Microsoft Zone Archive/News & Events/Team Profiles
Related topics: Developers
Original Link (now dead) - http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/teamprofiles.asp
Team Profiles
Name: Chris "Slapp" Foster
Title/Position: Creative Director
What that really means: Giver of random ideas, delegator of responsibilities, overseer of schedule, player of Free Cell.
RPG history: Came late in childhood to pen-and-paper RPGs. Savored Ultima ][ on my Atari 800. Rocked "AD&D Cloudy Mountain" on the Mattel(R) Intellivision. Wondered why Alternate Reality: The City was so danged hard. Ran a Star Trek RPG campaign in college, mainly to satisfy my inner geek, which isn't nearly as "inner" as I think.
In my prior life I was: Designer and Producer at Impressions Software, where I helped make Caesar II and Lords of the Realm. Before that, I studied filmmaking in college.
AC Character
Server: T-Down, baby!
Heritage Group: Sho
Profession/Level: Archer, at a level too embarrassingly low to mention (why aren't there more hours in the day?).
Most memorable in-game moment: Making my first pilgrimage to the Dire Lands with my primary character.
Biggest in-game accomplishment: Retrieving my corpse afterwards.
Name: Ken Troop
Title/Position: Lead Designer for Asheron's Call Dark Majesty What that really means: Being Chris Foster's errand boy. . . I'll be so happy when I get to stop including a visit to the dry cleaners as part of my daily to-do list.
RPG history: When I was seven, I owned the AD&D Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual. I also owned the basic D&D module Keep on the Borderlands. But I had no one to play it with. So I decided to run myself through the module. It was surprisingly easy, as all the townspeople volunteered to give me all their magical items. But I killed them anyway. By the end of the module, Frederick, my dwarf, was a mean 6th level warrior, with a pet stegosaurus.
In my prior life I was: Prior life? Before Asheron's Call and Turbine? Right now, I'm having a hard enough time remembering last week, much less that.
AC Character
Server: Thistledown
Heritage Group: Gharu'ndim
Profession/Level: Level 35 swordsperson
Most memorable in-game moment: Taking my character through the first quest I had created for AC, the Mace of the Explorer. It was cool to talk to other players as we were doing the quest, and think "I made this."
Biggest in-game accomplishment: Getting my bandit hilt weapon and being able to kill Olthoi Soldiers without using three healing kits and 10 stamina potions per kill.
Name: Scott "Stuff" Herrington
Title/Position: Exec. Director Marketing/PR
What that really means: Spin-master, trade show booth babe, company flak jacket, goodwill ambassador, screenshot taker.
RPG history: D&D back in the '70s. Erm. . . a little hazy on what happened in the '80s. Spent '90s making computer/video games. Before Turbine, I produced games (Earthworm Jim franchise, MDK, etc.) and acted as the corporate shill. Worked at several other game companies prior to that.
AC Character
Server: TD/MT - even split
Heritage Group: Sho
Profession/Level: Current primary is a TD Gimp UA (no magic). Upper 30s.
Most memorable in-game moment: Hit on the head by a falling flamma in beta.
Biggest in-game accomplishment: I don't mule.
Name: Nik Davidson
Title/Position: Production Director
What that really means: The guy who worries about the "Big Questions" while other people do the "Real Work."
RPG history: I started young, with the original Wizardry, and the Bard's Tale series (it looked sweet on my Apple IIgs!). Started playing AC in beta 2, saw the immense potential, and never looked back.
In my prior life I was: A project manager for a major national bank. Somehow I was able to convince myself to break out of the immensely exciting and spiritually rewarding financial industry, and work on games instead.
AC Character
Server: Thistledown
Heritage Group: I put the "luv" back in "Aluvian"
Profession/Level: Iron Chef / 68th Level
Most memorable in-game moment: Way back in Sudden Season, leading a group through Frore. . . (remember when L20 was considered robust?) We eventually toppled the Great Work, but alas, I was slain in the struggle. Still, an incredible experience, and one that really opened my eyes as to what games like this are capable of.
Biggest in-game accomplishment: I wear my Thaumaturgic Plate with pride. And I now have an irrational hatred of Grievvers.
Name: Ken Karl
Title/Position: Producer--Microsoft
What that really means: I get to be the person who answers to the "higher-ups" when the @$%@# hits the fan.
RPG history: I was big into the Ultima series and Diablo. I also played a lot of Star Trek MUDS. I think the phrase that sticks with me most growing up is from my mom when she said, "Turn off that game and do something with your life." Well mom. . . I was able to do the second half of your request, but I never did figure out how to do the first part.
In my prior life I was: Production Manager for a newspaper. . . talk about boring!
AC Character
Server: Harvestgain
Heritage Group: Aluvian
Profession/Level: Level 55 Bunny Master (Larry decided to stick around the day I went to visit)
Most memorable in-game moment: End of beta--Even though I knew what was going to happen, seeing how the players reacted was simply amazing.
Biggest in-game accomplishment: Going from nothing more then a player of AC (in Preview) to the Producer on the MS side, and still playing the game every night over three years later!
Name: Christopher "Demon" Lye
Title/Position: Microsoft Product Manager, PC RPGs
What that really means: Driving the dev team insane with screenshot requests, burning my budget on T-shirts.
RPG history: One of small group of D&D players in Hong Kong in the '80s. Graduated to the hard stuff like Ultima II when I got my Apple II+. Started playing AC in Preview 1 and loved it so much decided I needed to work on the game. . . if only to keep my monthly subscription bill down.
In my prior life I was: Technical Evangelist for Microsoft(R) Windows. Responsible for crashing routers to the Pacific Northwest with the IE 3 Midnight Madness contest (again with the T-shirts). This is more fun :)
AC Character
Server: Leafcull
Heritage Group: Gharu'ndim
Profession/Level: Level 56 Master of Staves
Most memorable in-game moment: Meeting my real-life girlfriend in the Dungeon of Shadows, outside Cragstone. Yep, I'm a geek in love.
Biggest in-game accomplishment: See above :-) Also helping found the Silver Citadel allegiance in beta.
Name: Brian Lemon
Title/Position: Test Lead
What that really means: TaskMaster/Bugstomper--all around demanding sort of guy.
RPG history: Played pen and paper RPGs like mad, was introduced to my first online game in college (Dark Sun Online), quickly learned that doing client-side math was a no-no for a MMP game. :) Played Ultima Online (on Baja) in a big nasty PK guild (go LotD! http://www.lotd.org) all through college, found this cool new game called Asheron's Call, liked it so much I wormed into the Games group and the AC test team at Microsoft.
In my prior life I was: I've known nothing but Asheron's Call.
AC Character: Mobus/Subom
Server: Wintersebb
Heritage Group: Sho
Profession/Level: Level 30 master gimp
Most memorable in-game moment: Standing in Shoushi near the end of beta after it had been nuked.