Special Pirate101 Interview with Tom Purdue!

Ahoy Pirates!

I have a nice surprise interview for all of ye pirates today. I interviewed Tom Purdue, our Pirate101 community manager, again through email! I'm a very happy pirate today because Tom accepted another interview I wanted to have with him. This interview is based on the new books/worlds (book 13) Marleybone and (book 14) Aquila. I hope all of ye enjoy this special interview.

 Question 1: Pirate101 has two new books/worlds now. I was wondering if it was difficult releasing such a big update to the game. Wizard101 usually releases one new world each huge world update. Was it difficult releasing such a big update on Pirate101? 

Tom Purdue: It was extremely difficult and extremely fun at the same time! We are incredibly proud of this accomplishment and likewise happy that our players are enjoying all of the new content and game improvements. I did like how impressed players were with our hard work. We love hearing feedback from our awesome players.

Question 2: Out of the two new worlds, which one do you like the best. Marleybone or Aquila?

Tom Purdue: Hmmm, isn't that like asking if I like the Peanut Butter more or the Jelly in a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich? ;) But since I haven't really experienced Aquila to its fullest (I've only dipped my foot into the Aquila content so far and sunk a few ships there), I can't really fairly answer that question yet. Ask me again in a couple of weeks. ;)

Question 3: I've noticed there's been a lot of questions about the recent new Wizard101 bundles. Will Pirate101 get a new bundle based on one of our worlds?

Tom Purdue: There will be new Pirate101 bundles in the future, but I can't speak to any specific plans. World-themed bundles have proven to be a lot of fun in Wizard101, but you never know what kind of creativity our team is possible of. 

Question 4: There are a lot of pirates entering Marleybone for the first time. Do you have any advice to give any pirates getting ready to enter this new world?

Tom Purdue: From what I've seen on the forums and from my own play through the content, make sure you remember to level your companions! It's been a long time since some pirates have even had to think about pressing that "Train" buttons on their companions; you may accidentally let five levels slip by without even considering the power curves of your companions. Beyond that, there is a lot of fantastic advice as well on our amazing fan sites, and if a player is genuinely stuck, it's nice to know they have some helpful players to turn to with strategy guides and even direct quest assistance.

Question 5: Have you tried out Marleybone or Aquila yet? 

Tom Purdue: I'm currently working on Aquila content with my Witchdoctor, but I have plans to play through the new content twice immediately, and then pick back up with my buccaneer in Cool Ranch to finish up the game a third time... then it'll be time to think about my Musketeer or Swashbuckler. I have plans to play through the entire game with each class... and when that's done, I'll do it again (or finally finish off all those side quests I've been sitting on)!

Question 6: There has been so many updates with Pirate101.. one of which being new crown shop items! Do you think we'll ever be ever to gift on Pirate101?

Tom Purdue: Yes! Crown Shop gifting is a highly requested feature, and we continue making strides to bring this to Pirate101.

Question 7: You've been the Pirate101 Community Manager over a year now, out of your days there at Kingsisle, which one would you pick that was your favorite? What did you do that day?

Tom Purdue: My favorite day was back in Beta when we had a party and invited everyone to quest through the entry zones for a few hours, and I was able to have a little fun with the in game messaging system. Although that particular point in time will never be recreated, I just had a blast, and we (as a company) finally were able to see the world as what it would look like on opening day (which was another fine day on the job too). I hope people still remember that event. It was a lot of fun. Any day where I can help players improve their experience or celebrate their successes, I feel I have done a good day's work.

Question 8: Before I post the question, I wanted to tell you I remember that day. It was a lot of fun and of course, you were very funny when you tested out the messaging system! -- When creating the bazaar, why did you choose a rabbit instead of a human merchant? (I love the Rabbit).

Tom Purdue: I'm not sure, and that choice wasn't mine to make, but it was fun watching the artist who sits behind me bring Harvey Deuce to life! I will say one thing, no humanoid quite wears a gold tooth like Harvey!

Question 9: Can you do me a favor and tell everyone at Kingsisle that I love the two new world updates on Pirate101? Also tell them I can't wait to see all of the future worlds/ success on Pirate101!

Tom Purdue: Done and done! Thank you so much for your support of Pirate101 for an official fan site. I know it can be tough work running a fan site and sometimes it can feel like you're putting in a lot of effort, but we truly appreciate your words, and it helps fuel our fire to bring more and better content to Pirate101. To you and all the fans out there, keep up the good work!

Final Question: Thank you so much for accepting this interview! Its great to see you interact so much with Pirate101 players! Do you have anything you would like to say about the rest of the year with Pirate101? 

