A little bit more than six years ago, I left my apartment in Virginia Beach and drove up to Fairfax to hang out with one of my best friends and go to a job interview. The interview was with Destin Bales, Mark Davis, Bruce Maclean, and many other people at Mythic Entertainment. The game was Warhammer Online. At the time, I had just split up with my first wife and had little direction. Most of my goals were intertwined with my ex-wife's goals. I knew I liked games and had been involved with gaming in some form for most of my life. I had little game design experience and had only volunteered as a game operator for Mythic on a game called Spellbinder. I was in school, working on a Computer Science degree in order to get the know-how I needed to make games. It was the perfect time for a life change.
Needless to say, Mythic took a chance on me, and I moved across the state to find my way again. I jumped in feet first. Jess Daniels taught me how to script using Talk Index, and then they shuffled me off to Matthias Dohmen's team, (with Thomas Lipschultz and Andrew Hoffman) informally dubbed "Team Throbsac" (it's a spider name). I began to build friendships that have lasted. We built up much of the content in Warhammer Online, my hands have touched more parts of that game than I can remember.
As the game approached launch, I ended up doing content systems support with my friend Anas Alkhatib. Basically, this is systems design and a little bit of technical design for systems associated with progression and to assist the more "creatively focused" content developers with technical challenges. In other words, it was a problem-solving shop. I took over some of the progression systems (like handing out experience points and figuring out how much contribution should be given out by public quests). I continued to do this and other systems design work after the game launched and onward.
So much had changed in my life since moving out to Fairfax and it seemed to me that I had, with Mythic's help, put myself on a course that was my own. The game industry is always unstable, like a sea in a storm. After launch, EA merged Mythic into BioWare. Soon after that, I was asked if I would like to interview with some other good friends for some job openings in Austin working on Star Wars: The Old Republic. It seemed like a good opportunity and needless to say - like any good geek - I freaking love Star Wars. BWA made an offer and my new fiancee and I left for Austin.
Working at Mythic on Warhammer Online changed me. I learned so much about game development - both the right and wrong ways to accomplish something. I met so many new friends who have now scattered to the four winds so thoroughly that I feel as though I know someone no matter where I go. I was a broken, emotional wreck when I went to interview at Mythic. I left there sublimely confident, moving to Austin - where I knew practically no one - filled with excitement, and with a new fiancee! Everything changed for me.
And today they are shutting down Warhammer Online. I had long since stopped playing it, as I am sure many of you have too. It makes me sad to see it go, but so many of the people that have worked on it have gone on to bigger and better things. Many of my friends from Mythic are right here at Carbine working with me on WildStar. Many of them are in Austin working on SWTOR. They are everywhere, and they are all family to me. We might mourn the loss of the thing that brought us together, but that project will definitely be a part of me forever.
Goodbye Warhammer! I love you!
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