Global Agenda’s Senior Game Designer, Scott Zier talks with us how he got started with Hirez Studios and his excitement for the campaign portion of the game.

Scott, tell us a little about what you do at Hi-Rez Studios.

I’m a Senior Game Designer at the studio, and also head up the Level Design team. I’m responsible for writing design documents, fleshing out features for programmers and artists, and also for placing a good bit of content into the game through world building, NPC creation, and assisting with device balancing.

How did you get into the gaming industry? How did you get to Hi-Rez Studios?

Well, I was very lucky; I found an independent studio hiring designers for it’s first major title, which happened to be only an hour away from my home! At the time, there wasn’t but a handful of game studios around Atlanta, so the timing was very fortunate.

I’ve been with Hi-Rez Studios for well over three years now. Global Agenda is the largest game I’ve worked on, having previously done a number of small projects and a great deal of mod development. I graduated from Mercer University with a degree in Computer Science and minor in Art, but working on Mod projects is certainly how I got my industry start.

Describe your video game experience; when did you start playing/making games?

I remember back in 2nd Grade, there was only one monochrome Apple IIE for a class of 25 students. Anyone could use it during free time, but it was pretty much first-come first-serve for getting to the keyboard. Let’s just say, when the bell rang, I threw more than a few elbows to make sure I got my game time in! Sure, it was just number-munchers, but I was hooked. My first PC came soon after, (meant for my father, but I laid claim to it as quickly as I could) and I’ve been upgrading ever since.

I’ve always tinkered with and modded my games, making new levels and adjusting game play for friends to try out. I nearly failed calculus in high school, writing an RPG for my TI-82 calculator during class. I think I DID cause a few people to fail out of college, wiring up our hall with a network (there wasn’t one built in), and running all-night Quake/TF matches. As long as I can remember I’ve wanted to work in the game industry.
It hasn’t all been PC games, I play a good bit on console systems as well, but my love has always been for the PC.

What is your favorite class/character to play in Global Agenda?

I love them all equally! I know that sounds like a cop out, but I do enjoy elements of every class.

I prefer to build as a tank when I play the Assault Class, soaking up damage and attracting attention. I focus totally on healing as a Medic. I’ve seen some very successful poison medics builds, but I get more enjoyment coming up to a battle where a teammate thinks they are about to die, and blowing all of my healing cool downs to save the day. I favor infiltration and bombs as a Recon, and as a Robotics I love turrets, pets, and force fields.

What are you most excited for in Global Agenda?

The persistent campaign!

I think one of the most exciting parts has always been the combination of intense combat, on a scale where individual actions and teamwork really matter, with a larger campaign that makes the outcome of your mission potentially effect thousands of players at the strategic level.

We’re letting the players write the history of Global Agenda, with Alliances forming, claiming territory, building empires, backstabbing each other, and declaring wars… but all of it boils down to intense missions where individual players and groups of players can really make a name for themselves.

What experiences do you draw from when creating content for the game?

Naturally, I draw from games that I’ve really enjoyed playing in the past. Just about every genre and every game has something to offer, with lessons to learn from.
Because I did a lot of mod work early on, and studied both CS and Art, I like to think I have a very broad knowledge base for how games are put together.

That knowledge helps a lot when interacting with other departments at the studio, which design has to do on a daily basis. It’s especially helpful when asking for features and tools to have an understanding of what’s been done in other engines and toolsets.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to break into gaming?

Start making games right now! Joining a mod team or starting your own little project is free, and the tools developers provide are often very similar to the ones they use. You’ll have to commit some free time, but the more experience and self motivation you can show, the better. If you want to be a level designer, start making community maps. If you want to be a game designer, start making your own game types. Plus, while working on a mod, you can really get a feel for if working in gaming is something you’ll enjoy.

Favorite game(s)?

If I was forced (and I think I am) to pick my favorite games of all time, it might look something like this:

X-Com (original), Battlefield series, Baldur’s Gate II, Company of Heroes, Total War series  …and just about anything from Valve or Bioware.

What do you do in your free time?

Fortunately, I have a wife who enjoys playing video games with me, (we may have actually fell in love while playing Baldur’s Gate II together - thank you Bioware!) and she doesn’t mind me spending most of my nights playing online with friends!

Recently, I’ve also been on a kick of designing board games, and I enjoy working on the pieces and art for the prototypes.

What is on your iPod/MP3player?

Audio Books of the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell. Curse you Andy for hooking me on Audio books! I was perfectly content to read before.