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Fallout Tactics developer profile: John De Margheriti
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[ N/A -> Interview ] |
| Interview posted by 95 |
Fri 30 Jul 2004, 12:42 AM |
What's your name?
John De Margheriti
What's your job description / position?
CEO and Game Designer
How long have you been doing this stuff?
I've been making games since 1977 and for a living since 1985. 500 if that's any indication.
What stuff have your worked on in the past?
We got our break at EA. Our first game at MF was the Official America’s Cup Sailing Simulation when us Ozzie took the Cup from the USA and contemplated the idea of turning it into a large silver plate. EA was a fun company back then. Only a few hundred employees. We then did Demon Stalkers for EA. It was a great success. However, I can now say that our "signatures" on Demon Stalkers packaging for EA’s European versions were all fakes ! We followed it up with FireKing for EA and some other games in between, followed by Enemy Infestation and now Fallout Tactics. Currently we are working on a new game for Interplay and I try to help out my dear friend Steve Wang on Citizen Zero and the BigWorld Technology and well as helping out on the design of a 'top secret' mega title for a major publisher.
If you could make any game you wanted, what'd it be?
Well, we did Tactics and that was something I wanted to do. I would now like to do a MMORPG and have put a lot of effort and M$ in getting MF to develop the technology to do it. I would like to develop a futuristic world, a cross between Blade Runner, The Fifth Element and a book by Stephen Perretti called 'This Present Darkness'. Try figuring that one out :) (BTW I understand Stephen Spielberg has bought the rights to the book). I cannot go into the game too much because I want to make it and I dont want anyone else doing it before me !
What are a few of your favourite games?
That is hard. I play so many of them. Apart from Fallout, it would be Wasteland (the ‘original’ Fallout by my book), Civilization, Starcraft, Diablo, Zelda, Leisure Suit Larry, Doom, Fairlight on the Amstrad, the original Gauntlet, The Ultima's (expect the last one), Warlords, and lately its been CounterStrike. I have an extensive signed games collection too....
What do you usually do outside of work? (Extra-curricular activities?)
Well, my life is my work. I spend a lot of time playing games and studying the design. Design is one of my great loves and I try to influence our games gently without overriding the teams. I'm a strong believer that in the end its all about ''fun' and that means gameplay which is founded on good game design. I don’t have a life really. What little time is left goes to my 4 children and 1 long suffering wife. But I do get to play computer games, lots of games with my children. This is a major part of my life. I also spend time fishing, reading lots of books, and lots and lots of traveling - an occupational hazard for me.
What I WOULD like to be doing is sailing, skiing, scuba-diving and learning to fly my radio controlled plane that has been sitting in my house for a few years waiting for the chance to go outdoors with its unknow master.
What are a few of your favourite films?
Blade Runner, Monty Pythons Meaning of Life, DarkStar, Star Wars, Being There, Matrix,
What was the last film you saw?
Tomb Raider. Ummmm...what can I say. A yes, lots of effects. The original game was great.
Is there anything worthwhile on TV?
Vicki (my wife) and I are hooked on Star Trek Voyager. But not on TV. We dont have time for that. We simply hire a bunch of tapes and have a Voyager (ob)session now and then. TV is only good for news and playing games on. O, yes. I occasionally watch ‘The Weakest Link’ now and again. I never watched Survivor. I guessed I survived that one.
What kind of music do you listen to?
I dont get to listen to music much except on planes. Mainly mainstream rock&roll. I'm pretty boring
What are a few of your favourite musical artists?
I'm getting old (read <40) . I realise that after I read the question and though of some answers. How about, Beatles, Billy Joel, Hootie & the Blowfish, Jewell, Coors, Cranberries, Dire Straights, Elton John, Michael W. Smith, Alanis Morissette, Amy Grant, Crowded House, Eric Clapton, Gerry Rafferty, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Gabriel, Shawn Mullins, U2,Hunters and Collectors
What are a few of your favourite books?
C.S.Lewis 'Narnia', Tolkien's Lord of The Rings, Stephen Perretti 'This Present Darkness' . Plus many biographies.
What celebrity would you be interested in meeting?
From the games industry, just about everyone who has made a game I really enjoyed playing. Because I run the Australian Game Developers Conference, I get to invite some cool games dudes down-under to speak at the conference, so that means I get to meet some great developers. Australia is a bit of a holiday destination for some of them so its no trouble in hooking up with some great dudes. I’m quite fortunate on this front. From a non-games perspective, it would be Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas, two of my heros. Who knows, maybe they want an MMORPG done ? Might get lucky
What's in your home computer rig?
I'm a gamer. Also CEO of a few businesses so I get a few perks :).
I built my home with a separate part of the house for just for playing games and have a LAN with 8 or so machines with all the latest. I throw a lot of LAN parties with friends. I still dont have an Nvidia GF3 card though !
What electronic 'gadget' do you wish you had?
I would like a phone/PDA/email/meeting recorder/Business card scanner/MP3 player all in one neat little package. These days I have to carry these items around with me as single units and its hard on the pockets and brief case.
What type of car do you drive?
Porsche Boxter.
What type of car do you wish you drove?
Porsche Boxter.
Coke or Pepsi?
Diet Coke
Boxers or briefs?
Briefs.
Thanks John!
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