Developer interview: DC 'Terwyn' James, president Missing Worlds Media

1. What's your name, how long have you been involved in TPP, what role do you have, and what does it involve?

My name is DC James, and I've been more or less involved with TPP since the beginning. Officially, I'm the president of Missing Worlds Media. I'm very quickly learning just what it means to be in such a role, and I often find myself surprised at just how simple it turns out to be. The most critical role I have is metaphorically directing the sails. You can't change the wind, but you can adjust how you use it.

2. What other MMOs/games have you played in the past? What drew you to them? What makes a game enjoyable to you?

I've been playing games since I was a child, most often pen and paper roleplaying or more complex board and miniature games, but the draw has always been the same - being able to enjoy a common activity with my siblings and my friends. I could care less about impressive visuals, gripping narrative, or unique gameplay. The single greatest thing I enjoy about the games I play is the fact that I am able to share doing so with those I care about.

3. What server did you play on in COH? How long did you play for?
My home server was Pinnacle, though I branched out to Protector, as that was the server where my siblings were most commonly found. I actually had City of Heroes for nearly a year before I had access to a system capable of running it, so while I've only played the game for about six years, I was aware of it for seven.

4. How did you get your role – did you volunteer, were you seconded and did you expect to end up with such a senior role? Do you have any experience/qualifications that make you perfect for this role?
I would honestly be the first to admit that I really don't know what happened. One minute I was offering my knowledge and business skills to help put together a business plan, the next I was somehow running for my life trying to keep up with people who are vastly more experienced than I. I'm actually one of the youngest people in leadership of the project, if not the youngest.

5. Describe an average day working on TPP for you.
Lots of thinking, lots of reading, and a small dose of daily cranial trauma caused by direct contact with phalangeal bones and related tissue. That is a joke, there is no cranial trauma. In actuality, most of my time is spent investigating other games and studios to see how they are structured and typically operate, as well as meeting with the various teams to keep up to date on what is being done.

6. What's the best thing about working on TPP? What about the worst?
The best thing about working with TPP is that I am able to interact with people who have extraordinarily diverse backgrounds and skill sets, and am able to learn new things simply from just interacting with them. The worst thing about working on TPP is the fact that I often don't understand what people are trying to explain to me.

7. What are you most excited about in creating this game? What makes you most nervous?
The thing that makes me most excited and the thing that makes me most nervous are one and the same - the promise of what it means if our project is successful. Most of the work comes after we launch, and I honestly can't say what launch day will bring.

8. What's the first thing you'll do once the game goes live and you've logged in to the city?
People watching. I'd simply just watch the city become populated, and see how many people and characters I recognize.

9. Why should people be excited about TPP? Why should they trust TPP over any other MMO?
The same reason anyone becomes excited about a new product or project - the promise of new possibilities. We aren't doing this because we simply want to, we're doing it because we recognize that it fills a now gaping need in the community of games.

10. Give me one random, or interesting fact about yourself.
I can turn a metal bed frame into a radio. Learned how to do so from my father.