Dust … beyond awesome! CCP … so much coolness. So … much … beer. Too … many … djs. Roxor!

2 cents per kilowatt for energy … need energy.

Miss … wife … love you. So … tired … hungover… iClone bought me drinks … incredible nice people … even Goons. Players … rock!

Black Lavender = Michael Williams … training to be UFC fighter. Kudos!

Ozzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!

Mmmm … Shae …

Autographs … mind-blowing … charity … fun. Tall … sexy … Caldari.

Soon … blue lagoon … hahaha … rhyming.

Fanfest 2009 … the best time I won’t remember!

Fly safe.

“Capsuleer fucking rocks.” – CCP Oveur, Opening Ceremonies

Those three words, used together and independently, pretty much sum up Day 2 of Fanfest. Seriously.

My recollection of it all when trying to organize this post is failing. It’s all hitting me at once. There was just too much cool stuff.

So let’s start down this random journey as best we can.

COSMOS = NEW EDEN

COSMOS was apparently the codename for the project, which is now officially known as “New Eden”, as New Eden is the place where all players converge, ingame and out; we are making them a part of our universe.

Personally, and even though I now know some CCPers read my blog, I found both many positives in their strategy, as well as a few negatives, and you all know me, I won’t hold back.

THE GOOD

The overall framework and initiative on CCP’s part is brilliant, cutting edge, and really will infuse a lot of positives into the EVE Online universe. From a mobile strategy, to hosting corporate and alliance blogs, forums, killboards and more on their own secured, controlled servers, there will be a plethora of sanctioned tools to help every player leverage the EVE Online experience to the max.

Well done.

THE BAD

As I said, it is an initiative and a framework. To me, and again this is just my opinion, it almost seemed as though while CCP knew the direction they want to head with the game and the business development, their not entirely sure how to get there.

This could be under the good, as their not just pre-emptively saying “This is what we’re going to do.” and then head down a path of inexperience and bad decision making.

The reason I put it under the bad is simply because with all the hype surrounding COSMOS, I honestly thought it would be a bit more fleshed out, ready for the world to see. It’s not.

PLANETS

My jaw hung open for a good five minutes after see night side city lights on planets, as well as moving storm systems, then seeing gas giants with bands that also contained storm systems and movements within them.

Add to that atmospheres, multiple layers of shaders, two mixed normal maps, colour tints, cloud control, impact hits from the big ships, craters, ocean depths, sunlight reacting shadows on all of it, procedurally generated algorithms to create unique textures for each of the 50,000 planets in EVE, as well as the 240,000 moons PLUS the unique textures for each of the prime faction planets… phew, that was one long sentence.

Utterly breath-taking.

CALDARI MODELS

Two male and two female Caldari were dressed in fully authentic Caldari uniform. They were very militant, and far better looking than any Caldari I’ve ever met, but were actually fun to see.

I want to comment here.

One of the Caldari women was easily 6’3″ (and reminded me of Mynxee oddly), BEFORE putting on heels or having high hair. She was simply an amazonian goddess in the most flattering sense of the phrase… they got Roc autographs of course.

EVE API

I found this to be a most interesting round table discussion, both from the CCP developer side as well as the third-party app developers side. Really it was a flurry of note-taking on CCP’s part, as every developer present had plenty to contribute, and CCP calmly and professionally took it all in, and renewed their commitment to giving the API more love, stability, and power to meet the needs of app developers. Good times.

Bah, my laptop battery says 10%. I gotta go.

One more item of interest before I go.

Oveur likes horses. Sexually.

That is all.

9:30 AM – FANFEST – DAY 1

It’s actually a beautiful day today in Iceland. The sun isn’t shining, but it isn’t particularly cold. The wind shifted, however, and the smell of sulfur is brutally strong. I almost want to gag.

Met a few fans of the Capsuleer app while standing in line with Chris (it ended up being a trend throughout the rest of the day, which is flattering), shared a derogatory laugh at the expense of some poor Player Volunteer (“So that would be a no then”), and got a few stares as I was decked out in full Tribal Liberation Force Combat Pilot gear, right down to real, burn polished combat boots.

