OFFICIAL RULES “Undead Labs – Virtual Meeting Background Contest” NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN 1. TO ENTER: No registration necessary, participants must have a Discord account. Only three entries per member will be accepted. Entrants should not create or use multiple Discord accounts or member accounts to enter the Promotion. Entries that contain defamatory, obscene, lewd, or inappropriate text, language, images, or other material will be disqualified (as determined by Undead Labs in Undead Labs’ sole discretion). No registration or paid subscription is required to enter. All entries must be received by 11:59 PM on May 14th, 2020. Entries are limited to three entries per person over the Promotion Period (described in Section 2). Any attempt to exceed this limit may result in disqualification. By entering, entrants agree to comply with and be bound by these Official Rules including all eligibility requirements. Undead Labs reserves the right to verify the eligibility of all entrants. Illegible and/or incomplete entries and entries submitted by entrants who do not meet the eligibility requirements (including all requirements with respect to age and residence) are void. Undead Labs and its agents are not responsible for lost, late, or misdirected entries, for technical, hardware or software failures of any kind, for lost or unavailable network connections, or for failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions or any human error which may occur in the receipt or processing of the entries. Proof of entering information at a website does not constitute proof of delivery or receipt. Undead Labs reserves the right to modify the scheduling of the Promotion without prior notification. Use of computer programs, macro, programmed, robotic, automatic and other similar means to enter the Promotion is prohibited and will result in the disqualification of entries and/or the entrant. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person submitting an entry, the entry will be deemed to be submitted by the person in whose name the account is registered on the date the entry is submitted. Undead Labs may prohibit an entrant from participating in the Promotion or winning a prize if, in its sole discretion, it determines such entrant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Promotion in any way by cheating, hacking, deception, or any other unfair playing practices of intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other parties or representatives of Undead Labs. 2. PROMOTION PERIOD: The Promotion begins at 12:00 PM PDT on May 4th, 2020 and ends 11:59 PM PDT on May 14th, 2020 (the “Promotion Period”). A computer owned by Undead Labs will be the official time-keeping device for the Promotion. 3. ELIGIBILITY: The Promotion is open to all. Employees, officers, and directors of Undead Labs, its advertising and promotion agencies, and all parties responsible for the development and administration of this Promotion, and the immediate families (spouse, parents, children and siblings, and their respective spouses regardless of where they live) and individuals living in the households, of the above, whether related or not, are not eligible to participate. The Promotion is subject to all applicable federal, state, provincial, territorial and local laws and regulations. By participating in the Promotion, and/or receiving a prize, entrants agree to release Undead Labs, its directors, employees, officers, and agents, including without limitation, its advertising and promotion agencies, from any and all liability, loss or damages arising from or in connection with the Promotion and, if declared a winner, the awarding, receipt, and/or use or misuse of a prize or participation in any prize -related activities. 4. WINNER SELECTION; NOTIFICATION; ODDS OF WINNING: One member from the successful entries received during the Promotion Period, will be selected according to the rules of the Promotion no later than 3:00 PM PDT on May 18, 2020 for the grand prize. Undead Labs’ decision making will be final and binding in all matters relating to this Promotion. Odds of winning will depend upon the total number of eligible participants over the course of the Promotion Period. The winners will be notified via direct message to the social media account use to post the entry during the Promotion Period. In the event of a dispute over the identity of an entrant, the entrant will be the registered owner of the applicable Discord member account. Undead Labs does not assume any responsibility for entries that are lost, misdirected, that end up in a spam folder, or that were misspelled or incorrect in the online entry. Without limiting the above, forfeiture of a prize, in whole or in part, may result from any of the following at Undead Labs’ discretion: (1) failure of a potential winner to execute and return an Affidavit (and a completed IRS Form W-9 if required by Internal Revenue Service regulations for residents of the