In the 12th Inside Crytek interview we meet Gameplay Programmer Alex McCarthy. He is originally from Canada and is currently working on... you guessed it, an unannounced game at Crytek Frankfurt. Continue reading for some coding, gaming and math talk spiced up with coding tips.

Today sees another addition to our "Inside Crytek" series. This is a series of Q&A's with different members of the Crytek team, where they answer questions on all sorts of topics. These are not just ordinary interviews though. Once their intro has been posted you get the opportunity to ask them your questions!

This time we are speaking with Alex McCarthy.

What do you do at Crytek?

I’m a Gameplay Programmer on an unannounced title. I write the code that turns CryEngine into the crazy awesome game that we’re busy dreaming up.

Why did you want to work in the games industry and how did you get started? Do you have any tips for people wanting to get started in the industry?

I’ve been obsessed with games since I was a little kid, and I spent all my free time playing them. Things changed a bit when a friend of mine introduced me to RPG Maker 95: I started trying to make my own games.

When I hit the limits of what RPG Maker could do, I went a bit further. I created my own scripts, weather and battle systems, and other things the engine was never made to do. But I eventually ran out of tricks, and I wanted to do things that RPG Maker couldn’t.

I started using VERGE, a much more powerful game engine. It let you walk a 2D animated character around a map, and the rest was up to you. You wrote your game in a custom language that looked a lot like C. That was the beginning of the end...

So I learned to program by accident, because I needed to write code to bring my game ideas to life. I eventually realized that programming was my favorite part of making games, so I went to university to study computer science. I landed a couple of internships that gave me some industry experience, and now I get to work full time on creating fun.

For anyone looking to start out, just start! Use a big engine with existing resources to make a mod of your favorite game, play with a small engine like VERGE, or start from scratch with C++, C# and XNA, or whatever interests you. Find a community to guide you and keep you motivated, or check out the gamedev help wanted boards.

If you already have some skill or experience, apply! I spent a year working outside of the games industry because I thought I wasn’t ready, and I was dead wrong. I still regret how low I aimed in my early job searches. If only one in a hundred companies will look at your resume, then send out a hundred resumes!

Why Crytek?

To cut a long story short, every game Crytek have made has been of top quality, I also knew quite a number of people working here and they really enjoyed it. One of my favorite level designers who worked on some legendary Counter-Strike maps is also my boss, so that in itself made the decision to work here a no-brainer.

What are the best and worst parts of your job?

I was drawn to Germany for personal reasons, and the chance to work for Crytek, probably the most successful game development company in Europe, made the decision to move across the Atlantic a no-brainer. I get to spend my day learning from some of the most intelligent, creative, and motivated people in the industry, and I get to work on one of the most exciting game ideas I’ve seen in a long time. What’s not to like?

What are you working on at the minute?

I can’t tell you anything about the game I’m working on, because that’s classified. Super-ultra-top secret, you know. But I can tell you it’s going to be awesome.

What types of games do you like, and what's your favorite game of all time?

I like games of any kind as long as they’re fun. Right now I play a lot of shooters, since the industry makes a lot of shooters. I usually play whatever my buddies invite me to on Xbox Live.

My all-time favorite game is Typing of the Dead. You type zombies full of bullets. Need I say more?

Some other favorites of mine include Portal, Tales of Phantasia, Chrono Trigger, Natural Selection, and whatever Picross game I can get my hands on. I also love most games that land on my DS, because I can pause them while I make dinner or answer the phone.

What do you enjoy doing when you're not at work?

Right now I’m spending most of my time playing video games, hanging out with my girlfriend (and playing video games with her), cycling stupidly long distances (while wondering how much fun a bicycle game would be), and learning to speak German (while playing games on my electronic dictionary). I also have a small 2D game engine I work on in my free time.

I also love to sing, play guitar, and practice parkour, but I’m still looking for some good parkour or music communities in Frankfurt.

Fan Q&A

Would you consider yourself clinically addicted to video games?

Nope, I can quit any time I want. In fact, I’m sad to say that I turned on my Xbox once in the last three weeks! When I can’t get my fix, I stay sane with a bit of lunchtime rock band.

What aspects of the game do you code (eg. menu/Sandbox/gameplay)?

I spend most of my time programming gameplay and network code, but it changes from day to day. I code whatever needs coding, whether that’s gameplay, editor features, or standalone tools.

Do people check your work so you can’t put secret coding in it?

Yes, but “secret code” or easter eggs aren’t very common on a professional team. Adding an easter egg means adding more code, and more code always means more bugs. We usually have enough fun making the real game, so easter eggs aren’t that interesting, and they just add risk.

Programmers review each other’s work to make sure that our plans line up, to catch bugs before they make it out to the rest of the team, and to make other coders aware of important changes.

Is your sister Jenny McCarthy?

Nope.

Who is Marcio Martins?

Marcio is one of Crytek’s senior game programmers. He’s a talented guy.

Can you talk about how you plan your code?

I’ve experimented with a few different development methodologies. I haven’t found any one to be perfect, but I’m currently a fan of a mix between Agile, Cabal, and Test Driven Development. The basic idea is the same: don’t design it until you need it. When you know you need it, sit down and do it right (but don’t do anything extra). Sometimes we bang out code, sometimes we have a quick chat about what approach we’re going to take, and sometimes we sit down and write formal documents. It all depends on what the task deserves.

I spend most of my time writing C++, but that can change if the problem needs a different solution, like LUA, Flash, flowgraph, or some other solution.

Is realism the main goal in your work?

I hate realism for realism’s sake. In real life, I couldn’t keep running, shooting, and saving the world after someone hit me with a couple of bullets, but in a game I can do all of that and more. I make gameplay that’s fun, and I only think about realism when it can be used to deepen immersion or make players have more fun.

Did you go to college or just learned to do it yourself?

I spent four years at college, but most of my programming knowledge came from hobby projects, high school classes, books, and work experience. Most of what I learned in college helps me google faster, or remember something before I have to look it up in a book.

Were you good at math in school?

I thought I was a math whiz in high school, but I found out I was very wrong when I got to college J. I know enough math to get by, but I’m still stumped by some of the complex math used in 3D-graphics.

In Closing

A big thanks to Alex for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer your community questions and we look forward to seeing you all next week with a new Crytek employee in the hotseat.

- MyCrysis Staff

Inside Crytek – Alex McCarthy - Gameplay Programmer
Inside Crytek – Alex McCarthy - Community Answers!