Creater Interviews: Alexziq

Well, Volzzilla has done it again. He passed on to me an interview he did with Alexziq. I am really impressed with his work and I was grateful to him for setting aside time to answer Volzzilla's insightful questions. As always, Volzzilla's comments and questions are bolded and Alexziq is unbolded.

1) How did you first learn about MUGEN and how long ago was that?

Two years ago, I was looking for a copy of the fan film “Lobo’s Paramilitary X-Mas Special” I stumbled upon a MUGEN video of Lobo. I had seen screenshots years ago of a Lobo fighting game, and thought this was new footage. After reading, and doing more internet searches, I realized I would actually be able to play DC characters in a fighting game so I was ecstatic as a fan.

2) When you are just focusing on having fun and playing, what characters do you tend to use the most and why?

I actually like to play my Flash remix, and Mini Flash together on Team Arcade just because I have a mixed roster, and the characters have the means to beat just about anybody if you know how to play them. I’d say I enjoy Lobo as well because I was a big fan of Lobo in the 90’s.

3) What comic character not already made or in the process of being made do you wish was MUGENized?

Well a lot of people say “everything” is in production but that’s not always the case. I’d really like to see some more unique DC characters like Swamp Thing, Constantine, or The Creeper get made. It’s a real shame there’s not a decent Catwoman for MUGEN yet.

4) Can you please tell me about what current WIP you are most looking forward to other than your own?

As far as Wips go that I’m looking forward too, I’d say I’m really looking forward to the guys I’ve worked with in the past projects the most. Z666’s Havok, Batzarro’s Rhino, Dark Talbains Wolvenom, and Jason Todd’s Wonderman.

5) Please tell the readers all the characters you have worked on towards their release.

Joker (Jason Todd, and Batzarro) Coding, and some Sprite work

Harley Quinn (with Batzarro) Coding

The Flash Barry Allen, and Remix 3.0 (With Egoless, and Eradicator) Sprite improvement, recodes, and bug fixes

Robin (Jason Todd, and pretty much everyone formerly from Team Spoiler) Coding, bug fixed, and some sprite work

Hobgoblin (With Dark Talbain, and Susan Mugen) Fixed minor bugs for upcoming re-release)

Sniper Joe (with Spider Mew) recode, and bug hunt

Question (With Jason Todd) early beta

Shazam (With Jason Todd) terrible early alpha

Red Tornado (With Jason Todd) leaked terrible alpha

6) Which one of those stands out the most to you and why?

Robin, and Harley definitely. Harley a little more so just because she was my first attempt at coding from a base instead of editing, and fixing existing material. And Robin because it was the character that helped me learn how to add, and implement code.

7) Do you have any plans on further updates towards those characters?

Oh yeah. Robin, Joker, Harley, and Question are all on my agenda for re-release this year. Even if other versions get released, I plan on seeing them through till I’m happy with them from a personal standpoint.

8) What WIPs are you currently working on?

Batman Beyond and Red Tornado are my current projects. I inherited both these characters from more underground creators, Spiderbat (Batman Beyond) and Jhonny DC (Red-T), and I was able to get all the permissions for these to finish the work they started and hope to have playable beta’s by spring. I’m not a spriter so I have to rely on my co-workers to help me out on improvements because both of these have massive potential, and we don’t want to cut corners with these particular releases.

9) I’ve seen you sporting a banner in your signature about a new team you are involved in. Can you please share any information about them?

Well the Legion Mugen Team is: myself, Spidermew, and Z666. We were all Team Spoiler members before the split. I really wanted to help these guys get their stuff off the ground after Spoiler broke up. Jason, Batzarro, and Dark Talbain had all put out Betas that got a lot of attention, and all three branched out to work with other creators, and more experienced coders. I took an interest in Sniper Joe because I felt like the first beta was just slopped out there with a lot of problems, and I wanted to help Mew get it going because it was a solid Capcom character.

Like I said I’m not a spriter, so I need people to help me if I do need Sprite work done, and I knew these guys were still at a similar place in life as myself so it just worked out. In turn I promised these two guys I’d fix or code whatever they need as top priority. The Spoiler Team alumni are all still very close, so its not like much really changed. It just was a very intimate group of people who were comic fans first, who all kinda got into MUGEN through that avenue.

When we branched out to work with people outside of it, it just didn’t feel right. While I’m sure some probably roll their eyes at the break up knowing that we still work closely, at the same time I’ve never gotten along better with the group. I think without the pressure of a “Team” we all ended up a lot happier. I don’t expect that to make sense to most people, but it is what it is.

10) Any tips you would like to share on how you all work that may help other creators?

I’m still learning myself, but I recommend caffeine, Adult Swim, a good Laptop, and a lot of patience. At least as far as coding goes. I was oblivious to PC code before this, so it’s a learning experience.

11) Everyone knows that MUGEN creation is very detailed oriented and time consuming. What keeps you motivated to continue your work?

Hmm, good question. As a coder sometimes it’s the challenge, sometimes it’s the quality of the sprites. I got very challenged when I worked on Sniper Joe in January because it was a style of character I wasn’t used to. At first, I kept getting frustrated, but once I dug into it, I got obsessed with it. Now that I’m on Batman Beyond, I get to fix up all these great animations, and its so sharp looking that I can’t put down the laptop. I do think I need a break later this year, but it’s only to make more time for my writing, and music work that have been long neglected.

Thank you, Alexziq and Volzzilla for sharing this interview with the readers of this blog. The WIP that Alexziq is working on that I'm most excited about Batman Beyond so I can't wait to try it out. I love his Flash Remix and I'm sure we will like all the characters he has a hand in developing.