Since I had this idea of reliving an old idea some of you used to do in the past,I was willing to give Descent Ranger pilots an interview to relive this old idea and give it some new life, KoolBear then came with a little refreshment as well why not post these interviews here at the Descentbb.net forum so that you can review all Descent Pilots Obi! I was like hay yeah why not, this way the readers can read what others had in favors as well! hah what a wonderful idea so KoolBear here ya go buddy, the first interview I had was with Verran, I am sure many of you know this veteran righty!
Okay here is the first Interview I took on, which was an interview with Verran
1.) So where to begin? well let's start with your Pilot's name and how you got to the names idea, right, So who are you to be gin with?
When I was young I wanted to be a writer and I wrote a lot of fantasy fiction (Tolkien-ish). Verran was a character name I came up with and it has stuck ever since.
2.) How did you get to the idea of playing the Descent series, did you read it in a mag, a commercial at a computer store, on the internet, or did you hear it from a friend or relative?
My brother, Wolf, started playing it with his friends. I was turned off by Descent for many years, before he finally dragged me down to a local LAN center to play Descent 2. Then I got hooked.
3.) What Descent based game is your favorite?
Descent 2!
4.) Have you tried the Freespace series as well, if so which one gave you the greatest inspiration?
I tried Freespace 1 and that was it. I was a big X-Wing (well, still am), so Freespace didn't quite do it for me.
5.) How did you find out about this clan or say league that is called the Descent Rangers?
Our LAN center closed and we wanted to keep playing. Wolf was already on the internet playing RPGs and he found Kali and that was that.
6.) Have you ever taken part by creating any of the original Descent or Freespace game series?
I beta tested Descent 3. You know in D3 how a shield shimmers around a ship when it is hit? That was my idea and the D3 dev team implemented it.
7.) What is your favorite map to play in single player in D1,D2 And D3?
I never really played D1 single player. D2 I loved playing co-op tournaments on levels 1 - 5. D3, all the levels were great.
8.) and waht is your less most favorite map to play in single player in D1, D2 And D3?
It's been too long so I don't remember!
9.) Since a lot of Pyro Jockies didn't like the role script of Descent3:Retribution, what could be improved to make it a much more compelling storyline to fit onwards from Descent2's Ending?
Pass
10.) If Descent IV: Invasion would of been completed, would you have had an idea on how the story line would of proceeded?
Pass
11.) Like we all are Descent fans and are always stand open for new idea's, would a Descent :First Strike, Descent II Counterstrike & Descent II: Vertigo conversion to Descent 3 be an idea?
I'm not a huge fan of Descent 3 so it doesn't really interest me.
12.) What was the most difficult clan battle you been in?
If you mean internal games to the Rangers, I would say the final round of the first flag tournament I was in. We lost by just a few points.
13.) How long have you been fly for the Descent Rangers?
I joined on 10/28/1996. When Cemada officially stepped down in the late 90s, I was promoted to Commander and worked with Quasar, PFunk and Gritz on the website, then finally retired around 2005/2006.
14.) Who is you favorite pilot to train with?
LordDeath and I teamed a lot. I also played with Vain quite a bit.
15.) who is a pilot you'd fear to see in a mine in a one on one match?
MD-1224 or JediLuke.
16.) Have you also flow for other clans such as the Wild Cards, [RIP], VEX, VoN Clan or Brothers of the Stone?
Nope, I've always been a Ranger.
17.) Since that the Descent Rangers is alive and kicking rectum again, Would you have any new idea's to add in it's table of contents?
It would be nice to see the Membership Council operating as it used to, as well as a solid Senior Officer structure, representative of the old days.
It would also be good to see people brushing up on the rules to get an idea of what the league is all about. All of that was designed to provide a fun, competitive environment.
It would be nice to see a central source of league news/information/communication. Right now you have to rely on four sources: the website, the Facebook group, the forums and the chat room and they're not all necessarily in sync. It took forever to find the Mumble connection information.
With more people, it would be good to have tournaments again.
18.) Are there other games you like playing besides Descent?
Right now I also play Left 4 Dead, but that's because my friends back home in Indiana also play and it gives us time to stay in touch.
19.) What other things do you do besides computer games?
I write music a lot. I scored 22 tracks for Core Decision before it dissipated. I like to play D&D, go skiing, run, fish, camp and more.
20.) What is your occupation?
I am a software engineer. I am primarily a .NET / C# developer, but I know many other languages.
21.) What are places that you would like to go on a vacation to?
I have an interest in vacationing everywhere except the Middle East and Africa.
22.) What is you favorite movie?
Oh boy, lots. Tops are Braveheart, Donnie Darko, The Illusionist and Fight Club.
23.) What is your favorite book, magazine or newspaper to read?
The Dark Elf series by R.A. Salvatore.
24.) AS food goes, what is your favorite Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner menu?
Everything unless it's weird exotic stuff. Not a fan of sushi!
