10 for the Chairman: Episode 80

Transcript — every row opens the video at that moment

1. 00:00:14

   [Music] Hi everyone and welcome uh to another episode of 10 for the chairman. Um, I'm filling in for Chris this week. He's actually in the UK working on Squadron 42 and I'm going to be in the USA for three weeks. I'm spending a week here in LA and then I'm two weeks in Austin. I'm catching up with everybody and working with actually uh Tony Zurc and um Todd Papy and people do the bunch of PU design stuff discussions over here and so forth. So, I'm really looking forward to doing that. And as always, I'd like to thank the subscribers for um uh you know making this happen. Anyway, let's get straight into this uh with some questions. So, the first question I've got here is from Josh and it asks, "What do you do on a day-to-day basis to

2. 00:01:04

   help keep things moving within CIG and what are your responsibilities as global head of production?" So, there's a couple of things I do because there's one is obviously um as you say, I'm global head of production. So that involves a lot more travel in terms of going around the different offices, coordinating with the different production faults and then making sure we have our plans for what we're delivering um you know in the different masters not only for Squadron 42 but also on the persistent universe. There's a lot of planning and just making sure that we have the right resources in the right places and the right and and the ownership of of you know which studios are owning what and so forth. there's a lot of that sort of um uh level of things, but also I um directly run the UK office. Um and so there's a lot of just sort of um stuff I do on that side and obviously when I'm traveling I'm very fortunate to have um some very good um support staff in in the office which keep things um you know moving while I'm

3. 00:01:51

   away. Um but so there's basically two two levels. There's one just much more of a global sort of level and there's also just the much more of a um micro level on on the on the just on the office side in the UK. And so that's basically the the two different responsibilities I juggle a lot as well as the Frankfurt office is actually part of um Foundry 42. Uh and although that's managed by Brian who um you know does an awesome job over there as well. I have some responsibilities um um for that side as well. And then next question is uh a Montilo um we've heard that stations like the Schuban mining platform and squadron 42 are going to be as much as six kilometers long. In the baby PU today we have large stations like Port Alisar but can only access much smaller portions on it. How much of Schuman's interior can we expect to be able to explore in Squadron 42? Lots. Uh so um obviously you know Port Alistar is just sp you know it's it's a place for

4. 00:02:40

   you to to spawn and get your ships and move out in Squadron 42. And also um as you'll see much more space stations and environments come into the persistent universe. There'll be very huge areas you can you know you can run around and so it won't be just like one or two rooms. It's actually a huge installation and you can you can there's lots of different rooms, areas um you know manufacturing um um you know plants and so forth within this huge installation. So yes, it's not just like a you know large external uh you know it looks externally large but there isn't much you can do inside. There's like different landing platforms, different places to enter and a lot of stuff to do inside. So yes, it's a huge um uh you know um you know firstp person environment um uh you know inside um the stuff from Squash 42 and also you'll see that from the persistent universe. Next question is from Daz. It says, "Hi Erin, when Squadron 42 is released, do you

5. 00:03:27

   expect to get all features you're hoping for into the final release, or do you see the possibility of either either cutting certain nice to have features in for launch or adding not yet available technologies in episode one in a later patch?" So, basically, we are we've already been working on that sort of round of of what we want in in Squadron 42. Um, so and we've known for a while exactly what we're putting in, and we're just working towards that. So, there's no more rounds of cuts or other things we'll be taking out. It's just really just working through exactly what we know we want in the game for the first um you know, for for the first episode of with Squadron 42. And so, yeah, the plan is we're going to we we're going to go with what we have. We're working towards getting that um in and and out to you guys obviously as soon as possible. But, yeah, there's no uh you know, at the moment we've already we had those discussions actually last year in

6. 00:04:16

   terms of what kind of stuff we were going to take out, what we weren't going to go for and so forth. So, at the moment, we've got a very um tight plan of exactly what content's going in there, uh what the levels going to be like and so forth. And also, we know exactly what um we're doing a shoot in a few weeks um which is just a sort of um a catch up and some stuff we didn't get in the last one when it's only it's only a week or two we're doing just to get the the last material and then that's basically what's going to go into the game. But yeah, at the moment what we have is what we plan to put into the game. Next question is from um Doc. Um it says, "Could you explain the difference um of your role in the company to that of Chris? Where do you see the challenges and benefits to work with um a close family member on the same project?" Chris and I have worked together for a lot of years. So um on and off obviously I was I I was working on Lego games for 10 years uh when Chris was um making films and stuff but obviously in the early days I worked on

