Five Question Friday: David Cumbo, Cinematic Layout Artist at Insomniac

In this latest installment, we get enjoy the musings of one Mr. David Cumbo.  David currently works for Insomniac as a cinematic layout artist (aka "cutscene guy"). 

#1 -- You've been working in the VG industry for a while now (Ratchet and Clank, Resistance, etc.).  What piece are you most proud of?

-I worked on Ratchet: Future 1 and 2, and Resistance 2.  Of those, I think we did the best work on Ratchet Future 2, which is good since it's the last game we did.  The quality of the work produced was higher and the story was more cohesive.

#2 -- How does directing a cut-scene cinematic compare with directing a movie?  

-Game cinematics are made through a variety of means.  Most typically, they use game assets rather than custom models.  Often, the game models are up-res'd to accommodate close-ups and various cinematic needs.  We're limited in many ways compared to film production.  We need to work within the confines of the game engine and its custom cinematic tools.  In addition, all assets to be animated need some degree of rigging to allow the engine to recognize their movement.  We need to think creatively to get around all these limitations.  Maybe we want a close up but the model is too low-res so we need to figure out a different shot.  Our cinematics are frequently located in spaces shared with gameplay.  Since fun gameplay is our highest priority, we may need to make different choices in the scenes.  In film, temporary adjustments can be made to get the shot working and then moved back.  Other than the aforementioned limitations, the creative nature of making a movie is identical to animated film production.

#3 -- What game are you most jealous of not getting to work on?  Why?

-Insomniac made Spyro the Dragon.  I think I would've enjoyed that one.  Don't know why, I just think the characters are cool and a good story can be set in that world.  I remember digging the original game in high-school.

#4 -- What old game deserves a reboot?

-Of Insomniac's?  I suppose Resistance is a sort of advancement of Disruptor, but I think the sci-fi world in that game is interesting and could use a modern lift.  Of course, Spyro was awesome.  But hey, as far as my favorite lost series?  Day of the Tentacle... Earthworm Jim... Jet Force Gemini...

#5 -- What are you playing now?

-To be honest, I don't play an awful lot of games outside of work since I have to sit at a computer screen all day ;)  BUT, I have recently been playing Banjo-Kazooie: N & B.  That game is amazingly creative.  I've always been a huge Rare fan.  The game allows you to beat its challenges in many different ways by constructing your own vehicles to tackle them from different directions.  It's like playing Mario, but instead of figuring out what they want you to do, you think about what has to be done and make your own way of doing it.  It really is impressive how much depth they put in the vehicle creation interface.  One of the bravest and most underrated games in the industry today.  The last game I finished was Haunting Ground on the PS2.  Lots of fun.  I love that type of twisted story and I'm fascinated by games that put you in a powerless role rather than trying to make you feel like a BADASS all the time.  Before that, Silent Hill Shattered Memories, which, other than Silent Hill 2, has the best story I've ever experienced in a game.  It was beautiful.


Thanks David!  And keep us posted on your latest!

Five Question Friday: Mark Beers of 'From Across the Nerdaverse'

This week we hear from one of the co-hosts of the popular podcast From Across the Nerdaverse, Mark Beers. Haven't checked it out yet? Here's a brief descripto:

"Join hosts Mark and Jessie as they journey Across the Nerd-a-verse! Join us each episode for nerd talk that hits you like a zerg rush! We cover video games, comic books, all things sci-fi, movies, television, books and more."

#1 - Across the Nerdaverse covers games, movies, comics, TV.... Are there any taboo topics? Anything you refuse to cover?

• When Jessie and I got together and started to plan out ATN we both envisioned the show as a place where we could discuss any subject matter that happened to be tickling our fancy. So, in that respect, I don't think that we have any topics that we consider expressly taboo. ATN is actually our second attempt at producing a show. Our first attempt was a revival of a Team Fortress 2 focused podcast known as "The Fortcast". As Jessie and I got deeper into our planning for that show we came to realize that we had a lot more that we wanted to be able to talk about and that a TF2 based podcast would become a bit restrictive. We basically wanted to talk about "all things nerd". In general, we've tended to avoid political topics, and music discussions. I think that the biggest factor that determines our choice of topics is if we feel that we have something worth saying about a particular subject.

#2 - You and you co-host met playing Team Fortress 2. Walk me through this process, the transition from online life to real life.

