20 Questions About.....MegaBossMan.

How long have people wanted me to do this?

Just the fact that people were BEGGING me to do a "20 Q's" on this guy more than anyone [yes, even Adrian] speaks volumes about who he is, what he is, what he means to the community, how IMPORTANT he is IN said community, and overall, just how much of a likeable fellow he is. Seriously, unlike the 8 previous subjects I've featured, it's literally IMPOSSIBLE to be a part of this community, and not know who 24-year-old Prototype Administrator MegaBossMan is. He really needs no introduction, but, here it is, anyway. :P

As I just mentioned, As of late April 2015, MegaBossMan is THE Prototype Administrator. This essentially means that he oversees the site, has near-supreme authority over everything in it, and only takes orders from Adrian, himself. But, that;'s the LEAST of his accomplishments. You'll be hard pressed to find another regular other than Adrian himself who's contributed to the Prototype project as much as he has [I can think only of Rhythm, Spinstrike, MAYBE Tails, and MAYBE myself, offhand]. Not to mention the over 806 billion BP he has, as well as the #3 spot BOTH on the 1024 club list AND the Leaderboard, to this point.

EVERYBODY and their brother wanted this interview. Here it is. It's the longest one, yet, though, so, get a snack.

Community Q's

Q1: How do you feel about your Admin promotion? [Bt Man] / To you personally, how is being an admin different than a moderator? Do you like this change? [TheDoc]
Boss: “You ever been sucker-punched straight in the face before? Take the surprise of that, along with the joy you get from….I dunno, win the lottery? Just whatever gives you joy in life, take that, as well as surprise.
If I’m being quite honest though, it was certainly a new experience. Being the guy who’s been entrusted with this title of “Admin” is just so surreal, and at times, it really dawns upon you that you’re the guy new users try to look up to. Or, at least, someone that new users will conclude is a common part of the Community, based on the little “Extra Life” icon I have. This new Admin title really has opened up a lot of new things for me, though. The responsibilities are very different, but it pays off because you know you’re doing something really great for something that you have a passion for. I also have a lot of new features that I can play around with, but I want to let time itself reveal those before I go into detail :P I guess I really like being sneaky with that! Sorry! I can work and experience with a lot of things in the background now, which is certainly very cool!
I’m going to quote the famous Spider Man quote ‘With great power comes great responsibility’ because it’s incredibly true, albeit rather cheesy. With the Admin title, I do have this larger responsibility now. I’m certainly not complaining though, because it’s, for lack of a better word, amazing. I’m excited to see in what other areas this title allows me to assist with in the future, and it’s certainly helping to make me a better #2. Can’t wait to see what surprises are still in hold for the future with this! My number one priority, of course, is to ensure that each and every member of the Community has a good time here! :D”

Q2: What’s your favorite MM fan-game (Besides this one) [ThatOneEnderMan]
Boss: “I’m a bit sorry to say, but besides Prototype, I don’t really deviate to go play any other fan-games. My general reason is because a majority of Mega Man fan-games just usually tend to stray away from what made Mega Man…..Mega Man? It might not make sense to everyone, but a lot of fan-games just don’t feel very MM in style to me. And while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, changing the formula too much makes the game seperated from it’s source. Not to mention, there’s a ton of MM fan-games that are typically trying to bridge the MM Classic series and the Mega Man X series, while I feel much more satisfied leaving it more ambiguous. That’s just me though, and I know there’s thousands of people who would beg to differ. However, I’d imagine it must be difficult to merge the two Mega Man franchises together, as you very much run the risk of disrespecting one of them in terms of their style. Capcom did leave that potential door open, but that door’s hinges are a bit...Unstable.
Enough straying off topic though, almost all fan-games are a work of heart and I must commend anyone willing to create their own take on the Mega Man franchise. Different perspectives do keep things interesting, after all! Especially since we’re in what people can call a “Mega Man drought”, what with the lack of new games lately.
Since Prototype is off the list, my favorite Mega Man fan-game would have to be Mega Man Rock Force. Every level is unique in it’s own way, and even with 9 different playable characters, it’s never really too broken to play as any certain character. Most of them play completely different from Mega Man, and provide interesting playthroughs from each other. It also does well to keep in line with the nature of the Classic series, another factor I must compliment it for. Overall, it’s a pretty well-designed game. If you feel interested, I very much encourage looking it up and giving it a try!
Prototype will still stay my favorite fan-game, though :)”

Q3: What do you think about Quick Beams? [ThatOneEnderMan]
Boss: “Incredibly broken, and one of my least-favorite uses of a gimmick in the entirety of the Mega Man Classic series. However….It led to me as a player forming some sort of rivalry between me and Quick Man. In fact, because I was constantly failing and failing, being constantly set back to that Robot Selection screen and seeing Quick Man’s smug face mocking me for my failures, it formed that rivalry. So, I guess you could say Quick Beams happened to put me and Quick Man in that stand-still, and that’s how we became buddies :)”