Anyways all; questions were asked in gold as me being Gold Leader and all the answers are done in bolded blue, just to make it easier to read , since I am dyslectic,and this kinda helps me edit them as well, just so you all know okay and I'd like to thank verran for his time to let me have this interesting interview with him
So based on these values, An F15 fighter is over 3.8 times the speed of the fastest bullet train.
Hence my frustration with the Descent 3 subway trains.
9.) Since a lot of Descent 3 Pyro Jockies didn't like the role script of Descent3:Retribution, what could be improved
to make it a much more compelling storyline to fit onwards from Descent2's Ending?
I have no idea.
Personally liked the Descent 3: Mercenary Levels.
10.) If Descent 4: Invasion would of been completed, would you have had an idea on how the story line would of
proceeded?
No clue... Descent always took the story in a new and interesting plot twist that somehow stayed well within the
main story line.
11.) Like all true Descent fans are always stand open for new idea's would a Descent: First Strike, Descent 2
Counterstrike, and Descent 2: Vertigo conversion to Descent 3 be a good idea?
Old level rehashes could be a nice twist... but new levels would be more important to me.
I really liked the Entropy map pack done by Sirian and others in the Descent Community.
12.) What was the most difficult clan battle you been in?
D3k versus Bots (Brothers of the Stone)... those matches were always close and fun because of the skill of the
pilots on both teams.
13.) How long have you been flying in Descent?
Off and on since around 1997 until this date in time.
Descent is hard to stay away from in the long run.
14.) Who is / was your favorite pilot to train beside in Descent?
D3k-Krom... always learned something new from him.
15.) Which Descent pilot that you would not want to see in Descent in a one versus one match?
There are many:
Bama... Sadly Andy is no longer with us.
D3k-Krom
and many many more.
16.) Have you also flown for other clans such as the Wild Cards, [RIP], VEX, VoN Clan, or Brothers of the Stone?
I haven't flown in matches with any of them but have been in games with many players from these clans.
17.) Since that the Descent Rangers is alive and kicking again, Would you have any new idea's to add in it's table of
contents?
This doesn't apply to me... So no clue for any ideas on this one.
18.) Are there other computer games that you like playing besides Descent?
Freespace 1, Freespace 2, Starcraft 1, Starcraft 2, Command and Conquer 3, Command and Conquer 4, Supreme Commander
1, Supreme Commander 2, Total Annihilation, and many many more.
Have played a large variety of game genres such as Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games, First Person
Shooters, Real Time Strategy games. etc.
19.) What other things do you like to do besides playing computer games?
Eat, Sleep, Spending time with my 17 year old daughter, Reading the Bible, and Writing Computer Software.
20.) What is your occupation?
Software Engineer / Computer Programmer / Systems Analyst for over 33 years.
At the startup company which I am working for at the present time we have done some very fun Leading Edge Software
suites such as:
- Streaming Live Video while driving at highway speeds.
- VideoMover Send and its' companion Broadcast Receive Suite of programs.
- FotoMover - Automatic Timed picture capture based on a user defined picture capture interval with file uploads to
a web site.
- Web Page ASP based web page to view the uploaded "Auto Albumed" Pictures by Individual, then Date, and finally
by Time.
* Consists of Send and Receive Suites.
- chaserView - 1 to 1 full featured Video Conferencing Package
- Uses a licensed proprietary Encode / Decode package with much smaller packet sizes than h.263 and h.264, etc.
21.) What places in the world would you like to take a vacation if money was no object?
Israel, England, Australia, or Canada.
22.) What is your favorite movie?
It's a wonderful life - It has a great moral to the story: Everyone is important.
23.) What is your favorite book, magazine, or newspaper to read?
The Bible. Keeps this Christian well grounded.
24.) What is your favorite meal?
Chicken Fried Steak with a baked potato with butter and cheese... But only on special occasions.
25.) Anything else that you would like to share with the Descent Community?
Treat everyone with kindness... One day you may need help from others.
In the end, You reap what you sew... sew kindness always.
Thanks for helping me survive some of the lowest times in my life... such as divorce, etc.
No problem Sir Winner , I'd like to thank you for your time for this interview
KoolBear wrote:These are great but I would like to move them to the multiplayer forums where you "Meet the people you love to kill (and be killed by) in Descent!"
Okay Descent BB'ers here's an Interview with SilverFJ
1.) So where to begin? well let's start with your Pilot's name and how you got to the names idea, right, So who are you to begin with?
Well, I picked the name SilverFJ because when I started playing Descent 1, I was in my early early teens and my eyes had a weird silver flake color to them, like fish scales, (which have since turned blue). FJ came from my nickname on the football team at the time of "Famous Justin". Not to be confused with a silver version of the automobile.
2.) How did you get to the idea of playing the Descent series, did you read it ina mag, ,or a commercial at a computer store, or on the internet, or did you hear it from a friend?
