Hello Gibbon, what other names have you been known by in the Freelancer Community?

Hiya. People have called me all sorts over the years lol, but Wargibbon is another name i've used for a long time.

What part of the world do you live in?

I live in Sweden as my girlfriend is from up here. Before that i lived in England and Hungary also, as i grew up there when i was a teenager.

How old are you?

47

How many years have you played Freelancer?

Bought it on the day it came out. Haven't really stopped since then.

Have you released or helped to build a mod? Please describe it.

First mod i worked on was Galactica Hellgate i co-wrote with a guy called Asmodeus. I then wrote Galactica 2.0 which was a Battlestar Galactica total conversion mod. Then followed the Phoenix mod which was a vanilla based mod with lots of addons.
Currently working on my Galacticum mod which is another total conversion, a project i started a few years ago but finally decided to finish as i really like some of the systems lol. I've also released a number of ship packs, the first a collaboration with a guy called Triple X called the Gizmo ship pack. Then followed the Psionic ship pack, and then the Tachyon the Fringe ship packs 1 & 2. Last ship pack i released was a new version of the Alliance Fighters ship pack from Starlancer and also the Coalition Fighter pack, which was a first as i managed to finally decrypt the coalition textures from Starlancer. I've managed to get all the models out of
Starlancer now, ships, bases, satellites, you name it Smile

Have you written a tutorial? Please tell us about it.

I've written a few over the years, the first was how do make giant suns in FL. I've also done a lightmapping tutorial which some have found useful, plus a few others

Have you created any tools for the community to use? What does it do?

I helped update Devast8ors starsphere making utility so it does away with using the command prompt. My girlfriend Crassicauda actually coded that as she knows her way round Visual Basic. I just directed lol

Have you ever been an Admin of a mod community or website?

I run my own forum called Gizmo Studios which has been around for almost 5yrs now. I've run numerous servers over the years including the old **ukserver**, one of the first vanilla servers around. My current server is called Bananaworld, a name i've used before but liked the name so much i decided to bring it back to life. I've been either a server owner or admin on all of them.

Okay, let's get to the meat and potatoes! How and when did you first get involved in the wonderful game of Freelancer?

I walked into a store called GAME in England and bought a copy of FL lol. I'd been following the development for some time in various magazines and held high hopes for it on it's release. I was looking for a continuation of Starlancer but was greeted with something totally different and enjoyable. A style of play that i think is still unrivalled by any other game out there.

What aspects of Freelancer are you most interested in?

I played singleplayer to death when i first started but i admit that these days i prefer the multiplayer aspect of FL, as there is so much more you can add via serverside software to enhance the overall playing experience.

What groups / clans have you been affiliated with?

Been in four clans. The MM (Mean Muthas) which used to live on Jolt for a while. The OCF (Omicron Criminal Force) which lived on the **ukserver** for quite some time. The DTFC, i'll spare you what that stands for, which populated the WTS Europe server back in the day and these days i'm a member of the {nighthawks}. Been with them for around three years now, who also had the distinction of being the #1 clan on Cryos stats for a few years.

List your accomplishments and projects you have participated in.

The mods i've worked on for sure, ship packs as well as some of them took a lot of work to pull together. I also had help with some of them, especially the Tachyon the Fringe ship packs, Bejaymac and Nightstalker helped me with some issues i had in Milkshape back then.

List any awards, offices or positions you have held.

I've got a swimming badge for 200 metres, not sure if that counts lol

How has the Freelancer scene changed since you started playing?

Completely different from my perspective since the early days. It's all gone RP now. You only have to look at the Discovery server and others to see the trend. I'm an old school pvp player myself. I love the Freelancer ethos of go anywhere, do anything without being bogged down by a bunch of rules. Nothing irritates me more than going on a server and being told i have to add this letter or that letter to my name, and ally myself with one faction or another, or i get kicked from the server. Drives me nuts lol. I prefer the do what you want attitude without being bogged down by rules, why my server doesn't have many rules at all. To me that's what FL was always about, doing your own thing.

Are you currently active on any servers?

Yes, my test server lol. I pop onto other servers occasionally to see what some of the other modding crews have been up to. No harm in checking out the competition.

What mod really stands out in your mind?

The new Freeworlds TOW looks awesome tbh. I think Sushi and his crew are doing some great things there for a total conversion. 88' FLAK simply because it's just so innovative, some great ideas there. Shattered Worlds for simply doing a fine job of updating vanilla with some great ideas there too. The new Crossfire mod looks stunning from the screenies i've seen. Nightalkers Universe mod for adding just about every ship known to man in there plus all the other novel ideas Nightstalker has introduced. WTS has improved in leaps and bounds from the early days, always had a soft spot for that one. Not tried the Underverse yet i have to say, naughty me lol

What do you find most interesting about Freelancer...the single player aspect, clan wars, being a pirate, a cop, vanilla servers, hugely modded, Star wars, what?

All of the above. The question answers itself really. As i mentioned before i prefer the multiplayer aspect these days but it's a great if frustrating game engine to play with. You can do a lot with it if you can be bothered to spend the time learning how the code works. As to the playing of the game, Juni's backend is always worth a look lol. I'm annoying as a player as i like to stalk people and hunt them down. A definate sense of satisfaction in closing in on your chosen victim, especially if you've followed them for half an hour. Then they log off just as you're about to strike rofl

What will be your role in Freelancer in the coming years?

Finishing my mod which won't be done for a while yet, keeping my server going until there's nobody left playing FL.

Describe in detail any memorable Freelancer experiences.

Nothing beats the little "fix" by Strail from the Void server for me. That being the loot_all function for npc's. Nothing more annoying than spending twenty minutes mining, loot everywhere, and then some thieving little npc comes along and steals the lot, before you can say tractor beam. You just have to hunt them down after that. I've also had pilots for the npcs in my mods for years, ever since i first saw them in Evolutions. Some comedy moments there when certain factions scan each other and find a pilot they are looking for. Recently i was reskinning some Pachyderm ships for my new mod and was looking for some more detailed textures of the original ship (from the movie Space Truckers before anyone asks). I contacted the guy who originally made them for the movie, he sent me piccies and a Pachyderm badge from the movie... Very cool indeed.

Why do you spend countless hours building mods, making tools, answering questions or writing tutorials?

Because i'm a sad old git lol. No other game has grabbed me like FL. It really is something special. We all need a hobby...

What other games do you regularly play?

I'm partial to some IL2 Stumovik, a WW2 flightsim which is just wonderful, especially in multiplayer. I like a bit of FIFA as i enjoy football. Been playing a bit of Pirate Galaxy as well recently.

Do you have any hobbies other than games?

I'm a musician/songwriter/producer by trade, so spend a lot of time in and out of recording studios. I've also toured with loads of name rock bands over the years, a little bit more than a hobby i'd guess you'd say. Always loved music. I also love my motorbike, like a second girlfriend only faster lol

Is there anything new coming up in the future for you?

I'm releasing a new album early next year, so putting the finishing touches to that, and also trying to finish my mod.

How do you view the future of Freelancer?

Decline sadly. It's well past it's sell by date but if it wasn't for the hard work of the numerous communities making addons, the game would have died years ago. I just hope that these communities keep the game going for as long as possible.

Can you recommend any others in the community for an interview?

Sushi from Freeworlds if you can drag him away from it lol

Are there any last things you would like to add?

Yeah, buy my albums and vote for me in the International Song Writers competition which starts any day now in America!!!

Thank you for the interview! It is the contribution of folks like you that help to keep the game and the community alive!