Ask Kura Anything V2.0!

[Kura]

Ok! So my last thread was over a year old, and crazily outdated.. so it's time to start a new one.

Again, I'm terrible at introductions, but I'll give this a shot:

My online name is Kura (for my real name, you'll have to do a bit of mooching ;3..) and I'm 25 years old.
I currently reside in the UK- south of London, to be more precise, but I'm originally from Toronto, Canada. I moved over a little over 3 years ago, since I landed a job in games right out of University, and I decided to take the leap and work overseas.
I studied traditional animation at Uni, and now I work full time as a Lead Animator for Sega's Total War Series for PC. The most recent game I've worked on that has been released is Total War: Attila.

Hobbies of mine include drawing, gaming, exploring, food, fitness, and more recently baking. I also have a love for sewing, fashion, and cosplay, but I haven't been able to do the latter for a while since it can be really time-consuming. Crafts, organizing (boring huh?), and j-dramas are some other things I enjoy! Feel free to ask more about them!

And to reflect more on myself.. hmm.. I can be fairly blunt, but it's because I don't like to beat around the bush and I like to be as genuine as possible. I care really deeply for my friends, and I tend to sympathize a lot with others, so if I feel as though I can help them (even if they don't care for advice) I like to share my opinion anyway. I worry a fair bit, but definitely less than a year ago, however I can still be pretty impatient. For that reason, I tend to be really proactive and I can get things done really quickly, despite loving to be lazy!
And for a bit of randomness: My zodiac signs are Scorpio and earth Snake (both of which ring fairly true for me.) I'm 4'10" and petite, and I have a few streaks of blue in my hair :3!

So ask away! I'm up for anything!! And feel free to ask for a random fact about me, too!

GO GO GO!

 

[Nakasu]

I see that you like gaming. What kind of genre do you like the most?

 

[Auticorn]

What's it like living in the UK? :O I've always wanted to travel there!

 

[Chikara]

It's been a while since we talked, years even, however brief. How have you been?

 

[Skip Class]

Despite seeing you around a lot, never really had a chance to talk to you much before, but we have a bit in common!

Do you have any particular favourite game that you've worked on so far? And what's the one thing you enjoy most about being an animator?

Any current cosplay plans/ favourite cosplays that you've done in the past? I remember you made an amazing Lightning cosplay a while back which was honestly amazing! (was too shy to comment back then xD)

What's your favourite j-drama and any j-dramas you've been watching and enjoyed recently?

 

[Kura]

I see that you like gaming. What kind of genre do you like the most?

Easy, long adventure games (or story-based games) with customization. Stuff like Pokemon, Zelda, Tales Series, Animal Crossing, Ace Attorney, Final Fantasty, etc :3 Guess that's a genre right?

What's it like living in the UK? :O I've always wanted to travel there!

Cold and rainy and grey. No seriously! Even in the summers I am freezing! Though, I do love being able to walk everywhere instead of needing to take the car places like you do in Canada.

It's been a while since we talked, years even, however brief. How have you been?

Been alright, thanks! The last few weeks have actually been really rough (emotionally) for me, since I lost someone close to me, but every day it gets better. :3

Despite seeing you around a lot, never really had a chance to talk to you much before, but we have a bit in common!

Do you have any particular favourite game that you've worked on so far? And what's the one thing you enjoy most about being an animator?

Any current cosplay plans/ favourite cosplays that you've done in the past? I remember you made an amazing Lightning cosplay a while back which was honestly amazing! (was too shy to comment back then xD)

What's your favourite j-drama and any j-dramas you've been watching and enjoyed recently?

My favourite game is one that wont be announced or released for at least another year, but the ones that I can mention (NDAs and all that) is Total War: Attila which was announced last week! My second game that has been released! :3
https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/total-war-attila

I did like my Lightning one! Lots of work! You probably haven't seen this one:

Spoiler:

High Priestess of Prophecy from Yugioh :3

Favourite J-drama is a toughie.. I enjoyed Absolute Boyfriend, Densha Otoko (the old one), and Bloody Monday. I'm recently watching Lucky Seven and so far that's been pretty good!

 

[Cura]

I studied traditional animation at Uni, and now I work full time as a Lead Animator for Sega's Total War Series for PC. The most recent game I've worked on that has been released is Total War: Attila.

Stands up and starts clapping. I actually played Total War: Attila and enjoyed it. So tell me, what was your favorite thing when developing TW:A? Or in better terms, what was the most enjoyable thing when development happened.

 

[Kura]

Stands up and starts clapping. I actually played Total War: Attila and enjoyed it. So tell me, what was your favorite thing when developing TW:A? Or in better terms, what was the most enjoyable thing when development happened.

