Champions Online Meet the Team Q&A

Cryptic Studios’ official Champions Online website has been updated with a new “Meet the Team” Q&A featuring visual effects artist Michael Cavallaro.

Q: What is your typical workday like?

A: I am creating the player powers for Champions Online, so I start with lots of research to see how a particular power has been visualized in comics, movies and other games. Sometimes I’ll set one of the animators on fire to see what flames should look like when someone is running around . on fire! It kills two birds with one stone because then that same animator can use the video to make the “guy running around on fire” animation.

Here is the reason that my job is so cool. One of my artists wanted me to take a look at his FX for a giant brain that explodes! I gave him some art direction that consisted of “that brain chunk should leave a gooey splat when it bounces on the ground.” Then I moved over to another artist who asked me what I thought of the FX for the alien spaceship that sucks life energy out of the ground.

Like I said . PURE AWESOME!