GM Laylee

Yes guys, we finally managed to make the interview to our very own GM Laylee possible. We talked about her experience as a GM, Tutor and Senior Tutor, about how her friends reacted to her positions and much more. Read the interview after the jump

Zenemig : What made you want to become a Tutor?

Laylee : I had two friends who were Tutors (Elly and Frank , as I call them) and they sort of quickly became mentors for me. So started answering the help channel, as a player (I had a namelock so I couldn’t officially be a Tutor) , to give them a hand.

Zenemig : How did it feel to start giving back to the game you were playing?

Laylee : At first, very strange. Often I was told to shut up because i did not have the “magic” orange crayon that apparently makes of you a real Tutor. It did not matter if I was right or not, I just was not worth to be listened to. With time, I just shunned it off.

Zenemig : How long was it until you become a full licensed tutor?

Laylee : I failed the test once, but passed it the second time around. The first time, I went through it too fast and accidentally skipped a question. >.< Of course I also had to wait for my namelock record to go away. So in full, I would say 8 months after I started to be in the help channel.

Zenemig : Then the transition to senior tutor, how was that?

Laylee : Oh, I personally saw it as a bliss. Astera isn’t quite the nice server and some mouths (fingers) tends to run a bit quicker than they think. Despite most of it not changing, being able to help, with the statement reports as well, was a big change.

Zenemig : And how was the response of the community?

Laylee : Being senior tutor is sometimes an advantage over being a GM. You are not the one to take the final decision, so in borderline cases, you know that is mostly CS that will get the blame. However, many times I was called corrupt (or other things which I cannot say here) for reporting someone. In the end, the answer becomes easy. You don’t want to be reported? Don’t give me a reason to do so. The rules are easy to follow. One can go through his whole tibian life without even a single warning. You just need to have self control.

Zenemig : I hear that. So, was it a surprise when you got asked to be a GM?

Laylee : Definitly, honestly I never expected Craban to come out of the blue, at the evening (for me), while I was manasitting, and ask me if I was interested to apply in becoming a GM. I was aware that some GM came from the senior tutor team, but I thought it was too fast since I had not been a senior tutor for a year yet.

Zenemig : And what was your friends reactions? Not just to the Gm invite, but the whole giving back to the community thing as a Tutor?

Laylee : I picked my friends for a reason: The constant support and capacity not to change toward me, despite what changes with me. Currently, my closest friends are also my guild mates. Of course I have a few which are not but in general they are in the guild. They often heard me rant about things which I agreed with or not, even been supportive with the drama that can arise when you are Tutor/ST/GM. But in general, though I might have been wrong about a few (which are not in the guild either, anymore) they’ve been very supportive and I cannot thank them enough for it.

Zenemig : The community, how did they react to the news that GM Laylee was in town?

Laylee : At first they were all happy to see a GM on astera, but from what I see, the trouble making side of the server slowly started to dislike my presence. Of course, the more they complain, the more I see it as a compliment. They might be very annoying at time, they might hit and hurt a few other times, but in general it doesn’t matter. After a while you get used to it. What I always found funny was when another GM came on the server, started banning and then I would be the one blamed. See it this way, it is always easier to blame someone else of something instead of realizing you are the one that was wrong. Don’t want a ban? Don’t break the rules.

Incognito-Slayer : On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the blue cape GM outfit? :o

Laylee : It is both a curse and a blessing, so I would say 7. It is fun, but it is very angering. Mostly when you see friends change. Another angering thing is when you learn that friends sold account or when you have to ban friends for their in game behavior often, as I filled the report, I had to close my eyes to be able to press “ok” and do ban them. It’s a dirty job, but it has to be done. However, when you see the kind of story that some people can come up with, it is hilarious.

Incognito-Slayer : I can only imagine LOL, what is the funniest story someone has used an excuse when you have banned them?