Upon entering Jita IV – Moon 4 – Caldari Navy Assembly Plant, I quickly experienced what it’s like firsthand to be a Minmatar, that is to say, I was completely blind. The Fanfest locale was dimly lit for that dark, scifi, Eve type of feel, which was fantastic, but how the hell does a Brutor see in that light?

On the one hand, I didn’t want to break character, as Roc never takes his shades off. On the other hand, I nearly walked into three people within minutes of being there. Practicality versus immersion was a battle I fought all day long, particularly thanks to Shae, whom reminded me of my character at the most inopportune times, usually right when we were entering the darkest areas of the station.

I met Chris from Battleclinic, whom I recently did some 3D animation work for, and the end result turned out fantastically, and will be hitting their website next weekend.

It’s basically a tutorial video series on Amarr frigates. There is a small “picture in picture” display featuring an Amarr female narrating the various video pieces. I did the animation and voice synchronization for that.

Yeah, I know, I know, had I known it was for the Amarr originally, I would’ve told him where to stick it also… but, I did manage to get him to agree to a pretty nice deal.

The next series will be for Minmatar frigates, and the narrator will be none other than Matar Colonel Roc Wieler. I get to do the voiceover work and the animation. In return, my name will be printed under the caption, and be featured on Battleclinic, which receives about 2.5 million hits per month. Pretty cool if you ask me.

Shortly thereafter, one of the CCP devs I met the other day grabbed my attention, took an autographed picture, and introduced me to more of the CCP team. I just want to note how incredibly head trippy it was today as pretty much every CCPer I met today was happy to meet me, partly because of Capsuleer, partly because of my blog, a few even knew my music, but all were ecstatic about the autographed picture. The word “epic” was thrown around a few times.

Speaking of autographs, Shae got a very “special” message on her picture. I’m sure she’ll share it with you all when she’s ready.

I attended some fantastic fiction writing and content sessions today, as well as other informative sessions on Factional Warfare, ship design, and more.

The day finished off with a bit of a surprise.

OmberZombie had arranged a “Celebrity Deathmatch” between him and I in the PVP Tournament area… lovely.

Fortunately by that time in the day, the tournament had just finished, and the crowd had thinned.

We were given All Level 5 Skill characters, and T1 frigates with T1 equipment to fit them with.

The fight went on, and on, and on, and on, in my favour. Sadly, I just couldn’t kill him. How does anyone actually fly T1 fits? It was nearly ridiculous.

The judges had to call it, using the crowd opinion to declare a winner, and I’m happy to say that yours truly, Roc Wieler, am still the undefeated celebrity blogging, T1 fit flying champion?

Meh. It was all in good fun.

Chris and I did some walking around downtown, then headed over to Sweet Chili for dinner (that place with the giant burgers).

The meal was still good, but something smelled in the restaurant. I couldn’t figure out what the stench was until I finally noticed a large group of Goonswarm TShirts.

That explained everything.

Chris and I finished up our meals, then headed out, making sure to yell loudly before we went “Goons suck!” How could we resist?

I ran into some bank card trouble too… like I needed that. Knowing my bank, and their overzealous security program, my card was probably locked the first time I used in Iceland for possible fraud. I mean really, who would go to Iceland, right?

So now I’m going to finish my blog, open roaming charges on my phone, and spend about $30 – $40 on hold, waiting for my bank, simply to tell them they’re idiots, and to stop doing this to me every time I travel. It’s just embarassing after a while.

Did I mention the two Amarr in robes that tried to trash talk me today? It wasn’t their cheap robes that let me know they were Amarr; it was the fact they were both obese and carried themselves with a sense of entitlement. The only threat they presented was to the food supply, so better luck next time fellas.

Anyway, got to go deal with this. Tomorrow promises to be even more interesting.

Roc out.

12:30 AM GRAND HOTEL LOBBY

So I was just about to logoff, after having a wonderful conversation with my gorgeous wife, when I noticed OmberZombie on Gmail chat.

We struck up a brief conversation, and I quickly found out he was not only in Iceland, but at the very pool hall I had been invited to earlier.

So I sucked it up and went, and had a great time.