Awesome! So glad you liked the game!
Hmm.. for me it was probably prototyping crossbows (doing the research on how they would load,) looking over a new intern and teaching them the ropes for the cinematics, and learning about general delegation stuff. Also doing some new axe anims was nice! I also learned Unity during that time (but for another project.) It's a bit of a blur because I was on 5 different projects at the same time. I guess though, it's kinda cool when you are the go-to person for everything (but can get a bit overwhelming at times!)
Most annoying thing was when designers (especially new ones) would mess around with the database and give units weapons they aren't supposed to have which then messed with the anims. Drives me crazy!

 

[Cura]

Awesome! So glad you liked the game!
Hmm.. for me it was probably prototyping crossbows (doing the research on how they would load,) looking over a new intern and teaching them the ropes for the cinematics, and learning about general delegation stuff. Also doing some new axe anims was nice! I also learned Unity during that time (but for another project.) It's a bit of a blur because I was on 5 different projects at the same time. I guess though, it's kinda cool when you are the go-to person for everything (but can get a bit overwhelming at times!)
Most annoying thing was when designers (especially new ones) would mess around with the database and give units weapons they aren't supposed to have which then messed with the anims. Drives me crazy!

Its funny in a way, I love to rip games apart to see their data (but leave them playable, of course!) and to learn from what the codes read, what the files are and such. It helps me broaden my knowledge on development cycles and such. Its enjoyable in my opinion to *ahem* 'break' the world for science. :3

 

[Kura]

Its funny in a way, I love to rip games apart to see their data (but leave them playable, of course!) and to learn from what the codes read, what the files are and such. It helps me broaden my knowledge on development cycles and such. Its enjoyable in my opinion to *ahem* 'break' the world for science. :3

Well Total War is great for that because we are totally open to modding. We even have those assembly kits and official forum pages to help you do that.
Funny enough, I like.. know nothing with code. Well, I know how to debug and all that, but when it comes to implementing code I just.. poke the coders for help and get a task in for them to do it. What I do is more art-related and technical in terms of design, using the tools/ setups within the tool, and approach for implementation, rather than being technical with numbers and actual code.

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

Are you currently part of a development for another game after Total War: Attila? If so, then what is it (unless it's a secret project set to be revealed for E3)?

 

[Kura]

Are you currently part of a development for another game after Total War: Attila? If so, then what is it (unless it's a secret project set to be revealed for E3)?

Yes, but unfortunately, I can't say what I'm working on! (Non-disclosure agreements and all that!) Sorry! Feel free to ask me anything else that I'm not legally bound to withhold haha! I don't wanna lose my job!

But I will just say I am super excited for it :3! Muahaha!!~

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

Yes, but unfortunately, I can't say what I'm working on! (Non-disclosure agreements and all that!) Sorry! Feel free to ask me anything else that I'm not legally bound to withhold haha! I don't wanna lose my job!

But I will just say I am super excited for it :3! Muahaha!!~

Alright then, so are there any popular UK museums and/or theme parks in your area?

 

[Kura]

Alright then, so are there any popular UK museums and/or theme parks in your area?

Haha.. er.. Horsham Museum? It's uh.. popular with the kids in this little ol' town..

I guess the closest would probably be London (North of where I am).. where there are loads of pretty cool museums and quite a lot of them are free (like the British Museum and the Tate Modern.) Brighton (South of me) also has some great galleries and a pavilion. I don't know of any real theme parks near me.

In Canada I lived just a bit north of Toronto and like 5 minutes from Wonderland which is a really awesome theme park! I also lived just a few minutes from Pioneer Village (kinda lame for the adults though) and the McMichael Art Gallery which is still really cool to visit, too. Wonderland is the best, though.. I miss it!

 

[Sonata]

I've heard you're into tabletop games as well as video games. How long have you been playing video and tabletop games? Why did you quit playing tabletop? Was it not as enjoyable for you?

What's your favorite Final Fantasy game? Do you like any of the other games that SquareEnix makes/ has made like Kingdom Hearts, The World Ends With You, Bravely Default etc. etc.?

 

[Cura]

I might of asked this before, I can't recall. How is working with SEGA and curious, did you ever meet anyone from Sonic Team?

 

[Alex]

Hi Kura, long-time lurker and fan. I was curious: did you enjoy your time at Sheridan? Do you feel its reputation has followed with you throughout your career, and only helped carry you even further? How do you feel about the latest Sheridan allumni Oscar nominations & winner? Did you live in Oakville while you were studying? If so, did you enjoy it? If not, how was the commute?

I loved going to the A and AA wing cause there was always cool stuff to look at. Typically was more interesting than what was near the Commons or B-wing Tim Horton's.

And if you're curious (I'm sure you are) I'm now graduated from Media Arts and working on a TV show in downtown Toronto. Yay Sheridanites!

 

[Belldandy]

Hi KuKu!

When you were in Canada, where did you travel? I know you're from Toronto :pink_tongue: but how much of Ontario did you visit before moving overseas? Have you been to Ottawa, Montreal, or even as far west as British Columbia?

