A. Calling me the creator of Tibia is too much honor though ;o) I created a lot of the sorundings and a lot of the story and mythology, but the true creators are CIP of course ;o)

Q. To explain our readers, and in plain words, how much of Tibia has you constructed?

A. Let me see, I did the plains of havoc first, later on Rookgaard, after that Kazordoon, Ab'Dendriel, The Carlin Sewers, and finally Edron. I think I also did most NPCs in Tibia and there are only a few NPCs who were not at least 'updated' by me. I even created some of the graphics, or better 'edited' them, just look for the most ugly monsters in different versions, those are probably my work ;o)

Q. I'm sure many of our readers are curious about the tools you use to create the worlds of Tibia. Without going too techy, can you explain barely how the whole thing work?

A. There is an editor program supplies by CIP, it basicaly works like the editors that come with several existing games. Its graphical mainly and only some is text based. Its use is somewhat irritating at first since it was not build for the users convenience. Its a tool a programmer created for himself in the beginning, so its somewhat irritating to be used and it needs some time to get familliar with it. CIP was not aware of certain things you could 'do' with the editor and had to change the programming since it could be misused. In the beginning I accidently deleted halve of the things I just created and the editor has NO 'undo' function (of course ;o)). Its verry easy to make errors with the editor and after the first glance most would-be editors became annoyed by it and never ever finished their work. I think about halve of the people who tried to edit an area quitted.

Q. Are you free to add as much stuff as you want at random, or is there a plan to follow?

A. CIP has certain ideas about an area. They usually decribe their idea in a few sentences, I reply with some of my ideas and then they tell me what is wanted and what not. For Ab'Dendriel for instance CIP told me they wanted an elven town, not too clustred and in comparison to Kazordoon more hunting areas and less 'only to look at'. The dungeons, their theme and their dangerlevel were my decission. Of course CIP checks things while I am building an area and ask me to change certain stuff. I usually place no big treasure on my own but tell CIP where to place it on the finished map (with the exception of storybased items). So even I could be surprised what actually can be found in a dungeon.

On Edron there was a rough map with areas, like where the town should be, where which levels should hunt. I examined it and decided to ad some physical bounaries to ensure the safety of the town itself. It should be impossible to lure anything realy harming there. Some ideas had to be dropped or 'resized'. I would have added a whole magic city, build of ivory towers in some sea, but there was no space left to do that.

Well at least after Edron there are enough ideas left for another area or two ;o)

That CIP gives a description and I make it real does not mean CIP likes the outcome thereafter though ;o) Kazordoon for instance should be 'hidden' and a 'town'. Later on CIP would have rather liked another open city like Thais and a lot of smaller with more hunting grounds (as I started there was no talking about huntingrounds at all ;o)). Since I like the Kazordoon feeling I convinced CIP to keep it that way we know it and I look forward to the adittion of new areas close to it, to increase its popularity. Its undisputed though that its a save haven angainst PKing and the most peacefull communitie in Tibia.

Q. How do you consider which areas needs to be added/retouched? I suppose one can study the players flows over the world to determine if a certain part is mostly empty?

A. The mass of players an area attracts is not a measurement how 'good' an area is. Some meaningless area with fast respawning monsters, placed in easy accessible rooms and an NPC who buys the loot and sells mana and runes would surely attract a lot of people. But thats nothing I would like to see in Tibia. While editing you have to balance what people would like to have and whats good for them and the game.

Usually I do what CIPs want to have done. They had a certain Tibia in mind from the beginning and areas are added to fit that picture one on one. On a few occasions I strongly suggest something to CIP and sometimes they even agree to me ;o) Usually this leads to extensions of existing dungeons or ad-ons like the carlin sewers. I usually concentrate on problems in the areas, not realy on maximising exp-hunts etc.

Even if CIP could do some check where people cluster and where rarely someone walks to, I doubt they'd do that. The only check they certainly do is for inhabitats of cities, though I think thats not representative, since a city is often only as popular as the soruonding areas are.

