October 2003: Bobosama interviews NeoPickaze

Bobosama: What was the first website you ever worked with in the Abandonware scene? Who were some of your earlier contacts in the business?

NeoPickaze: In my lifelong search to reclaim one particular game, my search lead me to a site named 21st Century Oldies with a guy named NetDanzR, I'd been playing around with shockwave and must have impressed my way into a review job, being only 13 years old the reviews I produced were of *cough* sub-standard quality and I'm lucky I got a position there.

The main people I got on with at the start were...

...NetDanzr, Mr. Creosote (who learned me a lot) and someone known as Wasp27 a really cool italian guy - who introduced me to Vinny and bang, we just clicked (not in a gay kind of way - but we just thought alike and had similar ideas).

Bobosama: Who came up with the name Echo?

NeoPickaze: Me and vinny had been throwing names at each other, I decided it would be the best way to throw cool words back and forth, we were hitting names like AcidRing, ViewRing, GravityRing and other real wierd names like that, we decided on one called NightVision Ring for a long time, I made a design (which really did suck) but we never released it (mainly due to lack of decent server space).

NeoPickaze: We were going through a barrage of nouns and Echo simply stuck. …or is Echo a verb?

Bobosama: its both: an echo, to echo 

Bobosama: Which is your favorite version? Why?

NeoPickaze: Hmm, I don't have any particular favorite, from the work I spent on them all the best period was the creation, I was working hard and Vinny was giving me real positive feedback - it all felt awesome - the apprehension before launches. If I had to choose though I was really proud of EchoRing 3 and I'm certain a Christmas day launch date reflected that (or maybe I'm just sad). It's just a shame....

NeoPickaze: ...in my oppinion that we were avoided, I believe we were under-appreciated, all the webmasters had to do was submit their site - simple.

Bobosama: So what did happen in the later months of Echo 3.0?

NeoPickaze: Hmm, My memory is really bad - but as I remember we started missing updates and me and Vinny were losing communications, on top of that nothing was changing, no new sites etc and I'm a dynamic person, I don't like staying in the same place too long I like fresh challenges but after a while we lost our motivation.

It would be very very accurate to say the best part of running a ring is getting...

...feedback from a wonderfully positive co-webmaster who knows how to motivate you, once the ring opened we seemed to lose that again and eventually we both decided it should close - for good.

Bobosama: What are your feelings towards what Bobosama is trying to accomplish?

NeoPickaze: If I'm honest at first I was a little unsure about EchoRing being involved, I couldn't understand why someone would want to re-open a dead ring than open a new one - especially one with such a bad reputation as ours did (or was me and Vinny had) But I'm quite pleased with the direction he's taken the ring, it's not too different, but it's just different enough and it takes it a step closer to...our most popular v1 / v2 styles - but i'll warn him it's tough to feel appreciated in a scene   without a figurehead anymore, or a huge resource site to handle everything and make sure people doing good get praise and people doing bad get scolded... I'm sure if LuN had still been around EchoRing 3 would have continued as long as he dished out the Kudos

Bobosama: Aside from the ring, have you run any Abandonware sites and what are your plans for your future in the scene?

NeoPickaze: !AirWare, Relay, RelaySound, Relay3000 and 3000*Linkpage were my other abandonware sites, I left the scene a while back though, and I do occasionally look back - I might return in the future with something else, but I'll probably not come back using this nick - it's a bad representation for me now, I've changed a lot - keep your eyes out.

Bobosama: Are you still close with Vinny The Saint? Any chance you may work with him on something in the future?

NeoPickaze: We don't talk as much as we used to, I'm sure we're good friends but we've grown into different people and our interests are beggining to spread. I'm always a little busy when I'm on my computer now, especially with the weight of my education hanging over me. There is every chance I may work with him, but I may work with someone else - or I might never do anything again...

NeoPickaze: ... Realistically though, I'd love to work with him again, but not in abandonware, we've enjoyed our Punch & Judy days and perhaps it would be interesting to try to tackle somewhere else

Bobosama: Do you have any tips for the new generation of EchoRing webmasters?

NeoPickaze: Know what you are doing is helping people, we never had anything to gain from EchoRing when we were doing it - but we really did go over the top looking for praise, all we wanted to see was EchoRing is awsome everywhere -but we didn't and it disheartened us, stick with it even if the praise doesn't come straight away, I'm sure if someone can stick it out through the rough times they'll get their...rewards at the end.

Bobosama: Thank you for the words of wisdom.

Bobosama: May your name live in infamy and may you join the Abandonware GODS.

Bobosama: Echo won't be the same without you, but I will do my best.

October 2003: Bobosama interviews Muad'dib

BoboSama: How did you first discover Abandonware?

