Me: Of course, you've been around forever, but for those that don't know... when did you start playing and what was your first name on CW?
Mentor: I started back in my first year of college, so around 5 or 6 years ago now. My first username was Mentor.
Me: Astonishing! I couldn't guess. Seems you started around the same time as me - I don't remember seeing you in chat, though. Were you a chatter in your early days?
Mentor: Heh, no. I was fairly shy back then (and just look at me now, lol), added to the fact that I only really played in class and I didn't bother with chat. Wasn't until I joined ARM about 6 months in that I started on the social side of things.
Me: Just for gossip's sake, which player do you like the least? What is it about them that really grinds your goat? (or ground, if they've gone away)
Ment: Probably Jensen. Pre-reset that guy was a giant f'ing idiot who basically argued about everything, even when wrong, and contradicted himself every other sentence. Rememer the whole "I'm an awesome Christian!" bit, followed by his admitting taking drugs (no shocker there), followed by denials he ever did them?
Me: You know, I do have vague memories of that. Vague in this case being "I remember more of those incidents than I remember of what I did yesterday". It's fair to say he annoys me, too
Mentor: I remember when he kept saying I'd been jailed. When I had Umo prove I hadn't, I told him maybe he should get his eyes checked (when he kept insisting he saw me in jail) which then led into a giant rambling lecture that ended up being about his family :S
Me: If it makes you feel better, I'm a "guy that used to date Kali and had my account deleted by Lyn before coming back"... Moving on.
Me: Who inspired you as a younger player and showed you the ropes? Was there anyone in particular who "raised" you to be the player you are today?
Mentor: I have to credit all the guys and gals in ARM for showing me the ropes, people like Sveta, Rusty, Jacobzcoool and a few others whom my old-man memory sadly can't recall at this pint. As for who inspired me and to an extent "raised" me as you put it, most of those came a bit later. BM, Xan and Mat in BAD and later Elite, Abso and Slug really stand out as the main ones.
Me: I remember when BAD first started. Lots of drama about how it would never last *grin*. So.. who do you miss the most? Why do you miss them? What did they bring to the game for you that you think it lacks now?
Mentor: I don't think I could pick just one person. Out of all those I listed, I think I'd say BM or Elite. They were both great gang owners, always willing to help out members, whether it be handing out money or simple old-fashioned advice. The best thing about them, though, was that they fostered a proper gang attitude. They encouraged people to act as part of a collective, rather than the gang just being a couple of people in the same place, if you know what I mean.
Me: Yeah, the difference between a home and somewhere to get a few stat boosts.
Mentor: Exactly.
Me: So, I guess your first gang was ARM, then? How did that gang make you "feel"?
Mentor: Actually no, my first gang was [D.D.R] (a million bucks to anyone who has a clue as to who they were) but that was basically me and one semi-inactive guy, so I guess ARM was my first proper gang. As for how it made me feel, I'm not really sure how to explain it. Up until then, I had ignored the multiplayer/social aspect of the game. I might as well have been playing a single player game for all the difference it made before then. I guess it felt kinda cool when I started in ARM and really got into playing with strangers, as opposed to other games where I'd play people I knew IRL.
Me: I'm fairly sure a lot of us know what you mean by that. Most of us started out on CW keeping to ourselves, I think. Especially with chat being as active as it was. Pretty intimidating.
Me: Of all the gangs you knew pre-reset, which was the one that you respected the most?
Mentor: Is there any other answer to that than DOS? Love them or loathe them, you have to admit those guys did what they said they were gonna do every time.
Me: Hah, that's true enough. They were very good at what they did.
Me: Who were the top 3 players for you, even if you did not like them personally?
Mentor: Tough one... probably gonna say Elite, Hat and GK. I've already covered Elite but he was a solid leader and a great player who pushed hard for himself and everyone else. Hat is, well, Hat. Always been a great player and someone I strove hard to beat back pre-reset, even if he didn't know it. GK because of what he's done with HUNG/EPIC - he had an idea of what he wanted this gang to be and led by example to make it happen.
Me: Speaking of EPIC, you're in there at the moment. What are your feelings towards it? Does it differ, to you, from how gangs used to be?
Mentor: Epic is pretty much what I've always wanted from a gang. Without them, I probably wouldn't actively play CW anymore. It'd be a glorified chat. Like I said, pre-reset a lot of gangs were just places for people to be. DD is probably the prime example for me... look at all the cash and ecs and stuff they had, yet they never did anything with it. They just sat around. Now, compare that with how EPIC has worked out. Everything here is a team effort, from wars to district stealing. Everyone has contributed something for the sake of the gang and the benefit of the whole.
Me:Which is always a good thing in a gang. It's very easy to lose sight of the team effect, especially in these "hard times". What do you think of the other "modern" gangs?
Mentor: I don't have a lot of experience with the other gangs so can't really say much. ONE was a great gang when I was there and we had fun. OSX is solid as always, if I weren't so EPIC I'd go try it. I don't really know much about how 7S works outside of what Twid does. DD seems kinda quiet, especially after Andi stopped their donations from Maggie, and now Oz is so quiet, and WU is well... WU.
