When it comes to lead a Community or to support it, usually you count on help from a Community manager. In this case Apoc was the one who did this. But with Goodman a new Community Manager stepped into the light, who is known from many other titles such as Battleforge. And he brings along a high quality team that will now present themselves in an interview.
The interview was partly conducted with the EACT and not with Goodman himself. Therefor the interview is no direct reference to the person Goodman himself but more of an interview from EACT Germany.
Due to the leaving of APOC there was a big hohle in the CnC Community. How does it feel to get such an important position?
Apoc made a massive contribution to Command and Conquer, and its community in particular, there is no doubt about it, and he will be missed. Apoc’s departure has brought one chapter of the Command and Conquer story to a close; however a brand new chapter is slowly unfurling before your very eyes! Goodman, who has considerable experience with a number of different titles, has stepped into the fold and brings with him his Community Team. You may already have seen some of the Community Team hanging around the C&C forum. The likes of Battlem0th, Shadeshooter, Silvanoshi, and U-238 have all been spotted on the forum recently.
The entire Community Team is extremely excited to be working on Command and Conquer. The C&C community is legendary, the level of dedication the community has shown the series is way beyond that of the vast majority of games, and the myriad of thronging fan and mod sites truly demonstrates the level of commitment the fans devote to one of the most amazing series’ in gaming history.
Please tell us something about yourself.
For this question we’ll have each of the members of the Community Team tell us a little bit about themselves.
Battlem0Th: I’m from Germany and have been a part of the Community Team since late last year. So far I manage community related works in the BattleForge, Lord of Ultima and Battlefield Heroes Community Forums. Now with the C&C franchise we expect a hot and nice community we can look into.
Shadeshooter: Hey all, I’m ShadeShooter or in the „real life“ I am known as Adam. I’m mainly known around EA’s Play4Free titles such as Battlefield Heroes and Lord of Ultima. Since I’m usually not that great with introductions,
Silvanoshi: Hailing from Ireland, Silvanoshi has been with the Community Team for about 1 year now. For the most part he is a jovial, laid back, and helpful character. However should someone step out of line, all of his mighty Leprechaun powers shall be brought to bear. No one shall be spared…no one.
U-238: I am the guy who barks orders at everyone and has to be right ALL the time. When I’m not being stubborn and a pain I am your typical big jolly fellow, I TRY to crack jokes endlessly and it is hard to catch me not laughing or at least smiling. If I’m not working I am usually busy pretending that I’m not working while I actually am . Oh and I love lolcats and chiptunes.
You are the new C&C Community Manger, what do you do for EA besides?
The Community Team as a whole currently deals with a number of EA titles. Besides Command and Conquer, we work on Battlefield Heroes, Lord of Ultima and BattleForge.
Is it hard to cover all the things you face while working for EA?
Heheh, it’s not always a walk in the park. We have quite a bit of ground to cover, but we put in the effort and get everything done.
Was it hard to find your way into the Command and Conquer Community?
No not at all, naturally the community was sad to see Apoc leave, but they seem to be happy that a replacement Community Managment setup was waiting in the wings, particularly one that has quite a bit of experience behind it. So far we have been welcomed with open arms on the forum.
What do you think about the Command and Conquer szene and community? Is there any difference to other games?
The Command and Conquer community is pretty darn impressive. As it stands now most of those active in the community show a near unrivalled level of dedication to the games and the series. We reckon it will be possible to take this excellent foundation and build up it substantially; sharing what is already a great community experience with even more people. With regards differences, well the one obvious one is the modding scene within the Command and Conquer community, it seems to be a thriving one and something which truly adds another level to the C&C gameplay and community participation.
What do you think is going to happen with the brand of Command and Conquer?
Command and Conquer is a household name, we’re confident that the name will remain as strong as it has been since 1995.
What do you think about EALA? How are the circumstances there, and your colleagues?
EALA is a great studio. Things are fine there, nothing has burned down and everybody is safe.
How important is the concant to fans and the fansites?
We have the utmost of respect for fansites. Anyone that is willing to put in the effort to build or help run a fansite has our support.
Would you call each game you’re working at the same or are there any differences? Is there anything you’d call unique about the CnC franchise?
No, the games we work on most definitely aren’t the same. Battlefield Heroes is a Third Person Shooter with a very distinct styling. Lord of Ultima is one of the most advanced Online Strategy Games available today, and BattleForge is pretty much unique, it’s a Real Time Strategy, Trading Card Game hybrid. There are plenty of things unique about the C&C franchise, far too many to list. If we were forced to choose we’d have to go simply for the history that Command and Conquer has behind it. When you work with the game, that is something that is very much on your mind.
What do you do in your freetime? What are your hobbies?
Again, we’ll have a little comment from each of the Community Team members here.
Battlem0Th: In my free time I love playing computer games. I like the Battlefield franchise a lot and do like the old C&C titles. Actually I like to be outside, go sailing on „my“ lake, or just go to the park and hang out with my friends.
Shadeshooter: I troll…no seriously hehe. Nah I pretty much write stories in my free-time as well as play games upon steam with friends, another hobby I have is throwing a bouncy ball against the wall…strange but somehow quite relaxing and helps with training the reflexes and to get rid of „writer’s block“…by the way, bouncy ball to the face really hurts!
Silvanoshi: Once unchained from his desk at the end of each day, the wild Silvanoshi enjoys watching TV and playing computer games to wind down and relax. He is a picky one though, there are only a few TV shows he will watch, and his gaming habits are restricted to the PC, the only way to play games as far as he is concerned. The wild Silvanoshi is also known to listen to long haired/beardy men bellowing, beating pieces of metal and stretched animal hide, and pushing on strings bound to pieces of wood.
U-238: When I’m not working I spend most of my time doing 3 things.
Gaming – Currently playing (Battlefield Heroes, Borderlands, Beat Hazard, Just Cause 2 and Dante’s Inferno)
Listening to and Playing Music – I love listening to music and I also play the Guitar and the Keyboard.
Reading Scientific research documents – I recently looked into the similarities between the brains of mammals and birds. „You’re a bird brain“ is not as insulting as you may think
Do you want to say anything to the CnC Community?
We sure do. We are looking forward to working with the community and becoming more involved with it as time passes, continuing to provide the same level of support that Apoc for community initiatives previously.
Note: The interview was done when CnCSaga.de and CnCHQ.de/HQBoard.net were separate pages, each with their own forums. The interview was conducted by CnCSaga.de at the time.
