Who are you and what do you do at Chasing Carrots?
Heya, I’m Dilan and currently the intern for all 3D related stuff.

How and why did you become a game developer?
One day, years ago when I was on Youtube, I stumbled upon a short video of a timelapse where an artist modelled a 3D portrait of a girl, starting from a simple box. I was so impressed and fascinated by his skills, I knew that’s what I wanted to do as well.
When I started learning, I didn’t even know how to open the task manager, so yea those were some fun times…

What did you do before Chasing Carrots?
I’m at the end phase of my university degree, so I haven’t had any work experience in this industry before.

What was your first gaming experience?
Pokemon Blue on the Gameboy Color. There is that one part at the beginning of the game where you will be on the S.S Anne luxury cruise ship fighting other trainers, and as soon as you leave the ship it just sails away without you, which is intended to be like that. Of course as a kid I didn’t know that and every time it happened, I reseted the game in hopes I wouldn’t mess it up again.

My first gaming device was…
A yellow Gameboy Color. I had a whole variety of games but mainly stuck to Pokemon, Tetris and Looney Tunes. At one point I lost the lid of the battery compartment and it got especially frustrating when I was in the middle of the game and the batteries moved out of place, causing me to lose all my progress.

What are your all-time favorite games?
There was a period where I played Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for almost 3 years straight. I especially liked the fighting in the private messages from angry players after the rounds ended. That’s how I actually learned english by the way. I also enjoyed Kingdom Hearts, The Last of Us, Bloodborne and am currently playing Don’t starve together and giving Animal Crossing a shot. I really like the villagers drama between each other so far

Who or what is your favorite band/music?
I enjoy everything on this planet except Schlager or Country. I am that type of person who listens to the same 5 songs on repeat for half a year before changing up one of them.

If you could be a game character, you would be…?
Definitely something like a necromancer or a mage with ice and black magic spells who looks all nice and shiny

What would you say, is your nerdiest apparel?
My friends got me a Hogwarts Hoodie/Cloak/Blanket thing for my birthday, very comfortable and in the color of my House: ~*+ Ravenclaw +*~

Who are you and what do you do at Chasing Carrots?
Heyho, my name’s Christina (aka Nae), I study computer animation at the FH Salzburg and I’m Chasing Carrots’ current 2D/3D intern! My tasks involve being a Photoshop wizard and summoning the forbidden craft that is painting.

How and why did you become a game developer?
Back in the golden ages (~2014) I discovered and got enchanted by a mysterious games series called “The Legend of Zelda” and that was the point when I made the decision that I simply needed to work on video games. The deeper I dived into the medium, the more amazed I became with the capabilities it possessed and when I got my hands on the game “Journey” all my senses were completely enthralled. The sense of awe and wonder that games can create is unmatched to any medium in my opinion.

What are your all-time favorite games?
I am a sucker for strong art direction and audio design in games, so all of my favourite games have that. To start off: of course, Journey and most of the 3D Zelda games. I also adore the Ori series, Metal Gear Solid, Witcher 3, Undertale, Persona 5, NieR:Automata, The Last of Us and many, many more!

What was your first gaming experience?
Sharing one game boy color with my older sister and playing Super Mario Bros. Deluxe way too much and also some bizarre GBC games like a Sendung mit der Maus platform game. Also: Pokémon and not being able to beat the games myself, so a friend just played through most of it and I just watched, haha.

Who or what is your favorite band/music?
I pretty much listen to anything that is not just radio music as long as it’s good (except for Schlager ò_ó). I love Iglooghost, SOPHIE, K/DA, Grimes, etc. but mostly listen to soundtracks of games, shows and movies. And also lo-fi beats to relax and study to, haha.

What’s your craziest hobby?
I don’t know how crazy this is but I love to go dipping, it’s something a friend and I started where we go for a walk and then put (or dip) our legs into the river but we do this during every season and under every weather condition and I do mean every.

If you could be a game character, you would be…?
Either Link from Breath of the Wild or Ori from The Will of the Wisps, simply because I could never rip myself away from these worlds and continuously wanted to spend more time in them. Ciri from Witcher 3 would be pretty cool, too.

