This interview with former CipSoft member - Ogrey - was prepared by few supported and promoted fansites. He was one of community managers who are responsible for a contact with the community. Do you want to know the dark side of Ogrey and know why he left CipSoft? If yes then we invite you to read it. Only fansites supported by CipSoft have the right to publish that interview.
TibiaNews: How would you describe the past two years of taking care of the Tibian community?
For me, the past 2 years have been very rewarding. I've learned a lot here, both personally and professionally. Tibia is a great piece of history. Some people appreciate it for its content or its gameplay or something else. I clearly appreciate it for the community that has grown around it in the past 14 years. Tibia would be nothing without the many players that feel so strongly connected to it. On the other hand, without Tibia and CipSoft this particular community wouldn't exist. So it's a mutual relationship we are talking about here.
I've already said it in my goodbye post in the forum: I've never met such an awesome community before and having been allowed to be part of it was a great pleasure for me. It might sound a bit sniffy, but... there are a lot of seemingly smart people out there who think they know what online communities and the social web are all about. Then they write books about community management methods and internet technologies, give lectures on social media tools and how to use them efficiently - and certainly make a lot of money with that. Well, imho they should better create a Tibia account and look closely on the Tibian community, how collaboration works there and what values are shared among players. That way these smart guys would be able to experience the true power of the social web: how people are bound together through the internet, how fansites build a strong reputation and manage to build their own loyal subcommunities, how people who get to know each other ingame start to meet in rl... that is just magical! And I'm really happy that I could experience all this first hand because it encouraged me to go on working in this field and to make this happen for other companies and other online services as well. I'd say, I've found my true profession through Tibia.
TibiaNews: Is there any specific reason why you wanted a job at CipSoft?
Actually, all that was more or less coincidence. I always wanted to work in the games industry, yes, and CipSoft is one of the very few games companies in and around Regensburg. So I was interested in working there. The main reason, however, was plain simple: I had a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend for almost 5 years, and then, one day, we decided to move together. So I quit my previous job and started looking around for suitable job offers close by our home town. Good timing I'd say: CipSoft was looking for a CM at that moment - so I applied and got it. By the way, in the meantime, my girlfriend and me have married, so everything turned out quite well.
TibiaNews: What is your favorite memory while being a CM (whether it be on the forums or in the game)?
Oh, there are so many: players who wanted to marry me lol, the very first thread I moderated ("Welcome our new team members" > Thread not found ), the Intolerance Train on Celesta where I took part in 2009, the whole Flash client project which I had been in charge of from the very beginning... Some more memories will be part of the video I'm currently working on.
TibiaNews: Have you received any bribes from people to keep you at CipSoft/Tibia yet?
Hehe. People wish me farewell and then they demand a signed CM token or a last screenie with me, that's all they do No, really, I'm happy that Tibians let me go without making a drama out of it. Most of them pretty much understand my decision and that's nice to see. That also makes it easier for me to say farewell.
TibiaNews: What are your goals by venturing off on your own and freelancing?
Becoming rich and famous! Well, I wouldn't say No to both actually but... quality of life is really important for me: working at home, being free in deciding when to work and what to do next etc. I'm really looking forward to that. And also, I'm a pretty busy bee and love to work on projects I'm really passionate about. So freedom mixed with passion - that's what I'm looking for.
TibiaNews: Who will be replacing you as a community manager? Will it be a new hire, or someone already employeed at customer support, and if so - are you able to disclose the name?
I haven't met this guy yet, but Mirade and the management did. He seems to be a pretty easy and casual guy. He will join CipSoft shortly after I've left so he doesn't have a CM char and a nick yet.
Tibiopedia/FunTibia: I will start with "thank you, Ogrey". We are very happy that you agreed to answer our questions.
It's a pleasure. I have to thank you admins!
Tibiopedia/FunTibia: Thuddy asked about favourite memory so I would like to ask if there is anything you regret that you did as CM.
Well, reading and replying on forum posts is not always a cakewalk for us CMs. We haven't only experienced one "shitstorm" but many in the past years, and usually we CMs get the nasty bashing then because we are the ones that are accessible for players. However, that's a common facet of this job and nothing to complain about. Very often we CMs didn't do anything wrong I'd say. We just tried to communicate a recent decision that was made from somebody else at CipSoft. So in this respect there actually isn't anything I really regret. Just one thing comes to my mind here. I remember me making a post - I think it was about anti-cheating measures. And I said something like "We choose evolution over revolution", meaning that we take measures carefully and step by step. That really made a lot of players upset and just until recently some of them confronted me with that again and again - "yeah, sure, it's this evolution shit again." So maybe that's one thing I should regret. However, communication is full of pitfalls, and that was obviously one of them. Note to myself and all other Tibia CMs now and in the future: never use the word "evolution" in a news or a forum post. NEVER!!
Tibiopedia/FunTibia: Have you been touched by something? Of course, I mean feelings...
"I'm a virgin..... touched for the very first time..."
Back on topic: I definitely was! Believe me, this job does not leave anyone of us CMs cold at all. I remember the first Lightbearer in 2009 that was then called "Failbearer" due to the rewards. A lot of players vented their anger back then, and some of them really did it passionatly - without being offensive to us. We all wanted this great event to be a huge success, and everything was fine until the day the event had ended. It was a Saturday, if I remember right. We CMs had left for the weekend, quite happy to see so many players cheering for their worlds. The atmosphere was awesome on Friday. And then the whole mood turned one-eighty. Two days full of bitterness without any official statement due to the weekend. We logged into the forum on Monday and found a huuuuuge thread full of pretty emotional posts. That suddenly brought us back down to earth and really touched our hearts. It was a mix of sadness and frustration that we didn't achieve to keep this great enthusiasm up until the end.
Tibiopedia/FunTibia: How would you describe the community using one word?
Passionate!
(honestly, CipSoft can count itself lucky that there are so many Tibians out there who feel so strongly connected to the game and their friends in the community)
Tibiopedia/FunTibia: Did you have any difficult moments with Rejana or Mirade? If yes, what was that?
We have been a pretty good team, I'd say. Of course, we also had our disagreements every now and then, but those could be usually solved very quickly. One of these disagreements probably was that I personally love to make and spread fun pics of me. I've absolutely no problem with photos showing me and posting them online, even photos that make me look pretty silly. But well... I also understand other people that don't really want to do that. (... <coughs> ... do I?)
Tibiacity: What is your favourite part about the game itself?
First I have to say that I have always and will always play on Open PvP, because I like the thrill. So what I really appreciate of the game is this, among others:
Coming back from a profitable hunt, entering one of the cities, trying to get to the depot safely without getting stopped and maybe killed by players and loosing all my precious stuff. That's indeed a thrilling experience over and over again. I really like that characters matter in Tibia and that they can heavily influence the gameplay of others. This can have positive and negative effects, of course. The negative ones shouldn't be overwhelming (e.g. systematically preventing others from playing etc.), but imho there just have to be sporadic negativ effects and they may and should hurt you. They are really powerful and can largely enrich your gameplay experience. That's my personal view.
TibiaFans: What will be the hardest thing from Tibia/CipSoft to leave? I mean colleagues, the tibia community, your office etc..
Clearly the community. I'll badly miss posting in the forum as CM Ogrey. Even if it wasn't always easy, it nevertheless meant a lot to me to be so closely in touch with players. The daily talks and discussions have really enriched my job. After all, it wasn't "just a job" for me.
TibiaFans: Will you come back and tell us about what you are doing?
Well, I think for me personally and emotionally it's better to draw a line under all this when I'm gone. I mean, I won't have access to my CipSoft member account anymore and logging in with my private account and making some posts in the forum just isn't the same. So I'm pretty sure there won't be a comeback in the future. But I would be happy to stay in touch via my Twitter account (twitter.com/CaptainOffDuty). There, I'm tweeting a bit about what's going on in my life.
TibiaFans: Where is the most beautiful place in Tibia and in real life, from your perspective?
In Tibia: Chazorai, especially the area next to the teleporter that brings you to the Muggy Plains. I don't know why. Maybe because of all these statues, the lizards and the beautiful sea view (of course... it's the captain speaking).
In real life: hm.... I've been to India in 2004 and I very well remember a small fishing village called Kanyakumari. It's the southernmost part of India. An impressive temple is located on a small island next to the village. When the sun sets or rises, the place looks amazing.
Romano (Tibiopedia/FT): One more question: I know that you wrote "my girlfriend and me have married" but... Will you marry me?
... and make Rico Pasa desperately unhappy?? ... <thinks> ... Sure!
Nah, don't worry, Rico! Nice conversation, btw hehe
Rico Pasa (TibiaTR): Marry me instead of Roman. He is sux in relationships <flames> Romano (Tibiopedia/FT): My Ferumbras will find you, Hamdi! Ogrey is mine ok?! Rico Pasa (TibiaTR): You wish! Romano (Tibiopedia/FT): I was first lol xD You can only dream now Rico Pasa (TibiaTR): ehm it's not about being first, it's about being better Romano (Tibiopedia/FT): You would like to be better! Rico Pasa (TibiaTR):I'm better already Romano (Tibiopedia/FT): Pfff... Let's continue the interview.
TibiaTr: As a Captain, if your ship sinks; would you save me (Rico) or Romano ? <you cant save both of us!>
Oh gosh!... You two should get married ingame because questions like these and conversations like the one Romano has posted above clearly show that love is all around you guys.
Now you really want an answer? I'd probably leave both of you behind. Bond of marriage in a moment of crisis - what could be more romantic...
Romano (Tibiopedia/FT): It means he likes us both and we have to share him. Rico Pasa (TibiaTR): You take the ship and I take the captain.
TibiaTr: Do you have any character in game which you level up? If so what is your level and vocation?
I have to tell a little story here: Everybody who joins CipSoft starts out with playing Tibia in his first work week. Only playing, nothing else. That's pretty cool! So two years ago I created my "main char". Why "main char" in quotation marks? I don't have so much free time that I could spend on playing games because I'm pretty much involved in different other projects apart from my job at CipSoft. So I couldn't really level my char in the past 2 years - and so... <drumroll> my "main char" is a level 40 Obsidian knight called Krezzpod (and I've been recently killed by a level 100 ek who protected a level 25 bot char that I tried to knock out in the croco/tortoise caves below Port Hope)
TibiaTr: What s your favourite item in game?
I've never rented a house so I never had use for any deco items. But for me, the level 40 knight, I was really proud when I managed to obtain my first knight set! I did the tarantula task to get the legs and bought the knight armor from a player. I still like the design of this set. I also like to wear a dark helmet, a barbarian axe and a dwarven shield and I feel quite comfortable with that. (now don't laugh at me, it's all true!)
TibiaTR: What was your first opinion about Tibia when you see it?
I really love Tibia's graphics today. Chazorai, revamped Carlin and the outlaw camp, Meluna island... just beautiful! I feel quite comfortable there when I pay those places a visit. And even when I cross some more common areas like the grasslands between Thais and Venore I think the graphics really make Tibia what it is: a kind of insiders' tip, not really suitable for the masses maybe, but definitely for gourmets. Gamer gourmets. So everybody who thinks Tibia cannot compete with other games due to its graphics simply underestimates the appeal of this game. Just a personal opinion though. I'm glad that I sticked to it and overcame the first impression I had.
Tibiacity: What is your favourite city in-game and why?
I'm a resident of Port Hope but I don't really like this city as I'm not a fan of jungles. All those creatures and poisonous stuff - bah! I just became a resident there because of Grizzly Adams' tasks which I did again and again some time ago.
One of my favourite cities is Carlin. Since the revamp from 2009 it really looks awesome. And also... when I started my Tibia career, Carlin already had the reputation of being the Tibian city where you can find the most corpses lying on the streets. Regardless of that being true or not, I liked seeing people talking about Carlin that way. Thus Carlin had always been pretty appealing to me. Actually, I should move there...
Tibiacity: Out of all the world quests, is there one you like more than the others?