Muad'dib: Somewhere in 1999, I found an article about Abandonware in a gaming magazine. There were some links in it to sites such as Home of the Underdogs and The Official Abandonware Ring. I didn't have internet back then, but my girlfriend had : ). I still remember that I used to take dosens of floppy disks when I went to her, so I could download all kinds of cool classic games.

BoboSama: When did you first become active in the "scene"? (Started posting on the forums, talking to other people, participating in sites?)

Muad'dib: I think it started somewhere in May, I can't really remember. When I first started with AbandonStuff (in March), I didn't realise how big the scene actually was, and I was really shy, since my site really sucked. But the first contact must have been the Diskworld forum. After a while I had Shenmoo in my list, then 3k (I played aoe with them) and then I met more and more people

BoboSama: Ah, I remember playing AOE with you

BoboSama: that brought many of us together back in the day

Muad'dib: yeah

BoboSama: that was actually a sort of reincarnation, because we used to play in 2001 all the time and then stopped totally and then resumed 2 years later

Muad'dib: oh, didn't know that

BoboSama: On to the next question, What motivated you to start your own site and how did you come about it?

Muad'dib: I loved abandonware sites. I just loved the old games, the reviews, the box-covers...everything. I really wanted my own abandonware site, I was already making simple sites before I had internet, hoping I could put them online some day. Abandonware just reminded me to the great times when I played Dune 2, Quest for Glory 3, King's Quest 5, and I wanted to give other people the same feeling with my own site

BoboSama: Now many versions of AbandonStuff have there been? Has anyone helped you thus far?

Muad'dib: I'm now working on the 6th version, and Grades is helping me with the php and mysql stuff. The previous versions have all been made by myself, using and changing some cool scripts I found at hotscripts.com. But the designs were all by me

BoboSama: How did you come about to become an updater at EchoRing?

Muad'dib: I thought rings were really cool, I was even thinking to make my own ring in the beginning but luckily I was smart enough not to do that. But still, updating a ring was something I really wanted to do, and I was always hoping that someday I would have the chance to do that, and you gave me that chance.

Muad'dib: And I'm still gratefull for that : )

BoboSama: So what are your plans for the future?

Muad'dib: AbadonStuff 6 of course! After much hard work it's almost ready, and I'm hoping to be in the scene with AbandonStuff for much more years.

Muad'dib: I'm even hoping that some day I'll have the money to buy my own server

Muad'dib: Learning PHP and MySQL also is something I want to do in the future, I already know a little of it, but not enough.

BoboSama: Sounds like a plan then. Thank you for your time, I look forward to seeing AbandonStuff 6.0.

August 2003: Bobosama interviews Lodiak

BoboSama: First of, everyone wants to know, where have you been for the past 6 months?

Lodiak: I have been playing with my band, been with my mates and spent time with my girlfriend and so on...nothing special actually.

BoboSama: How did you manage to stay offline for such a long period of time? Many have attempted this great feat and failed after a few days?

Lodiak: The answer is simple, if you don't have a working computer, you can't connect Internet neither

BoboSama: Theres always those damned cyber cafes though .

Lodiak: Yup, I had to use one to check my e-mail and such.

BoboSama: What was the first Abandonware site that you participated in?

Lodiak: It was my very first site, Adventurer's Guild.

BoboSama: How did that work out?

Lodiak: It was a sucky little site which I had to close because of personal reasons after two months or so.

BoboSama: How did LoG come about?

Lodiak: Umm...After some months when  I closed Adventurer's Guild, I opened L.O.G. It was quite a poor site first but it grew up after some time and in the end it was pretty good quality site which I had to close because lack of time.

BoboSama: How did you first find out about Abandonware? Who are some of your closer contacts?

Lodiak: The usual reason, I was looking for old games. I think the first site was The Abandon Keep. I don't think I have any closer contacts at all.

BoboSama: How did you get involved at EchoRing?

Lodiak: NeoPickaze was looking for help in updating Echo Ring and I agreed to join the crew.

BoboSama: Can you describe your stay there?

Lodiak: Well, first it was an update now and then...two times a week or something. Then I soon found myself updating the whole site alone because the other crewies didn't have time or they didn't have a working net connection or something...then I left the crew just before Echoring version 3, because lack of time.

BoboSama: Are you aware that there is an EchoRing 4?

Lodiak: Yup, I know the current version is 4.

BoboSama: So what do you think of Bobosama's efforts and how the crew is holding up?

Lodiak: I haven't taken a deep look into the site and the actions of crew. I can't really say anything at this point.

BoboSama: Ok, just a few more questions. How did you first meet Bobosama? What are your impressions?

Lodiak: Umm...I think it was then when Bobosama was running the site called Wizard Ware for the first time. I don't exactly remember how we met but anyway...the impressions are something about a tech-expert who has plenty of time and skill to do abandonware stuff (still).