Also, divulge all the Sega secrets :pink_blush: We can keep a secret! :pink_tongue: Just kidding; I know you can't!

 

[Kura]

I've heard you're into tabletop games as well as video games. How long have you been playing video and tabletop games? Why did you quit playing tabletop? Was it not as enjoyable for you?

What's your favorite Final Fantasy game? Do you like any of the other games that SquareEnix makes/ has made like Kingdom Hearts, The World Ends With You, Bravely Default etc. etc.?

Oh? When did you hear that? I do like them but I haven't played tabletop games in quite a long while. I used to play Yugioh casually, (and pokemon TCG casually too) and back in University I used to play Dungeons and Dragons because our professor was an official D&D game master.
It's not that I particularly "quit" .. it's just difficult to find the time, money, and people when you've moved countries and support yourself. When I see single events like sneak preview tournaments/ tournies when you don't need to have a preset deck for, or one-off times like a random Magic the Gathering night on a Friday with a few workmates, I'll join. But otherwise, my other hobbies and responsibilities take over.

I do like Square Enix's other games. KH and TWEWY are some of my favourites, indeed! I also like Chrono Trigger! I enjoyed FF10 the most IMO, but I never had a chance to play a lot of them (never played 7,8 or 9) and FF3 is really good, too!

I might of asked this before, I can't recall. How is working with SEGA and curious, did you ever meet anyone from Sonic Team?

The Sonic Team? I don't even know what that is.. lol.. but I've met some people from Sega Japan and Sega EU before.. does that count? And I really love my job at CA! :3

Hi Kura, long-time lurker and fan. I was curious: did you enjoy your time at Sheridan? Do you feel its reputation has followed with you throughout your career, and only helped carry you even further? How do you feel about the latest Sheridan allumni Oscar nominations & winner? Did you live in Oakville while you were studying? If so, did you enjoy it? If not, how was the commute?

I loved going to the A and AA wing cause there was always cool stuff to look at. Typically was more interesting than what was near the Commons or B-wing Tim Horton's.

And if you're curious (I'm sure you are) I'm now graduated from Media Arts and working on a TV show in downtown Toronto. Yay Sheridanites!

I did enjoy my time at Sheridan.. but damn was my course ever difficult. I had a lot of nights where I cried myself to sleep because I worried so much about my skill and my future. I don't think its reputation is what it was that followed me- but I certainly took what I learned from there and I apply it to my day to day life (not just the art aspect but personal lessons I've learned in school, too.) I don't know about the latest Sheridan allumni winner- I haven't really been keeping to date- it's been like 3 and a half years since I've been in school, really!
I didn't live in Oakville in my first year and it was a horrible commute! (1 and a half hours each way, sometimes two hours, even!) Horrible! I couldn't even do my homework on the bus because I needed the animation tables for it.. and I would have to go there and work some weekends, too.
I stayed on residence for year 2-4, though. It was alright (I hate how they don't have locks on the door, though) but my last year was terrible because my roommate was this really self-centered, immature, 26 year old who had no respect for anyone and who was dirty (think.. loofa chalked-full of pubes that I had to look at every morning in the shower.. ugh.)
Yeah I like that wing :3 Lifedrawing area is awesome.

Hi KuKu!

When you were in Canada, where did you travel? I know you're from Toronto :pink_tongue: but how much of Ontario did you visit before moving overseas? Have you been to Ottawa, Montreal, or even as far west as British Columbia?

Also, divulge all the Sega secrets :pink_blush: We can keep a secret! :pink_tongue: Just kidding; I know you can't!

Hmm I had been to muskoka, blue mountain, niagara area, montreal, ottawa.. Is cape cod in Canada? I don't remember, haha.. I was there when I was very little. Been up to hudson's bay though! Never travelled anywhere else in Canada, but then again, I may be forgetting smaller places like Kitchener and all that.
:P

Sorry for the delay in the answers! But keep 'em coming! I enjoy them!

 

[Belldandy]

Hmm I had been to muskoka, blue mountain, niagara area, montreal, ottawa.. Is cape cod in Canada? I don't remember, haha.. I was there when I was very little. Been up to hudson's bay though! Never travelled anywhere else in Canada, but then again, I may be forgetting smaller places like Kitchener and all that.

Kitchener, ON isn't small ;-; It's part of a tri-city of like, a million people. It's a pretty nice spot to live, too; my boyfriend went to Wilfrid Laurier in Waterloo, ON for a five years to get his BA. He was raised in the Blue Mountains, though! Very nice area, but lots of lake effect snow. Same as my hometown, but even worse because of its proximity to Georgian Bay and being closer to Lake Huron.

I come from a town near Barrie of 31,000 welfare bums and drug addicts. That's a small city lol

x

Did you ever envision that you would end up in the UK working for Sega? What were you thinking, if not more realistically, you'd be doing with your life before you got that job opportunity?