Domination 04 ch18 Interview with Mason/Motiv8

Interview with Mason/Motiv8

J)
Hello there Mason, as a quite popular person, could you please tell the readers a little about yourself (Name, Age, Looks etc.)?

M)
Well, my real name is Soeren and I live in Denmark. My age is 21 and I'm 180cm tall with big blue eyes, black eye-brows and blond hair. People call me the man with the big smile. I'm studying Datamatics (Programming and analysis of computers) and working as Radio DJ on several radio stations. I love music, computers and girls.

J)
Being one of the older members of this scene, maybe you could give us a history from when it began up until the present day?

M)
It all started in late 1983 or early 1984. I got my C64!!! In the beginning years I wasn't into any group, but I began programming BASIC. After 1-2 years I met Goonies from THE GOONIES and he told me about cracking and I got very interested, but I had to learn machine code. I did that from an age of 12 years and all I learned were the things about loader-vector, how did a tape drive work (things that many newbie's don't know about). Then I started to crack, but I was also very interested in doing trainers, because I have always loved the idea playing with unlimited lives etc. etc. So I had to learn more about machine code. I did and I will say I know a lot about making trainers and cracking on the C64. The group activities started in 1985 when I met Crossfire at the local radio station. He should do some interviews there, but put me on the job. I was only there because I knew how to control the studio 3 mixer. Well - Crossfire and I did some small groups and splitted up for a while. Later we meet each other on a movie project for schools and then I was a part of Danecrew. From Danecrew to now there have been 1000s groups, but to mention some of the groups I can mention: Dominators, Danecrew, Motiv 8, X-Ray, Image, Acrise, Unicess, Epic, Joy Division, X-Factor and many more.

J)
You have a special interest for the internet. Can you basically describe what you enjoy most from this and when you ever made the first call to the net??

M)
HM! ..A big question, but let's start with my interest. It started when we got internet-access at the school where I'm studying. We started with the normal boring public FTP-sites, but I knew that it was possible to find the pirate software on the net. Some of the friends in my class got their fingers in some illegal FTP-sites. I checked them up and saw that nice games were there and I started downloading the stuff. Like you, I like new stuff and of course I tried to get some more addresses. Well, QED from Triangle 3532 told me about a list of the internet users for C64 people. I got a copy and tried to contact some of the people there and I got response. Oh! A nice list with addresses of places with the pirate software. In those days were going to finish a project at the school and I should stay there at Saturday and Sunday and I have never downloaded so nice (the speed of the transfer were high, because we were alone at the school). I also got in touch with BlackAdder who made the BlackAdder List. A list of addresses with all the new warez. That was fun for some months and then Xerox (co. president of the PC-section now) has got an IRC-client and has started there. He setup the client on my account and I should try it too and that was something I really liked (The first day I was online for 7 hours). IRC is my favourite enjoyment on the net. It's like the modem-scene, but it runs 24 hours every day and there are many users online at the same time. It's a place where it run fast like hell and I like the action about getting the warez just 1-2 hours after it's cracked & released by a group.

Well, I started on the internet as FTP-user 1 year ago, but did my first IRC call about 7 months ago. Now we run MOTIV 8 as PC-Internet section and it's fun to use the scene experience from the C64 and you also find many ex. C64 dudes (people like ex. ESI members, ex. NEC members, ex. Censor members, ex. Illusion etc. etc.), but also many of the known C64 people who is running the scene today. I will just here remind that if you are C64 user and have an internet acc. you must send a mail to tonyc@Xxxxxxx.co.uk and you will be added to the list of C64 users on internet. Also get yourself an IRC-client and join us up at channel #C-64.

J)
Your group, not too long ago experienced a slide down hill, with members leaving, a board lost and no way to call out. Could you tell us if you were under any kind of pressure at that time to change group and why you stayed with Crossfire with the rest of the MOTIV 8 group??