Tom Purdue: I think that's best summed up by The FrogFather's recent Producer's letter: "... the Team remains fast at work on lots of brand new advanced content, additional improvements, and some pet projects we'll fill you in on a bit later- it should be a banner year and we're very excited about what's in store."

Thank you again Tom, One-Eyed Jack, for this great interview. I'm very glad you accepted and I'm pretty sure a lot of pirates out there in the skyways will enjoy reading this interview! All of you at Kingsisle are the best and I hope you know I love being a fansite owner for the best game ever and can't wait to see all of the great things you have planned for us pirates!

Interview Week- Our Pirate101 Community Manager (Tom Purdue)

Ahoy Pirates! I've got a great interview with the one and only Friendly Necromancer, Thomas Lionblood, Tom Purdue, One Eyed Jack or whatever you wish to call him! He's the most epic Wizard/ Pirate in the Spiral! Oh and Ian Stormstaff you won the contest, you guessed right of what person I was going to interview, you get a choice of a Wizard101 or Pirate101 $10 card at the end of the year contest! Congratulations :) Here's the great interview you've been waiting for!

Me:

Hey Tom! Lets start off the interview and ask you how you found out that you made Community Manager for Pirate101?

Tom:

I found out about being a Community Manager one week after being invited to Kingsisle to play in the Pirate101 Alpha! As an active blogger in the Wizard101 Community, it tore me up to keep it all a secret, but since the game had not been announced yet, there really was no way to share my happiness with the community until the time was right, which was May 9th. You can read more about it here: http://thefriendlynecromancer.blogspot.com/2012/05/ding-new-badge-earned.html

Me:

Were you surprised when you found out you would be the new Community Manager for Pirate101?

Tom:

I was completely surprised! You couldn't pick my jaw off the floor for a month! The job offer really did come out of nowhere, and I had no idea it would be offered to me the way it was. Kingsisle had always been a fantastic company in my eyes, and it was just too good of a fit for me to pass up.

Me:

What did you think of Pirate101 when you first had a chance to test (play) it?

Tom:

I thought it was amazing and knew it would be a huge success, but it was also very rough, too easy, unfinished, and I completed MooShu with only casual play in about three weeks. LOL, but that's just how an Alpha of a game goes. When I was playing the game, broadside combat hadn't even been introduced yet. The game now is a rich and complex experience and really like two games in one with a lot of nice touches and an outright hilarious and compelling story. I'm enjoying the game even more now that it's live and my characters won't be deleted for a fourth time. ;)

Me:

Do you think Pirate101 will be as successful as Wizard101? (I know it will be!)

Tom:

Even as lofty as a goal as it is for a game to be as successful as Wizard101, I do! I think we've got something truly amazing here that's going to turn a lot of heads. I'm also excited to see all of the players who try Pirate101 without having ever played Wizard101 before.

Me:

So you've been a Pirate101 community manager for a few months, do you have a favorite day?

Tom:

I'm currently very busy as the community is in full swing and very talkative. The first few days of launch here really are long days full of talking with players and Kingsisle employees alike. This morning in particular I've been on email, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Youtube, Pirate101 Central, our other great fansites, our own Pirate101 forums answering questions, moderating posts, reviewing content, and forwarding hot topics on the right people here at Kingsisle. Someone needs to let everyone know what's going on in our community, and that's just one part of my job!

Me:

(That's a very busy day Tom! Good luck to you all!) Now.. There's a few people that have a favorite Pirate101 school and attack, what's yours? :)

Tom:

I'm a Witchdoctor fan myself; although, all the classes offer something unique. I picked up the "Da Claw" rare drop from Buster Crab a couple weeks ago plus I'm wearing the Tier One Dread Pirate's gear, and it's making me want to play a Swashbuckler. ALso, the AoE attacks like Mojo Strike are a ton of fun, and of course health drains like Jobu's Breath make me feel right at home since I love Necromancers in Wizard101.

Me:

(Same here Tom, my first character is a Witchdoctor! I love the School) What's your favorite Character, Pet, Companion and world?

Tom:

My favorite character is One-Eyed Jack of course! For pets, I'm liking the Skarakeet lately. For worlds, I just love Skull Island. My favorite companion keeps changing, but all the mainline characters are great. Have you seen the cat pirate's dance after he defeats an enemy? Awesome. Kan Po when he's fully promoted? Awesome. Bonnie Anne's bag of tricks? Awesome. I'm sure you feel the same about this... every companion has something different about them that I really like.

