BS: We started with the premise that the game would be similar to our earlier Age of Empires games but that the gods would intervene in the affairs of our onscreen digital civilizations. We decided the gods would intervene in two ways. First, directly with the dramatic impact of lightning, or a tornado, or meteor shower. We chose here mainly natural phenomena or something described in the relevant mythologies. Second, the gods could call up ancient, forgotten creatures to join soldier armies. The mechanic for this would be a new resource called favor (of the gods). At the same time these decisions were being made, lead designers Ian Fischer and Greg Street were reviewing world mythologies, searching for several that were highly recognizable, no longer part of an important religion, and rich in gods, myths, heroes, and creatures. The three that best suited our needs were Greek, Norse, and Egyptian. The story for the single player campaign was the work of many people led by Ian Fischer. The group did a great job building an interesting story about one character that interacts with each of our mythologies. The script was several hundred pages and rewritten many times. We had a script committee of 20 people or more who had input. Our content team of four people built the scenarios (and rebuilt them many times). All of this took a lot of effort, but we believe the single player campaign is an important feature for the large casual audience.

BS: No. I have read the Power of Myth and I recommend that to anyone, but as something that is just part of a good basic education. For the games we have done (all based on the human experience), a good general world history is a must. One of the many things I learned working with Sid Meier is to do a lot of your basic research in the children’s section of the library. The information there is at a good general level that will match the interests of most of the gaming audience, plus the books have a lot of pictures. Games are intensely visual experiences.

BS: The greatest resource at our disposal is all the games that have already been created. Our games are largely derivative—that is built on what has come before in our genre—but clearly different and innovative. We have built a large library of books on history and architecture, and we search libraries for more. We get a lot of info from the Internet. We watch films. I remember during the early days of Age of Empires, Brad Crow, our only animator and artist, watched National Geographic videos to capture the movement of an elephant. We have occasional movie nights in our auditorium to watch Clash of the Titans and other films with mythology elements.

BS: Yes, we think some fundamental principles can be taught. I gave a presentation at GDC two years ago on 20 guidelines for making successful games. Each could be the topic of a classroom discussion. They were things we learned along the way through experience and from colleagues. I wish someone had given me that list when I was starting out. We use a process of designing by playing and rely on our instincts as gamers to tell us when features are working or not. Having those instincts is part of the art of our business. I’m not sure if they can be taught. At some point in a game’s development a leap is made from solving an engineering problem to creating something that entertains people. Being able to take your game through that leap comes mainly from experience playing and understanding games.

BS: I don’t play a lot of different games, but somebody at Ensemble Studios plays almost anything that comes out, so we get some exposure to what is new. I got into games because I found that nothing engaged my mind so totally as a good game. Sid once defined a game as a series of interesting decisions. I like games that set up an interesting and well-paced series of decisions, and suspect that will always be the case for me. I don’t think I am addicted, but I can easily play for many hours straight, skip meals, and skip sleep, if the game is compelling enough. One of the strengths of real time strategy is that players always have more stuff to do in a game than they can manage, so deciding what to do right now is very interesting. Psychologists study the phenomena of mental engagement and call it flow, the psychology of optimal experience. People find flow in many different activities (listening to music, reading a great book, climbing a mountain, etc.), but gaming is a prime source. We all seek flow, and I have not stopped finding it in good games.

BS: All of the really successful games I have contributed to are similar—strategy games based on history or the human experience. That is what I most enjoy playing and I don’t have a desire to do something else. In the near term, I am excited about being part of whatever Ensemble Studios decides to do next. We will soon be deciding what our next big RTS game is going to be and anything is possible.

BS: Game designers must be able to write clearly and quickly. In our process, they are responsible for creating, holding, and communicating the vision of the game. They create the vision statement that describes the game succinctly, the vision document that is a larger summary, and the design document that spells everything out in great detail for the other crafts and support groups (programming, art, music, sound, test, marketing, PR). We would not consider anyone for something other than an entry design position who could not write capably. Designers should also have experience playing games and be able to understand and explain what they liked and didn’t like. This is the foundation for good design instincts. They must also have imagination. Games do not come together perfectly until late in the development process. Designers must be able to see how it will all work when they have only part of it in place. Designers should keep their ego out of their work. Games in development are highly criticized because they are incomplete and many people cannot see what is not yet there. The thin-skinned need not apply for the job. We believe in prototyping early and designing by playing thereafter. We understand we are just guessing until we can play.

BS: I am a casual gamer and my tastes seem to mirror those of a large audience, which means games I like have had a chance to be very successful. I believe in prototyping early and designing by playing. When each of our games got to the point of being playable, I felt from then on that their success was inexorable because of our instincts as gamers and our process of playing, adjusting, retesting, adjusting, etc. Get on a great team. I was lucky to work with Sid Meier and a great crew at Microprose around 1990 and doubly lucky to join up with Tony Goodman and Ensemble Studios in 1995.

BS: I enjoy writing and think I would have ended up doing that somehow. I think I could write books on history, magazine pieces, or even be a newspaper reporter. My parents were both teachers, but I rebelled against that type of career.

BS: You can have a picture of her, but that’s the best I can do. I am happily married and want to stay that way.