Q4: Did you ever think you had a shot of being #1, let alone in the top 10, of the MMRPG prototype? [Jdude330] How Was MMRPG When you First got to First? [MetaX]
“Oh, definitely not! Picture it, Sicily 1918! I was a young lad, gazing at the colossal amount of points these guys on top had. I mean, one of them even has 1 BILLION points! 1 billion, can you believe that?! This was in a time when hundreds of billions couldn’t even be dreamed of, let alone a requirement to join the top 10!
I looked to this monster of a leaderboard, and I vowed to myself that I would climb to the top of this board, and plant the flag of MegaBossMan on the top, letting everyone know who was the king of the mountain! I slowly, but steadily and faithfully, climbed to the leaderboard. Now, this was when you were lucky to get 5 million per fight, so it took quite a while. However, after cutting off all access to the outside world, and some music to distract me from the process, I finally managed to narrowly climb to the top of the leaderboard. It was a fantastic feeling, and I could never get past seeing that “#1” next to my name. I swear, it felt like a bit of a dream, to be honest. It was certainly difficult to play catch-up with people like Shadownnico, Avocadora, and Spinstrike, when I was all the way in the 20s, but it’s really something that you have to set your mind to. You CAN’T get to the top of the leaderboard if you don’t have that perseverance or passion for it, a quality that some people don’t have. That’s what really separates our most dedicated players from the inactive, I think. It’s incredibly cool when you’re in Chat, and you hear these people move up a position or two, because you KNOW they’re invested in the game! That’s something that really tugs on me, and it’s so cool to hear people try to get past each other like some sort of rivalry; This little competition the leaderboard has provided is one of it’s defining features :)
If there’s anyone reading this who believe that reaching into the top 20s is impossible, I’d say maybe you’re wrong in that aspect. The “Big 7”, as it’s affectionately named, used to be in positions like yours; It’s up to YOU as a player to decide if you have the ability to join us up here. Do you?”

Q5: Besides your famed "Law", who is your favorite robot and why? [Jdude330]
Boss: “Since mostly every other interview seems to have this Robot Master list, and my favorite bosses from the Series are the Robot Masters, I’m just going to do that. So, without further adieu….
MM1-Normally, I’d like to say Elec Man is my favorite, but I’m starting to rethink that a bit...I really like Bomb Man’s whole personality of haphazardly playing and partying around, but overall, besides his round shape, he doesn’t really screams ‘Bombs!’ Fire Man’s also pretty entertaining. For now, I’ll just go with Elec Man.
MM2-Quick Man would be such a cheap answer, so I’m going to pretend he doesn’t exist for a second[gasp!] I really happen to like Wood Man’s theme, but not much else keeps the guy for me...Crash Man and Air Man are also pretty memorable...However, I’m going to say Metal Man. Despite how absolutely broken his weapon is, he screams intimidation to me. His stage is rather enjoyable, too.
MM3-They’re all about the same for me, but Snake Man sticks out a bit more for me. He’s really not too much better compared to all the other Robot Masters from this game, though.
MM4-Pharaoh Man takes the cake for sure. His stage is awesome, his music is awesome, his weapon is awesome, his design is fantastic, and puns aside, he rules over the battlefield! Ring Man is also a close second, but that’s due to nostalgia.
MM5-They’re all the same to me, honestly. Gravity has a nice stage, but his design is a bit too plain. Gyro, Star, and Napalm all have their appealing factors to me as well, so I can’t pick. It’s like picking your favorite child! Sorry!
MM6-Blizzard Man and Flame Man are pretty fantastic robots, but Knight Man takes the cake on this one. While the Knight Crusher isn’t anything special, his stage and design are memorable. Plus, he’s defeated 1000 robots in combat! 1000!
MM7-I don’t even have to tell you, do I? It’s Freeze Man! The guy’s so into himself, it’s downright hilarious! And let’s be honest, I’m a sucker for cool poses! Plus, the guy even taunts you if you hit him with Freeze Cracker! This guy’s perfect.
MM8-Oy, I don’t like too many robots from this line. Clown Man sticks it with design, but I’ll have to go with Tengu Man. Pompous robots don’t get old, and keep this next part a secret, but his stage is the only one I like from Mega Man 8….
MM&B-Magic Man is pretty nice. I like entertainer robots, so Magic Man fits the bill with that one. Not to mention, his stage is so lively! His Magic Card is also somewhat interesting in concept, albeit basic.
MM9-Tornado Man is the guy I’d pick. Everything about him is exactly right, and there’s pretty much no faults. Well, maybe his headgear is a bit silly. I’d pick him based on his music alone, but every factor about him is right. Galaxy Man is a close 2nd, however.
MM10-Nitro Man makes the MM10 list. His music is one of my favorites, and while his stage is overall eh, that stunt-man attitude of his is always admirable.
MMV-I guess they’re not technically Robot Masters, they’re “Stardroids”, but I’m going to pretend they count. Terra is easily the best out of these guys, if only for his design, his homing laser, and the fact he’s the only canonical opponent to ever defeat Mega Man in battle. In fact, he made Mega Man even look like a wimp, something that probably reduced morale for the people of Earth. This guy is the model citizen for what a Robot Master should be!

