Game Master Interview: Another day in TurBo's Calendar

Snagged an interview with one of Flyff's most talented GMs, TurBo!

Tell us something about yourself, like how old are you?

 I am roughly 27 years old, younger or older depending on who you ask :)

Well what can you tell us about yourself?

 I’m just a regular guy. I enjoy video games, browsing internet, and hanging out with friends outside of work. I also enjoy drawing, reading, cooking, and trolling internet forums during my alone time. (Just kidding on that last one, who does that? That’s just rude.)

Is being a Game Master a real, full time job?              

 Very much so! 8 hours of work a day on average, Monday through Friday. Just like any other regular job :)

How did you become a GM?

 I found a job application on craigslist, filled it out, got interviewed, passed, and became a GM. It may be slightly different for other GM’s, but that was the general steps I personally took.

So what does being a GM involve? What does a typical GM day for you look like?

Usually answering massive amounts of customer support emails a day, this takes up 90% of our time. Then on the other 10% we create events and host them for players. It’s pretty fun when we actually do go in-game and interact with players. And in-between those 2, we have an assorted range of random issues to handle, it’s somewhat difficult to categorize them all. All I know is that my day passes by very very fast!

What are some special tasks that you do on the GM team?

 I primarily work on account compromised cases. That’s the name we call issues where someone got their account accessed by someone else, and in most cases, had their items stolen or their characters deleted. When I work on these cases, sometimes I feel like I’m on an episode of CSI:FlyFF or something.

In addition to account compromised cases, I do a wide range of art related assets for US FlyFF. Most the time, it’s just the sales or event banners for our front page. Occasionally though, I’ll get to work on something bigger like an email blast poster, or a FlyFF comic. :3

Do you get many stupid emails/tickets?

 I personally have not found any “Stupid” emails, but there are a lot of confused emails from players, due to the fact that a lot of our player base may not speak English as their primary language. I guess the only seemingly “stupid” email would be players trying to send us fake information trying to gain in-game advantage or items. This usually results them getting a permanent ban for providing intentional falsified information. It’s like trying to trick the police into giving you free stuff. Don’t do it :)

How many other GMs are there?

 From what I heard, there used to be a GM for every server of FlyFF. But now, we primarily have 4 GM’s, and 1 CM (community manager). We’re a pretty tight knit group because of our size.

What is your opinion of FlyFF?

 FlyFF (the game) itself is a bit outdated in comparison to the large amounts of newer MMORPG’s out there, but FlyFF’s community is one of the strongest I’ve personally ever experienced out of my entire MMORPG playing career. It sounds kind of cheesy, but the players you meet both in-game and on the forums almost feel like long lost family members. There is a lot of love for this game, and it really shows.

Flyff recently had a version update to V15. What are your opinions?

 There was a lot of new content added with this update (most notable ones being the lower level instance dungeon The Wilds, and the Guild House), and a lot of players seem to enjoy it. However, with all the good things, there also came a flood of technical issues that needed to be addressed and fixed. It’s very fun to have new stuff to play with, but sucks when you can’t –actually- play it because you’re busy crashing from bugs or whatnot. Hopefully we’ll be able to iron out all the problems and have players sailing smoothly again as soon as possible.

Are there many female players in FlyFF?

 There’s actually a surprising amount of female players in FlyFF. I’m not entirely sure why, but it’s possible due to the large bubbling community or just a multitude of dress up fashion items. Regardless, everyone is welcome whether you’re a dude or a girl.

How about non-English speaking players?

 We also have a very wide range of global users, even though FlyFF is available in almost every region (China, Japan, Korea, Brazil, Europe... etc) Again, it is possible due to the fact that foreign communities have been established in the US FlyFF from so long ago, that the lineage of that establishment has continued to this day. We see players talking in different languages in-game all the time, it’s kinda cool actually.

Are there a lot of children playing the game?

 Yes, but we have a pretty wide spectrum of player ages playing FlyFF. From as young as 7 years old to even parents or grandparents. It’s very heartwarming to see an entire family play together. I wish I had that as a kid ;_;

To wrap things up, do you have any tips or secrets for players?

 I think at this point, due to the age of the game, the collective player base know more tips and tricks than a GM ever will. If I had to give one tip, it would be to make as many friends as you can. The more friends you know, the more help you will receive regarding everything in FlyFF. But please don’t share your account information with players you meet, this will land you in a bigger mess than you can ever imagine. If there was a single way to lose the game, sharing your account would be it.

Have fun folks, but please watch your safety first! ;)