The Basics
Who are you and where are you from (and where are you located now)?
For the uneducated in the lore associated with the one known as Firespray_uk, my real name is Mark. For those who are really out of touch or blind, I am one of the Gay guys who play CoV/H and have used the gameamp forum to be the place to ‘out’ myself to the community.
I live in England (land of buck-ing-ham palace and rain). To be more specific, I live in the county of Suffolk which is in East Anglia (Land of the Tractor boys – nickname for our local FOOTBALL team www.itfc.co.uk in a little town called Ipswich. I have lived in and around Ipswich all my life, apart for a brief period when I lived with my grandparents in a small place called Sutton, near Woodbridge (Close to RAF Bentwaters, scene of a famous UFO encounter in the late 80s), which is where I was born. I am a Suffolk boy born, bred and raised. That’s not the equivalent of a redneck – they live in Norfolk and support Norwich *waves at Hobsnob*
Surprisingly I am still in Ipswich, although I have traveled around and made friends around the world thanks to a forum based Star Wars RPG I played for 6 years and now CoH and CoV.
How did you get into CoV?
Via the updater, how do you get in?
Seriously though, I started playing City of Heroes in April 2005 and made a wonderful friend who I will not give away the secret ID of, but he is now a member here and his name is Dark Side (uk). We ran the hollows together and eventually he joined the Usual Suspects ( a group of us who teamed like constantly and decided to make our own SG). I applied like everyone else to get into the European beta – finding out a week into it that both the UK and US gamers were on the SAME GAME!!! Then due to load on the server we got our own EU beta.
I had mbkiduk buy us both a DVD box set version of CoV and my first and main bad guy is a brute called Thuggernaut. Totally something opposite to what I usually play. I played it solidly for about 3 months then found myself back playing more CoH, as I managed to get Firespray out of debt and closer to level 50.
What other MMOG's do you play?
Only ones I do are CoV, CoH and Guild Wars. Oh I also have CoH – American edition so I have started to play with the nutters on there at stupid o clock UK time (usually VERY late). Sadly I have no CoV – USA and at the moment have no plans to as I simply cannot run 4 games at the same time. I need some me time!!
Guild Wars came from a recommendation from thejeni to try it out. It got played for about… 2 months and I haven’t been near it since really. I kinda found myself drifting back to CoH.
How and when did you get into Gameamp?
Well, how I get into gameamp is via a link saved in my favourites….
My first post here was due to ingame gaybashing I took and I didn’t know where else to go to post and the EU boards suck compared to gameamp. I was welcomed with open arms and stayed. I am kinda vocal about the treatment that the ‘minority groups’ get in game but I’m out, I’m loud and I’m proud of who I am and I’ll fight for the guys who aren’t out and are afraid of the comeback they will get. Two of my best friends in game are Gay and I’ve met other gay guys (cripes, that brings a whole new meaning to pick up team) who are astounded at my frank openness. It’s because I have a big mouth and don’t know when to shut up and I’ll say what I believe in. I’ll also stand up for fairness and equality as you never know who you are teaming with and never know if the person you are with is black, white, gay, straight, lesbian, undecided, male, female, 12 or 45. So long as you are a team player, can string together more than a few words to form a conversation and whats more, you impress me with your roleplay and team ability (kudos to Hobsnob, the only 14 year old gamer I have met and teamed with who has show himself to be more mature than some gamers I have teamed with) then we will get on fine. Ordering me around or always saying that something is ‘gay’ will eventually tick me off and you’ll have a very angry tirade coming at you. I’m a great team mate but I’m also not someone you wanna mess with.
Surprisingly though I had been using the site and lurking for about a month, mainly to look for badges on my main – Firespray.
Then the Beta came for CoV and thejeni posted a need for staffers and I applied, with a pretty cool post to her and she snapped me up as a staffer and I spent a good 3 months populating the villains section and helping on the forums.
What kind of music do you listen to?
OK this is where I attempt to avoid the gay stereotype music and fail abysmally. I listen to anything really, that goes from Abba through to Metallica. Basically if I like it, I listen to it. I just can’t stand thrash metal, grunge or R’n’B. Its got to be upbeat and poppy, something to get ya bopping to in your seat and miming along to (or singing as mbkid knows). I can’t escape the fact that I do like some of the US ‘boyband’ types – I own 3 backstreet boys CDs LOL… My current favourites are Jesse McCartney (just starting over in the UK, cute too), Aaron Carter, McFly, Bucks Fizz, Hanson, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Kylie, Madonna, All American Rejects, Britney, Steps loads and loads more. I tend to have up-tempo faster rockier tracks on if I am soloing, adds a better mood and I do have playlists per game per alt…
Assuming you do something besides playing CoV, what is it you do all day?
I am a qualified Health and Safety Officer and I work for local government as a safety advisor for one of the directorates. I have a daily responsibility for over seeing the daily health and safety for about 460 / 500 people now. I am also attached to the Corporate Team and part of that is to have a responsibility for all 26,500 staff. My specialty in that field is Display Screen Equipment (workstation) assessments (that’s PC set up etc), First Aid and Evacuation protocols. I’ve just had my first policy approved for roll out across the authority, which I am well chuffed with and have a First Aid and an evacuation protocol policy in development.
That’s Monday to Friday 8 – 5.30.
Evenings is spent chatting on yahoo and msn to friends if I am not gaming in CoH with Xtreme Hippy, Hobsnob, Dark Side, MBkiduk or the House of Counted Shadows – Kensa and Ree ? if I am doing CoV.
