Outspark Blog

It’s time for Bribbo’s first attempt at another installment of “Game Masters: A Closer Look”, where we get an intimate moment with some of our most popular GMs for Fiesta, Secret of the Solstice, Wind Slayer, and Project Powder.
Being my first official attempt, I thought it would be perfect to talk to the man that started the whole thing… He does it all, including dance 5 (Fiesta reference), he’s [GM]Straega!

In-game handle: [GM]Straega
Name: J
Hometown: Fremont, CA
Specialties: Communications and drama major. Climbing, mountain biking, guitar, piano, writing, the spoken word, kickin’ shins, not being able to find parking spots in San Francisco [please note that Straega had a very difficult time locating a parking spot on this particular day, which took him over an hour and a half]
Games: Fiesta, Project Powder

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Bribbo: So Straega, to kick things off we’ll start with an easy question, is there any sort of story or meaning behind your name?

Straega: I’m surprised I don’t get asked this more often actually. It’s more common that people comment on it rather than express a curiosity for its etymology. People often tend to misspell it as well. In Albanian folklore there is a creature, a type of vampire, called a “Shtriga” from where part of the name comes from, also a creature that’s found in the book Wiedzmin by author Andrzej Sapkowski. There is also a character in one of my favorite games of all time who’s got this great theme music that had a good deal of character to it, his name is Stragus Magus. What I essentially did was cram the two together, making the name “Straega”.

Bribbo: Wow, I guess that turned out to be anything but an “easy” question.

Straega: Dude, you asked.

Bribbo: I remember how it took you 3 days to come up with the name and now I see why. So what does Straega do when he isn’t gaming?

Straega: I like to spend as much time as I can outdoors. I love the beach, especially in the summer. When the weather permits I rock climb or go mountain biking. Any local climbers out there? I’m looking for a new lead partner [laughs]. I snowboard in the winter. When I’m inside, it’s the guitar or the piano, and writing in my spare time.

Bribbo: You know I used to rock climb, real mountains—real danger.

Straega: Oh yeah?

Bribbo: No, I have a fear of heights actually. I just like the idea of being a lead partner.

Straega: [blank stare].

Bribbo: Anyway, what’s the best and worst part about being a GM?

Straega: To be honest, I’m inclined to give you the same answer for both. By that I mean that I get some sort of gratification when I can convey something, whether it be something new to communicate or new content that’s coming, to people who want to actually hear it. I suppose the worst part has to do with the same thing. What people do, and I find at this point that it’s inevitable, is that people instinctively want to “kill the messenger”. Given the logistical limitations we have, and sometimes the lack of information we receive in our position, it can make it a bit frustrating.

Bribbo: Wouldn’t it be nice instead, if people wanted to heal the messenger?

Straega: That would be nice, but only if the messenger wasn’t at full life, which he or she would most likely be already.

Bribbo: How about buff the messenger?

Straega: Yes I suppose that might be better.

Bribbo: I’m so clever.

Straega: [blank stare]. How about FEED the messenger? So many people online can’t seem to stop talking about cookies, cakes, waffles, and other various treats.

Bribbo: You gotta love it, I’m a HUGE fan of hamburgers myself. So anyway, besides Outspark games, what are some of your favorites?

Straega: I’m a fan of RPGs, RTSs, and FPSs mostly. Just to name a few of my favs from over the years as far as RPGs go, there’s anything from the Final Fantasy series…

Bribbo: Oh yeah, gotta love the Final Fantasy series.

Straega:  Most things from Squaresoft actually, also…

Bribbo: Yeah great company. Final Fantasy Tactics is pretty much the best game ever.

Straega: [Pauses] Also, the Witcher, Neverwinter Nights, and Fable.

Bribbo: Ah Neverwinter Nights! Hey do that voice thing, the “Argh, I am overburdened!” You’re good at that. You know, the warrior when he’s carrying too much stuff and walks slow.

Straega: What does that have to do with anything? I don’t think you’re getting the whole interviewer role.

