• New Citizen Interviews - Matto16

    Hello and welcome all. I am here with the third 'New Citizen' interview, this time with Matto16 and his patron SoulGamesInc - a big thank-you to them for agreeing to be interview and answering my questions. If you enjoy what you read here then please feel free to check out the other interviews over on this page. I will keep my introduction short this time round as there is plenty to read below. Enjoy!

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    Q.) Matto16, before we begin, a big congratulations on passing your Citizenship application, I am sure you will be a fine addition to the ranks! For those of us who aren't familiar with you, could you give us a bit of an introduction your TWC-self? How did you come to the site, what made you sign up etc.

    Matto16.) Thank you, I really hope so too. In this month it has been three years since I joined TWC or at least officialy sign up as before that I was only visiting this page as guest and read topics and threads that interested me most. At that time I was a big fan of Medieval 2 Total War, having played it for many hours without getting bored but at the same time I was also (and still am) very interested in Tolkien's Middle Earth, having read all books, not to mention watching Lord of the Rings movies at least once per year since they came out. You could understand then how impressed I was when first heard of Total War mods based on that work and it wasn't long before I tested out first Fourth Age and then Third Age Total War. Both games really impressed but the real reason for joining this side and not remain only a guest were hotseats. Once I stumbled upon them, I found the idea of multiple players joining in the same game and taking leaderships of different factions very intriguing and much more fun then playing alone. Later I discovered hotseats based on other great mods such as Westeros and I joined them too having just started reading those books. In all those years my passion for hotseating hasn't waned despite I wasn't active all the time. If not for hotseats I would probably remain a guest till this day, reading interesting topics but not really getting involved into it.

    Q.) Well we are glad you signed up! You mentioned hotseating briefly then, as well as in your Citizenship application, could you tell us a bit more about what you enjoy about it? Also, what made you decide to get involved in the running of hotseats?

    Matto16.) Mostly I enjoy beeing able to take a part in warfare with other players, either by fighting them or working with them against common foes. Single player games are not bad, but playing against AI is not the same as playing against real opponents and diplomacy is also a reason why I enjoy hotseating so much: you can be excellent fighter and strategist, win every single battle but if you don't know the game of diplomacy you can still loose the war. In the recent time I am only active in Westeros HS Community where diplomacy plays a huge role, but that doesn't mean that this is the only mod which allows you to be a clever diplomat, far from it. About the running of hotseats - not long after I became an active player in HS Community I discover that perhaps I can do more then just playing in games and having fun, afterall if I could help and make a Community a better place then why not? Sacrificing some of my free time is the least I could do to help maintain something that brings so much fun to me and many other players. I started only as admin, taking up a few hotseats and help them running but later I got even more involved with hoasting new games, advertising our hotseats in main Westeros and TATW sections while also getting a bit involved in writing some basic rules for new players.

    Q.) Is that when you became a member of Gaming Staff? Also, if I was a new member looking to get involved in hotseating for the first time (having never done it before), could you summarise what would I have to do to get started?

    Matto16.) Not yet, first I was only helping other admins and members of Gaming Staff, that was still back then when I was only admining a couple of games without getting further involved in such work. However once I became a member of Gaming Staff - that was after a small crisis which resulted with a couple of Gaming Staff members leaving I decided to fully concentrate on my new role and trying to do my work the best way I can. With the community not beeing in its best form that was needed and thanks to hard and organized work we managed to revive and bring our community on even higher level. Hotseats aren't that hard at all, first of all you need to read through the rules carefully but nowadays they are not hard to find, SoulGamesInc who is also my patron even made an excellent video about hotseating that can be found on Youtube so Newbloods (that's what we are calling new players with no experience in hotseating so far) are in much better starting position then we were. If I summarise it in short: once admin posts a save for your faction in the hotseat thread, you need to download it and put it in your save files in your mod folder. Then you should load that save in game and the first thing you are about to notice is a big screen with some basic info about current hotseat and a space for your password. Once you type it in (and you shouldn't reveal it to anyone) a game opens, you play your turn and once you are done don't forget to click on end turn button. The last thing you see is the same big screen with password for next player - you save the game at that point with specific name "nameofhotseat_nameoffaction_turnnumber" and upload it back on forum thread so that next player can continue. That's it in short but if you want more information you should visit hotseat areas on TWC.

    Q.) Thank-you for the run-down, much appreciated. Earlier you mentioned you enjoyed reading interesting topics, could you tell us what sort of topics on TWC are interest too you, and are there any other forums you visit, even if it is just as a reader but not a poster?

    Matto16.) I didn't do much exploring on TWC until recently because the site seemed so large to me and I was satisfied visiting the same sections all the time. Those were mostly Westeros and TATW threads with all news regarding mods but also conversations regarding books and movies as well. From time to time I also visited some other threads but most of them were in modification section, either
    different mods in progress or modding guides when I was working on my own project. Apart from TWC I am not that active on other forums but now that you already asked I must mention two sites that I visit quiet frequently though only as a reader: the first beeing TheOneRing.net where I am browsing through news regarding movies though recently not so much anymore with the Hobbit trilogy beeing done. The other one is ASOIAF forum with interesting discussions about books and series. In the past I was also active on many RP forums based on different fantasy works but recently not so much anymore as they seem to be dissapearing as well.

