Fallen Earth: Meet the Dev "Apostate Judge"

Fallen Earth's latest developer interview introduces us to writer and scripter Alex "Apostate Judge" Ronke:

Alias/Forum Name: Apostate Judge

Title / Position at Fallen Earth:

Scripter / Writer (mostly Scripter)

What games have you played and worked on?

America's Army: True Soldiers for Xbox 360
The next Ghost Recon game from Ubisoft (official title not yet announced)
Fallen Earth

-Worked on In My Spare Time:

A "South Africa" expansion for the board game Power Grid (and it's pretty slick, if I do say so myself)

-Games Played Recently:

World of Warcraft
Grand Theft Auto IV
No More Heroes
Magic: The Gathering
Some of my Favorites:
Shadow of the Colossus
The Settlers of Catan (including nearly every expansion, even those only in German)
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Startropics
Civilization II

How long have you been working on Fallen Earth?

I began working part-time in January 2008 and switched to full time in May 2008.

How did you get involved with your job position?

First off, I had a summer internship with Red Storm that went particularly well. After that was over, and I was back in school, I happened to visit a career fair specifically related to the video game industry, handed over a copy of my resume, and received an email inquiring about an interview soon after.

What type of college courses or schooling did you have to prepare you for your position at Fallen Earth?

I hold a Master's degree in Computer Science and BA degrees in Computer Science and English Creative Writing. In the computer science program at my university, I took a course in game design, two courses in graphics, a graduate course in Human-Computer Interaction, two courses in Artificial Intelligence, two courses in Software Engineering, two courses in Screenwriting, a course in Science Fiction Writing, and a vast amount of other courses that supplemented this education.

Overall, I would say that the courses that best prepared me for working in the industry were those in Software Engineering and Graphics. Software Engineering taught me a great deal about version control and code/time/personnel management. Even though I don't actually program anything related to our game's graphical pipeline, my Graphics courses were exceedingly useful because our professor had us complete two entire games on our own (Asteroids and an 18-hole minigolf game) using OpenGL. I learned quite a bit about handling a real-time gameplay loop and the difficulties of simulating physics.

What in particular inspired you to work in the gaming industry?

In seventh grade, I happened to be messing around on my teacher's Apple IIe computer, playing a game that had been on one of the old 5&1/2 inch floppies next to it. Lo and behold, I noticed that the developer of this game was actually a teacher down the hall. It was then that it registered: people make games. I asked him about it and began taking programming lessons in Apple II BASIC in the afternoons after class, and I've known that game development is where I belong ever since.

What games stand out in your memory for positive reasons?

I mentioned some favorites above, but one that I'm particularly fond of is Startropics for the old NES. It was one of the first games that I was able to actually finish, and I really enjoyed how whimsical it was. There were ghost pirates, aliens, submarines, talkin' dolphins, and a friggin' robot. Plus, you beat the snot out of your enemies with a yoyo. It was a great moment in video game history.

What advice would you give to budding games / software developers?

Go to college and get a degree in something useful outside the industry as well. Not everybody who gets in this field does go to college, of course, but the road to game development with an education is not typically as rough as the one without an education. And as much as I'm sure some of the new game development degrees are really fantastic at the universities that teach them, don't specialize too much. Learn skills that will get you a job outside the industry in case getting a game job doesn't work out.

On an average day, what do you do at Fallen Earth?

I typically begin the day evaluating the tasks at hand. Which bugs in my bug reports are most vital? Which test cases do I still need to check? Which events am I in the middle of reworking? I prioritize those and work on them. Lately, I've done a lot of work on Conflict Towns and Instances to try and add more stability to those types of events. On a lighter note, I'm also the person who added the giant turtle to New Gallows... though I believe he may have since been removed. :-(

What is your favorite:

Game: I guess I'll repeat these two for posterity: Startropics and Shadow of the Colossus
Book: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Song: "Cathedrals" by Jump Little Children
Season: Autumn. I grew up in a part of the country where the leaves' colors are particularly gorgeous.
Past time: Traveling. I've lived in three countries (mostly in the USA, with a few years as an infant in Germany and a 4-5 month stint in South Africa), and I've set foot in over two dozen countries and over thirty of the fifty United States. I'm not as hardcore a traveler as many (I shy away from the whole backpacking Europe thing), but I do love getting to experience new places. Oh yeah... I sing. I recently joined as a Baritone in the North Carolina Master Chorale. It's so much fun!
Drink: Mexican/Aztec/Mayan style hot cocoa (not sure which is correct). It's the perfect mix of cocoa, cinnamon, and hot red pepper to simultaneously stimulate every tastebud and burn every inch of the way down.
Color: I have a fondness for dark blue for some reason. Maybe because it's easy on the eyes.
Food: Frankly, I REALLY like food, and am always eager to try something new. But an old family standby is Jäger Schnitzel: a variation on the battered Vienna Schnitzel recipe that includes a tasty mushroom gravy. Plus, it's usually served with Spätzle, and you can't go wrong with Spätzle.
PnP: I don't think I've played a Pen-and-Paper RPG in the last fifteen years. I did play Rifts with a couple of my older cousins, though... that was pretty weird, but fun.
Faction: I'm actually a fan of the Judges. They're not a playable faction, and they're rather villainous. Actually, "villainous" is an understatement; friggin' crazy cult is what they are! But I got the chance to work on a sub-story and mission chain for that faction, and it was quite a bit of fun.

Do you:

roleplay? I'm the sort of MMO RPer that only takes my character half-seriously. Actually, not seriously at all. I'm the one organizing swimming trips down the coast of Stranglethorn, running through Stormwind as a Tauren in a pink dress, and hosting impromptu dance parties on the tents of New Gallows.
have any pets? My family has a very lovable ol' mutt named Schatzie whom my parents keep. She's a very pretty border collie/sheltie mix, but she's about as weird a dog as I've ever met. I can't really keep pets in my own apartment; I'm not home often enough to be able to keep one effectively.
like beer or wine? Beer.... notsomuch. Wine, yes. Riesling is my favorite white wine, and Syrah/Shiraz tends to be my favorite red.
like coffee or tea? Coffee only when mixed with hot chocolate. Tea: most definitely! Rooibos with cream and sugar is amazing.
like cake or pie? Definitely cake. Both. Of course.
Coke or Pepsi? Coke is extraordinary from a glass bottle, but I've found that I like Pepsi in most any other form (including diet).
Pizza or Hamburgers? With the right ingredients, either.
Chocolate or Ice Cream? Chocolate. Especially dark chocolate with marzipan.
Boxers or Briefs? You see, that's really a harder question. Freedom or Security? I choose what Benjamin Franklin would have chosen.

Have you ever styled/had a mullet?

Lord No.

If you could have one wish what would it be?

Since we're going the non-serious route here... I kinda wish I could fly. Like superman... but without the horrible costume.

Name one thing you would take to an abandoned island and why?

A powered GPS tracking device. So I could be found. Duhh.

Does the Landshark really exist?

Other kids at school tell me it's a lie. My friends, I am here to tell you that the Landshark has moved to the lost city of Twinkersdam (a conflict town of an alternate reality). There he lives with many friendly creatures, like Raptor Jebus and the Conflict Town Chickens. They do battle with the vast army of Oh Deer (their name is Legion, for they are many).

Are you willing to be bribed for an alpha spot and what would it take?

I don't take bribes on principal. However, proof that you've played Catan, Power Grid, or Puerto Rico extensively might fool me into thinking you deserve an alpha slot. `Course, that'll have to run through my boss first...

For more questions and info, check the official forum thread here!

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