Me:

(I'm hoping I see all of those things soon, my favorite Companions are two you just mentioned! Kan Po and Bonnie Anne!) Here's an older question, its okay though! What's one thing you can tell everyone about Pirate101 if they aren't in Beta?

Tom:

I know this question is old now (sorry it took me so long to answer it), but the main thing I would like to tell everyone is simply... "welcome!" I'm glad you're all here playing now and seeing exactly how awesome this world is first hand!

Me:

Do you have anything you could share with everyone that no one knows about Pirate101 yet?

Tom:

Oh there's plenty of surprises in store for players. I would like people to know that we are hearing all the requests for the amazing features that have been added to Wizard101 over the past four years. A lot of those same features (or rather, similar features) are coming to Pirate101, but much like Wizard101, they'll have to be implemented in their own due time. We'll have a bazaar! It's just going to take some time before it happens.

Me:

We heard about the Boochbeard and Gandry bundles, do you think there will be any other bundles in the future for Pirate101 and Wizard101 memberships together?

Tom:

Again, I know this is an older interview question that I'm just answering (and you probably already know this), but the Cutthroat Bundle at Gamestop is super fun, and the Admiral's Bundle from Walmart is a great collection of items you won't be able to find anywhere else! Since the bundles are immensely popular, you can be sure we'll be making more of them in the future.

Me:

Will there best a test realm for Pirate101, when new content is added? Wizard101 Test realm being an example.

Tom:

Yes! Although it isn't available for download yet, we will have a test realm for Pirate101, and you'll see the bug report and Control+C functionality return in that environment. It will operate much like Wizard101's Test Realm.

Me:

Those are all of the questions! Thanks again for accepting the interview :) You're truly the best community manager Pirate101 could have and could ya tell Lydia she's the best community manager Wizard101 could have? :) Thank you!

Tom:

Thanks for the interview and thanks to everyone in the community for being happy and fun to work with.

Interview Week (Chris Drakeflame)

Ahoy! Today we're doing two Interviews! This is the first interview with Chris Devereaux (Chris Drakeflame- Wizard) This is his first interview! I am glad I asked him for an interview, I was planning on interviewing him a lot of times before but I never got a chance to ask him! Glad I can now :) I really hope you enjoy this interview! Here we go :) 

Me: 

Hello Chris! Before we start the interview, could you tell everyone how you got started on Wizard101 and Pirate101?

Chris: 

Well, this is actually an interesting question for me. Three years ago, I remember watching Spongebob, when I saw an advertisement for Wizard101 which looked very interesting. Immediately, I got on the computer, downloaded and started my adventure in Wizard City! I remember after playing through the tutorial and defeating Malistaire's henchman, having to wait around 30 minutes in Golem Tower for everything to load. Thus, Chris Drakeflame was born. Pirate101 was a necessity, of course! I was given a Beta Key for community work, and immediately started playing - Not much of a story. ;)

Me:

Lets talk a little bit more about Pirate101, it launched yesterday and everyone was very excited about the launch! How excited were you? 

Chris:

Well, being a player who has been at it for almost two months already since Beta, nothing surprises me much anymore about the game, other than the fact that as you keep questing, it becomes more and more fun! 

Me:

You have a Pirate101 Blog called That Swashbuckler, what or who inspired you to create your blog?

Chris:

Another interesting question. I was just giving out Polar Cat, Simbah, a bath in the Commons pond on a Sunday morning, since humongofrog messed up his icy fur. Afterwards I was looking for something to do, besides that difficult Avalon quests, I found out that many of my Twizard friends (including you, Edward) had blogs, so I decided to give blogging a shot!

Me:

Do you have any goals for That Swashbuckler?

Chris:

To be honest, all I want is for people to enjoy reading it. :)

Me:

Are you planning on submitting That Swashbuckler to Pirate101 for official?

Chris:

The answer probably merges with that previous question. - No I'm not. You see, having an official Fansite is a lot of responsibility, and much is expected of you. I don't quite think I'm ready for that as yet, since I barely have any time to post, because all of my schoolwork etc. I enjoy helping out on Stars of the Spiral, so right now, that's enough for me. :)

Me:

Do you have any advice for anyone that is planning on creating a blog/site?

Chris:

Just remember, have fun and be yourself. Don't just make a site because you want to get it official, it should be because you want people to enjoy your posts and experiences. :) Remember, when you start a site, you have 0 views/followers. Its your job to continue working on the site and make it interesting. I've seen a lot of people quit blogging because only a few people constantly read their blogs, but do not let that bother you. Once you develop a passion for what you do, you will gain a decent audience. :)

Me:

You're a very nice Twizard on Twitter, I've seen so much prizes you have won from Contests and you decide to give them away to the community to be nice, how are you so nice?!

