Interview - (2004-10-20) Myhrginoc and Deathscythe

Interview - (2004-10-20) Myhrginoc and Deathscythe

Description: Onyx interviews Myhrginoc and Deathscythe for the Phrozen Keep on the upcoming resurection of the Ancients mod.

Categories: Interviews


ONYX:

First of all, could you please say several words about yourselves?


MYHRGINOC:

I am an electrical engineer, working with industrial and commercial building power and lighting systems. I have had the opportunity to be part of an amazing variety of projects, from office remodels to lab installations, robotic assembly lines and data centers. I get a thrill out of finding solutions to meet goals and then see those ideas turn into real and useful structures.


DEATHSCYTHE:

Hi im known as Deathscythe in Diablo world and my name in real life is lj.. I work as a Seaman in real life. Im just a simple guy having a wife and a lovely daughter.. Im now 23 yrs old.


ONYX:

You've both been on the Keep for a very long time. Why did you started modding and how did you find the site back then?


MYHRGINOC:

I have been a fan of D2 ever since the Stress Test, to the degree I rarely play any other PC game. But after a while I realized the game wasn't delivering everything promised by Blizzard, so I grew curious about its workings. Of course, the Internet was my primary medium for finding out what was known. You cannot search for D2 information without becoming aware of the Phrozen Keep...and the rest, as they say, is history!


DEATHSCYTHE:

Well, ive been playing Diablo 2 since 2001 and i stared modding in Jan 2002. I was so inspired by the mods of Teknokyo and i decided to work for a mod that is very similar to Teknokyo's Ancestrall Recall but i added some extra features.. the first mod make is called The Ancients Mod. Well, i when i started back then in Keep.. I remember i was asking so many questions in mod making section.. but it was really fun.. there so many moderators and members that are willing to share thier knowlegde... thats why i got those ideas and skills in mod making.. Keep is also famous in Diablo scene .. i discover my first mod when i search in internet and i was directed to visit this amazing site..


ONYX:

Why have you decided to resurrect Ancients and how have you teamed up?


MYHRGINOC:

DeathScythe and I have written each other about the mod over time. When he returned to the Keep recently, he took me up on a long-standing offer and invited me to join him. I have always enjoyed the Ancients mod, and this way I get to give something back for that pleasure.


DEATHSCYTHE:

SiLenTx and i have this project called Fury Within version 2.0.. the project was almost finish.. but then silentx become busy in real life and cannot continue anymore and in my case i got a contract for a work as a seaman so the mod is freeze in about a year... so i decided to give the files to Myhrginoc which is very helpul to us since we were starting... I hope he can convert the file into patch 1.10.. because the files are in old blizzard 1.09..


ONYX:

Are there new features you plan to include, or is it simply Ancients for 1.10?


MYHRGINOC:

Right now, getting to Ancients for 1.10 is an ambitious enough goal. Once the conversion is stable, we will take a look at various possibilities for new challenges. I can guarantee that at some point, there will be additional areas to explore, and some existing areas will change.


DEATHSCYTHE:

First of all we remake some nice grfx for the skills, new hirelings, new skills for characters, lots of new items.. including those magic books that have charges like Summons of druid,necro, paladin's aura, and lot more... new gems and powerful jewels... large inventory... and new environment.. ill post some screenshots when i got some.. just visit the site for some more info..


ONYX:

Ancients has been very popular before, but modding has changed a lot since then. Do you think Ancients still has the power to compete for the fans' attention with all the new mods with outstanding features?


MYHRGINOC:

Different people look for different things in a mod. I think the Ancients concept has plenty of features to make for an enjoyable game. It may not ever have the 'market share' it had before, but that is because there are so many more mods available now!


DEATHSCYTHE:

Competing is not our target.. our main intension ever since is 'To share a enjoyable game that will be enjoyed by other player' .. In our time... we have so many popular mod like hell on earth, eastern sun, baldur's gate, teknokyo mods, V&K mods and others.. but still we keep on leveling on them... I think many player love our mod and thats what keeping us from making them good mod.


ONYX:

Myhrginoc, you have been a very active Keep member for several years. Why haven't you announced your own mod project during all that time, and will that change in the future?


