RadioSEGA Interview: Nick Popovich

You asked the questions and now Nick Popovich, Lead Designer behind Three Rings Design's Spiral Knights answers.

As stated previously, we got some time with Nick Popovich, Lead Designer behind Spiral Knights, a MMO that's got a pretty solid following among RadioSEGA listeners. We asked you for your questions and now you get to find out what Mr. Popovich's got to say about Spiral Knights, Three Rings Design and even his career.

RadioSEGA: Hello, Nick! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us and congratulations on the success of Spiral Knights.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself for those who don't know you?

Nick Popovich: I am the lead designer and project manager of Spiral Knights. This means that I came up with the original design for SK and oversee content development, ranging from new features, expanding existing features and even promotions. There's quite a lot to running an online game!

RS: Besides Three Rings Design, have you worked for other games-related companies?

Nick: Yes, I got my start in the games industry at a company called 'Castaway Entertainment.' We were working on a Diablo-style game for EA but it unfortunately didn't work out.

RS: What made you want to start a career in the games industry?

Nick: I can remember pretty clearly the moment I wanted to get into games. I was six years old and my oldest brother had brought home a Nintendo and a copy of 'Commando.' I was vaguely aware of games at the time because of arcades but didn't realize that you could buy a magic box and play them all you want at home. I was instantly enamored and that night, all dreams of being a cowboy or astronaut or Spiderman when I grew up were dissolved. I spent the next day drawing maps for Commando with crayons and newsprint paper. Commando only had four levels and I felt like there was so many other level possibilities that I had to draw them out. In my kid brain I thought that somehow I could save these levels and then give them to Nintendo when I was older and they would say, 'Excellent Commando levels, Nick, we'll get right to making them!'

Later on, I also had the great fortune of having an arcade in my garage. My parents owned a bar and they always had some arcade games in there for the customers. My dad is a real DIY kind of guy and would actually build his own arcade games from used arcade cabinets. Back then, you could get the motherboards for these things pretty cheap, but new cabinets were really pricey. My dad would find cheap used cabinets, paint them up and install whichever boards into them. Because of this I always had about half a dozen arcade games on freeplay in my garage. As a result, I'm pretty sure I could wipe the floor with anyone in Gunsmoke, Capcom Bowling or Galaga '88.

RS: Were you a SEGA fan growing up?

Nick: Yeah, definitely. I started with a Master System and had every other SEGA console when they were released. Phantasy Star II had a huge impact on me. I remember the mature themes of the story and especially the completely unexpected ending that firmly established in my head that games could tell really dramatic stories in a way that no other medium could.

In many ways, Spiral Knights is my love letter to the games I loved growing up, especially Phantasy Star Online. I can't wait for PSO 2.

RS: Three Rings Design are now a part of SEGA. In what ways have this affected your day-to-day work? Do you feel you're now part of the "big guns" or did it not change anything at all?

Nick: We're very happy to have SEGA's support and expertise, but our day to day really hasn't changed.

RS: You guys have been focusing mainly on online multiplayer games. Have you thought of creating a different kind of game? If so, which genre would you like to work on?

Nick: I can't comment on anything we've got cooking behind the scenes, but I'm sure it's pretty awesome. As far as creating something other than online multiplayer games, I really don't know.

Online games are really hard to make since often times they require complex things like attention to social dynamics, in-game economies, and the whole 'live' aspects to the game worlds. These things can be quite painful to manage, but it's also what makes online games so darn interesting in the first place.

RS: By the way, if SEGA gave you the chance to take one of their classic IPs and create a new game, what would you (Nick) like it to be?

Nick: As you might have guessed, I'd love to do something in the Phantasy Star universe, but I think that would be rather daunting.

RS: Earlier this year, Three Rings also released the Whovian MMORPG Doctor Who: Worlds in Time. Are you guys Doctor Who fans?

Nick: Yes, a good portion of Three Rings were already hardcore Doctor Who fans and I think the rest of us became fans once we all started watching episodes at lunch, playing our game and decking out the office in Doctor Who decorations. We actually have a Tardis in the office, it's awesome.

RS: I feel this is not a very well-known title among SEGA fans. Can you please give us a short description of what we can expect of this title?

Nick: It's a casual social MMO that puts players in story-based contexts inspired by the show. As on TV, players are encouraged to solve the puzzle of each mission without violence. We integrated mini-games into each narrative to make each of these stories more engaging.

RS: Leading the team behind a successful MMO is no small feat. What do you feel are the most fun things about your job?

(Question by GameTrekker)

Nick: The best part of this job is always working on something new, releasing it to the players and watching them enjoy it. I'll never tire of seeing people have fun with something I helped create, it's always an amazing feeling.

RS: What are the most difficult things about your job?

(Question by GameTrekker)

Nick: Probably trying to juggle everything that's associated with developing a live game and keeping up with maintaining a live game with regular content releases. Sometimes I'm envious of my friends who work on a boxed game for years at a time before shipping it.