United States), by the deadline specified in the notification; (2) the return of any notification or prize as undeliverable; and (3) any other non-compliance with these Official Rules. Undead Labs is not responsible for the failure for any reason whatsoever of a potential winner to receive any notification from Undead Labs, or for the failure of Undead Labs to receive any response or Affidavit from the potential winner. Return of any notification or Affidavit as undeliverable, the inability of Undead Labs to contact a potential winner, the failure of a potential winner to contact Undead Labs in a timely manner, the inability of a potential winner to accept or receive the prize for any reason, and/or the non-acceptance by a potential winner of any prize for any reason will result in disqualification of such potential winner, and an alternate winner will be selected from all remaining eligible entries received. In the event that, for whatever reason, Undead Labs cannot select a winner after two attempts, including, without limitation, because a potential winner does not respond, refuses to accept a prize or for any of the other reasons identified in the preceding sentence, Undead Labs may, in its sole discretion, forfeit the prize for, and terminate the Promotion with respect to, that drawing. By entering the Promotion (including submitting an entry), entrants agree to the use by Undead Labs and its designees of their name (first and last name), Social media username (if other than their real name), photograph, and likeness for advertising, promotional and other marketing purposes, in perpetuity, in any and all forms of media (including the Internet) without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law. The winner may be required to sign a document to this effect. All entrant information will be used solely for the purposes of administering this Promotion, unless the entrant otherwise consents, and will be subject to the www.undeadlabs.com Privacy Policy http://www.undeadlabs.com/privacy-policy/. 5. PRIZE LIST: One (1) State of Decay 2’s Bronto’s Gas Jacket. value $45. The winner is not entitled to the difference, if any, between the stated approximate and actual retail value of the prize. No substitutions, cash equivalents, or transfers of the prize are permitted. For the avoidance of doubt, the prize is personal to the winner and may not be transferred to the winner’s successors, beneficiaries or assigns, whether by will, trust, agreement or otherwise. Undead Labs reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater monetary value at any time in its sole discretion. The prize is awarded “AS IS” and WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, express or implied (including, without limitation, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose). Acceptance, participation in and/or use of the prize is at the winner’s sole risk and Undead Labs is not responsible for damages whatsoever, including special, indirect, or consequential damages, arising out of or in connection with the use and/or misuse of the prize to the greatest extent allowed by applicable law. Undead Labs reserves the right to verify the eligibility of the winner. The prize will be awarded by direct message to the user that posted the entry or such other method determined by Undead Labs, using the information provided in the Promotion Entry. 6. RELEASE AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: BY PARTICIPATING IN THE PROMOTION, ENTRANTS AGREE TO RELEASE, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS UNDEAD LABS, ITS RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES, ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION AGENCIES, AND EACH OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AGENTS, REPRESENTATIVES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, SHAREHOLDERS AND EMPLOYEES (COLLECTIVELY, “RELEASEES”) FROM AND AGAINST ANY INJURIES, LOSSES, DAMAGES, CLAIMS, ACTIONS AND ANY LIABILITY OF ANY KIND RESULTING FROM OR ARISING FROM THE PROMOTION OR ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE, MISUSE OR NONUSE OF THE PRIZE THAT MAY BE AWARDED. RELEASEES ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPUTER, PRINTING, TYPOGRAPHICAL, HUMAN, OR OTHER ERRORS, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ERRORS WHICH MAY OCCUR IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROMOTION, THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PRIZE, THE PROCESSING OF ENTRIES OR IN ANY PROMOTION RELATED MATERIALS; OR FOR ILLEGIBLE ENTRIES OR ENTRIES THAT FAIL TO ENTER INTO THE PROCESSING SYSTEM, OR ARE PROCESSED, REPORTED, OR TRANSMITTED LATE OR INCORRECTLY OR ARE LOST FOR ANY REASON INCLUDING COMPUTER, TELEPHONE, PAPER TRANSFER, HUMAN OR OTHER ERROR; OR FOR ELECTRONIC, COMPUTER, OR TELEPHONIC MALFUNCTION OR ERROR. IF IN UNDEAD LABS’ OPINION, THERE IS ANY SUSPECTED OR ACTUAL EVIDENCE OF ELECTRONIC OR NON-ELECTRONIC TAMPERING WITH ANY PORTION OF THE PROMOTION, OR IF COMPUTER