• Atronos -
• Avarem - Lead
• Avarem Gamescom Chat
• Bunnysaurus - Artist/Designer Interview
• - Dopesheet
• - Grumpntug
• - Khari
• Mr. E - Producer Interview
• Twixler Animator Interview

Can you introduce yourself and say what your position is?

My name is Robin, also known as ‘Twixler’ in-game. I am currently an animator on Trove.

When did you start working for Trion Worlds, and what projects have you worked on?

I started working for Trion in 2008 as a Character Animator. I worked on Rift for about 4.5 years. I just recently joined the Trove team in January of this year.

Where does the name Twixler come from?

So… back in the day I used to play a lot of WoW. There was one day in particular that Dopesheet and I were playing, and I needed a character name. We all know the name creation struggles… You want it to be epic, creative and personal, but always draw a blank (or all your best ideas are taken). I don’t remember the occasion (there doesn’t need to be one in my case), but I had a mountain of candy on my desk. While battling the decision between scarfing a Twix bar and opening a Twizzler package - I was immediately blessed with the solution to my name conundrum. I have been named after an indecisive candy plight ever since: “Twix-Ler.”

What were you doing before the Trion era?

Before joining Trion I was an animator for feature films. I worked for a Visual Effects House (Giant Killer Robots) in San Francisco, and BlueSky Studios in New York. I’ve worked on such films as Fantastic Four, Ice Age, and Horton Hears a Who. I have also dabbled in animation for television and recently returned from a 6 months stint in Iceland, where I worked on a children’s TV show.

How did you become interested in the video game industry, and specifically animation?

I’ve always been interested in animation, as a child it fascinated me. There was no vortex of light and a clap of thunder that made me realize it. Sorry to disappoint.

My interest in gaming took hold when my classmates and I would take over classroom computers in College to have a Warcraft LAN party. We are talking pre-Frozen Throne era. We’d make our own maps and hide ‘gold’ in the woods. My interest in the MMO, specifically, came about when I created a character in City of Heroes and acquired Super Jump. Jumping is fun! All my Trove characters have 30+ jump, I just can’t help myself.

I actually held off from being an artist for games, because I had this belief that if I worked doing the thing I loved (as hobby), I would soon not enjoy it anymore. Obviously I was wrong. I am so happy working on games, and more specifically on Trion’s games (no one paid me to say that, I swear.)

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What are your responsibilities on the team?

I breathe the magic of life into player and NPC characters.

Many people ask: “Do you draw in the computer?” The answer is “No.” We use models that are rigged with a skeleton and controls, much like a marionette is for a puppeteer. We have controls for each character that represent a joint or a pivot point and placed accordingly. We move these joints in 3D space, keying each x, y and z coordinate at the appropriate position/frame on the timeline. We animate Trove at 30 frames per second… so an intricate movement could have joints keyed at every frame.

Trove is a small team, so unlike working in film which has mosh pit of goofball animators we have only two (Dopesheet and I). This being said, we don’t rely on other people to rig our creatures and usually do this ourselves. We have a lot of fun pushing the boundaries of our movements and poses for each character.

What are some of the things you have added?

Lately I have been known to make everything ‘dance’ in the game. I have a little too much fun with that. I will quite literally listen to a specific song on repeat as I animate a dance that complements it. Polka on Monday morning anyone?! Sometimes I just need to share the song and dances with others… so I have made a few movies. The Tomb Raiser (Raver) is an example.

 

 

I have also added emotes to the player characters, which are pretty funny. I have a feeling those will be more utilized in PVP, if you know what I mean.

In general, Dopesheet and I split the load and add sweet, sweet animations as they come.

Can you take us through a typical day or task?

Well, no good day can start without coffee. In the morning, as I savor my caffeine sludge, I usually get caught up on the forums. I like to be aware of the community’s concerns and love when there is an innovative suggestion I can use. After this I usually delve right into the task at hand. Sometimes I need to rig a character or setup files that allow me to see my animations in game for testing. I may need to work on poses, specific mounts, or player characters. If Dopesheet and I have a lengthy lineup of animations, I will usually tackle the bottom of the list and work upwards, as Dopesheet works his way down, meeting in the middle.

When I have a new animation set for a specific character, a lot of times I will look up reference (and the occasional cat video-shhhh). On Fridays we have Livestreams on twitch, I’m always looking forward to those.

