Black Wolf Interviews Alikchi about NTV and NodewarsBlack Wolf –
Hi Alikchi - how are you doing?Alikchi - Pretty good, thanks. A bit sleepy, but I'll make it. :)
Black Wolf –
If there're any large pauses, I'll try to be quiet :). OK, well, it's something of a tradition to begin interviews by asking about the person behind the screen name - tell us a bit about yourself, your name, hobbies, life outside of Freespace and HLP. A - I'm Thomas Howell, age 15, resident of Edmond, Oklahoma (yee-haw!). The name Alikchi is Choctaw, actually - one of my ancestors was a Choctaw chief. The word means "shaman." :) As for hobbies, well - computers, books, writing, biking. But mostly computers. :p I'm a freshman in high school.
Black Wolf –
You're a regular on HLP, and you have your own hosted campaign in the works, Neo Terra Victorious. Can you give us a quick summary of this camp, the plot, what makes it special, etcetera? A - No problem. :) NTV is an experiment in counterfactual history. It places you as a pilot in the Neo-Terran Front in an alternate timeline where the NTF wins. How and why and the consequences, well, I can't say, but I'll tell you this - it won't be boring. :D If you've been living under a rock or are immune to my propo - I mean pimpage, the demo has been released. You'll find the link in my siggy.
Black Wolf –
NTV will use several mods including both new and old ships- how will these fit into the storyline if it is set at the same time as Freespace 2? A - Well, at a certain point in the campaign, the story diverges from the original FreeSpace 2 plot, and things start going Bosch's way. We can assume that the NTF could have then developed new ships and weaponry with the breathing room thus gained. :) As for the old ships, such as the Valkyrie - the Perseus was only introduced into general GTVA service 18 months into the war at least (remember, you were in the first combat test of it). The Valkyrie is the only logical choice for the NTF, and I'm sure they would have grabbed all the fighters they could.
Instead of changing or interfering with the FS2 storyline and continuity, we're expanding on it - making logical assumptions. :) [/color]
Black Wolf –
Have there been any continuity problems? The presence of the Iceni in the demo seemed to be a big one - was it? A - None so far. :) We're being as loyal to the original FS2 storyline as is humanly possible. As for the Iceni thing, well:
The Iceni is the NTF command frigate, built under Admiral Bosch's direction at the Freedom shipyards in Polaris, captured by the Neo-Terran Front at the start of their rebellion.
That's from the Iceni's tech description. Bosch waited for the Iceni to be built, rebelled, stole the Iceni, moved into Deneb and rushed the building of the Boadicea around it. See, no plot holes :)
Black Wolf –
How do you feel about the demo in general then? Did public approval levels live up to your expectations? A - I'm very happy with the demo. All the missions are very polished and, I think, up to FS2 standards. :) As for approval levels, well, the commentary we got was good, but we didn't get much of it. :\ I'd have liked to have more people played it. So if you haven't...umm...do so! Right now!
Black Wolf –
And the main campaign? How's that coming along? Any idea about release dates yet? A - As for the main campaign - progress is slow, I admit. I'm having problems with my staff mysteriously disappearing. :p However, things ARE happening, albeit slowly. We don't want to make any mistakes. :) Expect to hear more from us in the coming weeks. And about release dates: YABBA! GARBLE! BNORJABAN!
Black Wolf –
Alright then - I suppose everybody will simply have to watch and wait.
NTV is, of course, not the only project you're working on. Like so many others, you've spread yourself over a number of campaigns and projects - could you tell us hat exactly you're working on at the moment, and what you're doing for them? A - Hmmkay. Well, I'm doing a little bit of work for BWO at the moment. I'm also helping with TI, Black Wolf's project (and I suppose I should interview YOU about that) right now - and I promise I will start work on the mission by Thursday. ;) And, er, that's about it. :D GalacticEmperor and I have a collaborative campaign planned for the future, but I won't reveal exactly what it's about except that it will be very, very cool. :)
Black Wolf –
Not even a hint? A - Well, we are referring to it as the Koth campaign. And that's ALL I'm going to say. :p You probably won't even hear about it again for six months. :D
Black Wolf –
You mentioned BWO in there - with news updates few and far between, and the impact of the demo (very) slowly fading, can you update us from Icefire's interview as to how long we will be waiting long for the rest of Black Water Operations? A - Less than six months. No doubt. Maybe even half that.