VIRUSES, BUGS, UNAUTHORIZED INTERVENTION, FRAUD, OR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES OR FAILURES OR COMPROMISE OR CORRUPT OR AFFECT THE ADMINISTRATION, INTEGRITY, SECURITY, FAIRNESS, OR PROPER CONDUCT OF THE PROMOTION, OR IF THE PROMOTION CANNOT BE CONDUCTED AS DESCRIBED HEREIN FOR ANY REASON, UNDEAD LABS RESERVES THE RIGHT AT ITS SOLE DISCRETION TO DISQUALIFY ANY INDIVIDUAL WHO TAMPERS WITH THE ENTRY PROCESS AND OR VOID ANY ENTRIES SUBMITTED FRAUDULENTLY, TO MODIFY OR SUSPEND THE PROMOTION, OR TO TERMINATE THE PROMOTION WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE. AS A CONDITION OF ENTERING THE PROMOTION, ENTRANT AGREES THAT: A.) UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL ENTRANT BE PERMITTED TO OBTAIN AWARDS FOR, AND ENTRANT HEREBY WAIVES ALL RIGHTS TO CLAIM, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES, OTHER THAN FOR ACTUAL OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES; AND B.) ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, JUDGMENTS, AND AWARDS SHALL BE LIMITED TO ACTUAL OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS INCURRED, BUT IN NO EVENT ATTORNEYS FEES. 7. GENERAL TERMS: Undead Labs reserves the right to make changes or additions to these Official Rules and/or extend the dates of the Promotion Period for this Promotion for any reason at any time. Undead Labs’ failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY ALTER OR DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATIONS OF THE PROMOTION MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, UNDEAD LABS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. 8. DISPUTES: a. Binding Arbitration. Each entrant agrees that any dispute, controversy or claim related to these Official Rules (a “Claim”), to the extent unable to be resolved through mutual negotiations, may, upon the election of either the entrant or Undead Labs, with the exception of those Claims expressly excluded in paragraph 8.e., be finally and exclusively resolved by binding arbitration. Any election to arbitrate by one party shall be final and binding on the other. The arbitration will be conducted under the rules of JAMS that are in effect at the time the arbitration is initiated (the “JAMS Rules”) and under the terms set forth in these Official Rules. In the event of a conflict between the terms set forth in these Official Rules and the JAMS Rules, the terms set forth in these Official Rules will control and prevail. Except as otherwise set forth in paragraph 8.e., an entrant may seek out any remedies available to him or her under federal, state or local laws, under provincial or local laws, in an arbitration action. As part of the arbitration, an entrant and Undead Labs will have the opportunity for discovery of non-privileged information that is relevant to the Claim. The arbitrator will provide a written statement of the arbitrator’s decision regarding the Claim, the award given and the arbitrator’s findings and conclusions on which the arbitrator’s decision is based. The arbitrator must follow applicable law, and any award may be challenged if the arbitrator fails to do so. The determination of whether a Claim is subject to arbitration shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act and determined by a court rather than an arbitrator. Except as otherwise provided in these Official Rules, (i) an entrant and Undead Labs may litigate in court to compel arbitration, stay proceedings pending arbitration, or to confirm, modify, vacate or enter judgment on the award entered by the arbitrator; and (ii) the arbitrator’s decision is final, binding on all parties and enforceable in any court that has jurisdiction. BY AGREEING TO THIS ARBITRATION PROVISION, EACH ENTRANT UNDERSTANDS THAT HE OR SHE IS WAIVING THE RIGHT TO SUE IN COURT AND HAVE A JURY TRIAL. b. Arbitration Fees. If an entrant initiates arbitration for a Claim, he or she will only need to pay an arbitration initiation fee of $250 and Undead Labs will pay all other costs charged by JAMS for initiating the arbitration. If Undead Labs is initiating arbitration for a Claim, Undead Labs will pay all costs charged by JAMS for the arbitration. All other fees and costs of the arbitration will be charged pursuant to the JAMS Rules. No entrant will be required to pay Undead Labs’ attorneys’ fees or other costs if he or she does not prevail in the arbitration. No entrant will seek attorneys’ fees in the event they are deemed the prevailing party. c. Location. The arbitration will take place in entrant’s hometown area unless the parties agree to video, phone and/or internet connection appearances. Any Claim not subject to arbitration (other than claims proceeding in any small claims court), or where no election to arbitrate has been made, shall be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction in Seattle, State of Washington, United States of America, and each entrant agrees to submit to the personal jurisdiction of that court. d. Restrictions. Each