Back To Meet The Devs

1. What is your name and/or nickname?

Nik Davidson, a.k.a. Azeraphel, a.k.a. That Damned Producer Guy.

2. How did you come to work at Turbine?

Bribery, and rank corruption. After co-running the Boston player gathering, they dusted off that old application of mine, which I had sent in a few months earlier. Networking is one of the three most powerful forces in the universe.

3. What other jobs have you had?

I was a project manager for a major bank for several years. Don't ever ask me about y2k. You have no idea how close the world came to total financial collapse. Whee! Coming here after working for a huge corporation is a bit of culture shock, but it's a good sort of culture shock.

4. Do you work on anything else besides AC (and can you tell us about it)?

Just working on AC for the time being, but I'm definitely learning from all the stuff I can't tell you about.

5. If you could add or change one thing in AC, what would that be?

Better communication channels. Communication leads to strong communities, strong communities lead to an enjoyable online world.

6. What's the most amusing or embarrassing death you've had or witnessed in AC?

One of my first Direlands hunts, way back in the day... first encounter with a direlands vorous shreth. "It's just a shreth! I can take it!" Famous last words. I died three times. And friends of mine saved all the embarrasing logs...

7. Are you in an allegiance and do your allegiance members know you're at Turbine?

I sit atop a fantastic allegiance on TD, which was founded back in Beta 2. Since coming to Turbine, I've stepped into the background, in no small part simply because I don't have much time to play anymore. :(

8. Have you played any other MMORPGs and are you looking forward to any upcoming ones?

I've played the "big three", as well as several MUDs. I played UO for over a year; they did a lot of groundbreaking things, and they did many of them the right way. EQ lasted a couple months, until I got into the AC Beta... I'm kinda rooting for Horizons to come together; I loved David Allen's "Mordor"; my roommate and I used to play that constantly.

9. What's the current in-office LAN game?

I'm the new guy. The computer they gave me doth sux0r. LAN games are for other people.

10. Favourites:

Music: U2, Joshua Tree
Film: Empire Strikes Back
Food: Pesto! (I make the best pesto on earth.)
Sport: Epee. If'n it don' make ye bleed, it ain't a sport.
Computer Game: X-Com. One turn-based strategy game to rule them all, one turn-based strategy game to find them. One turn-based strategy game to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.

11. What was the first computer game you played?

That would be "Parsec", on my old Texas Instruments.

12. What would you like appreciative fans to send as gifts?

Wine (they send enough whine already), games, music.

13. Did you get your pre-patch Greater Shadow Armour in time?

Nope. I had a chance at it, and passed on it. "I'm a mage, why do I need armor?" Sigh.

14. Fasten and then zip or zip and then fasten?

Fasten, then zip. Fastening gives the zipping process a framework from which to function. Zipping first can introduce chaotic and painful elements to the procedure.

15. Because of the lead- and asbestos-lined walls at Turbine's offices, you all survive the apocalypse - who'd get voted Supreme Leader?

David Bowman. The people here would go to war for the man, if he so commanded. Actual battle command would be headed by Mike Steele. Me, I'd probably be put in charge of the propaganda machine, to convert the irradiated mutants to our cause.