Free Deception City: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 5) by Mitchell T. Jacobs Page B

“Designing something that will work without overcomplicating it or reinventing the wheel. Too many designers are caught up in making their project special, making it their own, and they forget the most important thing. The technology has to function correctly, above everything else.”
    “That was my goal.”
    “And I would say it worked out beautifully,” Starvos told him. “Which brings me to my reason for meeting with you today. We’re in the process of assembling a production team for our next project, and I’d like you to be on it.”
    “What sort of project?” Zach asked, trying gain time to collect his thoughts.
    “We would like to broaden our horizons with another virtual world game. World at War remains quite popular, but there are other demographics that the game won’t appeal to. We would like to create another MMO with the expressed purpose of reaching those demographics. A fantasy themed one.”
    “I see.”
    “We are in the infant stages of preproduction. At this point, we don’t have a full team assembled, a name, or even anything more than a basic concept. But everything must start somewhere, and the best creations are those built with love and care. Finding people who can create that way is of the utmost priority. I would like you to be a part of the development team.”
    Zach felt the shock rush over him. He rated himself as a fairly decent programmer, but had shove that aside now that his work involved the study of World at War Online. And now it was coming back to him, with the president of the company making a personal recruitment pitch to him. Zach didn’t know quite what to think.
    The obvious question popped into his head. “What about the study?”
    “You’ll be a part of that as well,” Starvos told him. “I’m recruiting you because of the study, in fact. You’ve been a part of the various parts of World at War. You know what it’s like inside of the world, and you know what it took to build all those elements. You’re not going to be involved in the day to day aspects. Your role will to be a production manager of sorts, making sure all the various systems fit together.”
    Zach frowned. “I’ve never had a position like that before…”
    “Which means you won’t be inclined to follow the book,” Starvos nodded. “You’ll bring your own perspective to the project, with a mind for both the technical aspects and viewpoint of a player. I believe that will be our driving force for success. I also believe you’re more capable of leadership than you might think.”
    Zach nodded, but his mind still spun. So much had been dumped on him at once. How was he going to straighten it all out, let alone make a decision?
    “I don’t need an immediate answer,” President Starvos told him. “Like I said before, we’re in the early stages of preproduction. We won’t be ready to start for at least six months, probably a year. But I would sincerely like you to consider it, because I definitely want you on the team.”
    “Can I have time to decide?” Zach asked.
    “Of course. Bear in mind this isn’t common knowledge, so I would like you to keep this to yourself, if at all possible. Of course, I know it might slip to an individual or two. Miss Cleary, for example…”
    Zach cleared his throat in embarrassment.
    President Starvos smiled. “I’m aware that it will probably slip, and there’s no helping that. But please make sure that you keep this to as few people as possible.”
    “I will,” Zach agreed.
    All he could think is that he needed a drink right now.
----
    T he drink came courtesy of lunch with Nora. They headed to a pub after their session with Elysium had finished.
    “So you’ve been recruited to join the development team of another virtual world MMO?” Nora asked.
    “That’s the gist of it, yeah,” Zach confirmed before taking another drink. The initial shock of the meeting had faded away, but he still remained lost. What was he supposed to do?
    “And he