The recognition of new faces will continue, but this month we're going to put a little spin on the whole concept; and until the end of the month we're going to spin things more quickly as the number of interviews will increase to 3 for the next two weeks. There are only a select number of individuals capable of upholding this new concept; those that don't cower in the face of fame, those that don't regress when presented with the opportunity to shout from a rooftop "I'm better than you... on the internet!".
Those who live, breathe, and exhale the very essence of what makes GTPlanet the place that it has become and will continue to be - these are the approved traits of the archetype known only as The GTPlanet Illuminati, er, I mean the GTPlanet Moderation Staff and incidentally, the GTPlanet Member of the Week.
Two birds with one stone? Say it isn't so!
No matter where we go, people will either ignore or want to confront us, which is where our personal bodyguards come in. No matter what we say, everyone will interrupt and/or attempt to correct us. No matter what we're wearing, it will be made fun of for the next 10 years. So let us welcome the newest member to the League of Extraordinary GTPeople, and the eighth in the long line of staff interviews, Jump_Ace!
1. First and foremost, this is a most special month for all of us involved in the workings of GTPlanet and I thought it was time for us to bare it all, allowing the community at large an opportunity to see us for who we all really are - which of course means you're officially GTPlanet's Member of the Week! Are you excited? Explosions!
- I’m very excited and honored to be part of the madhouse!
2. What brought you to GTPlanet and was there ever a time before you took on the badge where you thought to yourself "I'd like to do that" only to then immediately regret said thought ever coming to mind?
- What brought me to GTPlanet is my thirst for competition. About 10 years ago now, I was fumbling around online trying to see just how good I was at Gran Turismo. I initially landed on GTTimes.com and was amazed at the times submitted by Mr. P (does anyone else miss Midfield!?) and HugoBoss and a ton of other aliens.
I recall landing on the GTPlanet homepage in my search for fun and answers to just how fast I was. And, I hate to admit it, but my first thought was, ‘Oh, it’s just a fan site, that’s not for me.’ Sorry Jordan! Little did I know just how wrong I was and to this day I wish I poked around to find the Weekly Race Series then, instead of later.
As for taking on the badge, I felt it was the next step for me. I knew the GT games in and out and backwards, literally. So when there were some of my friends who wanted volunteers to create the GTP OLR Rules for GT5 Prologue, I asked Sphynx if I could help. We then used a pbwiki page where we could all collaborate and dissect each rule to the Nth degree (and we did, believe me). By then, I’d been doing the WRS for a few years (since week 4 in GT4), been updating Luxy’s Leaderboard for the guys and Sphynx recommended I become a WRS Mod, and I accepted.
3. There's a lot to do around the forums so I have to ask: what sub-forums/threads do you frequent most often and why?
- Besides the WRS forums, I spend most of my time in the Funny Picture Thread, Computers & Tech and Sim Racing Hardware (which is where I seemed to do most of my Moderating
)
Typically, no one blocks GTPlanet so I like to see the (usually) best of the best meme’s that I can’t see on Reddit and other sites.
Since I work in IT, I pop in and try and answer questions when I can and ask them if I need to. One of the best things GTPlanet has going for it, is it’s at that perfect stage; like a medium sized business. It isn’t all suit and tie and there’s a true sense of it being a family run business.
I love the Sim Racing Hardware section as I’m just astounded at the mods users make to their wheels and the creativity to find a solution for themselves is inspiring.
4. What was it that sparked your interest in Gran Turismo?
- When I first read about Gran Turismo I was just getting my driver’s license and I loved the idea of seeing how I would do in a video game license test scenario. Little did I know that those license tests were some of the hardest in the franchise, yikes!
5. How did you come up with the name "Jump_Ace"?
- Before I started playing GT in high school, my life revolved around Track and Field, particularly Long Jump, Triple Jump and my favorite; High Jump. I did pretty well in triple and high jump and usually won head to head meets and most tournament meets. But I was from a small town too, so that made it easier, haha. My personal best in High Jump is 2 meters (roughly 6’ft. 7”in.). Growing up playing video games you could only use 3 initials, well I have four. So, I always used the word ‘Ace’ for everything (except the Legend of Zelda of course). Then when I finally bought my first computer, my roommate once said his email was something like
bmw_ice@yahoo.com. I immediately thought, my name should have an underscore too, that’ll be AWESOME! So I came up with ‘Jump_Ace’.
6. There's no controversy here so what's your flavor: Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport, neither, both, or something else altogether?