Bribbo: Actually, while we’re talking about voices and since you’re such a pro at them, can you do that one…

Straega: [Talking very quickly] As far as RTSs go, there’s the original Warcraft series, Starcraft, C&C, Total Annihilation, the Homeworld series, and these days there’s a lot of Sins of a Solar Empire. A few FPSs include CS, back from the beta days, Call of Duty 4, and Left4Dead.

Bribbo: Very nice. So when I sat next to you, I got a good idea of your snacking habits. Have things changed at all since you moved in June, or is it still the same old noodle bowls, hamburgers, and Gatorade?

Straega: I’ll eat whatever’s in the pantry though the one commonality after I eat or if I feel the need to snack on something, it’s often a piece of chocolate. I have a problem when it comes to chocolates. In fact, I think I’ve emptied Rider’s stash. Sorry.

Bribbo: Rider has a chocolate stash?

Straega: Had a chocolate stash. [Looks over his shoulder] Can we get back to the questions?

Bribbo: Sure, sure. If you could take a proficiency, spell, attribute, ability, or item from Fiesta what would you pick and why?

Straega: I’d say making gold lumps out of nowhere, but that’s too easy. I’d also say being able to spawn a King Kong Phino anywhere might be nice too, but I can’t control those in-game so that might get a bit dangerous. Being able to change my hair in seconds through an NPC might be nice too, Hhmmm… decisions, decisions. Let’s go with… the Warlock’s metamorphosis. Convenient, handy if you’re in a bind, save on gas money, and it’s not as buggy as the summon skill.

Bribbo: Ah yes turning into a bird would be pretty much the best thing ever. Unless it was permanent, then it would be terrible. Alright, last question. Let’s say you could instantly appear anywhere in the world—and it wasn’t buggy. Where would you go and why?

Straega: Buggy as in… accidentally teleporting myself and having my shoe appear inside someone’s bowl of soup?

Bribbo: Yeah, something like that.

Straega: Man that dude would be pissed.

Bribbo: And you tell me that I digress?

Straega: Vengeance!

Bribbo: [blank stare]

Straega:  Honestly, I’d go to a lot of places around the world, mostly to soak up culture. I love travelling. But… if I were to say right now, it’d probably be the sandwich place down the street.

Bribbo: Why?

Straega:  I’m kind of hungry, and I have an event to run in an hour.

Many thanks to Straega for this interview. To see his profile and add him as a friend, click here.

In order to promote the new server, Cypion, where everyone starts out as level 1, there was a trivia contest Sunday, June 13, where the players’ levels didn’t make a difference. There is usually more than one event per week in Fiesta and every event is open to all levels.

This event wasn’t advertised on the event calendar (which many events are not), so I thought it would be good for you guys to see some of the stuff going on you might normally have missed. To make sure everything went smoothly, the veteran GM superstar, Nekopon, ran it. After it finished I asked her a few questions.

Can you describe the event?
“Once the event began, players were able to talk to an NPC in Elderine that would port them to the designated Quiz arena zone. When the arena was full, anyone else who ported in could only stand on the sidelines. The arena was split into two squares, one with an ‘X’ in it and the other with an ‘O’. I would ask the users a trivia question with two different answers.

If they thought that answer number one was correct, they’d stand in the square with an ‘X’ and if they thought answer number two was correct, they’d stand in the square with an ‘O’. Whoever stood in the wrong square would be kicked out of the arena and sent to the sidelines, and the next question would begin. The last person standing in the arena got a permanent Tiger Raccoon mount!”

How smooth did the event go?
“Even after hosting many events, you still can’t expect everything to go as planned, but that can be part of the fun sometimes. The players aren’t always interested in an event where participation is simply following directions. In this event, they are able to make their own decisions by choosing an answer opposite to their friends and other players, or simply following others. But the players ended up knowing more than I thought. After thirty minutes, less than fifteen people were eliminated. I had to use much harder questions.”