    Q.) Have you checked out the RP's that happen on this site, they could be of interest too you? For our next question would you mind telling us how SoulGamesInc approached you with the offer about being your patron, and what were your first thoughts? SoulGamesInc, could you also give us a few words. What made Matto16 stand-out to you, and why did you decide to be his patron?

    Matto16.) I did check out the RP but my knowledge of English is still not that perfect to write long posts or stories. Most RP I did so far was in my own language while during hotseating I also posted a couple of short stories that weren't so long though so right now I am still not feeling comfortable enough to visit RP community. That might change with time.

    Well it was like that: I was never thinking much about citizenry, I heard about that and saw some fellow members becoming citizens from time to time but I was not really dwelling on it. Then one day I decided to talk with Soul and ask him some questions regarding citizenry since he was already a citizen and who could tell me more then one of them? It was all just for my curiosity but during our talks he offered to be my patron should I desire so as he was convinced that I deserve this honour after all my work done in the hotseat community and beyond. I wasn't sure what to think a first few moments but then I offered him my gratitude and together we agreed that we can try it.

    SoulGamesInc.) Matto approached me actually, regarding Citizenship, what it meant and if I'd be willing to put him forward etc. Matto had been a pillar of the Hotseating community during some of it's darker days, so naturally I was happy to put his name forward for an honor that I felt he deserved, as my first time as a patron I was quite confident that he'd get in with flying colors. It takes a certain kind of person to step up in Hotseating and assist the community (being an admin is too often a thankless job) so becoming his patron was the least I could do. As the head of the Westeros section of Gaming Staff I have been using my Youtube channel to bring new players into the fold, but it's people that step up to host/admin that truly keep the community alive.

    Q.) I'm glad you went for it, it's always good too see people applying for Citizenship. Now that you are a Citizen, do you have any plans with regards to the Curia? Anything you'd like too see changed, or implemented etc.

    Matto16.) I started visiting Curia much more often now that I am a Citizen, reading through its threads and giving my votes to members in different polls. I am quite impressed of how good everything works, the Constitution is very well written, both easily understandable and practical and many ideas so far seems to be really innovative. At the moment I don't have any such plans, but in the future I may come up with some idea, its all depends from circumstances and my free time which may be a little more limited in a couple of next weeks because of exams. Anyway since I am most active in Hotseat threads I may propose something concerning that part of forum - for quite a bit of time already Gaming Staff have no Hex to watch it over, which means it is very hard to get someone if you want to add new Gaming Staff members, removing inactive ones, giving medals and so on. Not sure if this is a thing for Curia to discuss but at the moment it is an issue on TWC that needs to be solved. It is nice to be a part of group that have an influence over TWC as that way you can also help in one or the other way without beeing just an observer. So far I have always enjoy visiting this site and participating in its activities but now that I am a Citizen I have new responsibilities but also better options in terms of improving this site with new ideas and proposals so I will try to do so.

    Q.) I'm looking forward to seeing you posting there! To wrap us up, do you have any words of advice for members reading this who may be considering applying for Citizenship? And SoulGamesInc, any words of wisdom for your latest client?

    Matto16.) If you enjoy visiting this site, that is a first good sign of becoming a Citizen one day. However fun and excitment aren't enough if you aren't ready to spend some of your free time by contributing your skills to TWC, may that be with modding, writing, admining or anything else. Everyone is good at something and if you feel like you are ready to become an active member don't be shy but show the rest of us your skills and knowledge and your efforts won't stay forgotten. And for all those who are already an active members and are considering applying for Citizenship I can only say this: if you think your contributions to this site are good enough and your decision is enough objective, visit Curia and take a look at other members who were successful in joining our ranks. And if you are still enough convinced try with your own application, you cannot loose anything.

    SoulGamesInc.) Wisdom? If he ever wants to start up a youtube channel, certainly. In seriousness Matto has more than his share of wisdom already, he just needs to continue being himself by helping out the community as it grows in the coming months (we're looking at a new golden age of Hotseating at the rate things are growing) and maybe consider re-join Gaming Staff down the line should he ever find himself able to do so, the position will surely be open for him if wished it.

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    And with those words we'll bring this interview to an end, I hope you enjoyed reading it! Follow this link to read over Matto's Citizenship application yourself. Once again my thanks to Matto16 and SoulGamesInc for taking part. You can check out more about both of these fine gentlemen by clicking on their respective names, and whilst you are there be sure to click on the little green plus sign next to their names as well - it'll just add some reputation as a small thanks and let them know you enjoyed the interview.

    As always if you have any comments or feedback about this interview or indeed any aspect of the Curia please drop a post in the Curial commentary thread - I'd love to hear from you. If you are reading this and thinking about applying for Citizenship then please follow this link for more information about the whole process.

    That's it ("finally!" I hear you cry) from me. I wish you all a good weekend, and keep your eyes peeled for the next 'New Citizen' interview soon to be published... we have a special double bill in the works so it's one you don't want to miss. The best place to watch out for this, and indeed all the latest news and articles from the Curia, is right here on the Curia homepage.

    Shankbot de Bodemloze,
    Curator