Hello all,

Our Blog site has a new home!  Get your webcast recaps, Gamer of the Month, Employee Spotlight of the Month and more at the new SOE Community Page!

It’s time to meet another one of your fellow SOE Gamers!  This month, in honor of PlanetSide’s upcoming 10th anniversary, we will meet someone that’s played PlanetSide and is now an avid PlanetSide 2 player!

We are pleased to introduce LordMondando from PlanetSide 2!

Tony “RadarX” Jones, Community Manger from PlanetSide 2, why has LordMondando been chosen as the May SOE Gamer of the Month?

<RadarX> His passion from PlanetSide 1 mirrors the heart and soul of the PlanetSide 2 community. His amazing support of our Test and Miller servers are an example of someone who truly makes up the core of our players.

Now, let’s meet LordMondando!

Where in the real life world do you live? 

Wales, the sexiest of the devolved principalities.

You mainly play PlanetSide 2. How long have you played?

Pretty consistently from about the 3rd day of launch in November.

What other games do you play?

Largely PS2 as of late. However, I’m a big fan of titles like: Arma2, DayZ, Dwarf Fortress, Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings II, and Project Zomboid.

PlanetSide is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Can you pick a memory that sticks out in your mind from either PlanetSide or PlanetSide 2?

Well, in regards to PS2,  it’s actually surprisingly hard to pick out just one.  As a member of Digital Legion (/shameless plug http://www.digital-legion.com – Join today!), there are quite a few distinctive ‘moments’ that stick in my mind. Perhaps one that really sticks out above all the others is the massive battle that came of the NCTO’s (New Conglomerate Treaty Organisation – the NC alliance on Miller) first major event, some months back. After a relatively mild (though not uneventful) advance through our assigned sector towards what was then the VS warpgate. DL (digital legion), ABTF (Airborne task force), and XSG (Smurf assault squad) ran into what must have been 3-4 organized VS outfits at lithcorp secure mine. What then followed was a harrowing 2 hour battle, in which the base must have changed hands 4 or 5 times. Several times we would be kicked out, then manage to put a sundy up in the hills surrounding it. Then began brutal house-to-house fighting moving in from the ridges around. We’d finally take the base after about 10-20 minutes then the VS would do the same. Either we’d then manage to find their sundy with our LA scouting screen, or we’d be ground down as the they managed to effectively command the high ground around the base. One particular feature of that fight that particularly sticks out in my mind are ABTF basically staying rooted to the spot by the spawns buster maxes firing in the air, constantly, throughout most of the battle.

There are others, plenty, but that’s really stuck with me. Not only because it was a massive fight that really had us on our toes and trying to actually outthink the VS as opposed to just brute forcing them. It also showed what the game is capable when the outfit community gets organized. Most of the fun, on Miller, really reveals itself when we run into the likes of BRTD, GOON, MM, OCB, VC, ISK, DWG, DIG, SOV et al (and I really do mean et al, there are plenty of others),normally over some rather inconsequential base, and proceed to have a massive fight over it.

What type of work do you do?

I currently work in sales – less said about that the better. Brass tacks I need order to amass moniez for tuitions fees for a “masters in computing” course I’m starting this autumn. Have to pay the bills somehow.

How many hours a week do you play video games?

How many is too many? Probably about 10-20 hours, depending on what else I have going on.

What does a typical gaming session consist of?

Revolves around DL, we try to make a point as an outfit of playing the objective in relatively organized squads as much as possible. On a given night, there is a roughly 1 in 3 chance I’ll be SL-ing at least if not PLing. So, lots of time spent in what we call ‘cartographer mode’. Though we endeavor to make the planet as free as possible, we like to try and keep it light with lots of absurd conversations on our mumble channel. So its part Space NCO, part whimsical nonsense chat panel.

What Empire are you aligned with?  What class you find yourself playing the most?

