Here's an interview with Maiming_Matty, the person many people consider the BEST AoE/RoR/AoK player. He's won numerous tournaments, and I think he'll win more to come.

1. How did you originally get involved with Age of Empires?

A) It was the first computer game I ever bought! 'Multiplayer' was still an alien term to me at that time. When I finally went online the zone made it so easy for me to get involved. I have been hooked ever since.

2. Was there ever any "magic moment" that made you think that the AoE series was really something special?

A) Pretty much as soon as I started playing it I fell in love with the multiplayer. It was simple and fast but had some great depth of play.

3. Where do you think the success of the AoE series lies?

A) It depends on how you mean success. Financially-it's a great game with an equally great marketing team.

4. What other games/games series are you interested in and why?

A) Myth series-it appeals to me D&D side. Nothing is more fun then watching a dwarf set off a line of charges on some incoming thrall I am also eagerly awaiting Black and White. It could be an amazing game....Peter Molynieux has done some amazing games over the years. I have always been a fan of strategy board games as well. I grew up on a steady diet of Risk, Axis and Allies, and Shogun.

5. How much time do you spend playing?

A) These days I must admit I have been branching out a little. In the last year I have spent time playing, Darkstone, HOMM3, Myth2, Descent3, Dungeon Keeper2, Age of Wonders, TA:Kingdoms, System Shock2, Planescape Torment, Baldur's gate, Halflife Opposing Forces, Tiberian Sun, NHL 2000, and Midtown Madness. Those are the games that come to mind right away....I am pretty sure there are more. This doesn't take into account the games which I have also been involved in beta testing :) I suppose I could of answered the question with two simple words,"Too Much!"

6. Do you have any suggestions for any newer AoK players?

A) Make sure you are having fun. Find some people that you like on the zone right away. Having a group of friends on the zone to play with makes all the difference.

7. Do you believe that there are "secrets" to the game that let you play better than the average player?

A) With the advent of the 'recorded game' I would say that any secrets I used to have are now exposed. The only remaining secrets are those to do with multitasking and concentration.

8. What are your favorite AoE/RoR/AoK sites?

www.mrfixitonline.com and
http://ageofkings.com/
are the 2 sites I visit most often....there are countless other great sites though.

9. Do you expect singleplayer gaming to become a sort of training for multiplayer?

A) I pray this doesn't happen. I have seen many games that are obviously single player games and some that are obviously multiplayer. I don't mind games being strictly multiplayer but I hope this doesn't mean we are only going to see crap Single player games from here on in. I think RTS as a whole has put out some pretty shoddy single player games in comparison to the depth of games like Baldur's Gate. I would love to see a game incorporate character/hero building into a RTS and add a deep rich story. I find HOMM3
does this to a slight extent.

10. If you could have ES design a game for you, what would it be like?

A) I want to see a game that incorporates Street Fighter into a RPG. I find RPG's lack skill(reflexwise) in a lot of case's. Street Fighter games lack a story. I think adding these two together could be amazing. Unfortunately the coding for this code get messy in multiplayer. The man with the best ping wins.

Thanks for agreeing to this interview Maimin_Matty, the honor was all mine. I can remember a couple of years ago, when I first got into age, and he won a RoR tournament, and he got his picture on the title of AoE Heaven, and I thought, man, this guy is cool! :-)