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| Interview with Rainbow Six Rogue Spear Web Site Creator: Alex Ryko | |||||
Alex, also known as Alex_Ryko on the Zone, is a Canadian from Ottawa, Ontario. According to Alex, he has a boring day job which has nothing to do with computers and a closet addiction to computer games. When asked how long he's been playing games “Since waaaay back... we were the first on our block to have a Vic-20 (anyone remember loading "Berserk" off of a tape recorder input device?).” Zone: How long have you been playing Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear and how were you first introduced to the Rainbow Six games? What were some of your first impressions? Alex_Ryko: I got hooked by the original Rainbow Six when it first came out, but I'll be the first to admit I wasn't part of the "old school" that heard about it from the start (and sat waiting for it for months). I saw it on the shelf and it looked interesting; little did I know it would change my view on the "first-person shooter" brand of game. I didn't realize I was a realism junkie until I fell in love with the one shot, one kill model. I was hooked. I haven't bought another computer game since (with the exception of Rogue Spear), but I must admit I've recently had a time shortage, too. Zone: As a gamer, what is it that you find so engaging about Rogue Spear? And how did you bring out those aspects with your site? Alex_Ryko: The ambience it creates is second only to Half-Life (which ranks very highly in my books). The environmental effects (rain, snow, lighting, etc.) all contribute to making you feel like you're there. And there's the added element of danger, knowing you can be dropped by just one shot. It all works together to make a highly compelling simulator. However, what I try to do with my site is give players some tools to overcome the overwhelming factors against them. There's a lot in this game that can distract you, but there are some simple things you can do that if you learn, and stick to, will make you a more competent player. There's nothing worse than feeling that no matter how hard you try, you can't beat a game; what I try to do is help players overcome that frustration. When you become a better player, you can actually feel like you're good enough to be part of Rainbow (without having to go out and buy a pair of expensive combat boots). Zone: Tell us about your Web site. How long did it take to create your site? How did you come up with all the strategies and tips? Alex_Ryko: I manage all the content on the site. I use Netscape Composer to draft all the pages, after working out the general format with frames I wanted to use. When I need some graphics, I use Paint Shop Pro 5.03. It didn't take more than a few days to put the site together, although I must admit it did start out as nothing more than a place for people to find my sound MOD. After someone accused me of camping, I wrote up what would become the first of my "rants," and posted it to the site; that prompted a site redesign. Then came strategies, then some fooling around with movies and before I knew it, I had a Rainbow Six Web site. The strategies are a mix of common sense and world experience. I play a fair amount online, so you get a feel for what works and what doesn't work, and I've talked a lot with some armed forces types, and that gives an excellent insight into how these tactics are really used in the real world. Zone: Where do you get all your ideas to create your site? Alex_Ryko: Basically, whenever I see people doing odd things, or get asked the same question a lot, I figure it's something I could put my two cents worth in and I write up an article on it. Most of the time, if I catch myself making stupid mistakes, I figure I'm probably not alone and figure that's worth some attention, too. :) [My] main challenge is image maps. I absolutely hated them until I got this program HotSpots. And frames. But I don't have to worry about them any more now that I like how they're set. After that, I guess the most challenging thing was coming up with some strategies and tactics people could actually use in the limited context of Rainbow Six/Rogue Spear. Zone: Tell us about your favorite game scenario and strategy. Alex_Ryko: The one I'm most proud of would be a multiplayer game of Chalet, where Blue was held up in the guardhouse (that small building that's nicely defendable). With smoke grenades I made a wall of smoke in front of the alley. My teammates and I were able to storm the guardhouse under a flurry of frags and gunfire. Our losses were minimal and it really felt like teamwork (someone was holding the heartbeat sensor, another with a jammer, etc.) -- lots of 'gg' afterwards. Zone: If you were the commanding officer, what are some of the key tactics your troops would have to know to become fully equipped to go into battle? Alex_Ryko: The concept of "bounding overwatch" is infinitely useful (where teammates leapfrog from cover to cover, one team covering while the other moves). Where available, the heartbeat sensor when properly employed by a teammate, drastically improves a team's survivability. I guess above all of these, and simply enough, the concept of grouping up into teams and covering each other is the most valuable tactic. Ganging up on the enemy is the best way to achieve victory. Zone: What are some common mistakes you notice other players making when playing Rogue Spear? And what advice would you give to players to avoid those mistakes? Alex_Ryko: Perhaps the two worst mistakes I see players make would be: 1. Not paying attention to the environment and ignoring clues to enemy movements like open doors, etc. The advice here is to try and think like the enemy - know where they start from, try and think about where they're moving to engage you, and counter that. Above all, think about all this in advance. 2. Target identification. Friendly fire mistakes are the worst. Most of the time, it's just twitch factor (the game can really get you going), but you should always know what you're shooting at before pulling the trigger. Zone: Tell us about your most exciting online game of Rogue Spear. Do you have a group of friends you like to meet online and play Rogue Spear? Alex_Ryko: Oh boy, they all sort of blend together after a while. I guess a recent game of Nuclear Storage Facility made me look like I knew what I was doing. It was a no-heartbeat sensor game so I capitalized on playing hide and seek. Unfortunately, it required my teammates getting shot so I knew where the bad guys were, and I could swoop around behind them. :) I don't have a specific group of friends I meet online to play with, but between IP games and the Zone, I have a network of people I regularly play with. Zone: What are some other games you play besides Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear? Alex_Ryko: I still occasionally play Half-Life; I'll soon be buying SWAT 3 to check out the competition. Zone: What do you think the future of games will be like in 2000? Alex_Ryko: I think game companies will want to take advantage of the gradual increase in processor power to make more complicated games. I read that the system requirements for Duke Nukem Forever will be in the area of a P2-266, but "to really enjoy it" you're going to need a P2-400; so much for my Celery 333. Next, I think the game-then-patch process will become (if it isn't already) standard operating procedure for games. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a good thing, because it allows a game company to go in and correct mistakes in the game, and make it better. Lastly, and riding on the last point, I think the user-feedback model that RSE excels at will become more and more prevalent as patching becomes necessary: power to the people! Actually, I think RSE deserves special mention here. I haven't seen a company yet with the devotion to its users that I see in RSE. The game designers post regularly to their site forum, they respond to e-mails and post developers' logs. More importantly, they listen to their users and where they can, they implement their suggestions. It's a corporate philosophy that really works, and for which they have my utmost respect. Zone: Is there anything you'd like to share with the players on the Zone? Alex_Ryko: Sure. If I'm hosting a game and one more of you goes 'gogogogogogogogogo', don't be surprised if I boot you. :) Watch your six! The Zone thanks Alex_Ryko for participating in our interview. If you have an original content submission or idea for the Zone, please e-mailus at the Zone. Thanks! |
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