I have characters I enjoy playing a fair bit these days on TR and VS. But I’m an NC man through and through – largely due to the space America aesthetic and the OP music. I mostly play Medic as I find it’s the best ‘all-round’ infantry class. With the assault rifles ability to provide a range of weapons that cater well to what I call ‘indoor’ vs ‘outdoor’ fighting (especially post GU08, really did a good job on the Assault rifles – Reaper and Carnage being two I highly recommend). It also feels good to completely restart an advance by rezzing 6 or 7 guys taken out by a single grenade by pumping my green magic nannites into their lifeless corpses, picking them up by the scruff of the neck and pushing them back into the fray. Makes me feel productive. That being said you’ll see me in an engineer, heavy and lightning from time to time.

What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? 

-Pfft. Hard to even remember at this point. I remember being bought a rickety old Amstrad for my 6th or something Christmas. I played a lot of Starwars (the 1983 one that ran off cassette) on it, and this other game that involved running around a Zelda like world, shooting aliens, and harvesting space mushrooms. It has been a consistent pastime of mine since then. Games I like the most is another toughie. By and large I’ve historically preferred so called ‘grand strategy’ games, for example the fantastic Europa Universalis series. But I’ve always been a fan of online-fps since back in the day playing Quake 2 Arena on a 56k.

What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than playing Video Games?

Pretty diverse on this front, with work, social nonsense, trying to teach myself Python in prep for autumn and PS2 my other main activity at the moment is sleeping. When my work load goes down a bit though I’ll be getting back into my hiking – not to plug the Welsh tourist industry or nothing. But we got a lot of good hills around these parts. It’s a sin not to be out and about on the rare day in summer it doesn’t rain here.

What is your highest ranked character? Do you have a favorite? 

-LordMondando BR 57, is easily my favourite. However, I do enjoy mucking around on my TR ‘SirYoloSwaggins’ and my VS ‘HerpunDerpington’ a fair bit. Obviously, I’m and NC man and being an officer in an active outfit has a lot of commitments to it. So ‘LordMondando’ that’s ‘me’ in game in a real sense. Yet, it strikes me as strange to not even bother with 66% of the content in game and it’s good to see how the ‘causal’ side of the player base live by running around solo. It is also important to bust some of the varying myths floating around about one fraction being OP, by actually running around in their skin for a bit. I am especially enjoying Ceres with the influx of new players; by ‘enjoying’ I mean I actually have a positive K/d – heh.

How did you choose your main character’s name? 

Unfortunately, crushingly mundane. Was an in-joke with an ex of mine, some half remembered spoonerism I blurted out at her to do with Abba I think (god knows why we were talking about that – not really my cup of tea you see). It’s what I ‘named’ my old PC when I bought it and when I subsequently got back into gaming after finishing my last round of studies at university, it’s what it automatically set my Arma2 name as. It stuck after that. Seemed distinctive enough – though ‘lord’ is a popular prefix. Most people in game who know me refer to me as ‘mombongo’

What is your favorite thing about PlanetSide 2?

Again. Tough. I think people often forget that there’s a lot of stuff in there that’s actually fairly novel in online-fps gaming and as such really sticks out to me as distinctly ‘PS2’. It’s also got a lot of subtle emergent stuff, for example see how the alerts have actually created fairly massive (and also fairly organized at times) ‘flash campaigns’ on maps like Amerish people rarely go on by default, simply by offing temporary XP incentives. When a large battle that actually has several units lead by some of the more competent officers on our server just sort of materializes in from the ether, and a 20-30 minute combined arms ‘outthink-a-thon’ involving 100-200 people appears. That always has a good ‘wow factor’ to it. Then there is the learned forum for the free exchange of ideas otherwise known as /yell – of which I’m a big fan. Also, I’m a big fan of blaring my sundy-horn just the right way so it sounds like the drone of bagpipes as I trundle into battle (originally a weapon of war don’t ya know). But… if I had to choose just the one, it’s got to be my rainbow decals. As someone is (rarely) killed by me, they are then forced to briefly watching my avatar glare down at them fiercely proudly adorned by rainbows on each shoulder. It makes me feel like the space warrior princess I always knew I could be if I just tried hard enough.

Describe your best experience from playing your favorite SOE Game?