Q6. What is your favorite new feature coming to the Prototype? [Jdude330] / What do you like most about the Prototype? [TheDoc]
Boss: “I have to pick ONE? Oh, that’s rather difficult...I’m interested in the Dark Frag battles, that’s for sure! I’m also excited for all the new optimization features, but that’s most likely just me. Item-holding, of course, is up there as well. However, my favorite additions are when the Campaign gets changed up. I really like it when new missions are added, although I don’t know why. I guess I like fighting all the different robots! Moreso, maybe it’s because I like feeling that sense of progression. That’s why, whenever games are released into collections, I like starting off with the first game and continuing my way from there. I guess I really just like that type of constant going-forward thing. And of course, since the campaign is getting changed up, that means I can play it all over again! Yippe! That constant progression from the start is really what gets me, I guess ^_^
As mentioned, I’m also excited to face new robots as well, and that’s another thing I can’t explain. I guess that’s more for the visual part of it though? Call me crazy if you will, but that’s just something I really like experiencing in a video game.
Also, getting the chance to fight robots like the Stardroids and Slur is so cooooool!”

Q7. What's your favorite hobby? [TheDoc]
Boss: “Oh, I’d have to say playing Video Games. Sorry if that’s a bit of a cop-out answer, hehe. I also like anything that happens to provide any sort of competition though, as it’s pretty much a driving fuel for me. Granted, a bad way of thinking is to devote your life to being better than someone, so I’d recommend never letting that consume you. Is it bad that I like competition? Especially since I imagine myself as sort of a laidback person? But yeah, I really like playing games, man! I’m willing to play any sort of genre there is! Video games are this rather simplistic joy for me, and something I always come back to when I feel a bit down. There’s not much better in a video game to finally beat that level or boss you were stuck on for so long. It’s a bit amazing, actually :) There’s nothing worse than constantly failing, though…..
Another hobby I happen to enjoy is spriting. And while I’m not kick*** or necessarily great at it, I try to improve myself everyday. I don’t even think it’s been a year yet and I’ve shown a massive improvement in that timeframe. The only problem with me and spriting is that I’m a bit...Pixel-perfect. If one pixel is off in a sprite, it can pretty much make or break the whole thing for me. Don’t believe me? In Freeze Man’s Taunt Sprite, his hand that he’s extending has this extra pixel that just sorta sticks out. Does that convince you? At least a bit? No? Alright…. When you do happen to get that sprite juuuuust right though, there’s that feeling of accomplishment! When I make a good sprite, I find myself often coming back and marveling at it. Anyone who knows me know I’m not a guy who gets impressed by his work often, so it’s sorta confuzzling that occurs. Maybe some people feel different, and that’s perfectly fine. Different strokes for different folks, right?
And yes, I’ll make a spritesheet of Cloud Man one day.”

Q8. Favorite Megaman series? Favorite installment in that series? [TheDoc]
Boss: “Oh, Classic wins it for sure! Battle Network, while it had it’s good parts, was never one I liked much, I’ve never played Star Force so I can’t judge, I played Legends and it wasn’t my cup of tea, and while the Zero series was Mega Man on the go….It was geared to be a bit too difficult and too Zero-centric. I never really liked Zero in the first place, let alone enough to think a separate series would suit him….And while the X series certainly has it’s shiners, it’s riddled by installments that don’t carry the torch as well. Let’s be honest, can the person who enjoyed X7 please stand up? Someone probably stood up, but I’m going to pretend they didn’t for the sake of my answer. Because I despise X7. Don’t worry if you don’t though, I don’t judge :D
Meanwhile, the Classic Series constantly had these good titles, and while some are rather unchanged from their predecessors *looks at 5*, or had these extra filler sections that slowed down the pace of the entire game *looks at Doc Robot, Cossack Citadel, Proto Man Castle, etc…*, they were still overall incredibly enjoyable and memorable. From the Rock-Paper-Scissors mechanic that was so notable, from the gimmicks of the stages, from the patterns of the Robot Masters, from the non-linear stage choosing, from the oh-so-good music, to the entire simplicity of the entire thing, it was great! Granted, I never really liked 8, so there’s a bit of a dull spot there, but that’s really the only ‘guh’ spot for me. So, there’s really no downright bad game in the MM Classic series for me. It might also be nostalgia. That too.
As for favorite installment, you’re asking me to pick my favorite child! That’s blasphemy, I tell ya! Also, my answer today could easily change tomorrow. But nonetheless, my favorite Mega Man game, of the Classic series, just so happens to be Mega Man-*muffled*”

