Team Focus – TheFeelTrain Feb 8 - TheFeelTrain

Q: Who are you and what do you do for Installation 01?

A: I am TheFeelTrain, also known by my given name Eriq Strasen. I developed and maintain the website you’re reading this on and write or edit most of these updates. I also created the game’s launcher and programmed the game’s API for communication between the database and the game itself. Basically I make sure your profile, achievements, stats, etc. actually work.

Q: This website looks familiar, what gives?

A: I have actually written the whole thing from scratch. However, since our goal is to be an artistic tribute to the classic Halo games, it only makes sense that our site reflect that. I really love Bungie's current website, so I have been basing our design on a lot of what they've done. I've been digging through Web Archive and taking a look at the old Bungie.net and how it's changed over the years as well. Some of our pages build on that classic style. If you look hard enough, there are some easter eggs for the old school Bungie fans :)

Q: How did you get brought on to the team?

A: I was actually picked up by Alex (TheChunkierBean) when he needed a web guy and he saw my work on ElDewrito. I designed the main menu for that mod. Eventually I expanded into doing most of Installation 01’s database-driven features.

Q: So you’ve been doing this for a long time?

A: Yeah, I’ve been a web developer for 8 years actually. I run my own web design, development, and hosting company ERIQ.CO on the side. I’ve created many different things over the years. Some of them were boring like the insurance website that got me started, but I continued on to build an entire social network, some JavaScript games, and interfaces like ElDewrito’s or my latest project Cemu UI.

Q: You’re clearly very passionate about web development. Has it always been that way?

A: Pretty much. When you’re growing up, people always ask you want you want to be. I am exactly what I want to be when I grow up. I always wanted to make games, and as I went into the world of web development I didn’t think it was possible to combine the two. Installation 01 lets me do just that, and it’s amazing. Especially coming from the mess that was ElDewrito’s dev team organization.

Q: You mentioned that ElDewrito’s dev team was unorganized. How does it compare to Installation 01?

A: Installation 01 is actually a legitimate game development studio. We’ve got actual company hierarchies, with project and department leads. Everybody has their set jobs and knows what they’re doing, and the team is well-defined. ElDewrito never really had that kind of structure. TheChunkierBean is a fantastic manager and makes sure we stay within our skillsets. We’ve got everything, from programmers to composers to sound engineers to 3D modelers. It’s crazy.

Q: In a single sentence, describe what it’s like to work at Installation 01.

A: Imagine living in a commune where everyone loves what they do and does their all for the community, but instead of growing hemp and playing hacky sack, you are making a kick ass video game and playing hacky sack.

Q: Any advice for aspiring applicants looking to get in on the hacky sack action?

A: As long as you have something awesome to offer to the team, you have a good chance of becoming a part of it. We’re always in need of talented individuals to help us create our masterpiece. If you have some design or Unity programming experience and want to join up, don’t hesitate. Just be ready to dedicate a huge amount of time and passion.

Big thanks to TheFeelTrain for taking time out of his busy schedule to fit in a few words for Team Focus this week. If you've just read through his thorough question and answer session and believe you have the skills to contribute to Installation 01 (and you have a decent portfolio to show us), please hit us up at our Jobs page. We're hiring.