BoboSama: Thank you for agreeing to this interview.

July 2003: Bobosama interviews Iceman

Bobosama: When did you first enter the scene? What was your first site?

Iceman: Well, I found Abandonware in late 1999 when I was searching for Aces over the Europe. I tried to find it through AltaVista, but I only found lots of useless crap sites through that. Then there was one site which had a word "OldWarez" in its title. 

Iceman: The site was down but then I searched for "oldwarez" and found lots of old games that I had lost. Finally I ended up to an abandonware site where I found Aces over the Europe. 

Bobosama: When did you first meet Miles? How did you come up with the idea of starting a ring?  

Iceman: A year after my friend asked me at school that he was interested in opening a site and ask me to join crew. However, he didn't know what content he would put up and I told him about Abandonware. So then we started The Thing, it was late 2000. And The Thing joined first Abandonware rings on January 2001. I met Miles at #pcoldies However, I started at #pcoldies with idling. When I finally started talking there I met Miles We were planning an emulation site with Anti those days and I ended up to a channel called #syntaxerror and Miles was also there 

Bobosama: When did you decide you wanted to start a ring? 

Iceman: DOO was originally Miles' idea, he was planning to start a ring, I think it was on May 2002 Anyway, he asked me to join the crew 

Bobosama: DOO excluded, what would you say is your favorite ring and why? 

Iceman: I have two favorite rings at the moment: TUOL and Abandoned Places. TUOL because it's stable and has regular updates. AP because of the quality sites it provides, good news posts and daily updates 

Bobosama: How did you end up getting a job at DFL? 

Iceman: Diskboy was tired of abandonware and was looking for people who wanted to run DFL (and Diskworld as well). I replied to him that I could keep up TGARL and Elite Links (I was too busy to write news at that time). However, I have now written news on the DFL as well. 

Bobosama: What are your plans for the future? 

Iceman: I'll keep updating DOO, TT and DFL until I'm off to army on January 2004. So for DOO I need more crew members to update when I'm off 

Bobosama: So we won't be seeing any more Iceman in 6 months? 

Iceman: Nope, I'm not going to disappear. The army lasts a year but there are "holidays" when you get home and I can update DOO and TT, and post to DFL then

Bobosama: Thank you for your time. The scene will miss you. 

Iceman: Thanks for interviewer

July 2003: Bobosama interviews Hanging

Bobosama: Hi, thank you for agreeing to this interview. First off, how did you come up with the nick hanGing?

hanGing: Right, get comfortable. when I first came into the scene I was known as jaznatas (jaz for short) - but I wasn’t really "known" - so I decided to search for a new nickname... The full nickname is hangingfromashotglass - a reference to alcoholism. I just shorten it for ease of use. Where I got it from - a song I wrote when I was 15 and drinking (im now sXe)

Bobosama: Interesting... what was the first website you ever participated in at the "scene"?

hanGing: first website I participated on was the reservatory for endangered games as a reviewer - before that I just lurked at the abandonware pub (when TUOL was nearly good)

Bobosama: What are your current projects and plans for the future?

hanGing: current projects - Well I now solely run AbandonRom Paradise and for the moment the emulation ring. I also act as an admin/owner at DaFastLane, and Admin at Tagalaxy. Outside Abandonware/Emulation... I contribute at www.evilpixie.co.uk and will soon be running a site for my band. Any other projects - well I'm always looking for things to do. (few things in works) - but as a web designer im a retard.

Bobosama: What year did you enter the scene and what are some of your favorite sites, rings and webmasters?

hanGing: ooh i think I entered the scene in 99... not quite sure. My fave site has always been HOTU; I loved the reservatory, as well as Turnips vegigarden (my entry to the scene in some ways) Ring - wise, I have to say The Emulation Ring don’t I And Echo ring and Aplaces as well As for webbies, erm I seem to get on best with Asher (aka Lunatic), Diskboy and Voh - but I have met a load of cool people in the scene... oh Iceman deserves a mention as well

Bobosama: Ah, yes, Asher, I remember helping him with LOG before he went off to Israel.

hanGing: we host it... well tagalaxy did i think... not sure... no thinking of Legendaarista

Bobosama: How would you describe the current state of Abandonware?

hanGing: Im not sure, I could describe it as "quiet" - nothing new happens. To be honest at the moment I concentrate more on the emulation side of things. The good thing about Abandonware is that new people are coming forward with a passion that’s needed to keep the scene going. I look forward to the day that I can be treated as a veteran (which in a way i am already)

Bobosama: What are your opinions on Echo 4.0 and Bobosama?

hanGing: I like echo 4.0 - very nice ring (as you can tell by the speed i joined it), as for Bobosama, I think that you're fishing for compliments.

