Show Your Rig Interviews

A series of interviews focusing on the gaming rigs of game developers from PC Gamer has recently come to my attention thanks to a number of installments that feature RPG developers, including Obsidian’s chief creative officer Chris Avellone, Pillars of Eternity’s project lead Josh Sawyer, Divinity: Original Sin designer Farhang Namdar, and The Elder Scrolls Online designer Nick Konkle. Obviously features like this are more of a curiosity than anything, but I certainly don’t see anything bad with a break from charged opinion pieces, interviews and reviews once in a while.

Here’s a snippet on one of Namdar’s home PCs:

My home shooter PC:

Motherboard – GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3

CPU – QuadCore Intel Core i5-2500K, 3400 MHz

HDD – Crucial M4-CT128M4SSD2, Samsung 1 TB

Cooling – Scythe Mugen 3

Memory – 8 GB Kingston DDR3 1333 Mhz

Video – MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III Power Edition/OC 2 GB

Power Supply – XFX Core Edition 650W

Case – Cooler Master CM STORM ENFORCER

Displays – Samsung SyncMasterSA300

This setup can be seriously over clocked but I never needed to. Also this is the PC I do most of my intimate gaming on, stuff you need a headset for, mostly shooters and such. It’s at a desk in my house making it a bit more serious, so all business related things happen on this PC as well.

My home HTPC/multiplayer PC:

Motherboard – ASRock H67M-GE/HT

CPU – Intel Core i3 2100 processor 3100 MHz

HDD – Crucial M4-CT128M4SSD2, Samsung 1 TB

Cooling – Scythe Shuriken

Memory – 8 GB Kingston DDR3-1333 (667 MHz)

Video – XFX AMD HD 6950 2GB

Power Supply – Cooler Master G550M

Case – SilverStone SUGO SG02B-F

Displays – Panasonic Viera Plasma 52

This setup started as an HTPC just to view movies, general surfing and such. It was always meant to be connected to the Plasma TV to provide additional functionality, ease of use and entertainment (The PS3 was falling short in every department). I managed to get an AMD 6950 for 50 bucks off a colleague and an extra PSU. Now this setup provides multiplayer fun on the PC, there are four Xbox 360 joypads attached to it and an additional SFIV Tournament Edition Arcade Stick. Trying to relive the old multiplayer feeling in the living room. There are plenty of fun four player games out there. This PC is also the car simulator, there is a Logitech G25 steering wheel mounted on a Playseat connected to this PC.

And a look at Chris Avellone’s desk:

What’s the most interesting/unique part of your setup?

The surroundings. And I can’t wait for the Marvel Infinity figures (Hulk, especially.) I set up my workspace because I like character models and character designs. So I collect a lot of action figures. A lot. I don’t appreciate them enough, or for the right reasons. Usually, I find I buy an artist’s variation on an iconic character and seeing the new spin they’ve done on the character (like the Arkhamverse figures – those I keep close by because I like the jolt of seeing the “traditional” costumes of these characters from comics bent in new ways – and same with the Ame-Comi figures, where the redesign of Huntress, Robin, Poison Ivy, Batgirl, and Raven really stand out). These figures are a not-so-subtle reminder you can visually change your perspective on a “set and established” character for the better. It’s another reason I’m waiting for the Disney Marvel Infinity figures because they break down the look of the Marvel universe into a few essential visual characteristics, and that’s always a great exercise for any artist or designer.

I have LEGO partly because I grew up with LEGO, I love dumping them on the floor and building craziness, and also for the reasons above – the variations they can make in personalities and the interpretation of established characters with simple connection principles is pretty amazing. Also, it’s kind of fun to make picture comics posing the LEGO figures to tell a snapshot story with my friends, which I sometimes share them on Facebook, and there’s so many tiny props with each LEGO figure that you can tell a surprisingly wide range of stories without a word.