Morpher: Interview With Aro on Twisted Insurrection
Morpher wrote:
Twisted Insurrection
Interview with Aro
By Morpher.
Morpher:
Aro, what is the goal and purpose of Twisted Insurrection?
Aro:
Twisted Insurrection's goal is to make a successful release soon with both graphics to please the eyes and game-play that far exceeds that of Tiberian Sun, and I like to think that together, me, Lin Kuei Ominae and our staff have managed to do just that.
Morpher:
What inspired Twisted Insurrection and how did the mod begin?
Aro:
Back when I first started up Twisted Insurrection in early 2007, it was originally meant to be a new campaign for Tiberian Sun's Firestorm expansion pack. After that campaigns release I had nothing else to do in my spare time so I decided to go back to Twisted Insurrection. After a couple of months I decided to add some additional units to make Twisted Insurrection like an expansion pack, but that idea was abandoned shortly after I hired some talented staff members so I figured it was time to start something bigger. It is now 2010 and Twisted Insurrection is a popular Semi-Total conversion mod with all new units, game-play, graphics, storylines and runs stand-alone.
Morpher:
So what makes this mod unique? How will it stand out from other mods in the CnC scene?
Aro:
It's hard to say exactly. I'd say that Twisted Insurrection is unique mainly due-to it's storyline, Terrain, the complex GloboTech faction and the different approach on both the Nod and GDI styles (Especially Nod). I haven't played another Tiberian Sun mod that has both a fully functional campaign and both Skirmish and Online play, so I can't compare but I'm sure our campaign, graphics and game-play will do us well when it comes to standing out from the crowd (Even though there are some brilliant mods out there in the crowd).
Morpher:
Have you learned anything useful whilst working on Twisted Insurrection you could share with fellow modders?
Aro:
The amount I have learned and gained from working on Twisted Insurrection is astonishing. Thanks to working on Twisted Insurrection, I have learned many new modding techniques (Voxeling, 3D Modeling, Terrain(!), Coding Breakthroughs etc.). Another note that I feel the urge to mention is that I am now a very experienced Photoshop artist, and if it wasn't for working on Twisted Insurrection, I wouldn't have the abilities that I do at this point in time.
Leading a mod is not an easy thing to do as you know yourself Morpher. My advice to any new mod leaders would be the following: The best thing to do is to keep your staff Organized and to try your best to prevent any overlapping roles . I think the best thing to do is assign a member of staff to a specific role, for example: Our ErastusMercy is dedicated to working on Nod and Twisted Dawn voxels and Lin Kuei Ominae is dedicated to working on the Nod Structures. This also helps to prevent clashing art styles. Another word of advice would be to always consider hiring a co-leader; Thanks to our Co-Leader Lin Kuei Ominae the Twisted Insurrection heart is still pumping blood even when I don't have the time to work on it.
Morpher:
Twisted Insurrection is a large project, what do you find most difficult about working on it, and what do you find most enjoyable?
Aro:
The most difficult thing is knowing that there is a lot of work to be done. When you think about how much work is ahead of you it can really kill your motivation, but the best thing to do is to get back on the horse and solve each problem piece by piece and don't give up. There are plenty of things I find enjoyable from leading Twisted Insurrection such as having online games with the Staff (sometimes we have staff tournaments just for the fun of it), finding how to make the most out of what Tiberian Sun has to offer and creating unique terrain.
Morpher:
Are there any other CnC projects you are particularly looking forward to?
Aro:
It's very rare that I will see a mod and want to play it, but there are a fair few out there that I've been keeping my eyes on for the amount of potential they posess. Some of the "Major Mods" and the odd few un-common mods I am looking forward to, both Tiberian Odyssey and the Dawn of the Tiberium Age (Both of which I have the priviledge of being a staff member of) are very promising looking mods and would love to see go much further than where they currently stand. There are a few mods that are not very well known which I have been keeping my eyes on such as ZoidZilla's: Tiberian Fall mod, which unfortunately doesn't seem to be showing much life these days and [TiberianFuture]'s CABAL's Legacy which is already off to a fantastic start. Moving aside from the TS side of C&C, there are a few Yuri's Revenge mods which are definitely going to be successful such as Apollo's Robot Storm and Mig Eater's D-Day (Both of which I have the priviledge of being a staff member of). I'd love to see these mods go much further and making very successful releases in the future (Even more successful releases in the case of Robot Storm and Dawn of the Tiberium Age).
Morpher:
In a nutshell, what is your favorite CnC game and why?
Aro:
It may sound shocking for some, but my favorite CnC game has always been Red Alert 2 (+ Yuri's Revenge). Back when I first played this game I was only young and I didn't care much for storylines, but the game-play was and still is fantastic both online and single-player. I used to play Red Alert 2 online so much that I even made it into the XWIS Hall of Fame back in 2004. I've always liked modding Yuri's Revenge too because it's a very flexible and stable engine, hopefully my newest Yuri's Revenge project will be completed and public one day. So Red Alert 2 definitely wins the award of Aro's favorite CnC game, but Tiberian Sun will always be my favorite game to mod just for the engines charm, however limited it may be.
Morpher:
Thank you for your time Aro, I hope that this offers a bit of insight into Twisted Insurrection development and also gives people a few mods to keep an eye out for as well as a few general modding tips! Twisted Insurrection can be found on many places around the net so make sure to check the progress and offer feedback to help the team!