Chris:

Well.. LOL. I really can't answer this, but I'll try! I know there are a lot of people in the community that are not as privileged as myself to win contests often. so I try to have contests of my own to help them out. Anyhow, don't think of me as kind, I'm very evil. Just the other day, I took a potato chip from someone's pack, and *psst*.. I didn't even say please. ;)

Me:

O: Chris! I don't think anyone reading this could do something that evil! LOL! I mean... x worried because you're evil x Okay.... Rofl, next question! Can you name your favorite attack on Pirate101 and Spell on Wizard101?

Chris:

Pirate101 Attack? Hmm, I'd have to say that Sarah Steel's critical attack in which adventurous music plays, is my favorite at the moment, being only level 11. For Wizard101 spell, I'd go with Sirens. I was a little jealous when I first heard Storm Wizards got to control evil mermaids, while Ice Wizards, such as myself, only got to command a huge, snowman-murdering Mammoth!

Me:

What about the sun?! And time to conclude the interview! Is there any other advice or anything you would like to say to the readers?

Chris:

Yes, never weigh a llama on your normal house-scale. Llamas weigh between 200.3-450.75 pounds, and will quite frankly, break the scale. :) Thank you very much for this opportunity, Edward! This has been my first interview (believe it or not) and I am pleased that someone as awesome as you who conducted it. :)

Me:

Thank you Chris, I'm glad someone as awesome as you accepted the interview! You're a great Wizard/ Pirate and I am glad I had a chance to interview, thank you so much! :) And nice fact! LOL You are funny!  

Interview Week (Blaze Shadownhorn)

Its not the same week! More like one week later, I'm sorry everyone! Here's the next interview :) This interview is with Blaze Shadowhorn! I've been wanting to interview him for awhile and I'm sure you will love this interview as much as I do! I interviewed him over a week ago, and I'm glad to finally post the interview! Here it is!

Me: Hello Blaze! Before we start this interview could you tell everyone a little about yourself and how you got started on Wizard101?

Blaze: Sure! My main W101 character, Blaze Shadowhorn, is a level 62 thaumaturge and I sometimes play on my alts. Alex Hawk (Level 60 Pyromancer), Alex Earthgem (59 Theurgist) and Brahm Deathwraith (75 Necromancer). I have been playing Wizard101 and Pirate101 since Beta and I remember the first day I got caught into it. It was fifth grade and I was going over to my friends Evan's house. A few people played Wizard101 in my grade and Evan started playing it at his house. He told me what it was and what you do and honestly, I originally thought it wasn't for me. Then when I got home that day, I downloaded Wizard101 to try it out and found out it wasn't half bad. Ever since then, I have been obsessed with it.

Me: (That's awesome! Glad you decided to test it out!) Now.. You have a blog called Tales of the Spiral, recently MyWizard101Site, what or who inspired you to start blogging?

Blaze: For me, I really never knew about the community till a year after I started playing W101. I remember coming across the blog The Friendly Necromancer where I found this neat information on W101. I then saw how many other people had blogs and fansites and I wanted to start my own site so I created mywizard101site. Yes, not the most amazing name but it was fun. After awhile, I switched over to blogger where I have been blogging the past two years. I now run Tales of the Spiral where I blog constantly about all things Wizard101 and Pirate101 related.

Me: (You won't believe this Blaze, but my site was called... Wizard101.. Nope, nothing else to it, I think Malorn remembers that! LOL) Okay next question! Do you have any plans on submitting your blog to Wizard101 or Pirate101 for Fansite? I know you're submitting to Wizard101 UK, Good luck!

Blaze: Yes I do actually. October 5th, I am going to resubmit my blog to be official for Pirate101 which I am so excited for and I have also also submitted to become an official Wizard101 UK blogger.

Me: (Same here for Pirate101! Good luck Blaze :) ) Now to Pirate101, When Pirate101 started Beta and you were chosen, what did you think of the game once you started playing??

Blaze: I wasn't even physically in the game before I was mind-blown! The log in screen blew my mind away with all of the amazing graphics and visuals it included. Once I got into Pirate101, I was in awe of how every time you log in, it plays the short little clip of Pirate101. Then the graphics and the detail KI put into Pirate101 was unbelievable. It was overwhelming. Going into P101, I knew the combat style would be different and that it was more hand-to-hand combat which I really liked. Nevertheless, I was absorbed into Pirate101 once I started playing it.

Me: What's your favorite Wizard101 and Pirate101 attack?

