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Radio24: Hey Unlock, you are currently the main editor of PAiN. But before that, you have already been active in the scene. Tell me something about your roots and how you became main editor of PAiN. Unlock: Well, my roots are deep in the C64 scene of the mid-90ties. I got my first C64 (after some experiments with a stupid Mac Classic) when I was 12 years old. Soon, I discovered the legendary '64er'-papermag at the local shop and was impressed about what was possible with the C64. I only knew lame BASIC back then and wrote stupid programs like a quiz and such. Soon, I decided to post some message in the papermag, and searched for other C64 people in Switzerland. With this, I got in contact with Darkness/Atlantis and soon started to swap. During the years I collected huge amounts of demos, warez, mags and the like. The C64 career as a swapper more or less ended when I and my family moved to a new appartment, and I somehow lost the connection. That was shortly after I joined the group Albion and released a few diskmags with them. I finished the basic schools and started with my job as electronician. Soon, I bought a PC (and yes, it's still more or less the same I work with these days, a Pentium 233MMX (Update: Got a new one know. Yeah.) - and since I already was used to the scenelife, it was no wonder that I also got active in the PC scene pretty soon. Like this, the years passed by and in the middle of 1999, PAiN was near its dead. Together with my good friend Fred/Calodox, who has started working with a new engine and everything, I took over PAiN. After two issues, Fred said goodbye and I was alone with PAiN - and that's how we went on, until I decided to build a strong team around PAiN. Radio24: When did you read your first issue of PAiN? Which issue was it and what were your feelings? Unlock: To be honest, I don't really remember which issue it was. It must have been back in 1996 or 1997, short before Buenzli 5, which was my first Buenzli, and my first computer party with a PC (and yes, I also had a C64 with me, which was the attraction of that party, hehe). Back then, PAiN was rather uninteresting for me, since it was still very much on the BBS side of the Swiss scene, and I was used to big international diskmags from the C64. But soon, I somehow identified myself with the Swiss scene and also with PAiN. I don't think there were any hard feelings when I saw the first issue, at least I wasn't too euphoric, I think. Radio24: If you look at the first PAiN issue and compare it with the last issue, the layout is more or less the same. Don't you think PAiN needs something more up to date? Unlock: Not really. The engine got improved a lot over the time, and now we have one of the most stable and elitest diskmag issues around. It's very handy, also for the editor who's linking the mag (me ;-)). The layout and everything looks pretty oldschool, and that's what we want to achieve. People being used to this kind of engine since ages, but still it has modern elements inside. Further, we don't really feel like recoding and redesigning everything. Hey, it's just a diskmag - the text (and the 3D outro) is what's really the most important thing about it. Radio24: Which are the changes you did to PAiN? Anything new your brought in? And what are your plans for the future of PAiN? Unlock: About my future plan, you should read my little resume in the last issue (issue 50), I described some ideas I had for the future (and it seems like I forgot about them again, gotta read the article myself again ;-)). I think the most important thing I brought to PAiN was its internationality and the scene acceptance. Or does this sound arrogant? No, I think that was a big step for PAiN. Fred/Calodox did a very good job to start this movement, and I just finished it and we're now trying to achieve a level which can be compared with diskmags on other platforms. Radio24: With look on PAiN, what made you angry? Unlock: The usual thing: The very, very, very lousy support out of the scene. All the guys (and girls?) want to have a diskmag with interesting texts and lotsa content, but nobody does write it. I can't fill an issue myself and our team is not enough productive too. Luckily, there are still some people around that support me a lot, but unfortunately that's not enough to keep a regular release schedule. As already mentioned at other places, the situation looks a lot different on the Amiga and the C64, there's still support for the mags. Of course there are people bringing arguments like 'We already have the internet, we don't need diskmags' or 'You're worse than other diskmags anyways, why should I support you' - but I think that a diskmag simply has more style than the internet and no, we're not worse than other diskmags. If so, why doesn't anybody tell me? And.. are there other diskmags? Radio24: With look on PAiN, what made you happy? Unlock: The people supporting me all the time. We have a very good atmosphere in the team, and everybody tries to support me finishing the mag again and again. Also, I'm always very happy when people from all over the world send feedback and I'm even more happy when they're also sending an article with their feedback. I also love to announce PAiN at parties, running around with a PAiN sticker on my ass. Another good aspect of PAiN is the popularity our team achieved and also my group, Vantage, managed to achieve: Yes, people, continue to greet us in your demos! We'll greet back in our next fat production! Radio24: Beside of your scene activity, what do you do the whole day? Unlock: I run my own company (as to be read in one of the last issues of Hugi), and I am studying at the School of Applied Science in Biel/Bienne. I study informatics, but well.. it's not exactly too cool. However, I want to be an engineer, and so I continue with the school. I like to go to parties, cinema, pubs and to the lake. I love meeting people from all over the world, and having a beer with them at some weird nerd meeting in Fallingbostel, Berne, Jena or wherever it happens. I don't play games, I don't chat for hours in IRC, I don't leech warez, no I'm always and everywhere trying to be productive and create stuff for the demoscene. But you know, when I say 'I'm trying' it doesn't mean that I'm successfull. Radio24: Your last words... Unlock: Am I going to be lynched or something? In this case, my last words are: I love you, vote for me. Radio24: Thanks for your time and keep up your good work. |