. Marvel's most valuable resource is it's intellectual properties and licensing is where their bread-and-butter is, not developing risky online games. I also wouldn't read too much into Marvel's deal with Cryptic. Who else has any experience with a superhero MMO?

 You can also forget about help from NCSoft since Cryptic is pulling away from them. Microsoft is the partner here because they want more X-Box 360 exposure. But they're a fickle bunch at best. Remember, they were well into development on a MMO before. Anyone remember a snappy-looking little title named Mythica? That baby didn't even wind up on anyone's doorstep. They just left it in the wilderness to die. They also decided to end their relationship to Vanguard. That's why Sony's publishing what looks like the game that will nail the coffin shut on EQ2. If the Marvel game ever gets off the ground, it will be because Microsoft wants it for the 360 and can stay focused and commited through the years of development. Color me skeptical.

I had an extra game card gathering dust, so I used it this week and re-upped to see what the latest publish brought to the game. Well , it wasn't more players, that's for sure. I can fly through Skyway City and not see another soul, except maybe a moron named "xabcdefx" or "Mr. Poop Pants".  The new flying animations were repossessed, so that was a disappointment. I did get a Trench coat and a kilt. Woo. The game is like a little storefront church, lots of enthusiasm among the faithful, but no real growth.

Originally posted by wascommike
Speaking of getting hired as a programmer....i was wondering which languages i should look in to...as of right now i know a good bit of c++ but i could still learn more about it and i will get into java this semester....i am a senior in high school and will be at lsu in the fall semester for computer science....Any suggestions are welcome