Johanna will be on maternal leave for about 6 months, so we are happy to have Katharina join our team and take over the role of creating concept art, illustrations, 2D magic! One week in, she already proved her skills, and she’s a jolly good fellow to have around. True Carrot Spirit! Now find out what she has to say about herself…

Who are you and what do you do at Chasing Carrots?
Helloooooo! I’m Katharina and I’m mainly responsible for 2D stuff, Illustrations and Concept Art!

What is the best about being a game developer?
Being able to actively shape the user experience! For me it’s obviously especially the art style. And also getting to meet amazing people in the gaming industry. I think the general feel of the industry and the way people work together is very different from other industries. It’s more…cozy and warm

How and why did you become a game developer?
I initially planned on world domination. That plan failed for various reasons, so I decided to strive for the second best thing: becoming a game developer. I got into gaming through my older brother as a kid. We had quite the age gap and it was basically a really nice way to connect and do something together despite the difference.

What did you do before Chasing Carrots?
I studied Media informatics & interactive entertainment, got my bachelor’s degree, proceeded to work as a concept/2D Artist for the mobile gaming developer “Fluffy Fairy Games” (today Kolibri Games) in Karlsruhe on a game called “Idle Miner Tycoon”. After that I worked as a graphic designer for the gaming publisher Kalypso Media Group. So my professional career has always been within the gaming industry. 

What are your all-time favorite games?
The Trine series, League of Legends, Stardew Valley, Ori and the Blind Forest, Portal 2… I don’t know, it’s really hard to choose. Though I actually really prefer multiplayer games because I’m more of a socializer. And I absolutely suck at shooters.

Who or what is your favorite band/music?
That is hard to pinpoint, I like a lot of things! Electro Swing for starters! And also chill old stuff like Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra…you name it. Too many things and directions to count. Whatever makes me happy.  

What’s your craziest hobby?
Creating tiny cute slice-of-life comics on Instagram.

If you could be a game character, you would be…?
Most gaming characters have to fight and die at some point, some even several times. I am not too fond of that. I prefer a relaxed and chill life with not too much trouble so I’d actually go for the rather boring but chill farmer life on Stardew Valley, where my ghost-grandpa silently judges me for whatever I accomplish or… not accomplish

Who are you and what do you do at Chasing Carrots?
Hi, I’m Niklas and I’m the latest intern at Chasing Carrots. I make 3D art, mostly in the realms of hardsurface modeling and texturing. 

How and why did you become a game developer?
I remember that ages ago, I found this tool called Blender and thought to myself “Mhhh why not try looking into this program? I’m not really feeling tutorials right now so I’ll just hop on in and see what I can get done.”. Fast forward about 10 minutes and I had no idea what I was doing and left the program right after. Didn’t pick it back up until at least one or two years after, when I actually decided to follow the (sacred) Blender Guru’s tutorial on how to make an anvil. Exactly. I did NOT start with a donut DO NOT MESS WITH ME. From there on I just kind of kept learning Blender and also other 3D tools later, when I started University. Creating essentially whatever one wants to is just so cool and that, combined with my love for video games really just required me to put two and two together and now luckily, here I am! 

What are your all-time favorite games?
I have a top 15 list but since that’s too long I’ll just pick some from there that I feel particularly fondly about right now: Risen, Fallout: New Vegas, Dark Souls III, The Witcher 3, Modern Warfare 2, Bioshock Infinite, Divinity: The Original Sin 2 and Skate 3. 

What was your first gaming experience?
I’m not 100% sure, but the earliest I can recall is this strange Barbie game that essentially had Crash Bandicoot-like gameplay in an Indiana Jones-like setting. The way I recall it, it was wild. I played that on the one PS1 my family had, which was located at my grandma’s house for some reason. 

Who or what is your favorite band/music?
It’s really really hard to pin this to one artist for me, but if I had to choose I’d probably go with Architects. I really love metalcore but am essentially open to listening to anything! 