Q9. What was your introduction to the Mega Man franchise? [TobyJoey]
Boss: “If I’m being quite honest, I wouldn’t know what my first Mega Man game was! I could put a guess on it based on the games I played as a kid, but I have an incredibly bad memory, so I’d like to shift the blame towards that :) Is that an option?
See, I actually received my early video game education from my brother! I was born in 1990, which puts me at about….5 or 6 years into the NES’s lifespan? However, my brother was born in 1986, making him 4 years my senior. By the time I came around, he had already received an amount of NES games, so through the powers of sibling sharing, his NES collection was also mine. Now, as you might have guessed, a few of his games happened to be in the MM series(As far as I recall, I remember us playing Mega Man 2, 3, and 4 as kids?) so I’d imagine it’d be one of those three. Sorry I can’t tell you the specific one, but I guess it’s a fact lost through time….We happened to play 3 a lot though, so I’d put my gambling money on that one being the game that introduced me to the Blue Bomber. I could very well be wrong, though. So to sum it up, one of the earlier titles of the Classic series. Oh, the nostalgia…..”

Q10. I recall you saying you always imagined Quick Man as a rival of sorts due to the difficulty of his stage and fight. Have you made any similar "rivalries" with other robot masters? [TobyJoey]
Boss: “See, the age I was when I kept on dying to Quick Man was around that period where you have that certain mindset where your imagination runs high. When I was a kid pretending I was Mega Man, I always found myself coming back to that imagined fight, after defeating random Robot Masters from Mega Man 2 and 3, going against how I imagined Quick Man would fight. I say imagined because I couldn’t get past his stage in the first place and never saw how he fought in the first place[I bet he was fast, though!] I was, uh….Unaware you could use the Time Stopper to any effect in Quick’s stage...And since I had never defeated all 8 Robot Masters[and thus was unaware of the concept of ‘Wily Castles’], Quick Man was basically always the final fight in those imagined slights. Since I spent so much time playing his stage and playing out this elaborate battle between me and him, it created that rivalry between us two. Now, the only other Mega Man games I had during that age was 3 and 4, and since the stages were much more balanced in the two, it was never as hard. Now, at 3, I had gotten stuck with Doc Robots, and with 4, I just stopped playing in favor of the other two. 3 never had that boss or stage that was overly-difficult[I had gotten stuck with Shadow and especially Gemini, for a while], but as for 4…..
It was Ring Man. His stage wasn’t as difficult as Quick Man, and while I did die multiple times because I didn’t fully understand his mechanic in the stage, I still got by. Barely.
Now, as for the Boss Battle itself...THAT was different! I could never time my jumps, and if I jumped over his first ring, I was always damaged when it was coming back. After multiple deaths, I tried fighting other Robot Masters to see if I could get a better weapon, and I came back with a [slightly] larger arsenal. Now, like the dumb little kid I was, I didn’t understand you could CHARGE Pharaoh Shot, so I was constantly firing those rinky-dink little shots. That never really worked out well, and he took me out again and again. However, Robot Masters are all about PATTERNS[something those blasted Quick Beams barely had!], so I did manage to finally gain the upper-hand. You know, after spending a few weeks figuring it out. Ring Man was more of the guy I saw being a “cheap-skate” though, so I saw him more as a rival that would use dirty tricks to get the scoop on me. Unlike Quick Man, who used fair means to take me down. Dunno why I saw it that way though….Anyway, no one in 5 was overly difficult as well, although I was a bit older when I got that one, and I never had 6 as a kid. And of course, 7 had that flaw where you could get the Robot Master to repeat the same pattern when you hit them with their weakness. I could go over my rival(s) for the original Mega Man X, but this answer is already long enough :P”

Q11. How do you feel about The "New Batch" Of grinders That Came up for their first time in 2015? (Me, Toby, Doc) [MetaX]
Boss: “I’m pretty glad about this, actually! As mentioned earlier, I really like it when people advance up the leaderboard. It creates that sort of competition that I love to see to around here. Very fun to see people get that feeling of accomplishment that I once had a long while ago. To anyone who was willing to go the extra mile and reach for that first-place star, I congratulate them. After all, it’s certainly one of the hardest challenges to complete in Prototype! And I can’t wait to see who else decides to join us up here!
I should also mention that “The New Batch” actually makes things a bit fun up here! See, “New Batch” is sorta like a spark. And imagine the guys on the leaderboard as a box of explosives, with a short fuse. If someone starts climbing up, things start to get a bit chaotic up in here. Without that fuse though, the top of the leaderboard usually starts getting quiet. And I like my peace and quiet as much the next guy, but it can get a bit more fun and a little bit nerve-wracking, when there’s something that starts the push. Granted, there is a fine line between having a little bit of competition and annoyance. It’s not fun getting home from work and finding out you’ll have to spend the next hour BP grinding. It’s a bit of a pain at moments, I tell ya. It certainly is tasking, trying to climb up here. Something can break loose with the slightest shiver, at times. Thankfully, each member of the “Big 7” all have this sort of respect for each other. It’s actually a bit cool, if I’m to be honest.”

