July 17, 2009

AoC player uses video to tell of ‘epic’ adventures within Hyboria
By Michael Lafferty

Long-life dreams, inspiring game and individual sparks creative outlet

There are times when the mere idea of playing in a massively multiplayer online game transcends what many consider to be well founded within the realm of the real-world. In MMOs, we are allowed to move beyond the constraints of the real world, to imagine and soar in places that defy logic.

But then MMOs are supposed to be, on some level, about allowing players to create their own stories, their own history and lore within the realms that developers have so carefully crafted.

In Funcom’s Age of Conan, players are transported back to the Hyborean Age of Robert E. Howard’s world – a time that has some familiarity but still is prepossessed toward magic and the fantastic. The races involved bear faint similarities to the ancient Romans, the Germanic and the Egyptian civilizations, but with a different spin, different god sets and different underlying story lines that still manage to tread the common tales of good and evil.

In AoC, players can choose the server they wish to play on – some are player-versus-environment, some are player-versus-player, some are role-playing servers (wherein players try to immerse themselves more deeply as a member of the Cimmerian, Aquilonian, or Stygian civilizations and live vicariously through their exploits), and then there are some that combine the combative style of the server (PvE and PvP with RP, or role-playing). 

On a PvP role-playing server, you will find the guild known as the Order of Silver Dragons (OSD). What makes this clan a bit different begins with the machinima that one of its members has created to tell the tale of the clan. Zoltan Paul Nagy (aka Zsolaith) is the creator of the machinima and thanks to Funcom, GameZone was able to touch base with him to talk about his clan, the machinima, playing AoC, as well as playing on a role-playing server.

It should be noted, though, before getting to that interview, that there is more at work here than merely the telling of the clan’s exploits in Hyboria – there is the inspiration behind that. The machinima is dedicated to one member of the clan, who goes by the name of Silverar – a handicapped individual who really cannot play the game but has been part of the clan for several years nonetheless. It is Silverar’s daily struggles, as well as his continued service to a clan he can’t truly adventure with, that serves as an inspiration to many.

That said, now to the interview with Zoltan …

Question: Tell us about 'The Last Bastion - Chronicles of the OSD.’

Zoltan: ‘The Last Bastion’ is a non-profit, non-commercial production that was written, directed, produced, filmed and edited by myself, the series creator. As well, I've scored the majority of the soundtrack for this production, relying on Funcom's Age of Conan soundtrack and some royalty-free music to complete the sequences when required. It is considered 'machinima' due to its heavy use of the 3-D graphics rendering engine that makes up the MMO game called 'Age of Conan'.

The premise surrounds the trials and tribulations of the mystical Order of the Silver Dragons as they struggle to make sense of the treacherous path they must follow. The mini-series will be released entirely online via YouTube in an episodic format. The premiere episode, which has been released, opened with a two-part cliff-hanger that introduced the protagonists and antagonists, focusing on our mystical wise-man named Silverar and our guild leader Sook Dukar.

I've intentionally kept a dividing line between Robert E.Howard's Conan lore and the story that I'm trying to create here for the Order of the Silver Dragons. ‘The Last Bastion’ is not connected in any way with the stories and concepts within Funcom’s Age of Conan universe and the entire Conan lore in general. My story exists within a fantasy world which allows me to move in directions that Howard’s lore might not 'jive' with in terms of settings, magic, characters and concepts. I'm trying to tell a tale that is entirely distinct, and I don't want to be limited in the story that I feel needs to be told.    

Zsolaith, the river-trading alter ego of Zoltan, maker of the machinima

What was the inspiration behind the machinima? How did you meet and what role does Silverar have within the clan?

Zoltan: I have two primary inspirations that strengthened my resolve, allowing me to focus hundreds of hours into such an endeavor as ‘The Last Bastion.’

My first inspiration began upon my entrance into the fantasy MMO world known as Age of Conan (AoC). Playing my main character named Zsolaith, I quickly stumbled upon a humble band of players who were the first group that did not try to ‘take my virtual life,’ so to speak. Of course I am speaking of the noble warriors and mystics of the Order of the Silver Dragons (OSD), a multi-wing gaming community that has a division within the AoC environment. I realized that they apparently shared values very similar to mine, so within a short timeframe I offered my services to assist them to further this cause. The rest was history!

First and foremost the OSD members are a family. We protect each other, nurture and respect each other’s decisions. This brings me to my second inspiration. A long-standing OSD community member named Silverar, a ‘gifted’ member of our virtual family that, for certain reasons, cannot play in any of the MMO games that our guild participates in. For close to three years he has humbly monitored the OSD forums, struggling to post his thoughts on the discussions at hand, but never truly being involved.