What’s your craziest hobby?
I suppose that’d be riding stunt scooters. And that probably sounds so much more rad than it looks when I do it. I’m really not that good but a nice ol’ riding session with friends is always fun. 

If you could be a game character, you would be…?
Ciri, as seen in The Witcher 3. Her powers look so insanely cool and like they’d be really fun to use.

Welcome aboard for the Final Good Company Public Test!

The following FAQ contains additional important information, not only for testers. Please read carefully!

What is the time frame for the Final Public Test?
Participants can play from 18:00 CET (17:00 GMT/UTC) on Tuesday, 10th March until 14:00 CET (13:00 GMT/UTC) on Monday, 16th March 2020.

How can I play the test version of Good Company?
All registered participants receive a key via email on the day the test starts. Please use the Steam client to activate the key and play the game.

Can I use the Steam key for future versions of Good Company?
No. The key is only valid for the time frame mentioned above. It does not give you access to future versions of the game.

Can I share information about the test version publicly?
Yes! There is no NDA. Any form of sharing information about the game is allowed, including streaming and other forms of content creation. If you are planning to stream your playing session, feel free to promote this on our subreddit and on our Discord Server.

How can I share my test feedback with the developers?
Please use our Discord Server, leave your comments on Reddit, or use the Steam Forum.
Additionally, we will send out a survey with questions about your experience playing Good Company via email after the test period has ended.

Is this the final version of Good Company?
No! Good Company is still in development/work in progress. Many elements are subject to change and lots of features are still missing. We will improve Good Company with each version. Please find more details below.

Which languages will be available for the test?
The Public Test version of Good Company is only available in English. Additional language support will be added on Early Access.

What else can I expect from the Final Public Test version?

• Character generation and company branding
• Campaign levels 1-3 (restricted to the first trophy in each)
• Freeplay mode (restricted to the first 2 markets)
• In-game manual containing details about mechanics currently present
• Basic balancing of mechanics currently present
• Core gameplay elements being implemented and playable
  • Setting up a production line
  • Designing product blueprints with product features and drawbacks
  • Assembling products from modules
  • Selling products
  • Employee logistics system to manage production processes
  • Market phases to simulate the aging of a product
  • Limited product part technologies to research
  • Hiring employees and assigning them to tasks
  • Purchasing new facilities
  • A selection of items to decorate facilities
  • Polished environment and assets
  • Sound design and original soundtrack

What shouldn’t I expect from the Public Test version?

• A bug-free playing experience
• A finished set of mechanics and features
• A completely balanced gameplay
• Mid- to end-game playing depth
• Final versions of audio/visual elements
• A Multiplayer mode

If you are unsure about anything, don’t hesitate to ask us via Discord!

So, that’s it for now. We are absolutely thrilled to have you onboard and we hope you enjoy testing Good Company!

Who are you and what do you do at Chasing Carrots?
Hello there! I’m Sophie, the current 3D Art Intern at Chasing Carrots. I mainly create assets for the current game Good Company, as well as support the Team in Unity 3D.

How and why did you become a game developer?
When I first started playing games on a regular basis, I often lost interest in some games, due to restrictions and boundaries. But instead of complaining about it, I thought it is a good idea to change something about it and become a game developer myself! While creating 3D assets and scenes, I now can create whatever I want with the only limitation of my own imagination.

What was your first gaming experience?
Even though it is more casual, the first game I’ve ever played was The Sims 2. I played the game all day long during weekends and holidays and even sometimes woke up at 5 AM in the morning in order to play without my parents noticing it. Until today I still love simulation games of all kinds.

What are your all-time favorite games?
I mostly like more calm and casual games, such as Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, The Sims and Cities Skylines. Those are definitely my all-time favorite games! But the Bioshock franchise with its awesome storyline and AION, the MMO with the most beautiful armor sets, also deserves a special place in my heart.

Who or what is your favorite band/music?
I mostly listen to medieval music, but I also really like a sorts of Punk, Rock or Post Hardcore! Bands like Schandmaul, In Extremo, Rage against the Machine or Subway to Sally are my everyday companions.