I ran into many of the CCPers I had been talking to previously, was introduced to some new ones, and ran into Shae and the gang.

We grabbed a pool table, and played some doubles, Shae and I versus all comers. I don’t recall exactly (I’ve had a few), but I’m fairly certain we went undefeated.

Either way it was an enjoyable time, and it’s nice to see CCP engage so directly with their playerbase. There is honestly no elitism on their end; they’re regular people happy to be a part of something as fantastic as EVE Online.

OmberZombie got his autographed Roc picture, promising to frame it (lol), and I even had one of the CCPers demand one to hang on the wall of the content office. Hell, no problem. I’ll make sure I bring some tomorrow.

Omber is as fantastic in person as he is an online persona, though regrettably he was fatigued and had to cut out early. We’ll hook up again for sure Omber!

Anyway, I’m tired as well, so will be going to bed now. For real this time.

For those of you unable to attend Fanfest, let’s do ourselves all a favour, start saving for next year now! I have attended many conferences in my professional career, and I have never experienced this high level of fun and interaction before, and the conference isn’t even started!

Fly safe,

Roc out. Seriously.

6AM ROOM 749

Sometimes my discpline works against me. My body doesn’t sleep in. It gets the amount of sleep it needs, then wakes up. And once I’m up, I’m up.

The hangover wanted to tell me differently. I unsteadily stood from my bed, putting my hand against the wall for balance. The room throbbed. No wait, that was my head.

I stumbled into the bathroom and drank about 2 litres of water, then fell back into bed. It was a little trick I had learned in college for wiping out most hangovers. As I fell back to sleep (so much for all that physical discipline), I hoped this was one of those times it worked.

8AM ROOM 749

I hesitantly opened one eye. The world wasn’t spinning. I cautiously sat upright on the bed. Nothing was spinning. I stood up and stretched, feeling very good. another hangover avoided!

I threw my workout clothes on (yes, the same ones from yesterday, eeewwww!), tied up my running shoes, headed down to the lobby, and out the front door of the Grand Hotel.

I jogged along the sealine boardwalk for an hour, enjoying the clear, crisp air. I could see snow along the mountaintops, which were completely visible today.

Upon returning to the Grand, I went to my room, limbered and loose, and worked out for another hour.

I’m sure by now, you’re curious what type of exercises I am doing, so let me at least tell you the Chest workout part:

• Do Explosive push-ups, that is where when you push up from the ground you allow your feet and your hands to come off of the ground together. It works your abs, many minor muscles, and your chest. Do these to fail, that is, as many as possible before lactic buildup pain prevents you from doing any more.
• As soon as you cannot do anymore of those, do clapping pushups. This is where when you push up from the ground, you clap your hands beneath you before coming back down. Do these to fail.
• Immediately to regular regular pushups to fail. Trust me, by now, it’s still going to hurt like a bitch.
• Right after that, do “girl” pushups, with your knees on the ground, until you can’t do anymore. You’ll be crying (I know I did the first time I did these), but it’s worth it.
• Rest two minutes, allowing your muscles to recover slightly, and to get some good deep breaths of oxygen back into your body.
• Repeat these exercises for a second set.

I had another great, long, hot shower after my workout, having already decided today to see a different area of Rekjavik… the shopping mall!

I walked around the same areas I had the previous day, asking for directions from various people (I just like talking to people), and was growing confused as more than one person mentioned I would need to go to Greenland, but that if I really wanted to, I could walk there, though it would be easier to take the bus.

I could take a bus or walk to Greenland?!? How cool is that?

I began in the general direction I was told, but felt as though I was getting lost after a while, or that maybe these Icelandic people had a communal joke they played on tourists.

I saw a blonde woman with her back partially turned to me, and asked her for some directions.

“Excuse me. Do you speak English?” I said to her.

She turned around, her eyes red with freely flowing tears down her cheeks, but still managed to say “Yes, I do speak English.”

“Are you ok?” I asked without hesitation.

“No.” she replied, much to my surprise. “It’s my boyfriend.”

“Do you want help?” I continued on, not even thinking about the words coming from my mouth.

