Community Spotlight
June 6th 2013 by Dead_End

Davastatar

Davastatar walked the streets near the Town’s Crier without any suspicion when two dark figures suddenly jumped out of a sidestreet.
You the one they call Davastatar?, the tallest of the group asked from beneath his balaclava. The light of the moon revealed that the figure to the left of him was carrying a massive axe. Davastatar tried to make a run for it but was immediately stopped by a third man. Planning on going anywhere?, the figure asked with a heavy British accent. Even before he had the chance to respond a paper bag was thrown over his head and he was dragged away into the dark night.

The bag was pulled from his head and he found himself nearly blinded by a bright lamp. Sitting across a desk was one of the dark figures.
You probably know where you are, so let’s get this over with.

Welcome to the community spotlight, our chance at really getting to know one of our beloved forumers. This is the part where we (Popeychops, Possidon and Dead_End) grab an unsuspecting person from the streets of AoKH and torture interview him until he gives up the location of the treasure all his darkest secrets. Tonight’s vicitim is none other than recent Cinematic Contest winner Davastatar!

Bold text: Interviewer (Dead_End): Regular text: Victim (Davastatar).

You are a German guy living in the Netherlands? How did that happen and how is that working out for you?

My Parents. They, kind of, divorced about four years ago (not officially, they just… separated for a few years), and I decided to stick with my mom. That’s how I ended up where I am now; in the Netherlands. The main difference is the layout of the land… For me, grown up in the “Harz” mountains at the heart of Germany, it is quite different living in this complete flatland. Also, while there were huge untouched areas of nature in Germany, there is barely a spot in the Netherlands where you can turn around without seeing at least two houses. It’s probably the sizes of the two different countries. Other then that, I do like living in the Netherlands, although I do sometimes miss my Home in Germany. The Dutch language isn’t quite a huge problem either… the two languages are quite similar, and so we integrated pretty quickly.

First things first: when did you start playing Age of Empires II?

It’s a long story, but let’s keep it short. About four years ago a friend of mine told me about Age of Empires 3. I was interested, and decided to buy AoE 1 (I thought: maybe there is a storyline or something that starts in AoE 1, so i decided to buy it first). I fell in love with it and played for about a year. Usually I was only cheating myself through the campaigns and playing around with the scenario editor, but I just loved it. Shortly after, I downloaded the Demo for AoE 2, and I started loving it even more than the first game. I forgot about it though, but about a year later I happened to come across it in a store, and… well… the time of my life began!

Let’s talk about Age of Kings Heaven, how’d you end up at this corner of the internet?

I often downloaded mods for other games, and I wondered if there were mods for AoE 2. So I started searching. I soon found myself in our beloved Blacksmith, where I started to download mods, scenarios, and soon I found a guide on graphical modding and submitted my first file. Shortly after, I also joined the forums… I remember my first post – ‘t was in Possidons “Age of Sherwood” thread, when I offered him my help and got even more experienced with modding. I became more active in the scenario design community, and later also the rest of the forums.

Your entry at the Cinematic Scenario Contest, Paradise Lost, was a great success. Where did you get the inspiration?

My main inspiration when opening the scenario editor is the thought of doing something no-one has ever done before. I’m trying to be creative, developing things I have never seen anywhere in AoK. Other inspiration is of course coming from designers such as Ingo van Thiel and Lord Basse, but also from other games, such as Assassin’s Creed.

Your other recent released works were all quite well received, what are your plans for the future?

I have recently started working on a complete remasterization (if that’s how you call it) of Paradise Lost. I am planning to extend creativity to the max, in things no-one would ever expect to see in AoK, even though I have no idea if I will succeed. My second Main Project is also a cinematic, called “Midnight Cry”, and I have plans to remake my entry to the Halloween Contest 2011, “Demon Town”.

Quickfire Questions

Tea, coffee or something else?

Tea.

City or countryside?

Countryside. Absolutely.

Favorite unit in the game?

Difficult choice between the Huskarl and the Cataphract, but I think I’ll go with the Cataphract.

With Age of Empires having a medieval theme, what would your preferred medieval weapon be?

Sword. One handed.

What is your favorite color?

Green. There is nothing I was ever more sure of then that :p

To conclude, is there anything in particular you like and believe the readers should check out?

I’d recommend the scenario “Ocean Blue – I – The Beginning” by Hawk_DaghT, which hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves. It is no doubt the best scenario you will find in AoKH’s Blacksmith. Oh and of course, there is a really awesome game called Age of Empires 2….

— And that’s all we have time for today. Our victim will soon be released from custody and continue designing.