hey I know the guy that made this, heres da interview 8)
Stephen Rippy Interview Stephen Rippy is the lead music engineer for Ensemble Studios. His works include all of the Age of Empires Series games. Conducting the interview is our own KingKerry from the forums. aoe2.com
KingKerry: What is your favorite RTS music out of all RTS games?
Stephen Rippy: Hmm. To be honest, I very seldom play RTS games outside of ours. I will say that "Grim Fandango" has some great music, as does "The Sims."
KingKerry: If it wasn't for Kevin McMullan do you think their would be civ intros
Stephen Rippy: Well, all of the civ intros for "Age 2" were done before Kevin was hired, so I think it's safe to say "yes." His stuff for "The Conquerors" was great, though, so we're glad he's here ;-)
KingKerry: How did you learn all those instrutments?
Stephen Rippy: I had piano lessons for a few years when I was a kid, and everything else I've just taught myself. It\'s pretty easy to do when you're around instruments all the time - a lot of skills carry over.
KingKerry: What is your favorite instrument?
Stephen Rippy: I think I listen first to drums and bass when I hear a recording, but I most enjoy playing keyboards.
KingKerry: What college did you go to?
Stephen Rippy: The University of Texas at Austin.
KingKerry: Who is was your role model? Stephen Rippy: Wow - way too many to consider. Musically, I'll say Peter Gabriel for his innovation, Neil Finn for his expression, and Prince for his productivity.
KingKerry: Were you ever nervous when you first started working for ES?
Stephen Rippy: Nah - my employment with ES occurred very gradually. When I first started doing "AoE" music as a college student, we never expected it to be so huge... By the time I was full-time, it was pretty much second nature.
KingKerry: What is your favorite videogame?
Stephen Rippy: The great and timeless Star Wars arcade game - sit down version. KingKerry: Have ya'll started making the music for Age of Mythology? Stephen Rippy: Yep.
Kevin and I have been working on it for almost a year now.
KingKerry: Are we gonna expect better command taunts in Age of Mythology?
Stephen Rippy: :-) Those taunts were made by ES employees, so you'd have to ask them.
KingKerry: How many people does it take to make RTS music?
Stephen Rippy: Well, we've usually had two people. First, it was my brother David and me - now of course, it's Kevin and me. I did "Age 2" pretty much by myself, though, so I guess the answer would be "it depends."
KingKerry: Why did the ES music team switch from .mid to .mp3?
Stephen Rippy: All of our games so far have relied on music that streams from the CD - we originally included MIDI files for multiplayer (on Age 1, you didn't have to have the CD in to play the game) and the demo versions that are released on the Web. We've switched to Mp3's because we can do more music (and also manipulate it in the game) without losing the sonic quality of CD audio.
KingKerry: Can we expect "live band music" in Age of Mythology?
Stephen Rippy: Sort of. There is a lot of live playing, but it doesn\'t sound like a band.
KingKerry: What is your favorite soda pop?
Stephen Rippy: Being a Georgia boy, I\'d have to say "Coke."
KingKerry: Do you play RTS games? if so what civs do you use?
Stephen Rippy: I only play ours, really. I liked the Mayans in "The Conquerors."
KingKerry: What do you think the future of RTS music is?
Stephen Rippy: The future will bring us greater interactivity - the music will better respond to what's happening onscreen.
KingKerry: What is your favorite sport/sports?
Stephen Rippy: Umm...darts?
KingKerry: Whew we are done with this portion of the interview *sigh* so did you like it so far?
Stephen Rippy: Yep. Good stuff.
KingKerry: What is your favorite color?
Stephen Rippy: I've always liked black.
KingKerry: What type of car do you drive?
Stephen Rippy: Honda Accord.
KingKerry: What is your favorite food?
Stephen Rippy: Oh, I don\'t know. Depends on the weather.
KingKerry: Do you have kids? if so what are their names?
Stephen Rippy: No, no kids yet. I'm content with my nephew and nieces for now.
KingKerry: How big is your house?
Stephen Rippy: It's not built yet, so right now it's pretty small. And see-through.
KingKerry: How did you and your brothers get into the music biz?
Stephen Rippy: Chris and I each played in bands all through junior high, high school, and college, while David sort of taught himself how to record at home. In those kinds of situations, you just accumulate a lot of skills over time out of neccessity. The experience we gained was what allowed us to be able to do sound and music for "Age of Empires" when the opportunity arose, even though we\'d never done games before. (That being said, it was a great leap of faith for Tony Goodman to let us give it a shot...)
KingKerry: How much money do you make a year?
Stephen Rippy: ;-) No comment on that one.
KingKerry: When ES has parties do they play RTS music?
Stephen Rippy: Nope. Chris, David, Kevin, and I have been known to whip out the odd cover tune or two if there are instruments available, though.
KingKerry: When you were young did you and your brothers fought alot?
Stephen Rippy: We didn't fight too much... maybe over who got to play Atari next. KingKerry: When do you plant to retire?
Stephen Rippy: Goodness! I'm only 25!
KingKerry: How many awards has the ES music team has won?
Stephen Rippy: I think we got an award from some website for "AoE" way back in the day, but none that I know of since then.
KingKerry: I read an article at ES why did you choose the Fort Worth zoo instead of the Dallas Zoo?
Stephen Rippy: Fort Worth had more of the type of stuff that we were looking for.
KingKerry: Do you ever eat out at restaurants in Fort Worth and Dallas? (A suggestion eat at Massey's when you are in Fort Worth.)
Stephen Rippy: Yeah, we do our share of eating out. Thanks for the tip - always up for something new!
Kerry Jones
Chief Executive Officer
HQ Media Force, Inc.