Sunday Sitdown with the Explosive Boom!

“Then things go Boom!”

Hello Exiles and Dominion of the planet Nexus and beyond! My name is Zilvis. This is my end of the week community spotlight that I’ll be doing each and every week to delve a little more into who a certain member of the WildStar community is, learn the what and why of their choice to migrate to Nexus, and maybe some surprises along the way. The way I looked at it we're all community bound like brothers and sisters in this game of WildStar. Why not get to know someone a bit better? Once again welcome, sit back, and prepare to meet this week's community member, Boom. Welcome to Sunday Sit down.

 I’ll let you write a little introduction. 
If you have other monikers some may know you by, feel free to throw them out there. Mainly just tell  where people can find you online and any background you'd like to share we might not know.

Hi ya'll! You all will likely know me as Boom on the interwebs, name's Lauren. The moniker just stuck with me game after game but began with Rift with my hammer swingin' cleric. (I also had a rogue named Jab and a mage named Zing. Seeing the trend? ;)

I can usually be found in TeamSpeak with my guildos (Subterfuge Vanguard, aka SVG) OR you can find me on Twitter as @boombw. Puns are probable, you've been warned.

Question 1:As this is a WildStar themed project, we'll get those underway first. As most of us at one time or another have asked ourselves, what is WildStar?

A fantastic upcoming MMO by Carbine Studios that I can't wait to get my hands on. Nexus itself could very well be considered a wild star. I mean, have you SEEN the Chua and Aurin? C'mon.

Question 2: What is one thing in the game your most hoping to be perfectly done, whether because it's needed or just something for your experience specifically?

Guild systems, hands down. I was a co-leader in a 450+ person guild for GW2 and the tools were atrocious. We, luckily, had a lot of great and helpful people that lent their talents and skills (like automated screenscraping and spreadsheet updates) that made it a little easier. Not to mention I primarily play MMOs to spend time with my friends and those tools directly impact the community a player may find themselves a part of.

Secondly? PvP. Bardic's a brilliant one, so I'm just looking forward to seeing what she's got up her sleeve at this point.

Question 3: I did a blog post discussing maybe why someone might pick one race over another in WildStar. What race do you think you identify with and why, even if it won't necessarily be your main?

This is a tough one. I'll be rolling Cassian on launch, the posh, prissy little twits they are just make it a direct contradiction to who I am. I'm not an elitist player, nor do I have the kind of skill in order to be. Prone to dirt naps, puns and near ADD progression through leveling because of gathering, perhaps the Chua and their spontaneous combustion may be more fitting. ;)

On an unrelated note, Kit is actually what caught and hooked me especially at PAX East. With her twang and general darling derp, I had to check it out.

Question 4: I'm sure everyone has their WildStar moment, as I call it, that quintessential thing that cinched in your decision on the game.

The cross between sci-fi and animation in the art style first caught my eye but moreover, it really was the dev team that locked me down. I had signed up for beta almost a year or more prior to PAX East. While I was there, I stumbled across Scooter and recognized him but for the life of me couldn't remember where I'd met him before. Turns out, PAX East the year prior. After hovering at the booth for multiple demos, picking the brains of the team and discovering they were a riot (and that sense of humor was reflected in the game) I was done for.

Question 5: What aspect of WildStar are you most excited about and feel you'll spend the most time on such as Questing-Housing-PVP?

Ooo, it'll definitely be either in putzing about on my Housing plot or in PVP. Especially WarPlots!

Question 6: Out of everyone from Carbine that you've interacted with, who has surprised you the most for one thing or another by what you have seen that they have said or done so far?

Oh wow. This one's tough. I have a lot of love for so many people on the team it's hard to pick just one. If I had to say the one thing that defines this team over others is the fact they aren't behind closed doors; they're human and moreover, active participants in the community no matter the role they play in developing the game. Accessible and readily so with a sense of humor they make no apologies for or the ambitions they have, it's just incredibly refreshing. They've certainly spoiled me for any future dev team and have set the bar impossibly high.

Question 7: If you were given the power to either alter the game in some way or add something to it that has not been mentioned or rumored, what would it be and why?