Again, if you’re going to make me choose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYsEJuJ40PE&feature=share&list=UUjKaQMDGHT6GF7AWGsn19SQ

That time we and some of our friends held off both the outfits of PC Gamer and Rock Paper Shotgun was pretty fun.

Your enthusiasm and passion for PlanetSide 2 really shines through in the way you help out on Test Server. What about the Test server motivates you to be such an active participant?

Well first off, let’s not skip around it – because it’s the raison d’etre more than anything else for the test server and why myself and others were begging from one for early on. Namely there have been issues with some ‘unintentional new features’ with patches in the past, of course the end of the day given the dizzying array of systems playing the game and the games inherent complexity, bugs are understandable. However, some of them making to live, have really affected peoples enjoyment of the game. My least/most favorite being what I called quantum non-locality mode also popularly known as the ‘desync bug’. So put simply, it’s a great resource for stopping bugs from making it to the live servers and harming everyone’s ability to play. Of course, that means it’s often quite buggy. However, I think many people are missing that is a big part the point of it.

It is also an interesting experience to drag as many of the Millerites I can over to it and to interact with the communities on the other servers. Some interesting differences there and it has been said that the game on Miller is a different game from that on Waterson or Helios. So, it is interesting to have the communities run up against each other.

Also it’s a good chance to just be given 10k certs and try a load out, especially with content that might be going ‘live’ soon so you can make informed purchases with your precious certs/Sc. I am really surprised this is not a selling point to more people. So you ever wondered what Hackmax or a Magrider is actually like fully-certed in a proper battle: Why aren’t you on the test server more?

Moreover, it is great to actually be involved in the development of new content in a tangible way. I think the PS2 development team has always done a good job of listening to the concerns of their players, and there’s a good amount of dynamic interaction between the players and themselves. I think that’s often (and unfairly) ignored. The test server is really a great refinement of that in a specific tool.

Finally, I am going to keep pushing on this. We are not there yet. The test server needs everyone and anyone to download the client and get involved. Given the fairly large array of sizable changes to gameplay in the works (not just talking about lattice, or the other things on the cards like the resource revamp, but also weapons systems are balanced on statistical models), unless these can be stress tested on mass, bugs will make it through and weapons might launch unbalanced. Moreover, new features will not really reveal their full nature (if a base is redesigned for example – 10 people attacking a base defended by an equal number, will just not act the same as if there were 100 on each side).

Increasingly – it’s time for the outfit community across the game to step it up more in regards to getting the numbers out. In the same way an outfit officer has a responsibility to his outfit members to provide them with a fun time, he also has a responsibility to direct his outfit in a manner that makes the better game (and thus a more fun period over a longer time). We do not necessarily need Higby and the gang watching in order to do this so long as people either document it and/or make a point of recording their feedback, as noted. 10k free certs, roll any whacky load out you fancy. Then just get everyone to a single base or lane at a certain time, and just slug it out for half an hour.

If anyone from any EU servers what’s get involved in what I’m calling ‘Sunday afternoon test-fests’ (idea being, as noted: everyone comes on, for just half an hour to congregate and mass test something, submit feedback on the forum and then go back to playing the regular game) please drop me a line on the forum or on twitter @LerdMumbungo . Lot of Miller is signed up, but we always, always need more. More details to come, but ideally, it will be something like 2-2.30 GMT/ 3-3.30 CET every Sunday. Early enough in the game most people can make it, but not late enough so it effects outfit operations.

Download the test client today (or tonight, whatever, just do it).

Mondando out.

We hope you enjoyed meeting this month’s SOE Gamers of the Month! Meet all of the past SOE Gamers of the Month at this link.

Scars of the Awakened, EverQuest II’s Game Update 66, is just around the corner!  In this week’s webcast Windstalker, Lyndro, Maevianiu and Zoltaroth give some final details about the update and a hint about what the team will be working on next! Watch the video on Twitch TV or YouTube.  (originally aired on 4/25/13)

Registration is OPEN for SOE Live!  Catch the replay of our “SOE Live Registration Opens!” webcast with Brasse, Jen, and Casey, to get details on registration, tournaments, panels, Live Quests, in-game items, the Keynotes, and MORE!  Watch the video on Twitch TV or YouTube.  (Originally aired on 4/25/13)

Keep an eye on Facebook or on Twitch TV for future webcast announcements!

