Second in the Influential Agers series is Merlin, of AoE2.Com fame. Recently he launched the GameGlow Network, which is thriving under his leadership. I'd like to personally thank him for agreeing to this interview, which has been an honor.

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

A) I tried the demo, bought the game, and never looked back since.

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

A) When I first tried the demo, the game was absorbing, and by far the best RTS experience I had up to that point. I was hooked, so I bought the game and practically lived on the zone, trying to climb Case's Ladder.

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

A) As soon as I played the demo, I was convinced it would be a big success, because I could just dive in completely for hours. When those 5AM alarms go off just 2 hours after leaving the battle zone, you know a game has cast it's spell over you. Any game that can so completely enthrall it's players will not only succeed, it will be a smash hit like Age of Empires.

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

A) Right now I am playing the Allegiance Beta a lot. It's another game that completely involves the players in a gaming universe, and is visually and in sheer scope the best RTS multiplayer space-fighter game going. For me it's a familiar pattern but I like Allegiance so much I built a website for it. http://allegiancehq.gameglow.com

5. What was your first webpage? How long have you been involved with web design? What got you interested in it?

A) After buying AoE, I decided to learn HTML and build a website devoted to the game that ate up all my free time. Merlin's Hall of Strategies was my testing ground for basic web design training, and the content was geared to offering strats and theories on gameplay. It was never a big site, but I did get to learn a lot and met some great people on the net. That was 2 years ago, give or take.

6. How much time do you devote to your webpage?

A) I put in 3-4 hours per day, sometimes 8 or more on weekends. http://GameGlow.com is doing so well that I will very soon be able to give full time to the net. Then my time input will increase to ten hour days on average, at least until the network is as big as we want it to become. I don't plan on doing this for ever, but so far the time has been very well invested.

7. What motivated you to create AoE2.Com?

A) Well, that first website I made about AoE attracted the attention of ZFalcon, who owns the AoE2.com name. He offered me a proposal and a challenge, to build a website worthy of the name. Supporting me from day one, he has hosted the site since it's inception. I guess we can claim some success in that, because recently everything expanded into a bigger world. My new challenge is to build GameGlow.com into a big gaming network, and AoE2.com is a big part of that community. In my eyes the site performed perfectly in it's goals, and achieved more than I myself ever thought possible.

8. What do you think has made your site so successful?

A) I would have to say that a combination of things worked together. Having Ensemble Studios build such a great game is one important piece, just covering everything we could about the game really helped boost the site. Players enthusiastic enough to cruise web sites and hunt for good stuff deserve to find some of that. In a lot of ways it's been my goal to deliver something of value to everyone who visits. I think most people are smart enough to know when someone works hard to deliver some quality, and they appreciate it enough to have excused all the fumbles and changes and new designs that I have put AoE2.com through. Thanx to my host, size and bandwidth were never an issue, so we worked hard at pushing the envelope a bit, and I think we challenged the other Ager sites to deliver more as well. I personally very much enjoyed the last 2 years of learning new skills and applying them on the net. Our site has allowed dozens of Agers to work the same way, helping out around the site, letting them choose how to contribute and what to learn next. I admit that is not a system that works for everyone, but it does sort out who will only talk and who will apply themselves.

9. Do you have any advice for some of the newer age webmasters?

A) Not just Ager webmasters, it would be true for any webmaster at all. Work hard, play hard, dream big, and join Gameglow.com for free hosting! (G)

10. Other than your own site, are there any other AoE sites that hold special meaning for you?

A) Not so much a site really, instead I have been following the progress of the Archangel Mike McCart, webmaster at Ensemble Studios. Age of Empires Heaven was really something for all the early Agers when the game first came out. He handled this big website, with a team of helpers, dealt with the game producers directly, and was part of this bigger game network that runs daily news. That is how I first heard of AoE, a Gamestats news item led me to AoE Heaven. All of that gave me lots to think about, and it should be food for thought for all aspiring webmasters. That is when the AoE2.com offer came to me. Then the Archangel went to work for Ensemble Studios, Vidguy went to work for that Microsoft PR firm, and now I have my own game network and can host other sites until I am blue in the face. I only needed that one example of what could be achieved, Agers today have 3 good examples that prove the sky is the limit.

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

A) I would ask to magically conjure a game that push many extremes at once. A mixture of Age of Kings and Everquest, where the themes of both would combine in a 3D game universe. The choice to manage the whole culture or play a single role of general on the front lines would be preferable to having only one method to play. If there were some way to make a culture workshop to create and tailor the units of your race it would grow into a
universe of custom cultures. Choosing limits to what characteristics and attributes can get used in all races would encourage players to bring their tailored civ into the world. If dreams and wishes were one, I would be playing it now, and likely custom make a new civ every month to keep things interesting.