M)
First I must say that many people think that Motiv8 went down, because Tricket and the German members left. All I can say about is that you are WRONG! The slide down was not a surprise for us, because Crossfire and I have talked about it for weeks before it happened. The sceners must remember that since Motiv8 started we have worked hard and did many releases. Both of us had the lust to just relax for a while, but also that Crossfire should start studying on a new education & I used more and more time on the internet.

That's also the reason why I didn't leave M8 when we were sliding down, because I were more interested in staying on the internet and I was a part of the decision that we should relax for a while.

J)
Your all-time favourites:

Cracker: Doc (Now Legend PC)
Cracker Group: F4CG
Demo Group: Byterapers
Demo: World of Code Series
Musician: Scarzix
Graphician: Dunno
Games: Power Drift, Mayhem in Monsterland, Lemmings, Outrun Europe
BBS: Been away too long
Overall Group: Dunno
Girl: A girl with a big heart deep blue eyes, blond hair and big black big eyebrows.
Drug or Alcohol: A good bottle of red with a nice girl.
Movie: Les Adventures de Rabin Jakob
Sexual Position: Just found a new GF
Food: Steak

J)
What have you and MOTIV 8 got planned over the next months, is there a goal you and your group may want to achieve??

M)
First I can say that I first part of the plan were that we want to get back on the C64 scene doing some nice work. My personal plan for C64 MOTIV 8 is that all the members get on internet and we can use IRC to get closer to each other. Personally, I also hope I that we will start cracking in our PC section.

I don't think we have any more goals left. We have been the best group in the scene and we showed people we could do a nice work. I also think Crossfire completed his goals in the scene and for myself I can say that I've reached my goal. People respect me as one of the best crackers/trainers in the world and that's enough for me and I will also say that one of the things I love now is that I'm one of the few veterans in the scene, who's still doing work in the scene. To the rest of the veterans, I will say: love to see when one of the good old pals with the long experience in cracking does a nice job and its great to get some competition.

J)
Yes, I agree there, its cool how a lot of quality crackers lately have been doing some good versions of quality games, take for example the latest releases of Ignorance, Jack Alien, Antitrack and Burglar... Some real quality there and that breeds some nice respect and attention to the group behind the release as well. It would be great if some old crackers such as Paracrax, (remember Enforcer+12??!) or even the late PowerPlant/LEGEND return back to the front on this scene.

Most know you as an excellent cracker, but after all these years are there any other job you've performed in these later years and of present on this computer?

M)
Well, my favourite job is cracking and doing trainers for the games. I can code on this machine, but without you know it you have seen some work from me. I did several intros for Mechanix and Epic. The problem is that when I see an intro and I like the idea, I just code it and that’s why some of my intros are clones of other known intros. But when I code the intros I do it to show that you can make some nice intros that don’t fill much in the memory. It's because like when I have a crack and have room enough to use.

Why I like cracking and doing trainers?? Hm! I really dunno why, because I love solve troubles, but I hate solving troubles in adventure games. Well, I think it's I like doing a smart way to handle the file loading (if you look at my of my cracks you see that I always use 01., 0A., 1., A. in the filenames). I also like to find out how the coder tries to make a game hard to train, because a part of the scene give up if they can't use their Action Replay Cartridge (only the TRUE wannabe's, that is...).

J)
What’s your view on the modem scene or sometimes known as the "elite" scene, is it more fun than the mail or legal scene??

M)
I have never been on the modem scene. Crossfire has always done that job. Okay! I have been on some boards sometimes if it was necessary to reply on a post. I can imagine its cool, but it's absolute nothing if I compare it to IRC. I can't give my real opinion on this question, but I think it's funnier to be many people around the warez table instead one at a time.

J)
What can we do to improve this you think? And if you could have the scene anyway you liked it, what would it be like??

M)
To start with the last question. Actually I like most parts of the scene, but I think we have to some changes to get the scene much better. First I say that I will push to some of the building stones in the C64 scene.

I think we should change the first release system. I like the idea that people must have the fight about getting the release out first, but I don't think people can't sort out some kind of releases as they do know. I know that some lamers will score top points releasing 5 small home created SEUCK-games, but there's a way to fix it.

