Interview

QforQ of Vanguard Radio

by Shayalyn

One of the newest
kids on the Vanguard fansite block is href="http://www.vanguardradio.com">Vanguard Radio,
which officially launched last week with a 6 hour on-air celebration. I
took some time to talk to the owner of Vanguard Radio, Sam "QforQ"
Houston, to get to know him a bit better and talk about his plans for
the site, and what he hopes Vanguard Radio will bring to the
community. 



[ style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Ten Ton
Hammer]:
Tell us a little about what first drew you into MMOGs.



[QforQ]: My
first MMO was Final Fantasy XI and my friends that played it were
responsible for drawing me into the game. Although my time in
the game was rather short, it was my first taste of what an MMO really
is. Prior to that I didn't even know what an MMO was, so it
took me a while to really understand the concept.



A few months after that The Matrix Online released and that's what
really sold me on MMO's.That is where I saw the community
side of MMO's and started listening to and working with online radio
stations. The community and fansite aspect of MMO's is what attracts me
to MMO's now.



[ style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">TTH style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">]: What drew your interest
in Vanguard: Saga of Heroes?



[QforQ]:
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes got my attention this past summer when I first
started actively looking for my next MMO fix.  The deal maker
for the game was the game developer interaction that takes place on the
forums and on other fan sites. I love it when the developers
take an
active role in the community and really care about what the players
think. I like being able to have my voice heard and make an
impact on the game for the better.



[ style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">TTH style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">]: What's your favorite
MMOG class or
type? (For example, are you a
 warrior all the way,
or more of a ranger?)




[QforQ]: I
like to play a
healing class but the number one thing I hate about healing classes is
the fact that they are(usually) totally defenseless. I'm
looking forward to playing the Disciple class in Vanguard since
it's a good combination between a melee fighter and a healer.




[ style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">TTH style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">]: You recently launched
your new site,
Vanguard Radio. What gave you the idea for
Vanguard Radio?



[QforQ]: 
When The Matrix Online wound down it's last couple days of beta the
Live Events Team(GM's paid to be actors and play story characters) went
completely nuts in the game. Things were chaotic and people
like Seraph, Morpheus and Niobe were seen all over the
place. An
online radio station called Radio Free Zion was covering all the action
and
had a whole team of DJ's inside the game reporting live, to the
listeners, what was happening in game and where. Listening to this live
broadcast is what hooked me on to that game and
what hooked me on online radio stations. It is my
dream to
be able to recapture that magic with Vanguard Radio, with our own
unique twist.



[ style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">TTH style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">]: What are your goals for
Vanguard Radio? style="border: 0px solid ; width: 120px; height: 600px; float: right;"
alt="Vanguard Radio"
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/article-illustrations/ad600x120_vert.gif"
hspace="2" vspace="4">



[QforQ]: 
Online Radio stations for MMO's have the power to make the game much
more than what it would be without a radio station. My goal
for
Vanguard Radio is to become a true part of the
community. Vanguard
Radio is meant to be a tool of the community, something that can be
used to
advertise tournaments, guilds, fan sites, RP events, celebrations, and
even cover Live Events that are put on by the developers. We
want to become involved as much as we possibly can and be embraced by
the community as one of their own.



Imagine having your melee tournament covered on the radio and the
winner being announced live on the air.  Imagine throwing your
guild's
1st year anniversary party and having all your favorite songs
played on
the radio for you in celebration.  Imagine the suspense that
can be created as tens or even hundreds of people are tuning in
to you
story event and can't wait to hear the next big twist.



This is what Vanguard Radio wants to do for you, the community.



[ style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">TTH style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">]: Tell us more about the
site. What
kinds of features and events can we expect?



[QforQ]: 
Over the coming months Vanguard Radio plans to ramp up our DJ list and
have a Live DJ online as often as possible. Along with this we
take live requests and dedications, just like a real radio
station! We're also

planning on having several competitions in the future that will involve
prizes like a whole hour of your favorite music that you requested.
That's just a taste of some of the things we're planning to do while
the game is still under the NDA. After the NDA is lifted we
plan
to start many of our operations ingame and that's when you'll really see
Vanguard Radio shine.



[ style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">TTH style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">]: What sort of music will
we hear when
we listen to Vanguard Radio?



[QforQ]: At
Vanguard Radio we aim to offer something for everyone. We
try to have a diverse offering of DJs which all have a different style
of music that they play. Personally I like to play alternative
rock and more 90s to current rock, while we have DJ's that will have
full sets dedicated to the hardest metal or the best techno you've ever
heard. If we don't play something that you like, just let us
know
on our forums and we'll try to accommodate you. Once again,
Vanguard Radio
is here for the community of Vanguard.



[ style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">TTH style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">]: Can folks request songs?
How does that
work?



[QforQ]: 
People can request songs through our IRC Channel (irc.thex.fm
#VanguardRadio), through AOL Instant Messanger (VanguardDJ) or through
Skype (VanguardRadio).  The DJ's that are on the air at the
time will try

to play your requested song as soon as possible if they have your
song. You can also contact the DJ using these
methods if you'd like to send a "shout-out" or a dedication to someone,
or an event announcement.



[ style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">TTH style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">]: A pirate and a ninja
walk into a bar.
Which one's coolest?



[QforQ]: 
In this setting a Pirate would definitely win. Ninjas would
be totally out of place in a bar, so the party animal Pirate
would own in this
contest.



[ style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">TTH style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">]: And finally...cake or
pie?



[QforQ]: Cheesecake
would
have to be my favorite, and it's sort of a hybrid between the two...but
since it has cake in the name I'll go with cake!  [We hear the
collective groans of pie-loving Ten Ton Hammer staffers and friends
everywhere! - Editor]