Joining the PS2 Team

**Malorn** · 2012-10-08, 02:40 PM

Hey PSU, as some of you may have gleaned from a few of Matt's recent cryptic tweets, I have been hired by SOE to be a game designer on PS2! It's quite an awesome opportunity and a major life change. I wanted to share with the community a bit of background and let folks ask any questions rather than answering them all in PMs everywhere.

In addition to what you've seen from me in the PlanetSide space, I've been a professional software engineer working for Microsoft for nearly 8 years, primarily in Windows from Vista through Windows 8. I'm no stranger to what it's like to design software, and manage a complex project. It's a big difference from a smaller game studio, but it's been a fun journey, I've learned a lot of great skills, and it gives me a unique experience to bring into SOE.

In a game perspective in addition to being the Enclave XO, I also ran a leetfit, Liberty, in PS1 which some vets may recall. I understand what it's like for large outfits and small ones and want all play styles to be viable and enjoyable. It really is a great experience to see things from the perspective of a large organized group, a small organized group, and even just the average casual player. They all bring something unique and great to PlanetSide.

My first day is at the end of the month, but I will be at SOE Live (particularly at Clegg's MTG draft events). I will have to make a bit of a role transition into game designer so you probably won't see anything big from me for a while. The rough plan as I understand it is that I'll be starting off in world design, so I might be making a few outposts and learning the ropes of game design and how things work in the studio before diving into a bigger role. As Matt's tweet indicated, after I get ramped up I'll be helping out with the meta game elements. That includes battle flows, motivation, keeping things fresh, the feeling of accomplishent and progress, and a lot of the topics that you've seen me post about over the last year here and on the beta forums.

One of the coolest experiences for me will be knowing what its like to be on both sides of the eternal struggle - the diehard rabid fan, and the developer trying to make everyone happy and create a great game. A few months from now I might have some insights!

You can consider this an AMAA, so if you have questions, ask away.

Gonefshn · 2012-10-08, 02:46 PM

Congratulations! Very cool!

Gugabalog · 2012-10-08, 02:53 PM

This is GREAT, especially considering the content of your Planetside Manifesto.

Gratz!

VaderShake · 2012-10-08, 02:58 PM

Very cool your first opportunity is with a game you have been dedicated to, congrats!

sylphaen · 2012-10-08, 03:12 PM

Woa... I don't know what to say... I am both very happy, relieved, grateful and glad for you !

Planetside ! You will work on one of the games that I enjoyed the most in my life for so many years and you know and understand us !

I am very very happy for you. You were part of the very dedicated and you are part of it now !

You have known footzerg, small outfit leadership, large outfit leadership, CR5 leadership, from beginning to finish ! You have given so much thought for it !!!

I am relieved ! I am grateful ! This gives me a lot of confidence that someone who understood PS1 and got to feel how it ebbed-and-flowed is part of the team.

I would almost say I am envious but that would not be true: I do not have the skills and would not want to face the rabid fans. I'd rather be rabid.

Malorn, godspeed ! I wish you success in the PS2 team, with the PS2 team and hope you will make PS2 the great game it aspires to be !

Best news I've heard lately !!!

EDIT: I'll start with the questions, do you think there is currently an issue with the flow of combat/battles/strategy in PS2 ? Would you have some leads in way to fixing it ? Will you help to work on the public (i.e. empire) command structures ? Outfit tools ?

maradine · 2012-10-08, 03:16 PM

This is a Good Thing.

Diddy Mao · 2012-10-08, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by Malorn

Hey PSU, as some of you may have gleaned from a few of Matt's recent cryptic tweets, I have been hired by SOE to be a game designer on PS2! It's quite an awesome opportunity and a major life change. I wanted to share with the community a bit of background and let folks ask any questions rather than answering them all in PMs everywhere.

In addition to what you've seen from me in the PlanetSide space, I've been a professional software engineer working for Microsoft for nearly 8 years, primarily in Windows from Vista through Windows 8. I'm no stranger to what it's like to design software, and manage a complex project. It's a big difference from a smaller game studio, but it's been a fun journey, I've learned a lot of great skills, and it gives me a unique experience to bring into SOE.

In a game perspective in addition to being the Enclave XO, I also ran a leetfit, Liberty, in PS1 which some vets may recall. I understand what it's like for large outfits and small ones and want all play styles to be viable and enjoyable. It really is a great experience to see things from the perspective of a large organized group, a small organized group, and even just the average casual player. They all bring something unique and great to PlanetSide.

