Massive Knowledge

This first installment introduces Brad Muir, the creator and project lead of MASSIVE CHALICE and Iron Brigade.  Each episode will focus on a different member of the team, exploring their individual talents and contributions to the development of MASSIVE CHALICE.

Episode 2 features producer Anthony Vaughn speaking about some of the tools and techniques that are useful to him in his position.

Episode 3 features designer John Bernhelm exploring the influences that helped shape the gameplay of MASSIVE CHALICE.

Episode 4 features design intern Phillip Chung demonstrating some of his work creating the maps and battles of MASSIVE CHALICE, along with the delicate balancing of stats to change the player experience.

Episode 5 features lead programmer Chad Dawson discussing his past experience with AI, robotics, and the RTS genre.  A programming demonstration highlights some of MASSIVE CHALICE's AI routines and how Chad went about designing the actions of the cadence.

Episode 6 introduces programmer Dan McGarry, who developed the over world "strategy layer" of MASSIVE CHALICE, the stage on which the epic timeline plays out the story of the heroes.

Episode 7 includes art director Mark Hamer and concept artist Derek Brand exploring the influences behind the look of MASSIVE CHALICE.

Episode 8 features lead artist Geoff Soulis extolling the virtues of learning multiple disciplines and workflows.  Working in a small team, Geoff was tasked with modeling characters, environments, rigging, and basic animation.

Episode 9 is an exploration of the technical side of graphics creation with senior graphics programmer David Farrell.  MASSIVE CHALICE had a tight budget but still managed a unique look thanks to many clever graphics techniques adapted to the Double Fine buddha engine.

Episode 10 continues the graphics discussion with programmer Matt Enright, who's love for the medium was so great he built his own graphics engine.  Here we get further into the discussion of shaders and the pros and cons of working with different engines on the market.

Episode 11 concludes the MASSIVE KNOWLEDGE series with technical artist Panya Inversin.  Drawing from backgrounds in both math and art, the technical artist is often the one to bridge the gap in the production workflow between artists and programmers.  Here Panya explains the careful approach to adding visual flourish to a game and bringing the environments to life.