quote:


Nel and Rayf Drayson
By Nel

Nel looks up from his work as he hears a *whoooomp* in the next room. He gets up to investigate- a little gingerly, given what happened the last time, and peers nearsightedly into the room. Then... *SPLOOOSH* "AAAH! What now?!", he shrieks as he's totally soaked. In the center of the room now stands a huge fishbowl... with a whirlpool swirling around inside it. "Oh well, at least it's not another vampire!", Nel mutters to himself as he dries off his spectacles. Swimming lazily around inside is that rarest of rares... Rayf Drayson (a.k.a the Rayfish)! He pops his head out of the water, looked up at Nel, and says, "So, you have some questions for me?"

1) What do you do for AE? (coder, artist, forums, support staff)

Well, I'm the Co-Head of the Knights of Order along with Kalanyr, a general moderator on the AE forums, and the Co-Head Moderator of the AQ Bugs, AQ Suggestions, and Game Balance Issues boards. So I'm both forums staff and AQ game staff. My role in the AQ game staff has been steadily increasing over the past year and I am now involved much more with design, development and pre-production, especially on things like classes, but also in equipment and sometimes quests. I'm a code debugger and adjunct coder, as well. This is all fairly recent and is in addition to the game balance work I do.

2) How did you first find/get involved with AE?

I first found AQ back in late 2003, around October or so, but didn't do anything. A friend of mine posted a link to it in a message board I ran at the time. Kept seeing small ads on webcomic sites. So, I joined as a player back in January 2004, and became very active in the IRC community by that March, and the forums around that same time. The rest is history, and a fairly involved one at that.

3) What keeps you interested in AQ and DF, all the Ebil Games, and the soon-to-be MechQuest?

The IRC portion of the community, the good friends I've made over the years through this community, and being an active part of the team in developing AQ.

4) Has your time in school prepared you for what you do with AE, or, if you haven't finished school, will it help you once you're done?

Yes, I'd say so. I took programming courses in C back in college, and that has helped me understand ActionScripting, which is why I've developed into a coder and code debugger. In addition, I am an animator in real life, and my schooling in that has helped me in the design work I do. Mostly, however, my time in college, grad school and other schooling gave me a very wide range of experience and knowledge that I incorporate into everything I do, including this.

5) If you could change anything about one of the games, what would it be and why?

I couldn't pick any one thing. These games are far too fluid and dynamic. They're constantly changing and evolving. However, I do miss the lightness of the old AQ. It was much less involved, much more playful and didn't take itself seriously. I miss that playfulness and light touch, and would like to bring some of that back.

6) What is your favorite part about AQ/DF/MQ/Ebil Games?

The level of interaction between the development teams and the player community. It really is quite extraordinary not just how involved the dev teams are in the community, but how responsive they are to it. The community doesn't dictate the course of the games, but they certainly have an immense influence on them. Much more so than I have seen in ANY other online games.

7) Who is your favorite moglin and why?

I'd have to say Kabroz, in the minimal exposure he has had in the games. Kabroz is the thinker; he's the cold, impersonal face of intellectual evil. Zorbak is the emotional sort of "ebil." Zorbak is more of a trickster, Kabroz is calculating, manipulative, and scientific. If any of the moglins really have the capacity to be an evil mastermind, it would be Kabroz. He has the mindset for it.

8) Would you like to see a Sneevil vs. Zard matchup? Who would win?

Zards, hands down. Sneevils may have the intellectual advantage, but Zards have a capacity for mutation and evolution that make them unmatched in the field of adaptation. In the course of one or two generations- and Zards are obviously very prolific breeders, so we're talking maybe a week or two, here- the Zards can adapt to anything. Sneevils just can't compete with that. It would not take Zards long to evolve the Endgame: the BoxZard. Then it would be all over for the Sneevils.

Personal questions:

8) Do you have a favorite style of food? (Southern, Chinese, Italian, etc)

No, I don't really have a favorite style. I have tried just about everything, will try anything, and can find several things about any style that I absolutely adore. My favorite food, though, is the kind I don't have to pay for.

9) If you like to read, do you have any favorite genres? What are some of your favorites books from it?

