Ladies and gentlemen, for the last time here in Foix Plaza, The Late Night Show Starring Apple, here is your host, @appleprocucling! *Please imagine wild applause, thank you* Whoa, whoa, whoa! Thank you! Thank you so much! Welcome to the last edition of The Late Night Show here at Foix Plaza! Its been a very nice, rewarding and demanding journey ever since Bmanvman kicked it off with us in the first edition a few weeks back. We got a record-breaking three guests tonight, one of which still stuck in the elevator, but, thanks to modern technology we are able to speak via voice-transmission. Please welcome a_man21! Or should I say his voice.... Let's give him a call: Yellow? Hello, a_man! Christmas is coming up. Are you as excited as I am? hi there, thanks for having me, im excited to be on it! I think I am just as excited, probably mostly for school and exams to be done with for a bit lol Yeah, it will be great to take a little break from everything! Now, some already know, but you got some news. Whats going on? Haha, well Bmanvman announced that he was not going to continue to be the president of Foix anymore, so him and the ministers talked it over and we ended up deciding that I would take over as President for the next election cycle. Why did you want to take over after Bmanvman? I wanted to be able to continue the work that Bman's administration was accomplishing, we had (and still do) some great ideas and projects in the works that we would risk losing if someone else became President, plus I have some ideas of my own that I wanted to be able to implement. Somewhere down here, a_man21 is still stuck. Any ideas you think you could share with us at this point? Sure, one thing that Bman was working on was getting some of the prebuilt houses cleaned up and ready to be sold again, he had the real estate team go through and file lwc's for inactive players in the prebuilts (Thanks DrowningInPizza!), so I am continuing to work with our real estate team to get the houses back on the market. I am also working with the build team to get Downtown Foix cleaned up and modernized, there are some parts of the street and the train tracks that have been griefed. I also want to get lots of the wool on the buildings replaced with terracotta or concrete to give a fresh look to some of the buildings there What are your future goas for the Nation? Well I'd like to get Foix to become more active, and I would like to get an events team up and running so we can get the whole server involved. Hopefully down the road we will see events such as spleef, golf, hockey, and more! That would be awesome! I wish you the best of luck running the nation! I guess you all know the drill by now: Skyblock, whats your guess? Hmmm, well I'm going to have to guess February 1, although with Andrew's recent post about being away I'm pretty sure I'm going to be wrong haha Aaaand connection lost...Let's bring up our second guest this evening, please welcome JamieSinn! Hello Jamie, and welcome to Foix Plaza and the Late Night Show! First I want to ask you: you actually started out as any other builder here on ECC, and now you are the Lead Administrator on the server. Describe this journey for us. Oh god, you're asking me to recount almost 7 years... Geez Tldr, played as a player for several years, became a developer, and from then slowly added more responsibilities to my job description It's been a very interesting time to say the least After first joining ECC, what made you stay? Ecc was created years and years ago as a private server for Andrew's brother Michael, and his friends to play on. I was in that original group of people who played before it was published. I stayed because of the community and friends I built over the years Interesting! How did you end up with the original group of players? Did you know Andrew or his brother before ECC? How did you get in touch? Michael and I were friends beforehand, we did Lego robotics together when we were in grade 6 through 8 We do large scale robotics now, 150lb large I mentor my old highschool team, and he leads a short build team at his university You played lego with Andrews brother, that's kinda cute! How was ECC like in those very early days compared to now? Very, very different. It was similar to vmr in the idea of barebones You say you kept playing ECC because of the community. Did you play on any other minecraft servers? And what stood out with the ECC community back in the days? Has it changed over the years? I haven't played other servers, but I've done development work for a few others. The community back then knew everyone. You knew what people had going on in life and you'd sit around for hours in ventrilo and just talk about life. It was more of a big family than now. The current community is... Unique. It's more comprised of younger kids, people are less mature, though I think the latter is due to the latest generation. What do you think made ECC so appealing to players in 2012-2014 where the server had 250+ players at peak? Has anything changed since then? Economy servers were very popular themselves, and we had the most stable and successful server. Minecraft as a whole has changed to be focused more on the short games that you can play with friends when hanging out. Instead of the long term game modes like economy and factions. We're trying to move with it and develop a mix of both. Vmr is a mix, it's got a short term goal, and a long term goal You released VMR not too long ago, but at some point, if I recall correctly you went as far as putting a release date for a brand-new Skyblock server. As we know it has yet to be seen. What happened to it? Did you find any last minute