entrant agrees that any arbitration shall be limited to the Claim between Undead Labs and each such entrant individually. EACH ENTRANT FURTHER AGREES THAT (A) THERE IS NO RIGHT OR AUTHORITY FOR ANY DISPUTE TO BE ARBITRATED ON A CLASSACTION BASIS OR TO UTILIZE CLASS ACTION PROCEDURES; (B) THERE IS NO RIGHT OR AUTHORITY FOR ANY DISPUTE TO BE BROUGHT IN A PURPORTED REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY OR AS A PRIVATE ATTORNEY GENERAL; AND (C) NO ARBITRATION SHALL BE JOINED WITH ANY OTHER. e. Exceptions to Arbitration. Each entrant agrees that the following Claims are not subject to the above provisions concerning binding arbitration: (a) any Claims seeking to enforce or protect, or concerning the validity of, any intellectual property rights of Undead Labs; (b) any Claim related to, or arising from, allegations of theft, piracy, invasion of privacy or unauthorized use; and (c) any claim for injunctive relief. In addition to the foregoing, either party may assert an individual action in small claims court for Claims that are within the scope of such courts’ jurisdiction in lieu of arbitration. f. Governing Law. Except as otherwise provided in these Official Rules, these Official Rules will be governed by, and will be construed under, the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to its choice of law principles. g. Severability. Each entrant agrees that if any portion of this paragraph 8 is found illegal or unenforceable (except any portion of paragraph 8.e.), that portion shall be severed and the remainder of the Section shall be given full force and effect. If paragraph 8.e. is found to be illegal or unenforceable then no entrant will elect to arbitrate any Claim falling within that portion of paragraph 8.e. found to be illegal or unenforceable and such Claim shall be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction within Seattle, State of Washington, United States of America, and entrant agrees to submit to the personal jurisdiction of that court. LIMITATIONS ON DAMAGES, VENUE, AND RESTRICTIONS ON CLASS ACTIONS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN ALL JURISDICTIONS AND SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. 9. WINNER CONFIRMATION: An entrant may request the name of the winner by sending a self-addressed, stamped business-size (#10) envelope to: Undead Labs One if by Head Promotion Confirmation Request 308 Occidental Ave South, Seattle, WA, 98104. Requests must be postmarked within three (3) days after the end of the Promotion Period and received within ten (10) business days after the end of the Promotion Period. 10. SPONSOR: Undead Labs, 308 Occidental Ave South, Seattle, WA, 98104. Undead Labs’ advertisers do not endorse or sponsor, and are not otherwise affiliated with, the Promotion.
Developer of the Month – Alex Thomas
Say Hello to Alex Thomas
Sound Designer
What do you do at Undead Labs?
I work with a team that brings in-game audio to life. Whether it’s footsteps, clothing movement, combat or gore, we do it all!
What made you get into the game industry?
I have always had a love for music and sound. I originally started going to school to become a composer, and some of the classes I was enrolled in were specifically audio recording and post production related. I quickly realized my talents for composing were lacking, to say the least, but I also realized that bringing a soundtrack to life with music was only part of the answer! The combination of creative and technical sound design is what drew me specifically into the game industry; the process of bringing a sound to life in an immersive and dynamic environment is an exciting challenge every single day!
How did you end up at Undead Labs?
I had been working on a number of short and feature films the year prior to working at Undead Labs. While working on a small interactive demo game that was audio focused, a job opened up at Undead Labs. I sent over my demo game, and it turned out to be exactly the kind of thing the audio team was looking for. I have been here ever since!
What is your favorite part about working at Undead Labs?
Getting to work with a fantastic team of great collaborators! Smashing stuff in front of microphones isn’t too bad either.
What sound did you enjoy making the most for State of Decay 2?
My favorite sound would have to be the Blood Plague Screamer from Heartland. We wanted to get a different take on the classic screamer sound, so we set out to find something that would convey that it was still a screamer, but was a bit more visceral and dangerous. I started by recording my wife screaming in weird high pitched airy way, and layering different performances together, which created a nice base sound. This was then mixed in with several animal sounds, including an elk bugle, a cougar hiss and a boar growl. To add a little more texture, I added in some pitch shifted wood dragging, which added a nice organic sound. All together, after some processing, we got the Blood Plague Screamer!
