Q. What sort of tools (calculators, builders, spreadsheets, etc.) do you use to plan your characters? (Answer!)
A. I will write down stats and compare things, but I am very much against using spreadsheets. I have this saying "Playing the spreadsheets" which describes when I personally think people are going overboard on items. If you can't see an item is an upgrade by any other means than using a spreadsheet, then its not worth worrying over. <BR><BR> I will, however, use a trait/feat builder to see how things work out.
Q. Have you ever had a memorable real-life meeting with other gamers? (Answer!)
A. Well many of my MMO companions have been real life friends and family, so I guess I have. I have not met with people I have played with outside of game if I didn't already know them. I'm not adverse to it, i just haven't done it.
Q. Other than your console or PC, what is the piece of hardware you can't live without? (Answer!)
A. My 2003 Warwick Bleach Blonde 4string bass
Q. What is the most overlooked or misunderstood game? (Answer!)
A. LOTRO completely. No matter how many "game of the year" or "MMO instance design of the year" awards it gets, or how many cool and streamlined features they add, they just can't seem to keep players. It boggles my mind really and makes me rethink humanity.
Q. What do you love or hate about PVP? (Answer!)
A. I generally hate RVR and static control points. Battle ground arena type stuff I do not like either. <BR> <BR>
I like open world PVP where you can speak to those you fight, and where you can build and destroy cities/keeps. With no sense of loss, I just can't find myself caring about fighting for something. If my keep is going to be there tomarrow, then I just don't care about defending it today.
Q. If you could cancel any online game, which would it be? (Answer!)
A. None. I would cancel WoW so that there would be 10 million people dispersed throughout the genre to help it grow, but the path to hell is paved with good intentions. Blizzard is where its at for a reason and I harbor no ill will toward Blizzard like I do with SOE.
Q. What are your thoughts on player-made mods/addons for games? (Answer!)
A. It was all really fun at first, but because of the strict control on stuff like this I ended up hating it. I hate having a UI all planned out and then having to redo it at a patch. I hate Damage meter reports because it just encourages people to be reckless. I hate "required" mods like CTRaid because I hate being told what to do. <BR> <BR> Its good that its in, now they need to make it more user friendly.
Q. What is your first computer or video gaming memory? (Answer!)
A. My cousins renting a NES from a Rent-to-own store and seeing Super Mario Brothers played on it.
Q. What are the specs on your gaming rig? (Answer!)
A. It was freakin' awesome 4 years ago haha. Well, it can still keep up with Crysis on Medium, so its still not that bad. <BR> <BR>
AMD 3400+ OC'd to 3800+ levels. ATI 3850 AGP(my only option, I hate ATI), 2 gigs of ram.
A. Yes, but only when absolutely needed
Q. Have you ever had a romantic encounter with someone you met in a game? (Answer!)
A. Nope. I guess I wouldn't be adverse to it... but I don't see it happening.
Q. What music do you like to play games to? (Answer!)
A. Usually heavy rock. Pantera, Mudvayne, High on Fire, Mastodon. Anything that gets me in the mood to tear into shit.
Q. When do you play, including timezone? (Answer!)
A. ... wow umm... well I'm EST, but I guess I could be playing at absolutely any time of day. The least likely being 7am-9am.
Q. What are your favorite tabletop (RPG, board, miniatures, etc.) games? (Answer!)
A. D&D 2nd edition. RIFTS RIFTS AND MORE RIFTS. Magic: The Gathering when I have people willing to play and spend money on it.
Q. When you are not playing games, what do you do for fun? (Answer!)
A. Play bass guitar. Write stories.
Q. What are your most memorable achievements in a game? (Answer!)
A. Getting the Eye-patch of Plunder in EQ <BR>
My epic lightning swords in EQ <BR>
Killing Rallos Zek in EQ<BR>
Dominating server in Shadowbane<BR>
Achieving a +4 Vampiric Axe in RF Online<BR>
Getting my BMAU in RF Online<BR>
Getting my Kinship House in LOTRO<BR>
Killing Mordrith in LOTRO<BR>
Q. Are you interested in working within the game industry? (Answer!)
A. I'd love to be a story writer in the game industry. Maybe a quest writer as well. It seems so insane how crappy quest text deteriorates in games, I just can't see running out of quest ideas myself.
Q. What is the most memorable flamewar you can remember? (Answer!)
Q. Where did you get your gaming names from? (Answer!)
A. Skypp comes from Skip, my "avatar" i guess you could say when I'm GM'ing a table top game. He was a mechanically inclined brewer, always dual wielded, and where applied was telekinetic. While I had played Rangers in D&D, Skypp had never been one. I chose the ranger in Everquest cause it reminded me of Kivan in Baldur's Gate.<BR><BR> Layne comes from Layne Staley and the Heavenquake surname comes from Xenogears' quote "Stand tall and shake the Heavens."<BR><BR> Recently I've been using names from my short stories.
