Intel Depot

Tell us who you are and where you live in the world?

My name is Eddie, I live in Clarksville Tn USA. I am originally from Detroit Michigan but decided stay here when I retired from the US Army.

How long have you been a member of the BIS community?

I was around in the OFP days briefly. Several overseas deployments sort of broke up the time frame. In 2007 I got heavily involved in Arma.

It's always great to hear unique stories of how folks discovered the titles. Would you share your story with us?

A friend of mine bought me Arma in 2007 as a gift, we joined up with the ={XS}= server folks and got heavily involved in MP gaming.

How long did it take you to discover the power of the editor and what was your first impression upon doing so?

The editor is my best friend for testing my addons. I probably have spent more time in it than actual gameplay, 5 fold. I had played a lot of FPS games in the past. I was really disenchanted with the "run there shoot, run to the next place and shoot" games.
The sandbox enviornment of Arma was exactly what I was looking for.

Have you got any unfinished missions sitting on your hard drive?

No. I really dont mess with missions any more. I rely mostly on the community for missions. Im too busy modding.

Do you have someone close to you that you share the editing obsession with?

I have several good friends in the community that I game with. Notably RKSL-Rock, Sekra, Tankbuster, and Ballistic09.

You started a project which focused on PRACS units. What caused you to choose PRACS as a focal point?

On the XS server we played alot of Domination and Evolution missions. Everyone was tired of playing as blue or red. Playing with the independant faction required the same ole bluefor stuff. So i set about fleshing out the entire independant faction for Arma1 into a realistic and viable force. That development carried on into arma2. PRACS was never intended to have the best models or the most cool guy features. it was always intended to be a realistic full order of battle for an oil rich small nation. I wanted to focus on units and equipment that were plentiful in the world's militaries yet had not made it into the game. I also wanted my mod to be known for quality. not necessarily the best textures or models but the very best in multiplayer playability. PRACS is focused on multiplayer.

How much did you know about modding when you decided to take on the project?

Absolutely nothing. Jumped in feet first.

Did you find a lot of help in the community or were most of your lessons learned the hard way?

YES. So many people were so happy to help me out. Yet so much had to be learned the hard way. without shared information in the community, modding would be more difficult
for all of us. Once I got to know other modders, they were willing to share models and information with me. RKSL-Rock still complains(jokingly) I bug him all hours of the night.
Vilas, the FFAA mod, and several others were kind enough to donate models to the mod. Without that foundation PRACS would not have been able to grow as it did.

Whats the team member history of PRACS?

Really, PRACS started as a partnership between myself and a fella by the name of FA Dalai Lamar. He was a private buisnessman and wound up with much more real life issues
going on so I wound up finishing all of Arma1 PRACS and taking the mod in new directions for Arma2. So for the most part, it has been a one man band.

What is the most difficult aspect of modding from your point of view?

Keeping up with the technology. Arma2 and eventually Arma3 addons require so much more work than OFP or Arma addons.The other issue is information. Unless you are in a few key circles, getting any info on how to do certain things in the game is quite difficult. The Biki is in desperate need of update and completion. So, thanks to community sites like
OFPEC, Armaholic and the BI forums the information can effectively be shared.

How has your real life experience and skills helped you with Moding?

I spent many years in the US Army. Multiple overseas deployments and peacekeeping operations. I try to borrow what I've learned in the real world and apply it to PRACS to make it a realistic and viable force with a complete order of battle.

The history of the project is full of highs and lows. What was the primary motivator to hang in there?

My friends and users. Encouragement from the community drives the modding spirit. I don't do this for money or fame. I simply want to see other people having a good time with my addons.

Any words of wisdom for those mixing Real Life with leading a Mod and a small team?

PRACS never really was a "team". I have had lots of people help here and there with donating a few textures, models, knowledge etc. In the end completing it all and bringing it together was 100% my effort. My best advice would be spend some time getting to know others in the community. Word of mouth and reputation usually dictates how well people will work with you.Those relationships will help improve your addons and ultimately make a better mod.The other thing is, make sure you are doing your mod for yourself. It will help you stay focused on completion and make the end result
that much more rewarding.

Do you have any plans to, or know if anyone has already built a campaign or mission series with the mod?

There are several missions out there. No campagin I know of, officially. I know eggbeast is a huge fan of the mod and features it in his Evo edits. Sekra and I have also made some insurgency and Domination edits available that feature the addons.

Are there any plans to close project PRACS and move onto something different?

PRACS will never die. It truly is like one of my children. Although development is currently slowed, due to medical and time constraints, I doubt I will ever fully give up.
I hope to in time, evolve the mod more as the time frame of the game series advances.

Your recent return to the mod has brought with it, a renewed hope in many followers. Care to elaborate on what the future holds for the mod?

I never left the mod. It has just sped up and slowed down depending on my health issues and current interest level. RKSL-Rock is dragging me into Arma3 kicking and screaming as part of the Isla-mahrrom project. Plus, I still have alot of things I want to do, left for Arma2.

Arma3 will introduce new features to the game that will ultimately polish the game in areas that have seriously lacked since ArmA. Does this entice you to consider a port for the mod?

Absolutely. I just wish BIS would give us a real game and ditch all the futuristic space man garbage. In the end BIS gives us the engine, it's the modders that wind up having to give you the game.

The mod contains loads of combat assets that truly bring the Royal Army Corps of Sahrani to bear, with great variety. Are there any plans for logistical assets such as dozers, trailors, crates or miscellaneous equipment?

Yes, there are plenty of plans. This is an area my mod lacks in severely. Unfortunately right now, they require a ridiculous amount of scripting. I try to avoid scripting in my addons to maximize multiplayer performance. Hopefully, the coming features of Arma3 will make them much more viable.

You've mentioned in one of the project threads that you would like to release a tutorial on working with the arty computer. Have you had time to tackle this subject yet?

I have not done that. Fortunately, Sekra has man handled the arty computer and its scripting to a point we can do as we need with it. If any other users need some help with it, please contact me. It's so easy, I have helped a couple mods with it already.

Do you have plans to write any other tutorials?

Not right now. Waiting to see what is next for Arma3.

What do you enjoy doing to burn off stress from editing?

Mindless digging in minecraft :)

Do you have any advice or comments you would like to share with the readers?

If you have an idea for a project or a fictional army then run with it. It seems modding has died out or at least slowed to a crawl and it would be great if we could inspire some new blood in the community. I would also like to ask new members of the community to understand that this stuff takes time and practice. Be patient and work through it and dont pressure modders for premature releases. Most of all, have fun. That is what this is all about in the first place.

I would also like to thank my lovely wife for having all the patience in the world to stick beside me thru my injuries and illnesses. As well as putting up with my obsession of working on "that damn game".(what she calles arma)

PICK 3

What was the last game you bought?

Minecraft

What did you dream of becoming as a child?

Soldier. I lived my dreams to the fullest extent.

What is your favorite vehicle/unit/weapon of all BIS or user made content, including past titles?

Anything Project RACS

Great thanks to those who sent in questions for wld247. Our next Community member in the spotlight will be Foxhound, so send in your questions for him by November 15th.