OrcaBella – June 25, 2007

Main Avatar:
OrcaBella

Race & Class:
Mutant Archon

Clan:
Les Aigles de la Route

First Name (RL):
Philippe

Profession (RL):
Localization Engineer

Location (RL):
Paris, France

When and How did you start playing Auto Assault?
November 2005, during Beta.

How did you choose you Avatar’s name?
I named her after an Orc merc I had in ShadowRun RPG.

Why did you choose your main Faction & Class?
I began AA as a Human, and finally got bored of the lack of interaction in this faction. Tried Biomek for a while, but didn’t like the storyline and the design of the cars. Then finally, after a year playing AA, I started a Mutie, and quickly found my clan, loved the storyline (the best in AA, me thinks), and loved the cars. I chose an Archon, as I had played an Engineer and a Constructor, even tried a Commando and didn’t like it much, and wasn’t really attracted to the stealth class. That left only the Archon…

Do you play solo? Why did you join a clan?
I play mostly solo, but I prefer to do it within a clan. It’s easier to discuss tactics, and obtain gear you would suffer getting by yourself. Besides, end-game is simply impossible to do alone.

Do you prefer PvE or PvP?
Definitely PvE. I don’t have a competitive mind, and rather spend hours doing my stuff, than fighting others to see who’s the best. I do it in AA only to get tokens.

Do you craft? What is your favorite crafted item (yours or others)?
I play a bit with crafting, but more as a way to relax after hours of intensive farming or leveling up, than a way to get better items. I personally don’t have any crafted item.

What is your weapon of choice?
Momma’s (Bite) medium turret!

What is your favorite ride?
My Wyvern. I just love the idea of a F1 rolling over waste lands.

Which junk item do you refuse to get rid of?
None. Junk is junk, and goes to the vendors.

What is your favorite NPC & location in AA?
Certainly the two idiotic Scavs in the south-eastern corner of GJ. Their mission arc is just too funny.

Who is your Arch-Nemesis in AA (Player or other)?
As I said, I don’t PvP much, so no player can really be my arch-nemesis. As for the mobs, I’m developing a hate for the Tower’s strikers, for which I seem to be a target of choice.

What is your favorite moment you’ve experienced in AA?
Mmmm, I guess that would be the recent event with the boss-spawn contest and the car show. I never had that much pure fun in AA.

What song/genre you like to listen while playing AA?
Metal. Heavy, trashy, and loud!

What current feature would you change in AA to make it better?
Crafting, definitely. I don’t mind that much on the sheer amount of time and resources required to achieve anything, but I chafe at the end result of so much pain. There are many bugs hindering us from making really good items, and even if by some miracle we end up crafting something good, it’s still not as good as an equivalent Set item, which would have required far less work. So I don’t say nerf the Set items, or make crafting easier, just fix the bugs, and make the end result worth the while.

Which new AA features would you like to see in the future?
Arena modes. Currently, we can only compete against faction-mates, with 1 to 4 convoys. More modes would be a great asset: Last man standing, King of the Hill, Head Hunter, Capture the flag… There’s no lack of examples in other games, and it really would pump up the interest for Arena fights.