TenTonHammer.com - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Questions by Cody "Micajah" Bye, Managing Editor
Answers by Ryan Seabury, Producer of LEGO Universe

During the holiday season , few toys are as sought after as those made by the LEGO brand. Children all over the world desperately want to create buildings, vehicles, and starships with their multicolored blocks. When LEGO and NetDevil announced that they would be developing a massively multiplayer world based on the various products that the LEGO company has made over the years. Although NetDevil has yet to truly divulge much information about the game, the Ten Ton Hammer staff wanted to give players insight into the men and women behind the game. To start, we sat down with Ryan Seabury, producer of LEGO Universe, and learned of his past experiences, his favorite part of the upcoming game, and what his responsibilities at NetDevil entail.

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Ten Ton Hammer: To begin, can you give the Ten Ton Hammer readers a brief synopsis of who you are and what your role is at NetDevil?

Ryan Seabury: My name is Ryan Seabury and I’m currently the Producer on LEGO Universe.  This means I do nothing but play with LEGO bricks all day, which would be great if it were true.  In reality I run around to endless meetings and phone calls coordinating development and business efforts, and then do a bunch of actual work at night.  I also can transform into 3 vehicle modes, including Therapist, Punching Bag, and Broken Record Player.

Ryan showing off LEGO Universe at the NetDevil 10th anniversary.

Ten Ton Hammer: What type of game do you play regularly?

Ryan: RTS would probably be my favorite type of game, but I dip into anything and everything on console and PC.  I rarely have the luxury of completing any of them.  I only dabble in occasional card games (Killer Bunnies or Gloom anyone?).  I like anything that is fun, and can find enjoyment in mainstream derivative games out to fringe oddball indie titles.

Ten Ton Hammer: Do you have an all-time favorite RTS? Why do you enjoy it so much?

Ryan: Starcraft: Brood War.  No RTS prior or since has come so close to the beauty of chess without mirror imaging.  There was never the “one killer strategy” because as long as you recon’d properly, you could react to your opponent and win.

Ten Ton Hammer: What game are you playing now? Why did you decide to explore that title?

Ryan: Probably the one I’ve spent the most time with lately is Team Fortress 2.  It’s been a while since I’ve played an FPS for more than a few rounds.  The style oozes in the visuals and the visceral gameplay, it is just fantastic.

Ten Ton Hammer: Do have any hobbies? What do you find relaxing/entertaining about it?

Ryan: My biggest hobby is figuring out ways to arrange my work and personal schedule to allow for any bit of time to play video games.  As any working dads out there know, especially those in game dev, the amount of free time I have is unbelievably low.  I also play a bit of lunchtime inline hockey if schedule and weather allows, mostly so I don’t die from clogged arteries.

Ten Ton Hammer: How did you get started in the industry? What led you to become a developer?

Ryan: At some point in my teens, I decided I either wanted to be an astronaut, or create my own universe to explore.  Astronaut route for me looked slim and involved probably going in the military, which didn’t really fit with my lack of respect for authority.  So since I’m not omnipotent (yet!), video games seemed like the best way to create my own worlds.  I met Scott Brown and Peter Grundy at a previous company, where we played games obsessively every day after work, and always talked about making games.  Eventually that company got bought out, giving Scott and Peter the opportunity to start NetDevil.  I joined a few years later after some business ventures of my own, which were far less interesting than making games.

NetDevil takes their LEGOs seriously. Just check out their 12-foot LEGO brick.

Ten Ton Hammer: What kind of schooling have you recieved? What was your educational focus and how has it helped you with the development of MMOGs?

Ryan: I am a computer science dropout.  I feel that a solid grounding in the technical fundamentals of software development is essential to be a good video game developer.  There are just so many quirky things and understanding at a basic level how computers actually do them can both ground you in reality but also be a cause for inspiration.  I’m also really glad to see programs like Digipen come into existence, I think working together in teams with people of different disciplines is invaluable experience, something my academic experience did rather poorly had I not picked some very odd class combinations on my own.

Ten Ton Hammer: Has your gaming history influenced your work on LEGO Universe? How has it helped or hindered your work?

Ryan: Certainly.  We played so much Starcraft back in the day, we actually gave it a credit in the original Jumpgate for delaying our development. *winks*

Seriously though, you never know where inspiration might come from.  Even games that most people would consider horrible might have some cool little gem of an idea that blossoms into something totally new and cool if you mix it with something else.  It’s a bit like how they explain cooking in Ratatouille.  
Anyway, as a game developer, it’s always good to expose yourself to new ideas and experiences and stir them up together with your old ones.

Ten Ton Hammer: As a player, what's your favorite aspect of LEGO Universe?
 
Ryan: LEGO Universe is exciting because it just represents so much possibility and longevity.  There are so many talented and amazing kids and grown-up-kids out there that do cool stuff with LEGO elements already, I can’t wait to see what comes out of it in the virtual space.  It is also tremendously fun to be a minifigure and experience things from that perspective.

Ten Ton Hammer: Conversely, as a developer what's your favorite aspect of the game?

Ryan: Well for one thing, it’s a technical miracle our very talented team is pulling off.  If you think rendering LEGO bricks is a simple problem, I assure you it’s not.  But our guys and gals are coming up with some amazing ways to make them look great and run well.  I guess also the fact that you can experience LEGO with millions of others in a way that’s as new and exciting as MMOGs are is just a cool thing to be working on.

Ryan answers some LEGO questions.

Ten Ton Hammer: Why should an MMOG gamer play LEGO Universe? How would you recommend the title?

Ryan: For starters, who hasn’t fantasized about having more LEGO bricks than they could realistically afford in real life to do some really crazy stuff with?  And let’s face it… could there possibly be a cooler avatar to play with than the LEGO minifigure?  I also see this as a game that will appeal to both genders without trying to, and will be endlessly entertaining as time goes on.

Ten Ton Hammer: Finally,  what's the best part about being in the MMOG industry and what advice would you give to anyone else wanting to break into the field?

Ryan: It’s hard to say just one thing, other than I can’t imagine doing anything else again.  I feel extremely fortunate to be doing work that I would happily do in retirement as my “normal” career.  

My advice for getting in is make sure your heart is in it, because if it’s not it can be the worst job in the world.  If it is, you’re already playing anything and everything, and you’re doing anything you can to try to make your own games.  Nothing speaks about your passion and motivation more than proven experience, either from making a mod or an actual game, or going to one of the increasingly respected game developer schools starting to pop up.

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