Mmmmprobably the cap on WarPlots, though I can certainly appreciate the limitation to provide more specialized, challenging play. World versus World versus World was one of my favorite things about GW2 and I'd have loved to see that again. However, there's nothing stopping the spontaneous organization of open world PvP. ;)

Question 8: What is the one thing you want Carbine on a personal level or business level to know that you yourself have enjoyed from them?

Their humanity and sense of humor. Do I sound like a broken record yet? Shout out to the Turntable crew (rest in peace). Alternatively, their patience with my dubbing the team members with ridiculous nicknames. I wish I could blame the open bar but it was all me.

OK, that's it for the cross section on WildStar Q's. Next is a few Q's to get to know Boom a bit better besides her amazing exploits across Nexus!

Question 9: Boom Boom, Your always lively and a form of the voice of the party,(which is totally cool) has this always been a thing?

Haha! I've definitely always been a talker. People are my thing, I can appreciate a quiet night but socializing is my lifeblood. My B.A. is in Communication Studies, which I'm sure will come as a surprise.

Question 10: How long have you been gaming and what are your top 3 moments you'd say you remember in your own personal gaming history?

Oh wow, since I was little bitty. As far as PC? My Dad got me started with DOS, Lemmings and Police Quest are what I played. He let me watch while he played Wolfenstein. It was one of the ways we'd spend time together. I'm horrible at shooters to this day but I'd be the eyes and memory while he took care of the pew pews.

Consoles were always a thing in the household as well, Duck Hunt, Tetris, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Aladdin.. I may have had to have Dad or my babysitter beat a few levels here and there but it was a blast.
3 moments? Hm. Rift was my first official MMO - never got into PvP much until SWTOR but it was also my first time as leadership in a guild and as a raid co-lead, to boot. We had a blast.
Second? Finally beating Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Such sweet satisfaction.
Third? A friend insisted we roll on a PVP-RP server for SWTOR and I have never been the same, I was insta-hooked on PvP whether in Alderaan or open world, stealthing and snagging unsuspecting players off their speeders.

Question 11: Besides Gaming and Music do you have any other interests or hobbies you find fun?

Absolutely. Photography and writing are two of them, and season permitting, snowboarding!

Question 12: If there was one place in the world you could live where would it be and why?

Domestic or International? ;)
It'd have to be somewhere along the Amalfi Coast in Italy, or perhaps Australia though I'm not 100% - I'll let you know once I check it out. Hehe.

Question 13: Are there any hidden talents or trade skills you'd like to share? Is there something new you'd like to learn?

I used to be fluent in Italian. As one might expect, I don't have a lot of opportunities in Texas to practice it. It's why I'm loving Duolingo (and the ongoing group challenge we've got!)

I'd love to be more crafty than I am but scrapbooking is about as far as I've gotten in that respect.

Question 14: Simple one now I promise. Do you have any pets? If you could have any real or made up pet, what would it be?

I have a single cat, Chloe. And a made up one? Maybe something akin to a wolf tiger.. cross with the personality of a mutt. Random, I know.

Question 15: Finally, If there were one person living or dead, real or fake that you could sit down and have a long discussion with, who would it be and why?

Another toughie! I honestly am not sure. Ghandi might seem an obvious choice, I'd love just to pick his brain for the simple fact of his stance and perspective. Even Martin Luther King, Jr. for obvious reasons. I can't imagine the amount of bold bravery it'd have taken for him and furthermore, to persist in the face of mass majority resistance. In the same vein, he and Lincoln in the same room would be an interesting conference!

Alrighty Boom I hope that wasn't too painful for you. I appreciate you being a guest for the Sunday Sit down. Now, I’ll let you have free reign. If there's anything else not asked here that you'd like to get out there that you think would be interesting for us to know, feel free to share. Things like plugs for your twitter or anything, and of course feel free to give shout outs of any kind!

There may or may not be an upcoming blog authored by yours truly but more on that will be forthcoming. Follow @boomw on Twitter for more updates and persisting silliness. ;)

That's it Folks. Everything you'd want to know about Boom and hopefully more! I thank her again for putting up with me as well as you the reader. Each and every week we will have a new and fascinating community member to learn about and see what really does make the WildStar community tick inside and out. Feel free to contact me anytime on twitter @zilvis78, comment below, or if you bump into me on the interwebs say hi!