In-The-Scope we interviewed Feanor's right hand man and European counter-part Kingcheese.
1. For the readers, can you please state your name, rank and current position within TAW.
Kingcheese, Brigadier General, Vanguard Lt. Commander
2. Do you remember who did your bootcamp? What was it like?
A guy called Builderboy did my boot camp a long time ago. The boot camp was interesting. I have not been part of any clan or community before so was impressed with the structure and organisation that TAW seemed to have although it did make me nervous as well.
3. Why did you join TAW? What made you decide that TAW was where you wanted to be?
I started to play on line for the first time with game called Quake Wars. Pub games quickly annoyed me, as players seemed to do anything but try to complete the objectives. After jumping on a TAW server I played a few matches with some NA TAW guys who were top notch for playing style, teamwork and humour.
Shortly after that I got a private message from Crusher asking me to take a look at TAW’s website and join the EU team if interested. I do remember early into my time in TAW I was put with a mainly NA team. For whatever reason it was not great and after I mentioned to Builder the same. At the next match Builder made me a PL. That was a tough learning curve. I did okay but not brilliant. It did teach me an important lesson though that it is easy to criticise when you don’t understand what is involved. After that I sat back as a team player for a while learning the game more and how to communicate with the team. When I got my chance to be a proper PL I was a lot more prepared because of it.
4. Vanguard has a lot of games. Which game(s) do you spend the most time on? Either playing or help command. Have any favorites?
Currently I spend my time on BF3 and now to a lesser degree Nuclear Dawn although I do help on any game that needs it. In regard to games I still play, that would be WoT as and when I can although I have bought BF3 and if I had the time would like to try out SW as well. When I need down time to have a break I like strategy games such as Victoria II, Hearts of Iron etc. My problem is time. Vanguard is always busy even if you are not attending matches, as there is always admin that needs to be dealt with. Having said that the new TAW website has been great as some of the processes such as taking attendance is now a lot simpler and quicker to do. Great job guys.5. What do you do outside of TAW?
I currently work for an aviation company in the finance department. It’s a great job that got me back into the aviation industry, which was something I missed when first I lost job at Das Air a few years back. That aside I have a wife and two young children who keep me very busy too. In fact I talk to my wife so much about TAW that she could probably give a run down on a lot of the staff here that I have done in the roles I have had within TAW has helped me develop and become a more confident person than I was before. Having said that in real life I am still quite a private person. In the last few years I have had some RL issues that were tough but the amazing friends I have made here made those times a lot easier to bear. Thanks guys. For me gaming is what brings people to TAW but it’s the friendship they build that keeps them here.
7. How do u guys develop both an NA team and EU team for the same game? Are there any any Oceanic teams looking for members?
Feanor and I will work closely with the spin up leaders that have stepped up for the games in Vanguard and constantly send emails back and forth as well as catching up in TS regularly. Between the two of us we try to ensure that we are attending the matches andbriefings for the spin up teams so we review and consider how to develop them further. Ideally it would be great to see Oceanic teams for all the spin up teams in Vanguard. Therefore any Oceanic members that want to help transfer to a OC team or even help build one up should mail the Spin up leaders as well as Feanor and myself to help them decide what they want to do before then contacting their COC.
8. Is there anything you’d like to tell a member or potential recruits about the current games in Vanguard?
The current crop of games in Vanguard offers a good selection of choice with BF3 with its big battles through to Nuclear Dawn with its twist of FPS/RTS through to Star Wars the Old Republic. One of the things I like and will try to continue to promote while in Vanguard is variety of types of games that are spun up.9. What can you tell us about the games coming to TAW in 2012?
Feanor normally takes the lead on this as his knowledge of up coming games surpasses mine. However as a fan of World of Tanks I am looking forward to seeing World of Warplanes and World of Battleships. My understanding is the system is a similar set up to World of Tanks and that you will be able to use that account for these games also. Another game I am curious about is Kingdoms of Amalur:Reckoning. I am a self-confessed bookworm and have read most if not all of R A Salvatore’s novels and therefore am quite curious as to his input into this MMO.