Q. People either love or hate your work: Kazordoon, Ab'dendriel... where do you get your inspiration?

A. I like the idea that the areas are allready there and I just remove the darkness from the map ;o) I see something in another game, read something, see a movie and I start to think, what would this look like in Tibia, how could one create that (or that feeling) in Tibia? I use such things as inspiration though, nothing looks like the source of the idea afterwards. Some ideas come while working with the editor, its like : 'what if i put those on theese...'.

To make some things possible you have to be more then imaginative. The AB'Dendriel maze for instance was far too easy using the automap. I was very disappointed in the tests and thought about a way to prevent that. So I came up with the dchungle grass idea virtually in the last minute.

Some Ideas just don't work in the game at all and I am disapointed with the view, like the colossus infront of Kazordoon. Its realy hard to understand whats the concept of it, if you did not enter it and even then it needs a lot of imagination. Or the poison tower on Edron, it just did not look like I wanted it to look. Thats why I probabl never try my luck at a tibian sphinx as I planned to in the past ;o)

At some point of building an area i run out of space, but not ideas, so I have a bunch of ideas that I could not put in and they wait more or less patiently in my mind for the next area to come.

Q. Many people have fallen in love with Rookgaard, including myself. The balance there is incredible, and there are so many wonderfull spots like the dead dragon to visit at a later stage, when you feel stronger, let alone the quests and the look for rares... What comments can you share with us about Rookgaard?

A. I created rookgaard with an eye on balance. I even checked the monsters loot and aked CIP to change it, to fit the needs of rookgaard. Another things I did was to reduce the use of graphics since CIP wanted the people to leave rookgaard for the continent and see 'more'. So I used only basic graphics mainly. Since I created it from scratch and could control which item is acessible what way I could actually use items as quest-items. Of course it can be abused due to the system and the same people can do a quest again and again but thats hardcoded, nothing I can change. This is rookgaards major flaw: the quests are misused and almost impossibly to be 'solved' by real newbies but its techically the only way to make quests work at all.

The situation on rookgaard was special though. I had control over ALL resources, could not only balance a single dungeon, but a whole enviroment. Given the fact I could have the npcs sell what I wanted and edit the monsters loot I had the chance to create somthing I fellt the whole Tibia should have been. I would love to ad more such quests on main too, but thats technically impossible yet, not to mention the given distribution of items.

I have certain ideas to improove the rookgaard experience, but this might have to wait until there are more posibilities to ad quests and such things.

Q. Talking about Rookgaard... Knightmare... for King Tibianus sake... is there a way to get the Sword of Fury? :)

A. The easiest way is to bribe a CIP member to teleport there and get it for you. I heared they love pizza ;o)

There are so many secrets hidden in my areas that never ever where found, only the obvious things seems to attract peoples attention and possibly distract it from other things that would be too obvious else ;o)

Q. The first time I went to main I was a bit disappointed because there were so many wilderness and I become bored walking around, trying to find the "action". Even when I have heard very few complains about this... what do you think of these open areas? Are there plans to fill them with exciting news in any way?

A. Yes certain areas will be filled up with 'hunting grounds' CIP is aware what people really want ;o) We have to keep in to let some areas untouched for later improvements such as sources for raw material if ever new skills are included. Some areas were that often delayed ... I think the area left to Kazordoon is missing since 2 or 3 years. Editors came and went. CIPs agendas changed ... One on one the 'unused' spots will be filled. But since people want new monsters too there has to be some space left for those ;o)

I think the basic areas right now are a good base to play with. Certain areas are not that popular because cities are to far away ot for ither reasons. Adding mor such areas would do no good at all.People would not switch from their favourite area to some remote lonly spot.

I guess as much as they complain about overcrowded dungeons, they would become nervous if they encounter noone for some hours ;o)

Q. Is there any more areas you feel needs some tweak, or that you would like to change?

A. The plains of havoc are hollow as a cheese. Sadly it was my first work and I was far to ambituos considering 'special effects'. So about 75% of the plains of havoc are not open to the public yet. If CIP finds the time we will make more and more of theese areas acessible. Other areas need some tinkering too. I would like to have Thais some more major roads, Kazordoon needs the adjectant areas that were planned to acompany it in the time i created it.

