Name: Russell Cahalan
Alias: Handle
Position: Lead Animator
What was your first MMOG? What was your favorite?
World of Warcraft was the first MMO that I played obsessively. That was probably my favorite MMO besides Rift!
How did you get involved with making games?
I started working at Electronic Arts in 2000. I worked on a variety of James Bond games that they developed.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve done so far in the creation of Rift: Planes of Telara?
People seem to really like the human female dual wielding stance with the weapon held in reverse, but my favorite stuff has been the emotes that I did recently. /rude
Can you provide a sample of your work, assuming it can be released to the public? (A snippet of lore, a screenshot of a vista, maybe a screen or video of a game system, a UI element or a few lines of quest text; or if you’re brave enough a picture of your desk?)
Some of my work has been seen in videos that Trion has released. The human male and female player animation sets are probably the most recognizable in the gameplay footage.
One thing that I can share with you that didn’t make it into the game is a Maya screenshot of an early concept for centaur mounts. I am still not sure why they got cut. =P
Care to tease the fans with your favorite in-game moment?
In recent PvP testing there have been a few epic games came down to the wire. The office was in an extremely loud uproar. Being victorious was gratifying, but actually hearing the laments of the other players was priceless!
LET'S GET SOCIAL