Any interesting facts about you (outside of work) you’d like to share?
Although its work related in a way, I enjoy nature recording! Exploring different soundscapes and capturing them is really quite an experience. On top of that I enjoy sailing and woodworking.
From everyone at Undead Labs, thank you for your hard work Alex!
Do you have a question for Alex? He would be happy to answer it! Just comment on the Twitter or Instagram post this link was on, or join our Discord network (https://discord.gg/undeadlabs) and send your questions to Undead Megan. Alex will be answering these questions on our live stream, Monday, September 16th, from 3-4PM PDT.
Twitch, Mixer, and YouTube.
Developer of the Month, Steve Theodore
Say Hello to Steve Theodore
Technical Art Director
What do you do at Undead Labs?
“Technical Art Director” is what it says on my business card, though we’re not a place where titles count for much.
My focus is on helping our content people — artists and designers — bring the game to life in the most efficient and flexible way possible. Sometimes that means providing education and training, sometimes it means writing tools to automate the boring parts of the job.
Technical art also involves solving in-game problems like “how can we show a forest of trees that stretches to the horizon without slowing the Xbox to a crawl?” or “how can we tell a character where to put their hands on a ladder?” One of the most fun parts is doing R&D on new graphics technologies — everything from ray-traced graphics to facial motion capture to simulating erosion in digital landscapes.
Nowadays my job is mostly about leading the technical art department, so I don’t get my hands dirty as often as I’d like. However nobody around here gets to stand on ceremony — over the years at the Lab I’ve done a bunch of production art. For example, I did most of the buildings in downtown Marshall in the first game.
What made you get into the game industry?
I had a VFX studio business of my own, but I got sick of doing things like animating accident reconstructions for lawsuits, or illustrating how moisture wicks inside a pair of gym socks.
How did you end up at Undead Labs?
I am actually employee number one; I started a couple of months before we were a studio. I heard through the industry grapevine that Jeff was starting a new project, and I called him up to find out more. I loved the pitch — and Jeff’s idea for what kind of studio he wanted to build. So I signed up more or less on the spot.
Of course, this was before we had and office or any hardware — or paychecks. For a couple of months I came in unpaid and worked on things like the slide deck for the State of Decay game pitch on my Mac Mini. I guess the big achievement of this period is our relationship with Microsoft; I ran the slides during our first pitch meeting in the Starbucks of the Marriott hotel lobby during GDC.
What is your favorite part about working at Undead Labs?
After more than 25 years in games, I actually have two.
First, I’d say Undead Labs does the best job of any place I’ve ever worked at keeping a decent balance between work and real life.
Second, we also try very hard to involve as many of our staff as possible in decision making, instead of orders coming down from on high, we tend to collaborate and talk things through.
For both those reasons I’d say Undead Labs stands out in the games industry, where work/life balance and creative autonomy are both sometimes hard to come by.
Any interesting facts about you (outside of work) you’d like to share?
I am a dropout from a PhD program in Roman History (I switched to computer graphics after coming in to the department office and finding some older grad students poring over obituaries, because that was how you knew where the job openings would be). Although it’s been a long time, I still keep up a little bit; my Latin is only OK and my Greek is pretty rusty, but I can still give you the first 15 Roman emperors in order off the top of my head.
From everyone at Undead Labs, thank you for your hard work Steve!
Do you have a question for Steve? He would be happy to answer it. Just comment on the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram post this link was on, or join our Discord network (https://discord.gg/AZVkR3v) and send your questions to Undead Megan. Steve will be answering these questions on our live stream, Tuesday, August 13th, from 2-3PM PDT.
Twitch, Mixer, and YouTube.
Developer of the Month, Matt Heiniger
Say Hello to Matt Heiniger
Technical Artist
Matt has worked at Undead Labs for over 7 years! He had a Developer Bio Spotlight back in 2015, so some of our long time fans might remember the following information. For those of you that missed it, here is a fantastic look into what a Technical Artist does.
Matt was the lighting artist, and in charge of Photogrammetry for State of Decay 2, click here to learn more about Photogrammetry.
. . .
My official title here at Undead Labs is “Technical Artist”. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Hey Matt, what is a Technical Artist?” Well, I’m glad you asked. And even if you didn’t, I’m going to pretend you did. It’s just easier for us both that way.