Laylee : When I hear about players being hacked. Don’t get me wrong, being hacked is really bad and sad, however, when a player claims that the hacker was botting his character, or when you get a “I was hacked” complain merely 2 minutes after a banishment, it is quite obvious that he is trying to get away with it, with the most random excuse. Of course, we often saw little brothers or little sister play on their sibling’s character… Strange how 3 years old are capable of hunting, looting, healing, changing target and floors.

Zenemig : As long as we are getting personal, whats your take on what CIP has been doing about Vocation Balancing?

Laylee : LOL , I saw , i think it was Magic Banana’s video on Youtube (I - II). 2 parodies about the vocation balancing and I have to agree he is right. I personally dislike the balancing, despite the fact that I gained much in it. My druid has new spells but I still have a lot of trouble with the potions. I miss being able to supply my own runes (UH) . Of course, I can just sell the new runes and get potions with the money I gain, but it is a step I did not need to do prior to the balancing. Though ok, I love hitting harder on my knight ^.-

Zenemig : All us knights do :P

Incognito-Slayer : Yep xD

Laylee : The game changed much in the past year and I am a slow learner. So I guess it is just a matter of adjusting to them. Maybe I’ll get to like it after it.

Zenemig : When you come across a botter, regardless of what you as a GM are asked to do, would you, as a player, delete them on the spot or not?

Laylee : The day sharers and macroers are instantly deleted would be one of the best days in tibia ^.- I absolutely hate the idea of playing on a character which I would not have leveled alone. If you cannot raise your own character on your own, you do not deserve it. You also do not deserve the power that comes with it (it is a known fact that, mostly in pvp servers, high level cheated characters are used to power abuse others).

Zenemig : Right on :P

Zenemig : About the other GMs, how is your relationship with them? Is there a community sense or is it just a job?

Laylee : The community sense is, by far, bigger than I expected. Though I am closer to some GMs, compared to others, we are there to support each other out. I hold no grudges against anyone in the current GM team.

Zenemig : Do you ever regret accepting the GM position?

Laylee : There are moments I do. Moments I think that is it time to leave it. When I accepted the position, I told myself I would give them 1 year of my time. It is over a year and a half now, so I consider this being bonus time. Of course, that feeling randomly comes and go. We are all victims of our life and surroundings. So when moments are a bit more hostile (whether on game or in real life) I contemplate leaving the team (and the net altogether) . However, so far, those feeling tended to vanish after a few days. The longest I went, in the past 3 or 4 years, away from tibia was a week. I was burnt at that moment, felt sick each time I was thinking of the game itself. So it was time to take a break. So I refused to even touch my computer. After that week, I came back and the fun started over again. Then again my friends, when I came back, were supportive, as they’ve always have been. Much heart to them <3

Zenemig : To wrap up, tell us the funniest thing to happen to you as a GM

Laylee : There was a player I went to visit, for botting. When I appeared near him, he stopped and replied to me. Everything was normal and when I was about to leave him, he said “ok, ban me”. I asked him why but he was avoiding to reply with a clear statement. Instead he said “you know why”, or, “it was obvious no?”. After a while I finally got him to say he was macroing. At home, I was simply laughing because he was really gonna get away with it since everything was normal when I checked him. He did look like any random player to whom you would talk. Sadly, I did have to ban him because rumors would spread that if you admit to it, you would get free. But still, poor guy :)

Zenemig : LOL, thats a funny story indeed.

Zenemig : One more thing, anything you’d like to tell the community?

Laylee : LOL there is many things I wish I could tell them, but I’ll stick with (oh ya.. here comes the serious talking): If you don’t want to be banned, don’t give me a reason to ban you. The rules are easy to follow , when you actually bother reading them. :) Play nicely! :)

Zenemig : Well, thanks a lot for the time you gave and in behalf of the whole Astera News team, gratz on a very well done job and keep on cleaning our great server.

Laylee : A pleasure :) Good luck with the Astera News!

Zenemig : Thanks :P Be sure to drop by and comment :D

Zenemig : Buh bye

Laylee : Bye!

Well, thats it for this interview, but be sure to stay tuned, cuz there are plenty more to come.