10. Is there anything else you would like to add that you want our readers to know about?
First of all would like to remind members about donations. It’s very important as this money is used to fund the TS and game servers. One off donations are great but if you can make a subscription that’s even better, even if it’s only 1 Euro, 1 dollar, 1 pound a month it does all make difference. Second. TAW is a volunteer organisation from CIC all the way down to the FS and DIs. All the staff you see volunteers their free time to help TAW. As we grow we are always looking for more people to step up and help be it a squad leader, staff role or someone that can help with graphics etc. If you think you can help in any way please let your chain of command know. Lastly it’s Christmas, well almost so from Vanguard Merry Christmas to all you guys and girls. Enjoy the festivities and time with your families… but if you do get on the PC (or MAC) for gaming remember recruiting never stops.
We put Feanor in-the-scope to discuss the purpose of Horizon Teams, Vanguard and to get a glimpse of what to expect in 2012. Read the questions below.
Feanor, Major General, Vanguard Commander2. Do you remember who did your bootcamp? What was it like?
SGT TeranSpecialist and SSG Todbot, it was pretty grueling, they made me read over TAW policy and quized me on it! We all had a good laugh about it later.3. Why did you join TAW? What made you decide that TAW was where you wanted to be?
I had been playing on the TAW server for several weeks and Teranspecialist and Todbot both asked me why I hadn’t joined up already.4. Vanguard has a lot of games. Which game(s) do you spend the most time on? Either playing or help command. Have any favorites?
Nuclear Dawn is an amazing game. It has many features similar to Quake Wars, which I still consider to the highest quality team based FPS ever created. I spend a lot of time with Battlefield because of how large it is and how much help it needs. I also liked Red Orchestra a lot as well because like Battlefield it supported 64 players but unlike BF3 it had user end dedicated servers, custom maps and mods made by the community and VOIP. And then of course there is Star Wars which isn’t out yet but I get a thrill thinking about how evil I could be as a Sith Lord running around force-choking everyone who makes me mad.5. What do you do outside of TAW?
I work at as a game tester at a very large company. It’s definitely not as glamorous as you might think. I’m educated in politics and economics and I used to work for the US congress. I love to ski, hike and enjoy the great outdoors. I’m a big fan of the pacific northwest and Alaska. I have lived all over North America and prefer those regions the most.6. Has your experience with TAW helped you accomplish anything in the real world?
Leadership in TAW carries over into real life more than you might think. On a practical level being in TAW has helped me network and achieve opportunities that I might not have otherwise, and I feel like being in TAW gives me a creative outlet, especially for my work in Vanguard. I was a big fan of legos when I was a kid, and I played Sim City a lot, I am a builder and I like to create things. Helping to create divisions in TAW is a great chance to do that, it’s a lot of fun.7. What is the difference between a Vanguard team and a Horizon team? Why does TAW need both?
Horizon Teams are early recruitment teams that occur before a game is actually released. They are open to new recruits for membership, though existing members of other divisions are always welcome to participate Horizon team meetings as guest members. Horizon teams are usually reserves for very large, “blockbuster” games where the efforts of early recruitment through forums and online media pay off by helping to get TAW’s ‘virtual foot in the door’ early. Horizon teams meet twice a week and have discussions about the upcoming game.
Full Vanguard teams for upcoming games are allowed to open typically a few days before a new game is available as open to the public, either as a released game or as an open Beta. Vanguard teams form when there is sufficient interest in TAW from existing members to justify opening a new team, as well as sufficient leadership and a game that can succeed in TAW and meet our requirements.
8. Is there anything you’d like to tell a member or potential recruit about the current games in Vanguard?
Many people see TAW as a “first person shooter” gaming community. However, this is not true. TAW embraces all genres of games including: First Person Shooters (Battlefield, Quake Wars, etc.), Real Time Strategies (Starcraft, Company of Heroes), Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (Age of Conan, Star Wars The Old Republic), and our newest genre: Multi-Online Battle Arenas (League of Legends, World of Tanks).TAW is a diverse organization in terms of games that we play and members that we have from all across the planet.9. What can you tell us about the games coming to TAW in 2012?
Blacklight Retribution: free to play FPSCounterstrike Global Offensive: FPSDiablo 3: MOBADOTA 2: MOBAFar Cry 3: FPSFirefall: MMOFPSGhost Recon Online: free to play FPSGuild Wars 2: MMORPGPlanetside 2: MMOFPSTera Online: MMORPGTribes Ascend: free to play FPS