I can also easily loose myself watching a DVD, I’m a Doctor Who fan, owning a few classic series DVDs as well as the full season one on DVD. I have something like 260 DVDs now, including now 8 seasons of X files. Oh and something called the Star Wars Saga…
I am also a big reader – if it has star wars on the cover I most probably own it. Last count I had spent roughly £500 on star wars novels. That’s about $800.
Friday nights is now spent doing tabletop roleplaying with a group of friends I have known for about 7 years now.
Weekends is online gaming or visiting my sister and my little nephew Ben. I’ve accepted my sexuality and that Im not likely to have kids of my own so I spoil him rotten. My sister can’t really afford to constantly buy him stuff, so I treat him to clothes and toys and other things he needs, and I’ll continue to do that as he grows up. He’ll never want for anything coz he’s a superhero to me and a bundle of mischief now he can talk!
Occasionally I’ll go out with other friends here there and everywhere. Usually if I can afford it I’ll go out. If not I sit at home and fight crime or beat up heroes and be bad.
CoV Related
What's your favorite AT and why?
Robotics Mastermind. I love the one I have although he is sorely under used. Nothing like soloing a mission and letting the bots rip through the mission. They were the only really original AT that came with CoV and the only type I never tried in the Beta.
Server(s) of choice?
CoV and CoH – Defiant Server on the EU server. I don’t have CoV USA but I’d probably villain up Triumph as my heroes are on Justice.
Do you stick to a few characters only or are you an alt-aholic?
With 2 english speaking servers on the EU server I stuck to only a handful of toons in both games. Now I have the heroes US version that is no longer a problem.
I currently run 5 heroes and 3 villains on the EU servers, although I have been known to delete a toon if I got bored with it.
If you had control of Gameamp for one day, what would you change/do/add/end/get rid of/etc?
I’d change the supergroup section so that it was easier to read or perhaps sort or search on. Apart from that, why change what works?
Do you feel Stalkers & MMs should be nerfed? Why or why not?
Nerf Assassin Strike for PvP straight off. I am sick of stalkers who think they won a huge victory by one shotting my defender when there is a stone stone tank next to me. Yeah – cowards!!!
MMs need a PvP nerf, and that’s all. They are seriously powerful in PvP. The game is balanced on each side, it’s just a 30th level mastermind / stalker is more powerful that a 30th level blaster. Setting a level cap is ok, but the powers are well out of balance.
This or That
Console or PC games?
PC games
Coke or Pepsi?
Dr Pepper… ok Coke - Cherry
X-Box or PS2?
PS2
Chicken or Fish?
I’ll give you food poisoning if I cook either, but I prefer chicken.
PvP or PvE?
PvE
Chocolate or Vanilla?
Vanilla
Autobots or Decepticons?
Decepticons – kool planes, although I was too into Star Wars toys to play with transformers…
GW or WoW?
GW coz the Gameamp Guides Guild simply kicks ass for the new player and they are simply great gamers.
Scotland or Wales?
Gawd… I don’t like either… I want to go to Wales as they film Doctor Who there.
Crash or Brokeback Mountain?
Not seen either so I’m going Brokeback as mbkid fancies Jake and will slap me if I didn’t agree to go with the Jake movie – and its got nothing to do with stereotypes :p
Marvel or DC?
Marvel all the way
Star Trek or Star Wars (like I have to ask...)?
Do I have to answer that one? STAR WARS CHANGED MY LIFE!!! I am a really really REALLY bad star wars geek.
Monopoly or Risk?
Monopoly as I have the Star Wars Episode One edition
Batman or Superman?
Batman
Spiderman or Wolverine?
This one is a really tough choice. I really love both characters, I based Firespray on Spiderman with the wit and one liners. I’m going to have to go with Wolverine though. Adamantium claws – nuff said really.
Tony Blair or Queen Elizabeth?
I’ll go with Liz, us Queens stick together!
Random
If you were a jellybean, what color and flavor would you be?
I’d be a faaaaaaaaaab purple and I’d taste like blueberries!
If you were forced to move to America, what state would you choose to live in and why?
Jeez, what state won’t I get lynched in for being gay? The laws on homosexual relationships would have a lot to do with it but I’d go to California and hang out at Skywalker Ranch or stalk Jesse McCartney LOL If it was based on the gameampers it’d be somewhere close enough that those I am closest to on here could get there without having to use a plane.
What effects, if any, did the Industrial Revolution have upon the literature of the time? Discuss, citing examples where possible.
“I am a Fish.” - Arnold J Rimmer (Red Dwarf)
Do the creative thing and make up a question of your own and answer it. Do it now. I'm waiting...
If the day ever came and you stopped playing CoV or for some reason left gameamp what would you want to be remembered best for?
That I gave something back to a great community and players and got to share some great adventures, having made a lot of fantastic friends, some of whom I’ll never meet in person and that I won’t just be remembered as Firespray the costume-aholic or Thuggernaut, I’ll be the Gameamp Gaymer and all round nice guy who everyone misses. I'll also be remembered as a good friend.
Encore, encore! We want more! Massachusetts cant have him, RON!
Paid for by \"Bring Firespray Safely Across The Pond; A California Commitee\" and by supporters like you.
all i can say is, he's not a bad lad and i'm glad i got a mention from my longest (and oldest ;P ) CoH/V mate. many drunken hours from Scotland to Paris (dont ask) chatting to this guy in game and on MSN.
Bah! Can't believe I missed this one! I usually only check the news on the CoH site, but this will change my ways forever. (the money for all the name dropping is in the post)