RS: How do you prioritize what you'll work on and when?

(Question by GameTrekker)

Nick: You try to map out what needs to be released and when and your priorities pretty much fall into place from there. Other things you never anticipated always come up, like bugs, promotional opportunities, etc. but for the most part it works out.

RS: Spiral Knights even as it stands today has evolved each time adding new features, like new bosses or, more recently, the mission mode. What do you hope the future holds and will we ever see what's in the core?

(Question by Urtheart)

Nick: We plan on continuing to expand the world of Cradle and the story of the Spiral Knights with new missions and exciting features. We've got a bunch of interesting ideas for what the future holds, including the Core. We know everyone has been waiting patiently for the Core and eagerly await the day that we can tell you more about it, the Swarm and the fate of the Alpha Squad!

RS: Are you ever going to show the Spiral Knights' homeworld? What's the planet's name?

(Question by ZonicZoneCop)

Nick: We're not sure if you'll ever see it explicitly as the game takes place on Cradle, but their home world is called 'Isora' as referenced in a rank mission. We hope to be revelaing more about who they are and where they came from soon enough.

RS: What was it like to design the Tails's tails and Metal Sonic costume for the Sonic CD promotion back in December? Did SEGA want those specifically, or were there several designs you were given free reign to create that these were picked from?

(Question by Ein Eagle Vanato)

Nick: Our artists received feedback directly from Sonic Team when creating those items. We wanted to make sure that our items respected their vision of the characters.

RS: Will you make other SEGA character's costumes?

(Question by adoboflavor)

Nick: I certainly wouldn't be opposed to it!

RS: If SEGA were to let you create any equipment or accessories based on their IPs, which IP would you pick?

(Question by Ein Eagle Vanato)

Nick: Hmm, maybe some PSO CAST-themed armors, the Golden Axe or Earl's boxer shorts?

RS: What's your favorite weapon in the game?

(Question by ZonicZoneCop)

Nick: I'm quite partial to lending support with mist bombs like the Venom Veiler while using a Blitz Needle. I like rapid fire.

RS: Will crystal prices ever go down and are you planning some sort of permanent price or some sort of way to keep people from buying so much?

(Question by blackshadow)

Nick: Exchange prices are driven by the community, Three Rings does not directly alter it in any way. But we're always looking to introduce new reasons for players to sink crystal energy and crowns into the economy.

RS: Will there be more DLC in the future?

(Question by adoboflavor)

Nick: So long as players support the DLC that we release we will consider creating more exciting DLC in the future.

RS: Are you going to keep expanding Haven?

(Question by adoboflavor)

Nick: Yes! It's actually something we're working on now.

RS: The music has also been getting high praise from players. Do you feel SK's soundtrack helps to create the right mood for knights venturing the Clockworks?

Nick: The SK soundtrack was composed by Harry Mack and I think his score suits SK beautifully. It's a great mix of modern sound and chiptunes and some of the melodies are really catchy. I think it's a throwback to a time when the industry paid a lot more attention to game music because you had such a limited palette of sounds at your disposal. You really had to work at it to get your game to sound even remotely pleasant. These days it's just too easy to have some generic pseudo-symphonic score slapped on to your game, a total afterthought.

RS: Are you and your team ever online playing with us, mere mortals? Which names should we look for?

Nick: You'll see some dev names pop up from time to time (I'm 'Nick') but if we're playing for fun we use secret characters. there's even a super secret guild of Three Rings players out there but I obviously can't say who!

RS: Maybe we'll start a RadioSEGA guild sometime soon! Who knows! :)

Nick: I hope so! If you do you'll have some nice surprises soon when we release our big Guild Hall update.

RS: Any future projects we should be looking out for coming from Three Rings and/or yourself?

Nick: Three Rings has a number of interesting things in store for everyone but my lips are sealed on the details. As for Spiral Knights, there's the Guild Hall update I mentioned, new missions, some major enhancements to combat, new weapons and gear and of course, lots of other exciting things I can't talk about unless I want to be fed to a horde of spookats.

RS: Thanks for your time, Nick, and feel free to come around our message boards and listen to our radio! We're always playing the best SEGA sounds and that includes Spiral Knights music obviously. We hope to keep hearing more about Spiral Knights and Three Rings in the future!

Nick: Thank you and thanks for supporting Spiral Knights!

There you have it, folks! Thanks to Nick Popovich for his time and to Three Rings Design's Community Manager, Jessica Nunn for her help as well! Be sure to check out Spiral Knight's future updates.

Wait a minute, I think I'm forgetting something... Oh, right! We DID setup an official RadioSEGA guild! So, as of this moment, if you want to be a part of the "Radiosega" guild in Spiral Knights, be sure to PM me at the message boards or send me an email at kc[dot]radiosega[at]gmail[dot]com with your knight's name. I'll invite you on the guild asap. Don't be shy!