Fanterview: Rotten Luck

Name or your preferred online alias: Hunter aka Rotten Luck

What do you for work in real life?
At this time I’m unemployed a victim of layoffs.

What is your favorite food?
That would have to be Corn Beef, cabbage, and potatoes.

Favorite movies? 
Back to the future I,II,III the Original Star Wars trilogy (HON SHOT FIRST!)

Any big events in your life this year you want to give a shout out about?
My Nephew and his wife told us that she’s pregnant. So I figure the little one be old enough to teach how to play when City of Titans goes live.

How did you first hear about Missing Worlds Media (MWM) and their first MMO project?
I was there at the beginning reading up on things on the Titans Forums and then later on Skype. So I was there even before there was a Missing Worlds Media.

What would boundaries do you think MWM can push with their first MMO project?
Player made content integration. Most of the player made content nowadays is tacked on systems even the AE system in CoH was an addition. This is getting more integrated into the newer games. With MWM idea of offering Players the same tools (though restricted in some areas) the split between DEV created content and Player content would be a very thin line. The Payoff is HUGE amount of things to do for us Players and well face it free development for the game.

Why do you think people should support the Kickstarter campaign for MWM’s first MMO project?
We seen it before and sadly we see it again. Publishers placing demands on Studios that damage the quality of the game. Games are art but the mentality of Publishers is it’s a commodity. The high demand for franchises make it boring. Assassin’s Creed awesome idea but how many have they done? Last I heard 13 it franchise overload. It’s time to cut out the Meddling Middle man. The Studios are our supplier the gamer the customer. Kickstarter allows us to cut out the Publishers. They will always be there but hopefully with games like Star Citizen and City of Titans going it alone without Publishers they get the message they need to rethink things.

The Kickstarter finally launched! Yay! Were you excited to see it finally go up?
Yes, very! I had Kickstarter up every day watching the numbers rise.

What was your reaction to seeing the KS campaign explode in the first three days?
Syntax Error brain still recovering from Awesome overload.

Where do you think the campaign is likely to finish at? I’m thinking between 750,000 and a million.

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 have many things I want to know, but I focus on things for the Community here. Key Features needed for our Community is a Proper Chat system and social hubs how are these going to be implemented? Will we be able to make our own channels? Will Free players have chat system gagged to limit gold farmer spam? Supergroup bases and Supergroup framework how do you plan on the system working? Can you make a Supergroup Solo and invite your Alts via Mail? Would you limited in a way to reduce SuperGroup Invite Spam?

Did you read Cube’s update about instanced content? If so, what do you think about the plans for an immersive environment experience? Link
Great ideas and allows for greater gameplay. A stealthy character could do things different then a Bashem Brute or a High powered Blaster. This increases gameplay and replay abilities. Die try again using different tactics. Always a good thing.

Did you read the update on some of the first zones coming out? Link
I have but that was a little disappointing for me. Could have been better written or even better display some concept art for the locations talked about in order to better give a greater overall idea of the zones.

What will be the first thing you do in Titan City when the game launches?
Beside scream in utter joy? I be playing with the new power systems rolling rerolling and rerolling for about a month before settling down and going for levels. I have a lot of Alts that need reconing!

What is it that attracts you to the Superhero genre?
This is a tough one to answer because it’s very personal. I have issues major biological problems that make it hard for me to socialize or even handle normal activities I will never be able to drive for example. As you can imagine this make life hard and school was even worst I might as well put a target on my back for the bullies and go to school pre-wedgied. I’m more of a Marvel fan then DC… thought One More Day ended my buying Spiderman. -_- then DC did that whole new 52. So I’m not into comics anymore. I’m getting off subject.. superheroes done right face many challenges and they don’t let those challenges keep them down. When you lived your early life learning that your special snowflake is slightly misshapened. Then a Superhero who’s blind, in a wheelchair (ORACLE was Awesome!) or the victim of trauma or discrimination has even greater meaning. If they can suffer and stand up taller than others then you can to.