7. 00:05:04

   Wing Commander with film Strike Commander Prior to um and um and then of course in Digital Anvil we you know we did Starancer and stuff like that as well. So, we've got a pretty good working relationship and obviously, you know, you know, we have disagreements about stuff. Um, but you know, at the end of the day, you know, I think we both listen to each other and um and at the end of the day, Chris is the CEO so uh if we have a discussion, he wants to go a certain direction and I can't convince and that's the direction we go. But our relationship in that and that side of things is really good. Um uh in terms of what we uh the roles of Chris is very much um out there pushing the direction of the project. He's basically, you know, he's pushing for the stars. He's trying to really trying to make the best game he can out there. He's thinking about ways of doing that, what technologies to bring and how we can make that sort of stuff happen. My job is really just to make sure that as all this stuff is getting moved forward

8. 00:05:51

   and all the ideas are out there, we're working out which which which one of these are the priorities. making sure we've got the we're prioritizing the right staff and the right areas to go work on the different things and then work out basically what the the the next features the next what the next milestone will have whether it's realistic making sure we get the schedules together so we can really give a good idea to Chris if you know he wants a bunch of features in the game and we basically working out and say well actually you know in this timeline you can get like 80% of the features you can't get them all and so forth so I spend a lot of time doing that as well as making sure that globally we have the right people to get the job done where do we need to hire people what studio should be concentrating on, what where does it make sense for things to happen? Um, you know, which areas, you know, of different people in charge of and so forth. So, I'm I'm very much doing, you know, I love design. I've directed projects before and I I kind of I get a kick out of it. And when I get to get

9. 00:06:38

   into design conversations, I really enjoyed I've had a few um uh these last couple of days, but a lot of my time now is just really spent on just production and just making sure that that you know the the juggernaut that is cloud imperium games and what we're trying to build and and and sort of the the you know the dream we're trying to build you know for ourselves and for everybody is um is you know coming along as as fast as it can. And here we have a question from Jericho Ren. Hi Erin for Squadron 42. Just how much interaction will we have if any with our wingmen and crew before battle scenes or on the deck? Do you think we'll have reason to develop a feeling of camaraderie with our Squadron 42 shipmates or will they more or less be script props? Well, so one of the major things with um uh Squadron 42, which is, you know, which is one of the big pushes we're doing, is actually getting that sort of feeling um of, you know, of of making sure that you do have

10. 00:07:26

    that sort of camaraderie with with the um with the people on the ship, the people you live with and so forth. So, we're actually investing a lot of time in making sure that when you walk around, it isn't just a question of just feeling like that. Yeah, it's just some guy just says something to you, that you that we we're really working hard on proper interaction, not just verbal, but facial, the way people look at you, the way they respond to you. The way you talk to them will will reflect the way they talk back to you. And also just having a system where people have actual jobs on a ship and and our jobs are wherever they are. So, you know, if they're a mechanic, you can find them working um you know, um working on the ships at a certain time and then they'll walk to the mess hall and they'll have food and if you walk up to them, they'll look up and they'll they you know, they'll look at you and you know, and you can ask them a question, they'll respond. They may be busy and just it's all these kind of things. to know we're actually investing a lot of time in in in a lot of tech on the AI side and and you probably heard the word subsumption moot used uh which is basically our

11. 00:08:14

    system for basically making our characters come alive and the way you talk to them and treat them you know is also the way they'll respond to you whether it's socially on the ship or whether it's out there in flight and so forth and things and so when you're out there there will be a lot of back and forth and you are the idea is we really want you to build relationships um with your wingman and the crew you're around in the game. Next one is from Lo Austri. Um, hello Erin. How is the landing zone pipeline different from the ship pipeline? Are the benefits of improve the benefits of improved ship pipeline process making their way to the um landing zone pipeline? Is there even a pipeline for landing zones or are you waiting for procedural planet technology to finish before resuming major work on landing locations or planet on planets? I think what you're asking here is basically um the uh when you say the landing zone pipeline that's basically our environment pipeline and yes uh basically a lot of the ways we're