I love reading. My favorite genres would probably be fantasy and science-fiction. Though I'm a huge fan of the alternate history genre, too. It would be easier to list favorite authors than favorite individual books. That author list would include Piers Anthony, Terry Pratchett, Robert A. Heinlein, Philip K. Dick, Frank Herbert, Harry Turtledove, Robert Jordan, Timothy Zahn... If I had to pick titles, or series of titles, I'd say Pratchett's Discworld, Anthony's Xanth and Incarnations of Immortality series, Jordan's Wheel of Time, Herbert's Dune, and Turtledove's How Few Remain and American Empire series.

10) Do you play any games? Console or computer? And what?

Yes, I am a gamer, though not as active or avid as I used to be. I have an old Playstation (PS1) that I almost never turn on. Most of my gaming is on my PC. Right now, I'm playing Dungeons & Dragons Online by Turbine, and thoroughly enjoying that MMORPG. I also occasionally break out my old copies of StarCraft or Sim City 3000 and play a little. I love playing games, but I'm too busy creating them - my real job is working on character rigs for 8monkey Labs for their upcoming FPS "Darkest of Days" - to have much free time.

11) What are some of your hobbies? What is it about them that is attractive to you?

Well, my avocation AND my vocation is 3D computer graphics and animation. Even though it is my profession, it is still my hobby, as well. Other hobbies include writing, which people tell me I am good at, and gaming. In this case, I mean tabletop RPGs. I'm a D&D nerd and proud of it. I haven't been able to find a good gaming group around here lately, or online, nor have I really had the time to go looking for one. I'd love to get into a good campaign with a good group again, though.

12) Have you completed college? What did you study? Why?

Yes, and more. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the College of William & Mary. I studied physics because I like it. I like knowing how the universe functions. It really did completely alter the way I think and perceive things. That was my major, but my time in college allowed me to study a great many things. I was an undeclared History minor, and I took archeology courses, a course in Buddhism, etc. I attended graduate school in physics for a year, too, before finally realizing I didn't want a career in that field. Recently, as of last October, I finished another school program, and have an Associate of Science in Computer Animation. This is after years of trying to find out what I wanted to do with my life, now I'm doing it.

13) Do you have any favorite sports teams? What and who?

For the most part, I was raised in the Washington, DC area, so I'm a Washington Redskins and Capitals fan, and a Baltimore Orioles fan. However, I lived in Florida early in my childhood, so I'm a Miami Dolphins and Florida State Seminoles fan, too. Due to where I went to grad school, I'm a Virginia Tech Hokies fan, as well. I don't honestly follow sports too closely, though. I like watching a game when I catch it on TV, and I love going to a baseball, hockey or football game.

14) Do you play any sports? If so, for how long?

Not in any organized sense. I played baseball as a kid through about age 13. I enjoy pickup games of street hockey, basketball, or touch football. But I don't play organized sports.

15) What kind of music do you like to listen to?

Oh, all kinds. My CD collection and my MP3 collection is incredibly varied, containing film soundtracks, classical music, jazz, blues, latin, celtic, spanish guitar, video game music, very little bit of old 80s and 90s rap, "alternative" stuff, and a LOT of classic rock. My favorite genres would probably have to be classic rock and blues, however.

16) Do you sing or play any instruments?

I sing badly, yes. I played the trombone for several years back in elementary, middle and high school, but I haven't picked up an instrument in well over a decade now, coming up on a decade and a half. I keep thinking I should try to relearn the thing someday. We'll see if anything comes of those thoughts.

17) Do you have any pets? What?

No, not living with me. I can barely take care of myself, I don't need to neglect a pet as well.

Random/Fun questions:

18) Do you know what the Burning Daystar is? Do you see it on a regular basis?

Oh yes, I know what it is. It is my nemesis. I see it lurking outside my window, waiting for its chance to strike. But I'm smarter than it is. It will not get me.

19) Can you tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi?

Definitely. The difference is quite striking, really.

20) What is your quest?

I seek the Grail! Oh, um, sorry, have I mentioned that I'm a major Python geek, too? That sort of thing is hardwired into me by now.

21) What is your opinion of the affect "American Idol" has had on the US media?

I'm not sure that you can say that it has actually had an effect on the US media. This sort of crossbreeding between music and television has been going on for decades. Artificially constructed pop music television phenomena are nothing new. Need I point out The Monkees and The Partridge Family? Or even the Brady Bunch forming a "band"? No disrespect to The Monkees, however, as they're actually a good band. The point is that television has created pop music phenomena for decades, American Idol just introduces the internet and new wireless communications technology to the mix of this cross-pollination. And American Idol has the "twist" of the musical act being "real people."