Meet Squanch - Lead Designer Michael Leone

Hey Squanchies!
We’re back with more employee introductions.

A few weeks ago, we introduced Meet Squanch, our bi-weekly blog posts where we talk to the Squanch family and learn everything we can about them. Last time, we spoke with Executive Producer Mike Fridley. Today, we’re talking to Lead Designer Michael Leone. Presumably, at some point we will interview someone not named Mike, but until then, read on!

What do you do here at Squanch?

I am the Lead Designer, which means I'm responsible for running the design team day to day. My work at Squanch is to make sure communication lines are open and clear, and all members of the team have been fully equipped to do the best work they possibly can.

What got you into the industry?

I was pre-med in college and intended to go to medical school, so I signed up to take the MCAT in my final year. Since the testing facility was a bit of a drive away, I decided to get a hotel room nearby. The day before the test, I drove down to the hotel and started studying. Around dinnertime I took a break and happened to see Epic had recently released the Unreal Development Kit (UDK) for free, and decided to download it. A few hours later, I finished up studying and had about an hour to kill before going to bed. By that time, the UDK download had finished, so I opened it up and started messing around. What felt like 20 minutes later my alarm went off — it was 6 AM and time to get up to take the test. Up until then I never considered a career in games, but from that day forward I've never looked back.

What do you do for fun, besides work at Squanch Games which is the most fun job possible?

This might seem strange but I make games for work, and I make games for fun. More often than not, I'll stop playing whatever game I'm on at the moment so I can crack open Unreal or Unity and make something. I am extremely fortunate in that what I get paid to do for a living is something I would be doing on my own anyway.

What have you been playing lately?

I recently started a playthrough of Final Fantasy XII on their "New Game Minus" mode, where they disable the leveling system. While it does put some restrictions on what is feasible in terms of playstyle, the fact that I can't just grind my way to victory really makes the other systems shine. I also started Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, which has an absolutely stellar opening so far. It's one of those interesting AAA games where the best parts of the game are sometimes in conflict with the legacy of the series, and I'm curious to see how the development team addresses those concerns.

What advice do you have for other designers?

First, ignore your QA team's concerns at your own peril. Game studios spend thousands of dollars running focus tests, getting expert opinions, player feedback and so on. You have that expertise on your team right now if you know how to ask for it. The best studios foster a culture of learning, and everyone you meet will have something to teach if you're willing to learn.

Second: Don't feel like you need to impress with me with an idea or answer a question in an interview. There is a tendency with some folks to try and throw out ideas in the hopes of amazing the interviewer. The problem is, great ideas do not exist on their own — ideas can only be great in the context of other ideas. For example: Putting a scoop of ice cream on a hot piece of pie is great, but probably won't work as well on a hot piece of pizza. While it is certainly possible to come up with an idea that really wows the interviewer, missing that Hail Mary can have the opposite effect. So, to speak in practical terms, here is what I'm looking to learn in an interview:

• “What does this person know? What skills do they have? What have they done in the past?”

This is where I think people going for their first job make the first mistake. Always assume the person interviewing you knows how to spot a bullshitter. The only wrong answer is a dishonest one.

• “When they don't know something, will they say so?”

This is the critical skill that every designer must develop. Don't feel like you need to solve every problem in the moment. Every idea carries some amount of risk with it, and changing your mind on an idea after talking it through is a natural consequence of any development. If you put out an idea and after talking through it decide it doesn't work, changing your mind is the appropriate decision.

• “How does this person think through problems?”

This is the crucial question for any interview. Designers are fundamentally problem solvers, and in order to solve problems or take advantage of opportunities you must first understand them. While these sorts of questions will ask you for a conclusion, the true aim is understand how you came to that conclusion.

What are you looking forward to in 2021?

I feel like we're overdue for a second golden age of real time strategy games. Hopefully 2021 will be when that starts.