DEVELOPER'S BLOG

Meet Petr

Hey, Petr. Please, tell us a bit about yourself...

My parents were huge tech fans back in the 90s and always wanted to have the best possible PC on the market on which they could do their taxes and play games in their free time. Given that their free time was almost non-existent, my brother and I would play on the PC instead of them. And boy, we played so much. As time progressed, we ended up playing in numerous eSports teams and competing in various tournaments. Sadly, at that time pro gaming wasn't such a big deal and striking a good second place would not even cover your expenses.

Video is also a passion of mine from childhood. We used to run around with a camcorder recording so many random things, making our fake TV shows, advertisements, etc. Being so closely tied with gaming, we started producing our own fragmovies and gaming videos — that was around 2006. I absolutely loved it and kept doing it, to this very day.

Can you tell us a random fact about yourself...

I broke my ankle the day after I told my girlfriend that I have never had a fracture before.

What was your first positive interaction with video games, that you can remember?

Me (on the right side) playing Prince of Persia with my brother — always taking turns. I was 3 years old at that time. I remember us trying to beat all the levels, but I'm not really sure if we managed to finish it at that time.

And your most memorable video game moment?

My most memorable moment is definitely the experience I had at the ESL One Cologne 2016 CS:GO tournament. The completely sold out stadium overwhelmed me. A few years ago we were competing for LCD's and mouse pads, and now we have tournaments where people compete for millions of dollars. At that time, I was there as a content creator, and meeting all my friends who I record videos with there was also an experience.

What's your all-time favourite video game? And what sort of game do you like to play generally?

The competitive aspect of gaming is what I enjoy, so I tend to play games like Counter Strike and Dota. However, if I want to sit back, relax, and enjoy something it's World of Warcraft; although now it feels watered down, so I'm looking forward to the hardcore Classic experience. Diablo is also something that I've sunk thousands of hours into. Generally, I'm playing everything that sparks my interest. It honestly does not matter which genre it is — I have a few hundred games in my library and plenty of them are forever in my heart. Borderlands 3 is the next title on my list and I'm secretly hoping that Valve is going to learn to count to three.

What’s the worst — or most memorable — bug you’ve come across in a video game?

Pushing games to their limits is so much fun for me. For example, back in the Call of Duty 4 days you could jump, bounce, and pixelwalk to parts of the map that are normally unreachable. Same goes for World of Warcraft. Reaching locations where you aren't supposed to be is so much fun and there are so many of them in the game. The bucket trick in Skyrim, and physics bugs in general, are really hilarious. Bunnyhopping to be multiple times faster than walking speed in games like Quake is also something memorable for me, however, that's more of a feature than a bug.

What's your favourite movie, TV show, and/or book?

Pulp Fiction is one of my most favorite movies and Tarantino's work in general is something that I admire. I was also mind-blown by Avengers: Endgame; I can't imagine the amount of work that was put into this. The Eric Andre Show is genius; it has completely no boundaries and I absolutely love it, but it is definitely not for everyone. Red Dwarf is one of the classics that I like and Black Books is also hilarious. I find it hard to find time to just sit down and read books; usually it's my thing to go for in public transport. Currently, I'm reading StarCraft: Evolution — fantasy in general peaks my interest and Warcraft lore is something that I want to read through soon.

And your go-to music playlist is...?

My music taste is really diverse. I enjoy a lot of music styles as long as the music has something to it. To name few of my favorite artists: Infected Mushroom, The Prodigy, Hedflux, Stoned Jesus, Jeremy Soule, Pendulum, and Ghost. The list goes on as I listen to music pretty much all day long. Here is link to my playlist on Spotify if you are interested.

So, as a Video Artist, what do you do?