Well I was the jock and my brother was the computer geek. He bought a computer back around the time that D1 came out and it came with a demo version of the game. I was never really into computer games, but it was the first time I'd ever seen a game with a joy-stick so I was entranced. I got into it pretty quick, really enjoyed the 360 degree atmosphere.
3.) What Descent based game is your favourite?
D3, definitely, I had a lot of fun times playing in Team Leagues, especially my long time with the Dark Maverick's Collegiate {DmC}. Entropy and Capture the Flag were my favorites.
4.) Have you tried the Freespace series as well, if so which one gave you the greatest inspiration?
I really enjoyed the Freespace games, especially for the fact that you could change out your weapons and modify your ships and stuff. The whole Shivan thing was pretty fun, too.
5.) How did you find out about this clan or say league that is called the DmC?
I really don't remember. I was hopping around through clans for a while, trying to find the right one for me. I bothered BoTS and D3k like crazy to let me in, and D3k finally submitted. Well, I got dumb and quit them and tried out for DmC. I passed with flying colors, and after Zonerie turned it into an empire like WC, I was graduated into the elite {Ds} crew.
6.) Have you ever taken part by creating any of the original Descent or Freespace game series?
Oh no, no no. That's not my style, I don't have the technical skills.
7.) What is your favorite map to play in single player in D1,D2 And D3?
I liked the train station in D3. I wasn't much of a single player ever.
8.) and what is your less most favorite map to play in single player in D1,D2 And D3?
I didn't like level 4 of D1 if I remember. Too confusing.
9.) Since a lot of Pyro Jockies didn't like the role script of Descent3:Retribution, what could be improved to make it a much more compelling storyline to fit onwards from Descent2's Ending?
Well, I'm not one of those people. I liked seeing Dravis getting his ass skewered.
10.) If Descent IV: Invasion would of been completed, would you have had an idea on how the story line would of proceeded?
No clue. Maybe after all that time Material Defender could finally get a little tail??
11.) Like we all are Descent fans and are always stand open for new idea's, would a Descent :First Strike, Descent II Counterstrike & Descent II: Vertigo conversion to Descent 3 be an idea?
Yeah, that would be fun. I haven't played Descent in a long time, but I would definitely like to go back and play those games under the new D3 style, with D3 weapons.
12.) What was the most difficult clan battle you been in?
It had to be our Entropy battle against ROX. Those guys really knew how to play, and it was a close one.
13.) How long had you been flying for the Dark Mavericks?
I want to say a year or two, I flew for what I considered to be the best team in Descent next to ROX and WC. We were always playing together, for fun, for D3TL, it was a great time.
14.) Who was your favorite pilot to train with?
I want to say either Ferno, or Tweety. DmC kept it pretty tight, and these two were my closest rivals for the Ds ladder.
15.) Who is a pilot you'd fear to see in a mine in a one on one match?
Bama (god rest his soul) beat me every time but one. I was so stoked you wouldn't believe it. If he was still around and playing, I would put on my death-name.
16.) Have you also flow for other clans such as the Wild Cards, [RIP], VEX, VoN Clan or Brothers of the Stone?
I was one of the biggest clan-hoppers around. I practiced in D3k, FD3, MOB, et cetera before I wound up with DmC.
17.) Are there other games you like playing besides Descent? Games such as Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy or X-Wing Alliance?
I like to get together with my buddies and play StarCraft, or mess around on the Wii games. Pretty fun stuff, I can bowl a Wii 300 50% of the time.
19.) What other things do you do besides computer games?
Oh, man. I'm very active in my community and work. I have a girlfriend, I travel to Alaska every year to work, travel, and go fishing up there. I'm an avid angler and wrangler, you could say.
20.) What is your occupation?
I'm a ranch-hand, a professional Cowboy-Farmer. I work, herd, doctor, treat, brand, birth, husband, and end cattle, along with a lot of field-prep for the hay season, when I end up in Alaska. There I am a production foreman at a fish processing facility. I also have a ferrier service and my own agricultural steel fabrication company where we make cattle chutes, branding tables, round feeders, hydro-bale truck beds, rodeo dummies, etc...
21.) What are places that you would like to go on a vacation to?
I would love to see, well, when I tried to think of something to write, all I could think about was right here at home in Montana. So, nowhere.
22.) What is you favorite movie?
Dr. Strangelove. I even have a tattoo of Slim Pickens riding the bomb on my arm.
23.) What is your favorite book, magazine or newspaper to read? I really enjoy reading Glenn Beck's stuff.
24.) AS food goes, what is your favorite Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner menu?
Chicken fried steaks! For all three.
25.) Anyways are there any other things you'd wish to add?
Shout-outs to Woodchip, my main man Cuda, and all the old members of the Dark Mavericks Collegiate! Had a good time with you guys!
Well I'd like to thank you greatfully for your time SilverFJ !