12. 00:09:02

    building ships in terms of the way we do stuff u in terms in terms of you know we come up with um say on the on the ship pipeline uh once we have nailed down say what um RSI looks like or um and so forth then we have a lot of stuff we can use then we and that we can reuse which makes makes us be able to create the ships faster and it really helps with the larger cap ships um in the game because we've always got these huge spaces to create uh on the on the landing zone. So absolutely the way um Ian um Leland who's our um uh is the art director in charge of environments. He works at the UK office. The way the whole way the pipeline is put together is is um is in a very sort of modular fashion but in a way that basically doesn't look repetitive. And so we're building these environments so they can be reused all over the place. So although right now you're kind of seeing one or two things in terms of the PU, as we go forward, we're going to be able to drop very complex um and large um you

13. 00:09:52

    know detailed areas in the game, you know, internal areas inside inside space stations on planets uh and also just you know um uh you know everywhere you go and so forth like that. So you and that's the sort of stuff we'll be dropping into the game um you know this year and a lot of that more stuff will be coming out and so and so and we're already doing that on the Squadron 42 levels like right now we have huge um uh sort of FPS levels in Squadron 42 using the basics of all this kind of stuff but yes that's what's going to be happening now the procedural stuff as you mentioned will be coming online um you know um very soon uh which will tie in with the with the new um uh the new streaming tech we're using and that that will allow us then also not only to have these environments but also then place them within procedurally created either planets or asteroids and so forth. So basically we have to create these huge environments and then we'll have like specific areas which are which are created and and and molded to suit a

14. 00:10:42

    purpose. So it's really cool. But then there'll also be a lot of procedural stuff around it. But that stuff will be coming on this year. So the answer is yes. Uh the the what we're doing on ship stuff is going to work for environments and you're going to start seeing that hopefully very soon. Bellof is the next question has next question. Um, do you ever find yourself being challenged with a with with a dream big mentality versus a be realistic mentality? How does that play out for you in your role? All the time. Uh, so, um, we, uh, we have obviously this huge list of of what we want Star Citizen to be. Uh, and and what we try and do is really work on, uh, you know, the different stages of getting us to to, you know, to the stars as it were. And so we spend a lot of time and and if you know if you guys saw the the the size of our um design and what we have and all the different

15. 00:11:29

    levels we have which are just like well beyond you know um stuff we'll even do this year and so forth and a lot of stretch goals um we have we've got massive place we want to take it and right now we're just really focusing on the fundamentals of getting on you know especially the pist persistent universe getting the Stanton system in place getting the core sort of um features such as persistence so you basically can like you know earn money you so you can trade you can do mining and so forth and those are the first things that we're focusing on and then also some of the smaller things around that is you know what does it mean if you if you're if you do a cargo run you know um how do you have ability as a parrot to intercept a cargo how does that work if you're if you're in a cargo run and you get taken out of um um getting take you get you get dropped out of quantum drive how can you call for help in you know in the middle of nowhere and so forth so all these things are sort of things that

16. 00:12:16

    we answer as we go along all this kind of stuff we have designs for but they're the things we're focusing on now to drop in there so players can really get into this system which you know the the Stanton system is going to be a bigger play environment with more going on than than pretty much any game there already and then we then just be dropping in the other systems along with that as well. But yes, it's it's always a big task to work out, you know, this is what we want to do and then just focus it down to okay, what are the next steps? And that's actually what I've been spending a lot of time here this week in meetings and just working out what are our next steps um you know um you know for the latter half of um of this year on the persistent universe um you know to get this stuff out. Okay. And the next question is from Rufus Ultra. Hi Erin, thanks for your on your team's work over there in the UK. The Starfare looks amazing. Um thanks for that. Um um uh Nate Nate Deersley and his team in the UK will really be happy to hear that

17. 00:13:03

    because they they're really proud of it and I'm looking forward to you guys actually flying that and we're we're actually flying it ourselves right now, but you guys should be flying with it very soon. Um and the question is anyway, what will Squadron 42 do? What will Squadron 42 do after the release of of the first episode? Heading to the Caribbean and enjoy some cocktails for a month, jump right away on episode two or helping build a PU. Well, I'm sure once Quer 2 comes out, I'm not sure we'll go to the Caribbean, but I'm sure I'll I'm sure I'll take the gaze out guys out for a few drinks. That's for sure. Um, but we will be straight away actually rolling on to episode two um because we have a bunch more um you know uh new ships we have to create. There's new environments we have to put in. Uh we already have the story worked on for what we're going to do for that and so forth. So, it'll be a straight roll into episode two to get that going. Uh we also do we also will be supporting the persistent universe. A lot of the work