She didn’t have the chance to answer, as the “boyfriend” showed up at that moment, screaming, threatening, aggressive in his body language, walking angrily towards her.

She started screaming, more tears coming from her face, and he was waving one hand up and down towards me while interrogating her. I didn’t have to understand the language to know an abusive asshole when I saw one. Still, not my country, not my argument. I mean, I didn’t even know the laws in Iceland. What was I supposed to do?

Then my internal alarms went off, you know, that sinking gut feeling we all get if we’re silent and listen to it that something bad is about to happen.

He lifted his hand to hit her.

 I don’t know what it is about me. Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment. Maybe I’m pyschotic and in need of serious mental help, thinking myself a real superhero.

Whatever it is, I was already committed. In retrospect, I realize I get into these situations because I believe I can handle them. And sometimes that is what is needed, someone to handle things others will not, or can not. My wife thinks I’m just a “busy body” to which I counter I just like to be aware at all times, but in the end I like to think she’s proud of me for being the man I am.

I grabbed his arm far more strongly than I thought I could, and with my other, straight armed him backwards. I left that arm up in a defensive position, uttering the word “no” in a threatening voice, shaking my head back and forth.

My heart was pounding, my adrenaline surging. I’ve been in my share of fights. It’s not that I’m tough, it’s that I’m dirty. You may beat me down, I am not that egotistical to think these things don’t happen; I’ve seen it far too many times. But I will tear your ear, or thumb your eye, or kick your balls, or bite your lip, or pull your hair. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that if you really are certain you want to fuck with me, you will remember it for the rest of your life.

This guy didn’t want to. I let his arm go, and the two of them yelled at each other before he spat at her, then stormed off. Takes a real big men to spit.

She started crying some more, and I spent the next half hour sitting with her, arm around her shoulder, while she got it out of her system.

Oi.

Finally, I asked her for directions to Greenland. She laughed at me, which is always funny when someone has been crying.

She corrected me. Apparently people had been telling me to go to “Kringla”, the big shopping mall, and in my ignorance I had heard Greenland, and just simply thought them all daft.

She asked me why I wanted to go there, and I told her I needed an eye pencil. What I couldn’t tell her was that I was going to be drawing a Minmatar tribal tattoo on my face for a game convention in town this week, and that is why I needed it. She never asked anyway.

Instead, she told me the Kringla was overpriced, and that if I wanted, she would show me all the good places to go in Rekjavik, not the tourist places.

I accepted the offer, and spent the next few hours marking up my tourist map with key locations she showed me.

I think her name was Svelta, or Stella, or something like that. Apparently my command of Islenska wasn’t that great.

When we had appropriated a satisfactory eye pencil, I thanked her, and was to be on my way.

She got weird suddenly… wanting to come to my hotel with me, not wanting to be by herself.

My first thought was that “boyfriend” meant “client”, and that somehow I had saved a hooker from her pimp, and that there would be some type of expected repayment for this. I really wasn’t interested in that.

My second thought was more accurate, and far more respectful. She probably just didn’t want to go back to her boyfriend. I realized that my actions had probably made things worse for her in the long run. I mean, ideally we like to think people will simply not go back to situations that hurt them, but we’re not that smart as a species.

She would go back. He would probably beat the shit out of her. And she would probably stay, trying to save the relationship, because she loved him.

But to me, many things are very black and white. I’m happily married. One of my own rules is to never spend time alone with a woman who is not my wife, regardless of intentions.

I told her no, that I had things to do, but was very happy to have met her, which I was.

She reluctantly got the hint, and I made my back to the Grand hotel solo.

Now I’m back at the hotel, sitting here blogging, hoping my wife gets my email message during her lunch break that I’m on IM and would love to talk to her.

