Neverwinter Podcast
About a week ago I was contacted by Michele aka Liso from Neverwinter Podcast. Michele invited me to participated in an interview for and upcoming episode of Neverwinter Podcast. I started listening to the podcasts early on and have ultimately listened to every episode. The podcast goes to the top of my playlist each time it comes out and it's a great way for me to keep up with what's going on in the community and to get an NWN fix while at lunch during the week. To put it simply, I am a fan of the podcast, and I was thrilled to be invited to participate.
The interview was done last night via a Skype call. Liso/Michele did the interview and Jay was 'lurking' in the wings, managing the recording. I had a chance to peak at the questions ahead and I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to say. With the exception of a very minor technical glitch it went very well and was very fun. The interview will be included in a few weeks in episode 39. I'll be sure and post a direct link to that episode when it's out.
If you have not listened to Neverwinter Podcast, I HIGHLY recommend it. If you are a modder, check out the episodes on storytelling and the toolset in particular. Jay, Trey, and Liso are the hosts of the podcast, and if it sounds like they are having a blast... they are. I had a chance to visit on Skype with Liso ahead of the interview, and with Jay and Liso after the interview. Chatting with them was an absolute blast. Everyone lingered on the call for over an hour after the interview last night. Periodically someone would try to disengage (and get some sleep), but we all chatted for an hour or so. I can't speak for Jay and Michele but I was having too much fun, I could have easily been enticed into chatting for another hour.
At first is was just fascinating to chat with people that I normally only listen too. Podcasts are 1 way of course, and being able to interact with the 'voice' on the other end of the podcast was very entertaining.
Jay and Michele, if you read this thank you again for the opportunity. I had FUN! For everyone else reading, Jay and Michele were absolutely fantastic. Kudos to Jay, Michele (and Trey) for all their hard work and for taking time to visit and chat when all was said and done.
Just as the podcast is normally a one way or passive form of communication, module writing and blogging are mostly the same. It's a one way form of communication. Forum posts, ratings and email allow community members to connect and share ideas, which is a fantastic and unexpected benefit of modding. Talking on the phone allows far more communication, just short of meeting someone face to face. I was truly surprised and how much I enjoyed the post interview chat. I rarely have the opportunity to talk (verbally) at length with other gamers and modders. I suppose that's something I enjoyed about Paper and Pencil D&D once upon a time and it's the one thing missing from the modding/gaming experience I enjoy now.
It was interesting to note that Jay, Michele and I are all similar in age. I am less surprised now than I used to be to find the many gamers my age. There seem to be far more NWN gamers my age than in other games. Neither Jay or Michele have a D&D background, but I suspect that does influence who is playing this game. It was nice to talk to other gamers who are my age, and are mom's and dad's. That's not an indication that I dislike gamers of other ages at all, but I strange sort of validation. Yes there are other 30/40 something dads who are hooking on gaming and modding, I'm not completely off my rocker (yet).
Jay is a fellow programmer/tech geek, and I could resist asking him if the fact that I program and work then go home and script and write mods is just plain wrong. He laughed and commented he had some similar habits.
Michele shared with my a number of creative projects she's involved in that sound absolutely fascinating. She shared the URL for a projected called 'Stygius' and although she indicated I could post the it on this blog, I've elected not to, because it's an open wiki. I'd feel awful if someone altered something on what appears to be a very open ended wiki. Keep your eyes and ears open for more on this project it looks awesome.
In closing, I found the interview and the chat before and after the interview to be an absolute blast. I knew I would enjoy it, but it far exceeded my expectations. The folks and Neverwinter Podcast are top notch and very fun. If you haven't already done so, check out there work. It's worth it.
Oh... Happy Birthday to Neverwinter Podcast. Jay mentioned they are just over 1 year old.
Thanks again Michele and Jay!