Q12. Who's your favorite doctor (besides me :D) in the entire Megaman universe? i.e Dr. Cain from MMX, Dr. Hikari from MMBN, etc. [TheDoc]
Boss: “Hoho, this is quite possibly one of the easiest questions I’ve had to answer this entire interview. While people like Dr. Doppler, Dr. Cain, Dr. Light, Dr. Cossack and Dr. Hikari are certainly notable, a good scientist is willing to go above and beyond what is required to be a good scientist. While his intentions are, uh….Not always set in the right place, he’s certainly added a lot to the robot community. Hell, when you think the very name “Robot Master”, this guy has been the leading provider for these guys! That’s right, I’m talking about the legendary and famous Albert W. Wily! [who doesn’t get the respect he deserves]
Alright, maybe he’s not the most trustable doctor out there, but he’s most definitely willing to go above and beyond for the things he believes in. Plus, I like to imagine Wily as a bit of a jokester. It might sound weird, but I guess I always imagined him having a bit of a sassy side. Actually, maybe I’m using the wrong words….I guess I mean more maniacal and mocking? A mix of the two! Manicking! I dunno, I guess I’m just a bit crazy with the notion? Wily’s robots also happen to be the most interesting that I know of, and if they weren’t constantly attacking Mega Man, they’d be great for commercial use! Man, Wily could’ve been a millionaire by now! Oy, that man and his grudges! He could be ruling the world with money right now instead of by force!
Wily also happens to really be the most lasting of the doctors. The rest of the doctors usually had their legacy end at some point[Dr. Doppler] and while Dr. Light managed to create X, Dr. Wily still managed to live on through the Maverick Virus and of course, Zero. And while I can’t claim to be the biggest Zero fan, he certainly made the legacy of Wily last as long as it possibly could...Even if he did the opposite of what Wily wanted. Wily products, I tell ya, they have a long lifespan! I can’t find a reason not to root for the maniacal mad scientist!

Q13. I remember that your character was crazy. How crazy is he now?/When will you update Dungeons and Robot Masters? [Btman]
Boss: “My character has given up his crazy ways and now lives in Fiji. No further words on him, though. Also, have I mentioned how fun it is to work with the more crazy characters? I swear, I love characters whose screws are loosened up a bit, they’re so fun! I guess that says a few things about me, doesn’t it? Hehehe.
Also, because I don’t necessarily think everyone would enjoy me doing two Roleplay questions, I’ll combine them both. You’re welcome, audience! I expect my thank-you notes in the mail! Anyway, as for Dungeons and Robot Masters, I actually have around 73% of it done, actually! I haven’t worked on it for a while, though….I’ve been trying to put more of my time assisting the development of the game, while still trying to juggle the balancing act that is my life, so that leaves me with very little time to work on the RP Season Finale. Plus, I’ve been considering waiting until after the Update, there’s way too many RP Formatting additions that I can’t let by. So sorry about making the readers of Dungeons wait a really long time, and yes, it is very heavily my fault, but in the meanwhile, there’s tons of others RP threads to go on, right?”

Q14. What's your favorite Pokemon BAWSS? [ZeroDXZ] / Favorite Smash Bros. character? :D [TheDoc]
Boss: “Combining these questions not because my favorite Pokemon also happens to be in Smash, but they’re really similar and I want to answer as many of you guys' questions as I can. So, for my favorite Pokemon, that’d have to be Sceptile. I know back when Generation III came out, people were a bit displeased with the designs, but as for me, I felt like they were fantastic. None of them were plain, and most had a specific theme that worked. And before you start going Generation I on me, I’d like to point you to Voltorb and Electrode! Anyway, while I had been playing Pokemon ever since Red first came out, Sceptile[well, it started with Grovyle] was really the point where it was like ‘Oh, that’s a badass design right there!’ And to this day, Leaf Blade stays one of my favorite moves. Me and my Sceptile, affectionately named Leafy, tore through the Hoenn region with our Leaf Blade! Not even the champion Steven could stand a chance! Sneasel is a close second, but that’s probably because when I was training back in Pokemon Silver in Mt., uh...Silver, a shiny Sneasel happened to pop up! He happened to be my first shiny, as well. Those were fun times, being a Pokemon trainer back then! As you can see through, I’m a big fan of the speedy Pokemon.
As for Super Smash Bros., I really liked using Kirby back in Brawl and Melee. However, Smash 4 nerfed him in a few ways, but I really liked what they did with Bowser! He’s no longer this crouching slow character, he stands up tall and this reflects in his movement. I really find myself going back to Bowser quite commonly. He does have his flaws, though….And of course, who could forget the blue super fighting robot himself? If I’m being quite honest, his specials are absolutely terrible, excluding Rush Coil because it does give you a lot of height, but I will insist he has the best side-smash out of the entire cast. It has powerful knockback, but it still has this incredibly long range. Mega Man’s a bit of a sniper, I guess? He’s sadly rather clunky, though. Oh, but I absolutely cannot play with sword characters! I suck at anyone from the Fire Emblem series, Shulk, and sadly, Link. Fox is also one of my better characters, at least in the previous installments. I can’t necessarily pick my favorite Smash Bros. character, though. If I have to pick, I guess I’ll go with Kirby? Incredibly light-weight and mobile, but he has a few hard hitting moves. Wish his Smash attacks were a bit stronger, though…..”