Blaze: Favorite attack huh? In Pirate101, really like the special attack of Bonnie Annie. How she shoots the ball of electricity at the enemy. In Wizard101, that is a very hard choice. I would probably have to go classic by saying Frost Giant. I have always loved that spell and it's one I always used in Combat.

Me: (Back to your blog!) Do you have secret plans for Tales of the Spiral that you don't mind sharing with us? 

Blaze: As for the future of Tales of the Spiral, I can say that there will be many contests within the next year, more guides being added, tons of new content and much more!

Me: You're a great Ice Wizard, and I would like to ask if there's any tips you can give to any Ice Wizards reading this interview.

Blaze: Tips for a Thaumaturge. I would love to! First of all, in my personal opinion, I prefer to have a higher attack and use my gear to increase my attack rather than going for high health. Since ice has the highest natural health, I tend to work on other skills. A few helpful cards to keep in your  spell deck at all times are Ice Blaze, Tower, Ice Prism (you never know when it will come in handy) and Freeze. As for PvP, I have found that it is best to do 2-4 person PvP because Ice is also based off of multiple enemy attacks (frost giant, snow angel, etc.) Always have 2-3 legion shields and 4-6 tower shields in your deck (add more treasure cards if necessary.) Bosses, there aren't many ice ones but when you come across them, don't forget to use your Ice Prisms and your secondary schools. You can also check out a guide I wrote awhile on Ice Tips by clicking here.

Me: This has been great interview! To conclude the interview, is there any advice you can give to anyone planning on starting a blog or those that have?

Blaze: Everyone starts off at the same spot. 0 followers and 0 views. Just keep working hard and never give up and I can guarantee those numbers will increase. Also, the best way to spread the word about your blog and new posts is by creating a Twitter, Facebook Page, and become friendly with the other community members. Always remember that because you cannot spell Fansite without FAN and it symbolizes how you should be blogging because you enjoy doing so. Not because you want publicity and fame etc. If you're natural and unique and try your hardest, the views and followers will come. "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything." - Back to the Future

Thanks Again Ed for this interview opportunity. I really enjoyed it and hope the readers gain a lot out of it. See you in the Spiral! 

~Blaze

Me: Thank you so much Blaze, and you're welcome! Love your advice to new bloggers :) Don't do like I did and be rude to some of the community leaders (last year, part of this year), that does not help and its not nice to be mean! I found out the hard way! Make sure you're always friendly to everyone you know, not just the community leaders but everyone! My advice for blogging would be keep doing what you enjoy! If someone says you can't do it that doesn't mean you can't, if you know you can you can, if you don't you don't. Its only up to you, you choose what you want to do! I love blogging for fun and getting the news out in the Spiral in a family friendly weird sort of way ;) You should enjoy blogging just as much as all of us, not just because of fame but because you love blogging and you love it when you gain new readers to read your posts :) Good luck Wizards and Pirates!

Interview Week (Autumn Dreamwalker)

Welcome to the third day of interviews will well known Wizards/ Pirates around the Spiral! Today I'm posting an interview from the one and only FAMOUS (or well known) Autumn Dreamwalker! I really hope you enjoy this great interview! 

Me: Hello Autumn! Before we start the interview could you tell everyone a little about yourself?

Autumn: My name is Jennifer. I am a Gemini and I love reading, spending time with my family and watching movies. Hahaha :P Seriously though, I started playing W101 in September 2010. I saw an ad for it on Facebook and clicked it. I was addicted pretty much right away! Since then I have made numerous wizards and started a blog. I was also lucky enough to win a P101 beta code back in August, so I have been playing on there as well.

Me: You're FAMOUS, and you own a blog called Secrets of the Spiral, How did you start blogging?

Autumn: Lol I'm not famous (Lol yes you are!) but yes, I do have a blog. I started blogging because it looked fun. I also wanted to help new wizards by providing guides and information. I have a great friend who has a blog and talking with him about blogging gave me so many ideas to write about. The hardest part about  starting up was thinking of a name. It took me two weeks to think of "Secrets of the Spiral."

Me: Who Inspired you to start blogging?

Autumn: Actually, you did! Before you told me you had a blog, I had no idea about the Wizard101 blogging/fansite community, and you seemed like you enjoyed it so much, I really wanted to try it out myself. Btw, Thanks for that! It has been a lot of fun, and I have met some pretty amazing people since starting my blog! :) (Oh wow, I'm glad you started blogging! I can't believe I inspired you to start blogging, that is great! That made my day :)) 

Me: Are you planning on submitting your site to Pirate101 or Wizard101 for Official Status??