Do not delay! Get registered now while the price is low! (Click here to register.)

This marks the 14th year that we’ve held events focused on our fans, our players, our extended family… YOU! I’ve attended at least eight of these events, but I know some players who have been to more – there’s a reason for coming back, and more reasons for going for the first time!

Every year, I am blown away by everything we bring to share with you: tournaments, panels, contests, events, keynotes… on that note, did you know that our President, John Smedley, always strives to keep the most awesome reveals for SOE Live? Not E3, not GDC, not PAX, but OUR event, with all of you!

This year, it’s all about EQ Next. The Dev team is madly writing code, making art, and preparing to reveal a ton of news about this long-anticipated game world. While we will do our best to livestream or record the keynote and panels, there is nothing that beats being there, in person, to get the breaking news and then ask your very own questions.

And despite what I just said, this year it’s NOT all about EQ Next – we’ve got panels, devs, and activities coming for all of our major games, to make sure you can get an insider’s look at everything we do.

Keep an eye on the SOE Live schedule as we fill it out. May is the month for panels – dev has been asked to submit their sessions already, and in a week or two, we’ll open our call for player panel submissions!

So come in spandex, come in fur, come in armor, or come as you are… SOE Live is gearing up for YOU!

~ Brasse
Dwarven Overlord of SOE Live

And for those of you contemplating costume ideas, may I suggest…

Free Realms will celebrate its 4th Anniversary next week! In honor of that momentous occasion the SOE Gamers of the Month are 2 Free Realms players that dedicate themselves to that community!

We are pleased to introduce mother and daughter Zadira and Stephani! This dynamic duo is part of the guild Mystic Mayhem.

Amnerys, Community Manger from Free Realms, why have Zadira and Stephani been chosen as the April SOE Gamers of the Month?

Amnerys: Even before I was the Community Manger for Free Realms, I was familiar with the videos and community activities that Zadira and her daughter Steffy helped contribute to the community at large. Now that I’m working with the Free Realms players every day, it’s abundantly clear how much time, heart, and soul these two put into everything they do. So when it was time to nominate someone for the SOE Gamers of the Month, I was surprised to find out that they had never been recognized! It is with complete admiration and appreciation that we highlight their contributions to the community in April, the month of Free Realms’ anniversary. And I think these two just might have something new and awesome in store for the rest of the players, as well.

Now, let’s meet Zadira and Stephani!

Where in the real life world do you live? 

We live in the state where they grow potatoes, Idaho!

You mainly play Free Realms. How long have you played?

Zadira: I started playing Free Realms as soon as I found out about it in August, 2009.

Stephani: I started playing Free Realms in October 2009, after watching Zadira play and having so much fun.

What other games do you play?

Zadira:I enjoy playing EQ2 and Guild Wars2.

Stephani: I play Guild War2 and Webkinz.

What type of work do you do?

Zadira:I used to be a children’s librarian but now I am retired, and am the founder and admin of our fan site, freerealmsmayhem.com.

Stephani: I am currently in between jobs but am spending time, at the moment, working hard to get our new site up and running for the grand opening event on April 29th.

How many hours a week do you play video games?

Zadira: Hmm… I would say probably around three to four hours a day or more if there is something special going on in any of the games.

Stephani: I probably spend three to five hours when I have time to go in game. It always amazing me how fast time goes by when we are having fun!

What does a typical gaming session consist of?

Zadira:In Free Realms, the first thing I do is go to Robbie’s tent and rob him of any valuables he has lying around. :D  I will then spin my daily wheels.  After that, I usually will go to my two farms and harvest the plants that have grown there overnight.  After I finish with my farms, I will go out into the wilds and harvest seeds so that I keep a good supply handy.

After I finish all of my chores for the day, it depends on what day it is, or what is on our calendar, as far as what I might do next.

We host events each month that consist of Coin Explorations, Leveling Sessions and Home Tours, to name a few.

