Login:  Password:   Remember?  
Show Quick Gamelist
Games:398  Guilds:2,012
Members:1,148,208  Online:0
Guests:0  Posts:3,130,721
RPG | Genre:Super-Hero | Status:Final  | Publisher:Atari | Has PVP:Yes
Distribution:Retail | Retail Price:$49.99 | Monthly Fee:$14.99BUY IT
Desktop Client | System Req: PC | ESRB:T

Champions Online News - Team Profile: Zeke Sparkes

Posted by Keith Cross on Apr 24, 2008  | 0 comments in our forums

Cryptic Studios has posted a profile of Zeke Sparkes, lead content designer for Champions Online.

Learn more about Zeke Sparkes, the lead content designer for Champions Online:

Q: What do you do as the lead content designer for Champions Online?
A: I lead a team of awesome designers that are tasked with planning and implementing the persistent and instanced content for the game. That includes designing big outdoor zones, smaller interior game maps, critter AI and behaviors, scripting missions, populating maps with spawns and hooking up events.

It usually starts with us talking with our writer, John Layman, about what types of things and stories should be going on in a particular area of the game. Then we sit down and sketch out a map of the physical play space and what we want to populate it with. After that, we work closely with art to make sure they can take what we're planning and make it look good without working 120-hour weeks for two years straight. Depending on what the chunk of content is, we'll either provide a quick white box in game for the artists, or work with them directly to make a more detailed white box. At that point, the team starts placing scripts, missions and spawns down on the map, while art turns it into a snazzy looking environment. Afterwards we clean things up to match the final art and then we play it, play it, play it, play it, and play it some more to make sure everything feels good and is fun.

Read more here.

Read more Exclusive News...

Our Rating
7.5
User Rating: 8.2
Popular Features:
The List : Five Ways to Know You're Just Not That Into It Column added on Tuesday November 24
MMORPG.com's Jon Wood uses this week's list to explore five ways that a player can... Read More
The List : Ten MMOs and Their Place In History Column added on Wednesday November 18
MMORPG.com's Jon Wood returns this week with another list, this time taking a look at... Read More
The List : Top 5 Things Coming In WoW Patch 3.3 Column added on Tuesday November 10
We look at the top five things players should be drooling about in Patch 3.3... Read More
Star Trek Online : Bridges & Bridge Officers Preview Preview added on Wednesday December 02
Bridges will be in for launch. We find out in exactly what form and all... Read More
Star Trek Online : Hands-On Preview Preview added on Monday November 30
MMORPG.com traveled down to Los Gatos to talk to the team and play Star Trek... Read More
Latest News:
Champions Online : Speculating on What's Next Reported on Dec 01, 2009
MMORPG.com Champions Online Correspondent C.A. Thomas writes this look at a number of different directions... Read More
Champions Online : Free Thanskgiving Weekend Reported on Nov 25, 2009
Beginning Thursday, November 26th at 10AM PST, Cryptic Studios will be offering a free Thanksgiving... Read More
Champions Online : Nemesis Confrontation Now Live! Reported on Nov 24, 2009
The Nemesis Confrontation update, which was announced last week, is now live! In addition to... Read More
Champions Online : Exclusive "Nemesis Confrontation" Trailer Reported on Nov 19, 2009
Get a first look at the recently announced Nemesis Confrontation lair in this latest Champions... Read More
Champions Online : Nemesis Confrontation Dev Chat Friday! Reported on Nov 19, 2009
Yesterday we reported on the announcement of a new five man lair called "Nemesis Confrontation".... Read More