Me: *preens at the compliment to OSX*. DD does seem to have gone very quiet, which seems to have come with Ozy disappearing out of chat. Although, it is interesting that DD always managed to keep a couple of people in/around the top 10 for a long time after the reset.
Mentor: Yeah, I had hopes they might do something this time around. They seem to have died out now though.
Me: Mmhm. The most we ever really got out of DD was a few of them crying because we kept killing them in wars. Caused a few to quit the gang.. heh.
Me: Anyway, of the people who are still around: Which ten players would make up your "ideal" gang?
Mentor:
- 1 - GK - best choice for leader, hands down.
2 - Hat- Do I really have to explain?
3 - Void - he's always been a good player.
4 - Myck - I don't always agree with his ideas but he's another sold player.
5 - You - because then you can't kill me
6 - Skip - every village needs an idiot.
7 - Dan V - slightly odd but still fun in chat.
8 - Crazy.nut - proved himself to be a great team player in EPIC.
9 - Dwarf - like Crazy, he's proved himself to be an asset to any gang.
10 - Twidget - just for the lulz
Me: *laughs* Yeah, I suppose not being dead would be a bonus for any player close to me and in the same gang. You'll feel it worse than people like Flash or Hat because we share a timezone though
Mentor: Not just the same timezone, we both normally have a really oddly messed up sleep pattern which means we're on at the same odd hours. If I didn't know better, I might think you were stalking me. Which, BTW, is totally cool with me, just so you know.
Me: I'm no TLQ but I'm waaay too lazy to do that...
Me: Speaking of current players, which 3 would you most like to meet IRL and why?
Mentor: Probably GK, Skippy and you. GK because he's helped me a lot on here and another game (which I won't mention lest I get banhammered) so it'd be cool to meet up and chill out in person. Skippy because, well, he's awesme and I can taunt him about the ashes to his face then, and you mostly because you're actually pretty cool, so it'd be fun to meet in person and get you drunk.. etc.
Me: Good to know I'm on the list, I do so like to feel special
Mentor: *is tempted to make a special needs joke right about now*
Me: What are your plans for your future on CW?
Mentor: Plans are fairly simple; make EPIC even better, get my #5 spot back and basically have fun, whether that's fighting you for a rank, trying to keep someone dead 24/7 every reset or being an ass to random people for lulz.
Me: Being an ass.. the most lulz CW has to offer
(which you just lost)
Me: Do you really see a future for CW as a game?
Mentor: The future is definitely there, Lyn proved how massive it could be and the fact that people are still here 7 years later shows that it can keep people. The question is whether Andi is willing/able to invest the time/money and effort required to get it going properly.
Me: Speaking of Andi, what do you think of him right now as an admin? What about the staff?
Mentor: Right now? Not much, unfortunately. I get he has a real life to deal with but this game hasn't seen any bug fixes/improvements in a long time. He doesn't seem to treat it like a business. Hopefully that will change.
The staff and chat mods seem find to me, they don't really have a lot to do but there's usually at least one of 'em around assuming you do need them.
The forum mods seem a little pointless to me, mostly because the forums are pretty dead and news reporters should try and get something out more often, even if it's only a small piece - hence my suggestion that they interview people related to the stories to get their take on things.
Me: I agree, really. In fairness to them, though, there's not much to report on too often.
Me: Back to the issue you brought up before - updates. What facet of the game do you think mosts needs updating at the moment, and which broken tidbit do you think could most use fixing?
Mentor: Right now, I think TSPL needs changing. It was a good idea in the first place, but 5 minute resets basically invalidated that for the top players (who were the ones it was supposed to stop from running away with the ranks). Now for anyone in the top 20 or so it's basically just spam kill the same 10 people for a level, followed by a bit of training. As for broken bits, I liked the idea of daily missions and they seemed popular, although that might have just been novelty. Would like to see them fixed and expanded on.
Me: Finally, some RL details, seeing as not everyone will know these. What's your real name? How old are you? Whereabouts are you from? What're you up to in your life? Do you keep kids or pets? And any particular hobbies?
Mentor: My real name is Brian, I'm 21 (bday in a couple of months. I expect presents, FYI) from Manchester in the UK. Currently an unemployed hobo, although I'm doing boring training for an even more boring job, hence I'll be around CW less for a while (no parties >_>). I have one pet which an evil, evil dog and my hobbies include playing a game involving the craft of war, some computer programming and a couple of martial arts. Oh, and hitting on you. That counts, right?
Me: Hmm, well... enough people do it now that I'd have to agree. I'm only surprised that nobody has tried to make a profession out of it yet
Mentor: lmao, don't be giving me ideas.... I wonder if I could write a "How to hit on Snags" ebook and sell it...
Me: I'm sure there are a few people who could do with tips on how not to make me hate them or want to hit them when they do it. Anyways, thanks for your time and sorry it took so long
And there you have it. I hope you liked reading it...
(for wanting to hit on Snags and write an ebook about it), and it explains why CMS hangs around like a bad smell (he really does like sausage festivals).