What is your favorite super power and why?
There are many powers on the list, when it comes down to it. Only one power I still fantasise about. Telekinesis flying and being able to use anything around you with just a thought. By the way I’m not talking about a minor bending of a spoon level telekinesis I’m talking about major heavy duty lifting of cars, tanks, buildings level of power here!

What do you think defines a hero (or a villain?)
Both are part of the same coin the same motivation can lead to either roads. The line for me is when a Goal becomes more important than morals. A good example I read is a story about an apocalypse two different people does the same crime. Brake and entering to steal food. One guy kills the person he finds the other apologizes and asks to help safeguard the house for a meal. Or as Stan Lee once said Spiderman would have been a Villain if it wasn’t for Uncle Ben.

If you had them, do you think having super powers would be a blessing or a burden?
Being on the bad end of the gene pool I can’t help but think of having powers as a blessing. Even powers that seem a burden like being a Rock creature like the Thing. However it does depend on powers and how they are used. Wolverine I pitty massive healing factor yes but he feels the pain of whatever he suffers add to that he watched everyone he cared for grow old and die. The mental scars must be deep indeed.

Have you witnessed any acts of heroism lately that have inspired you?
Not personally but news stories I heard made me feel better about humanity. People willing to face a fire to save a cat. A teacher using herself as a shield to protect a child. How can you not hear that and think Hero.

What is your favorite quote and why?
It’s from Galaxy Quest “Never give up, Never Surrender.” There been times I wanted to give up and surrender but kept on going just to live a “normal” life.

Fanterview: Amy

Name: Amy (aka Amerikatt)

What do you do for work in real life?
Mild-mannered secretary

What is your favorite food?
Amy -- Italian cuisine (especially Chicken Marsala)
Amerikatt -- Fish sticks and Mice-A-Roni (rodent-shaped pasta!) with Boysenberry Sauce

Favorite movies?
Those in glorious black and white!  I particularly like the 4 with Lauren Bacall/Humphrey Bogart and the 8 with Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy, as well as Cary Grant movies.  I also enjoy screwball comedies, like “Bringing Up Baby” (Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and “Baby” -- a cheetah!)  For more “modern” titles, I liked the original “Star Wars” trilogy and the “Indiana Jones” movies.

What boundaries do you think MWM can push with their first MMO project?
I believe that MWM can help increase the immersion and fun factors by focusing on aspects of game design which help promote camaraderie and social development.  For instance, development and support of social areas, such as supergroup bases (although a personal lair would also be appreciated) and missions/in-game events which allow the players to feel as though they are having an impact on their environment.

From a personal perspective, I would also like to see more activities which interact with my characters, such as fighting an evil/misguided twin or holding a dying double from another dimension or just having an NPC run up to my character and compliment her (and say something nice about her in General/NPC Chat.)  Maybe something neat like going into The First National Bank of Titan City and, rather than facing a Supervillain(ess) for the umpteenth time, have the bank president congratulate my character on being the millionth customer and then giving her a nice prize (like a blue/rare permanent device) or maybe get a toaster (or other green/common limited use device) for opening a Christmas Club account.  Things which are fun but not combat-oriented (and which, as non-tradeable, would dissuade and curtail ebil marketers from hoarding and then unleashing them upon the auction house at ten-figure prices.)

Why do you think people should support the Kickstarter campaign for MWM’s first MMO project?
“City of Titans” is very much a community project.  The people who are developing this MMOG are volunteering their time and energies, many of them working on this project after long, arduous hours at their day jobs.  Thus, it behooves those of us who would take advantage of the fruits of their labors to contribute actively to this effort by giving what we can -- even if it’s only financially.  If we have an investment in the development of this game -- either through technical expertise or financial support -- we will likely derive immensely more pleasure from the finished product.

