Sander: Hey, welcome to the interview. Congrats again for winning the Best Story award!
OBCT: Hey, thanks. It's good to be here.

Sander: You seem to be pretty new to the TK Community. How and when did you find the TK?
OBCT: Well, I first discovered the Toolkit in August 2000. I fussed around with it for a while, but I never got anywhere. I didn't realize at the time that there was such a large community for it. A few years later, I downloaded a newer version, but once again I didn't bother with the community. In February of this year, I downloaded TK3, and saw the link for www.toolkitzone.com. I was amazed at how many people used the Toolkit, so I wanted to do something different with it. It caused me to stick with it and actually produce something for my effort.

Sander: Looks like the effort you put into it has been rewarded with the Best Story award. How do you feel about winning it?
OBCT: I was taken aback by how many people appreciated my game. It makes me want to continue to work on this game even more, and I hope that its storyline can be better in the game than on paper.

Sander: What made you set your game in a modern setting, as opposed to the classic medieval setting of RPGs?
OBCT: Well, I wanted to make as much of the game by myself as possible, so I was restrained by my skills. I can't make good medieval or nature graphics, so I chose an urban setting, where I can work with familiar shapes and sights. If I would've had someone to make the graphics, I might not have chosen a modern setting, so I think it's a good thing. I also chose a time period that I already knew a lot about. I'm really into early 80's punk music, like The Clash and The Sex Pistols. One song that I especially like is 'English Civil War', by The Clash. It focuses on the clashing racist issues during the 70's and 80's in England. So, I created my own part of history and developed it into my storyline.

Sander: Since the Summer Expo, you've joined Indreams Studios. What made you make this decision, and what do you hope to accomplish, or already have accomplished, by joining a company?
OBCT: By joining a company, I've been able to focus on my stronger skills for Bounty, and have help with my weaker skills. IDS seemed to be a perfect company for me, and I was welcomed with open arms. Since then, I've been able to continue working on Bounty, and some other members of IDS have been helping me to make Bounty into the greatest game possible.

Sander: Are there any new things you did for Bounty that you haven't shown yet?
OBCT: Yes. I've improved the graphics greatly, and IDS members DarkwinterDreams, Chaos, and Pezzer will do the music, considered by many to be the worst aspect of the first demo. I also have a few other things hidden away, some that even the other members of IDS don't know about.

Sander: What?!? Not even me? Well, why do you think people have voted for Bounty for the best story award? What made it special enough?
OBCT: Well, It's a unique concept. Just by having a modern setting, it's going to attract some attention. Another interesting thing is that it takes place on Earth, rather than some fictional world with chocobos or dragons. Also, a lot of the games being developed with the Toolkit today use the common cliche of 'saving the world' and 'the chosen one'. Bounty is just about a few people trying to survive or spread their ideals in a dangerous time period. A lot of people can relate to that, especially with the difficult time period we are living through right now. Bounty will touch on politics a bit too, which most games leave alone. The whole story focuses on things that matter to normal people.

Sander: With greater development of the RPG Toolkit version 3, you announced that Bounty would be developed utilizing this new version. Why did you port Bounty to Tk3, and how will this affect the development timeline of the game?
OBCT: Well, TK3 offered a lot of promising features. I especially like the isometric mode, tile bitmaps, and pixel movement. By porting Bounty to TK3, it will allow me to add these new features to the game, or even suggest new features for the TK3 Development that I could incorporate into Bounty. Everyone in IDS agreed: porting Bounty was a great idea, and Bounty will be up-to-date with TK3. It seemed like the right time to port Bounty too. I had released a demo, and I realized that a lot of things needed to change. I ported Bounty before a great amount of work was done for Demo 2, so porting was easier, and Bounty is taking a better direction, with a more solid storyline.

Sander: Are you going to participate with this game or another game in the Winter Expo 2004?
OBCT: I'm going to stick with Bounty. I really like this game. I won't even begin to develop another game until Bounty is completely finished. I'm going to participate in the expo with Bounty, but I'm not sure with what yet. *laughs*

Sander: This was our first time doing awards at the expo. What do you think of the whole thing?
OBCT: It was a great experience. I think it's a good way to organize the community and let them know what everyone's doing.

Sander: Well, thank you for your time. Any last things you would like to say?
OBCT: Not really.

Sander: Not really? NOT REALLY??
OBCT: Ok, ok. I'll say something... Good luck to everyone participating in the Winter Expo, and I'll see you there. Happy?

Sander: Hmm, sounds a bit sarcastic, but I guess its good enough. Thank you and have a nice day!
OBCT: Thanks.