Q15. Who da BAWSS!? [ZeroDXZ]
Boss: “Oh, I know this one! Oh, uh….What is Mega ‘The Law’ BossMan, Alex! And yes, while there are multiple bosses out there, from the greats like Kraid and Quick Man, to the, uh, not so greats, there can only be one BAWSS! Well, probably not, but for the sake of MMRPG, let’s just pretend I’m the only BAWSS out there. Makes this question much easier for everyone, not including people like Tony Danza.
I actually decided to use the word ‘Boss’ in my username because bosses are the best parts of the game for me. Challenging, tenseful, and filled with competition. With bosses, the stakes are always high! Bosses really make a good game great for me. Probably one of the reasons I like the Mega Man series, your overall goal is to take out the boss at the end of the stage.”

Mikey's Q's:

Q16: They'll likely say that it can't be done, but, this massively awesome act of yours MUST be followed by someone else, so, if it were up to you, who would you want to be the next '20 Q's' subject?
Boss: “Hehe, I appreciate the compliments, man! But anyway, to answer your question….
There’s certainly plenty of candidates who could follow, that’s something that can’t be denied. Thus, it’ll be a little difficult for me to give my pick on who’s next. I’d certainly like to see some of the more inactive users of the top 50, but there’s clearly an obvious barrier preventing us from doing so. In case you didn’t get that and because I’m leaving no subtlety here, it’s the whole fact they’re inactive in the first place. It’s like catching lightning in a bottle! Better I start getting into potential ACTIVE candidates, eh? I’m a bit hesitant to name specific people, as these interviews do require quite a bit of time and I know not everyone has that time. After all, I think people have been waiting for around 3 weeks for this one. Plus, a lot of the relatively known people in the top 50 have already been covered. I think I’d like to see Spinstrike or StupidStudios get their own interview, next. They’re both pretty active and come first to mind.
However, I am willing to admit…...looking back on the previous interviews, it seems to contain mostly people above the 20th mark. Shadownnico is the one exception because he’s already been to the top and back. I think it’d be really fun to get a user below the 40th mark for an interview, get to see how their perspective on the Prototype is. Should really make for an interesting experience, right? And it does seem people are constantly shifting in and out of that area, meaning there might be quite a bit of activity there. I’d also love to see Adrian get an interview in the future, but maybe not the next one, hehe. There’s not much variety in pulling #1 and #2 in the same draw, is it? And while I can’t speak for him, I’m sure it might be better to wait until after the Update for such a thing. [plus this is apparently limited to the top 50]
I can’t exactly put my finger who would follow me, but I know it’ll be a fun read either way. I should mention these interviews have been a rather entertaining read so far. And I’m sure we have plenty more users who want their chance to shine in the Interview spotlight :D Either way, I love reading these interviews and getting to know the fellas of the Top 50 a bit better! Each and every interview so far has been a great read, and I’m sure that trend will continue down the line as we go on! Woohoo!”

Q17. I tease you about this all the time, but, could you please explain to the readers why I'm almost constantly pestering you to finish Cloud Man's Prototype sprites? Please?
“So, the people are interested in the origin of the Cloud Man joke? Well then, I shall appease the people! I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there, and I’ll explain the origin of the inside joke. Because it's a little long.
See, let’s flashback to a time before Freeze, Strike, Tomahawk, or Galaxy Man were ever included in the ranks of Prototype. An aspiring moderator on the Prototype known only as “MBM” was admiring the fantastic sprite work of previous artists of the MMRPG. Suddenly, a thought rushed into his head! ‘Hey, I think I can do this too!’ So, MBM decided from then on he would apply himself as a spriter as well! Of course, he was, uh...Never necessarily a born artist. But hey, he had aspirations, and he was sure to follow them! Whether he was too confident, I dunno, haven’t heard from that guy since.
So, after some asking around, I decided to go ahead and use that program on my computer that I never used, MS Paint. So, I decided to use the FC 8-bit Cloud Man as a base and try to start up my spritesheeting career early. After all, the common place to start in your spriting career is a base. And Cloud Man does have a lot of potential as a sprite, what with his control of electricity as well as clouds. So, why wouldn’t I try to make a Cloud Man sprite? However, I’m basically the world’s biggest schuck, so OF COURSE I didn’t get it right on the first try! Silly MBM, thinking he can do things right! Now, anybody would tell you that the one and only tool for spriting is the pencil tool. I ended up using the paintbrush instead, which would be fine if I was making a painting, but not so much for spriting. That entire time, I KNEW I was doing something wrong, but I couldn’t put my head behind it. Anyhow, I still managed to finish my PAINTING of Cloud Man, but of course, it clearly wasn’t a sprite. I don’t even think it was a painting. You couldn’t hang it up on your fridge if you wanted to! Thankfully, I think I’m a better spriter now….Right?
So, obviously I ended up giving up on the sheet, and I continued to hone my skills. Eventually, this led to creating a half-finished Tomahawk sheet that wasn’t half-bad[don’t worry, I used the pencil tool :D]. However, Mike convinced me to go ahead and give a go at a Freeze Man sheet, since we both have 'similar egos'[haha], and eventually, that sheet made it's way into Prototype. Afterwards, I contributed Galaxy and Strike, as well as some sprite-editing for Tomahawk. The whole joke is though, Mike wants me to return to my roots and finally finish that Cloud Man sheet I started so long ago. That way, we can have a whole before and after picture! I do admit, it's a great way to show my evolution over the past year :P I think I have some more evolving to do before then though, get a few more Robot Masters under my belt. I absolutely promise though, I will be the first guy to volunteer to sprite Cloud Man. Just not yet, though, hehe.
http://puu.sh/iJTCY/51223eb27b.png One day, though…..”

