Interview
Today we interviewed Katherine_Light , the current leader of the Mercenaries For Hire. Mercenaries for Hire is one of the biggest help request groups there is. She has agreed to do an interview about the M4H.
Me: Hiya, so how difficult or challenging is it to be the leader of one of the biggest help request groups?
Katherine: Well, it's more busy than difficult. Most of the dungeons themselves aren't too difficult to help people through, especially since most people listen well and learn quickly. The most challenging thing about it is trying to arrange the schedule to keep helping people at the times of year when everyone is busy. When holidays come around most of our team members have real life plans, but a lot of people are off of school and just want to quest. Trying to get everything done can be difficult. It makes it a lot easier to have such an awesome group of people all working together and trying to make things fit together for everyone, though.
Me: What gave you the idea or what inspired you to make this group?
Katherine: Oh, I didn't create this group; I didn't even start playing until a year after it was created, actually. I was actually drawn to it by a totally random occurence in game. I ran into a merc (Aura*) helping someone with Cuthalla in the Grotto back when he still cheated there. I asked to join them and it struck me how she was so clear about his cheats, patient with us, confident that things would go well, etc. I was more confident just for having been in the same fight as them, lol. I googled her wizard name after the fight and found both Central and M4H. After tagging along with them for a bit, I realized that I really liked helping other people have that same experience I had in my first fight with the mercs, and wanted to be a part of it. That's what keeps the group and members going - that we like helping people have a positive in-game experience, especially with something that previously may have been frustrating or scary for them.
Me: What helps you make all of the guides you have made towards farming and questing quickly and easily?
Katherine: Lots of input, and trial and error. I run the bosses with friends, mercs, random people, etc, try out different things, see what works best and is simplest to understand. Then I get input on anything I might not have thought of and try those ideas out as well. And the guides often change after I've posted them, too - there are lots of people in the Central community with great insights, so I try to listen to what they suggest and try those things out as well.
Me: Is there anyone in specific that you would like to thank or congratulate for helping doing something involved with the Merc's?
Katherine: Jester and Olivia have been incredibly gracious to us, from giving us our own forum to letting us host our contests here, listening to our ideas and concerns, everything. They're absolutely awesome to work with and without them M4H wouldn't even exist.
Even though they'll probably never see this, lol, Professor Greyrose and One Eyed Jack have been awesome. They discuss ideas with us, keep us up to date on what's going on, and overall just make KI a fantastic company to work with.
Autumn Ice is just... she's epic. Her graphics are INSANE and she's always willing to help, she's a ton of fun to work with, and she makes things look SO professional. Seriously, if you see her in game just take a minute and tell her how incredibly awesome she is.
We have fantastic F2M4H that make everything SO much more fun. They're fun to hang out with, they're fast learners and great friends and honestly, M4H wouldn't be the same without them being so willing to help out.
And of course the whole Central community, you guys just rock. Central is full of so many different people with different ideas and personalities that it's mind-boggling, but usually those differences are addressed with respect. That's a rare thing to find, especially online, and the whole community is better for it.
Me: Anything else you would like to add about the Merc's?
Katherine: Sure! I think I speak for most of the team here - while we love being part of the merc team, we don't want to seem intimidating to anyone. We're just part of this community and no more important or 'better' than other players; we're just people having fun. If you see any of us in game, come say hi! Have fun with us, we're a pretty goofy bunch and we love to meet new people.
Huge thanks for letting me have the interview!