Player Profiles Re-invented the Complete Interview

Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Previously, in the monthly newsletter, we were trying to share a little bit about Planets Nu players by highlighting their game accounts and profiles, but we decided (and you requested) that we try to get a bit more personal - so we did! 

Here is our very first Planets Nu Player Interview: 

Planets Nu Player Profile: Tom N


PN: Hi Tom N, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

TN: I'm a telecom/internet technician for 35 years, married with 3 adult children. I grew up in Los Angeles and now live Northern California. I've enjoyed computers and gaming since the early 90's. Other hobbies: playing guitar, astronomy, movies, and sports.

PN: When did you first start playing?

TN: I was introduced to VGAP in 1993 and played on a BBS.

PN: What's your favorite race?

TN: My favorites race? As a Mercenary I like to play them all, but if I had to choose one I'd pick the Rebels.

PN: What do you build on first three turns with them (or your general opening strategy)?

TN: My general opening strategy is economic based, and so I tend to build a LDSF first, a Falcon, then another LDSF. Most of my focus will be on getting a second base producing ships before the other races in hopes of having the most ships when the limit is reached.


PN: How many games do you play at the same time? What types of games do you like playing most?

TN: I usually average about 3 games at a time, although have cut back this year with my son's wedding 
approaching. As for types of games, I prefer Classic, and some Campaign and Melee.


PN: What's your most memorable game, and what made it so interesting? 

TN: It might seem odd to choose Helios as most memorable (http://planets.nu/#/sector/46501), since it ended in a draw, but it lasted almost 3 years and felt like a championship match! The other players were all top notch and forced me to improve my game and think of new tactics to stay on top.


PN: Name a memorable friend and/or a memorable foe, and what made them stand out.

TN: As for memorable allies I'd list Emork, The Duke, Finsch, Smokelord, Julius, Mule, J-Zan, Halion, 
Anaconda, LQDVNM, Serondar, Cayden, Larry McCarthy, Dimensia, Thearchange.

As for memorable foes I'd add Ted, Joshua, Dazdya, Bluejay, Calbasi, Demon, LQDVNM, Ville, Dotman,J-Zan, Jessilaurn, Tom Graves, and Tim Wisseman.


PN: Give an example of excellent tactics you've used or seen.

TN: In Helios my Gorbies patrolled center map and needed refueling without visiting planets, since there was a constant fear of hidden Birds/Fascists. My answer was deep space refueling with Probes. I set up a network of fueling planets with Merlins/NRS that were safely inside my territories. From these I sent out teams of Probes, each using 100 fuel for the HYPs to deliver 80 fuel to the Gorbies they would meet in space. Playing the Empire is a challenging task, made even more difficult when facing a team of Colonies, Pirates, Fascists, and Birds.I also made use of the "bum" and "mkt" codes to help gather info and capture ships. Setting "bum" at a planet, then seeing if funds have disappeared will indicate a cloaking enemy ship is there. Setting "mkt" at a base that is set to "Force Surrender" helped me steal three cloaking enemy ships that had forgotten to change their matching "mkt" codes.


PN: What do you think is the most important skill for a Planets player to succeed?

TN: Skills to success? Number one is early turn economy and expansion. Overall though I'd say studying other top player's games, and reading articles at Planets Magazine. There's also much that can be learned from the Planets.Nu newsfeed.


PN: Describe the process you use to make a turn.

TN: My turn process follows a pattern. First the VCRs, then the scoreboard to check on PBP and overall goals. Messages are next, and I'll react to these events first. I then use Dotman's excellent Planetary Management Mod. I've used it to create my own build method that I call 500-50-37, which will build 500 factories, 50 mines (in most cases this is enough, while a few planets I'll adjust later), and 37 Defense Posts (again I adjust some planets manually). After that I visit bases, and use the check-box to mark each ready after I'm done. I focus on each bases need for defense, then verify what it's building. I'll look for nearby freighters to deliver minerals and cash to upgrade it's build if possible. After bases I finish with ships, and again will mark each 'ready' with the checkbox. This last part includes giving and receiving orders to and from my allies, so this part will likely be handled in two or three visits. Once that is complete I'll submit my turn and hope for the best.


PN: What is your favorite thing about Planets Nu?

TN: My favorite things about Planets.Nu are that it allows me to play the game I love over the web. I also enjoy the feeling of community with other players who I've gotten to know over the years. Lastly I love that we members can see ideas and feedback we have become a part of the site! This adds to the feeling of community.

Thank you Tom N for your candid and detailed responses. We hope everyone enjoyed this first chance to get to know a fellow commander.
We'll see you in the Echo Cluster!