Twisted Insurrection - Website
Twisted Insurrection - PPM Forums
Twisted Insurrection - Mod DB
Interview with Aro
By Morpher.
Morpher:
Aro, what is the goal and purpose of Twisted Insurrection?
Aro:
Twisted Insurrection's goal is to make a successful release soon with both graphics to please the eyes and game-play that far exceeds that of Tiberian Sun, and I like to think that together, me, Lin Kuei Ominae and our staff have managed to do just that.
Morpher:
What inspired Twisted Insurrection and how did the mod begin?
Aro:
Back when I first started up Twisted Insurrection in early 2007, it was originally meant to be a new campaign for Tiberian Sun's Firestorm expansion pack. After that campaigns release I had nothing else to do in my spare time so I decided to go back to Twisted Insurrection. After a couple of months I decided to add some additional units to make Twisted Insurrection like an expansion pack, but that idea was abandoned shortly after I hired some talented staff members so I figured it was time to start something bigger. It is now 2010 and Twisted Insurrection is a popular Semi-Total conversion mod with all new units, game-play, graphics, storylines and runs stand-alone.
Morpher:
So what makes this mod unique? How will it stand out from other mods in the CnC scene?
Aro:
It's hard to say exactly. I'd say that Twisted Insurrection is unique mainly due-to it's storyline, Terrain, the complex GloboTech faction and the different approach on both the Nod and GDI styles (Especially Nod). I haven't played another Tiberian Sun mod that has both a fully functional campaign and both Skirmish and Online play, so I can't compare but I'm sure our campaign, graphics and game-play will do us well when it comes to standing out from the crowd (Even though there are some brilliant mods out there in the crowd).
Morpher:
Have you learned anything useful whilst working on Twisted Insurrection you could share with fellow modders?
Aro:
The amount I have learned and gained from working on Twisted Insurrection is astonishing. Thanks to working on Twisted Insurrection, I have learned many new modding techniques (Voxeling, 3D Modeling, Terrain(!), Coding Breakthroughs etc.). Another note that I feel the urge to mention is that I am now a very experienced Photoshop artist, and if it wasn't for working on Twisted Insurrection, I wouldn't have the abilities that I do at this point in time.
Leading a mod is not an easy thing to do as you know yourself Morpher. My advice to any new mod leaders would be the following: The best thing to do is to keep your staff Organized and to try your best to prevent any overlapping roles . I think the best thing to do is assign a member of staff to a specific role, for example: Our ErastusMercy is dedicated to working on Nod and Twisted Dawn voxels and Lin Kuei Ominae is dedicated to working on the Nod Structures. This also helps to prevent clashing art styles. Another word of advice would be to always consider hiring a co-leader; Thanks to our Co-Leader Lin Kuei Ominae the Twisted Insurrection heart is still pumping blood even when I don't have the time to work on it.
Morpher:
Twisted Insurrection is a large project, what do you find most difficult about working on it, and what do you find most enjoyable?
Aro:
The most difficult thing is knowing that there is a lot of work to be done. When you think about how much work is ahead of you it can really kill your motivation, but the best thing to do is to get back on the horse and solve each problem piece by piece and don't give up. There are plenty of things I find enjoyable from leading Twisted Insurrection such as having online games with the Staff (sometimes we have staff tournaments just for the fun of it), finding how to make the most out of what Tiberian Sun has to offer and creating unique terrain.
Morpher:
Are there any other CnC projects you are particularly looking forward to?
Aro:
It's very rare that I will see a mod and want to play it, but there are a fair few out there that I've been keeping my eyes on for the amount of potential they posess. Some of the "Major Mods" and the odd few un-common mods I am looking forward to, both Tiberian Odyssey and the Dawn of the Tiberium Age (Both of which I have the priviledge of being a staff member of) are very promising looking mods and would love to see go much further than where they currently stand. There are a few mods that are not very well known which I have been keeping my eyes on such as ZoidZilla's: Tiberian Fall mod, which unfortunately doesn't seem to be showing much life these days and [TiberianFuture]'s CABAL's Legacy which is already off to a fantastic start. Moving aside from the TS side of C&C, there are a few Yuri's Revenge mods which are definitely going to be successful such as Apollo's Robot Storm and Mig Eater's D-Day (Both of which I have the priviledge of being a staff member of). I'd love to see these mods go much further and making very successful releases in the future (Even more successful releases in the case of Robot Storm and Dawn of the Tiberium Age).
Morpher:
In a nutshell, what is your favorite CnC game and why?
Aro:
It may sound shocking for some, but my favorite CnC game has always been Red Alert 2 (+ Yuri's Revenge). Back when I first played this game I was only young and I didn't care much for storylines, but the game-play was and still is fantastic both online and single-player. I used to play Red Alert 2 online so much that I even made it into the XWIS Hall of Fame back in 2004. I've always liked modding Yuri's Revenge too because it's a very flexible and stable engine, hopefully my newest Yuri's Revenge project will be completed and public one day. So Red Alert 2 definitely wins the award of Aro's favorite CnC game, but Tiberian Sun will always be my favorite game to mod just for the engines charm, however limited it may be.
Morpher:
Thank you for your time Aro, I hope that this offers a bit of insight into Twisted Insurrection development and also gives people a few mods to keep an eye out for as well as a few general modding tips! Twisted Insurrection can be found on many places around the net so make sure to check the progress and offer feedback to help the team!
Twisted Insurrection - Website
Twisted Insurrection - PPM Forums
Twisted Insurrection - Mod DB