• Jessie and I are both members of the Team Fortress 2 Fort (http://www.teamfortress2fort.com) community clan, which is really where our friendship began. Sadly to this point our friendship is still very much a virtual one as we've never actually met in person. Through discussions on the community's forums is where we began to form a friendship. It didn't hurt that in game Jessie and I made a quite potent Heavy + Medic combo. When "The Fortcast" took a break due to some staff changes Jessie was one of my first choices to try and revive that show. The revival of "The Fortcast" didn't happen, but we came away from that attempt with ATN so I guess it worked out okay. The fact that Jessie originally hails from the Western NY area as I do certainly helped solidify our friendship as we could bond over the common Western NY touchstones of chicken wings and the Buffalo Bills.

#3 - What is the worst recent trend in videogaming you have seen?

• In general, I think that we are currently in an era of gaming where more things are going right then wrong. I think it is great that videogaming as a medium is becoming a larger part of our popular culture landscape then it has ever been. It has been great to watch the medium grow over the course of our lifetimes, and I think we are finally entering an era where our long time claims that videogaming is as valid of a medium as say movies are finally being validated. It is even more exciting when you consider that we've yet to even see platforms like the PS3 taken full advantage of. When you combine that with the fact that independent development is now far more viable due to online distribution services such as Steam and Xbox Live we are in a great place to watch people really push our hobby into new and interesting places. If there was a negative trend that was bothering me, I think I would say that it would be the development disparity between the console platforms and my platform of choice the PC. The PC I think has had a great resurgence as a platform, but it still makes me sad that I have not seen console titles that I am interested in such as "Castle Crashers" or "Bayonetta" make their way over to my side of the fence. However, this is a trend that I have seen become less and less as of late to the point where a game not having a PC version appears to be more the exception then the rule.

#4 - Listening to your podcast feels very similar to tuning in to talk radio, but in an alternate world where the hosts talk about stuff I care about instead of football. How do you compare yourself to traditional talk hosts?

• First off, I'm going to take this question as a bit of a compliment, because I think one thing that I've always wanted the show to strive for was to provide that same type of talk radio feel. I've long been a fan of talk radio in all its formats be it sports, politics what have you. If you get into my car the radio will usually be tuned to some talk radio station. I'll listen to just about anything from Rush Limbaugh to "sports" talk such as the Tony Kornheiser show, and the technology programming being produced by Leo Laporte and the TWIT network. I think if I take my inspiration to how I approach broadcasting from anyone it would be from Mr. Kornheiser and Mr. Laporte, who both do an excellent job of making a show be about more then just sports or technology and more about our current social culture in general. The really exciting thing for me about the emergence of new media such as podcasting and blogging, is that it has allowed for a wider array of cultural topics to enter the arena of public discussion. On ATN we happen to focus on subjects such as videogaming and movies because they are not only near and dear to our hearts but are becoming a growing factor in the general cultural discussion of our era and it is great to contribute to the dialogue relating to these items. I guess the old English major desire to be involved in the analysis and discourse of these cultural artifacts never really dies.

#5 - What games are you playing now?

• I've been spending a good bit of time recently with Bioware's Dragon Age: Origins, as well as another Bioware title Mass Effect. I still do find time to put in a few rounds of Team Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 each week as well.

Make sure to keep track of Mark, Jessie, and their ragtag band of misfits at nerdaverse.com. Thanks, Mark!

Five Question Friday: Nana Rausch, pixel artist

 The latest issue of The Atlantic features an article on a PC game used to train soldiers on counterinsurgency tactics.  Good article, and I found myself compelled by the isometric pixel illustration which accompanied it.  The artist, Nana Rausch of QuickHoney, was kind enough to answer a few questions for us. 

You've done quite a bit of birdview pixel art for magazines (Maxim, Fortune, et al. recently).  Any insights as to the popularity of this style of illustration?

I've been working in this style for the past 10 years! It's been popular for a while. Probably it's a good balance between realistic and abstract illustration.

The article makes reference to the SimCity series of games.  Did this influence your illustration at all, or did you depart from it?

The article in "The Atlantic" makes the reference to the Sims game, because it's an article about a similar game that soldiers use, before they deport, to  train them for certain situations.

It is a very long time ago, that the Sims game was in isometric pixel. The Sims might be the roots for the isometric pixel style, but it has long gone it's own way.

What software do you use?

PhotoShop. Pen tool. Pixel by pixel.

(Holy {expletive deleted}!)

One of the impressive (and fun) aspects of pixel art is the illustrator's ability to work past the inherent limitations in line and detail.  For example, three pixels become a bullet hole, or a single-pixel strip of white makes an ovoid shape into a slab of fish.  What is your favorite detail in this illustration?

I think my favorite part in the illustration for "The Atlantic" is the rotten car.

What games are you playing right now?

Just got an iPhone. So I'm playing a bit there. Other than that, I'm not playing much these days. The times of playing Playstation all day are somehow over for me.

Thank the gods for the iPhone: the casual gaming portal for the hip crowd.  And many thanks to Ms. Rausch!