Rookgaard needs a special beginnerdungeon without ratstealing high levels (CIP promised to ad that soon) and perhaps even a small premium area.

There is much left to be done and since Tibia is growing and the needs of people are changing areas have to be improved constantly. For now I would love to see Thais a bit improved. Its getting too crowded for its two major roads. A little 'facelift' would help much (though rooms for rent make this difficult if not impossible). Other areas need some fixes or 'ad-ons' too. But I think too harsh changes would change the 'feeling' of an area too much (to at least, I bet certain players would not even notice it).

Q. On a personal side..., do your morale goes down when you see people is not using an area you created with a purpose in mind? Like the tavern in Edron, over the depot; very rarely you can see people having a chat there...

A. No not realy. Its meant for the players fun. If its not fun for them to use it, its no big deal its seldom used. Its not only there for the people but for the story and for me too ;o) The area would not feel right if such vital parts would be missing. Even if people don't USE a certain part of an area they know its there and FEEL it. Its pure existence gives an area more meaning and depth.

Q. Looking at some spots one could think you are a bit evil... like the depot entrance in Edron. You cannot see if a firefield is waiting you there when you get out... :)

A. I have a lot of posible abuses in mind if I create an area but can not erradicate all. I this case its a question of the protection zones which were put in by CIP and not by me so I can excuse myself and put all the blame on CIP ;o) In other cases usable areas were changed or will be changed. But be sure they will come up with the next abuse soon enough.

Q. For our female readers, and on an humorous tone, what do you have to say about the NPC in the Outlaw Campament that does not attend females?

A. It was Guidos work I guess. Its one of the Few NPCs I am innocent of. My NPCs are more polite to ladys, like Bozo for instance ;o) I have no clue why Guido made him this way or gave him that od name. I did not even make the female dominated society of carlin that restrictive ;o) The blame for that goes to CIP (as usual ;o))

Q. On a final note, and without spoiling out many details, can you give us some hints about which parts of the world you are working on currently? :)

A. Currently I plan to update the NPCs but its a tiresome job. There are still many missing and many of the existing ones need to be updated with information. I plan to do that since months but had less time then I'd expeced for private reasons. I will update them one on one and not a bunch of them at once though. So It might be unnoticed by the Tibians. On the other hand its sad enough how many information already hidden in the NPCs was never ever uncovered. I admit some info is quite hard to get and my 'update' will make some things more clear.

Areawise I am unsure what CIP will want to ad next. There were at least two areas planned near Kazordoon (since years).

Q. Knightmare... is there anything else you may want to add to this interview?

A. Hey, I was the only one not to get this 'corrupt' GM question, does that mean that question was about me? ;o)

Q. Of course not! Its just that for this interview we were more interested in your work as world-constructor...

A. Well seriously, by talking about that thing again and again, people get the impression there has to be something about it (thats a technique I use on NPCs too ;o)). People can be assured the normal, polite player will have nothing to do with Gamemasters at all. But this disgusting habit of spreading rumors and making a thing thrice told reality is realy annoying in the internet communities. These evil spirt of rumors has its grip on Tibia too and you cant imagine how fast some annoyed kid can ruin a reputation with some lies, the more you fight it, the more you seem guilty and all your old enemys will gladly join the ranks of people throw dirt at you, any time some of theese tiresome rumors comes up. The sad thing is that many players hold predjucises againt people without ever haven even seen them, not to mention having talked to them. hey just 'know' an other char of a brother of a friends schoolmate had theese troubles with .... oh well, I think you got the picture.
But thats not realy a Tibian problem. Its to be found in any more old communities in the internet.

I can assure you GMs are supervised and choosen carefully so players realy should bother more about monsters the about GMs ;o)