Featured CMDR “Hotpoint” Nomen Karr
22 Jan 2021What was your first experience with the Elite universe and what keeps you playing it today?
I did not get to play the original (I was still playing on my Atari 2600 with my brother, and yes my controller was plugged in), but I did get to play Elite II on a DOS emulator when I got my hands on a proper PC and it blew my mind away when I finally figured out how many things I had to be aware of before undocking. Now that is a game in my book.
Gaming was always in my DNA and Elite has always been one of those “niche” games that only a true connoisseur would know about (along with Silent Hunter 😉). Kinda like when you first hear of Mortal Kombat 1 being played on a 686 PC.
The only drug I did in the 90’s was gaming. And I’m proud of that. Did you hear that, mom?! The 90’s were beautiful and scary. I still play Elite II from time to time. It is a healthy piece of nostalgia that only a few would get. I love it.
The only thing that kept me glued to the Elite Universe was the immense size of the playground. It felt like you were reading a love letter written by a game developer to a 90’s gamer saying:
DEV: Here is a sandbox, go crazy.
Me: But can I go into space and blow up other ships that want to see me dead?
DEV: Sure you can.
Me: Sweet, can I fly like a lunatic through space and pretend I’m Han Solo?
DEV: HAHA, ‘course you can, dude.
Me: Ubercool! But can I deploy a surface miner on a planet and just come back later to collect the rewards so I can feel like I’ve just outsourced my groundbreaking idea of making credits while exploring the universe?
DEV: Got you covered, fam.
This was the pinacle of gaming for me, personally.
Tell a quick story about your favorite moment in Elite: Dangerous.
My all time favourite moment in Elite was my first kill. Ship combat in Elite II was no easy task so after I scored my first kill, I felt like surviving a Navy Seals training exercise.
Drill instructor: How do you feel, private?
Me: I feel dangerous, sir!
There was no “Flight Assist” in Elite II, so aiming was achieved by using a mouse and not a controller. My sweat levels are insignificant compared to when I ride my bike on a 22 km dash. The adrenaline levels were off the charts with this game. Absolute satisfaction. I would brag to my friends with any kill I got in Elite. Pure bliss. Even if nobody cared about my achievements. It made me feel better than any other dude playing Heroes or Warcraft or other strategy games. I was riding the wave. I was ELITE.
Tell the story of how you earned your callsign.
HAHA, I deserve my callsign. I deserve to be called out for my own stupidity. It’s the most effective way to grow and learn from your mistakes.
So I joined The Fatherhood after I just moved into my new home. It was only one year after moving in when I’ve noticed I have a dishwasher incorporated into the kitchen.
It happened when I cut my finger while trying to prepare dinner, as I always do. After opening all of the drawers and cupboards looking for a bandaid and seemingly spraying blood all over my dinner, I noticed a very peculiar door that opened from the top. “It’s a hipster thing” I thought to myself as I opened it thinking that I might find a plaster or something to help stop the bleeding. Boy was I wrong… 🙄
After suffering and literally sacrificing my own blood to complete the
“dish”, I discovered that I have a dishwasher and I no longer need to do the “hard part of cooking” all by hand. So I jumped in Discord to let everyone know that my dreams have been fulfilled and that I am saved.
Little did I knew that a callsign was inbound and every person that was on Discord would make fun of me for not checking if the kitchen of my new home does indeed have a dishwasher or not. I mean, in my defense, I don’t buy houses that often, so yeah…
Upon delivering my “news” to the squad, I soon found out that The Fatherhood is just a bunch of people just like me. Silly, aimless, and not at all dangerous. Everyone wants to enjoy the game with other likeminded people and make the best of their “Elite experience”. For a split second, I thought that people would just point fingers and laugh at me, but it turned out to be the opposite of what I imagined. These people are warm. Like real human beings. So I laughed even harder at the jokes they threw at me. It was incredibly funny. Just like when your brothers or sisters make fun of you but better, because everyone was honest and genuine. I would live that day again in a heart beat. ❤️
Tell us about your favorite ship in the game.
My all time favorite ship is “Rogue-01”. A Cobra Mk 3 that is built for speed and stealth. The perfect vessel for BGS work. Kinda like my favorite room in the house. It’s where I always go to when I want to fly around in outer space and imagine I’m Han Solo. Plus, it looks awesome. Even if the chair next to me is always empty, I still want to fly the Mk 3. It’s the poster child of Elite. It’s what Jameson flew ’till his last days in the Universe. It’s the Lamborghini Countach of the future.
These days I fly my Krait Mk 2. TFS “Vlad The Impaler”. I guess you know the reason behind the name. I’m From Transylvania and Vlad was a big deal here. My Krait Mk 2 is an instrument of justice.
What drew you to join The Fatherhood?
So I had heard about The Fatherhood after a year since the launch of Elite on PS4 (Pleb Station 4) and thought to myself: I have no kids… how can I join a chill, fatherly squad without making any… children?
A few sleepless weekends later, I thought: what the heck, the only thing they can tell me is to sod off… So I applied on Inara and the PS4 group. Imagine the surprise on my face when I realised that I don’t need kids to join The Fatherhood. It felt like getting a promotion. Yay 🙌, more fun for me! #lifeisgood
One of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.
What’s your day job, and how do you balance your home, work and gaming life (or do you)?
I graduated from the Faculty of Law and very soon after, I found out that I’m not too keen on corruption and other dodgy stuff like lying to others just to gain an advantage over the other party so I can go home and put my head on the pillow not having to worry about any consequences. (I never played Among Us.)
Now I work as an experienced QA analyst. I enjoy coding and breaking stuff. Bugs are my main meal. I’ve worked in the gaming industry and I know what it’s like to find a bug and wait for like a whole year until the bug is resolved. It’s a struggle that I am willing to fight for. I want people to have a pleasant experience using software and not have to fight the machine that is running it just to enjoy some of the functionality that the software offers to the user.
What is one thing most people don’t know about you that you wish they did?
Err… Music? I love music? It’s my gateway to heaven. I love music so much that once I finish work, I always put on some music to celebrate my achievements over the day, even if there are no notable achievements during that day. I need it for calming and inspiration. It’s my panacea.
How did you come up with the name of your Commander?
My commander name is inspired by a Star Wars character named Nomen Karr. A Jedi that has fallen to the Dark Side, but I will let you discover about him on your own. Just like the “real” jedi, I too have been in contact with the dark forces and tasted the sweet freedom of “not giving a damn” about life or others in general, so I relate to that character a lot.
It feels like I’m a reborn… still in need of training but armed with a lot of knowledge to start my journey. I have an advantage over other padawans 🙂 but I will do my best to become a Jedi Knight.
Any fatherly advice for new CMDRs trying to make their way in Elite: Dangerous?
My top advice would be to take it easy. Just like Bob Marley said in Easy Skanking: “take it easy.” No need to rush it. Hard work beats talent, and life is long enough to make mistakes and learn from them. Elite is a huge universe. It’s unlike anything you have ever played before. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You can ask anyone.
And don’t get me stared on the community… It’s arguably the best gaming community out there. And it has nothing to do with the game itself. It’s all just random, normal, real human beings that are eagerly waiting to interact with you. Trust me! I’ve played EVE. 😆
Don’t be afraid of interaction. Ask questions! That should be your most valuable ace in your sleeve.
And always, ALWAYS, fly dangerously. o7
Invitation to Wing Up
My PSN id is Nomen-Karr. Send me a friend request or a party invite and I will gladly join your adventure. Doesn’t matter what the cause is, as long as you are from The Fatherhood.