Q. How do you feel about selling virtual items for real money? (Do NOT advertise RMT services!) (Answer!)
A. Stupid. Need I say more?
Q. What are your thoughts on roleplaying in games? (Answer!)
A. I love it. Gives me something to do or think about outside of the game. I love writing stories, so this just adds another part to the game. I wish I could RP 24/7 in LOTRO, but seeing as there are no RP server designations, it just can't happen.
Q. Do you feel relationships within games are meaningful? (Answer!)
A. Very much. I talk to people in game just as much if not more than people in real life. I certainly hang out with them more than I do with people in real life because its just not easy to hang out with 20+ people with work, family and all that other stuff going on.
Q. What experience do you have beta-testing games? (Answer!)
A. Most of the time that I get into a Beta, the game is almost ready for release. I've beta'd Shadowbane and WoW, and several asian MMO's that are considered in Beta.
Q. Why do you join guilds or clans? (Answer!)
A. Firstly to have people to talk to. Secondly to have people to do stuff with. If I'm going to play by myself, I have plenty of single player RPG's on my Playstations.
Q. What do your characters and avatars usually look like? (Answer!)
A. Skypp is always Blond. Most of the time he has facial hair, unless the options for such things are terrible. Rarely does he have short hair, and rarely does he look super well kept. I prefer him looking shaggy and as if he doesn't care what people think he looks like. Contrary to the last statement, he's always stylishly dressed haha.
Q. If you could meet any game developer, who would it be? (Answer!)
A. Yosumi Mastuno not only produces and directs his games, but he also writes the story and makes the worlds. Sakaguchi never wrote the good stories he did, but Mastuno did. Its what I wish I could do for a living. For those that don't know, he did FFTactics, FF12 and Vagrant Story. Also the first Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre games.
Q. Beside GamerDNA, what are your favorite websites? (Answer!)
A. RPGamer, Massively.com, Talkbass.com, LOTROlife.com
A. Few as possible. The only thing I always kept in Warcraft was the mod that let you mouse over tracked targets so you knew their level, which side they were on, and their HP %.
Q. What sort of players annoy you the most? (Answer!)
A. The ones that complain that no one helps them with anything despite the fact that they've never lifted a finger to help anyone else with anything.
Q. If you could bring any book, movie or comic to life in a game, which would you choose? (Answer!)
A. Red Dawn. Who doesn't want to fight Cuban commie bastards invading the mid-west?
Q. In real life, are you male or female? (Answer!)
Q. How do you feel about playing characters of the opposite sex? (Answer!)
A. I can't do it myself. Kudos to those that can. This extends to other games that do this as well. I can't play a female in KOTOR because I can't stand to have a relationship with a dude. ha.
Q. How many hours a week do you play? (Answer!)
Q. What are the proper uses of tank guns and bubblegum? (Answer!)
A. Umm, I think this is an anime question that people more into anime than I am would know... Ask me questions about Cowboy Bebop, I'll answer those.
Q. What question would you add to the Attitudes system? (Answer!)
A. I'd like to see a question about Raiding sizes one prefers. I enjoy 1-2 group encounters, but I can't stand 40+ people. Then you're fighting the players more than the encounter, its artificial time sinks.
Q. What is a feature you would like added to GamerDNA? (Answer!)
A. Avatar rotation so that i can have an avatar of my characters cycle through.
Q. Do your quiz results on GamerDNA reflect your personality, and if not, what did it get wrong? (Answer!)
A. I think they reflect pretty accurately. I pride myself in knowing where things are and how to get things done. Then when it comes to guildchat I don't mind a bit of cussing or even a crude joke every now and then, but do not turn it into a 30 minute conversation about sexual positions.
Q. If you made your own game, what would it be like? (Answer!)
A. Each server would be a randomly generated world map. Most instances are just doors, so it would be farely easy to randomly place them in areas too. Well, not too random, match the instances to the cultures in the area. The land would be morphable, and players would be able to build cities almost anywhere with Sim City 2000 like terrain control. The tradeskills would be that players make Template items, and what gems, hilts, blades you add determine the stats so that its totally customizable. I'd have factions but they wouldn't be grinding factions. Doing quests would get you your faction, while if there's certain tradeskills tied to a faction, i'd have faction quests involving them. No more killing 1,000 mobs to get faction crap. Lastly it would probably be post-apocalyptic sci-fi. Mad Max, Waterworld, Postman type stuff.
