The Complete Interview - Frostriese

Here is the complete interview (as seen in the Planets Newsletter), this month we talked to Frostriese - Enjoy!

PN: Tell us a little about yourself.

F: I used PCs since the 80's - as programmer, trainer, adviser, and solution architect. VGAP is one of my long lasting leisure activities beside chess. VGAP adds the non balanced starting position and break with the symmetric positions and repeating openings. I like that a lot.

PN: When did you first start playing?

F: I start playing VGAP in my senior class in the early 90s. Using floppy disks and discussing turns all day.

PN: What's your favorite race and why?

F: I prefer the Lost Colonies of Man since the beginning. After my break,  I replay all 11 races and add Fed, Lizards and Borg as "second" best races.

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

F: Varies - depending on the starmap - one / two LDSF and a mid sized scout to grab land early on.

PN: How many games do you play at the same time?

F: I start with 3 games in parallel; with several add-ons I feed my addiction and play 8 games. In future I will return to 2-4 games in parallel.

PN: What types of games do you like playing most?

F: I like scenario based games - in former times I played at Spaceport Hamburg and the site admin runs his own scenarios like Star Trek based scenario with hidden objectives for each player. At planets.nu I like the Team games and Giant Melees, because they are so different and difficult to figure out what will happen in 10-15 turns.

PN: What's your most memorable game, and what made it so interesting? (link or id number)

F: Kzin Sector ... my first Borg game ... I underestimated their power and that game changed my mind about them and their impact on the early game.  NUniverse Cup ... tough team game ... with a lot of experienced players ... still ongoing and exciting - the mix of abilities and their dynamic is demanding.  PlanetsCon Invitational ... one of my games that keeps me all the time excited ... Will I last to end with all these high roller commanders?

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

F: In my first sector here on .NU I found one my opponents of my first VGAP game - Wmerkel. Very interesting to meet people again after decades and we both were still addicted to the game. In my second sector, Emork joined as replacement (he as Robot; me as Privateer). It gave me the stimulus to dig deeper in the mechanic of the game and I got a comparison in play style - I tred to rob two Robot players ... one lost his Golems and the other kept them and drove me crazy ... guess how was Emork.

PN: Give an example of excellent tactics you've used or seen (w/ details so readers can view it, if possible).

F: Sorry - I was not a witness of some crazy maneuver!

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

F: Loner posted the best slogan for my play style: “Amateurs think about tactics, but professionals think about logistics” -- General Robert H. Barrow, USMC (Commandant of the Marine Corps) In the last two years I learned that the right ships in the right position is key; and to have these ships ready early on, you need a well run economy to build them asap. 

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

F: Not very spectacular - look at vcrs, reading messages and start moving ships (most of the time moving the ships on the hot spots first and make a linear walk through afterwards). Develop my planets and plan my SB builds for the next 3-5 turns. Normally this creates headaches and several changes of ship movements. In most cases I do my turn at once ... no break to keep all details in my head. In busy times or when I curious what happen ... I took a brief look and return later to do my turn at once ;-) 

PN: What is your favorite thing about Planets Nu?

F: The outstanding community ... this not another site to do my turn ... here are experienced commanders, who help others to improve their skill. And I can do my turn without any tools except my browser. 

PN: Is there anything else you would like to add?

F: While preparing my answers for these questions, I walking though my recollections of VGAP experiences ... and one thing keep I am missing at .Nu. In former times I participated in a VGAP torunament league system. The torunament was repeated each six month. Player could rise / fall between several leagues. The Siteadmin maintain five leagues (Alpha, Beta, ---, Epsilon). It was exciting to rise and battle players with the same level of exprience (success). It would be kick ass to have this happen again. 

Thank you to Frostriese for sharing his expertise and experiences with us!