The door opens and the soft light from the hallway back lights two shadowy figures as they enter the dark room. There is a loud “Uffh” and the crash of something hitting the hard floor. Harsh light fills the small space from a single naked bulb in the center of the room. A man is awkwardly reaching up from the floor and has his hand on the touch pad light switch. His once clean uniform is now wrinkled and dusty from his sudden stop when he hit the ground. There are several media equipment boxes marked “General Nova High – A/V Club”, a Galaxy Gathering press pass with the word “Intern” handwritten in red marker under the crossed-out word “Staff” on it and a gangly teenager with the look of a puppy about to get hit on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper strewn around the man. He pushed the kid off his legs and stiffly climbs to his feet while visibly trying to keep control of his expression.“Billy…. I told you to wait out in the hall with the equipment until I turned on the light.” He said in strained tones.
“Sorry Uncle John” Billy replied. “I forgot”
“Well don’t just stand there. Go set up the holo cam and lights on the other side of the desk.” John Said.
“Don’t you mean on the other side of the crate of Viper Lasers Uncle John?” Billy sniggered.
The empty crate had a cardboard sign on it marked “Desk of the Intern” and not much else.
“I see Ken Hicks still thinks he’s a funny guy. This Janitors Closet turned Interns office with that “Desk” shows he is still sore about how that mission he sent me on turn out”
After much more verbal “Encouragement” and muttering “This is the last time I let my sister talk me into helping her kid with his A/V projects for school” like a mantra for inner peace Billy finally gets everything set up and working. 91 takes later after Billy finally gets all the little details like taking the lens cap off and framing the shot right. I quickly leap over my “Desk” and whip the memory stick out of the Holo Cam before my ham-handed Nephew hits the erase button instead of the eject button.
“Ow Uncle John, you didn’t have to hit my hand away so hard” Billy pouted.
“Sorry kid that’s showbiz” I shouted over my shoulder as I walked towards the door. “Pack everything up while I upload this to the server for distribution”
I walked quickly down the hall to the control room to better avoid listening to the crashes and thumps coming from my crummy little office. I reach the control room and plug the memory stick into the console. The upload quickly finished and my hand hovered over the play button. With a fast prayer that Patrick would not get ill when he viewed this and the knowledge that fortune favors the bold I pressed the button….
*Trendy Theme Music Starts Playing*
Greetings to everyone in Mecha Galaxy! This is my very first editorial as the new intern at The Galaxay Gathering and I am excited to be here and share my opinion with you all. Who knows maybe someone other than my Mom will watch this you never know.
The MG Players Page goes through cycles of pilots posting about their woes and frustrations fighting against spenders, campers or people who have a mech before they can buy it on the open market. We all get it and have been there before ourselves feeling frustrated that we can’t beat XYZ player who is X number of level lower than we are… But hang on and keep a stiff upper lip pilot.
Most games these days require you either spend a Fort Knox worth of real cash to be the Top Dog or you must invest a ton of your time looking for ways of configuring your gear for the best synergy to swim with the sharks and come out alive. Otherwise you should get real with yourself if you are not willing to do either of these things and accept that you will be fighting with everyone else like you over the scraps.
There is a really good chance that the last paragraph caused most of the people other than my Mom to stop reading this editorial and say a few choice curse words at me as they close their browser tab. Those of you who continued to read on need to recognize that what we call a game is a business and Nick Shapiro and his employees need to make enough money to pay the server bills and the wages needed to fix and grow this game. I am sure that we could all debate on how Nick can best make his needed revenue until things devolve into a bar brawl until the bouncers throw us into the street nut that is a discussion for another day. For now, in this game you really only have 3 choices in how you play:
1. You can try to outspend the other spenders to be #1. Who knows, if you try this Nick might send you a signed picture as a token of gratitude.
2. You can stay a free player and try to “Camp” and make sure for every point of XP you earn you get something you can use or sell for needed niodes. You will also have a really good chance of being hated and mocked for your efforts.
3. You can stay a free player and harvest crystal from every account you can find, fight in KOTM and hope you get lucky and win a prize, run missions and hope for a good payout from the mission boss or fight in Clan Wars and hope you get something in the raid that is worth a damn before you burn out of quit the game.
4. What?? I thought you said there is only 3 options on how to play this game you say… but wait there is MAOR! Few people either know about or bother to take advantage of the fact you can create content for one or more of the many MG fan sites and earn niodes for your time or if you are super lucky you can apply for one of the staff jobs on those sites when they come open and get paid both a weekly niode salary and niodes for the content you make for that site in the course of your duties there.
As most of us in this are some form of free to play accounts this game and your sanity need you to take advantage of option #4. You will almost never stomp a spender doing this but it will allow you to get stronger, have more fun and create more competition that this game desperately needs to keep things fun and challenging while shaking up the status quo. To make things super easy for you I have included links to the fan sites at the end of this editorial so you can get started earning niodes today!
Hang in there, get busy making content and I will look forward to seeing stronger pilots on the battlefield. *Salute*
*Inspiring Martial Music Plays*
Starring John Ringo as himself
Casting by John Ringo with some nagging from his sister to get her son into a bit part in this production.
Director John Ringo
Producer John Ringo
Sound by John Ringo
Filmed on location in the Janitor’s Closet A.K.A The Intern’s Office at The Galaxy Gathering
No people were hurt more than they needed to be in the making of this film.
List of Fan Sites:
The Galaxy Gathering - http://thegalaxygathering.blogspot.com/
Ways to submit content:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/791211034222592
thegalaxaygathering@gmail.com
A.N.N
https://www.facebook.com/groups/646171352098787/
MeGaCom - http://mechagalaxycomics.blogspot.com/
Ways to submit content:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1181208675242675/
Mechanomicon - http://mechanomicon.blogspot.com/
Ways to submit content:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1807939066146305
Outtakes:
“Ok Uncle John I am filming”
“Greetings to everyone in Mecha Galaxy! This is my very first editorial…. Billy, you have to take the lens cap off.” John puts the palm of his hand over his face while shaking his head back and forth.
*BEEP*
“Ok Uncle John, Action!”
“Greetings to everyone in …. Billy, I am over here! Stop pointing the Cam at the ceiling!”
“Sorry Uncle John”
“Why did I let my sister talk me into this?”
“Did she tell you she would never speak to you again if you did not help me Uncle John?”
“No she did not Billy. If she had I would have refused to help you and been a very happy man”
*BEEP*
“Ok are you sure you have me in frame with the lens cap off and the record button pushed Billy?”
“Yes we are all good to go Uncle John”
“Greetings to everyone in Mecha Galaxy! This is my very first editorial as the new intern at The Galaxay Gathering and I ….”
Patrick, David and Ken burst into the office and swarm the desk and start mugging for the Camera.
“Cut!”
Billy is laughing so hard he does not release the record button. This only encourages those clowns to break out into a highly choreographed river dance routine while John Ringo tries so push them out of the room.
“Billy turn that thing off!”
The End
Submitted by John Ringo#899284