The members on our site also host some very fun events.  We might attend a maze event, order burgers at a new restaurant, or just hang out and party at someone’s house.  We also have several games that we play and someone might randomly say in guild chat, “Hey guys! Does anyone want to play Cake Walk, Fashion Frenzy, or Twister?”  Lots of people have the game boards set up in their lots and we will sometimes play those games for hours!

We also host a monthly birthday celebration at my race track lot for everyone celebrating a birthday during that month, whether it be a real life birthday or a Free Realms birthday.  We give out prizes for trivia questions relating to that month and hold races and give out prizes for who can run the fastest on their ninja job, who can go the fastest on their favorite ride or even who can run the fastest going barefoot backwards!

There is so much to do in the Realms!

Stephani: My typical day in the Realms starts out much the same as Zadira’s.  I always spin my wheel and rob Robbie first thing. Next, if a guild member does not need me, if we are not filming a video, or we are not inviting a new member to the guild, or having an event,  I enjoy running my power hour at Croaking Vale, often with guild members joining me. I always check the daily sales in the SC shop and then work on any achievements or quests that are in my quest journal.  I try to fit farming or building in, when I can, but it doesn’t always happen. LOL

What job do you find yourself playing the most?

You can usually find us on our Adventurer or Archer.

What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? 

Zadira:I started out playing computer games, way back in the late 80′s.  My favorite back then was the King’s Quest series of games that was put out by Sierra Entertainment.  I really like any kind of game that gives out quests and I have to figure out how to go about accomplishing the tasks.

Stephani: We have always been big game players, in our family, from board games to MMO’s.  The games that I enjoy playing the most are the types of games that you can play with family and friends.

What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than playing Video Games?

Zadira: Gardening is what I love doing when I can.  Up here in Idaho, we don’t have much of gardening season but I love being outdoors, planting flowers and pulling weeds, when the weather allows.

Stephani: I enjoy gardening, reading, digital scrapbooking, traveling, and shopping for antiques.

What jobs have you maxed?  Do you have a favorite?

Zadira:I have maxed all of my jobs except Soccer and Demo Derby.  I have tried and tried to max those but I am trying to max them by finishing the quests, not just maxing for the sake of maxing, and it is taking me FOREVER!!!My poor keyboard sure does take a beating when I am working on those jobs. LOL

I think my favorite job has to be archer.  The designers did such a great job with our appearance and movement. It just makes me happy when I am in battle mode and shooting arrows at Queen Verda!

Stephani: So far I have only maxed my combat jobs. Maxing my other jobs is something that I am currently working on. LOL Of the combat jobs that I have maxed, Archer is my favorite.

What do you like the most about Free Realms?

Zadira:Gosh, that is really a hard question!  I love so much about this amazing game.  I think one thing that comes to mind, which is kind of boring, when you think about it, is the way the movement is in the game.  When I play any game, how I move in that game will help me decide if I want to play it, for any length of time.  So many times, I will try to play a game and it feels like I am getting dizzy and I end up not enjoying it at all.  Free Realms is so easy to move around in.  I feel in control of my character and the world around me.  Having that part of the game work well, for me, makes me want to play it over and over and over.

Stephani: My favorite thing that I like about Free Realms is the design style of the game.  When I play other games, and I come back to Free Realms, I just love the beauty of the graphics, the bright bold colors and the detail of the game.  I also enjoy the camaraderie and the friendships I have made, from people I have met, from all around the world.

How did you choose your character’s name? 

Zadira:  When I started Free Realms for the first time and began the registration process, I really had no idea what to expect.  It was the first game, like that, I had ever played.  I did think about what my first name would be.  I wanted something that sounded kind of different.  I like names that start with the more uncommon letters so I looked through the Z’s first and saw Zadira.  I thought… hmmm, I have never heard that name before and it sounded so pretty in my head, kind of like a song or a poem so I chose it.  Then I flipped through the last name options and liked how Kindle and river seemed to go together for some reason and chose that one.  So my name was chosen from the wheel in game when I first started playing Free Realms and I have had it ever since

Now most people call me Zoo.  Quite a while back, Zadira was filtered and no one could say it in game, so Darian Spritihorn started calling me Zoo Zoo because it was easy to type and it was not filtered.  The nickname stuck and more call me Zoo than Zadira now.