Q18: This one concerns Prototype's Star Force mechanics and the myriad of other mechanics [Dark Elements, for instance]--be they just ideas, or official things--that have come to be because of it: In your opinion, would Prototype just be BETTER if Star Force went away? or WORSE?
Boss: “Well, I know this was going to come at one point or another. *stretches his fingers* So let’s get to typing!
Starforce [or Star Force, whichever or] is certainly one of the larger controversial topics in the entirety of Prototype, that much can’t be debated. When we have entire SNC meetings centered around Starforce, that’s probably the point where people figure something’s up with the mechanic. I do think it has it’s flaws, yes, but not much to constitute towards a complete deletion. First off, from a developmental standpoint, there’s nothing that can reasonably replace Starforce in a short amount of time. People are already starting to get a bit antsy about the Update, and taking out Starforce will probably set us back months. Major restructuring would have to occur to the entirety of Prototype, save files would be so twisted it’s not even funny, people who took the effort of getting all the stars will certainly feel robbed, and glitches galore! That’s to be expected when you’re basically removing this huge piece of the pie that the game sorta revolves around! Honestly, Prototype itself might honestly snap in two if Starforce gets removed. And if it gets replaced, it’s certainly going to require so much testing.
As for it’s counterpoints….There’s really only Dark Elements, right? I know we’ve made multiple changes to Starforce and it’s mechanics, but that’s only modifying the original formula. Dark Elements are the only mechanic I know of that is made to mess with Starforce. If that were to leave[which would add more restructuring].....I don’t honestly think it would affect Prototype too bad. But the thing is, even though removing it wouldn’t hurt, ADDING it adds a whole new type of battle to the game. To me, it’s not really balancing moreso that it is flipping the entire idea of Starforce on it’s head. If all our battles were so heavily focused on elemental forces, be they boosted by Starforce or not, it really creates an incredibly linear experience. And while that’s fine and dandy, a lot of people dislike linear adventures. Take a quick look to the reception of Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword; People bashed that game not only for the wacky controls, but also because it was incredibly linear. And this is Mega Man, renowned for basically creating your own experience. If you head through the game relying on the same old Elemental moves, the game becomes a bit slow. However, take the entire idea of Elemental abilities, as well as Starforce, and completely twist it, and then put the player against that. It requires you to think outside the normal means of battle, as well as utilizing moves you wouldn’t use usually in favor of weaknesses. Send the player against that, and their whole sense of view changes. The player either survives by accounting for this and changing as necessary, or sticking with the same old strategy and failing the mission. It’s their choice.
Anyway, I know your main focus of the question was my opinions on Starforce. And while it is controversial and needs refining, the general reception has been positive. And yes, while people dislike the grinding[grumble, grumble], it’s certainly quite the reward. There’s a reason why you don’t see a player below the 30th spot with a full collection of all 1024 stars. Again, this is a bit of another case of dedication. Collecting all 1024 stars is truly a challenge, and it’s up to the player if they want to reap the benefits from their work. I won’t lie, it does take a lot of time, it really does. But I’ll be the first to tell you that the end justify the means in this case. Is it tedious? Yes. Is it rewarding? Most definitely. It’s this overall long-term goal that gives the player something to strive for. It does require some fine-tuning, but it’s a fun mechanic. And I haven’t really seen anything to change my mind on that, despite the countless discussions and SNC chats, besides how it affects Player Battles. Either I’m a really big fan of the idea, or I’m just really stubborn :P I’ll leave that up to the reader, though.
So, in short [because I know some of you just skipped to the end of this answer :P], Prototype would be losing a lot of things if we decided to remove Starforce. We’d be losing a lot of things if we even replaced the mechanic. It needs some changes, yeah. But the entirety of the human race didn’t get anywhere with just flat-out giving up on something.. It’s this reaching for the stars[ha!] attitude that gets us places. In case you haven’t gotten my point, we can’t just give up on Starforce because it’s “hard.” It certainly won’t change the world or a gaming genre, but it’s a good idea that as far as I know, hasn’t really been attempted before. It’s unique, and it’s become a central part of the game for a reason. We just have to fine-tune it exactly right, and we have an idea that people will come to appreciate long after development of the game is done. We could get rid of Starforce, yes, but as far as I know, it offers much more pros than cons. So, instead on focusing on it’s deletion, we should be focusing on ways to fine-tune it. It still might have a few more changes to go, but I’m confident that the end result will be enjoyable for the player. And who knows, it might go from being the Starforce we know to a item you hold or even a currency! It’d be terribly disappointing if we got rid of it.
I’m sticking with Starforce, baby!”

