Fallen Earth: Meet The Dev "Funslayer"

In this fourth installment of Fallen Earth's Dev Interview, Lead Scripter Michael "Funslayer" Broadwater reveals his personal work ethics and the truth behind the Landshark:

In Dev interview #4 we would like to introduce Funslayer a Lead Scripter! As you can tell from his picture we hire all ages

Alias/Forum Name: Funslayer

Title/Position at Fallen Earth: Lead Scripter

What games have you played and worked on? Played?

Many. Currently I'm playing far too much Warcraft while throwing in Fable II and a replay of Assassin's Creed. This is the first game I've worked on in a professional capacity.

How long have you been working on Fallen Earth?

Since October of 2007

How did you get involved with your job position?

Right place, right time. I was originally brought on as a writer/scripter before mounting a campaign to take over the entire scripting department.

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

I have a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science along with several years of industry experience in software development, QA and technical writing.

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

The best job in the world is one where you can directly enjoy the product you create. There is a level of job satisfaction that comes from that which you will get from nothing else. As an avid gamer with a programming background, the game industry just seemed a natural fit.

What games stand out in your memory for positive reasons?

The Sierra adventure games (King's Quest, Space Quest, Quest for Glory). They'll always have a place in my heart.

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

Write code. Discover a project and develop it.

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

Well, for the last several months I've been making the new tutorial work. As the largest and most tightly scripted series of events so far in the game it's taken quite a bit of my time. Along with that I triage bug reports, try to keep my team members organized and handle any scripting emergency that comes along. Oh, and I read far too much cracked.com.

What is your favorite:

-Game: Fallen Earth, of course!
-Book: A tough one. "The Writer's Journey" changed the way I look at all story telling. I can't recommend that enough.
-Song: Final Boss by MC Frontalot
-Season: Spring
-Past time: Cooking
-Drink: Gin and Tonic
-Color: Blue
-Food: I love all food. Currently I'd have to say I have a serious affair going with Mongolian Beef.
-Faction: Techs

Do you:

-roleplay? Yes
-have any pets? 2 welsh corgis and a cat
-like beer or wine? Yes
-like coffee or tea? Tea
-like cake or pie? Cake
-Coke or Pepsi? Coke
-Pizza or Hamburgers? Pizza
-Chocolate or Ice Cream? Chocolate
-Boxers or Briefs? Boxers

Have you ever styled/had a mullet?

Nope.

If you could have one wish what would it be?

More wishes.

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

My wife. I'd get lonely pretty quickly otherwise.

Does the Landshark really exist? Other kids at school tell me it's a lie.

The Landshark does exist. Now the cake, on the other hand...

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

I am not above bribery. What are you offering?

Funslayer answered several forum questions as well, and here's some of his responses:

It says there you are the lead scripter. Can you give us any hints about what sorts of things you've been working on lately? I know it says the tutorial, but can you give us anything that might give people a taste of what the tutorial teaches the player?

Sure thing, Malakili.

While the obvious purpose of any tutorial is to teach the basics of how to play a game, and our tutorial does that, it also gives the designers a chance to introduce a new player to what the feel of the game will be. With that in mind we place the character in the role of unsung hero during the pivotal Fall of Hoover Dam event.

You'll start as a newly regenerated clone, alone in a dangerous environment with only the voice of a renegade to lead you to safely. All you have is the clothes on your back but you're quickly shown the basics of gathering and equipping items, the basics of both melee and ranged combat as well as how to heal. There is also the opportunity to meet several of the factions and learn their world view before fighting your way out of the Dam and choosing your starting town.

By the end, even a person completely new to Fallen Earth should know something about the factions, how to survive in the chaotic post-apocalyptic landscape and what path they want to take from there.

I am curious as a lead scripter do you work on npc A.I.?

Well, that really depends on which aspect of NPC AI we're talking about. Basic combat behavior of NPCs is all done on the server side. It's much faster and more efficient that way. Pretty much everything else that NPCs do is controlled through a script in one way or another. Questors, merchants, patrolling guards all have script "brains". The rules that determine how a mob will aggro (and whether or not it will) are done through scripting, so that part of combat is scripting as is any unique or odd actions we want to add to boss fights.

I was also wondering about the tutorial... will this include crafting?

It actually covers everything but crafting. We love crafting, but we couldn't find a good way to fit it into the action of the tutorial without making it feel shoehorned in. Fortunately, our design team is full of awesome ideas and they've come up with a great way to introduce new players to it shortly after they get into the game.

Check our Fallen Earth portal next week for the latest interviews!

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