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Baldur's Gate II Developer Profile: Chris Mann
August 02, 2000


In addition to many awards as best RPG and best game of 1998, Baldur's Gate won numerous accolades for its gorgeous artwork, naturally leading to high expectations for the sequel in both areas. While only a few game areas have been shown, observers who have seen advance builds of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amnare virtually unanimous in stating that it will look even better. Most have cited the availability of full-screen mode and 800x600 resolution as major factors in this regard, but it's also true that the art team and the quality of their work has matured with experience over the course of creating the original game, the expansion pack and now the sequel.

Chris Mann is one of the BioWare artists charged with the vital task of creating the visuals and making them memorable. With development having entered the final stages leading to release this fall, possibly in September or October, you'll be able to see his work and the entire art team's fairly soon. In our series of Baldur's Gate Developer Profiles, we've had the chance to find out about many team members and their backgrounds. Today, we are pleased to introduce Chris Mann who offers some insights on himself, his job, how he got it, his background as a gamer and more.

What is your position on the Baldur's Gate II team, and what are your major functions and responsibilities does this involve?
My position on the team is that of artist. My duties consist of in-game and cut scene character and monster models. I am also creating the new spells to be used in the game.

What's your background as a gamer? When and how did you become interested, and what kinds do you tend to enjoy?
From about the age of 12, I was a frequent denizen of the local arcades, fascinated by the virtual worlds contained within the boxes. I have owned a C64, Atary ST 500, and a powermac, the latter two being used mostly for games, such as Pirates!, Loom, Gunship, Falcon and Leisure Suit Larry. I enjoy games that make you get involved at more than the twitch level, such as well-written adventure games, but that also balance some action into the equation.

What have you played recently, and are there any games you're especially looking forward to playing?
Recently I have played Quake III, Age of Empires, Thief: The Dark Project, Starcraft and Soul Calibur. The games I am most looking foreword to playing are Halo, Shen Mue and Veronica Code Red.

What is your professional background in terms of education, training and previous jobs? How did you get into the games industry, and do you feel making games has lived up to your expectations?
A year ago I made the decision to go to college for an eight-month accelerated course in 3D graphics. I had been working as a traditional artist before this, which helped me produce my vision for my demo reel. BioWare came down recruiting, and here I am.

Working in the games industry has met my expectations very well. I love the creative and casual atmosphere, and the best part is actually making a living doing what I want.

What are the best and worst parts of your job, and what are the biggest challenges?
The best part is the casual atmosphere in which we work; everyone is working towards this common goal, which is the release of the game. The worst part would be not having enough time to finish an assignment properly, and that would be the biggest challenge, to do the best job possible within the time allowed.

What kinds of activities, hobbies and other interests do you enjoy away from the job?
I enjoy martial arts and Japanese animation.

We don't know if he did, but it sounds like Chris would be a good person to create the martial arts-oriented Monk character in the game. In any case, we thank him for sharing this information about himself and his role in creating this very hotly anticipated game. And we invite you to watch for further Developer Profiles introducing more of the talented people who create our favorite games.

Richard Aihoshi - "Jonric"