Generally, I make gameplay trailers, update videos, or developer diaries for our games. I also handle the majority of our live streams as that is something that I have quite a lot of experience with from my past projects. Everything starts with a video request from publishing; we discuss what is needed to be shown in the video and then I sit down and try to prepare some sleek storyboard. We start working on the project once we are happy with the idea. Preparing scenes, setting up cameras, capturing, editing, polishing... No project is the same — different games have different controls and possibilities of what you can do in them, and some projects take much more time than others.

What do you think are the most important skills / traits to have for someone in your position?

Passion for what you do and commitment to your projects. The ability to receive feedback from others is also something you should be able to do. People tell you what they would change about your baby and it is hard to digest, at least when you are not used to it, but these changes are worth trying if you have the time for it. You should be able to adapt your work to the situation that you are in. Sometimes you just can't realize the idea that you had as it is impossible to pull off. Often you are working with an unfinished version of the game so you have to hack it to your will.

What has been your favorite video project that you have worked on and made within Bohemia Interactive? Also, any sneak peak on any future ones coming soon? ;) (@FriendlyInTisy)

This is DayZ - Gameplay Trailer. I'm really proud of it. We spent a lot of time on this project with all involved, rewriting the script, and recording hundreds of takes. The audio team had to come up with music that we required, record the voice over, and mix everything together. My main goal was to show the experiences that the game has to offer to people who had never played it before. And we managed to do all of this in a pretty short time frame. The feedback from our community was pretty warm and that is something which brings a smile to my face. I would love to share some sneak peak, but I can't show you anything until it is released. Apologies!

How do you keep your passion and creativity alive for your work, and what would you recommend for someone to follow in your career path? (@Rhyslos)

I'm passionate about gaming and video creation, so that is something that I've never had a problem with. But sometimes it is hard to be creative and come up with ideas. When I'm working on a single project for a longer period of time — watching it over and over — I just don't see the things that I could polish and make better. It really helps to take a break from it for few days, work on something else if possible, and then return to it later on with clear mind. Creativity comes with your experiences. Watch movies, trailers, TV shows, travel around the world, read books, play games, and visit museums and art galleries. The more things you know, the more ideas you have! My recommendation is to practice, learn from your mistakes, and keep doing it. Once you are confident with your work, don't be afraid to take the extra step to apply for a job.

Can we expect any live action videos recorded in DayZ, showcasing what is possible in this game? (The animated stuff is great, but stuff like scars are not possible in-game although depicted in the latest video.) (@boydy_73)

Live action from DayZ sounds like a great thing to have; maybe we will do something like this in the future... I agree that the animated stuff was great — the video artist behind it, Vladimír, put his blood and sweat into it and it definitely paid off. I'm proud of him and proud of the team of people that I'm working with in general.

What do you enjoy about your job, and game development in general?

I enjoy the creative aspect — every day at the job is different. One day I'm capturing and editing video, the next day I'm handling a live stream of DayZ, then helping with motion capture, and so on... There is always some new experience that I get to enjoy, such as riding in a tank, being on top of the Transmitter that is featured in our games, and much more! People in game development are usually people with the same interests as I have, so there is always something to talk about, and the atmosphere is really friendly here. If we work on something and if we really have to give the project a final push, everyone gives their maximum to push it to the final line. People are passionate about what they do, and that is something that isn't present in some industries.

Is there anything else you're currently working on in your spare time?

I always have something to work on but sadly time is a scarce resource. I want to restart my YouTube channel so I'm currently thinking of the style and type of videos that I want to produce. I'm also partnered on Twitch where I want to produce some great live content. Everything is only in the planning stage, so it will take some time to polish all the details. I'm keeping my followers updated on my social media, but feel free to contact me there regarding anything you want.

To finish, tell us one of Petr's Top Tips...

Don't neglect mods, especially multiplayer mods. I've had my most memorable moments messing around with people from all over the world in them, and mods definitely make the best gaming experiences.

Our next Featured Bohemian is right around the corner, so keep an eye on our social media pages for the latest updates. But until then, feel free to learn more about working at Bohemia Interactive by checking out our Careers Page – we may just have the perfect job opening for you. Until next time...

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