A Chronicler's Work is Never Done
by Nel
Nel: At last - the first victim… *ahem* respondent for my Chronicles… let me see. Yes, it’s Cysero - the mad weaponsmith of DF.
Question 1) What do you do for AE? (Coder, artist, forums, support staff)
Cysero: My technical title is Creative Director of DragonFable. I didn’t know WHAT I was for the longest time, then I saw a game design documentary and I said “Hey, that guy does everything that I do!” He was the creative director for that game.
2) How did you first find/get involved with AE? I was brought in for an interview for a flash animator position but I brought my sketchbook and portfolio with me. Artix sent me into a room to draw a helmet, and was SO impressed that he hired me on the spot.
He still has the helmet and I still have my job so it all worked out.
Nel: 3) What keeps you interested in AQ and DF, all the Ebil Games, and the soon-to-be MechQuest?
Cysero: Are you kidding? It’s a fantastic world that Artix and the AQ players created and I’m super honored to even have a hand in expanding this world!
I’m a cornball, and a gamer, and a HUGE nerd so this is like the perfect job for me. No. It’s more than a job, it’s a way of LIFE!
Nel: 4) Has your time in school prepared you for what you do with AE, or, if you haven’t finished school, will it help you once you’re done?
Cysero: Sort of. My Middle/High School friends are still my best friends and we played a lot of video games and D&D growing up. That helped. Also the BFA in illustration and animation helps.
Nel: 5) If you could change anything about one of the games, what would it be and why?
Cysero: The restrictions placed on us by server costs and bandwidth. I’d love to make the best possible, most fun and funniest world imaginable that everyone could play for 0 cost to the players.
Nel: 6) What is your favourite part about AQ/DF/Ebil Games?
Cysero: Personally? Being a dev. It’s good to be the king.
Nel: 7) Who is your favourite moglin and why?
Cysero: Twilly. He’s helpful, friendly, brave and smells better than any other moglin that I’ve run into. He smells like cranberries to me.
Nel: 8) Would you like to see a Sneevil vs. Zard matchup? Who would win?
Cysero: Sneevils. Zard are just big stupid lizards, where SNEEVILS are innate cowards. Anything that fearful will always find a way to survive.
Nel: Great, now for the personal questions!
9) Do you have a favourite style of food? (Southern, Chinese, Italian, etc)
Cysero: I like food that I can eat.
Nel: 10) If you like to read, do you have any favourite genres? What are some of your favourite books from it?
Cysero: I’m a fiction buff. My favourite authors are Douglas Adams, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Neal Stephenson and Orson Scott Card.
My favourite books are ‘The Long Dark Teatime Of The Soul’, ‘The Waste Lands’, ‘Neverwhere’, ‘The Diamond Age’ and anything written By Orson Scott Card.
Nel: 11) Do you play any games? Consol or computer? And what?
Cysero: Yes. Lots. My favourite games of all time are the original Lunar for the Sega CD, Jet Grind Radio, Counterstrike, Animal Crossing, and Fable.
Non electronic games: Settlers of Catan, Set, Whist, Illuminati Card Game, Clue, Jigglyball, Gravel and Yu Gi Oh (retired).
Nel: 12) What are some of your hobbies? What is it about them that is attractive to you?
Cysero: I don’t know if I really have any of these. I like to confuse people, that keeps me pretty entertained. I guess my hobby is keeping myself and my friends entertained.
Nel: 13) Have you completed college? What did you study? Why?
Cysero: Yes I did. I graduated from The Art Institute of Boston @ Lesley University, Boston, MA with a degree in illustration and animation.
Originally (since getting a game development job is impossible, heh) I wanted to write/illustrate children’s books and YA (young adult) books. I still want to if I ever get a day off.
Nel: 14) Do you have any favourite sports teams? What and who?
Cysero: It’s hard to live in Boston for as many years as I did without becoming a Boston Red Sox fan but now I’m hooked for life. The day they won the World Series after an 86 year drought was the single best day of this decade.
Nel: 15) Do you play any sports? If so, for how long?
Cysero: I play Ultimate Frisbee and Disc Golf. My best friend introduced me to disc golf when I was visiting home during college.
After I got hooked on that I looked for any other sports that used a flying disc as their focus and I discovered Ultimate.
Nel: 16) What kind of music do you like to listen to?
Cysero: Good music.
Nel: 17) Do you sing or play any instruments?
Cysero: I sing loudly and rather badly in my car. I play the water bottle, as my best friend can attest to.
Nel: 18) Do you have any pets? What?
Cysero: My parents have a dog which I consider mine by proxy. But I pretty much consider any animal that I come in contact with more than once my pet to some degree or another.
Nel: Allright, now on to the last category, Random/Fun questions:
19) Do you know what the Burning Daystar is? Do you see it on a regular basis?
Cysero: Yes, I used to be a night person, then i was a day person. Now I just don't sleep because I like them both too much and I have too much to do.
I, like a plant, often just stand there and let the sun cook me and just feel good.
Nel: 20) Can you tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi?
Cysero: Yes and Pepsi is better.
Nel: 21) What is your quest?
Cysero: "To seek the Holy Grail," which really isn't MY quest but I'm programmed to say that. It's a Pavlovian thing. You are not authorized to know MY quest(s).
Nel: 22) What is your opinion of the effect "American Idol" has had on the US media?
Cysero: It's a very polarizing phenomenon. From an outsider's perspective it's amazing to watch SO MANY PEOPLE get SO involved in something that...
really doesn't matter a single bit in the larger scheme of things. They get so wrapped up in the drama and competition that it's hard for them to step outside themselves and realize that they are...
being sucked in by a VERY well constructed media franchise whose only drive and purpose isn't entertainment, but expanding the franchise itself and making advertising dollars...
...BUY A DRAGON AMULET!