18. 00:13:51

    we do in Squadron 42 in terms of making stuff work, we actually then put into Persistent Universe as well. So they work hand in hand well. But yeah, I mean basically that team is going to roll straight on to doing um Squadron 42 stuff as well as creating a bunch more of the PU ships and getting those out to you guys as fast as possible. And the environment side and environment side we'll be doing the same as that as well. And the next question is from HyperX. How does the production of Star Citizen Squadron 42 compared to your previous work on the Wing Commander series or even the Lego series? Have those previous experiences affected how you operate in the CI environment in any way? Very much so. I think probably um uh the one the the the biggest effect on me was probably from working on the Lego games. Uh when we were when I was working there, I worked on the games for close to 10 years. Uh we had very tight production um um deadlines we had to get through. So we basically been delivering

19. 00:14:40

    games pretty much every like you know four to six months which means we had to be very tight in what we're doing. Now, in the LEGO games, that's quite easy to do because basically you have one set of core tech, you basically you take a new franchise, whether it's Star Wars or or or something else, and you basically then you skin it, and you put in one or two new features, and then you get it out there, then you create the game. So, it's pretty well um um it was pretty well uh um you know, sort of done. But what it did teach to do is be very tight on getting everything in, scheduled, gear it up, and so forth. On uh Star Citizen, there's nothing to compare to Star Citizen. Even games I've worked in the past like Strike Commander which you know we worked on for a few years and so forth. It was still just a flight simulator. There's a lot of tech going on but Star Citizens not only building the tech up which we have to do as well as the gameplay to support what we're doing which is a massive deal in terms of um uh you know getting up and working. That's we spent a lot of time

20. 00:15:27

    last year getting to 2.0. Um but it's also just the scope of it all. And we're trying to build two games, Squadron 42 and Star Citizen. And we're trying to build a company and we're trying to you know um uh do all these things in one big go. And so it's like um it's it's so so so the the basically um it's very hard to compare anything but I have but I'll say restarting is by far the hardest thing I've ever done. It's also uh really enjoying it obviously and and that kind of stuff and things but um in terms of um in terms in terms of what you're saying stuff the experiences were that I think we are we're getting very tight on you know the although we have so much to do we are very tight on getting the scheduling down and what we need to do to get these things happening. So that's kind of the biggest lesson I had from before. And then uh the last question is from uh Jack Knife and um it is what is the next

21. 00:16:17

    major milestone that you're excited about? There's a few um so uh uh in the near future he says uh but in in the near future we have one is um you guys flying the Star Farerra. I think people are going to love it because it's it's truly a capitalized ship and people can go on there and you can have FPS fights on it. you can have lots of stuff, have lots of fun and so forth and things with that. So, that'll be a really cool one. And then, of course, persistence is is very close um where you basically have some shops, so you'll be able to go and buy clothes and armor and weapons and stuff and things like that. And then we're going to release um alpha UEC, which is basically um you know, UC that you can play within um the um the persistent universe, which isn't proper UEC. It's not it's not the UC you have now. It's going to be something we use so we can basically get it out there and people we can test out the the universe and stuff like that. Uh and then of course um right after that is um you're

22. 00:17:06

    going to have uh the procedural stuff which is going to make a massive difference because it's not just the planet stuff that you've seen some demos for. Procedural stuff can be used all over the place and it'll make a massive difference in gameplay. So I know you asked for what's the next milestone. I've given you three um milestones which are all pretty close and um that's kind of um those that's the stuff I'm really excited about right now. And uh that's it from me. Thank you very much uh you know as always for all your support and um thanks once again to um all the subscribers for letting us do this and supporting us. Thank you and goodbye from Erin here in LA not in the UK today and stuff and things like that. And then um you know UC that can play um the

23. 00:17:53

    persistent universe we play within um the UC which is basically something we use. So we can basically get it. It's not the UC you have now. It's going to look like that. Uh the universe and stuff out there people we can test out the right after that is um you're going to and then of course um isn't proper UC. It's not just the planet stuff.