- If you were to ask me this in the Gran Turismo 4 days, I would’ve have said Gran Turismo by a country mile. Now, however, GT has drifted away from us hardcore fan base and doesn’t fulfill my need for competition and driving. So, I’m going to be ‘that guy’ who says Project Cars, without even playing it. Why? Because they are doing the opposite of Gran Turismo, they are catering to the hardcore fan base and have direct feedback from them.
7. What was your initial reaction when the badge was presented to you?
- I was totally stoked, I went right into the new sections that opened up for my account and read about a bunch of bad users so I knew what to look for and what do to if I come across them.
8. GTP 12 is up and about, what are your thoughts?
- Just like a fine wine, GTPlanet gets better with age. There are so many subtle changes, all for the better. Jordan has done an outstanding job of knowing what direction to point GTP in, I sincerely wish he (or myself of course) could work at PD to get them back on track.
9. Gran Turismo 6 is finally here, what are you thoughts so far?
- Honestly, it feels like GT 5.5. I played GT5 for a solid 18 months, but GT6 couldn’t keep my attention for 6 months. There’s so many changes that need to made and I think there are too many cooks in the kitchen at PD. Someone is pushing the Skid Recovery Force hard to bring in new gamers, but it’s also cutting out gamers like myself. The new concept cars are cool, but like I mentioned before, it’s not heading in the direction I prefer. In my opinion, they need to work on many other things besides these concept cars where they try and please current gamers and attract new ones.
10. Talk a little about what you think you bring to GTPlanet and how you think you can continue to improve.
- I think I’ve shifted gears a little toward being one of the ‘old guys’ who thinks things were done better before and the new changes are not for the best. So, more of a link to how the previous games were compared to how they are now. But that’s also one thing I know I need to improve on; accepting change. It’s very tough because I know how great things were in the past, but like everyone, we all have things we can improve on.
11. A lot of fantastic-looking games are due out soon, what are you most looking forward to when it's all said and done at 11:59 on December 31st?
- Project CARs, without a doubt.
12. What do you most like to do when it's time to just sit back and relax?
- Normally that is my time to chill and play video games. I’ll try out some new games here and there (was not a fan of Watch Dogs, at all). But I do love re-playing old games. Everything from Ocarina of Time and Super Metroid to Mario Bros. 3, F-Zero and Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!
13. Tell us something interesting about your hometown.
- I’m from a small town in Oregon called McMinnville. It’s right in the middle of Wine Country, literally one of the world’s most elite wine comes from Yamhill County there. Yes, up there with Napa and French wine. It’s also home to the Spruce Goose, the world’s largest wooden plane..yep the one from the Aviator movie with Leonardo DiCaprio.
14. If given the opportunity, if even for a moment, what would you do with GTPlanet?
- I would change the primary color from red to blue.
15. Do you have any hobbies we should be made aware of?
- My other hobbies are web design, or rather learning about web design; PHP, Javascript, HTML.
16. You are producing a 12-episode drama series for the BBC. The show can be anything you want and you can cast any living actors you want. What would it be and who would you cast?
- Well, since my 8th grade film project idea of the show lost was stolen from me, so I would have to go with…
“Superman or Clark Kent. Dissecting the difference between what women want and what women need.”
I’d cast all my favorite Hollywood hotties as well as focus groups to answer what I believe to be one of the meanings of life; WHAT THE 🤬 DO WOMEN WANT?
Hollywood hotties would include, but not limited to:
1. Emilia Clarke
2. Rachel McAdams
3. Scarlett Johansson
4. Maria Hill
5. Amy Adams
6. Kate Mara
7. Gemma Arterton
8. Jessica Biel
9. Oona Chaplin
10. Anna Kendrick
11. Sibel Kekilli
12. Megan Fox
13. Natalie Portman
14. Anne Hathaway
15. Jennifer Connelly
16. Kelly Brook
17. Kate Beckinsale
18. Christina Hendricks
19. Cobie Smulders
20. Eva Mendez
21. Jessica Alba
17. During your time on the staff have you ever wished you would have handled something differently, and, assuming you went through this phase, how long was the grace period from you questioning your initial actions whether they be issued warnings, points, or bans from being too harsh to second nature when the need arises?
- Yes. Although I don’t remember the user, I gave him infraction points for trolling others. I was on the fence about flat out banning him because of the level of insanity he was in. I wish I ban-hammered the little 🤬 But IIRC someone else banned him the next day and I was like ‘*BLEEP!* Yea!...wait, I should’ve done it, 🤬!’