Autumn: I have considered submitting my site, but I don't think I'm going to. I think that for me, becoming official would make me enjoy blogging less. I feel like there would be more pressure to blog more often and maybe blog about different things. And that would make it seem more like a job, instead of a fun hobby. I might be wrong about that, but I really don't think becoming official is for me :)

Me: Okay, lets talk a little bit about the new game Pirate101, when you first got your Beta Key what did you think about the game and do you love this game? :)

Autumn: First, let me say YES YES YES!!! I really do love Pirate101. If I had to choose one game to play, Pirate101 would definitely win. When I first started, I was kinda in shock from winning my Beta code still, so I don't think I even noticed that much of the opening sequence :P But once I started playing, I was in awe. The battling style did take a little getting used to, but it is amazing! I think almost everything about this game is pretty perfect! 

Me: Wow, same here! Now.. Lets talk more about Twitter, How did you create #twirates ???

Autumn: Well, Wizards on Twitter (#twizards) were trying to think of a name for the new Pirates. I thought Twizards came from TW-itter w-IZARDS. (If that makes sense) Idk if that is actually where it came from, but I kind of just combined Twitter and Pirates the same way, getting Twizards. I was kind of joking when I said it, but it stuck.

Me: Here that? Autumn created that :) I was a witness! Now.. back to blogging, do you have any secrets for Secrets of the Spiral's future?

Autumn: I do have a few things coming up, hopefully starting in November. I would like to have a couple of contests and maybe do my own series of interviews with people in the community. I am also planning on adding lots more information, especially about Pirate101, once it goes live! :)

Me: To conclude this interview, could you give out any advice you have to Wizards/ Pirates that are planning on starting a site or blog? :)

Autumn: My biggest advice is to start a blog because you enjoy it! Not for fame or anything else. Also, never give up. As long as you like your blog and are having fun, nothing else matters. Also post links on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else you can. Let people know about your site! The W101 blogger community is awesome, and is very helpful, so don't be afraid to ask for help! And last, but not least, almost any design idea is possible! Just remember, Google is your friend! Good luck!

Me: Wow Autumn, I really enjoyed interviewing you! Let me say the advice you said above is great! I'm glad more people know about you (I'm sure everyone does since you're famous!) Let me say this though, Autumn is 100% right, Enjoy blogging NOT FOR FAME, but for the enjoyment of helping, or having fun because its a hobby :) If you turn into a Fansite one day remember your FANSite. Okay? :) Good luck everyone, and don't forget to watch my blog for another interview tomorrow and one last interview Friday!! Have fun in the Spiral and Thanks again FAMOUS Autumn Dreamwalker ( She adds: I still can't believe THE famous Edward Lifegem wanted to interview me! Thanks, it was a lot of fun! :)) NP, and I'm not famous!! :D

Interview Week (Mason Swiftblade)

Welcome the the second day of Interview Week! Today we'll be interviewing Mason Swiftblade! I hope you enjoy the second interview of the week. Its also going to be a great interview! Lets get started.

Me: Hello Mason! Before we start the interview could you tell everyone a little about yourself?

Mason: Hello my name is Tyler. I play Wizard101 UK. I have been playing Wizard101 since 2008 and played in the Beta! I have been a fansiter since October 2011. I decided to create a fansite to express my views about the game and my feelings!

Me: I hear you're an Official Wizard101 UK fansite, could you tell us how that happened and how excited you were when you found out you made it?

Mason: Well at the time, Wizard101 UK was only 9 months released, meaning it had a very small community. I decided to take advantage of that and create my own Wizard101 UK fansite! It was quite a long process, took over 3 months for my fansite to be approved but here I am!

Me: You had a blog called The Life of a Wizard and deleted it and made another blog called Mason's Journal, Why did you do that?

Mason: Well, I just didn't have the same feel I had when I blogged on The Life of a Wizard, since I was going to blog about Pirate101 too, I decided it would be better to create a blog more rounded to my gaming. The Life of a Wizard just lost its touch and with Pirate101, I decide.

Me: What are your plans for Mason's Journal?

Mason: Well I have released the blog! (Mason's Journal) I plan to add lots more content about both Wizard101 and Pirate101. I also plan to broaden my horizons as an individual and start to pave my way to a career in gaming hopefully!

Me: Are you planning on submitting your site to Pirate101 and Wizard101 for official status?

Mason: I do have plans to submit my fansite to Pirate101 to be official, however I have no plans for Wizard101 US. To be honest, I just don't think I'll be playing Wizard101 US, I rarely do, so I guess I'll just stick to Wizard101 UK, where my gaming personality has grown up and with Pirate101!

