IamA Lead Designer on the Biohock series & Creative

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I'm Bill Gardner, a design lead on Bioshock, Design Director on Bioshock Infinite, and now the Creative Director on a game called Perception by my new company The Deep End Games. http://kck.st/1ArmLCu

EDIT: This is a ton of fun, but I think I must be retiring for the night. Thank you all for the support. I'll happily keep updating over the next few days. Keep the comments coming. Help us finish our Kickstarter and #MakePerceptionReality

My Proof: Check out @TheDeepEndGames's Tweet: https://twitter.com/TheDeepEndGames/status/612284498798059520?s=09

Comments: 1198 • Responses: 112 • Date: 2015-06-20 15:44:24 UTCsource

DiddyMoe527 karma2015-06-20 17:27:01 UTC

I recently finished playing Bioshock Infinite and I got to say, that game impressed me significantly. I don't know if people mentioned it back when it was first released but I'd like to reiterate the details again.

The way Elizabeth follows you from one location to another and the way she utilizes her environment is incredible. If there's a bench or chair nearby, she would sit in it. She would lean on walls, read papers on a desk or floor, and make comments about the scenery.

I also really enjoyed how Elizabeth was used to provide the player with hints and details rather than using an overlay of text. That made the game so much more immersive in my opinion. She would mention there's a lock pick we can use later, or mention that we need to move on to the current objective if there's nothing left to discover in a room.

I know the series is over but are you personally satisfied with the way everything turned out or do you wish more sequals could be made in the future. Also, will we see any noticeable similarities in mechanics in Perception or is this going to be a completely new game where you try completely new "concepts" (for lack of better words)?

Question	Answer
Was there any kind of inspiration behind the appearance of the Big Daddy?	Nate Wells, the Lead Artist, was a huge fan of the early underwater exploration, so he was the brilliant mind behind that approach. He's s real salty dog.
What was the inspiration behind "Perception"? For instance, was it inspired by a certain person or event?	The primary inspiration for creating a game featuring a blind protagonist was that I wanted to put the player in a unique perspective. Games, and particularly first person games, are awesome because they allow you to walk a mile in someone else's shoes. I argue that not enough titles leverage this. I wanted to show the world in a different way, and seeing through sound was the perfect way. Add to that, it works so perfectly for a horror title and a narrative-driven game, and it was a no-brainer.
Of all the games you've developed/created, which one would you say is your favorite?	Talk about Sophie's Choice! All things considered, I'd have to say the original Bioshock. So much fun to work on, everyone was firing on all cylinders. We were really exploring uncharted waters at the time, Har Har. Working on Perception is very reminiscent of those early Bioshock days.
What are your favorite games?	Top few, no order: A Link to the Past, System Shock 2, Super Mario World, World of Warcraft, Super Metroid, Resident Evil 4
I just watched the trailer for your new game, Perception, and it looks awesome and original (it's what i prefer in horror games). What are the games/movies that inspired you to create the atmosphere of a game like this?	For one, The Shining. The Overlook Hotel's history and ambiance were big inspirations. Every nook and cranny of that setting oozed history. I'm also a big fan of Carpenter's The Thing - the isolation, the paranoia, the tone - an absolute classic. Biggest of all was simply growing up in the northeast of the US. I think you'll feel Perception is uniquely New England - both in atmosphere and history.
Are you a fan of Stephen King and his Maine settings for his novels?	Oh, man. Yes! King is the king. Did you read Dr. Sleep? Huge fan. I've always connected with Stephen King's work. I'm telling you, there's just something in the air up here. Most people who've lived in NE will agree. Take a look at the authors (off the top of my head): King, Poe, Lovecraft. If that's not the holy trinity of horror, I don't know what is.
What are your options if you don't get the appropriate funding? I really hope that you hit your goal but in the event that you don't what are the chances of some sort of release?	Let's not let that happen! ;) My focus is on crushing our goal. I think our next trailer on Monday will definitely help.
How did you get into game design? Did early childhood passions lead you to it?	My two passions growing up were film and video games. I was OBSESSED with both. My parents actually owned one of the first video stores in the state, so I pretty much watched everything (especially horror!) This also gave me access to video equipment, so I was always shooting horror films in my back yard. Truly terrible stuff. Anyhow, when I was about 9 or 10, I sent in some design ideas to Nintendo - including a "design pitch" for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. A few months later, I received a letter from Nintendo saying "you'll be pleased to learn that Mindscape is making Indiana Jones." I read that as "we're making YOUR game." Anyhow, I then spent years learning about making games, but thought it would never happen since development was mostly in Japan at the time. After a short stint in Hollywood, I came home, decided to learn about making games (thanks to inspirations from Blizzard et al). I took up my old college job at Electronics Boutique and met Ken Levine, creative director at Irrational. Somehow, I managed to impress him and he was kind enough to give me a shot in QA.
What is your perfect Sunday?	A marathon gaming session with friends and family on a giant projection screen in my backyard. I really should get a giant projection screen and make this happen.
Did you guys ever think Bioshock would become as big as it at the end of the generation became?	We believed in what we were building from day 1, but you never know what the audience is going to like. I mean, sure you can build, say, a zombie game and increase your chance of success, but ultimately, game development is always a risk. It's part of the reason pubs weren't interested in BioShock at first. It took a lot of clever work to garner interest. We took huge risks with Bio, and I think we were all on edge about how it would do up until we released our demo and essentially broke X-Box live for a few hours. Despite all the praise up until that point, I had no idea how the game was going to be received.
The inspiration for Perception must have been something powerful that moved you guys to create a game about a "blind" character. So what was that thing that inspired you guys to create something so different?	The inspiration came from a lot of different places, but it was primarily from a drive to do something different. To show the world in a different way.
Why did you go the Kickstarter route with Perception?	The game is likely too unique to go a traditional route (e.g. pub/dev model) 2) Crowdfunding is awesome in that you can connect with people right up front! I just earned my Master's degree in human factors and I ran user testing at Irrational for years. I really value what gamers have to say and with KS, I hope to leverage what I learn in the process. So I hope people jump in and participate!
Who was the inspiration for atlas/fontaine?	That's really a question for the big man himself, Ken Levine. Don't want to speak for him, but he's a huge Cohen brothers fan and he was watching a ton of Miller's Crossing, which everyone should watch.
What's on your perfect sandwich?	A turnip, princess tomato, power pellets, green herb and some meat found in a wall - all prepared by the dude from Burgertime. Or just an In-and-Out burger if that counts.
So, how is it that you've been doing this for under an hour and there are already two Cohen brothers references?	It's safe to say that I'm in good company.
Bill have you any recommendations for people interested in taking up game design as a hobby?	It's a great time to get started! There are so many tools and tutorials out there! I got started by just digging into Unreal and watching the phenomenal videos at 3Dbuzz.com Zak, one of the dudes behind those vids, now works at Epic. He rocks. The biggest thing is just getting rolling. The barriers to entry are crumbling. Even I get stuck with a tough problem from time to time, and sure enough, I check youtube and there's a solution. Feel free to email me with follow ups at info (at) thedeependgames dot com Download Unreal, watch their tutorials and get crackin!
Having just heard of Perception for the first time, how would you describe the gameplay?	I think the trailer we're releasing on Monday should definitely help paint a clearer picture. There are definitely BioShock elements in mood and narrative, but you're not armed to the teeth like in that series. In fact, all you have is your white cane and your phone. Alien Isolation is a pretty good point of reference. The Presence is essentially unstoppable and will relentlessly hunt you. Be sure to check out our new gameplay trailer though.
In Bioshock, for those readers who haven't played the game, you can choose to either harvest or save Little Sisters. While harvesting appears to be the option with greater rewards initially, for every 3 little sisters you save you get a gift which more-or-less balances out the game for those who chose to, and those who chose not to, harvest. Of course, Bioshock takes place in a fictional city where the Randian values of self-interest are exaggerated; self-interest is king, and altruism is nonexistent. Was the decision to give these bonuses to the more altruistic players a gameplay decision (looking to keep the harvester players from feeling over-powered) or was it a subtle commentary on objectivist values, saying that in the long term empathy and altruism can yield greater results than self-interest?	Don't hate me for this, but I honestly don't remember the specific motivation here. It's a great question though - one that I don't think I've encountered. I know the save mechanic was supposed to be a real leap of faith. Tennenbaum promises she'll "make it to be worth your while." I remember discussions about making sure we didn't disappoint people in this regard. We tried a few different approaches here, and I believe we wound up with the "rewards" based on a combo of what was right for the story and the feedback we got from early testers.

