Planetquake: Spotlight on Fargo

Name: Dave Kosak
Nick: Fargo
ICQ: On Request
URL1: PlanetQuake
URL2: http://www.planetquake.com/Fargo
Birthdate: 10/29/73
Hometown and Country: Newport Beach, California, USA

Questions:

How did you come up with your nickname? –
So Bastard from PlanetQuake says he’d like me to do some writing for them, and asks if I’d like to use a nickname. I didn’t really bother to think about it. I’d just seen the movie “Fargo” and thought it ruled, so I’d been playing Quake on the Internet with that name, and said, “Use that.” I didn’t suspect I’d actually ever be called “Fargo” in day to day conversation.
When did you first start getting into First Person Shooters? –
I though Wolfenstein 3D was great, and had a terrific time playing Doom in college — we played it networked on black and white NeXT machines with no sound, so we made all the sound effects ourselves. I was never hardcore “into it” until Quake. And I never played Qtest — I didn’t bother to play until the Shareware came out. 16-player Quake on the Internet blew me away; I knew it was something new, and that it was big.
What are your top 3 favorite FPS? –
I rarely like more than one at a time. Right now I’d say I like Quake II, although I still play Quake … other than that, I’ve put everything away, really–I don’t play more than a couple games at a time. When something better comes out, I’ll probably put Quake aside…
Which new FPS are you looking forward to playing most? –
Tough call. I would say Half Life sounds pretty exciting, although rumors are starting to run wild that Unreal is astounding, so I’m pretty psyched to see that, as well.
What other games do you like to play? –
Real-Time strategy or turn-based strategy games are great. Nobody else here at the office enjoys turn-based games, so for the most part we play the RTS games as they come out. Total Annihilation and Age of Empires are still favorites around PQ.
Have you worked on any add-on projects or have you designed any levels? Tell us about them –
I wish I had time to be more involved in the modification scene. In a different world I would have probably been knee-deep in Quake-C a couple years ago, but I had just graduated school and found myself moving around and getting a job and stuff (Real life. Ugh!), so I ended up being a web-pimp instead. :) I went through a phase where I was cranking out Doom maps, one of which I was especially proud of, but I haven’t gotten back to it yet. And it’s been a few years since I’ve coded, unfortunately. I guess you have to pick your projects, and there are Quake coders out there, but not a lot of Quake writers, so I’ve found my niche.
What is your most memorable gaming experience? –
There are a couple of stories I shared with folks: Learning to camp and the TeamFortress Detpack. I still get occasional letters about those.
What do you do besides play FPS? –
I only recently moved here and got a car, so driving all around and exploring is a novelty (I used to live in New York City — never owned a car before). I live near the beach, which I hope to take advantage of now that the weather’s nicer. I go to bars and play pinball while getting gradually plastered, and I’m looking into buying a mountain bike, hopefully to get me out of the office more. :)
What is your favorite gaming website (besides Siren’s Pic Page, of course)? –
I usually check Blue’s a couple times a week, and every day I’m surfing all through PlanetQuake … partially to make sure the ship is running smoothly, mostly because I’m always stumbling on something new. I rifle through the .plan files, as well. The sites I care about most are the ones that give me something to do; mods to download, for instance. I also try to glance at any Quake comics and such that come out, since I always love to see the creative stuff people do when inspired by the game.
Tell us your favorite weapon and map for your top 3 favorite FPS: –
When playing Quake II, I prefer the double-barrelled shotgun. These weenies with Rocket Launchers or Hyperblasters don’t know what to do when someone’s zinging around the room trying to smack right into them. As for maps, I don’t have a favorite–the LMCTF, Rocket Arena 2, and id Deathmatch levels are all a lot of fun.
Got any configuration file secrets or scripts? –
You definately want to control movement with one hand and the direction your’re facing with another — Anything else will ruin your game. The keyboard and mouse is my recomended way. I cluster all of my strafing and movement keys next to my weapon-selection keys. For games that have an inventory, those keys should be right there as well. Nowadays I program all of my configs into GameLaunch.
Finish the sentence: Playing Quake II is better than…
watching other people play.
Finish the sentence: If I couldn’t play Quake II, I would…
survive. Oh as long as I know how to love I know I’ll stay alive…
What FPS player do you most admire and why? –
Hands down, Reptile. First of all, he’s got mad skillz. But more important, he just has fun. Lots of it! I was there at the PGL finals, and even when it was real intense and a few thousand bucks were on the line he was just playing the game and having a good time. He has a sense of proportion that way. And it’s amazing to watch him work.
Finish the sentence: If I were to say one thing about myself, it would be…
longwinded, and ultimately not that interesting. ;)
Put your message in a modem here (shoutout):
“I got the Breadtooth! I got the Hammelhand! I got Reptile, Kornelia, and Scunion Man!”