Unboxing Diogo Silva - Interview
He’s a programmer, additional talent at Cereal Games, and his name is Diogo Silva. He’s been with us since Pecaminosa’s launch and gave us that extra helping hand for the Linux and macOS ports. Get to know more about Silva, on rehab since being offered Call of Duty at age 11. Get to know more about this binary code wolf fooling his tachycardia with strange potions made out of Italian pizza, Crunch cereal, and… coffee!
You came to Cereal Games well close to the launch of Pecaminosa - A Pixel Noir Game. How did you live that moment?
I think I’ve lived the moment as if I had been present since day one. The nervousness and the anxiety that could be felt as the launch day drew closer, was contagious and every one of us was anxious to see how people reacted, but it was also a very gratifying experience to experience a game’s launch. As I was helping the dev team, the nervousness ramped further due to the bugs that might surface after launch, but nothing that couldn’t be handled without a few hours of sleep.
As you know, it is customary for team newcomers to go for a spin on Pecaminosa. What most impressed you in Pecaminosa?
What most impressed me was the ambiance that was able to be achieved within the game. Keeping in mind I’ve never had a personal interest in pixel art games, this was, without a doubt, a surprise, that managed to enthrall me through the combination of the art present in the game as well as the soundtrack. The game provides a pleasant experience for the player once he is resting between boss battles.
But not everything is a bed of roses… You arrived just in time to have a pivotal role in the development of our web platform and our Linux and MacOS ports (you’re just a smidgen away from having our respect…). What was your favorite thing to work on and what gave you the most trouble?
It’s true… not everything was a bed of roses. What I liked working on most was undoubtedly the Linux and macOS ports, because it is gratifying to know that our game will be available for all operating systems, and through this, reach many more people, even though the MacOS port have been plenty to work with, along with taking long enough for us to grab 3 coffees, which happens to be the minimum for a programmer to function. A few more changes to the code were necessary and those were just a minor “setback” towards making the game available, but everything was sorted out through great effort.
"Crunch are my daily dose of gasoline to tackle a day’s work and to everyone who’s a fan of this kind of cereal will surely remember the ad where each spoonful of Crunch gives unnatural strength and energy, destroying everything in its path."
Alert: cereal are very defining of a person’s character. Pick one that best defines you as a professional?
Well, Crunch is, without a doubt, the kind of cereal that best defines me. They’re my daily dose of gasoline to tackle a day’s work and to everyone who’s a fan of this kind of cereal will surely remember the ad where each spoonful of Crunch gives unnatural strength and energy, destroying everything in its path. As a professional, I feel that “astronomical” strength and energy is what defines me best, because I try my hardest to give out the necessary effort to get the job done and I destroy, figuratively of course, because my PC is my breadwinner, the challenges and problems that keep popping up. Without some nice Crunch spoonfuls, that wouldn’t be possible.
The girlfriend is spending the day with her friends, stores are closed, you’ve got enough for a Francesinha or a Pizza (truly Italian pizza)… The conditions are perfect! What game are you playing?
Right now the choice wouldn’t be hard at all, só I’d lean toward the game I’ve been playing the most this year: Destiny 2. After taking a break of almost 2 years from the game, I returned this year and we can say I came back with a bang. With those conditions, I’d definitely squad up with my clan and we’d go have fun on a raid trying to get the loot we always wanted… And the problem lies after: what to do next? Destiny 2, as a team game, reminds me of the teamwork that we also carry out at Cereal Games, where everyone is a key part towards achieving a common goal.
"I'd always been a good student until this time, and so, after talking with my parents, I had to make the decision of dialing my play time back. I'm still a huge fan of CoD, but I don't spend 14h a day playing it, as I once did."
Was there any game that got you so hooked that you had to put a stop to it?
I'd be lying if I said no. At the time I was 11 years old, and then Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 came out. I asked my parents to buy it for me as a gift, which I think my parents ended up regretting... I started playing and I saw I could handle myself well. From then on, I would buy the new CoD every year. The biggest problem was on Modern Warfare 3, when I started making friends and started playing with the same people. It came to a point where we were a competitive team, we won some tournaments and the vision of a professional player didn't seem so distant then. However, I'd always been a good student until this time, and so, after talking with my parents, I had to make the decision of dialing my playtime back. I'm still a huge fan of the franchise, but I don't spend 14h a day playing it, as I once did.
You’re in a project working on software development as well as a super-mega secret project that is challenging you to learn a new game engine. You think you’ll live to be 40 or do you think the tachycardia is gonna get the best of you?
That’s a great question. I’ve been more hopeful, but with all the problems we face day-to-day, making us want to jump off the window and the amount of coffees I take só I don’t fall asleep at the keyboard, I think the tachycardia is gonna win at the end... hahaha.
"I know it’s something that distances itself from what Cereal Games usually makes, but I’d like to do something in 3D (...) I think it’s best to keep our coffee inventory well stocked, because it is gonna take a lot of it."
What kind of project would you like to see Cereal Games start? Something we haven’t done, and neither did you, that you’d love to see happen?
I know it’s something that distances itself from what Cereal Games usually makes, but I’d like to do something in 3D. I know that would demand great effort from the whole team, but I know we’ve got more than enough quality to undertake a project of that kind, and if that ever becomes a reality, I think it’s best to keep our coffee inventory well-stocked, because it is gonna take a lot of it.