It dawned on me that all of the guild members were telling their specific tales through their interactions and in-game time, including myself, however Silverar did not have this luxury. He was always the observer, but never part of the adventure. I decided that I would do something about that by breathing life into a virtual Silverar, giving a scripted reason why he is never seen walking amongst us.

My inspiration stemmed from these events, and the machinima mini-series ‘The Last Bastion – Chronicles of the OSD’ was born.

Silverar

Considering his gifted nature, how does Silverar participate with the clan and what does the clan do in return for the company of this extraordinary individual?

Zoltan: Silverar is best known for a statement that he would attach to literally hundreds of in-game calendar event bookings. He would post just a few words to the effect of:

“I bless you my silver dragons with my dragon healing powers.”

As the years passed and the OSD ventured into many differed MMO games, members of the guild felt as if they were victorious in their campaigns because of this virtual blessing, which eventually portrayed Silverar in a mystical light … and rightly so. In return we provide Silverar with a tremendous amount of respect, trying our best to interact with him and keep him informed of the events within the games we play. As well, as new members join the OSD we ensure they understand the mystery that surrounds Silverar so they might also better interact with him when the chance permits.

What gave you the idea of creating machinima and how long does it take to do an episode? How do you capture the video you use and how many people are generally involved in the voice-over work? The story is well told but it seems like it takes a lot of cooperation from a lot of people. How did you manage to convince so many to work together on an RP/PvP server for this project?

Zoltan: When I was younger, I was a great fan of anime that was distributed from Japan (I still am to this day). Their consistently epic and character-driven story concepts were powerful, thought provoking, energetic and emotional, all at the same time. Starting with the analysis of these beautiful stories, then continuing on through the years in an ongoing study of mythological and metaphorical narratives, specifically on the teachings of the American mythologist Joseph Campbell, I found that I had developed a strong grasp of what aspects within a story would captivate an audience, as well as what truly was considered 'epic' by nature. As I aged and time did not allow for such pursuits, I realized that I had become highly critical of television and theatrical releases, flaws in story composition were glaringly apparent. From that point on I said to myself that I would one day make my own epic story-arc, however I lacked any sort of ability to do so. It was a pipe-dream that gathered cob-webs on the back shelf.

With my introduction into the world of MMO's and gaming in general, I became aware of a new digital art form called machinima. It dawned on me that maybe I might be able to create a story and produce it myself through this medium. Again, a fleeting thought with very little substance, which I quickly dispelled. For what I had in mind, the MMO's available just weren't feasible to produce such a creation. When I finally logged into the Funcom MMO game environment of Age of Conan, machinima movie production was the last thing on my mind, as I was focused on having fun interacting within their virtual environment. Things changed, as I've relayed earlier, once I met the Order of the Silver Dragons and became aware of Silverar. Being completely inspired by this guild and this gifted person, I was determined to make this dream come true.

The clan - Order of the Silver Dragons in their Guild City

Specifically, I cannot say how long it takes to make one episode. The reason for this is because I have been working on three episodes all at the same time. I began this project on September 29th, 2008 with a very basic script outline of what I was going to do. At that time I was not truly expecting to see this mini-series actually go anywhere. I was just one player with one low-level character making dynamic statements about what my hopes were. It would have faded away as fast as I started it up if it were not for the amazing support I almost instantly received from specific guild members of the OSD. These key members at the time, Sook, Bryce, Sprig, Coyotl, Duin and Snyval, had no idea how supportive they were being at that very critical period of pre-production. If it weren't for these members and their consistent support, this project would have been a bust. Within a short timeframe I became very determined and hopeful; my creativity helping me produce a 101-page manuscript for the first two Episodes (a two-part opener) that would help the mini-series hit the ground running.

In regards to the capturing of video, I'm the one and only videographer that walks around in-game filming all the shots. However, two members, Sprig and Duin, provide assistance to direct and guide the large groups of players for the epic shots. For the voice-over work, only two people at any one time are involved in the audio pre- and post- production ... the line reader and myself, however there are many stages to bring it all together. I provide the script lines to the line reader, they meet up with me in Ventrilo (an audio chat program we use for the guild) and read their lines with several different forms of emotion as I record, and I ask for retakes if needed. I process the audio and remove any anomalies, then work my magic to make the characters come to life.