In the meantime, I’ve picked out my schedule for Fanfest. Here it is for those interested:

THURSDAY

• 2 PM – Fiction Writers – figured since I like to fashion myself a semi-decent fiction writer, I should attend this and get some tips from professionals.
• 3 PM – Content Meet & Greet – I’ve already the pleasure of meeting a few of the Content writers from the Atlanta office, so would like to follow up on that and perhaps get to learn some interesting things to further help with my fiction writing.
• 4PM – Design Democracy – Players get to direct a ship design… hell yeah!
• 5PM – Web Development – as a web developer, well former web guy now Production Management guy, this one fascinates me.
• 7 – 10 PM – Charity Poker Tournament

FRIDAY

• 10:30 – Opening Ceremony
• 11 AM – COSMOS
• 12 PM – 0.0 Space – a subject I know nothing about, and it’s the most interesting of the offerings to me.
• 1 PM – PvP – Nothing else available, lol. Guess I’ll go to that!
• 2 PM – The Economy – as a Market PvPer, I am totally going to this.
• 3 PM – COSMOS & API – Duh.
• 4 PM – Virtual Organization – Hmm, a Roc corporation, go on…
• 5 PM – Changing the Landscape – No description of this. That makes me want to go all the more!
• 6 PM – DOMINION !!!
• 7 PM – Quiz Show – funny fun
• 8 – 10 PM – Battle of the Bands. Prepare for the debut of Salmon Rock bitches!
• 10 PM + drink, drink, drink, ok, drink.

SATURDAY

• 10 AM – Movie Matinee – I am so bringing popcorn.
• 11 AM – Artificial Intelligence – as an AI hobbyist myself, I want to go see how the professionals do it.
• 12 PM – PvP Finals – I won’t be in it, but I’ll be watching it.
• 1 PM – Storyline Processes – yup, more help for my writing endeavours.
• 2 PM – Human Resources – let’s not say anything more about that one.
• 3 – 5PM – CCP PRESENTS!
• 5 PM – CCP PANEL – I have some good questions for them too.
• 6 – 8  PM – Grab some dinner with the new friends I am hoping to make OR eat alone, crying in a corner

• 8 PM + party, party, party!

5:30 PM GRAND HOTEL LOBBY

Just sitting here blogging away, when lo and behold, Olivier Dacla sits down beside me, from Mondes Persistants, an excellent French MMO media site, and an official EVE Online fansite.

He was also lucky enough to be the first player to get an autographed Roc Wieler picture, but I have plenty. If you want one at Fanfest, hit me up; I’d be happy to sign one for you.

Hmm, just was discussing the voice of Aura, and remembered that before Mynxee was willing to do the voice, we actually hit up the actress who did the voice of Aura for EVE Online, one Caroline Dalton. Wouldn’t she make a fantastic guest at Fanfest? (Are you reading this CCP?)

Well, that’s all from me for now. We’re up to date on my blogging and wife is now on IM. I’ll keep you all posted as my adventures continue.

11 AM GRAND HOTEL

I awoke, feeling tight in my body, achy in places I didn’t know could ache. It had been a trying two days, and my muscles were screaming at me for a workout.

I went down to reception and asked about their gym facilities. 3,200 ISK per day…

I promptly went back up to my room and did a military workout for the next hour. Sadly, that’s not anywhere as dirty as it sounds.

When I had finished my workout, my body quivering from exertion (I had recently learned some devastating new exercises from my personal trainer the previous week), I relaxed under a steaming hot shower for a good thirty minutes. Now, if you knew me, you’d know that is rare. I am a “quick shower” kind of person. To me, there are far better ways to spend my time than standing half an hour in the shower. I was wrong. My wife is rejoicing right now at this (ha ha).

Seriously, the half hour I spent in that shower made me feel like a million bucks, which was probably the cost in ISK for the amount of hot water I used. The taps in Iceland were interesting to me in my limited European travel experience. They would turn to 38 degrees celsius, then lock. However, if you pushed the safety button, the tap would turn further to a scalding 42 degrees celsius. I don’t think I can ever go back to regular hot showers after that!

I got dressed, grabbed my gaudy tourist map, then headed out the lobby doors. Where would I go?

I know! CCP! (I can hear Kirith weeping as he reads this).

Since I wasn’t in a hurry, I decided to walk… in the piercing, cold, upblowing rain. It was a 40 minute walk, and I was thoroughly drenched to my bones, but the moment I walked into CCP Reception, none of it mattered.