The interview was done last night via a Skype call. Liso/Michele did the interview and Jay was 'lurking' in the wings, managing the recording. I had a chance to peak at the questions ahead and I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to say. With the exception of a very minor technical glitch it went very well and was very fun. The interview will be included in a few weeks in episode 39. I'll be sure and post a direct link to that episode when it's out.
If you have not listened to Neverwinter Podcast, I HIGHLY recommend it. If you are a modder, check out the episodes on storytelling and the toolset in particular. Jay, Trey, and Liso are the hosts of the podcast, and if it sounds like they are having a blast... they are. I had a chance to visit on Skype with Liso ahead of the interview, and with Jay and Liso after the interview. Chatting with them was an absolute blast. Everyone lingered on the call for over an hour after the interview last night. Periodically someone would try to disengage (and get some sleep), but we all chatted for an hour or so. I can't speak for Jay and Michele but I was having too much fun, I could have easily been enticed into chatting for another hour.
At first is was just fascinating to chat with people that I normally only listen too. Podcasts are 1 way of course, and being able to interact with the 'voice' on the other end of the podcast was very entertaining.
Jay and Michele, if you read this thank you again for the opportunity. I had FUN! For everyone else reading, Jay and Michele were absolutely fantastic. Kudos to Jay, Michele (and Trey) for all their hard work and for taking time to visit and chat when all was said and done.
Just as the podcast is normally a one way or passive form of communication, module writing and blogging are mostly the same. It's a one way form of communication. Forum posts, ratings and email allow community members to connect and share ideas, which is a fantastic and unexpected benefit of modding. Talking on the phone allows far more communication, just short of meeting someone face to face. I was truly surprised and how much I enjoyed the post interview chat. I rarely have the opportunity to talk (verbally) at length with other gamers and modders. I suppose that's something I enjoyed about Paper and Pencil D&D once upon a time and it's the one thing missing from the modding/gaming experience I enjoy now.
It was interesting to note that Jay, Michele and I are all similar in age. I am less surprised now than I used to be to find the many gamers my age. There seem to be far more NWN gamers my age than in other games. Neither Jay or Michele have a D&D background, but I suspect that does influence who is playing this game. It was nice to talk to other gamers who are my age, and are mom's and dad's. That's not an indication that I dislike gamers of other ages at all, but I strange sort of validation. Yes there are other 30/40 something dads who are hooking on gaming and modding, I'm not completely off my rocker (yet).
Jay is a fellow programmer/tech geek, and I could resist asking him if the fact that I program and work then go home and script and write mods is just plain wrong. He laughed and commented he had some similar habits.
Michele shared with my a number of creative projects she's involved in that sound absolutely fascinating. She shared the URL for a projected called 'Stygius' and although she indicated I could post the it on this blog, I've elected not to, because it's an open wiki. I'd feel awful if someone altered something on what appears to be a very open ended wiki. Keep your eyes and ears open for more on this project it looks awesome.
In closing, I found the interview and the chat before and after the interview to be an absolute blast. I knew I would enjoy it, but it far exceeded my expectations. The folks and Neverwinter Podcast are top notch and very fun. If you haven't already done so, check out there work. It's worth it.
Oh... Happy Birthday to Neverwinter Podcast. Jay mentioned they are just over 1 year old.
Thanks again Michele and Jay!
I'm totally hooked on the NWN Podcast. Then again, I'm a 35 year old NWN2 addict who writes software during the day and then goes home and scripts at night too! :-)
ReplyDeleteJasonNH
Good lord... how many of us (coding junkies) are there!
ReplyDeleteHey Ernie, Trey here. While you all were having fun last nite, I was doing the post production for ep 38! HA! Sounds like I missed out. Oh well, looking forward to hearing your interview. Thanks for all the kind words in your write up.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Im the same age as Michelle.
I'll have to remember your handle. Sorry I missed you. I didn't get to thank you for the great podcasts on the phone, but rest assured they are appreciated. I'm sure your latest effort will be yet another fine entry.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for the post.
Drop me a line any time.
Take care,
ENoa4