Interview [Issue 65] Meet The New Admins: Flexoo & V'tando

[Hex 11,520]

 

It was definitely about time we had an interview going in the Newspaper. But, instead of choosing two random players in Tanki as per usual, I'll be interviewing two very special people. That's correct, these people are the ones that look after the official Newspaper, trying to make it better and always keeping room for improvement.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, a big round of applause to the two Newspaper Administrators: Flexoo and Vikingsrallentando!

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Player Profiles:

 

 

Game Name: Flexoo

Nickname(s): Flex

Real Name: Tom

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Country: Slovakia

Preferred Combination(s): Smoky-Dictator/Titan, Hornet-Railgun, Viking-Firebird

 

Game Name: Vikingsrallentando

Nickname(s): V'tando, Viking, Vikingsrall

Real Name: Paul

Age: 19

Gender: Male

Country: United States

Preferred Combination(s): Railgun-Hornet & Shaft-Viking

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

General Questions:

 

 

Hello and welcome to the interview! Let's start by introductions - please tell us who you are and where you're from?

 

Flexoo: Hello, everyone. My real name is Tom and I hail from Slovakia; to be precise, from a relatively small village located near the city called Nitra. I am 25 years old, working as an operator for one unnamed company. My hobbies outside the Tanki Online world are history (#nerdalert), soccer and nature walks.

 

V'tando: I've always wondered when I would have to answer this question, I guess the time is now. My name is Paul, I am from the Mid-West state of Michigan. I'm just about to turn 20 years old (after this publishes), and I attend a local community college studying Music. When I'm not working on the Newspaper or listening/playing music, I enjoy playing tennis, riding my bike, and the occasional match on Tanki.

 

 

This is probably the most clichéd question ever, but how did you stumble upon Tanki?
 

Flexoo: As many other tankers, I was drew into it by my relative. Few years back, I dropped by my older brother's house and spotted my nephew playing some online game with tanks in it.  Couple days after, I was unbearably bored and decided to give it a try. I was quite surprised how enjoyable and simple the game was and so I stayed to play on and off for good three to four years now.

 

V'tando: I stumbled upon the game back in 2011 on a July day on a site called MMOhut (now called MMOhuts). At the time it was a much different game from what it is now. But back then, it still stood out from the rest; and yet, I'm still here.

 

 

Did you have any idea when you started playing the game that one day, you'll be a moderator, and then the next, an administrator? What were your thoughts when you became both?

 

Flexoo: I had not. Back in the days, I had no idea how the game and its elements function, nor that there are some helper positions. When I became more acquainted with the game and forum, I learned more about the helpers. I developed a passion for writing and set an ultimate goal to become a TO reporter one day. Honestly speaking, I never aimed for the administration position, but I am ready to give it my best shot.

 

V'tando: Not at all. I think I was always interested in helping the game in whatever way I could. I used to do a bit of commentating, I was a consultant briefly, and I've done a lot of reporting (on and off) through the years. Becoming a reporter was surprising in itself, I didn't think I was that good. And I initially started writing stories, which I've long since drifted away from. Becoming an admin was not as surprising but it still causes me to pause. I never thought I would be at the helm of one of the communities projects. But I had been working behind the scenes with Shed (TheZigzagoonThatCan) to help get the Special Features group going, so I was the best candidate to lead them going forward.

 

 

Getting on to the more Tanki-based questions for a break, what's your favorite combination? Is there any map you like more than the others?

 

Flexoo: My all time favorite combination is Smoky and Dictator. I used this combo for some time now and I find it very versatile and effective in most of the battle situations. Lately, I shifted more towards XP combo and Fire/Viking.

When it comes to maps, my all time favorites are rare maps like Canyon and Valley simply because I like to try out new map environments and gameplay that they offer as opposed to standard popular arenas like Polygon or Sandbox. However, I am not really picky. I'll play on any map as long as there's a premise of a good game.

 

V'tando: I enjoy playing with Railgun and Hornet. I end up joining one of the many Sandbox matches for sake of time, though I'd rather play different maps like Valley or Duality. I also like to play with my old favorite Shaft and Viking. I used to play Monte Carlo and Madness, but I just enjoy playing it on maps like Kungur and Solikamsk.

 

 

Though administrators are not known for actually playing the game, what has been your favorite celebration in the entirety of celebrative years of Tanki? How much did you play, did you have fun?

 

Flexoo: That's a tough one. I appreciate majority of the Tanki festivities, all the good bargains and special features that come with them. But, if I were to pick only one, I would probably go with the 2015/2016 New Year celebrations. I loved the New Year map, the quest, decorations and the whole winterly festive atmosphere.

 

V'tando: I've participated in the New Year events in some form for a long time now. Whether it be playing in the holiday map or taking advantage of the discounts. No specific year to mention, I think they are all about the same and leave a cumulative stamp in my memory. The holiday maps have been quite fun as they've evolved over the years. I'd like to see some Assault matches more regularly though.

 

All of us have obviously had some goals in the game, prior to becoming staff. What goals did you have?

 

Flexoo: I had all the typical goals majority of players have, that is, becoming a Generalissimo (the highest rank at that time) and of course collecting the desired equipment and boosting its power with MUs. I would say my gaming goals are mostly fulfilled.

 

V'tando: Years ago, I used to want to be in/or run a clan, though that went away as I got busier in real life. Obviously getting to the highest rank. I think in general it was and has been to acquire equipment that I would use in some situation. I've never wanted a M3 garage (which people used to talk about wanting all the time). It takes long enough to get every single piece of equipment up to par with the current standards, I don't play enough to be able to do that. Currently, I'm behind on my MUs, so I've been working on that.

 

Coming back to job-related questions, what do you think of the previous Newspaper versus the current one? What major changes do you think it has undergone? Is there still room for improvement?