3PM CCP HQ

I spent the next hour getting a thorough tour of the facility (which is completely gorgeous and that’s not including the exquisite saltwater fishtank), and many introductions were made to key people Chris and I would be interacting with during our stay in Iceland.

I want to interject here as to how truly humbling this entire experience has been thus far. To be here, talking to CCP about Capsuleer, and to get to enjoy Fanfest AND to see CCP HQ… seriously, wow. Thank you with all my heart to everyone: the 25,000+ users of Capsuleer that have given our app a solid base to build on, to CCP for noticing our little app and appreciating the detail and hard work put into it, and to all the websites, magazines, and blogs out there that have given us glowing reviews and appreciation. It just goes to show that you never know where your passions might lead, so whatever your passion may be, never give up on it!

After finishing up at CCP, I headed into downtown Rekjavik.

Again, phenomenal architecture. Everything was under construction, new buildings being built, old buildings being renovated; the city could rival Dubai for its apparent growth and cutting edge appeal.

But so far the single greatest aspect of Rekjavik as a city is the traffic system. There are very few intersections with traffic lights; rather everything is “roundabouts”. I don’t know if that’s the correct word, but literally, that is what they are.

Little circular islands in the middle of the road, and all traffic simply travels counterclockwise around them. I seem to recall from movies that this is quite common in Europe, but to see how efficient they are in person is something else! North Americans could definitely learn a thing or two from this.

I spent the remainder of my afternoon on foot, getting the lay of the land. I always liked knowing where I was when in a new place; it made it feel less foreign and more comfortable to me. Iceland provided many great landmarks to get my bearings from.

6PM CABIN HOTEL

I dropped by the Cabin Hotel where Chris was staying, but he wasn’t in. I left a message for him at the front desk, then walked across the street to a Subway restaurant and had a 1,000 ISK sub. Geez. For the paltry amount of toppings they gave, one would hope they wouldn’t be so expensive.

I finished my sub and began walking back to the Grand Hotel, again marvelling at the roundabouts. I had just walked by one when I heard the telltale crash of a car accident.

Not more than ten feet behind me, two women had crashed into each other in the roundabout.

I quickly ran to them, making sure they were both uninjured, helped them move their cars off of the road, and helplessly hoped they could call 911. I had no idea what the number for emergency services was in Iceland.

They were both uninjured, and really quite pleasant to each other about the entire thing, and thanked me for my help.

I went on my way, and shortly arrived back at the Grand Hotel.

I grabbed my laptop, headed for the lobby, and checked my emails. There was some email from CCP, a message from Chris, but most importantly, my wife had emailed me!!!

My heart ached for her. I missed her so much. I immediately emailed her back, and arranged a time for us to IM. I wanted to consume her completely, but IM would have to do for now.

I then headed back to the Cabin Hotel, hooked up with Chris and his wife, and the three went over our business plan and positioning statement for CCP.

Even though it was still early evening, the three of us were quite tired, so I took my leave and headed back to the Grand.

9:30 PM GRAND HOTEL LOBBY

I logged onto my IM program, and my wife surprised me by being online early! She missed me as much as I missed her.

I blogged while we chatted, the excitement level intense between us, not just for each other, but about the cool and exciting things happening in Iceland. The potential here for Chris and I could be enormous!

I was feeling a bit tired myself, so wrapped things up with my wife, and went back to my room.

10:15 PM ROOM 749

My iPhone had a text message on it from Lars. The Film Festival after-party was starting soon at the Foss Hotel, and he wanted to know if I could come.

Hell yes!

The Foss Hotel was about a 15 minute walk, and let me tell you, once the sun sets in Iceland, you can say goodbye to your testicles. I mean, I’m from Canada, but holy damn was it ever cold!

I found Lars pretty easily (turns out he’s a bit famous in his circle), and we spent the night chatting, drinking, eating wings (thank God for more food), and really just had a fantastic time, even though the bar ran out of beer. These Europeans certainly know how to drink.

2 AM ?

Lars paid for a cab to get me back to my room, as I wasn’t really in a position to walk (sorry honey!) and I quickly staggered to my bed and passed out, dizzy but content.