Arch0wl AMA

[Arch0wl]

if I had never discovered rhythm games I probably would have been sucked into MMORPG communities. that was what I was into prior to discovering music games.

internet communities though, that's interesting. I think I probably would have still gone down the route I went and tried to become a lawyer. the idea of using your brains to achieve legal power over people was extremely appealing to someone who had just been expelled by way of a bully.

except if I didn't have experience with internet communities, I'd be much worse at researching information and I probably would not have figured out that the ROI for law schools is much lower than I thought. thank you, internet communities and google, for helping me dodge that bullet.

but now here's a really interesting question. if I never went through that experience, nor the internet communities, nor music games, I probably would have become either a musician, involved with the film industry, or a chef.

musician is self-explanatory since all of us have an obvious interest in music. chef though: my grandfather on my dad's side was head chef at the Waldorf-Astoria for a year (or at least, this is what he says) and our personality type across generations has remained largely the same with a few tweaks each time. as for the film thing, I used to direct home movies when I was 6 and just naturally had an interest in it. I went to acting school for a day or two but I was fat and insecure, so I didn't want to continue doing it. take away "fat and insecure" and you have someone who would probably have kept doing it.

[Snapps]

congrats with being open and honest bro im proud of your accomplishments in life

[stargroup100]

Originally Posted by Arch0wl

my grandfather on my dad's side was head chef at the Waldorf-Astoria for a year

holy crap

[Snapps]

also was "brit" ananana

[Arch0wl]

Thanks Snapps. Those are really nice things to say.

[Arch0wl]

Brit was not ananana. I'm actually fb friends with ananana -- we used to talk on the phone a lot. She's hilarious as an adult. I was going to go visit her during a country-wide roadtrip but that fell apart.

@sg: my reaction also, I only learned about it last year. I was skeptical of my dad's claim so I asked my mom. Her reaction was like "*groan* yes..." as if she knew but hated it. By her account he was a kitchen dictator and this soured the accomplishment on her end. I'd really like to get the hotel's records to confirm it but I don't even know if they keep employee data going that far back.

[Reincarnate]

Do you have any files/videos/etc from the DWI/SM early 2000's era that aren't on the net anymore?

My old computer from back home used to be *full* of this stuff before it crashed. So much history lost. For example the old BMR files used to have videos, but now they are nowhere to be found.

[CypherToorima]

So a moderately popular startcraft player had pictures of his dick leaked onto the internet. In what I consider a misguided attempt of solidarity, some of his fans then posted pictures of their dicks on the innernets. How would you have felt if people had done the same for your video?

Also, which of your stepfiles do you consider your magnum opus?

[Arch0wl]

Not a file necessarily, but the Archmage/Dark0wl pack had a lot of files that did a lot of experimental index stuff. No one appreciated it because by the time it was released, no one played index anymore. It was by far some of my best work though.

I don't have any early 2000 dwis, unfortunately. You might want to try googling "tournamix" to see if someone still has them.

[Charu]

...Why do I remember one evening a blue moon ago you coming in FFR's MP and giving out the thread for that specific pack?

I still have it too. Some interesting gems in that pack.

[Reincarnate]

I've got all the old Tournamix files (one of the judges at DDREI actually went to the same college I did -- small world but-not-really, etc) -- talking about stuff before that, specifically.






















OMMEEEGGGAAAAAA

Loved Kick Your A, though

[NeoMasterPie]

I've always been really interested in StepMania history - any sort of community I'm a part of, I'm always interested in the history of it - and you were a big part of it. Some great insight in your responses, as well. I wish I'd been around back then. (As old as I am right now, considering I was eight in 2003 and posting on forums that used to be a Fire Emblem fan site. Some real nostalgia right there)

It's also cool to know you're a fellow Texan. I don't live there anymore, but I grew up there.

p.s. would you accep a friend request on FB if I sent you one, we have 3 mutual friends

[Kagome]

Man, this ama has made me miss the early days of DWI/SM/FFR. It really was the golden era.

[Reincarnate]

2001-2006 was pretty sweet. It was a constant process of learning/pushing boundaries/experimenting, and there was a shitload of participation, too.

STOP DWI'ING SAKURA




EDIT: Damn it now I want to play those Archmage/Dark0wl files.

[CypherToorima]

Downloaded the archmage/dark0wl pack. I was honestly surprised by how fun most of the songs are. I don't play index anymore either, but I keep going back to that pack.

[Arch0wl]

The only thing that I think could induce that kind of experimentation again is if someone released a working 10-key USB controller that could be sold for less than $20, and people started making .sm files of that.

like, if you can imagine the spacebar divided into two keys -- spacebar(left key) and spacebar(right key)

q+w+e+r+(spacebar left); (spacebar right)+u+i+o+p

[dAnceguy117]

working title: O2Jammed Fingers

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

And that all sounds like it must have been really difficult, Arch -- I'm sorry to hear all that. I don't think anyone really "deserves" that even if out of some sense of moral payback -- trauma has some very serious long-term consequences.

Originally Posted by Charu

Hope this "X" fella no longer haunts you. Seems like the ultimate type of bully that knows no bounds.

I just wanna echo these sentiments, now that I've read through all of the posts here. it's very cool to hear that the college you transferred to suited you well.


so... favorite type of soda/pop/carbonated beverage?

[Arch0wl]

probably NOS, due to the caffeine/energy content

purely by flavor: Jones Green Soda

most practical: Mountain Dew

to mix in drinks: Dr. Pepper

[NeoMasterPie]

way 2 ignore me

[Arch0wl]

Responding to that question via PM.