In the end, the users had a great time, and even the fans on the sidelines got a reward for showing up.

For the readers more curious about [GM]Nekopon, you can read the interview between her and Straega here. It will provide you with a more intimate perspective on both GMs =D

Starting Monday, June 8 the Cheat The Heat event begun. It continued throughout the week and gave users a chance to show off some of their cool beach attire as they hung out at the beach and  teamed up to fight off waves of monsters. In the end, players were awarded with treasure chests.
While it may have been the first event for some players, it was also the first event for [GM]Kae, the newest Outspark Game Master! I took this opportunity to ask him a few questions about his experience:

Bribbo: Hello Kae, how are you today?

Kae: I’m good, a little exhausted, though.

Bribbo: Ah, didn’t quite Cheat the Heat as much as you wanted to?

Kae: No, the heat definitely bested me this time. And by “the heat” I mean the various things that kept coming up throughout the event.

Bribbo: Ah, we’ll get to those things in a sec, but could you start out by describing the event a little?

Kae: Sure. First the players and I spent some time hanging out at Sand Beach in our swimwear, then I spawned groups of monsters while players teamed up to fight them off, in the end the players were rewarded with treasure chests.

Bribbo: Sounds simple enough. So, what would you say was the hardest part of your first event? Was it difficult to spawn all the different monsters?

Kae: Actually, spawning monsters is easier than one might think. I bet I could wipe out all of Elderine within ten minutes!

Bribbo: Easy there, save it for the next Army of Darkness event.

Kae: Oh I will. Actually the hardest part was managing everything going on. I didn’t want the players to get overwhelmed by the monsters, but I still wanted to present them with a challenge. Meanwhile, I kept getting whispers. I don’t mind when users whisper me, and I tried to read them all, but I really just don’t have the manpower to respond to more than one-third of them so it began to get chaotic especially when something happens, like a user getting stuck.

Bribbo: I see. I hear it’s a skill that takes some time to master. What about the most surprising thing of your first event?

Kae: I was pretty surprised how many players looked forward to the event and ended up coming. It’s really nice to be part of a community where the users love the game and the events.

Bribbo: Very true. So, being your first event, something must have gone wrong, right?

Kae: Well, there was this one thing. I wrote down all the commands I needed before the event because I couldn’t memorize them. When it was time to type them in, I’d look back and forth at the commands and my keyboard. Sometimes when I was done typing in the commands, which were rather long, I’d look up and see my character falling into oblivion. It was very confusing at first.

Bribbo: Haha, yeah that can be very confusing and startling. Now for a more personal question: How did you get involved with Outspark?

Kae: Well, my good friend of 8 or 9 years, [GM]SKiNG, has been telling me about Outspark for a while now. I really liked everything I’ve heard so I guess it was him who got me involved with Outspark.

Bribbo: Thank you very much, Kae. I’ll let you get back to the games.

Kae: No problem. I’d like to thank all the users who came and hope you guys enjoyed your treasure chests!

Today we’ve got a special treat for our community, especially for those Solstice fans who’ve gotten to know this particular GM. He’s been everywhere in gaming and still has time to spin! A seasoned vet, one of our most popular GMs, and a nice guy to boot. This is the interview with [GM]Murdock!

Note: Since there are times when actions speak louder than words I just had to include the physical things that transpired during this conversation. 

In-game handle: Murdock or Murdie
Name: Mr. CHOE (No relation to our CEO)
Hometown: Suwon, South Korea but living in Cali
Specialty: Hiphop DJ, “Uber Salesman”, GM’n MMOs, and being nice to players.
Game: Secret of the Solstice

Straega: Mistah Murdock! You’ve established quite a history over here at Outspark and our community from what I hear. I imagine that you’ve been a part of many games over the years. Mind listing some?

Murdock: Sure, I’ve been a Game Master for Gunbound, Soldier Front, GunZ, Drift City, KwonHo, Gunster, Golfking, Fiesta, Secret of the Solstice, Project Powder, Blackshot, Wind Slayer, and even more to come! I’ve also worked on Need for Speed Underground, NFL Street, In the Groove, Guitar Hero but I did not GM these games because, unfortunately, console games don’t have GMs.

Straega: Murdie, Murdock, Murple. Where does your name come from?

Murdock: …Don’t call me Murple… My name comes from the A-Team, a popular TV show from the 80’s.

Straega: Yes, I believe most people would recognize it as the show that popularized Mr. T.

Murdock: Murdock was the crazy pilot trying to get discharged from service by pretending to be crazy. He never got discharged, and he wasn’t crazy at all, it was just an act. Murdock also has mad skills flying helicopters.

Straega: So is that your M.O.? When you run up and down the halls of the office screaming “Moonbear invasion in Brynhild!” [just so the readers know, he doesn’t actually do that] you’re not actually crazy?

Murdock: [Murdock immediately takes off his shoe and throws it at me]

Straega: Aah! Why? This is serious! Next question… When you aren’t gaming, or throwing shoes at people, what do you enjoy doing most?

Murdock: DJ’n beats or making beats! That’s my second passion in life after games. Oh, I also love to race my Subaru WRX STI!

Straega: We’re talking safe, legitimate, non-street, non-Fast and Furious type racing, correct?

Murdock: Uh… I plead the fifth!

Straega: Tell us the most amazing moment you’ve experience thus far as a GM for Solstice.

Murdock: The most amazing moment was on my birthday last year in June. Basically, everyone shouted “Happy B-Day!” all day long. I really felt loved and got to appreciate all the hard work that we do as GMs. I’d also say that the events that make our users happy are pretty gratifying as well.

Straega: Other than, of course, Solstice, what’s your favorite game and genre that you enjoy playing?

Murdock: Well, I have many favorites so it typically depends on what title is new and what’s out. At the moment, I’d say my favorite game is Call of Duty 4 and Metal Gear Solid 4. I love first person adventure games, but since I love racing games as well, I know I’ll be spending a lot of my free time on Forza 3 when it comes out.

Straega: Unlike Rayse, I can’t see you from where I’m sitting so I’ve no idea what your preferred in-game snack is. What is it?

Murdock: [laughs] Rice crispy treats and/or beef jerky!

Straega: I knew it! You’re the one that takes all the rice crispy treats!

Murdock: Dude, you snooze, you lose.

Straega: Murdock, you seem a nice guy, and wouldn’t ban people in real life *cough* Nekopon *cough*. So if you could take a proficiency, a spell, an attribute, or an item from Solstice and bring it to real life, what would it be and why?

Murdock: Dude! Mountable pets! MOUNTABLE PETS!

Straega: Why?

Murdock: So I could ride my pit bull around of course!

Straega: Wait, so if you could make yourself smaller or your pet bigger so that you could ride it, which would it be?

Murdock: I’d make my pet bigger!

Straega: And you’re fully well aware that your pit bull would then become the size of a large cow?

Murdock: Yes.

Straega: Well, then you’d probably want to take a “cleanse spell” as well, seein as there’d be a chance of rabies and all.

Murdock: [Murdock immediately takes off the other shoe and throws it at me]

Straega: Hah! Too bad, you’re out of ammo now, buddy. Next question. If you could choose between being able to fly, turn invisible, or teleport which would you choose and why?

Murdock: Teleport! Dude, how many times do you say this to yourself. “I wish I could just port there.” [laughs]

Straega: So you’re a teleporter huh? If you had a warp stone right now, that could take you anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Murdock: I’d go to Korea!

Straega: Why Korea?

Murdock: You’ve just got to be there to know it.

Straega: I’ll keep that in mind.

Murdock: I’d also make sure I stocked up on warp stones so I could go to the UK, Miami, New York City, Japan, Germany, Paris, and Brazil!

Straega: The beauty of teleporting. Making trouble getting your irregularly sized pit bull through customs, easy as cake!

Murdock: You’re lucky I only have two feet.

Much thanks to Murdock for this interview. Check out his profile here and add him as a friend!

Welcome back, Outspark fans! It’s time for another installment of “Game Masters: A Closer Look”, where we get an intimate moment with some of our most popular GMs for Fiesta, Secret of the Solstice, Wind Slayer, and Project Powder.
This time… She’s singing! She’s dancing! She’s shooting down the slopes of Oblivion ready to kick butt! Watch out! It’s time to talk to Tokara.

In-game handle: [GM]Tokara
Name: Jing
Hometown: Beijing, China
Specialty: singing, dancing, shooting pool, 3D modeling, shopping, shooting guns, ice skating, traveling, and bartending
Game: Project Powder

Straega: Singing, bartending, and 3D modeling huh? I’d have never guessed.

Tokara: Yeah, everyone says that. I’m a 3D environment artist, and I just graduated from college.

Straega: Tokara. It has a nice ring to it, where is it from if I may ask?

Tokara: There are islands that are a part of Japan named The Tokara Islands. I’m a beach person, weather permitting, and I think I could totally be a beach bum! [laughs] Honestly, I don’t know that much about The Tokara Islands, but I hope that I can visit there someday.

Straega: You seem the adventurous type then. What do you typically do when you’re not playing video games?

Tokara: Pretty much everything that I do when I’m not at work. [laughs]

Straega: [gasp!] So you don’t play video games outside of work?

Tokara: I only play video games when I hang out with my friends or if I’m having a house party. I don’t like to play games alone, unless I’m extremely bored.

Straega: What do you like most about being a GM?

Tokara: When I told my friends that I’m a GM, they thought that it stood for general manager… then I’d say, “That’s right!” [laughs]

Straega: What are your most favorite games?

Tokara: Project Powder of course, Super Mario Brothers, and Rock Band.

Straega: I’ve asked everyone else this one too so far and sometimes I’ll get an interesting response. What do you like eating while you’re actually playing video games?

Tokara: Eating? While I play? No way! My hands are too busy, but I do eat before and after, especially if I lose. I take all that anger out on food… FOOD!

Straega: Too much into the action, I see. Do you snowboard in real life?

Tokara: No, but I would love to try. It seems fun and painful.

Straega: It is rather fun, and rather painful, at least the first couple of times.

Tokara: I like challenges, and I wish I could try everything in the world!

Straega: This is the revealing one, which I have to ask. So, If you could choose between being able to fly, turn invisible, or teleport which would you choose and why?

Tokara: Mmmm, So many ppl ask me that question.

Straega: Really!? I need more random questions then.

Tokara: I think I’d choose to turn invisible.

Straega: Why?

Tokara: Because you can’t fly in bad weather! [laughs]

Straega: Let’s say that you did choose to fly. Where in the world would you fly to?

Tokara: Too many places that I want to go, so here is a rough list that I’d get done in a day. First, I’d go to a beach in Hawaii to watch the sunrise.

Straega: Don’t forget your sunblock.

Tokara: After that, I’d go to Africa to see some wild animals.

Straega: Don’t forget your cattleprod.

Tokara: After that, I’d go to Thailand to have some Thai food for lunch and go to the temple to pray.

Straega: I love beef curry rendang.

Tokara: Then, I’d go to the South Pole to hang out with penguins.

Straega: Don’t forget your sweater. Sorry, I’ll stop that now.

Tokara: After that, I’d go to Tahiti to go swimming, get a sun tan and watch the sunset. Then, go to Paris to have dinner and do some shopping. And at the end of the day, I’d fly to Brazil so I could party.

Straega: Sounds like quite a day.

Tokara: And I’d do the same thing every single day!

Straega: Alright! So… You wanna race?

Tokara: [For a moment, I catch a glimpse of flames in the eyes of Tokara as she stares at me menacingly] Sure!  I’m positive that I can kick your butt!

Straega: Hmmm… We’ll see about that.

Much thanks to Tokara for this interview. Check out her profile here and add her as a friend!