Black Wolf –
What sorts of missions have you been given for BWO? Are they going to be unique and challenging, or will we be concentrating more on advancing the storyline? A - BWO strikes a good balance. :) And that's all I want to say about that, lest IceFire beat me up, or something. :P I will note that I've finished two and two more are half done, so things are going smoothly. :)
Black Wolf –
I wont ask you two much more then - Icefires wrath is terrible to behold. On an entirely separate note then,. you may well have the honour of being the first active Nodewars player yet to be interviewed - could you give us non-players a bit of an idea as to what goes on inside that most prolific of forums? A - Ooh. NodeWars is in flux right now, but here's a quick and dirty definition: NodeWars is a space-based game wherein you control a nation/empire/whatever, claiming for yourself star systems as a base for your nation. :) It's - kind of hard to explain, so I reccomend going to the website,
www.nodewar.com . Oh, and if you do join NodeWars, become an evil Communist with me. :D
Black Wolf –
What's the name of your nation? And could you summarize for us what sort of things characterize it? A - Well, I control three, actually. :) My original was the Congaree Confederate Republic, a primitive agricultural nation with a small space navy centered on defensive weaponry such as subspace artillery. They don't even have beam cannons yet - when TheVirtu gave me one and I stuck it on one of my frigates..well, the reactor overloaded and the frigate blew up. So we use Big Huge Cannons.
The Etherian Colonial Combine is CobaltStarr's creation (remember him?) and probably my favorite now. The ECC and the CCR both speak the same language - Etherian - and with the help of Mad Bomber, we've worked out an actual spoken language for them. They like blitzkrieg; oh yes indeed. Expansionist, imperialistic bastards, they are. :)
And then you have the People's Republic of Melron. Evil Communists, that's all there is to say about them. :D
Black Wolf –
Do you speak Etherian yet? Can you give us a sample? A - I'm out of practice, but here's one: Vo sabekoi Etheril. "I can speak Etherian."
Black Wolf –
Got any major plans for the future? Will Etherian be being forced down the throats of any neighbouring systems any time soon? A - Oh, it already has been. :D Of course..the Shivans popped up a few weeks ago, and this won't be like last time. This time the Shivans are packing Sathanases. It's going to be messy.
Black Wolf –
There are Shivans in Nodewars? Who controls them? A - The moderators and administrators. :) They control NPC forces, nations, and plotlines.
Black Wolf –
Theoretically, what would happen if the Shivans won? A - Honestly - I have no idea. We'd all be dead. That would be any fun. :p
Black Wolf –
Nodewars I think is a bit too big to be entirely covered in this sort of interview. If you're still interested however, an interview with one of the Nodewars staff is being planned, so keep your eyes on the interview forum.
Getting back to yourself, Alikchi, what about personal plans for your Freespace activity. Obviously the mysterious Koth campaign will be taking up a lot of your time, as will BWO, NTV and TI. Are you as busy as you could be at the moment, or are you still looking to expand? A - I think I have my hands full already. :) Campaigns like the Scroll of Atankharzim and The Procyon Insurgency interest me very much, but I'm sure their staff have things entirely under control. I'll be very happy when I get everything I need to do, done. :)
Black Wolf –
And what about real life? What's captured your interest (or your time) at the moment? A - School. :\ It's always school, isn't it? Other than that, I'm a drummer, so I spend plenty of time practicing. But generally, I'm either at school or on the computer. :D
Black Wolf –
What are your plans for the future, after school? Are you looking at a career in computers, or possibly as a musician? :) A - Computers, most likely - it's what I'm best at. :) Hopefully in a capacity where I can express my writing/creative skills. Of course, nothing is certain.
Black Wolf –
OK - Well then it seems we’ve come to the end of our interview, so, again in accordance with tradition, do you have anything to say to conclude your interview? A - Wow. That question sucks. Umm-
END INTERVIEW!
Well, I didn't quite get the chance to add the thankyou on to the end of the interview this time, but I'd like to say it here - Thanks again Alikchi, for a great interview. And I will be doing some more work for NTV. Soon. Ish.
My next target is Law Enforcer - look for that one in a few weeks.Total Interview Time = 1 hr, 30 mins