18. Some would say our position is a lucrative one, others would say it's an excuse for us to be internet "tough guys" - what would your response be to both of these assumptions?
- It would depend on the definition of lucrative. If by lucrative you mean gaining insight to how things are run at GTP and level of respect users (uh, usually) give you, then yes. But I also don’t think anyone wants to be tough guys unless it’s necessary because it does create more work, albeit FUN work.
19. In a world where our jobs here come with badges that are mailed to your place of residence, how do you treat said badge?
- With honor and respect. To think Jordan believes in people he never met to help maintain his site/livliehood doesn’t come easy. Nor is that responsibility taken lightly. I’d make a shadow box for said badge and hang it in the garage or my office or something, theoretically speaking.
20. With all the bickering about Forza vs Gran Turismo, how about we get to the real question; which is better, F-Zero or WipEout?
- Easy. F-Zero. F-Zero requires instantaneous reaction and well, who is cooler than Samurai Goroh?
21. Have you ever been stalked or threatened with legal action because you're a moderator here?
- Thankfully, no. The closest to ‘stalking’ is when racing online with strangers and someone gripes about someone else not driving clean in a ‘clean room’ and I try and chime in if I saw the incident and no one ever believes me that I helped write the GTP OLR Rules. So one guy did follow up with me about it and actually apologized and admitted I was ‘cool’ with not rubbing it in his face or anything.
22. If you were to indulge in the art of boutique car manufacturing what would your mission statement be?
- Passionate cars. Passionate drivers.
23. If site moderation was a paid job, would any of you give up your current positions/ occupations to do it full time providing the pay was acceptable?
- Definitely, if the pay was acceptable. And being flown to GT/gaming events would be a nice perk *nudge nudge*
24. We're both pretty giddy when it comes to the Legend of Zelda (I still haven't finished Skyward Sword on Hero Mode!), what would you say brings a smile to your face when you think about the game?
- First, let me say that Skyward Sword has really grown on me the past couple years. I’ve played it through 5 times now, two on Hero Mode. It’s an excellent game that initially I thought lacked depth. But what brings a smile to my face is the part of the game I’ve spent the most time in; Boss Battle Mode. The way they integrated the motion controls into how you defeat bosses with your arsenal is Sublime. They are fun, challenging (haven’t gotten the Hylian shield in Hero mode yet) and remind me of playing Zelda in my childhood.
25. What would you look for in bringing a new face into our elusive fold of moderator insanery?
- Dedication and passion. Someone who has proven they can follow the rules, has shown to help others and has a passion for gaming and/or cars. I’m a gamer who got into cars because of Gran Turismo and I suspect I’m in the minority on that
But no matter how they found GTP it takes passion and dedication to stick with being a Mod. Then I say sprinkle on a little bit of patience and that’d be a good candidate.
26. Where and when was your very first post here and how does it differ from your posting style used today?
- Actually nothing has changed since I joined GTP. I always end all of my forum posts with my first name as I want to invoke that I’m reaching out to everyone in an open, personal level. Even as a (former) Mod. I’ll never make a post in PURPLE font, that’s just Crazy
27. We've talked about your gaming cabinet a couple times in the past, but now it's time to make everyone else hate you - how'd that come about (and how many times have you gotten "the look" because of it)??
- Well, it all started at an awesome place here in Portland called Ground Kontrol. I have a friend who has competed in some Street Fighter tournaments locally and he and I went to play some SF and he mentioned that people have made arcade cabinets to play Street Fighter at home. There’s plans you can download and cut your own MDF wood and how to wire stuff up.
All of a sudden I was 10 years old again. I did some research about arcade cabinets, some you can make yourself, or you can buy ones Ikea-style and just throw the kit together.
- After getting the wife’s approval, I sat down to look at the logistics of it all. How much it would cost and what I would use as an OS, what fightsticks/controllers to get, how to wire sound, etc.
I ended up buying a, err…’not so retail version’ of an Xbox 360 from a guy on Craigslist. For sound, I bought a small amplifier from Amazon along with a pair of 4” speakers. I have the component audio going to the sound amp and the RGB into the HDTV.
- As for the controllers, I snagged up a couple Microsoft Fightsticks at half price ($200 for a pair) before they stopped making them. And I ordered a super cheap Dynex 32” HDTV.