What is your craziest hobby?
I am mostly in my bed to watch Netflix, but sometimes I also love to play all sorts of pen and paper games with my friends. And of course, I do a lot of 3D Art in my free time, but since this is also my future job, I would not describe it as super crazy.

If you could be a game character, you would be…?
In my imagination, I would be a strong elven mage with badass spells and armor, since I honestly often try to compensate for my lanky appearance in video games. But in reality, I would probably be some weird NPC that stands around all day and repeats the same 3 generic lines every time the player visits for a quest.

Who are you and what do you do at Chasing Carrots?
Hey, I’m Clara, I’m studying Animation & Game at the University of Darmstadt and I’m the new intern at Chasing Carrots. I am specialized in environment art and level design and I support the art department.

How and why did you become a game developer?
When I thought about what I wanted to do for a living, I was sure I wanted to do something I love and where I could express myself (yeah, I know, such a millennial thinking :D). So I decided for the game industry because developing games has so many different and creative things to offer.

What are your all-time favorite games?
Hollow Knight: Gosh, this is such a good game. Never played it? Go, do it! Now! Stardew Valley: Building up your own farm, getting a nice woman or man. What could I wish more for in my fake life? Tetris: Classic, I know, but man, I love organizing stuff and I just can’t stop.

What was your first gaming experience?
I think the first game I owned was Pokémon Crystal for a Pikachu themed Gameboy Color. Man, I loved this Gameboy! Next, I remember Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for the Gameboy Advance SP. I never managed to play it through, though.

If you could be a game character, you would be…?
I thought about this one a lot, but actually, every game character has to overcome some kind of huge obstacle and that is way too much work. So I would be some NPC (without a quest :D) in an RPG game. Just enjoying my everyday life and constantly grumbling about the hero.

Who are you and what do you do at Chasing Carrots?
Ello! I’m Connor and I am working on the programming side of things here at Chasing Carrots.

Where are you from?
I am from the US originally. I moved over to Germany right after I finished up college in the greater Seattle area.

What is the best about being a game developer?
It’s really hard and it’s very rewarding. A lot of people are very passionate about games and because of that, they are willing to go to some pretty extreme lengths to create some impressive technology and content. Currently, my favorite part about making games is delving into the technology behind them. My favorite subjects related to game development are graphics and audio programming. Basically all the sensory output stuff.

How and why did you become a game developer?
Back when I was 12 / 13 years old, I was very passionate about a game called ModNationRacers on the PS3. It was a kart racing game, but you could make your own tracks, karts, and characters. I got really into making tracks and I eventually got good enough at making tracks that a few of them were included in Hot Lap. Hot Lap was a part of the game everyone in the world would compete to get the fastest time on your track for a full 24 hour day. This game sold me on the idea of creating games for a living and from that point on games became my main focus and passion. Right after finishing high school in the US, I moved to Seattle to attend DigiPen to learn how to make games.

What did you do before Chasing Carrots?
I was a BSCS RTIS (a long acronym that really just means game engine programmer) at DigiPen: Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington, USA. While I was a student there, I also did an internship at SpaceX where I worked on satellite software for a few months.

What kind of games do you like?
I love difficult competitive games. It’s a bit weird, but I love it when a game has a huge skill gap and is generally pretty punishing to players that are completely new to the game. For me, these kinds of games are the perfect playground for me to sink time into to get really good at them and eventually end up being one of the veteran players rather than one of the new players. The feeling of showing off those skills is pretty exciting as well. The first game I did this with was Tribes: Ascend and I have now been doing the same thing with Rocket League for the last 3 years. I enjoy a lot of genres besides this though. RTS, RPG, etc.

What was your first gaming experience?
Around 8 or 9 years old, my older brother introduced me to my first games. I had probably played things before them, but Roller Coaster Tycoon and Starcraft were the games my bro showed me that I fell in love with. I have been a hardcore gamer ever since.