 

Flexoo: I believe Newspaper came a long way in the last year or so. The past administrators established a lot of new procedures which made the whole section far more organized. I think we also launched a lot of successful projects including the Amateur section, Special features and last but not least, Newspapers in three other languages. Things are constantly on a move so I dare say the Newspaper will need some implementations and improvements to cope with the ever-changing conditions.

 

V'tando: I think the current version has made a lot of progress from the previous, both internally and externally. Things have evolved for the better of the community and the reporter team itself.

Major additions to the paper have brought changes that have altered the purpose of the Newspaper. Different languages of the paper are now available. It's not a new thing, there were other languages before, but this time they are here to stay. The Amateur Writing section empowers anyone willing to write the opportunity to try. And our Special Features provide quick response reporting to current events.

There is always room for improvement. For those who don't know, we've published a Newspaper Survey for you, the reader, to fill out. Your feedback is crucial to the future of the paper. Flex and I have a bunch of ideas for the paper, but we want to hear from you first; then we can shape our ideas around what the community wants.

 

Describe all of the previous Newspaper Administrators in one sentence. We all need laughs, now don’t we?

 

Flexoo: Merciless tyrants with world domination drives.

 

V'tando: Someone attempt a coup already.

 

Lastly, what goals are you setting for your Adminship? How do you want to serve the Newspaper? What changes will you be willing to bring to it, if any?

 

Flexoo: I definitely want to run the Newspaper at least as good as the previous admins did, ensure that every component works as it should and further perfect the procedures and overall quality of the 'paper. There are some specific plans in my mind for those aims, but I'll keep them to myself for now.

 

V'tando: I'd like to enact all effective changes that I possibly can during my tenure at the helm. I also hope to be around a decent amount of time to do enact that change. Eventually, I plan on moving on to a University, so that presents a large unknown. Life itself presents unknowns and unforeseens, so I may not be able to keep that goal.

In general, I want to make sure the Newspaper serves the community in the best way possible and that any reporter or amateur writer can succeed. I think I've helped the Special Features progress, and hopefully the community agrees.

The newspaper has to progress in some direction and I'll be looking to make that happen. I think a lot of the changes that come to the paper are internal, and then in effect trickle out into view. We've come a long way from where we started, but there are areas to work on. Though I think our actual plans would be best kept to the chest until after we hear from the community.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Special Questions:

 

 

Antartica: So, you are the Issues Administrator. Can the readers expect some changes in the Newspaper, even tiny ones?

 

Flexoo: Yes, I definitely plan to change some stuff. I'll closely monitor our performance and reader preferences. On top of that, we will soon roll out the survey that will hopefully provide useful feedback from readers and help us with betterment of the Issues and Newspaper as a whole.

 

Antartica: How long do you think you’ll be working on the Newspaper before its perfect?

 

Flexoo: The concept of perfection is relative. I am not sure something like absolute perfection does even exist or if it is achievable, but I can tell that we'll strive to be better with every Issue and month ahead.

 

Antartica: Right now, the Newspaper has a relatively lower audience as it had a couple of issues back. What steps will you be taking to make the Newspaper more popular?

 

Flexoo: Well, it's important to note that lot of things function differently. We produce more content and readers are given a bigger choice - they can now read articles in four languages, read the articles their friends post in the Amateur Writing section or stay updated with news in Specials section. This means that readers' views are distributed on more sections.

There are many other factors that influence the readers' count and we will review them all. We sure don't want to rest on laurels and wait for reader views to get better themselves. We'll definitely try to find some balance between the issues and special articles, bring some fresh wind to the content and produce articles that readers demand the most. We already planned some steps that will help us get a clearer view and we will continue to discuss the future direction.

 

 

 

 

Antartica: As we know, you’re the Specials Administrator. What exactly is that?

 

V'tando: My role is specifically centered around a small team of reporters that show interest in reporting current Tanki events as information becomes available. Vlogs, Patch Updates, Holiday Events, and more. I'm responsible for getting as many reporters to author reviews of said information as possible. Doesn't always happen but that is the idea. I also handle organizing announcements for in-game and social media, also maintainance of the Newspaper Portal.

 

Antartica: How would you describe the current situation of the Specials side in the Newspaper? Are you going to improve it somehow, or is it just fine?

 

V'tando: The current state of the Specials is great, it's come a long way. We've kept up with the demand of events from February till now. I do plan on making small adjustments internally. I'm also exploring ways to beef up eSports coverage, something that has not been addressed enough.

 

[Completed: 30th May, 2017]

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

A huge thanks to both the administrators for participating in this interview! Good luck with your journey alongside the Newspaper, for it's sure that whatever changes you make or implement will be for the best.

 

Till then, check out more from Issue 65; and as always, see ya!

 

 

 

✯  Antartica  ✯

 

 

 

[MSI 1,926]

Congrats Flex and vik!

[unholycloak5 1,814]

Ah, finally, I love interviews!

Lovely admins and a lovely interview. Well done - kudos to the both of you, Flexoo and Viking. ^_^

[Hex 11,520]

Thanks, you're back as a FB mod woohoo

[TTK_229 1,080]

RIP Ziggs, hope you have fun w/ the IRL stuffs.

[ChampionsTrophy2017 0]

Congratulations,New Admins and i m now excepting very fast coll new Updates.

[SpreadLoveNotHate 374]

Congrats to the new admins and great interview! : )

 

It's great how every new addition and change to the reporters team adds more personality and ideas to this ever-growing palette of writing talent.

The newspaper has definitely evolved over the past 60+ issues, and it's been such a treat watching how players themselves have grown too.

 

Looking forward to seeing the newspaper transform into the highlight of the forum!

 

Lots of love. 

[Taco 2,820]

 

Loktinho  :wub: