Official GTPlanet Member of the Fortnight [Member of the Week]

[Jump_Ace]

The conspiracy begins, I've heard T-12 picks members based on how many prospective likes he thinks he can get...

He just wants to get more likes than the the rest of the Mods, I'm watching you buddy

Oh, and great interviews too btw!


Jerome

 

[Terronium-12]

I've been had! Exactly why there was no interview last week.

Reputation, ruined.

 

[Brend]

Get it together, T-12!

 

[Monatsende]

In former times this thread was... uhm. I better keep my mouth shut.

 

[Lizard]

I've been had! Exactly why there was no interview last week.

Reputation, ruined.

I can bring you a lot of likes.

 

[Terronium-12]

It is once again time to welcome a new face; someone that doesn't cower in the face of fame, someone that doesn't regress when presented with the opportunity to shout from a rooftop "I'm better than you... on the internet!", someone that loves beer - these are the traits of the archetype known only as The GTPlanet Member of the Week

No matter where you go, people will know you. No matter what you say, no one will interrupt or correct you. No matter what you're wearing it will be fashionable for the next 10 years.

So let us welcome the newest member to the League of Extraordinary GTPeople, Slender_Man!

1. First and foremost, you're officially the Member of the Week so what were your thoughts going into this and how does it feel to be recognized amidst the hundreds of thousands of other members here?

Shocked!!! Was one of the last things i ever thought i'd be chosen for. It feels very good to get recognized

2. What brought you to GTPlanet and what keeps you coming back?

I came to GTPlanet through trading on GT5. Inow come back for the friends i have made and to see what tunes are posted everyday.

3. There's a lot to do around the forums so I have to ask: what sub-forums/threads do you frequent most often and why?

I mainly hang around the Online racing forum and the Tuning Forums...

4. What was it that sparked your interest in Gran Turismo?

It was when i picked up a copy of Gran Turismo back in 1998 that fired up my interest with the game

5. I'm sure I can take a stab in the dark, but how did you come up with the name "Slender_Man"?

Stab in the dark, Or moving shadows? I came up with the name due to my love of the "Slender Man" games.

6. Controversial question time: Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport or both?

Gran Turismo, All day every day... I've tried Forza but it doesn't compare to Gran Turismo.

7. Because it's finally occurred to me that the question above doesn't allow enough freedom, do you play any other racing games that you perhaps enjoy more than GT or FM?

Midnight Club LA, Test Drive Unlimited 2, Need For Speed The Run. You name a racing game i'll most likely enjoy it.

8. GTP 12 is up and about, what are your thoughts?

Much better than the old GTPlanet. Feels faster, and smoother running too.

9. Gran Turismo 6 is finally here, what are you thoughts so far?

It's a huge leap compared to GT5 physics wise, but i think there is still a lot they can do to make it better.

10. Talk a little about what you think you bring to GTPlanet and how you think you can continue to improve.

More car tunes!!! This is one of my main hobbies i do on GTPlanet.

11. A hot topic which divides community quite a bit. What`s your opinion about so called "hybrid cars"?

Ooooooh fire starting question... I enjoied the "Realistic Hybrids" on GT5 as they brought a whole new feel to the game, But its the overpowered multi horse powered cars that ruined everything. PD give us engine swaps please!!!

12. If you could live in any video game which game would it be and why?

I think my name give this one away... Slender Man!!! So i could creep around and haunt Slender Man myself...

13. Tell us something interesting about your hometown.

A small little town in the middle of nowhere... Too many food outlets and people who have no tatse when tuning cars.

14. Can you pronounce "Rødgrød med fløde"? (Translates to red berry pudding with cream)

I could try but it would possibly end up with me sounding like a drunk.

15. Do you have any hobbies we should be made aware of?

Gaming, car tuning are top of my hobby list...

16. Are you driving anything special at the moment?

If you class a diesel Toyota Verso special you be wrong haha. None thats the family ride, As for me it's a modified Mk3 Golf VR6.

17. What's your favourite video game, currently?

Gran Turismo 6 currently until they bring out the next one.

18. What would you do if presented with the opportunity of being a moderator here?

The Ban Hammer!!! I would more likely to be not very much different to how i am now, Lurking in the shadows waiting for my prey...

19. Why did you choose that avatar, and why is it not a monkey? (Don't ask me, I had nothing to do with this. )

With a name like mine i had to pick Slender Man to go with it...

20. Games, how do you like them?

a) Pre-Order, I want them on day one.
b) Sealed at first price drop.
c) Used.

Pre-Ordered as i know i will have the game on ethe day it comes out...

21. With the next generation of all things video gaming upon us, have you made any plans to pick up a PS4, Xbox One or Wii U?

Playstation 4. Never been a fan of Xbox and the other have has the Wii. But the PS4 can wait until it drops in price maybe.

22. If you were to indulge in the art of boutique car manufacturing what would your mission statement be?

Build what the driver wants. Hopefully it wouldn't turn out the the homermobile haha.

23. You've just been sentenced to death. What is your last meal?

Anything that i could be allergic too. Just so i could see the look on their face as i wouldn't give them the fun of killing me.

24. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being likely to go to the nut house, how crazy would you rate yourself?

Does 11 count? I'm one of those people who thinks the 1 to 10 scale is for normal people...

25. What is your favourite car, why, and what do you think that it says about you?

Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R. Something about this car just screams out to me and me being a turbo nut all i'll say is POWER!!!

26. Where and when was your very first post here and how does it differ from your posting style used today?

I think its was march 29th 2011, It might of been in the GT5 Marketplace too.

27. How many of your controllers have died because of heavy physical abuse whilst playing a PS3 game?

I'm think i'm on my 6th DS3 and still on my 1st wheel.

28. Have you ever accessed the website during an unusual time and/or place?

I have GTPlanet open 24/7 on my laptop so an unusual time would be when i'm not on GTPlanet.

29. What's the longest you've gone without logging onto GTPlanet since joining: Years, months, weeks, days, hours?

about 6 hours... Seriously i'm on GTPlanet most of the time..

30. Who (in your own opinion) is the most inspiring person / people here on GTPlanet?

Theres a couple of people and they are Outeke and Monatsende...

31. Fridays or Applebees?

Fridays...

32. Now it's time for the "Daniel Special": If you could cross a hippo with any other animal - what will the animal be, what will it be called, and why? (Bonus points for creativity! And it can't be another hippo because that's incest)

A Giraffe, Just because it would look funny with a really long neck... I shall call it a Girppo...

33. You wake up naked trapped in a broken lift with a celebrity - which celebrity would you choose and why?

tara reid, Come on have you seen how she looks in American Pie? Need i say more...

34. Have you ever participated in any of the racing series' found here?

Yes i have. I started off in a Touge Racing league back on GT5 which i ended up running for 2 years which now in the hands of a fellow Gran Turismo Touge racer.

35. Have you ever considered developing your own racing series, and if you have where can we find it?

Yes again. I co-founded the TRD AE86 N2 Series with fellow GTP member 787bcgr and you can find it in the GT6 Clubs & Leagues sub forum.

36. Anything else you'd like to say?

You can run, but you cannot hide from the Slender Man.... Thanks for taking your time reading this interview, and a huge thank you for picking me for GTPlanet's Member of the Week.

 

[TB]

Great read, @Slender_Man!

 

[Monatsende]

Man without eyes, well deserved, Sir @Slender_Man.

Great read and welcome on board!

P.S.: And thanks for the mention. - Oh, I loved (still loving) your GT5 realistic tunes!!!

 

[m8h3r]

Quick, give him $20!

 

[Slender_Man]

Thanks guys for welcoming me aboard 👍

 

[Ameer67]

Congratulations, @Slender_Man!

 

[Outeke]

Congratulations almighty Slender_Man!

Great to read your answers

 

[Dean]

Congratulations @Slender_Man

 

[Brend]

Well done @Slender_Man Nice interview.

 

[Terronium-12]

It is once again time to welcome a new face; someone that doesn't cower in the face of fame, someone that doesn't regress when presented with the opportunity to shout from a rooftop "I'm better than you... on the internet!", someone that loves beer - these are the traits of the archetype known only as The GTPlanet Member of the Week

No matter where you go, people will know you. No matter what you say, no one will interrupt or correct you. No matter what you're wearing it will be fashionable for the next 10 years.

So let us welcome the newest member to the League of Extraordinary GTPeople, Samus!

1. First and foremost, you're officially the Member of the Week so what were your thoughts going into this and how does it feel to be recognized amidst the hundreds of thousands of other members here?

Pretty surprising to be honest, but it's certainly nice to be recongised, sure.

2. What brought you to GTPlanet and what keeps you coming back?

I'd known of GTPlanet for quite some years, just browsing, and for whatever reason finally decided to join right at the end of 2010. I will keep coming back so long as that special feeling towards Gran Turismo is always there, no matter how slight.

3. There's a lot to do around the forums so I have to ask: what sub-forums/threads do you frequent most often and why?

Most of my time is spent in the Gran Turismo forums but I do also frequent the sections for other games I'm interested in, such as Project CARS, and the motorsport threads usually get my attention since I'm very passionate about the sport, particularly F1.

4. What was it that sparked your interest in Gran Turismo?

My very first experience of Gran Turismo came I believe with the Playstation 1 demo disc featuring a video of the game, followed by the playable demo that came with the official Playstation magazine in the UK. This one -

I don't remember exactly what I liked about it so much at the time but I'd imagine it was just because I could drive real world cars in a realistic 3D driving game. It was totally different to the Wipeouts and Rage Racer's of the world and at my age, without a PC, there was nothing else like it at the time.

5. I'm sure I know the answer, but just in case I'm wrong, how did you come up with the name "Samus"?

I'm sure your assumption is correct, it comes from my favourite game of all time, Super Metroid. Samus is of course the lead protagonist in the game (and entire Metroid series) and although she is female and I'm, well, not, it didn't bother me.

6. Controversial question time: Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport or both?

Both, certainly. Gran Turismo obviously came first and until Forza existed there didn't seem to be a need for anything else in the genre, Gran Turismo seemed to do it all for me. Then in the previous generation of consoles I bought an Xbox 360 first, rather than PS3, mainly because it was cheaper and overall had more games that interested me. Obviously the first thing I looked for was a Gran Turismo 'replacement' and that was Forza, specifically Forza 2. Whilst there were some aspects of Gran Turismo that seemed to be missing the game also showed how much more could be done with the genre. Livery painting, car classes, auction house etc. It also featured Ferrari and Porsche which was great, Gran Turismo had not featured those of course. That however didn't mean I'd forgotten and replaced GT, I still bought a PS3 specifically for GT5 in December 2010.

I've only played Forza up to the fourth installment but stil my feeling is the same, both still have a place and I'd hate to see either of them disappear. Having both is great for the industry.

7. Because it's finally occurred to me that the question above doesn't allow enough freedom, do you play any other racing games that you perhaps enjoy more than GT or FM?

Generally speaking I try to give every racing/driving game a chance if possible, given it's by far my favourite genre. I've played most of the hardcore simulators over the past 15 years and on the flipside a lot of the straight up arcade racers like Burnout. It's hard to say I enjoy one racer over the other because a lot of them give enjoyment for different reasons but certainly games like the aformentioned Burnout (Paradise), Ferrari Challenge, the DIRT games and Project Gotham series have given me a lot of enjoyment over the years. On the simulation side of things GTR2, GT Legends and the like still keep me entertained from time to time on PC, offering something games like Gran Turismo and Forza just can't, or choose not to. Race Pro was also a great, if slightly flawed attempt at simulation racing on console (Xbox 360) that I put a lot of hours into over the latest Forza at the time.

8. GTP 12 is up and about, what are your thoughts?

It's great. I'm a web designer and developer myself so I know just how hard it is to get a fully responsive website working. So many devices, so many resolutions, it takes a lot of work getting it all right. I also think the decision to ditch vBulletin as the forum software in favour of XenForo was a great decision, vB used to be leader but now it's low on my personal preferences. I think XenForo was a good choice, lot's of great features.

9. Gran Turismo 6 is finally here, what are you thoughts so far?

Well to keep it short and simple, somewhat disappointed. As a pretty much introvert gamer online gaming doesn't really appeal to me and so in any game I buy the single player experience is still the most important. For Gran Turismo 6 there were two key factors in that, the quality of the A-Spec mode and the quality of the AI vehicles in it. Without repeating a lot of what's already well covered on the forums both just don't meet my expectations and so straight away my enjoyment of the game was soured. I was further disappointed to learn the only online mode I really did get into in GT5, shuffle racing, was not present in GT6. In saying that there were still positives to be found in the game. The UI was a huge improvement over GT5 and the new tracks were all well recieved. I was particularly impressed with the Matterhorn location, and specifically the Riffelsee variation was great fun with blind corners and great elevation changes. Physics of course were another huge improvement, it's just a shame a lot of that good work was ruined by what I found to be a very poor single player experience.

10. Talk a little about what you think you bring to GTPlanet and how you think you can continue to improve.

I suppose what I bring to most threads in GTPlanet, particularly in the Gran Turismo section, are straight up, no nonsense opinions and a 'tell it like it is' attitude. Many will sometimes take this posting style as negative however and I agree that my outlook tends to be glass half empty, so I guess that is always an area to improve in.

11. For those that don't know, you're involved in the community-funded simulation racer Project CARS. What can you tell us about it?

When I first heard about Project CARS it seemed like my dream game. In the past I always enjoyed games like the TOCA series from Codemasters and to a degree GRID, which were strongly focused on motorsport and forging a career through several levels. With pCARS seeming to be heading right down that alley with realistic, simulation physics to boot I was very interested. At first I was a little cautious with the game coming from the guys that made Shift 2, a game I hated, so I made a small 'junior' investment to try it out. Realising that it was in fact nothing like Shift in terms of gameplay I upped my investment and over the past couple of years have seen the game blossom into what is nearly a finished game. There are still some quibbles I have but overall I'm very much looking forward to what promises to be the best out-and-out racing game on consoles for many years.

12. If you could live in any video game which game would it be and why?

Hmm interesting question, for me one of the most interesting and atmospheric gaming worlds is Planet Zebes, found in the earlier mentioned Super Metroid. The eerie atmosphere combined with an excellent soundtrack really adds so much to that game but I'm not sure living there would be such a good idea! Perhaps then I would opt for Spira, the world found in Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2. Another of my favourite games that I've spent hundreds of hours on, I think exploring the world myself would be very cool.

13. Tell us something interesting about your hometown.

I suppose the most interesting thing about my hometown is that it's name contains a very, very rude substring! Called the Scunthorpe problem, it caused a lot of issues for residents here in search engines, email clients and the like, the software detecting the obscenity and filtering it out. You can read more about the problem on Wikipedia, where it continues to be an issue not just for Scunthorpe but other unfortunate substrings in words - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scunthorpe_problem

14. What are your thoughts on the "upcoming" DLC for GT6 focusing on the late Ayrton Senna?

Whilst I'm slightly too young to remember Senna first hand, just 6 when he was tragically killed, I did grow up a huge fan of motor racing/Formula 1 and of course no F1 fan could grow up without learning about Senna as well as that tragic weekend in 1994. When it was first announced last year there would be a partnership I was excited, looking forward to what PD could do with the history of the great man. After my initial feelings on GT6 in general were not so positive my enthusiasm has waned slightly but I'm still going to be downloading the content ASAP and see what they've done.

15. Do you have any hobbies we should be made aware of?

Except for video games I suppose my main hobbies that aren't too cliche are music and web design/development. My main genre of musical choice is Rock, my favourite bands being Foo Fighters, Queen, Nirvana, Queens Of The Stone and Eleven to name but a few. Female singers are also a big favourite of mine, Sara Bareilles & Lissie being current favourites.

16. Are you driving anything special at the moment?

I don't drive, so no.

17. What's your favourite video game, currently?

I'm currently playing through Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster and despite having played them many, many times before I'm still greatly enjoying them again, in HD. When I first learned of the remaster I was very excited and after all the delays it was great to finally have it in March. The FMV sequences still look breathtaking, along with the brilliant soundtrack.

18. What would you do if presented with the opportunity of being a moderator here?

In that extremely unlikely event I'd have to turn it down to be honest. It'd be a great honour, but I just don't have the time or inclination to moderate another forum!

19. Why did you choose that avatar, and why is it not a monkey? (Don't ask me, I had nothing to do with this. )

Ha, I've no idea why it would be a monkey but it's quite simply the greatest frontman music has ever seen and is ever likely to see IMO, the late Freddie Mercury. Nobody has ever commanded a stage like he has, such power and presence with both his voice and personality. The only evidence you need of this is Queen's Live Aid performance in 1985. You won't see a better 20 minute set than that.

20. Games, how do you like them?

a) Pre-Order, I want them on day one.
b) Sealed at first price drop.
c) Used.

Depends on the game, but generally speaking any of the above. Must have games will be pre-ordered for Day 1, others will be picked up later into their life either second hand or cheap new.

21. With the next generation of all things video gaming upon us, have you made any plans to pick up a PS4, Xbox One or Wii U?

I have no plans as of yet, I don't tend to buy any new consoles until at least a year into their lifetime, by which time a decent games catalogue has built up. There is the possibility for things to change but right now when the time does come I think PS4 will be my choice, simply because of the better power, cheaper pricepoint, lack of a gadget I've no interest in and so far a better line up of games. Things may change though, of course.

22. If you were to indulge in the art of boutique car manufacturing what would your mission statement be?

British sports cars that a) don't breakdown b) don't rust c) aren't built in a shed by Jeremy Clarkson

23. What kind of movies have you been watching lately?

I don't tend to see many films until they're released on home media and I think the last I bought was Rush. Like Senna earlier I'm too young to remember the real rivalry depicted in the film but I know plenty about it and found the movie very enjoyable with lots of drama and where needed good special effects. One of the better motor racing related, non-docmentary movies I've seen.

24. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being likely to go to the nut house, how crazy would you rate yourself?

I'm not sure I'm supposed to answer these sort of questions, you'll have to check with the evil white coat men.

25. What is your favourite car, why, and what do you think that it says about you?

When I was younger my favourite car was a TVR Tuscan Speed 6. I've no idea why really, I guess it's outlandish style just appealed to me. What that says about me, I don't know! Today I'm not sure, I really like the Jaguar F-Type convertible and for some reason I've always loved the look of the new Fiat 500, especially the sportier versions. I see people say that's a woman's car so again, read into that what you will! The manliest Abarth would probably fit into my fantasy three car garage, alongside perhaps the Jag and a Koenigsegg Agera, my prefered hypercar of the moment.

26. Where and when was your very first post here and how does it differ from your posting style used today?

I signed up a few days after receiving Gran Turismo 5 so I would imagine my first post was a review/comments on what I thought of the game. Given that I wasn't overly impressed with GT5 v1.01 I doubt it differed from my current style too much!

27. How many of your controllers have died because of heavy physical abuse whilst playing a PS3 game?

My one and only controller has just about survived everything although I did expect them to take a bit of a abuse with the final 'Catcher Chocobo' Race in Final Fantasy X. I'm sure anyone who has played it knows what I'm talking about. I think there have been a few occasions in Gran Turismo where I've missed the target time by a few milliseconds and also been close!

28. Have you ever accessed the website during an unusual time and/or place?

Given that I suffer from insomnia I'm pretty sure I've accessed the website during every hour of the day, which leads to some thinking I'm on here all the time!

29. What's the longest you've gone without logging onto GTPlanet since joining: Years, months, weeks, days, hours?

I think about four months, for no reason in particular in that I was busy with other things. I'll always come back, though.

30. Who (in your own opinion) is the most inspiring person / people here on GTPlanet?

Well there is one person, who will remain un-named, that has greatly inspired me to take up tuning. His revolutionary 'step tuning' technique really gave me the inspiration I needed to do something different, do it the right way. Unfortunately the letter of the law caught up to him and he is no longer on this planet.

31. What's one significant change you'd like to see made to racing games in the next five years or so?

Going back to something I said earlier i'd like to see more games really focus on mirroring real world racing. Not neccesarily in the physics but in the gameplay style and design. In this new console generation I'd also love to see something hugely innovative, something completely new in the genre. This is perhaps something PD can achieve with their course maker system.

32. The Prime series of Metroid games have been some of the best in recent memory, and aside from the recent game that shall remain unnamed, what elements of Prime would you like to see integrated into future titles, or would you rather the series move forward on its own merit with equally impressive entries?

I've actually never had an interest in the 3D/First Person Metroid games. For me Metroid games will always be 2D sidescrollers, I just didn't like the new direction they went with them. For one I generally can't play first person games at all, they tend to give me motion sickness but I also just didn't like the transition, the one I tried just didn't feel like the Metroid I loved.

So yes, I'm one of those Metroid fans just waiting for another great classic 2D sidescroller I'm afraid!

33. Now it's time for the "Daniel Special": If you could cross a hippo with any other animal - what will the animal be, what will it be called, and why? (Bonus points for creativity! And it can't be another hippo because that's incest)

Good question. I think it'd be a Hungarian Grey cattle, so then I would have a Hungary Hippo and have a great new sport in which four Hungary Hippos (Not fed for a few days) battle to eay large white balls of rice.

34. You wake up naked trapped in a broken lift with a celebrity - which celebrity would you choose and why?

Well there are two directions to go here, either choose a female celebrity and hope there is a small chance she appreciates the situation or pick a guy that wouldn't make fun of you and hope it wasn't him that stripped you naked. So bearing that in mind if it actually happened I'd have chosen Katy Perry without thinking about it at all.

35. Have you ever participated in any of the racing series' found here?

I haven't, but that really relates back to what I said earlier, I don't play many games online at all.

36. Have you ever considered developing your own racing series, and if you have where can we find it?

Ditto the above.

37. Anything else you'd like to say?

Would anyone be interested in a marketing role for my new Hungary Hippos sport?

 

[Terronium-12]

You'll notice that question 32 is currently blank and that's not a mistake.

Was an additional question I forgot to include after the fact, and is one that will be added when I get the word back.

 

[Ken]

Congrats @Slender_Man and @Samus. Both well deserved.

 

[Ameer67]

Congratulations @Samus!

 

[funnyguy344]

I like this thread. Even know I will never be a member of the week its still pretty good.

 

[Monatsende]

Congrats to another madhouse member, congrats @Samus

 

[Brend]

Congratulations @Samus.

 

[JohnScoonsBeard]

@Samus
@Terronium-12

That was the most entertaining question and answer session I've read on here.

Absolutely agree on the greatest frontman the world will ever see.

Funnily enough I bought the Simbin megabundle on PC only yesterday. Only tried GT Legends so far but even that (the oldest) has really impressed me. Not bad graphics, good sound, physics, ai, racing. Looking forward to GTR, GTR2.

Thanks for the excellent interview. Just an idea.... how about each week putting the first question and answer in the Rewind before the link for the full interview?

 

[Monatsende]

@Samus
@Terronium-12

[...]
Just an idea.... how about each week putting the first question and answer in the Rewind before the link for the full interview?

Yeah, keeps our T-12 busy. I guess he thinks that`s a really good idea.

 

[Slender_Man]

Welcome to the madhouse @Samus

 

[Dean]

Congratulations @Samus

 

[Samus]

Thanks. So what do we get in this special club, an exclusive keyring? Commemorative beer mat? There must be something, right?

 

[Brend]

GT6 Track DLC.


Just Kidding.

 

[Terronium-12]

Question 32 is now in, and the preview idea is a good one.

I might switch up what's previewed on a week to week basis though to keep things fresh, or I could go one further and cook up a question that would be exclusive to the preview.

 

[Famine]

30. Who (in your own opinion) is the most inspiring person / people here on GTPlanet?

Well there is one person, who will remain un-named, that has greatly inspired me to take up tuning. His revolutionary 'step tuning' technique really gave me the inspiration I needed to do something different, do it the right way. Unfortunately the letter of the law caught up to him and he is no longer on this planet.

 

[Monatsende]

[...] or I could go one further and cook up a question that would exclusive to the preview.

Our chef: always creative...