One of the rules we must add to the first release rules is that a release can only be counted as first release if the game can be copied with a file copy program. -5 points to people that broke that rule. I think it's a very important rule. Many of the German games are built on the well known copy-protection with green & black lines while loading. It's a track/sector loader where you can't see the files. This is a part of the protection and the crackers' job to remove the protection.

Then we should change the point-system for things people release. We count a first-release as (3,2). The first sign is the price of the game and the second is the quality of the game. If we should count this release it should give 32 points to the group who release it. It will give full point to a group who release a nice game, not a SEUCK game. We should just multiply the last number with 10.

Well, it's not the biggest problem in the scene right now. We all know the problem, not many things are getting released now and in fact England is dead for C64 releases from the major companies. I know that many have big plans about making some games, but they only talk about it. They have to do something. Many of the English software companies are still interested in programming teams, because they haven't really had any conversion teams since teams like Probe went to the PC and console scene. I know there are many teams who can do some nice games. DO SOMETHING or the C64 will die in England and that's an important area for us. I think it could be great see C64 version of many of the U.S. Gold, Virgin conversions and they used teams as Probe to their work, so many you should send them a preview of a game. If we can get some action in England the scene will be much better.

J)
What are your views on things such as the Flash 8 card and the failed Commodore 65. Is this lame to still make these devices or??

M)
I don't think we need the Flash 8 card. We don't need it. We can do lot of things with the Commodore 64 with only one megahertz. About the Commodore 65: I think it's too late to put it out! If they have to put it out it have to be very cheap and they prices of software have to be the same as the Commodore 64. This will make it as good machine that can fight against the SNES and the Sega. I will hope that someone else will buy the rights to the Commodore 65, because Commodore has done shit with all their machines since 1986 and all of them failed. 11) What your favourite part of the scene?? Do you live for the games or do you prefer legal productions like magazines, demos or tools?? I won't say I like a special part of it. It's one the best things in the C64 scene. We have do different job that also are against each other and still be friends. Take a look at the (L)Amiga and the PC scenes. The people who make the demos hate the crackers. So the scene is best, because of all the productions that get coded/ released on the C64.

J)
Nearing the end, please greet anyone you wish and say hello to the many out there.

M)
Well, I should start from the beginning to the end and the list will be fucking long, so I have grouped all the hellos. First I say hello to all the C64 members of MOTIV 8 and say to all of them: Keep up the good work! Enjoy the fun that people thought us to be dead, but they could not kill us - we survived. I must also say hello to all the PC members of Motiv8. It's also the section I'm president for. It was a great shock to the scene and it just blown them away. Let's continue the rock and make them more scared. A really big hello to Stumble: We gonna do some more sexual flirting on the net. I must also say good luck to Xerox. Good Luck! I don't hope we see the police after your sysadm at the caught you. But see it from the positive side of the case. All the members is known for doing a fucking nice work and do all the dirty things that people dream about. I should also say hello to the C64 users that's on IRC. We have nice fun on the #c-64 channel (btw join us up). We must continue kicking Snowball from the channel. But you know that the channel can't be protected with a strong bot (did I say JAFFA?! Huh huh..). Also hello to my good old friends in the scene that had been here for many years and also a hurray for those still alive in the scene. The rest the dead ones - Find your machine again and do some action. At last I will say hello to the people who do a nice and good work for the C64 scene. Keep it up! This is not for the lame newbie’s, but for the elite people that do a decent piece of work for the scene and takes PRIDE in doing so.

J)
Thanks for the time my friend, any one last thing to leave a final impression on your audience??

M)
I will also say thanks! Okay, I've been in the scene for fucking many years, but this is my first interview with a mag. It was fun!

Keep up the good work with this mag. You are heading in the correct direction. At last I will say to all the people who use internet. If you not are on the list of C64 internet users then send a letter to Chief from Padua (you can find the mail addy earlier in this interview). You can also ask for me on the IRC net - just look for [MASON]. Remember to tell who you are or I will walk all over you!

Mason/MOTIV 8

(C64+PC-member and huge internet-addict!)