Our own Midori "Momochi" McDaniel has braved the elements and brought us another wonderful developer spotlight, this time from Nathan "Kaitheel" Mccall! Nathan says that he helped in the creation of Rise of Kunark, what did he do? Why did he become a developer and how did you get there? Just what exactly did he do for Frostfell? You can learn all this and more, in this Developer Spotlight!
 | Profile Name: Nathan McCall Handle: Kaitheel Age: 31 Hometown: Tacoma Pets: I have a lovey kitty and a not-so-lovey iguana |
What is your job at SOE?
My title is Associate Designer, but that doesn't quite explain what it is that I do. Mostly, I write and implement a lot of quests and events. For instance, in RoK I helped to populate the quests in Jarsath Wastes and Sebilis.
What made you to become a game designer?
A great amount of luck, and some long hours. Hehe. Seriously, it was my desire to create quests and adventures for others to enjoy. I worked in customer service for SOE for several years, and had always enjoyed the events that we could run on the live servers. I liked watching so many people have fun within the game, and jumped at my first opportunity to help expand the world of Norrath with more magic, humor and adventure.
How did you join EQ2?
I was first hired as an Apprentice Designer. This meant that I would work my full 8 hour shift in customer service, and then work another 4 hours for Design, each day. After a year and a half, I was given the amazing opportunity to become a full time member of the design team.
When you design quests, what do you find takes the most effort?
The special scripting that the quest may require. The dialog and the outline of the quest come rather easily once you get a good feeling for the stories being told in the zone, and the conflicts there-in. But the technical bits, where I want something a bit more dynamic then "kill 10 rats", is where I find myself investing more time and effort. I challenged myself to include quite a few baubles and special interactions with the RoK quests that I was involved with. Thank goodness for some of our veteran designers who are great with scripting!
What do you like most about your job?
It's a wonderful outlet for creativity. I truly have fun at my work!
Can you tell me, what did you work on for Frostfell?
I created G'shugahplum and Gh'lad Tydingz, the two Gigglegibber goblins giving Frostfell quests in the cities, as well as all of the holiday crafting fun last year. This year, I added versions of G'shugahplum and Gh'lad Tydingz to our two new starter cities, Neriak and Gorowyn. I also added holiday decorations to Neriak and Gorowyn. Neriak was too much fun! Muhahaha!
As a designer, what inspires you the most? Movies, fantasy books, arts, music?
Movies certainly inspire, but fantasy books inspire even more. The best fantasy movies we have out there are adaptations of books and the best writers are huge readers.
What is your favorite TV shows?
Heros, Venture Brothers, Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls, Buffy, and Firefly… to name the biggies.
Cheesecake or pie?
Cheesecake!
Dog or cat?
Both!
Beach or mountains?
Beach
Santa or Pirates?
Pirate Santa!