Starcraft 2 France
Interview of CorpBob for 39-45
Par Anywhere91 - Edition du : 03 March 2006 - Créé le : 21 November 2005
Interview of CorpBob
1. First of all, thank you for answering our questions and can you introduce yourself in a few words to the French-speaking readers ?
My name is Bob Underdown. I live in the United States. Specifcally in Northwest Arkansas near the borders of Oklahoma and Missouri. It's one of the fastest growing areas in the South. We're the home of Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world and Tyson's, the largest poultry producer in the world. I'm married with two lovely step-daughters who are 20 and 19. They're both into Age of Empires and Age of Mythology.
They usually gang up on me when we play. GRIN I'm an Installation Router at the local TV cable company. It's my job to assemble the work routes for the guys who are out in the field. My nickname at work is "EVIL BOB." CORPBOB comes from my days as a Civil War reenactor. I was a Corporal in a Federal Infantry group, the 37th Illinois Infantry. I've also been a gunner on a reproduction 1842 model 6 pounder artillery piece. Everybody should try being part of a wargame instead of playing wargames just once. It's a blast!
I was on the field in 1998 when over 35,000 people reenacted Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. The Confederate line had 17,000 men and was almost a kilometer long! Behind us was a full horse drawing six gun artillery battery. What a sight to see!
2. What is your profile as a player ? Which other games have you played ?
I've had lots of games but most got played once or twice and got tossed up on the shelf. Some are down right silly. I have an Alamo game where you have to start of digging for gold to get enough men to fight the Mexican army! I'd say the Age of Empires / Age of Empires II are the only other games I played regularly.
3. Has Blitzkieg been your first Real Time Stategy game ? If not, which one(s) ? ( such as Sudden, Codename Panzer, Desert’s Rats,...)
I've played Sudden Strike I and Codename Panzer. They're both op on the shelf. A lot of my friends play Call of Duty but I just can't get into first person shooters. For me NOTHING beats Blitzkrieg I!
4. How did you happen to “map” on Blitzkrieg and what skills and assets make you stick to this game ?
Creating maps is a great stress reliever and hacking around with script code reminds me of my early computer days. I have very good troubleshooting skills so I can usually find problems with my Mod easily. I have good organizing skills and that has helped me when creating Mods. I was a software beta-tester back in the 1980's. If something is broke I can usually find it.
5. Some of you probably have a job in relation with computing . Has Blitzkrieg been of some help in your job or in your knowledge of computing ?
Blitzkrieg Mapping and Modding does help me sharpen my troubleshooting and organizational skills. I feel like it's helped me "Think Outside The Box" at work.
6. Can you talk about your motivations or about the pleasure you get from your creations ? Do you think this will help you in your professional or personal life ?
It's fun to see and get comments about your work. I was shocked and delighted when I first came across my work translated into Russian. Recently I saw one of my maps translated into French. I feel honored that someone liked my work enough to translate it into another language.
7. In a few sentences, could you let us know about your passion and motivations ?
I have a great love of history that comes from hearing my Grandfather's stories about World War One. He was on a US Navy Destroyer so my childhood was filled with salty tales of gun battles off the Azores. That's probably why I love to read first person accounts and memoirs. I'm currently re-reading "DEATHTRAPS" by Belton Cooper. "SOLDAT" by Siegfried Knapp, "PANZER COMMANDER" by Hans von Luck and "SAMURAI!" by Saburo Sakai are all personal favorites. "BAND OF BROTHERS" by Stephen Ambrose was also outstanding.
8. In this game, the history is recent enough for everybody to know but old enough to leave some space for imagination as a map creator. Which aspects are you most interested in in this part of history and what do you think you will use ( events or battles ) in your next creations ?
I'm most interested in the Eastern Front and get excited over the works coming out on that theatre. I haven't done any Modding there because I feel I could never top the work coming from the German and Czech members of the Blitzkrieg community. I love the unknown or forgotten areas.
That's why I did the Spanish Civil War and Korean War (ROK 1950) Mods. Those are stories that deserve to be told.
9. The part devoted to the Pacific War ( except for a few maps or campaigns ) has been considerably under-exploited . Do you consider creating more maps, campaigns or Mods about this zone ?
I believe I was the first person in the Blitzkrieg community (outside of Studio Lapata) to create map in the Far East. ("PHILIPPINES" for BH/RT) (http://bkportal.com/default.asp?menu=&content=maps&mapid=137)
I just love reading about the Far East theatre. I'd love to see more maps and Mods. There's so many untold stories, like the Dutch in the East Indies and the whole China theatre. There's a real need to update the Japanese side with voices to get people excited about that area.
10. In a few words ,could you tell us about the plans in map creation you want to carry out in the near future ?
There so many idea and so little time! I'm working on a mod based on Arab Israeli War of 1948. The Israeli airforce had Czech made Avia s-199 fighter planes. Those were basically BF-109G built after WWII ended. It's a very interesting time period. Every side had WWII surplus equipment. Eygpt even had some salvaged Afrika Korp SPG's! Before that I want to finish ROK 1950 version 1.30 with new Winter Skins for all units based on them having a light dusting of snow. These same skins will be the BAND OF BROTHERS Mod being done by Dawe and his team.
I'd love to do a Japanese Realism Mod with accurate tank models for the Japanese, Chinese and Dutch forces. Joseph_Porta has a very nice set of Japanese voices.
11. Does the idea that you are known and recognized on this side of the Rhine / Atlantique ( or in England where some of you are well-known) gratifies you or motivates you more for your passion ?
I love being a member of the Blitzkrieg community. I only hope I can make people realize that not all American are Arrogant Cowboys. I don't believe that FDR stuck the ground and out came General Patton to win the war single-handedly. I'm actually very proud that the Sons and Grandsons of European immigrants to my county were able to go back home and lend a hand.
12. Finally, Blitzkrieg 2 has just come out and it won’t surprise you to learn that on the French side, it is fairly criticized and disparaged. As a player, what do you think of Blitzkrieg 2 and do you think you will create maps or adapt those already existing for this new opus ?
Maybe someday, but I just don't like the game very much. This style of game is very popular over here and I think CDV will make a lot of money with it. I can't fault the company for moving to where the market is.
Thank you for answering this questionnaire and on behalf of all the French-speaking players, I would like to congratulate you once again on the quality of your creations and for your interest in this game .
