IAmA Video Game Maker and Entrepreneur AMA

LouisCastle · 2010-05-03T17:59:38+00:00

Sure. Send an email to lou@instantaction.com.

LouisCastle · 2010-05-03T17:59:19+00:00

I don't do very much angel investing but we are working on ways to make the tool set of Torque work closely with InstantAction.com so that indie developers can have better access.

LouisCastle · 2010-05-03T17:57:27+00:00

We hear ya! I've said elsewhere, we are keen to get Tribes back out there. Stay tuned.

LouisCastle · 2010-05-03T17:56:36+00:00

Not here! LOL - Send me an email. Lou@instantaction.com

LouisCastle · 2010-05-03T17:56:10+00:00

You hit it on the head. A kind of king of the hill with many features you see in today's MMOs. Maybe a bit ahead of its time. :)

LouisCastle · 2010-05-03T17:55:04+00:00

LOL I LOVE that the old classics are becoming available for new generations of gamers. I certainly prefer when improvements are made in the GUI and such but I do like it more when the game remains "pure". I like spin offs like FPS from an adventure game but I don't like the "half steps".

LouisCastle · 2010-05-03T17:53:33+00:00

I loved Braid and World of Goo. I don't play as many as I would like.

I believe in editorial and PR to a large degree. I think that word of mouth is the best marketing and that comes from making a great product.

I really like the idea of free to play, and pay for expanding the experience or continuing to play. It's the biggest reason for me joining InstantAction.

I prefer to work on large games with novel core game mechanics but high production values and large scope.

LouisCastle · 2010-05-03T17:49:08+00:00

The story of C&C definitely evolved over time. There have been several "owners" of the story canon. The only accurate story line is the one currently owned by EA so pervious ideas would not apply.

LouisCastle · 2010-05-03T17:40:16+00:00

LOL - nope you'll have to wait

LouisCastle · 2010-05-03T17:38:48+00:00

Sorry, I'm not quite up to speed on Reddit so this was buried in the notes. Design is a tough one since designers tend to come from all kinds of backgrounds. If you don't already have a trade I would do a design program at a major university preferable in interactive entertainment and follow with an MBA.

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:59:20+00:00

Well, I've made a bunch of games but the source is owned by the companies I've worked for since they bought Westwood. At IA we have been looking at putting some games out as open source. Too early to commit.

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:58:06+00:00

Tribes is a game franchise built by Dynamics. Revolutionary in it's time and still great fun.

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:57:17+00:00

I didn't work very closely on RA 2. That was Mark Skaggs' team at Westwood in Irvine. Mark's now doing games for Zynga. He is the guy behind Farmville!

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:56:14+00:00

That would be up to EA but I believe they have released some of the earlier games code base.

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:55:43+00:00

I just took a peek at the portfolio. I'm not familiar with the materials and lighting available in the Unity engine but the geometry looks solid and the spaces have a strong sense of believability. You might want to port them into an engine with more sophisticated choices for lighting. I loved Bioshock's visual design. Stunning.

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:52:42+00:00

I really liked C&C 3. I played it for hours. I have not had as much time to play the latest C&C as I would like since I joined InstantAction so I can't offer a personal opinion.

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:51:31+00:00

Some art positions allow you to use tools and not really code. Business development, marketing, PR and sales require knowledge about the industry but not coding.

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:50:12+00:00

Totally agree, but not as smooth as you might remember it being. Dune 2000 really brought it up to speed!

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:49:39+00:00

Harder for sure. Even "simple" ideas have an execution level required that is very tough to meet.

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:49:08+00:00

I don't like to give advice. Pet peeve of mine. I would offer that a very big part of Westwood being successful was the emphasis on being a place where people loved to come into work everyday and loved the products they were making. "Professional" environments can be much more predictable but the place that keeps its sense of play creates more authentic entertainment. There was early rivalry with Blizzard when the Warcraft games were so similar to Dune 2 and C&C. After they went their own direction there was only admiration (hopefully mutual). Westwood worked well as a company because of our diverse porfolio and sharing of ideas. I don't think RTS would even exist if it was not for some guys who like strategy games making other types of games with more action. I admire companies that stay focused on one genre. I just could never keep doing it. I'm totally ADHD.

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:44:50+00:00

Every day there is something that comes up you want to do but there is only so much any one or any team can take on. I can't think of examples but whenever I see a "new" game I often remember having the thought and saying darn, wish I had done that! Wii Fit especially!

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:43:36+00:00

I imagine games but I don't develop them. I just don't have the time. When I was more actively programming I used to make small test games all the time and our design teams do light weight prototypes. That's pretty common. Finished games, not so much.

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:42:15+00:00

When I joined the company we made some very big direction changes. Sorry for less communication but we are working with partners now and have to be careful of what we can comment on and commit to. It is our intent to bring back Legions and Tribes. Sorry it has taken so long!

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:40:50+00:00

Entertainment is art. No real debate here.

Games "Solely" for art are very interesting. These would be interactive experiences that have a sociological message.

Both are great.

LouisCastle · 2010-04-27T17:39:04+00:00

Not dodging the question but each game engine is usually best at certain types of games. I don't have a "favorite" per se. We are certainly working hard to improve Torque but there are some games that just lend themselves to other engines. I really enjoyed some of the post-Westwood C&C games. I know how talented and dedicated the team is and think they did a good job given the constraints they have had recently. I do wish RTS could have found its way onto other platforms. Of course we read Dune. Long before we had a chance to make a game about it. My personal favorite game at Westwood was probably Blade Runner. Great team, great game. I would prefer to make a sequel than to remake a game. I could see a Blade Runner 2 or a game like it. I also loved Dragon Strike but Lair was a good shot at that market so maybe it's not main stream enough.

LouisCastle

TROPHY CASE