issues? Did you change your minds about it, or do you have a different strategy for when to publish it? Skyblock is a massive release, we've been working on infrastructure in the backend, but we've mainly been focusing on releasing another smaller aem gamemode coming soon (See the email andrew sent a while ago) It's still planned, but we've yet to get a final release datet Is it realistic that Skyblock will come sometime before the summer? And what can you say about the smaller aem gamemodes that you are working on? How many different gamemeodes could potentially be added in the future? Realistically, I'd say it's possible. Though I can't guarantee anything due to andrew working on valve time. The aem gamemode is one that andrew and I have been considering adding for quite a while, even before the aem aquisition. The gamemodes I have in mind are as follows (note, these are just ideas/possibilities) - KitPVP( to replace SG) - Block Party - Skywars - Bedwars - Custom ECC Gamemode related to something that we used to run as a server event - A few others I'm probably forgetting What effects do you think new gamemodes will have on the server? Ideally we'd gain a lot of players Though I am expecting some to be unhappy and leave Do you wish to see more players joining ECC so they could end up taking place in the economy server, or is ECC developing into a more mini-game type of server where the economy is just another gamemode as VMR? The economy is always going to be the core of the network, everything will tie back to it. The other game modes will provide players with another way to earn money apart from the current very grinding based ways So if I understand this correctly, these new gamemodes are made to attract players to the economy server and offer them more activities to do while still making money? Exactly, while still not requiring that you play on the economy server Ie, you can play vmr for the vmr features without playing the main server But playing vmr will gain you ecd on the main server Will we see any new elements or features added to the economy server itself in the future? Depending on what players request, maybe. It's up to the players really By adding many new gamemodes, do you fear that the fact that ECC currently has a bit lower player count than usual will make it harder for the gamemodes to succeed, as each game mode might just have 1-4 players on at times, making it harder to keep new players interested and keeping them on the server? You have previously mentioned that ECC cant afford proper advertising, so how will you avoid this from happening? We have a 30k player email base that we plan on emailing on new releases, as well as hopefully using funds from each new server to advertise Aems community is hotly awaiting the return of their game modes How many AEM players could potentially join ECC when those gamemodes are released? I'd say a few hundred if not thousands How do you see the community changing if thousands of new players were to join? Would it be the same good old ECC community that everyone is talking about? We'd likely see the same kind of thing as we have over the years, community slowly grows to include them Hopefully. I think it will be important that staff and other good role-models leads the way, and include them into the ECC we all love. Now, this is the last edition of the show, and Christmas is coming up. Got any plans? Decorating ecc all over And hopefully going on a trip with the girlfriend And... You get to choose a song to feature in this edition. Whats your pick? Jingle bells by Tristam and Stephen walking Awesome! We will listen to that later. Thanks for spending your evening here in Foix! Thanks for having me! Now, its time to unleash the beast. The man, the myth, the legend. Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts, and.... Hello Andrewkm! Its an honor to have you here on the show! I have to say, I'm excited to have you as my guest on the show, what made you want to do this? Lemme know when you want to begin For now I shall pass out in bed and sleep Worked through the night on VMR lol for like 10 hours straight. Actually, I have already begun, that was the first question The way I usually do this, is that I ask 1 question at the time and let the guest spend as little or as much time to answer, before I come up with another question. I got lots of time, so you can spend 1-2 days on each question if you need to. Ok hmm To answer I’m not really sure why, I been reading up on the previous episodes and they all seemed really interesting so I figured let’s make a boring one with me for a change lol there’s really nothing interesting about me A boring episode with andrewkm is just what we need to be honest. The last few ones, especially with 314 have been way to fun for my taste.... Now, let's get the boredom started: What inspired you to create this server and with its economy styled gameplay? Well, I created the server mainly for my younger brother. I was 21 at the time and he was 11. He introduce me to this Minecraft block placing game and wanted me to get an online server going so he can play together with his friends who lived near our house. I then started one up, we came up with a name and thing just went from there... When it comes to economy It was just my obsession with economy games. I used to play lots of Red Alert, Sim City, and that kind of stuff back in the day. I’m sure there were others but those I remember off the top of my head. Ah, good ol' Sim City. I remember getting SimCity 4 for my 8th birthday. Took me 2 years of playing before any of my towns actually survived financially for more than a couple of years in-game. I took up a lot