Stephani: My name in real is Stephani and my family and friends call me Steffy.  My second name, Rabbitheart, comes from my love of rabbits.  I collect them.

What is your favorite area? 

Zadira:My favorite area in Free Realms is Snowhill.  You can’t be in a bad mood if you are in Snowhill.  You just can’t!  The music there will perk you right up!

Stephani: My favorite area in the Realms is the little island that is just northeast of Stillwater Crossing.  It has special memories from when I first started playing.  I used to always go there to hang out with friends.

What is your favorite NPC or quest line? 

Zadira:I think the Chapter One quest line is my favorite for sure!  The whole time I was doing that quest, I was just on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happened next and if everything would work out okay for Queen Valerian and Princess Lavender.

Stephani:  My favorite quest line has to be the one called “Fresh Ingredients.”  Sal Monella asks you to help him get fresh ingredients and in return he gives you the Sal Monella Special. You have not truly played Free Realms until you have had the opportunity to be surrounded by guild members who have all consumed Sal’s very special treat.  I have never laughed so hard.

Do you have an item that is your favorite?  Could be something your character wears, something you use in combat, or a house item? If so, what is it and why is it your favorite? 

Zadira: I have a Butterfly Bow that was given to me by two dear friends, Ravix and Tye Swordprince.  It is such a special gift and I will treasure it always.

Stephani: My favorite item in the Realms is my pet kitty, Princess Fluffy. She has a personality all her own. She is so fun to have around, that even though I have pages of pets to choose from, I always choose her.

Describe your best experience from playing your favorite SOE Game?

We think our best experiences have come from being a part of the most amazing guild anyone could ever ask for.  <Mystic Mayhem> is made up of some of the most talented, energetic, creative and smart people you could ever imagine.  Every day we laugh so much our bellies ache over the fun we have in Free Realms with these people.  We find ourselves pausing so many times to think of how blessed we are to be able to meet such awesome people from all over the world who are so loyal and so supportive of our goal to have the most fun in the realms that we can.

We hear you are launching something new. What can you tell us?  What have you enjoyed the most leading up to this launch?  Can you share any challenges or perhaps a humorous story?

After we had played Free Realms for a time, we realized that there was a need for a fan site that dedicated itself to the younger players of the Realms.  There are a lot of kids who are ten, eleven and twelve years old that play this amazing game, but most did not have a place to go to be able to find out information, to learn about hints and tips that are available, and to feel safe from bullies and scammers.

We decided we should create such a place.  Together, with Darian Spirithorn and Tye Swordprince, we created a web site and a guild called Mystic Mayhem.  We had no idea how big the web site would get or how popular the guild would be.

Now, after two and half years, we have outgrown the Proboards hosted site and, with the talents of Reid Graycloak at the helm, and the help and dedication of an amazing staff, have found a new home for our wonderful guild and site members.  On April 29th, 2013 we will officially have the grand opening of  our new fan site called Free Realms Mayhem.

This new site is dedicated to being the best when it comes to sharing all the news and information, as it becomes available, about Free Realms.  We want to be supportive of the SOE Free Realms staff and try our best, to let others know, all there is to know, about how to have the most fun in the Realms.  We are going to be giving out a lot of prizes by hosting several events throughout the week before the grand opening.  We sure hope to see everyone there!

We hope you enjoyed meeting this month’s SOE Gamers of the Month! If you know someone who you think has earned the title SOE Gamer of the Month, we’re looking for submissions! Let us know!   You can also meet all of the past SOE Gamers of the Month at this link.

Check out the replay of this week’s webcast Wizardry Online – Next Major Update! Rod “Dartok” Haza gives a sneak peek at Wizardry Online’s next update and goes over some details of future updates! Watch the video on Twitch TV or YouTube.  (Originally aired on 4/23/2013)

Catch last week’s webcast and many of our previous casts on our Twitch TV channel!

By Aimee “Ashlanne” Rekoske

So far in 2013 you’ve met someone from our eCommerce Team, a Software Engineer and an Art Director, for April we thought we would introduce one of the geniuses behind last year’s April fool’s video!