Technical Art (TA) is a nebulous term that describes the space between art and programming. And to make defining it even harder, the term Technical Art means something a little different at every studio. One studio’s TA team may focus entirely on character rigging, while another studio pairs TAs with effects artists to write shaders and scripted particle systems. It’s not uncommon for two Technical Artists to have zero overlap in skills. Trust me, it makes job hunting a nightmare.
Technical Artists are artists that are technical.
Yeah, I did just made a circular definition. Allow me to expand. Some areas of art such as character rigging, lighting, and effects are all artistic in nature, but they require specialized knowledge or technical skill that differs from a typical artist’s arsenal. Larger studios will typically have dedicated specialists to address these areas. But in a smaller team like ours, many of these technically-oriented art tasks will often get passed to Technical Artists. Out of these technical tasks, Lighting is a personal favorite of mine. I did all of the lighting for Moonrise and State of Decay 2 and I enjoyed every minute of it. There’s something immensely satisfying about being able to drastically alter the mood of a scene just by changing lights.
Technical artists help people focus on what they are best at.
I make tools that keep the artists making art, not getting bogged down in process. If the steps for getting a 3D model out of Maya and into our editor takes 20 minutes, that’s 20 minutes of wasted time. There are no artistic decisions to be made in the model export process. Artists should not be wasting their brain power remembering which check boxes to click before hitting the Export button. You may think that spending several hours writing a tool that saves an artist four mouse clicks is counterproductive. But when an artist does that thing several times a day over the lifespan of development, those four clicks can quickly add up to equal days of development time. And streamlining a process not only speeds up development, but it also keeps artists thinking about art. Imagine trying to paint a painting where you have to stop and take a multiple choice test at random intervals. It’s kinda like that. So I do what I can to minimize mental disruption and keep artists’ train of thought on its rails.
Technical Artists are Tech Support for technical people.
Every person at the Lab is extremely computer-savvy. We work with computers all day every day. So when the need for support arises, it’s for something a lot more complicated than helping your grandmother load up the facebooks. “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” is not going to solve any problems around here, because everyone is competent enough to already have tried the usual tricks. As a Technical Artist, I need to have strong troubleshooting abilities and a large tolerance for frustrating bugs in software that we did not necessarily write. I also have to be willing to drop what I am doing at a moment’s notice to unblock someone else.
Technical Artists are language translators.
You know that theory that the right side of the brain controls creativity and the left side of the brain controls logic? In a game studio, Artists and Programmers are the embodiment of this cognitive division. Artists are very creative people who generally rely on visual aspects and need things to “feel right”. On the flip side, Programmers are very analytical. They tend to rely on mathematics and logic to make things behave correctly. Technical artists (and producers, too, for that matter) need to straddle that line and help the two sides communicate. The people I work with at the Lab are unusually exceptional at cross-discipline communication, so I’ve certainly had fewer translation duties here than I’ve had at previous jobs. But at a larger company, translating an idea from Artist to Programmer and back again can be a full-time job.
Technical Artists are jacks of all trades.
This is the heart of why Technical Art is hard to define. I really do a bit of everything. Tools development, shader writing, lighting, rigging, FX, and technical support can all fall under the Technical Art umbrella. I would frequently light a scene, hit ‘Bake’ and go write some code while my computer chewed away on the light computation. And then someone would come over with a technical problem and I would put my code on hold to go troubleshoot.
So that’s me in a wordy nutshell. Sometimes I’m an artist, sometimes I’m a programmer, sometimes I’m QA. And I haven’t even had my morning coffee yet.
-Matt Heiniger
From everyone at Undead Labs, thank you for your hard work Matt!
Do you have a question for Matt? He would be happy to answer it. Just comment on the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram post this link was on, or join our Discord server and send your questions to Undead Megan.
Matt will answer these questions on our live stream, Tuesday, June 4th, from 2-3PM PDT.
Twitch, Mixer, and YouTube.
Developer of the Month, Reid Johnson
Say Hello to Reid Johnson
Animation Director
Social Media Q&A
What do you do at Undead Labs?