Me: What's your favorite spell on Wizard101, and your favorite attack on Pirate101?

Mason: Ooh, that's a tough one! For Wizard101, I've always had a few favorites. It had to be Sirens spell, it reminds me of something I've seen on t.v. once, so I guess I've just connected with it! For Pirate101, I honestly can't say as I didn't play much during Beta (for most of it, I was on Holiday) so, I really can't comment on that one.

Me: Is Mason Swiftblade (your ice Wizard) your first Wizard or is there another and when did you make your first Wizard?

Mason: On Wizard101 UK, no actually its NOT. I'll start off with Wizard101 US. When I was 9, I overcame and ADvert for Toontown, a game I used to play, and it said "Want to be a Wizard?" This interested me so I did click on it and I got intrigued with the world of Wizard101! My first wizard was a life wizard and his name was Stephen Battlecaller, I think. He only became level 10. Then, I made a wizard later on in the future called Tyler, he was death and I got him to level 60. In 2010, Once I heard the news of Wizard101 UK, I made a wizard there named Tyler, and he was balance. Level 10. I still have him today, he is level 25 now (I got bored with him xD) Mason Swiftblade was probably the wizard I focused on most all my gaming life, I designed specifically to myself :)

Me: Let's talk more about Pirate101, what did you think when you first had a chance to finally start playing Pirate101?

Mason: Gosh! It was amazing! I first had to orient myself as it was a bit confusing, but I got the hang of it! What really intrigued me was the storyline and the puppet shows! They were so cool, I love how Kingsisle implemented these sort of things into the storyline, it makes the games LOADS more better and much more fun! Plus, my love for Pirates made me feel so involved with the game! I love it!

Me: To conclude this interview, do you have any secrets you would like to share with us about the future of your Fansite, Mason's Journal?

Mason: I do plan on hosting more contests, more events and really starting to share my opinion, my personal experiences AND my tips for Wizard101 and Pirate101! This will all come with time though. I do have a super big 2nd Wizard101 UK Birthday Party AND Community Choice Awards planned with some other UK fansiters.. That's all I'll say for now!

Me: What a wonderful interview! Thank you Mason, you're a great Wizard/ Pirate and I'm glad to share this post so everyone else knows more about you. I can't wait to see more about the Community Choice Awards and Wizard101 UK's 2nd Birthday! Woooooooooot! :) 

Interview Week (Ian Stormstaff)

 

Welcome to Interview week with Well Known Wizards/ Pirates in the Spiral! This week we'll have 5 people that will be interviewed on Atswel and you can learn more about them. On the 5th day we'll have one last interview, I can't tell you who you'll have to guess :) Only I know and the person answering the questions of course! Okay lets start the Interview with well known Ian Stormstaff!

Me: Hello Ian! Could you tell everyone about yourself before we start the interview?

Ian: Sure! I am a 3 year Wizard101 Player, Active Pirate101 Beta Participant, and Wizard101 Blogger for a little over a year. You've probably seen me on Twitter, as I have over 11 thousand tweets under my belt :P

Me: Lets first talk about the funny segment called Wizard101 Ramblers with Jordan Sunflame, when did you come up with this idea and how is it so great?!

Ian: Ramblers started by a random DM from Jordan on Twitter. He'd been in the community I'd guess about a month and I'd never really talked to him much. But he asked if I wanted to start a podcast. My first thought was "My voice.... on the Internet.... PASS." But somehow he conned me into it and we began planning. Our first show was in late February this year I believe. It was crazy hectic and I hope we've gotten better since then. We're approaching our 9th episode Wednesday so we're almost double digits! I would hazard what makes it so fun is the unique perspective, us being teenagers, as well as the constant rain of off topic subjects, keeping our listeners on our toes. You never know what's going to come out of our mouths... (Always P.G. 13 stuff of course :D)

Me: Wizard101 Ramblers isn't the only great thing you have, there's also Wizards Unite, Could you tell everyone about this great Fansite? :)

Ian: WU is my entry project in the Community and my most successful endeavor. I started out out in the Community on DOAW Connect X and talked my blog up on there. Then I joined Twitter on July 14th (I remember because it was the night of the HP 7 pt. 2 premiere) and very soon after I started I started building followers. I tweeted about my site and started getting readers. WU was mostly small until about three months ago. I gave the site a makeover after feeling it wasn't very inviting. WU went from a blog to a full fledged site with guides and more. Steadily it's built up and gained views and members. Everyday I am blown away by WU's success, as well as the community's acceptance and enjoyment of it. It's been around the block and had no staff, full staff, back to no staff, and now its over a year old! I look forward to seeing what else comes from it. 

