Solver: What does your nickname mean, where does it come from?
Velociryx: :) I was waiting for that one. In college (back when they taught things like 'throw rock....kill buffalo' ::grin::) and the local BBS scene was on fire--all this was pre-internet-as-we-know-it of course--I went by the alias 'The Blind Scribe,' mostly because back then, I spent a lot of time sitting at my desk by candle light making maps for various AD&D campaigns. When I graduated, moved to Columbia and got a job, there was this little ISP in town that had just opened up called 'City On-Line.' I got to know the owner, he gave me a free account, in exchange for tending the forums and chat sections there, and I figured it was time for a new name to go with the new account. So, with a little help from a bottle of tequila, I sat down and started fiddling with word sounds. Didn’t find anything I liked until I got to the 'V’s' and then hit upon the words 'Velociraptor' and 'Velocity.' Kept merging them in different ways, and eventually arrived at Velociryx. If I had to assign some meaning to it, then based on the words it stemmed from, I’d have to say something like: 'Very fast dinosaur,' or more generally: 'Speedy, extinct critter.' :)

Solver: Apolyton forums are your second home. What exactly do you enjoy the most about Apolyton?
Velociryx: Without a doubt, it’s the people. A place like this has lots of information to draw folks in, that’s true, but it’s the character and quality of people that define the community and Apolyton has about the best collection of people I’ve ever encountered. I’ve never actually met anybody from the forums, but if I found out that someone from the boards was heading this way, they’d definitely get an invite here! (Party at Vel’s house! WhoooHoooo!)

Solver: What's your take on Tau Ceti's PBEM Tournament system?
Velociryx: I like it very much. PBEM has increased greatly in popularity since the game first came out....I remember when the bulk of players on the Apolyton forums were strictly SP. Now, the reverse is true, and I think it is due in large part to Tau Ceti’s and your own PBEM tournaments.

Solver: What's your take on Solver's PBEM Ladder System? (sorry, can't resist asking this one!)
Velociryx: Also very cool! Solver’s point system makes it fundamentally different from Tau Ceti’s, and I think the two look excellent side by side!

Solver: What is the strongest point of SMAC as a game?
Velociryx: In a word, versatility. The ability to customize so many aspects of the game is what gives it that vast replay value. With enough patience, you can go in and edit almost every aspect of the game, boosting AI factions with appropriate bonuses, shifting pre-requisite techs around, creating entirely new factions....tons of stuff to change! And, even if you’re not so patient, there are a sufficient number of menu driven custom options that the game just never gets old!

Solver: What is the weakest point of SMAC as a game?
Velociryx: AI, with Graphics coming in at a close second. Here, I think that SMAC’s complexities work against it, because the AI was simply not given the ability to deal with those complexities.....you just can’t make the AI use its technological advances in an intelligent way! That’s very frustrating, and it weakens what is otherwise a superb game! Likewise, the weak graphics. So much time was spent on the guts of the game that I got the distinct impression the graphics were simply rushed into place. They look okay, but not great by any means.

Solver: Why don't you consider yourself the best SMACer? What do you consider yourself?
Velociryx: Somewhere near the back of the strategy guide, I wrote a set of guiding principles that I use in all my own games...SMAC or otherwise. One of them is to absolutely deny that you’re the best. Being 'the best' leads to all sorts of nasty consequences, not the least of which is arrogance. Nobody likes playing with, or even talking with someone who’s arrogantly looking down his nose at 'the masses' as though they have nothing of value to contribute. I’ve never believed that. I think even a brand new player to the game has the ability to come up with an entirely new idea....something the 'seasoned veterans' hadn’t thought of yet, simply because their own experience blinds them to other possibilities. By repeatedly telling myself that I’m a mediocre player, at best, I force myself to constantly look for new ideas, or to wring that much more out of existing ideas. It’s a mindset thing, really. Second bad thing is, advertising yourself as 'the best,' leads to the gunslinger mentality, with everybody looking to bring down the self-proclaimed hotshot. And finally, simply announcing yourself as 'the best' doesn’t make it so. That’s one of those titles you can’t effectively give yourself. It’s like saying to someone, 'I have great wisdom.' It’s just not something that works when you give the title to yourself. It has to be given by your peers or not at all, in my opinion.

As to what I am.....I’d have to say I equate myself more to 'Ramerez' from the Highlander movies than anything. Not the best, but a teacher....and it’s always cool when a former student comes back to find you later and demonstrates his now superior skill, because you played a part in getting him to that point. That’s good stuff!

Solver: With whom would you enjoy reading an interview in future?
Velociryx: ::Laughs:: Sid Meier, of course! But barring that, I’d love to see someone pick Shining1’s brains....or any other mod-creator, for that matter! That takes a level of patience I just don’t posses, and I’d be willing to bet they’d have some terrific insights into the game!

Solver: What do you do when you’re not playing or writing about SMAC?
Velociryx: I spend most of my downtime either tending my website or writing my next book. Much as I love computer games, it’s been a long-standing wish of mine to see my stories sitting on the shelf in some bookstore right beside Koontz, King, and Crighton. Originally, my website was designed as a simple little place to put up some of my writing so others (and especially publishers!) could have a look, but as I met more and more people online, I began to see the need for a 'community' for starving artists of all stripes, and that’s what my place has grown into. Poets, short fiction writers, novelists, graphic designers, and for a time, an internet radio disc jockey. I’ve now got members from all over the globe, with more coming every day, and the best part is, three of the regulars on my site (counting me) have now been published! So, in between gaming and forum posting, if you’re looking for a little something different, come check out some of the writing in the forums of my website http://www.angelfire.com/sc2/hartpence!

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