I am the Animation Director at the Lab. I do my share of animating, but I also manage and direct the animators on staff, manage schedules, and identify the needs of the team, such as tools, rigs, and staffing. I work with animation contractors and motion capture studios as well.
What made you get into the game industry?
The joy of playing games, combined with a desire to become an animator, made the game industry a perfect fit for me. I always liked playing video games as kid. Along with being fun, I appreciated the art and animation in games. As I got older, into high school and college, games became too expensive and time consuming. I was too busy trying to figure out how I could turn my passion for art into a career. I had always wanted to be an animator, but back in the mid 80’s, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity to learn, or work in animation. Pursuing a career in graphic design was more realistic. After earning a degree in that field– computers and animation software became more available, and affordable. I started teaching myself animation just for fun. At that time a lot of game companies started popping up in the Seattle area. I happened to be in the right place at the right time and landed a job in animation at Microsoft. As a kid, I never dreamed I could combine my two passions, video games and animation, and actually get paid for it!
How did you end up at Undead Labs?
I was working at Zipper Interactive on MAG and the SOCOM series. I met a lot of really great people there. A few of those people eventually left Zipper and went to Undead Labs as a startup. That put the studio on my radar. I was starting to look for new opportunities myself. We used a lot of motion capture at Zipper and I was looking to get back into hand keying animation. I kept in touch with my friends at the Lab, and read the old Lab blog regularly. The more I read, the more excited I became about the team and the game they were building. When I heard they were looking for an animator, I jumped at the chance and was fortunate enough to get hired. I have been here for almost 8 years now!
What is your favorite part about working at Undead Labs?
The people here are great. Everyone is talented, passionate about making great games, and easy to work with. While no company is perfect, the team is what makes this the best job I have ever had.
Any interesting facts about you (outside of work) you’d like to share?
I love music. I started learning the drums a little late in life. I was never very good, but my friends and I started a cover band. We played at bars, parties, and a few weddings. It was really fun! I played with them for about 10 years, then I quit to spend more time with my kids. I probably haven’t played for about 12 years. Recently, a couple of guitar playing neighbors invited me over to play drums. Who knows, maybe we will evolve into a band! I am excited to start playing again.
From everyone at Undead Labs, thank you for your hard work Reid!
Social Media Q&A
How many zombies would rob zombie rob if Rob zombie could rob zombies…? -Jeremy Schwalbach
31 of course.
How long have you been with Undead Labs? -Michael Zentner
It will be 8 years in June! I hope to be here for many more years.
Is state of Decay 2 taking place during the events of SoD1 but from the other side of that wall? -Scott Benson
State of Decay 2 takes place 15 months later, outside the wall, but not in the city you see in the background at the end of SoD1.
Your thoughts on more in depth base building in sod2? -Austin L S Wright
More in depth base building would be great.
Being involved in animation, were there specific visuals in specific games or other media that inspire(d) you in your line of work? Some flashy games like Bayonetta and DMC may be fairly common, but anything less mainstream that you considered a gem among the rough in those regards? -Justin Arroyo
Yeah, definitely inspired by old Looney Tunes cartoons. and Samurai Jack. More recently Pocoyo, a show for kids, but I love the minimal-snappy style. There are so many games that inspire me. Banjo Kazooie, Jak and Daxter, The Mark of Kri, Any from the Uncharted, and Assassins Creed series…
Will we get a bostaff in the game like Morgen have in the Walking dead? -AllHailTheNuke
Morgen is one of my favorite characters in Walking Dead. A bostaff would be fun to animate and play in game for sure!
How many secret jokes did you hide in the code and not tell your boss and how swift and severe would the repercussions be if discovered? -VulGar
I don’t write code, I create animation… but I have made games in the past where I’ve hidden humorous animation on a character that will only be seen very rarely, and only in certain circumstances. I haven’t done that in a long time.
Where did you get your start in Game Dev? -Ryan_scray
I taught myself animation, then did a lot of short term freelance work for Microsoft. Some of the games I remember working on were: Microsoft Baseball, Microsoft Ants, Microsoft Cart Precision Racing, and Flight Sim. I eventually took a larger contract on Microsofts NFL Fever 2000 title. I was eventually offered a full time job at Sucker Punch Productions where I worked on Rocket Robot on Wheels, and the first Sly Cooper title.