- I then threw a Mame emulator on there and bought a couple 360 fighting games; Mortal Kombat and Super Street Fighter IV. I also snuck in a game called Girl Fight, which is exactly what you’d think it is; and the wife wasn’t too happy
So I only play it when the guys come over
And voila! Almost, instant arcade cabinet. I’ll have to take some new pics of it since I can’t find any.
28. In case you haven't heard, YouTube channel /Drive recently adopted a PPV model with /Drive+ - $3.99 per month for episodes ranging from 10-15 minutes in length, whereas the older channel where this same content was originally hosted has been shortened to 3-4 minutes in total. Do you think this was a wise decision on their behalf or does it just alienate and/or segregate viewers?
- I can see the argument on either side of the fence, but if there is one thing I learned from PPV, no one watches boxing anymore. I grew up watching Tyson fights, but now it’s a nearly dying sport. The reason for that is exposure. CBS, ABC, NBC would all compete for showing title bouts. But now, millennials don’t watch it much at all except Friday Night Fights on ESPN. One could argue UFC has something to with that, but it doesn’t as this trend happened long before UFC caught on.
So I’ll have to say it alienates and segregates their audience. Everywhere you look, you are getting nickel and dimed to death with subscription based fees/payments. I don’t think the product justifies the price.
29. What's the longest you've gone without logging onto GTPlanet since joining: years, months, weeks, days, hours?
- I’d say nor more than a week in all honesty. There’s always something on GTP that keeps my interest, whether it’s the Funny Picture Thread or new info on ProjectCars or a new WRS event I keep coming back for more.
30. Are you illegal in any number of states or entire countries?
- Nope.
31. What's one significant change you'd like to see made to racing games in the next five years or so?
- Excellent question. I want to see the GT Academy grow into it’s own full fledged racing series only have multiple manufacturers get talent from all the top sim games. So for example, GT would have Nissan as a sponsor. But maybe iRacing would have Honda and Subaru sponsors and get a couple drivers there. Then Project Cars would sponsor Toyota and Mazda and there’s a few drivers there. Heck, even EA could sponsor 3 teams. This way there’s more options for us hardcore drivers to get a legit shot at driving for a real team.
From there, maybe the top 4 drivers for that season can move into one of the other classes of racing; rally, LeMans, GT3 or whatever. But the other guys can stay with the GT Academy-type racing series next year against the next crop of virtual winners.
32. Now it's time for the "Moderator Special": the entire staff has been away on leave for several weeks on business and you're the only active staffer left standing, what do you do?
- I grab a bottle of Rum and a 12 pack of Coke and prepare for some long sheepherding sessions!
33. What was your favorite game show growing up?
- The Price Is Right; Bob Barker days were the best, sorry Drew Carey!
34. How many electronic devices do you own, and is there anything out there that you've been eyeing for some time now but just havent' pulled the trigger on yet?
- Considering all electronic devices like TV’s, consoles, computers and printers, I’d say about a dozen. The next thing I’m waiting to pull the trigger on is a new video card for Project Cars
35. If the 90's were good to you for any reason, reminisce a little - what's your favorite memory?
- My best friend would visit his mom just about every weekend and the summer weekends we would stay up all night playing Mortal Kombat II, Earthworm Jim, watch Tales from the Crypt and then get a few hours sleep and go buy some Mtn. Dew and play baseball at a field near by with some other friends.
36. Anything else you'd like to say?
- Well, I’ve been a member of GTP for 10 years in Sept. And, more importantly, the reason why I stepped down from being a Mod is because my wife and I gave birth to our first baby! His name is Lucas, he was born on Aug. 5th and was 5 weeks premature. We’ve been spending the last two full weeks visiting him. He did suffer a stroke during/just before the emergency C-Section where he was showing erratic heartbeat and wasn’t moving/kicking much all day.
He will need some physical therapy for his right arm. The stroke happened because the umbilical cord was wrapped so tight around his left arm that is left arm was completely white like the google homepage and limp. With doing some physical therapy to that arm, it’s looking great. However, the arm hindered some oxygen flow to his brain causing the stroke and resulting in requiring some PT on the right arm.
The good news is nothing else will be affected, we’ve learned a ton from the nurses at the NICU so we feel well-equipped when he does come home for good. He’s turned a corner with his feeding so we’re hoping he can come home in a few days. I’ve created a website as a place to store pics and have family/friends see his growth, it’s at:
www.ourlittlelucas.net/lucas
Thanks to Jordan, EDK, Smallhorses, Sphynx, Small Fries, Mr. P, T-12, eKretz and all my friends at GTP for an excellent 10 years and many more to come!
Jerome
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