of loans, and raised taxes to finance the expenses when money ran out. Then people moved out and it turned into a ghost town, and I had to flee the town when it went bankrupt.... (Pretty much like Greece today cough) 99% of all minecraft servers dies within a few weeks time. How did ECC manage to get such a big player base after its release? It was just getting into MC at the right time, and with the right idea (long term economy gameplay). That’s pretty much what spiralled the whole thing off, as well, there was one month where we bought a server list top spot that really shot our player count through the roof. That combined with the long term gameplay and amazing community that it attracted pretty much set the foundation of what we have today. Members of several, several years continue to return, and the vast majority of them do so for the community and friends they’ve made here throughout the years. It’s no secret that the base idea of ECC’s gameplay has gotten a bit boring for a good portion of those returning, but they continue to do so for the community. It’s really the people as a collective that make this server what it is in the long run. The memes are too strong on ECC to ever kill it lol There is an exciting time ahead for the server, as a few new game-modes are being added. How do you think this will affect the community and server as a whole? Will ECC be the ECC as we have known it to this date? Um Sorry mister Apple sir but I’m going to nap for 10 hours before I get to the next question ♂️ I am officially a human zombie hybrid today. This is how I sleep: Hahaha! I have awoken from my adventure Honestly, adding game modes won’t affect ECC much. Our chat system is so amazing and well put together (thanks to many changes by Jamie) that regardless where you are on the network the community will always feel together. The only thing that changes with game modes is more things to do on ECC, which of course is always needed How big impact does ECC have on your everyday life? More than anyone will ever understand... Impossible to explain to be honest especially when it was packed in 2013 or so. I remember being in the middle of the ocean on a cruise ship during a huge family holiday, and during this time our old host Staminus had their cables vandalized, I ended up staying in the room I had on the ship glued to my laptop paying 100s of dollars for internet out there just to get us back online. Took the whole day pretty much during the busiest time of the year. Speaking of which I’ve never been on a real vacation in over 6+ years, and just 1 week from now will be my first real one. Literally not taking a laptop or anything (other than cellphone) and completely disappearing from ECC for 2 weeks. Hoping when I’m back things aren’t on fire. Sounds exciting! What places are you visiting? Poland, Germany... And maybe a few others Countries are pretty packed around there, if you travel by train you could have daytrips visiting cities like Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris in just 1 day. I was on a roadtrip in central Europe last year, and I think we drove thru 4 contries in less than 1 hour... Are you a sightseeing kind of guy, or do you like to travel far just to get a break from the common stuff back home? Both to be honest. I like seeing other ways of life and all, and at the same time like taking a break from the fact that everything is boring in Canada lol How long to you think you will keep running this minecraft server? Do you imagine still doing this 10 years from now when you are in your late-30's? It all depends on how long people stick around, I really don’t mind running ECC until the end of time if the community is there. I don’t have it in me to ever close down and take away something that’s been and continues to be deeply part of several peoples lives for so long. What is your best moments/memories with the ECC community so far? Best memory... That’s such a hard one to answer cause so much epicness happened throughout all the years. Harlem shake at the old spawn oh man that was great xD All the crazy nights in ventrillo & discord that too Honestly the coolest thing when it comes to ECC that makes me happiest is the people that formed friendships on here. And I don’t just mean online friendships because heck, everyone’s got friends on ECC here and there, I mean like those who got together IRL, even got married, and changed their lives forever all because of some block game I started a server for... the thought of that is amazing. Who would’ve thought a server I randomly opened 7 years ago would completely change some people’s real lives completely. I’m not sure if I’m making much sense but to me, that’s just amazing and is one of the things that makes me happiest about ECC. That's amazing. This community you started has really had a huge impact on a lot of peoples lives. Has this server/community changed or shaped you as a person in any way? And have you gotten any irl friendships as a result of ECC as a few others have? I’ve made quite a few IRL friends through ECC & specifically Minecraft in general. Many of which are no longer on ECC but keep in touch via skype and IRL even. Also met the babe @DiamondDesire because of ECC When it comes to ECC changing me, you bet it did. Doing something for several hours a day, every single day, for 7 years will always change you. Absolutely always regardless of what it is. Not a day has gone by that I didn’t check up on ecc, and ensure things are running smooth, etc. Like for real, I genuinely don’t believe there’s been a single day in 6-7 years that I’ve not checked the server, forums, answered messages, and ensured all is well. It’s