Saturday, October 19, 2013

Fanterview: The Grouchybeast

Name or your preferred online alias
The Grouchybeast

Which country (or Country/State) do you hail from?
UK

What do you for work in real life?
Writer - sci fi.

What is your favorite food?
Crispy duck and pancakes.

Favorite movies/tv shows/books?
A random selection of some movies I never get tired of rewatching: Dangerous Liaisons, The Cooler, Tremors, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Damned United, Basic Instinct, Universal Soldier, Labyrinth, Emma, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, The Last Seduction, The Astronaut’s Wife, No Man’s Land, Sleepy Hollow, Grosse Point Blank, Tombstone, Withnail & I.

An even more random selection of TV: Luther, Lewis, CSI, Babylon 5, Rome, Blakes 7, Torchwood, Neverwhere, Yes Minister, The Wire, Drop The Dead Donkey, The Beiderbeck Affair.

Listing favourite books would take forever, but right now I’m rereading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and also reading The Cult Files by Chris Mikul.

How did you first hear about Missing Worlds Media (MWM) and their first MMO project?
I’ve been following the efforts on Titan Network from the first time the idea of a spiritual successor to CoX was mooted. I’ve been hugely impressed by MWM’s sticking power - holding together a project made up of dozens of volunteers for a year is an achievement in itself, and it’s given me great confidence in backing the KS.

Why do you think people should support the Kickstarter campaign for MWM’s first MMO project?
For one thing, this is what I think a Kickstarter should be, in essence -- people raising money for something that most likely wouldn’t be funded in any other way, or couldn’t be funded and still stay true to the vision of the creators. It’s a game by the players, for the players. For another, I want to play it, and I can’t pony up the whole $320,000 myself. :-) So get out there and contribute!

What was your reaction to seeing the KS campaign explode in the first three days?
I was very, very excited. I always hoped that the idea of City of Titans would have enough appeal, if the KS pitch was right, and I think MWM nailed it perfectly.

Any specific tier from the KS you look forward to seeing reached?
Personally, the $600,000 looks appealling. I don’t know what power sets are planned for launch, but more is good! Generally, I’d love the pet class stretch goal to be hit, so all the ex-Mastermind players can get their class at launch.

I know we’ve leaked very little so far about the game, City of Titans, but what are things you’d like to know about?
I’m looking forwards to hearing more about PVP. I don’t PVP much myself, but it can have a huge impact on the game play, and be a contentious subject. I’d also like to know more about the launch powersets...or, honestly, will there be fireballs? Because if there are no fireballs, I might have to rethink my pledge. (Kidding!) Ooh, and badges! I was a massive badge...lady of easy virtue in CoX, so I’d love to hear MWM’s plans for badging.

What will be the first thing you do in Titan City when the game launches?
Recreate my main, a fire blaster, and fly around the city. (Maybe with a tear or two in my eyes.) I’ll also go and take a look at ‘my’ skyscraper -- I’m hoping to be able to name it after my dad, who passed away a couple of years ago.

What feature are you most excited for in City of Titans?
The new alignment system sounds intriguing! I’m also looking forwards to the serverless environment, and hopefully being able to play with people who I knew from the old forums, but never teamed with.

Heroes or villains - which is more fun to play?
They can both be fun, but I tend to play more heroes, because I’m a softy at heart.

What is your favorite quote and why?
"Creating something is not a democracy. The people have no say. The artist does. It doesn't matter what the people witter on about: they and their response come after. They're not there for the creation." (Russell T Davies)

To me, that encapsulates how writing (or any other kind of creative art) should be approached. The vision should be pure. Even though MWM, by its volunteer nature, has a lot of community involvement, I hope there’s an overall plan for the game, tone and content, that will hold it together and make it a coherent and unique gaming experience.

In the fight against Bacon and Chocolate who would win?
If bacon and chocolate need taking down, I always win ;-)

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