Friday, October 18, 2013

Fanterview: Spencer

Name or your preferred online alias: Spencer

Which country (or Country/State) do you hail from?
Indiana, United States

What do you do for work in real life?
I’m a stay-at-home dad and aspiring author

What is your favorite food?
I am a bit of a foodie, so choosing just one would be impossible. I do love ethnic foods.

Favorite movies/tv shows/books?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind/Avatar: The Last Airbender/1984 (George Orwell)

Any big events in your life this year you want to give a shout out about?
I moved from South Carolina to Indiana, my wife got a new job teaching at Notre Dame, and we purchased our first house!
How did you first hear about Missing Worlds Media (MWM) and their first MMO project?
My sister (Rachael) has always been good at finding things out which interest me. She showed me MWM because she, my twin brother, and I used to play City of Heroes/Villains prodigiously. I’ve been following them ever since.

Why do you think people should support the Kickstarter campaign for MWM’s first MMO project?
It is a unique MMO for several reasons. Unlike others, it is not owned by a mega corporation, but rather is the result of much volunteer work and fandom. As such, it has the fans in mind first and foremost. It also already has a good community, the lost community from CoX, which has always been a strong, supportive, mature group of people. This community really had no other place to call home, even though we have tried. Other games simply draw a very different crowd. We are heroes, we are villains, and we care about our fellow players’ gaming experiences.

What was your reaction to seeing the KS campaign explode in the first three days?
I did not realize City of Titans had gone to Kickstarter, as I had been too busy moving and going to conferences with my wife. When I discovered it, it was already the start of Day 3. And I was thrilled to see how swiftly it rose towards the goal. There was no question in my mind that it would reach the goal. The hope now, after seeing it slow down (which was predictable once it passed $320k), is that we pass the $450k mark so that Mac users can play the game when it comes out.

Where do you think the campaign is likely to finish at?
I suspect it will end around 500k.

Any specific tier from the KS you look forward to seeing reached?
As stated previously, I really just want the third stretch goal, a Mac client, to be achieved. Of course, any of those beyond it would be icing on the cake. Delicious, creamy icing.

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 am actually concerned that the game will follow CoX too closely. I want CoT to be in the spirit of CoX, but still attract audiences on its own merit, stand its own against other MMOs. So, I want to know what the future plans are, how it intends to compete. I am a little worried about a real-money market, as well.

One of the things I loved most in CoX was the fact that I could be an altaholic. Will it be easy for me to make a dozen (or 4 dozen) characters, and get a different gameplay experience for each of them?

What will be the first thing you do in Titan City when the game launches?
I’ll probably start by getting straight to the storyline. Either that or checking out how to make my own content.

What feature are you most excited for in City of Titans?
User-generated content. As a writer, I adore coming up with plots. I very much hope that there will be a good way to advertise your UGC so that it doesn’t fall by the wayside when you aren’t there actively trying to get people to run it.

Heroes or villains - which is more fun to play?
That entirely depends on my mood. Though, I must admit, I hold a special place in my heart for my more dastardly alts. There’s nothing quite like going on a rampage in the city, destroying everything left and right and laughing at the lamentation of the women.

What is your favorite quote and why?
We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers and discoverers—thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses. Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams.” - Peter S Beagle

I love this quote because it pays special attention to us dreamers and storytellers. We have too many poor role models in history and the modern world, people who are lionized for all the wrong reasons. Look at Christopher Columbus. He did NOT prove the world was round (not only did they know it was round, but finding a new continent proves nothing), he was NOT the first to discover the New World, and he was NOT a good man. He murdered, stole, plundered, raped, and turned people into slaves of the worst kind. Then we have men like C.S. Lewis who wrote about love, George Orwell who gave us all warning signs of what to watch for in society, Michael Crichton who showed us what dependence on technology can lead to, Ursula K Le Guinn who opened our imaginations, J.K. Rowling who inspires an entire generation. We need more people who teach us that it is better to do good things for others than to get what you want by stepping on others.

In the fight against Bacon and Chocolate who would win?
Although bacon tends to go with just about everything, and thus make everything better (a defender, perhaps?), Chocolate evokes feelings of love (a controller?). Plus, any religion that says chocolate is not allowed is doomed to fail.

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