Gameculture Review

Damage Studios
by Tom Pimental

Q&A
I recently got a chance to sit down with Tony Guntharp and Chris DiBona, co-founders of new development company Damage Studios. Both men hail from VA Software and aim to take the MMORPG world by storm. In this brief interview they spill their guts on how development is going on their first game Rekonstruction.
"The last thing you remember is walking home after enjoying a nice dinner, and a flash.

You've died before as a teenager doing some fool stunt with a motorcycle. Everyone has died a few times, only to find themselves crawling, dripping from their cloning station.

This time is different, you don't feel right, this isn't a cloning station and you're not in the right body. You were told that the asteroid wasn't going to hit the Earth. Why would they lie?

Is this your future? Are you ready for......."

Gameculture: You announced last week Damage Software’s incorporation. Have you collected all of your expected initial funding?

Tony: We’re around halfway through our angel, which gets us to prototype with a little breathing room.

Gameculture: Where did it come from?

Tony: What we have so far has come from friends, founders and family members.

Gameculture: Do you have plans to gather further funding?

Tony: Yes, we will have the angel round closed by the end of November, and then Chris and I will be concentrating on the Series A funding.

Gameculture: Technically speaking, Rekonstruction is a massive undertaking. What are your biggest hurdles right now and how do you plan to offset the relatively large back-end costs and still make a profit?

Chris: The biggest and most important hurdle is hiring the right people early enough. There isn’t any one thing I can point to that is either more important or more complex than that. Our backend will be huge at launch and during beta, but those costs will be part of the Series A.

Tony: I agree with Chris, our biggest hurdle is hiring the right people. And by that I mean people that fit well within the team that’s currently assembled. It’s tough to hire people only to realize a couple of months later that maybe you shouldn’t have. With our engineering plan we can’t afford to make mistakes such as that.

Gameculture: Are you and Mr. Guntharp going to be running Damage Studios yourselves or are you searching for an experienced president/CEO?

Chris: We are currently running Damage and intend to continue to do so. That said, we’re big believers in finding the right people for the right job, and if we ain’t it, we’ll open it up to the right person. So far I’m pretty happy with Tony’s work.

Tony: I have absolutely no issues with stepping aside should it make the most sense for the Company. If it doesn’t make sense then why should any of us step aside ?

Gameculture: Has/will your VA/Slashdot fame given you any competitive advantages?

Chris: My experiences with VA and Slashdot mean that I ostensibly know how to interact with large communities of users and keep them happy. When I ran marketing for VA in the early days, online communities like Slashdot were the best way to get the word out.

Tony: My experiences in developing and maintaining SourceForge (while at VA) during it’s first year of existence taught me the benefit of listening to the community you’re selling to.

Gameculture: What will be the most exciting aspect, in your mind, of Rekonstruction?

Chris: For me the stuff we have planned for the reality blurring aspects of the game are going to be awesome. I’m going to be living in this game.

Tony: The reality blurring aspects are definitely compelling to me; the other aspect I like is that it’s a somewhat familiar environment.

Gameculture: Do you have any other game ideas in the works besides Rekonstruction?

Chris: Yep. That said, getting Rekonstruction up and running is my only and most important priority. I don’t want to split my focus.

Tony: Sure, but Rekonstruction is our only focus for the next couple of years.

Gameculture: Will Rekonstruction be exclusive to the PC or will you try to take advantage of the growing popularity of Online gaming on next generation consoles?

Tony: At Launch + 6 months, we’ll come out on the X-Box (2) and maybe the PlayStation 2 (3) if they have their online act together. Right now, the X-Box is looking like the right fit for our engine.

Gameculture: I like to ask this of all my interviewees. What’s your favorite game you are playing right now?

Chris: UT2003, it’s gorgeous. Tony: Anarchy Online, UT2003, Halo, and UrbanTerror.

Thanks a lot for your time Chris and Tony!

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	Damage Studios by Tom Pimental Q&A I recently got a chance to sit down with Tony Guntharp and Chris DiBona, co-founders of new development company Damage Studios. Both men hail from VA Software and aim to take the MMORPG world by storm. In this brief interview they spill their guts on how development is going on their first game Rekonstruction.	"The last thing you remember is walking home after enjoying a nice dinner, and a flash. You've died before as a teenager doing some fool stunt with a motorcycle. Everyone has died a few times, only to find themselves crawling, dripping from their cloning station. This time is different, you don't feel right, this isn't a cloning station and you're not in the right body. You were told that the asteroid wasn't going to hit the Earth. Why would they lie? Is this your future? Are you ready for......."
	Gameculture: You announced last week Damage Software’s incorporation. Have you collected all of your expected initial funding? Tony: We’re around halfway through our angel, which gets us to prototype with a little breathing room. Gameculture: Where did it come from? Tony: What we have so far has come from friends, founders and family members. Gameculture: Do you have plans to gather further funding? Tony: Yes, we will have the angel round closed by the end of November, and then Chris and I will be concentrating on the Series A funding. Gameculture: Technically speaking, Rekonstruction is a massive undertaking. What are your biggest hurdles right now and how do you plan to offset the relatively large back-end costs and still make a profit? Chris: The biggest and most important hurdle is hiring the right people early enough. There isn’t any one thing I can point to that is either more important or more complex than that. Our backend will be huge at launch and during beta, but those costs will be part of the Series A. Tony: I agree with Chris, our biggest hurdle is hiring the right people. And by that I mean people that fit well within the team that’s currently assembled. It’s tough to hire people only to realize a couple of months later that maybe you shouldn’t have. With our engineering plan we can’t afford to make mistakes such as that. Gameculture: Are you and Mr. Guntharp going to be running Damage Studios yourselves or are you searching for an experienced president/CEO? Chris: We are currently running Damage and intend to continue to do so. That said, we’re big believers in finding the right people for the right job, and if we ain’t it, we’ll open it up to the right person. So far I’m pretty happy with Tony’s work. Tony: I have absolutely no issues with stepping aside should it make the most sense for the Company. If it doesn’t make sense then why should any of us step aside ? Gameculture: Has/will your VA/Slashdot fame given you any competitive advantages? Chris: My experiences with VA and Slashdot mean that I ostensibly know how to interact with large communities of users and keep them happy. When I ran marketing for VA in the early days, online communities like Slashdot were the best way to get the word out. Tony: My experiences in developing and maintaining SourceForge (while at VA) during it’s first year of existence taught me the benefit of listening to the community you’re selling to. Gameculture: What will be the most exciting aspect, in your mind, of Rekonstruction? Chris: For me the stuff we have planned for the reality blurring aspects of the game are going to be awesome. I’m going to be living in this game. Tony: The reality blurring aspects are definitely compelling to me; the other aspect I like is that it’s a somewhat familiar environment. Gameculture: Do you have any other game ideas in the works besides Rekonstruction? Chris: Yep. That said, getting Rekonstruction up and running is my only and most important priority. I don’t want to split my focus. Tony: Sure, but Rekonstruction is our only focus for the next couple of years. Gameculture: Will Rekonstruction be exclusive to the PC or will you try to take advantage of the growing popularity of Online gaming on next generation consoles? Tony: At Launch + 6 months, we’ll come out on the X-Box (2) and maybe the PlayStation 2 (3) if they have their online act together. Right now, the X-Box is looking like the right fit for our engine. Gameculture: I like to ask this of all my interviewees. What’s your favorite game you are playing right now? Chris: UT2003, it’s gorgeous. Tony: Anarchy Online, UT2003, Halo, and UrbanTerror. Thanks a lot for your time Chris and Tony!