Show Us Your Rig: Darkest Dungeon's Tyler Sigman and Chris Bourassa

We've got another double-feature for you on this week's Show Us Your Rig. Last time was with the people behind Double Damage Games, and today we have the co-founders of Red Hook Studios and developers of Darkest Dungeon: Tyler Sigman and Chris Bourassa. The two have very different setups, Tyler with a standing desk and Chris with a Cintiq so big it might tip Tyler's standing desk over. They were nice enough to tell us about what they use to play and make games, what they are playing right now, and more.

What's in your PC?

Tyler Sigman — Co-founder:

Prepare to have your hair blown back:

• Case: Antec P-180 giant silver battleship weight monstrosity (however, this guy has been sturdy as heck and I’ve completed at least one complete rebuild in it).
• Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 550 Ti
• Processor: Intel Core i7-2600 @ 3.40GHz
• Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3
• RAM: 16GB of some sort
• Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts EA 750
• SSD: Corsair Force GT 120GB
• HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200 12 1TB
• OS: Windows 7 64-bit Professional
• Monitor: Dell U2713HM for maximum spreadsheeting
• Special Mention: Logitech G502 Gaming Mouse ß fantastic inertial scroll wheel

Chris Bourassa — Co-founder:

• Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 960 @ 3.20 ghZ
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
• 12GB RAM
• Win7 64 Bit
• A 1 GB hard drive
• A 2 TB portable hard drive
• A mechanical keyboard that I kind of hate because it's so loud.
• A mouse with several buttons, for all my clicking needs.
• A new Power supply that I installed myself. Booyah.
• A WACOM 27HD Touch Cintiq
• Logitech Headphones

What's the most interesting/unique part of your setup?

Tyler: I am right in the middle of converting over to a proper standing desk. I was experimenting with a makeshift version over the past year or so—precariously stacking monitors and keyboards on banker’s boxes—and I really liked being upright. My motorized desk legs (Ergodepot Jarvis) and monitor arms just arrived, so I’m in the process of getting everything mounted.

Chris: The cintiq is great, but having an ensuite bathroom means I get quality time with my 4 year old when he charges in yelling "It's an emergency!"

What's always within arm's reach on your desk?

Tyler: Aside from the usual, right now I have a bunch of my classic Commodore games in a bookshelf right next to me. I like to look at the game boxes and occasionally pull one out and flip through the materials. Design-wise I am still inspired the most from that age of gaming; it’s very nostalgic and the amount of creativity and mechanical experimentation that went on is amazing.

Chris: Reference books, comics, horror DVDs, coffee, and perhaps most importantly, Scotch.

What are you playing right now?

Tyler: I just started up The Witcher 3 and it’s made me painfully aware of how slow my machine is. I may need to get on the upgrade train.

Chris: Not much—development keeps me pretty busy! Lately, when I have a few precious minutes, Dungeon Defenders 2 and a dash of SWTOR have been my go-tos.

What's your favorite game and why?

Tyler: It’s a toss up between Sid Meier’s Pirates!, Below the Root, and Ultima V. I usually answer Pirates! because it’s just an amazing hybrid action-strategy design that also serves as a really immersive and in some ways subversive (to the genre) role-playing game. But the other two games are very close behind in terms of impact. I still get chills listening to the menu music of Ultima V (C-128 version) and the sense of world exploration was just stunning… but it wasn’t too big to fully experience. As for Below the Root—it’s quite unlike anything I’ve ever played… great mechanics (the shuba!) and emotional resonance.

Chris: Going way back here, but Thief 2 is probably my game of all time. It had a great tone and setting, fantastic voice acting, and a tight, interesting story. Perfect stealth, cool scenarios, and so many little secrets and easter eggs that clearing a level was a challenge, and a joy!