PlanetInsider: In the Limelight...ShockFC .

BLUF (bottom line up front):  ShockFC is a hardcore player who leads the elite Future Crew multi-gaming outfit. They are considered as one of the top outfits in Planetside 2. Follow Shock on Twitch and watch him wreck havoc.

The famous, and infamous, Future Crew [FCRW] gaming clan is led by a guy who goes by the name of Shock. He is a very talented gamer who has, up until recently, been at the very forefront of those wrecking face in the name of a cat riding a rainbow breathing unicorn. Shock is what you would describe as a hardcore gamer. Being ultra-competitive, Shock, like many of his FCRW clan-mates, enjoy gaming most when they’re mowing down enemies with each other. He offers some very interesting insight into the world of competitive play. Here is my interview with him…

Where did you come up with ShockFC?

My name comes from an old mouthguard company, created back in the early 2000’s during my Ultima Online days.

Where are you from?

Minnesota, United States.

Why type of gamer are you?

I play FPS is primarily, but also sandbox RPG games.

When did you get interested in gaming?

I originally came from playing Ultima Online back in 1997, which got me into gaming back.

How did you get involved with Future Crew [FCRW]?

I got into [FCRW] back in Planetside 1. It was formed in 2003, but I didn’t join them until 2005. I was originally TR, but then switched to VS and saw [FCRW]. I just asked to join them. In 2006, I became the outfit leader. I stepped down back in April of 2014 to oversee [FCRW] gaming as a whole, focusing on growing as a player and devoting enough time to real life.

What is [FCRW], what is its style?

We are a hardcore, very competitive outfit.

What was it like leading a hardcore outfit?

We don’t take ourselves seriously internally, nor do we really squabble or have egos towards each other. Outwardly we may be different, but our community is very tight knit. Personal relationships are key. We do take the game seriously; we expect to be the best and practice accordingly, which takes time and dedication.

What did you like about leading a hardcore competitive outfit?

The rewards and results are very real: recognition, top of leaderboards, bragging rights, winning competitions. But it is also being able to be the front man for the outfit, which gives me the ability to talk to devs and be an advocate for change.

What did you dislike?

The infamous publicity. Some of it is justified, most of it isn’t. What people don’t understand is how [FCRW] works hard to be the best; our passion is misunderstood. The comments that are being written in many cases do not represent the truth of what actually happens, and it is difficult to see the drama spiral out of control over lies. It is also difficult to keep a somewhat decent image of [FCRW] out there when there was so much hate towards us. The negativity is very disheartening and tough to see, because there is not a lot that can be said to combat or disprove what is being written.

How did you keep [FCRW] relevant to PS2 and the community?

We have very eccentric players like Twif, ScourgeOfTheServer, ItzMurda, Torokokill, and me. Because of our passion, we do things by ourselves that keeps us and the outfit in the spotlight. We also participate in competitions, panels, MLG war report, ultimate squad showdowns, and random community clashes. Our players also make great videos. My favorite PS2 video will always be NoXousVS’s Vertigo video.

Do you feel any extra responsibility towards your faction when [FCRW] plays?

No not really. It’s not really our play style. [FCRW] doesn’t really play to harm the VS, [FCRW] just wants to do their own thing. Competitive play is our cornerstone, and live play is where we can kick back and just play. We only really want to have fun, but because of our hardcore nature, our fun is very competitive, which sometimes doesn’t sit well with others.

What other games do you play?

Diablo 3, Minecraft, Counterstrike: Global Offensive, and Goat Simulator.

What is your outlook on games?

I have a $1 rule. For every $1 I spend; I should want to play for 1 hour. So if I’m going to spend $60 on a game, I want to play 60 hours for it to be worth it.

How did you fight against large outfits?

When fighting against large outfits, we would typically attempt to isolate them or find them isolated on a base. Usually a group of 25 of us can take at least twice our numbers, which is typically the numbers a large outfit ran. However, past that point we would typically not bother. Zerging can hit critical mass!

What’s your definition of a zerg?

A zerg to me is a LARGE group of players with the mindset of a hivemind. I always notice that momentum plays a huge role in a zerg, once they overtake a base they just kind of go to the next closest base without anyone telling them to. Almost like a lemmings sort of situation. This isn’t me making fun of zergs, I’ve been in them before many times!

What did you concentrate on when you were leading [FCRW] across the map?

During our live server ops nights, which we have since discontinued, I would always focus on setting us up with a challenge. Since we usually had 48+ players on during an ops night, I knew that we could take massive numbers of enemies. Sometimes I would put us in a situation that forced us to come up with unique strategies, situations that really would make any outfit sweat.

What sort of fights did you primarily engage in?  What sort of fights did you avoid?

I LOVED resecuring zerged bases if I had enough FCRW players on. Tech plants were my favorite due to the design of the base – so many different angles for different squads to approach from. I would typically avoid small outpost fights, since they are difficult to resecure unless you are able to attack them from the outside. That, and small outposts can be taken extremely quickly.

How do you think leading a smaller outfit was different than a larger, more combined arms force?

I would consider FCRW to be a combined forces outfit, although it is small. The difference was in what I was able to do with 48 players versus what a larger outfit was able to do with twice that amount. Many large outfits tend to recruit anyone they can find, which leads to an extraordinary amount of new and inexperienced players. All the players from FCRW have been handpicked over the span of 10 years due to their dedication to gaming and their experience in the PlanetSide series.

What is your favorite PS2 gun?

My favorite gun is the Orion or the NS-11C. A great interview; Shock was very open and personable. He revealed a unique perspective into the mindset of the hardcore, elite gamer and the environment that they play. I know that many dislike FCRW for one reason or another. But like many things in life, the stories and rumors are greatly exaggerated. I used to despise FCRW just like everyone else, until I actually sat down and got to know them. Follow Shock on Twitter or Twitch. Thank you for reading.  If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my other interviews, PlanetInsider Column and opinion pieces.   //Lanzer