Community Manager EA_CIRE kündigte heute an, dass der Fansite Admin von Gamereplays.org AgmLauncher zukünftig für Command & Conquer als Entwickler tätig sein wird.
Den Weg eines C&C Community Mitglieds nach Los Angeles ins Entwicklerstudio von Victory Games nahm schon damals der jetzige Community Manager Eric EA_CIRE Krause. Nun kündigte eben dieser an, dass auch der Fansite Admin von Gamereplays.org (AgmLauncher) in Zukunft für Victory Games als Entwickler tätig sein wird. Seine Aufgaben erstrecken sich vor Allem im Bereich des kreativen Designs und Spielkonzeptes, offizieller Titel: Associate Producer of Design. Er wird demnach für die Konzeption neuer Spielideen, deren Implementierung und vermutlich auch für das Balancing zuständig sein.
Im Folgenden das Originalinterview (hier die Google Übersetzung!)
Jon, could you please introduce yourselves to our Community?
My name is Jon LeMaitre, and I may be better known within the community as AgmLauncher. I’m originally from the east coast of the US, and recently moved here to California for this amazing opportunity. While my background is in web design/development, I have a borderline unhealthy passion for the Command & Conquer franchise. I play C&C games almost exclusively, but I’m a rabid fan of the RTS genre as a whole.
Can you describe your contributions as an active member of the C&C Community?
I have been a co-owner and general manager of GameReplays.org for nearly 8 years now, and before that I was an administrator of CNCReplays.com. Throughout my time operating those sites, my goal had always been to help build an active and engaged multiplayer community for the Command and Conquer franchise. Additionally, I made design contributions to patches 1.03/1.04 for Command and Conquer Generals: Zero Hour, and participated in numerous community balance tests here in this studio.
How did you end up becoming part of our Community in the first place?
I’ve been playing C&C games since I was 11 years old, but only became really invested in the community when Generals came out. I played that game religiously, and when Zero Hour was released, I became a staff member on CNCReplays.com. At the time I was just a replay reviewer, and my responsibility was both rating the entertainment and educational value of replays uploaded by the community, while also providing advice and feedback to those who uploaded replays for review. Eventually I became an administrator, and ultimately a founder of GameReplays.org
How do you feel about this rare opportunity to work on a franchise that you love to play?
This is certainly an amazing opportunity. My first experience with Command and Conquer was playing Red Alert at my friend’s house when I was 11 years old, and I remember being instantly hooked by it. The idea that my first exposure to C&C nearly two decades ago would culminate in this opportunity is awesome to me. It also comes as a surprise – long ago I had settled on web design/development as my career path, and despite my passion for the franchise, I had never entertained the idea of actually working on it. Though as exciting as this opportunity is, I am also placing a great deal of pressure on myself to do everything I can to make the current game as awesome as possible. Both my 11 year –old self and the rabid Generals fan in me, have high expectations for what this franchise can be. I’m too close to it in some ways.
What does Command and Conquer mean to you?
Speaking strictly in terms of gameplay design, Command and Conquer is the Goldilocks of RTS – it’s just right. Some games attempt to innovate for the sake of innovating, and miss the mark entirely. Some games attempt to add depth by removing strategy (e.g. base building, resource gathering), which never made much sense to me. Other games require players to spend too much time managing their base and economy. For me, Command and Conquer has always found the ideal balance between logistics and combat – between base/resource management and units. Playing C&C games has always been fun, never a chore. With artful attention to detail, Command and Conquer can represent the best of what the RTS franchise can be.
What are your key responsibilities working with the design team?
My primary responsibility on the design team is to reinforce the Command and Conquer culture, and to pay attention to the little things. Details matter, and as such I will be helping to make sure the details are true to Command and Conquer’s unique combination of fun, accessible, rich, and rewarding gameplay. This involves playing the game, discussing the direction and implementation details with the team, brainstorming and problem solving, and providing general creative input. As I become more familiar with the development tools used to make the game, I hope to assist the engineering team in the implementation of new ideas.
Your favorite C&C of all time is…?
Command and Conquer Generals and its expansion Zero Hour. I have never played or enjoyed any game as much as Generals and Zero Hour. Despite their major flaws and balance problems, they were unbelievably fun to play for hours and hours on end. You didn’t have to play them hours on end to be good at them, you just did it because it was fun. Before you knew it, you had missed all your classes and your girlfriend was calling wondering where you were. As I said, unhealthy passion.
What is your favorite game overall?
Yep, also Generals/Zero Hour. Though, I’ve gotten immense enjoyment out of Golden Eye and Perfect Dark, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (seriously fun game if you played on the right servers with the right mods!), Call of Duty 4, Red Alert 2 / Yuri’s Revenge, and Borderlands (Borderlands had me very addicted for a while). But when I look back at total energy invested (including time played, contributions to CNCReplays.com, and GameReplays.org), all of those games combined don’t even come close to Generals/Zero Hour. “Obsession”, rather than passion, probably best describes my history with Generals/Zero Hour.
Last but not least, a very simple question – GDI or Nod?
Nod for sure – it was always more interesting to play. Though Kane needs to stop his “I died…. haha just kidding, I’m back.” routine. It’s old now!
Wir wünschen AgmLauncher jedenfalls für seine neue Aufgabe viel Erfolg und wünschen uns, dass er das Design des neuen Command & Conquers positiv beeinflussen wird.