My first day is at the end of the month, but I will be at SOE Live (particularly at Clegg's MTG draft events). I will have to make a bit of a role transition into game designer so you probably won't see anything big from me for a while. The rough plan as I understand it is that I'll be starting off in world design, so I might be making a few outposts and learning the ropes of game design and how things work in the studio before diving into a bigger role. As Matt's tweet indicated, after I get ramped up I'll be helping out with the meta game elements. That includes battle flows, motivation, keeping things fresh, the feeling of accomplishent and progress, and a lot of the topics that you've seen me post about over the last year here and on the beta forums.

One of the coolest experiences for me will be knowing what its like to be on both sides of the eternal struggle - the diehard rabid fan, and the developer trying to make everyone happy and create a great game. A few months from now I might have some insights!

You can consider this an AMAA, so if you have questions, ask away.

I know you'll do the best you can Malorn the game is in even "better" hands with you around.

FortySe7en · 2012-10-08, 03:24 PM

Uh you better still be in Enclave. I miss you already.

EVILoHOMER · 2012-10-08, 03:31 PM

Your first mission is to get this into the game http://images.mmorpg.com/images/gall...a2f70ae0ca.jpg

Maybe one day a Planetside dev will listen

ringring · 2012-10-08, 03:31 PM

Congratulations Malorn.

I know in my outfit we read your past posts and we're very glad you're joining the Devs.

Actually, it's nice to see someone get on.

Tatwi · 2012-10-08, 03:49 PM

Awesome, Malorn! You're a stand up guy and it's nice to see a community member become an employee (Brasse is another player who became an employee/great asset to SOE and the community). I didn't know you worked for microsoft - that's a feat. Thanks for windows 7.

Anyhow, have a great time at SOE - be sure to give Dave Georgeson a hi5 every time you see him in the office, eh. He's my game dev hero, a really inspirational person who I imagine is fun to work with (though I do have a vivid imagination and I've never met him).

If I could ask you anything, I would ask you... What model of cell phone do you have and why? I have a blackberry 9900, because the work flow is fantastic, which makes sharing pictures of my kids with my family fast and easy and because I prefer the blackberry keyboards AND MOUSE to touch screens (having a mouse cursor on a small screen is genius!).

**Malorn** · 2012-10-08, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by sylphaen

I'll start with the questions, do you think there is currently an issue with the flow of combat/battles/strategy in PS2 ? Would you have some leads in way to fixing it ? Will you help to work on the public (i.e. empire) command structures ? Outfit tools ?

The flow has come a long way from tech test, but there's definitely room for improvement. A lot of things factor in, from how to efficiently and effectively inform players without overwhelming them, directing new players to the battle, population scaling, keeping it constant and exciting but also fresh, motivating players to do certain things, and discouraging some of the more detrimental behaviors. I think there's plenty to keep myself and others busy in that space. I've got a lot of ideas on different ways to address those things, some of which I've been discussing with Matt. I'd need another manifesto to cover it all.

Not sure about how much empire command or outfit tools involvement I will have, though empire command is certainly impacts the metagame.

**Malorn** · 2012-10-08, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by Tatwi

If I could ask you anything, I would ask you... What model of cell phone do you have and why? I have a blackberry 9900, because the work flow is fantastic, which makes sharing pictures of my kids with my family fast and easy and because I prefer the blackberry keyboards AND MOUSE to touch screens (having a mouse cursor on a small screen is genius!).

Thanks Tatwi!

The phone I am currently using is an HTC Trophy running WP7. A few years ago I used an iPhone 3G, then got frustrated with AT&T and got a Droid Incredible from Verizon. I liked android a lot more than the iPhone. I switched to WP7 because it was free for me from the company and I wanted to see how it compared to the competition. I consider the WP7 a good cross between iPhone and Android. It has the structure and vision of an iPhone but with more Android-like flexibility and better usability.

Still undecided what phone I will go with next. The HTC Windows Phone 8X is what I will likely get. Though I may want an Android so I could use the PS2 app. Apple hasn't innovated on the iphone much at all in the last few years and I find their user interface inefficient and obtrusive. Android allows you to customize that interface and the Windows interface is more fluid.

DirtyBird · 2012-10-08, 04:09 PM

Gratz Malorn.
I really dont envy your job and it will be difficult for you to please everyone once you are entrenched and have to work within the constrains placed on you and the other developers.
I know your intentions, like everyone else on the team, will be for the best.
Good luck.

EVILPIG · 2012-10-08, 04:10 PM

Congrats Malorn. Aside from you obviously being an intelligent person, it is good to know that you can bring a wealth of experience with PS1 and PS2 to the table.