What are your all-time favorite games?
Hmm. All-favorites in the order of time I played them. Roller Coaster Tycoon, Starcraft, Modnation Racers, Sins of a Solar Empire, Tribes: Ascend, Quake, Rocket League.

Who or what is your favorite band/music?
Have you heard of Vulfpeck? You should listen to Vulfpeck. Just remember that I told you to listen to Vulfpeck. Everyone who knows Vulfpeck remembers who showed them the beauty that is Vulfpeck. I am listening to Vulfpeck /// Outro as I write this.

What’s your craziest hobby?
I am very passionate about competitive video games. Before developing games, I played competitive games so much that I was working on becoming a professional player. Even as I moved into developing games, I continued to do this. It’s so much fun becoming a member of one of these communities because you will meet people that are willing to put in thousands of hours just to master simple mechanics in a game. This, of course, results in the extremely impressive gameplay that these players can pull off.

Oh! I also like math a lot. My favorite formula is the Discrete Fourier Transform. It’s pretty cool. It acts as a convenient way to turn any discrete signal into a summation of sinusoidal functions. It’s one of those things that you learn about and then you realize it’s used everywhere.

What would you say, is your nerdiest apparel?
I am not much of a fashion person. I have a Google shirt and a SpaceX shirt. I had a Tribes: Ascend shirt that was supposed to be a jersey for competitive matches that I made when I was playing the game. I think the nerdiest part of my clothes is that I use data structures to decide which clothes I am going to wear on any given day. My pants, shirts, and undies are stored in 3 separate queues and my socks are stored in a heap.

If you could be a game character, you would be…?
Uh. Probably a light Blood Eagle from Tribes. Maybe one of the eggs that sit in the crowds in Rocket League. (^^

Find out more about Johanna in the following interview…

Who are you and what do you do at Chasing Carrots?
Hey, I’m Johanna, but I was also named carrot girl in the lifestream on my first day here. I’m an illustrator and I will do concept art and 2D illustrations at the studio and also help out with some 3D modeling.

Where are you from?
I’m from beautiful Saarbrücken and lived in the Saarland most of my life, but I also loved living abroad during my Erasmus semester in Barcelona.

How and why did you become a game developer?
Creating new worlds with my drawings and contributing to a big piece of art, that people can enjoy is the best about being a game designer. I always wanted to know how all the games I play are being made – and now I’m excited to see how the hard work and creativity of many different people come together in this one big thing. When I stopped my studies in teaching and started out in fine arts some years ago I never thought I would end up here but it finally feels like the right thing to do.

What did you do before Chasing Carrots?
I studied media art and design and worked at the studio peachy360 as an illustrator for educational games and books. Art always has been a big part of my life and have been freelancing on the side since my graduation. This year I took part in a trade fair at the artist alley for the first time, where I sold traditional art and character commissions – I’m planning to do some more next year.

What kind of games do you like?
When I’m not drawing or working, I play a lot of different games. My favorite ones are games with roleplay or strategy elements.

What was your first gaming experience?
Playing Super Mario, Donkey Kong or the super hard Disney games on the Super Nintendo with my cousin at the floor of our living room. We both also loved the sims!

What are your all-time favorite games?
Way too many! I’m a big fan of the games from the studio Klei like “Don’t starve”. I still like a lot of the Nintendo exclusives like Zelda, Animal Crossing or Fire Emblem. A while ago I played pretty much every MMORPG out there but these games take way too much time. Now I play more single player games like Witcher, Skyrim or Ni No Kuni. They still take a lot of time but at least they have an end

Who or what is your favorite band/music?
When I’m working I Listen to a lot of soundtrack or medieval music or electro. But I’m also into indie music and like to got to rock concerts/ festivals.

What’s your craziest hobby?
Probably Larp – Medieval life action roleplay. It’s like being the hero in a video game but in real life!

What would you say, is your nerdiest apparel?
My pixie LARP clothing, my every-week-different-hair-color. Or my huge panda winter hat

If you could be a game character, you would be…?
I would love to be a character with magical powers, because why not if I had the chance So I choose a mage in the world of Skyrim!