I'm a fan of big, battle-heavy tasks, so Rise of Devovorga is definitely the world quest I like most. I like its background story and how the quest evolves over time, starting with the Beautiful Girl and ending with It. Great piece of work imho!
Tibia-Stats: What hobbies do you have?
I usually don't use the word "hobby" myself because everything I do must have a more or less clear purpose - otherwise I don't do it. And for me, "hobby" always carries a negative meaning, something like "a way to systematically waste a looooot of time". So I usually speak of "interests" here. (btw I cannot just sit somewhere, relax and do nothing - this drives me crazy! waste of time etc...)
Concerning my interests I'd say: I really like Disney's Uncle Scrooge, the duck that was once pretty poor and then became the richest duck ever. This storyline somehow inspires me.
Also, I like watching British sitcoms. The IT Crowd or Black Books are good examples here.
And I'm also interested in internet business and social commerce platforms. I'm even working on a commercial online service together with a couple of friends. We hope that it will go live in one or two years.
Tibia-Stats: What is your favorite movie?
Oh, there are quite many. The Fountain is an awesome movie, quite spiritual and not easy to understand, but very inspiring. Children of Men is one of my favourites, too, a great and scary vision of the future. And not to forget Sunshine, one of the most atmospheric sci-fi movies I know of. Great piece of work!
Other really cool movies are Cloverfield (starring the one and only US-Godzilla) and a documentary called Some Kind of Monster about the metal band Metallica. This movie really changed my view of the band.
Tibia-Stats: What is your favorite music band/song?
I listen a lot to Metallica (what a surprise!) and Limp Bizkit. You can literally feel these bands' aggressiveness and power when listening to some of their songs.
When I'm not in the mood for heavy stuff, I usually listen to The Tea Party, Alice in Chains and the band Recoil. I really adore music that contains a great deal of melancholy.
Tibia-Stats: An interesting thing about yourself?
At the age of 17 I've founded a Star Wars fan club. It doesn't exist anymore today but back then we've had about 10 active members and we've really had a lot of fun. We even did some cosplay when Star Wars Episode 1 was released. I dressed up as Darth Maul MUHAHAHA
Tibia-Stats: If you could have some super power (like super heroes have), what would it be?
Hm..... I guess being able to fly would be totally okay for me. Then I could have a picnic on the rooftops of New York city, look through the windows into other people's houses ..... and yeah, okay, I could possibly also save some people's lifes - almost forgot that part.
Tibiopedia/FunTibia: Oggy, Oggy... isn't it easier to say that you would be inspecting female houses or maybe bodies of some hot chicks? You know... you could be called FBI (Female body inspector) then. FBI, superhero - one thing.
Haha you've got me, Romano. After all, I'm just a poor male being...
TibiaWiki: Do you often visit fansites? Which fansites you visit/like the most?
Since Rejana is our fansite coordinator, I do not visit fansites that often but focus on other tasks instead. Once a week we CMs meet up to talk about what's going on in the community, be it in the Tibia forums or on fansites. So I'm definitely up to date about you.
On special occasions I do pay a visit to fansites, though. For example, during the closed beta for the Flash client. I wanted to check the latest reports and news and watch some community generated videos myself so I did some fansite hopping back then.
I don't really have a favourite fansite, I'd say. It usually depends on the info I'm looking for, so in this respect I'm rather straight forward. However, I appreciate staying up to date while I'm on the go, so I like seeing fansites using Twitter and spreading interesting stuff there.
TibiaWiki: Have you, as a player, ever signed up on a fansite or fansite forum? If so, which fansite(s)? And are you active there?
Not as a player. I've signed up as CM Ogrey here and there, especially for contests, but as a player I'm lacking free time and that prevents me from becoming involved in all those things that have evolved around Tibia in the past years.
TibiaLottery: What's your favorite number?
That's easy: 30. I've fallen in love with my wife on an August 30. And on the 30th every month we usually do something special together, like going out for dinner or something.
You didn't really expect me putting forward a story like that, did you?
Graphic on the left was prepared by Nazghrel - Tibiopedia.pl graphic artist
Special interview with CM Ogrey!