Please meet Dylan Bruce, Multimedia Producer in Marketing’s Creative Media Department (also known as Multimedia) here at SOE! Take a moment to find out what a typical day in the office is like for him, what his favorite SOE game is, and other fun tidbits. As a special bonus, we include a screenshot from his favorite SOE game!

Tell us about yourself! What’s your name and what do you do here at SOE? How long have you been working at SOE?

Hi, my name is Dylan, I am a Multimedia Producer within Marketing’s Creative Media Department. I’ve been an employee of SOE for 5 years.

How did you get into the industry?

I’ve worked in the multimedia and marketing industry for over 10 years. At my previous job, I worked with many different clients ranging from real estate to entertainment. 5 years ago I got the opportunity to work directly with video games at SOE and I thought it was the perfect job, ’cause now I get to be creative with media that I love and love to play.

Tell us what a typical workday is like for you.

First stop, kitchen for a cup of coffee. Need caffeine to get the creative juices flowing. Then most of the day is spent designing motion graphics, playing/capturing game content from various titles, editing, Livestreaming, and various other tasks. Our department is really a jack of all trades, hence the title “multimedia.”

Share your favorite April Fool’s Joke.

One that doesn’t involve a joke being played on me.

Which SOE Game is your favorite? Can you share other things you like about the game?

Planetside2. I love first person shooters, and Planetside2 has great immersive gameplay that I enjoy very much. I’m more of a console/casual gamer.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?

Sherlock Holmes.

Money isn’t an object; tell us the ultimate vacation get away for you.

Scotland. My ancestry is deep in Scotland. I would love to go sit in a castle, drink scotch, play golf and swim with Nessy.

Do you have a hobby or a favorite pastime?

Playing golf.

Do you have a favorite movie?  What’s the last one you saw?

Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Just saw Looper. I enjoyed it very much.

What do you do to unwind after a busy day?

Drink beer.

Enjoy this screenshot from PlanetSide 2, Dylan’s favorite SOE Game! 

We hope you enjoyed meeting Dylan and will join us next month for another SOE Employee Spotlight!

Employee Spotlight Archives

Costumes will be judged on the following criteria:

• Craftsmanship
• Creativity
• Originality / Accuracy
• Overall Effect

The Judging Categories are:

• Mini Minions – Kids 12 and Under
• LOL – Funny Costumes
• Master Crafter - Highly-Detailed Workmanship
• Hero of the People – Crowd Favorite
• Best in Show – Best Overall Costume

Need inspiration? You can watch last year’s contest over on Twitch TV! The contest segment begins at right around the 30-minute mark. You should also follow SOE on Facebook and watch for some special Pre-Costume Contest contests we’ll be running!

Check the SOE Live site for more details as we get closer to the event. With past entries that included animatronics, hand-tooled armor, and meticulous stitching, we can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with in 2013! Get out your sewing machines, glue guns, or soldering irons, and start working on your submission now. Eyemasks, wings, or heavy armor, no matter what universe you play in, we want to see your creations!

Enter the depths of Game Update 66’s raid and dungeon zones in “EverQuest II: An Inside Look at Sirens Grotto Webcast”! Director of Development Dave “Smokejumper” Georgeson sits down with Tim “Haohmaru” Heydelaar (Art Director), Christopher “Phatkins” Atkins (Character Artist), and Chris “Chrol” Garlick (Game Designer) to talk about the art and design of Siren’s Grotto. Watch the video on Twitch TV or YouTube. (originally aired on 4/11/13)

Keep an eye on Facebook or on Twitch TV for future webcast announcements!

Have you heard about the new Felucia Combat Zone in Star Wars®: Clone Wars Adventures™? Game Designer Justin “Mourde” Dazet and Senior Artist Matt “Order 66″ Sherman chat with Community Manager Tiffany “Amnerys” Spence about this brand new experience and what went into making it! If you missed it live, watch the video on Twitch TV or YouTube. (Originally aired on 4/4/13)

Keep an eye on Facebook or on Twitch TV for webcast announcements!