Biomassed: Who are you? Who do you play DUST 514 with, and what style of play do you enjoy?
Aeon Amadi: I am Aeon Amadi and I generally role with the Negative-Feedback. crowd as a staple. I have an “old bro” sort of relationship with a lot of the guys in NF and we’ve sort of followed each other around since closed beta in no particular fashion, even run with some players who I previously viewed as rivals (Kain Spero, and on sparse occasion, Zatara Wrought). My playstyle is usually experimental, playing around with a bunch of different ‘themes’ but I always seem to gravitate toward the CQC style of play in some way, shape or form.
Biomassed: Tell us a bit about the “real you”. Who is the man (or woman) behind the merc?
Aeon Amadi: IRL, my name is Simon Myers. I am a private military contractor working for the US Air Force in an Inventory Management/Auditing field which comes with an insane amount of responsibility for people’s lives. The adage goes: “In the game of rock, paper, scissors, socket beats plane.”
I am going to college for a double major in Computer Science General Concentration and Applied Mathematics, with a minor in Graphics Arts Design to have a very broad spectrum of skills when I complete my degree.
I am also the former lead guitarist and founding member of the metal band Ascension of Corruption.
Biomassed: Why did you decide to run for the CPM this year?
Aeon Amadi: Mostly to troll. Anything that I could do as a CPM1, I could do just as effectively as a generic member of the community and already have. Being a CPM would sort of be the ultimate comeback toward those who don’t take me seriously, but it would also streamline a lot of the community-driven efforts I’ve committed, so it’s sort of a win-win in my book. That and someone said it’d be “entertaining” if I were part of the CPM and I’m all about making people laugh =P
To which, I say: ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!
Also to pander to my crazy agenda from last year. Those goals still haven’t changed (especially considering few of them were implemented =P) You can find it here: https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=163435
Biomassed: What are the strengths you think you can bring to the CPM? What is your biggest weakness you’ll need to contend with?
Aeon Amadi: My biggest strengths are a constant craving for knowledge and an endless curiosity. I’m always picking apart and prying for information about something and I pump out more spreadsheets and line graphs than honestly necessary. Sure, not all of them are good, but science isn’t always 100% right out the gate. I’ve also got a mindset that puts the community first and done extensive work to make sure that their voices are heard in a more indirect way than “Aaaahhh talk to the devs!” through community-driven activities, thought provoking discussions, etc.
Weaknesses? Probably too many to list. I’m a human being after all. But, yanno, if you feel I’ve done you wrong, feel free to approach me about it and we’ll hash it out over a beer as long as you’re civil about it. Otherwise, haha, you might see that crazy “entertaining” person come out. x3
One primary weakness that I have is staying truthful to my commitments as I have a bad habit of starting up projects (DUST 514: Ascension, the Dust Girls Calendar, PC Lag Initiative, Planetary Services Department) and not finishing them because I get overwhelmed by the workload. I usually have a lot of passion and drive at first before I realize how difficult it is to tackle alone, but I’m a lot more committed to projects whenever others are involved.
Biomassed: What do you feel is the role of the CPM?
Aeon Amadi: The CPM’s role is largely to act as a filter for information for CCP, sanity-checking them on the craziness before it makes it out to the general public. Furthermore, the CPM’s role is to influence CCP to make the game better as a whole through the ‘greater good’. They’re sort of like the Tau from WH40K in a weird, nonchalant sort of way. The end goal is to ensure the game’s overall health as a primary.
Biomassed: How do you feel about the previous CPM? What was done well, and what could have been done better?
Aeon Amadi: Communication with the community, for one. Lot of the CPM are really good about communicating, even if it’s something you don’t want to hear. I give the current CPM a lot more flak than they really deserve and I’m willing to admit that fully. It mostly stems from constantly erring on the side of caution because, as I said, I put the game’s overall health above everything and sometimes I feel that the current CPM might be blinded by the short term benefit rather than the long term. However, it is necessary to mention that a lot of that is due to the NDA preventing communication about the long term.
Biomassed: What are your thoughts on communication between the players and CCP? The CPM and CCP? The CPM and the players?
Aeon Amadi: I feel that CCP needs to step it up. Rattati has done an excellent job staying in touch with the community but there is an entire development team in Shanghai that is largely silent. What are they working on, if not DUST 514? Why are they being so quiet and not opening up for feedback from the community? Where are the community-driven oddball devs that just chime in for laughs and gags?
Communication between the CPM and CCP, as far as I know, is decent. I can’t really answer that question because those of us in the general community can’t really see their conversations. It’s not like there’s a biyearly summit with meeting minutes like in EVE Online. Which brings me to…
Communication between the CPM and the players? Apart from the occasional CPM troll or opener for discussion like Cross Atu’s logi thread, there really does need to be a lot more communication about the behind the scenes bits that isn’t completely shrouded in NDA. We need summits, we need minutes, and we need the CPM to actively work on better elaboration on what is going on so the community doesn’t feel left in the dark. It’s been long overdue.
Biomassed: Where do you hope to see the game by the end of your term?
Aeon Amadi: Hope? Heh, optimistically I’d like to see a full on redesign from the ground up on the PC and/or PS4, but I realize that this is mostly fantasy. I’d like to see tiericide implemented in a more lasting and meaningful manner than the current system and there is a lot of work being done on it (FINALLY). Outside of that I’m really looking forward to seeing the performance gains from Power Cores/SKINs and I have a strong interest in expanding that to weaponry and vehicles as well.
Ultimately, I want to see DUST 514 with a smooth framerate at the very least with as little bugs as possible a daunting task, I realize, but it is something I’ve been committed to for a very long time in one form or another. I’ll help wherever I can.
Biomassed: If DUST is able to be ported to another platform, which platform would you prefer, and why?
Aeon Amadi: PC, honestly. Mostly because of the longevity that it brings. It is a lot easier to make changes to the engine and keep it up to date with current hardware specs than it is to put it out on a console and have to port it/redesign it altogether any time the technology shifts. Suffice to say, the community is going to have to upgrade eventually, but I feel that PC would just offer a much smoother transition than having to wait for and shell out for a brand new console every five or so years.
Not that I’m against it. I’d be right there with the rest of the community in shelling out for a PS4 if DUST 514 landed on it!
Biomassed: How can players reach out to you if they have further questions for you?
Aeon Amadi: Skype is your best bet. Hit me up on ‘nomistrav’ on Skype or you can hit me up in-game on my main character: ‘Aeon Amadi’. I’m on AT LEAST once a week as I have a busy work schedule.
Alternatively you can send an email directly to my inbox at ‘nomistrav (at) gmail.com’ and I’ll answer it whenever I can. You better include something funny though! I’m warning you! I’m running for the lulz so you better stay on point 😀
If you’re really desperate you can hit me up on twitter @Aeon_Amadi or on Slack in tweetfleet at ‘aeonamadi’.