What is it that attracts you to the Superhero genre?
The Superhero genre reflects the desire within ourselves to excel, to be better and more than we are in real life.  Thus, we live vicariously through the exploits of larger-than-life entities who embrace the best in ourselves, the morals and principles which we espouse, and thus find ourselves transported to a place where we may for a time distance ourselves from the negative issues which permeate the real world.

What is your favorite super power and why?
Healing.  At the very core of Amerikatt’s psyche is the desire to help other sentient beings, and she is at her best when she is serving in a support capacity.  Although she has, in times past, been possessed of great fighting abilities (augmented by purple and high-grade rare enhancers), those have always been a secondary consideration to her divinely-inspired healing abilities (among those her Tier IV area-of-effect Incarnate healing power.)

What do you think defines a hero (or a villain?)
Heroism is not the absence of fear, but, rather, the ability to overcome that fear in order to go beyond one’s normal capacity and help others who are in dire straits.  Real-world examples are not only firefighters, police officers, and soldiers, but blood, marrow, and transplant donors.

If you had them, do you think having super powers would be a blessing or a burden?
I suppose that would depend on the nature of the super power(s), whether such could be turned off, and whether I would be physically altered to reflect that power.  As in all things, a balance should be struck, and I would very much like to do good yet still retain my anonymity.

Have you witnessed any acts of heroism lately that have inspired you?
Probably the greatest acts of heroism of which I am aware came in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001.  However, that in no way diminishes the heroism of people -- in and out of uniform -- before and after that time.

What kind of content engages you in video games?
Fun and immersive things, such as badge hunting or admiring the depth of detail in a zone environment.  I have probably spent more time (75-80%+) socializing and enjoying the non-combat aspects of online gaming than I have in “bashing” things.  Combat is a means to an end, but is not the end itself (not even in 'endgame.')

How do you like stories to progress in a game (i.e. cutscenes, battles, mission text, etc.) and why?
I really enjoy a richly characterized and deeply detailed backstory in games (as in literature), and believe that these must be at the core of an immersive environment, thus facilitating the creation of secondary elements, such as NPCs, mission-givers, and the missions themselves.  The more familiar that a storyteller is with the people and places in a given milieu, the more faithfully they may expound upon that information and will actually have story/mission ideas suggested by the characters themselves!

I also like the idea of having missions which may be played as standalone, yet could also be incorporated into a larger story arc (not necessarily publicized as such, but, perhaps, as part of a similarly-themed group of missions which help the players -- if not the characters themselves -- see a larger part of “the greater picture.”)

Cutscenes can be lots of fun (especially if a player character is referenced in the balloon text), but they should be skippable if the player so desires.  I think that they should be used sparingly so as not to dilute their dramatic impact, and they should only occur at a time and place when the player character is within proximity to the NPCs (that is, how can I know what an NPC is plotting if s/he’s in a secret sub-volcanic lair halfway across the world?)

What sort of missions in games do you enjoy the most?
Fun missions and missions which impact my character(s) personally.  My favorite mission in City of Heroes was the one in which Amerikatt got to fight her misguided doppelganger (who was dressed in the opposite color combination.)  Likewise, the most poignant was when Protean murdered a great number of interdimensional twins of Amerikatt’s sidekick, which spurred my other character to avenge the death of the twin who died in her arms.

Do you ever play player generated content?
Holy cats! I sure do!

I have found that there are some exceptionally creative people in the player community and that their commitment to crafting quality entertainment rivals (or even exceeds) that of the professional developers of a particular game.  City of Heroes had incredibly fun (and replayable) missions from people like Ascendant and famous guest mission-makers!

What is your favorite quote and why?
"The only thing that is necessary for evil to triumph is for men of good will to do nothing." -- Edmund Burke

This is not only quite apropos to the superhero genre, but is also a reminder to all of us that we can have an effect upon the world around us by the decisions that we make.  "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is a similar sentiment.  Perhaps that is why, after wading through countless media stories of humanity’s inconsideration of one another, we are reassured when we hear or read about a kindness shown to a stranger or the personal dignity shown by a destitute person who returns a large sum of money they found.