Quoting a post of mine in the Age of Conan forums, one of the amazing things about 'The Last Bastion' is that it is entirely community based in its voice-acting. By this I mean the majority of characters within the story are being played by themselves, by their real-life personas. This is what makes this project so special. I haven't hired any special actors or actresses. Real people from the four corners of the Earth have stepped forth to play their fantasy characters ... with their own realistic sounds and quirks. All of the following episodes of 'The Last Bastion' will absolutely have all voice-acting be played by real people that are a part of this MMO. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Videographer Zoltan holds a coordination meeting with the clan for the next segment

My personal reputation and the reputation of the OSD guild helped early on with gathering support from many players and guilds to virtually 'act' in the environment, specifically with the large battle sequences. Across the sequences I've filmed for all three Episodes, we've hit literally 200+ players who have given their support as an actor in the field. That, in itself, is powerful motivation!

I also received crucial support at key times from our most beloved guild of sisters, the Amazons of Hyboria. The players behind the characters of Mirnea and Nahisha have done a wonderful job in getting my request for help 'out there' so many times, as well; their guild leader Atalanta has been extremely supportive. Many other guilds have supported this production as well, expecting nothing in return. Invicta, Circle of Iron, Order, Light and the original Guardians are but a few that have come to mind.

This mini-series has truly received an outstanding amount of support from the community. What a way to bring the players together! More than anything, I am very proud of the members of this MMO community that stepped up to the challenge of supporting me and this project.

This, above everything else, must be respected!

In addition to your forums, you have published the machinima tale on YouTube and Facebook. What sort of response have you been getting to your stories?

Zoltan: The community inside of AoC as well as outside of the gaming community appears to be extremely happy with the many plot points, story elements and character introductions that were introduced in Episode One. People understand the complexities of such a project and have been very supportive. One person was so enthralled when he watched ‘The Last Bastion’ preview trailer that he immediately went out and purchased the Age of Conan game just so that he could join the OSD. Now THAT is support! I’m pleased with the overall responses I’ve received. I am my toughest critic and will be the first to acknowledge that I had some issues with voice-track audio quality, so any comments regarding the voice-track quality have been instrumental to the continuation of this project. Without a flow of critical commentary, I wouldn’t be able to fully gauge what the viewer audience is looking for as I release more episodes down the line.

Tell us about the clan, the Silver Dragons. How long have you been together, and what makes the clan unique in your opinion? How many members do you have and are they mostly localized or do you attract players from all over. How far away would you say your most-distant member is? Do you have real-world meetings or social events? What is your role within the Silver Dragons?

Zoltan: The Order of the Silver Dragons (OSD) are a long-standing multi-wing gaming community that was founded on January 9th, 2006, and exists well beyond any one game, being involved in many gaming environments. What makes the OSD unique is their ongoing commitment to mature interactions, their proud display of civility and concern, their desire for adventure and their healthy placement of value on individual effort and communications. They are known across many gaming servers for taking the high road when situations arise, and they pride themselves in the knowledge that they will always strive to help others. Their continued success stems directly from the OSD officers of this order whom take it upon themselves to uphold these virtues, reminiscent of the fabled Knights of the Round Table, which in turn are mimicked by the community of players within the guild. The source of the success of the officers derives from the wisdom of their virtual leader, the player behind the character named Sook Dukar, who has been instrumental in the formation of such a strong community.

The Silver Dragons sit in their Guild City and discuss a situation

Currently the OSD has hundreds of members spanning across two active divisions, one within Age of Conan, and the other within Dungeons & Dragons Online. Members are from all walks of life, our furthest members living in Denmark, Australia and Germany. Some are serving in the armed forces, while others are business men and women, and even others work from home. This call to adventure can be found in all people across the globe.

The OSD consistently leverage their role-playing talents and imaginations to enhance the gaming experience. Definitely not a hard-core RP guild, their maturity level allows absolute respect for the various playing styles of the community. Recruitment is an on-going active event between our current members, the leadership and the person who wants to become a Silver Dragon. The online forums symbolize the key to this success, being the heart and blood of this organization.

Small real world social meetings do in fact occur, whereby members get together just for the sake of saying hi to their virtual friends. We are currently in discussion to work out the logistics of a much larger social gathering in the real world so that we can finally say hello to our virtual brothers and sisters.

My forte, so to speak, is with what I like to call PwP, player with player interactions, in the server environment. I find it very appealing to sit in Old Tarantia with a friend sipping on Hyborian java while discussing in-game situations, gaming politics, events that have occurred, etc. Early on within my tenure with the Silver Dragons I found my place through a constant flow of interactions with other guilds, specifically our sisters in the Amazons of Hyboria, eventually becoming an OSD Knight of Alliances. There are some truly amazing people behind the characters in other guilds out there, so generally many of the guilds will work together with us towards common goals. I play a big part in making this happen.

I am very proud to be a member of the Silver Dragons.

