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Jeff Briggs: Focus on Firaxis: A Look Inside the Company

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  • Jeff Briggs: Focus on Firaxis: A Look Inside the Company

    Name: Jeff Briggs (Jeff is on the left in the picture to the bottom)
    Title: BMOC (Big Man on Campus)

    LDespot: What led to the decision to break off and start Firaxis?

    Jeff Briggs: Sid, Brian and I had been friends and colleagues at MicroProse for a long time and we were getting to the end of projects we had been working on. I thought that, given the dire situation MPS was in at the time, what with layoffs and consistent quarterly losses and so on, I could create an environment with a lot more freedom and independence. I had always thought about how cool it'd be to be a part of a very focused, dedicated game development group, much like MicroProse had been in the very early days. So I decided that, once Civ II was out there, I'd make the jump and see if I could get something going. As it turned out both Brian and Sid were interested in joining, so soon after I left, they followed.


    LDespot: How did the SMG design team come together?

    Jeff Briggs: The rest of the team responded to ads we published locally. We chose the most talented applicants, many of whom, of course, we knew of already. This was a very lucky coincidence, since we, for the most part, know each others strengths and weaknesses. And, I believe, as Gettysburg! proves we have a very small but extremely talented and versatile team here.

    LDespot: What does Firaxis mean and why did you decide to use it as the name of the company?

    Jeff Briggs: The word Firaxis (Fur-ak'-sis) is the combination of "fire" and "axis." I coined the word as the title of the musical composition I wrote as part of the requirements to complete my Doctoral studies. When we were thinking of a name for the company, we couldn't think of any better way to describe what we wanted it to be - a very energetic environment where creativity is king and hot games are made. FIRAXIS is sort of like the fiery wheel of creativity or invention.

    LDespot: What do you think of the growing number and popularity of fan supported web sites? I hear the site called "The 14th Brigade" is pretty cool.

    Jeff Briggs: To be perfectly honest, we're overwhelmed with the coolness of them and hope they continue! It is surprising how far the web has come in the last year or so, where guys with web sites look really as professional as any corporate site it's great!

    LDespot: Is there anything else you would like to say to the gaming community (This is your chance to vent, praise, or babble to the world )?

    Jeff Briggs: Game-play is the only thing that is truly important. The function of Graphics and Sound is to enhance the drama of the game-play that takes place in the mind. As with great music, the fun happens in the player's mind, not on the screen or in the score.

    LDespot: Why ask why?

    Jeff Briggs: My point exactly!

    Previous: The Company - Next: Brian Reynolds

    Back to the Focus on Firaxis main page



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    • Focus on Firaxis: A Look Inside the Company: What is this anyway?
      by Martin Gühmann
      Brought to you by The 14th Brigade and Beyond Alpha Centauri

      What is this anyway?

      "Focus on Firaxis: A Look Inside the Company" is an inside look, via interviews, at the company that brought the world a little closer to the Civil War through Sid Meier's Gettysburg! and is now taking us to the stars through their latest work, Sid Meier's Alpha Canturi. SMAC, which is the subject of this web site, is a turn based game similar to Civilization and will be released by Firaxis sometime in 1998. These interviews, done in February and March of 1998, were meant to give you a closer look at the minds that make up Firaxis.


      Questions about Firaxis' present, past and future

      To the Interviews...

      Company Founders

      Jeff Briggs, BMOC (Big Man on Campus)
      Brian Reynolds, Designer for Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
      Sid Meier, Designer for Sid Meier's Gettysburg!


      Artists and Animators

      Jerome Atherholt, Artist/Animator
      Mike Bazzell, Artist/Animator
      Greg Foertsch, Artist/Animator


      Programmers and Designers

      Tim Train, Producer/Designer
      Mike Ely, Programmer/Designer (kinda)


      People that don't fit into the above categories

      David Evans, Sound Stud
      Lindsay Riehl, Marketing
      Susan Brookins, Master of the Miscellaneous


      Thanks...

      Thanks to all the employees of Firaxis that took time from their busy schedules to answer the questions. Special thanks go to Lindsay Reihl at Firaxis for helping to set this whole thing up and acting as a middleman (middlewoman, whatever). Thanks go to Susan Brookins for listening to me whine. Thanks also go to Mike Ely for being the super cool guy that he is. And of course thanks to the Gamestats Family for supporting this web site.

      ...
      October 22, 2011, 19:04
    • Susan Brookins: Focus on Firaxis: A Look Inside the Company
      by Martin Gühmann
      Name: Susan Brookins
      Title: Master of Miscellaneous

      LDespot: What did you do for SMG?

      Susan Brookins: Kept coffee, soda and snacks in good supply and planned the "shipping" party. LDespot: What are you working on for Alpha Centauri?...
      October 22, 2011, 18:55
    • Lindsay Riehl: Focus on Firaxis: A Look Inside the Company
      by Martin Gühmann
      Name: Lindsay Riehl
      Title: Marketing

      LDespot: What did you do for SMG?

      Lindsay Riehl: I worked with Origin's marketing and public relations department to get the word out on how cool Gettysburg! is....
      October 22, 2011, 18:52
    • David Evans: Focus on Firaxis: A Look Inside the Company
      by Martin Gühmann
      Name: David Evans
      Title: Mr. Sound Guy

      LDespot: What did you do for SMG?

      David Evans: Sound fx, sound driver programming, recording, and anything else related to sound....
      October 22, 2011, 18:49
    • Mike Ely: Focus on Firaxis: A Look Inside the Company
      by Martin Gühmann
      Name: Mike Ely
      Title: Technically Programmer/Designer, but in practice I do all kinds of stuff. I'm also the Firaxis Webmaster, which is a pretty fun job.

      LDespot: What did you do for SMG?

      Mike Ely: I did a lot of work on both of the manuals, created the tutorials, helped a little with the multimedia, and wrote the line draw routine used to draw the fences in the game (yes, I'm pretty proud of that last one)....
      October 22, 2011, 18:45
    • Tim Train: Focus on Firaxis: A Look Inside the Company
      by Martin Gühmann
      Name: Tim Train
      Title: Producer/Designer

      LDespot: What did you do for SMG?

      Tim Train: My main contribution was writing, editing, shooting, and producing the multimedia footage in the game. This was a lot of fun, and involved combing through hundreds of hours of archival footage, as well as a trip to 1997's Gettysburg re-enactment for a little filming. I also assisted with the marketing\PR effort on the product, and worked on many miscellaneous development support tasks, such as manual writing, playbalance, and tutorials....
      October 22, 2011, 18:30
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