Question	Answer
From what I've seen of the game so far, the color scheme appears pretty limited. What challenges does this present in level design (as colors are often used as subtle indicators to steer players in the right direction) and what was the rationale behind this unique style, particularly after working on a series as famously color-rich as Bioshock?	The aesthetic we have allows us to not only show a unique visual motif, but also to focus on the broad strokes of the world. This gives Echo Bluff a fresh look. But yes, it also means that we have to find ways to keep the environments varied. One of the ways we try to do this is by going bold with the architecture. I think the monochromatic look does really help make thing pop when you do see color, through things like Cassie's memories or ghosts. When you think about it, Star Wars is a very monochromatic film from shot-to-shot. Think about the Death Star. It's practically a black and white film! This makes the lightsabers and blasters pop even more. The eye craves that contrast and it helps focus on the stars of the shots. I'm not going to knock the prequels, but because everything was so colorful, you get a bit fatigued. (for the record, I love Episode III)
Racism is a huge theme in Bioshock Infinite; did you have any concerns about how that would be received by your audience? That first violent scene on that stage was shocking to me, but I imagine it was intended to be. I felt like everything was very well done throughout the game though.	I can't speak for others, but I was certainly concerned. Our intent was never to simply shock. My understanding of the intent (again, I hate speaking for other people) was to portray a time in which that was the reality. Is it uncomfortable? Absolutely. But if games can't take on that sort of material, how can we address the issues? Isn't it one of the roles of art to shine a light on humanity - ugliness included? I think the key here is that BioShock was never meant to be exploitative. It took on difficult subjects with the intent of making people think rather than simply pushing hot-buttons.
How many hours have you put into Perception already? Does it feel different working on your own game, as opposed to Bioshock, etc?	I started around October of last year. Hour-wise? Tough to say. I'm having so much frickin fun working on it that it's a bit of a blur. Tons? It definitely feels different than past projects in that I'm taking on so much more with it being my old company. Irrational was awesome, particularly in the early days, in that we were allowed to wear many different hats. I learned a ton, but running the business and the kickstarter is an enormous amount of work. Still, the rewards are also far greater than I imagined. I absolutely love hearing what people think and connecting directly with you folks!
Will there be the possibility of actually tapping the screen on touchscreen devices to emulate Cassie tapping?	That would certainly be an awesome idea. Right now we're only targeting PC, PS4 and XBox One, but as an enormous Nintendo fan, I'd love to talk WiiU. If things go well, I would definitely look into it. We're still a very small team though, so I'd need to look into how much value the kind of tapping would bring to the experience. I want to make sure if we take on a challenge, gamers are going to love the result.

IamA Lead Designer on the Biohock series & Creative Direcror at The Deep End Games AMA!