Q19: We joke about a "MBW" [MegaBossWOMAN] from time to time. If it doesn't bother you, could you tell us a little bit about this woman that's so awesome that she gets to boss around da Boss? Just a little? Please? :P
“Hey, I thought this interview was about me! That’s no fair, I demand a refund!
Nah, I’ve bragged about myself long enough. You guys want to know the story of the women behind the man behind the Law, eh? Now, how do I start us off?
Now, I wouldn’t say that she gets to ‘boss around da Boss’. Moreso I have a bit of a laidback personality, and I simply follow along. Likewise, I have a bit of a shortfuse, so she’s always there to calm me down. She and I have actually known each other for quite some time, and after months of harmless flirting, I decided to go ahead, ask her if she ever wanted to go watch a movie or something. ‘Eeeey, don’t judge me, baby steps, alright? From there, we talked and found common ground.
As in our tastes in gaming, they differ a bit. I’m generally a guy who likes his games to keep with the action, games like the Mega Man franchise. She, on the other hand, likes that time to sort of rationalize and think out the situation, games like your common JRPG like Final Fantasy. Yeah, we have vastly different gaming strategies. That does make games with co-op Multiplayer pretty fun though, seeing how our two styles mix. It also makes competitive games a blast to play. Personally, I can’t stand waiting, but different strokes for different folks though, right? Plus, having two different perspectives for gaming can lead to trying new things. I absolutely promised myself I’d never come back to the Kingdom Hearts, but she made me remember how great the second one is. Likewise, while I couldn't get her hooked on the Mega Man Classic series, I did manage her to play the Mega Man Battle Network series. Great success! Really, we do that all the time, introducing the other to new things that can be pretty fun to do together.
Now, is she aware of the 'MBW' meme? Yes, but she hasn't realized how huge it's become around here. Better we let her figure that one for herself, eh? Haha, probably not the best idea. I've also TRIED to get her playing MMRPG Prototype, as some people might know. She created an account WAAAAAY long ago, promised she'd come back to it at a later date. I'm planning to use that 'later date' card after the Update comes out, hopefully she gets hooked and gets active in this game. Who knows, maybe she'll get into the 50 herself and end up getting an interview? Probably not, but it doesn't hurt to dream right? Oy, if that happens, this may very well come back to bite me! She generally understands why I care about the Prototype so much, though. You don't get people like that everyday :P
So yeah, that's really me and MBW into a nutshell. If anyone has any further questions, feel free to come by in Chat and ask me yourself. So yes, now you know more about the woman who bosses around boss. I think I'm kinda lucky that I manage to have someone like her to lean on though, through thick and thin. That's one of the many reasons I love that girl, man.

Q20: .....'sup, Bawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwss?
“The sky as always, Myyyyyyyyyyyyyyyke. The sky as always………..”

"Wait wait wait, before we leave, I do have a few thanks to give! First off, I'd like to say thanks to all the users who submitted questions. Mike will be giving your thanks below. I'd also like to thank Adrian Marceau for entrusting me as an Admin/Law/#2, and of course notably creating Prototype in the first place! Where would we be without it? I'd also like to thank Mike for deciding I was interview-worthy in the first place! Last, but certainly not least, I'd like to thank each and every member of the Community for being such a great bunch! You guys are great to converse with, and make a hard day easier when I have you fellows to talk[or ramble :P] to! All the people I've mentioned, you all rock!! ^_^

*sniff* Promised myself I wouldn't cry. *wipes tear* So, without further adieu, Mega "The Law" BossMan would like to say to you all, dovidenja! Come back soon, you hear?"

Needless to say, this is the longest interview, yet, and I owe MegaBossMan my special thanks for it. That and being so chatty. :P
Additional special thanks go to BtMan, Jdude330, Meta, ThatOneEnderMan, TheDoc, TobyJoey, and ZeroDXZ for coming up with some really nice suggestions, too.