How long have you been playing MMOs and what attracted you to Age of Conan?

Zoltan: I was a light player of MMO's with the release of Turbine’s Asheron's Call, but my stay there was quite short as other things pulled my attention. After a very long gap of time, my wife Trish and I entered the NCsoft MMO Guild Wars. It became a sort of family event with my wife, brother and sister-in-law, as we would occasionally play through the content. However, I found it somewhat limiting in that it did not allow the character enough scope of movement. I felt the need to fully explore the landscape as well as move vertically (up cliffs, diving underwater, etc.), but this was not a function of Guild Wars. However, this, and much more, was completely feasible in Age of Conan. I was hooked immediately upon washing up on the shores of Tortage. The beauty and serenity of this game is unmatched in my opinion. There was no going back.

How has the game evolved in the time you have played it?

Zoltan: I have been playing Age of Conan since late July, 2008. The game has severely evolved in many ways throughout this time as the developers have done what they can to fix issues, adjust and tweak settings and add more content. At the initial start up of the game there were many bugs and issues, but I was too busy enjoying this virtual world to really focus too much time on these problems. I prefer to focus on what ‘is’ working in a game and enjoy it.

The beauty of the game helped attract Zoltan to the world of AoC

You play on a role-playing player-versus-player server. What attracts you to role playing and how deep does your role-playing extend? What do you consider the essential elements that make for a good role-player?

Zoltan: I'm an avid gamer that enjoys the depth of what I, and many others, call creative role-play (RP). We don't focus on what we cannot do in a game, but instead focus on what we CAN do and bring to the table. RP is what you make of it at all times. It's not about complaining 'why can't I sit on this chair?’ it’s about committing yourself to a fuller immersion into the environment, and playing the part you desire to play. When I used to play 'paper and pencil' role-playing games quite a while ago, we didn't have the luxury of MMO-style gaming environments, we only had our imagination and ideas to keep us going. Anything else that a game like Age of Conan provides to me is sugar on top of that. I also feel that RP requires conflict to drive the story into unknown directions. Without any sort of in-game virtual fear, trying to immerse yourself becomes harder to do. Therefore in my opinion RP and PvP should always co-exist. RP without PvP is bland at best.

The essential elements that make a good role-player are the ability to think outside of the box in the way they RP and to be creative with the tools that are at their disposal.

These two elements are the keys to RP success!

There was a time when PvP were simply gank-fests of more experienced players preying on younger players (or newbs). Have you seen that change in any way? What is the climate like on the PvP server you play on?

Zoltan: For our server, ganking exists but not like it was originally many months ago. As the community has grown and friendships have been forged, large groups of gankers 'rolling' weaker players are much less frequent, if nonexistent. At least I have not seen them in a long time.

Gank-fests, as you put it, will always be a part of any MMO game when you provide freedom to players to be able to go in the directions they wish. If an MMO controls the actions of its player base too strictly, it can and will hinder the overall strength of the in-game community, but if an MMO allows too much flexibility, it can also turn into mass havoc. In my opinion, Funcom has tried to find an acceptable medium, and continues to do so as the community player base changes over time. For all MMO's, this is a constant struggle that will always continue.

Some people see MMOs as a time-sink, a monthly monetary drain and they see video-games as disassociation with society. How would you respond to that?

Zoltan: MMO's and video-games in general are truly a form of escape and release from the stresses and issues that the real world brings to us all. In a society as rich and diverse as ours, there will always be those that become too involved, with little control. However for the majority of society, gaming is a fun outlet that allows them to enjoy something they can’t normally do in the real world.

Should gaming cease? No. Similar to any activities that one tends to focus on, such as any hobby, sports, musical interest, going to the theatre to watch a movie, etc, games play an integral role in today's society. The masses expect many different options for entertainment when they come home from a busy day at work. MMO's are just one avenue to explore, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

As long as there are people and communities and technology, there will always be gaming and MMO's.

What do you enjoy most about playing AoC and MMOs?

Zoltan: This question is very easy to answer. I am thankful for the vast community of players that surround me, support me and have assisted me with such a massive endeavor as 'The Last Bastion'. Considering most of us have never met, they have surely shown amazing strength of mind and conviction towards others. It is this aspect amongst many that will ensure I am found amongst my colleagues and friends out in the virtual Hyborian world and any other MMO world the OSD ventures into, trying my best to assist and support others.

I will end with a line that members of the OSD have adopted from ‘The Last Bastion – Chronicles of the OSD’.

"We are the Order of the Silver Dragons and we shall prevail!"

Nuff said.

More information on the machinima ‘The Last Bastion – Chronicles of the OSD’ can be found directly here with their Facebook page.

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