crazy how much of an impact ECC has been. The biggest change in me I believe was around the entire 2014 drama. It taught me my biggest life lesson to be honest. It taught me to not care about malicious people. That’s why drama has completely stopped affecting me. I’m sure many people noticed a change in me throughout the years when it comes to drama lol. I went from caring about it through the roof and letting it affect me emotionally, to posting memes and embracing it without a care in the world xD One thing that has always impressed me is the professionality of the staff team and the whole fundamental structure of the guidelines and staff ranks. How did ECC end up with such a good staff-team culture compared to other servers? Has this been something you have worked on since the server's release? I have no idea how to answer that to be honest, we’re just super fortunate to have a great community. Sure there are troll and ppl who cause trouble here and there but deep down this place feels like a big family after all these years. I’d give some “oh hey I’m just great at running a staff team” kind of answer but that’s just not the case. Perhaps it’s because the staff team has separate levels and all work together to get things done. I let the staff team run itself completely and only step in when I absolutely feel like I MUST and me stepping in happens maybe once a year if not less The way you see it, are there any key moments or random events that pushed ECC in the direction to what it has become today, or could have changed the server's history completely? If I didn’t walk into my brothers room that day he was playing Minecraft, ECC wouldn’t exist and I’d never hear of Minecraft So many little events and moments shaped ECC, just like with everything else in life One small random event can change your entire future Have you personally experienced such moments? Way too many times in my life A few years back you were asked about your job, and you said you worked at an insurance company, do you still work there? And what do you like to do outside ECC? I haven't worked there for ages. Outside of ECC I mainly like to travel, play poker, and see different parts of the world As of right now, the Star Casino has been up for a few hours, whats your thoughts so far? It's awesome! Tons of people playing and tons of prizes going out So far 2 jamiesinn heads, 1 khobbits head, a bunch of music discs, a 100 ticket lotto winner, a couple 50k EcoDollar winners, and a bunch of other stuff Great turnout! And definitely helping the star market after the recent introduction of star keys. Where did this idea come from? is this something that has been planned for long? I was driving down to Toronto, and I was really hungry, and it literally just came to me out of the blue No planning Random as ever I should be hungry more often, more new stuff will get added lol One moment im thinking about chicken ceaser pita wraps, the next moment I’m calling Jamie telling him we’re opening a casino. My brain works in weird ways We already have the lottery as a server feature which has worked out alongside the player ran casinos like /warp EccCasino and debt. Being one of the few service-based demand/supply markets in the community, do you think this could impact or even kill off casino hosting as a money making business for players? I’m sorry Mr Apple but I must momentarily leave you for some salmon dinner Yum.. I don’t think it will. Player run casinos have the advantage of customizability at a instants notice We don’t. Everything they do by hand would take huge amounts of time for us to code I wonder what great new server idea we just missed as that salmon and mashed potatoes went down.... I was onto something ... It was sky..... sky something I dunno once I started digging into the food it left my mind Where did you get that food by the way? And from the official Late Night Show measurement 1-18 golf balls, how would you rate it? From a bar called shoeless joes 9 golf balls Mashed potatoes were plain Vegetables were probably microwaved Salmon was great tho They’re lucky I was hungry, or I’d complain We are out of time. Merry Christmas to you Andrew, and a happy new year. Cya in 2018 sometime! Alright! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! And with that. The Late Night Show is over. It's been a great journey. Thank you so much for supporting the show edition after edition. Here is JamieSinn's song request. Before we turn off the lights for good, I have to say I didn't quite like that one, so here is another musical feature, this time picked by myself: There we go. Goodbye.
That was a great finale AppleProducing and guests! I enjoyed every interview and I am sad to see the late night show go.
Very very good guys! @appleprocucling Great stuff as always man, so sad to see the show go. I appreaciate the fact that you let me be on it, I had a great time. @a_man21 I hope you get out of the elevator soon. @JamieSinn Very good job man, I cannot wait to see what you have in store for ECC, most of the things we have would not be here if it weren’t for you! @andrewkm Wow crazy to hear that you started a small server for your brother and his friends and it turned into this great server with such a great community, and a magnificent staff team!
Thanks for all of the awesome shows @appleprocucling , it was fun reading all the interviews and it was an honor to be on one of the shows. Hopefully we will see a season 2! I finally got out of the elevator, the Foix Fire Department finally arrived after days upon days of being stuck. I guess I need to increase their funding, since their response time is nowhere near where it needs to be.
