1) Who are you?
Within the Atriarch Community I post as Fazed on CoA and have posted as Ellenom on Stratics (I couldn't get Fazed as an ID). I live in the UK and am currently a Database Developer. I have roleplayed for about 17 years; tabletop, Live Action Roleplaying, Freeforms, Play by Mail, Play by Email, Message Gaming and recently within a MMORPG.
2) How long have you followed the development of Atriarch?
I heard about Atriarch in November 2000 but it wasn't until the beginning of December that I started reading CoA and the Atriarch site.
3) What game(s) did you play before finding out about Atriarch?
If you mean computer games then most resource management, strategy games or 'RPG' games; Heroes of Might and Magic, Heroes, Dune, Warcraft, Majesty, Diablo, Sim City, Age of Empires, Civ (and most variants), I loved Alpha Centauri because of the story as well as the strategy bit, Planscape Torment (again great story), Baldur's Gate and loads more. My game consumption slowed down in August when I ran into Asheron's Call. I never intended to run up huge phone and ISP bills on any online game, and I didn't have 24 hr unmetered access then; however when my other half bought it thinking it was a basic RPG game, the addiction began :-).
I was generally addicted for a couple of months but the Hack/Kill/Loot thing lost its novelty after a while. However I met some really great people most of whom are RPers and so socialising, organised outings to do quests, and the setting up of a small groups of related characters for RPing purposes have meant I'm still playing on Solclaim, just not as much as I used to.
I'm waiting patiently for Atriarch to come out and provide a better world to play in.
Gaming Aspects
1) What gaming design aspect are you glad is included in the game?
The strategy element is my favorite, also the ability to build your own house and personal storage.
2) What would you like included in/removed from the game?
I want there to be plenty of in game support for maintaining and running the communities that will grow around our collections of houses. I look forward to in game encouragement of various player involving events and in character behaviour.
I wish that Atriarch was still going to be one world. Choosing between
Europe for lag and N.America for all the people I have met will be tough...no it won't I'll go for the people :-) but I wish I didn't have to make the choice. Will I curse lag maimings? (I optimistically assume it will be hard to die from lag).
3) How much/what innovation do you think Atriarch brings to the industry?
Hard to say. What makes Atriarch different doesn't seem to be one thing but a combination of things. The strategy element, the alien background of the world, the organic approach to technology, the large growing world, the extent of the trade skills, the reduced importance of killing things to advance, the general impression of competance and maturity from the Developers. (By this I don't mean to say Developers from other games aren't competant and mature, I was just not inspired by their games).
Atriarch Community
1) What factors build/destroy the Atriarch community?
I think the high maturity level and courtesy on the message boards has really built the Atriarch community. It was one of the main reasons I stayed and read all the posts and felt confident enough to post without being flamed by some bored idiot with no manners. I think the willingness of the Developers to interact with the 'fans' on a friendly level without setting themselves up as gurus to be worshipped by the enthusiastic masses and that they genuinely care about fans' ideas, has also helped build the community.
2) How can the schism between longtime and new followers of the game be breached?
Patience. Understanding by older followers that it will take a while for newer followers to absorb all the facts and ideas that are unique to Atriarch, and the posting of links to places where things have already been said. Also some effort by newer followers to read the stuff that has already been written and to follow and read links supplied by older followers.
3) Should visibility in the community curry special favour in the (pre-)game?
No. :-). Being visible does not give anyone a right to expect anything from WF. On the other hand, it is likely that WF will want people in their tests who have shown an ability to analyse and give feedback and who are enthusiastic about Atriarch. They are more likely to get considerately filled in bug reports from people who regularly post on the Atriarch boards in a well thought out manner on the various design issues.
Discussions
1) Where can people find your threads (site/url)?
On CoA in most sections, and sporadically on Stratics and Vault. I've also written two pieces of fiction A question of Happiness and my entry in the Pikatan Story contest.
2) What thread was your favourite to start or see thrive (site/url)?
Hard to give a favorite. I like the Death, PvP discussions because they can get quite passionate, also the QoTW are normally interesting, and whenever someone proposes a design idea for comment. The 'Love and Gender in an Asexual World' is my current favorite.
3) What do you think should be discussed more amongst the communities?
I'd like to see people discuss ways of making in game communities viable; security, shops, permanent media, government, laws, tax, justice.
Other aspects you think would interest folks?
What character they imagine playing at the moment? What they currently imagine their caracter doing when the game goes live?
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