MYHRGINOC:

I joined the Keep about three years ago. At first I was like any newcomer, learning the basic steps and practicing them on my own machine. After a while I realized I could answer questions for other people, and that has led me to explore further into the workings of the game. And in May of 2002 I was invited to join the Keep staff. Long ago I learned some assembly language, and I gravitated to the Code Editing Forum. I got the bright idea that something like the Tower Tome might work as a way of adding new information to be learned within the game. A year later, I knew a hell of a lot more about assembly language and the inner workings of DLLs, and had made the Book of Lore. Since then I have continued to explore game mechanics and adding bits to the Keep's vast store of knowledge.


But 'a mod is like a story, a well written one has both a unifying theme and proper attention to technique. It is precisely that which keeps me from developing a mod myself; I may have some interesting techniques, and am willing to learn more---but I don't have a unifying theme, so anything I am likely to release in the near future would be the equivalent of a student's exercise in modmaking. Maybe a grad student but still a student.' I first posted this in early 2003, and it is no less true today. But that lightning bolt might hit when I least expect it too!


ONYX:

You are currently dedicated to creating modding tools, do you have plans for your future masterpieces?


MYHRGINOC:

I decided to work on tools this year because I was thinking about modding. But none of the tools I have looked at allows a person to compare modded data against original data, or 1.10 against 1.09. So I saw a niche I wanted to fill, and that led to the Skill Builder. With the Ancients revival, that idea became the seed for a mod development series, which will be four associated Access applications when I am done. I just released a beta version of the Monster Breeder, which will greatly assist us in bringing Ancients to 1.10. I also have a project under wraps for next year.


ONYX:

Deathschyte, you have been out of the modding scene for a while. What made you return to the Keep?


DEATHSCYTHE:

As i always say, Diablo is my all time favorite game and will never abandoned this game.. I will always be here as long as there is Phrozen keep is going online.. by the way i never return coz i never go away.. :mrgreen:


ONYX:

From the point of view of a user who hasn't been here for some time and then returned, what has changed in the Keep during your absence?


DEATHSCYTHE:

I was so suprised that Keep has grown this far... But i also not suprised about the improvements here coz there are so many talented and new comers that have fresh ideas and the right skill to mod.. I just wish that they will never forget those people who started it all even some of us are gone now..


ONYX:

What would one of the administrators of the Keep and one very experienced modmaker advise a new user who has just registered at the Keep?


MYHRGINOC:

Be ready to read a lot, and never stop practicing! The worst that can happen is something doesn't work. We have some great introductory material at the Keep, from the Beginner's Guide to the many file guides and tutorials. It all seems very formidable at the beginning, but you can do some interesting things even at an early stage. Get a good set of tools and techniques and let your imagination soar. Most of all, be sure to have some fun while doing it!


DEATHSCYTHE:

This is what i always advise, read all available guides from the Keep, join the discussion in mod making forums and try to implement all ideas you got, dont worry if they dont like it as long as you like it. be open minded get some ideas from friends and moderators in the forum.. dont be shy to ask questions on them , they are all glad to help all newbies.. be responsible on your file.. you never knew when you accidentally delete them or lose them... make some back ups... dont hurry up in releasing a mod. people can always wait for a nice and bug free mod.


ONYX:

What's your life like outside of the Keep? Do you have other hobbies and do they take such a significant amount of time as modding does?


MYHRGINOC:

Between a career, family activities and modding, I think I have accounted for 18 hours of the day...


DEATHSCYTHE:

Family man, i waste my time in making junk websites, playing ps2, and pc games as of now.... when another contract comes, then its work, work, work .... again.. :mrgreen:


ONYX:

Thanks for your time.


MYHRGINOC:

Thanks for the interview. As hobbies go, this is a good one, no physical danger (except perhaps eyestrain and carpal tunnel) and very inexpensive over time. (Where else can you get hundreds of hours out of $50 or so?) I have had a lot of fun over the years playing the game and tinkering with its mechanics. And the Keep has been a great place to practice it and share all of our progress with so many others.


DEATHSCYTHE:

Well, thanks also for your interview... I always enjoy being part of Phrozen Keep.. Mabuhay!!!

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[url=https://www.d2mods.info/forum/kb/viewarticle?a=306&sid=38151922c03d31ff2cdd150d1442a854]Knowledge Base - Interview - (2004-10-20) Myhrginoc and Deathscythe[/url]
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