Me: The other day on Twitter, you said you weren't famous, why would you say that, I think you are!

Ian: The term Fame is a double edged sword for me as I know from past experiences power can corrupt me; but I say I am not famous for the simple fact I do not feel famous. Yes, Wizards scream Hello when I walk in a room, Yes I have a heavy amount of followers a lot of people daydream of having (I promise you I'm just as amazed by the number) and people like me; but to me it feels like a HUGE family! I walk in and feel like I'm with a huge group of friends enjoying a wonderful game. If I really am famous (I'm not) then its news to me! :P

Me: (Ian that's a great response! :) Lets say you're well known!) Okay enough with silly questions.. Do you have any secrets you would like to share with us about the future of Wizard101 Ramblers and Wizards Unite?

Ian: There are no silly questions :) Secrets.... Secrets.... Well. I can make no promises about Ramblers as it is just a joint effort; but WU is always cooking something up. After this last string of Hogwarts contests I'm going to start working on a highly interactive site for the next Hogwarts set (February 2013- March 2013). This site will be the main event for a huge contest. Other than that I can promise more features on the site as my interwebs expands. I'm looking forward to seeing what crazy stuff I can come up with. And If WU ever becomes official, lets just say the contests will blow your mind...

Me: Are you planning on submitting your sites to Pirate101 & Wizard101 for Official Status?

Ian: I submitted WU for P101 official the day it opened and got an email back from friendly saying WU was 99% Wizard 1% Pirate and he was 100% right. I had thrown together a new header with P101 Characters and opened some new forum categories but my heart wasn't in it. I have formally submitted WU once to W101 and was immediately rejected because I used my personal email and not my custom domain address. My own mistake. I am waiting and hoping they clear my form so I can have another go. I have no anger with KI for either rejection because I don't want to do this for fame or prizes, I am here because I love Wizard101  and its AMAZING community. I don't think WU will resubmit for P101 as I have a stronger attachment to Wizard101, and its WU's focus. There will still be P101 content on there, as its a very blogable topic :P

Me: Now lets talk about Pirate101, What did you think of Pirate101 when you first had a chance to play/test it?

Ian: When I received my Beta Key my brain shut down. I couldn't believe that I actually had one. Once I'd gotten in and installed the launcher I sat down and braced myself. It loaded the game and the intro shot melted my senses. From there it was immediate action, I was dumped into an Armanda Ship to make my character, and battled my way out. This game has NO slow points. You are always battling and moving. This game also has a lot more Strategy than Wizard101 does and you have to pay much more attention to battling. No more blind car picking! All in All I am blown away by every bit of P101: The art, the story, character build, SHIPS; its beautiful and I can't wait to share the game with you once it goes live! (Hopefully very soon!) (Yes very soon!! October 15th!)

Me: To Conclude this interview, Do you have any advice to anyone that is planning on making a site?

Ian: Don't give up. Ever. And be yourself. I have been attacked online, and told my site will never be official, banned from a site or two, and more. But nothing has killed my aspiration to blog and contribute. EVERY site is original and AMAZING, don't ever count yourself out of anything. Ever. If you need help I will be there and so will everyone else in this community.


Thank you SO much for this Interview Ed!


Me: Wow, thank you! The last question I asked you was answered great. I'm so sorry you've been told that, I'm sorry to say this but... They ARE wrong. I'm telling you that one day one of your sites will be official! You are a great member of this community and this is why I chose you for this interview. I really am glad you accepted :) And you're welcome! :) 

Mason Swiftblade's Interview!

Time for another interview with Mason Swiftblade! Thanks again for accepting this interview request Mason. If you all don't know Mason, he runs a blog called The Life of a Wizard- http://masonswiftblade.wordpress.com/ - a great Wizard101 UK fansite. I posted about this blog a couple of times so far, Its a great blog to read, and gives a lot of information about what's going on in Wizard101 UK, and a lot of information about new contests they are having. Don't forget to check out his blog! Now to the interview questions!

Friendly's Interview! ( W101 US )

Hello Wizards!

The other day I decided to start interviews with a lot of friends around the Spiral, and today I have an interview for you from the friendly necromancer aka Thomas Lionblood!  Click on the read more tab for the interview!

Interview time! ( W101 US & UK)

Hello Wizards,

Today I decided to start interviews with the community and anyone is welcome to join in the interview. Below I will explain what this interview is about, it's not anything personal, its only about Wizard101 :) I know some of my friends always wanted more friends, by doing this you will know more of the community!