JoBildo: Let’s get the
courtesies out of the way first. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this
interview with us get. It’s you lot, the players, that keep this genre
thriving and the worlds moving and so it’s always great to get to know a little
bit more about the players.

CLAN OPTERA: style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:#FFC000'>We have been a part of 'Clan Soup' since the beginning and we
are happy to participate with the community through this feature. Thank you for
keeping this project alive and giving us an opportunity to share a little about
us.

JoBildo: It’s my pleasure
for sure. Now tell the internet a little bit about CLAN OPTERA.

CLAN OPTERA: style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:#FFC000'>We are an active, fun loving guild, who welcomes gamers of all
play-styles and backgrounds to join our group of mature players. Players can
find what they are looking for in Clan Optera on a variety of fronts. Some
members join us because they want to be part of something unique and rewarding.
Members who do choose to invest their time and effort with us find themselves
treated like an extended family. We are not just a large team, we are friends
and kin – faithfully there for each other in (and in some cases, out of) game.

We value our loyal membership far more than
any reward attainable in a game. We know that we will have members for whom
this guild and this game (AoC) is often the largest focus of their day. At the
same time, we also know some members have careers, children, school and other
commitments that we know take priority, too. We strive for an environment where
everyone can enjoy the time they are able to spend together in game.

JoBildo: How would you guys
classify yourselves? Are you a tight-knit role-play clan, a PvP clan or
something else altogether? What makes you tick?

CLAN OPTERA: style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:#FFC000'>We are actually not any one 'type' of clan. We embrace all the
different aspects of the game and we welcome players who want to “do it all” as
well as those who might prefer to focus on one area of game-play. We are a
dynamic group of people who are like-minded regarding what a guild should be.
We value play-style differences as strengths, rather than weaknesses or
hindrances, as they allow us to foster a community where players are equally
responsible for forging their destiny, and equally capable of reaching their
goals. Together, we believe we have the experience and skills to accomplish
just about anything. You could say we are a new generation of guild for a new
generation of game.

JoBildo: Forward thinking
people! My favorite! Let’s see how you field this one then: how’s the clan
structured? What’s the leadership like, and how do you guys delegate
authority?

CLAN OPTERA: style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:#FFC000'>To start, we were not a pre-existing guild, coming en masse from
WoW or some other MMO to seek server dominance or fame... though we have been
around, in one form or another, since the dawn of MMO's.

Clans, or guilds, can often be very
different experiences from one guild to another. We believe that clans are
first and foremost, about people. They are also about balancing the sometimes
very different needs of very different people in order to make something bigger
than any one individual. Carefully implemented ranks are one of the many tools
a clan leader has at their disposal to solve many of the problems that can
arise in a clan.

To be honest our numbers have grown just
enough to start fleshing out ranks within our own clan. Some of these ranks are
typical titles you will find, such as 'Class Officer' (or class leader), as
well as general officer positions. We have a mixture of departmental and
committee type positions in the works as well. So to answer directly, we are
definitely not run by a Hitler type of leadership. If you could picture
something between a 'technologically hip' Gandhi and a committee, you'd arrive
at approximately the right picture.

As for ranks, we believe in promotion from
within, based on meritocracy – giving the right job to the right person.

JoBildo: How many members are
there currently in your Clan?

CLAN OPTERA: style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:#FFC000'> 31, including a couple late-comers and MIA's.

JoBildo: Tight-knit then, which
is always good. Some developer or another once said the ideal guild or clan
size is 30 to 50 members, so it seems like you’re doing alright! Now, it’s a
pretty popular thing in terms of guilds and clans to host events on their
respective servers. Is that something CLAN OPTERA ever does?

CLAN OPTERA: style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:#FFC000'>To date, we have not. Though we have since launch been
formulating a few recurring events to host, once we iron out the details of
their plans. One is for a role-playing event, the other consists of
player-versus-player and competitive type activities. As more of our members
approach end game and have more time to become involved with the community
rather than leveling and guild progression, you can definitely expect Clan
Optera to start hosting events.

JoBildo: If you guys are
recruiting for new members, can you tell us what exactly it takes to become one
of the CLAN OPTERA? What’s required of a prospective member?

CLAN OPTERA: style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:#FFC000'>Prospective members should visit our website and click the link
on our home page, which will lead them to a few sticky posts we have made for
recruitment purposes. Part of our application process is to read our guild
charter. The remaining stickies explain our application process in detail,
which is basically making a post on our forums with some details about yourself
(the applicant), and then we send them an invitation in game to join us.

New members, which are considered 'guests'
or simply citizens, are welcome to join us for a couple weeks to see if we all
mesh well together. If they are still with us at the end of two weeks, they are
invited to attend the next guild meeting we have in order to be promoted to
full membership status. If anyone has grievances with a recruit or guest, it is
expressed at this meeting and resolved. We haven't had to remove anyone yet,
but if we do, we do it together, 'professionally' and fully inform them of the
reason(s).

JoBildo: Alright, that
concludes the interview. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these
questions and letting the community know everything they could want to know
about CLAN OPTERA. It’s been a pleasure as it always is.

CLAN OPTERA: style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:#FFC000'>Thank you for taking time for us. Keep up the good work!