From an animation perspective, what are the benefits and challenges of a small development team?

Being on a small team really allows one to have creative freedom. You get to know your teammates, their style and everyone can really utilize one another’s skillsets. I feel that there is less pushing and shoving for certain “golden” tasks. Everyone really comes together and helps each other out, even if it’s unrelated to your actual job description. The Trove team, specifically, is very energetic and fun. We all really do reflect the whimsical nature of our game.

How similar is your job to Dopesheets? do you have your own speciality or style you add to your work?

We work on the same tasks. Dopesheet tends to do the “meat” of the player character animations, and I’ll pick up the mounted, gliding, emotes and other supporting animations. As far as NPCs, we share it all. I find that Dopesheet is really good at hammering down solid animations that work well with the game mechanics right off the bat. I feel a lot of times I go completely overboard with motions and have to dial it way down- haha.

What makes animating from Trove different from other products you have worked on?

love that my skills as an animator can be utilized for different entertainment mediums. Film is tedious and extremely detailed, for example: it takes one week to animate the perfect facial expression for 2 mere seconds of film. With a team of 30-40 animators it can take about 9 months to complete a feature film, and that’s JUST that part of the pipeline.

Television is about selling the action and emotions within a very tight deadline. Unlike film you need to collaborate more directly with your team and other departments. The pod of artists is a lot smaller and everyone’s responsibilities intertwines with one another.

Games are great. You work on a game for a few years until it’s launched, but the project never ends. You and your team are constantly improving and growing with the development of the game. As an animator you can immediately enjoy seeing your creations come to life; this aspect of games really pushes me to do my very best. Another aspect of games is the community. I love being an influence on, and be an active part of, the players’ experience both on the forums and in game.

 

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Is the Trove team a boys club?

This is a funny question. After mentioning that I was going to be interviewed, the other two females on our team immediately said that I would be asked a work environment gender question. Haha!

So I thought a lot about this one. The Trove team is definitely NOT a boy’s club. In fact, I think it’s fair to say I can chime in on the, um…”jokes,” faster than the average male.

No, really though…the Trove team as a whole is close knit. Everyone is included, no one is left out.

Outside of Trion products, what do you enjoy playing?

Sadly I don’t have enough time to play anything else, and if I’m honest – I’d be playing Trove even if I did.

I picture your desk covered in dancing dashboard ornaments. Is this remotely accurate?

You would think so… My desk is covered with post-it notes. I tend to hoard these (and other office supplies). I’m always doodling ideas or making a list. I also have evidence of the times I tried to be healthy: unused protein packets and blender bottles, just collecting dust. We have a VERY well stocked ‘candy drawer,’ so my feeble attempts always lose

As the person responsible for the dance animations, who out of the Trove team would you rate highest for dancing?

So I haven’t actually witnessed anyone from the team dancing! However, Ellery (Mr. E) will pretty much do anything fun or absurd. I bet he would make the best spectacle and actually bust a move.

I’m going to create my own question…

Q: Twixler, who on the Trove team would last the longest in jail?

A: What an amazing question! Keetise, definitely Keestie (Junebug_poop). She’d keep her head down and plot her revenge. I recently found out that she actually has an armadillo roadkill recipe (heavy on the pepper). She’s so hardcore. Mr. E said he’d last the longest in jail - but I’m pretty sure he’d get a sock full of padlocks to the face, for being too funny.

If you had unlimited resources and time, what animation changes would you love to make to Trove?

Hmmmm… good one.

I’m afraid to answer this one. I learned very quickly if you so much as suggest something, it officially becomes your task and needs to be done. Aw, heck here I go…

I would really love to add some eyes to the player character faces. Specifically little simple black cubes. With this addition we would be able to incorporate a little bit of ‘emotion.’ A good example is the eyes on the Cubesly ally when he is dancing. I had a lot of fun manipulating the geometry to create a little hardcore rocker face.

I also think our water area has a lot of potential for more content… swimming perhaps? I still think we need a dual dolphin water chariot or a narwhal with a pool noodle.

Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing?

I enjoy the outdoors and often go for lengthy hikes. For the past year I have also been working for California State Parks on the weekends, so I get my nature-dosage.

When I’m not out chasing weasels and tourists, I can be found drawing or painting something (I have painted teeth on my car). Lately I’ve really gotten into playing with watercolors and ink. On occasion I help my boyfriend with surfboard illustrations.