Bobosama: Well thank you for your time. Big things are on the horizon from Bobosama in the future, keep your eyes peeled.

hanGing: I always keep an eye - especially to people that could be as good as me!

July 2003: Bobosama Interviews Bunnzy

Bobosama says: Thank you for agreeing to this interview. When did you first become involved with Abandonware? What was your first site?

Bunnzy says: I first became involved around.. 97 or 98... I was a lurker, looking for old games. I was too scared to talk to people online :-) My first site was BA [Bunnzy Abandonware], which started in 2000.

Bobosama says: When did you release version 2.0 of BA? Could you describe the original for us?

Bunnzy says: Version 2 was… mid 2001. It was first black and orange :-)

Bobosama says: Who were some of your first contacts in "the scene"? Which sites, webmasters and rings are you most fond of?

Bunnzy says: Fond of... aww. My first contact was sheppy. The people I am most of fond of are the people from #abandongames infinity-irc. But im pretty good friends with nearly everyone :-)

Bobosama says: BA aside, are there any sites or rings which have a special meaning to you?

Bunnzy says: Well, being over on AP is cool! And there are a few places that I have fond memories of that I wish were like they used to be. I guess I don’t have as much to do with abandonware forums or anything like I used to. Things in the http abandonware scene aren't like they used to be. In some ways they are better, in other ways they are not.

Bobosama says: I know what you mean :-)
What are your plans for the future?

Bunnzy says: For me or for my site?

Bobosama says: Both

Bunnzy says: BA will continue to live on. I don’t add many games, because im restricted, I would love to expand, but we just don’t have the facilities. I also like to keep it controllable, and gord and the small group of people that help me out are my angels. We'll keep it going. It’s what i know and love - abandonware. Myself, well... My mum has had her cancer cleared, so I can once again plan ahead for what I wanna do. I'm moving overseas in 6 months

Bobosama says: To where?

Bunnzy says: I have an on year around the world ticket, I can go wherever i want

Bobosama says: Stop by New York :-)

Bunnzy says: for sure. you can buy me a coffee :-)

Bobosama says: Haha, will do Bobosama says: Is there any title which means something to you? Such as your first game, etc.

Bunnzy says: I can’t remember my first game, but when I think of old games I think of Race! A game by Carl Erikson.. the game that i used to play with my cousins. Collecting spanners n stuff, crashing and burning. Those were the awesomest times of my life

Bobosama says: :-)
Bobosama says: On a closing note, what are your thoughts on EchoRing 4 and Bobosama's quest to revive it?

Bunnzy says: Stick with it. The abandonware scene needs growth. Things are never easy, but we all get there. and good for you :-)

Bobosama says: Thank you for the kind words. Good luck with Bunnzy Abandonware 3.0. See you in 6 months :-)

Bobosama

I first learned about Bobosama through his websites EmuGateway and WizardWare, which revolved around Abandonware Emulation games and Anime. Very nicely designed and user friendly websites. He then immersed himself into the abandonware community and was a likeable character. With ambitious momentum he also started EmuWare, which had been an Abandonware/Emulation ring. My interest with abandonware had been phasing out and I had less and less to do with it at this point (2003/2004) and NeoPickaze and myself called it a day with our abandonware ring 'EchoRing' and the .com had been sold off (more on this scandal in the future) against my wishes, however I had retained the .co.uk for keep sake.

Starting an abandonware ring (or any website) from scratch was not (and is not) easy if you are not used to endless days of websites not updating, no new sites joining - it can all seem a bit pointless after a while, if you are doing it for external interaction. I believe he felt like that with EmuWare and had eventually closed that project. He then reached out to me and told me he had been a fan of EchoRing when he was a member of it and wanted to revive it. I appreciated that there had been someone that was a fan of the ring and didn't want it's legacy to end the way it had done (dormant and sold off - more on this scandal in the future) so I threw my support fully behind him and offered any behind the scene help I could do. He breathed new life into Echoring, had a decent sized crew, added features that NeoPickaze and I had not thought of and was able to attract members to the ring we had been unable to do so ourselves. After 18 months or so, the natural evolution happended and EchoRing closed with his farewell message. I understand he had stayed in the scene for a while, concentrating on his website EmuGateway.

Quite a few years afterwards I learned from Diskboy that he had sadly passed away. This left me quite shocked. For me, Bobosama epitomised - new blood, change, progress and ambition. I feel very fortunate that I had became friends with him and felt honoured that he had been a fan of a website I had something to do with and helped revive it.

At the time he was in charge of Echoring, he published a series of interviews with people in the Abandonware community of that era - which I retained and feel it would be fitting to publish them here, once again.

Rest in Peace Boris - thank you for your everything.