The newest Influential Ager, Ogre. He's the webmaster over at Ogre's AoK Network, A top Age site. Here's the interview, for which I'd like to thank again. Questions are in Green, answers are in white, and comments that I've made are in red.

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

A) It all happened so innocently on a warm summer day. I was at the mall in Babbage's and there it was. Age of Empires that is, I went over to it. Picked it up and remembered seeing the review of it on one of the CNET shows. It looked cool there so I decided to take it for a spin. I bought it, then loaded it up on my machine as soon as I got home. And then I played it. At first I was not too impressed, but soon I couldn't stop playing it. The bug had bitten me bad! When I began playing multiplayer games it got even worse. And that is basically what happened :-)

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

A) Probably the one thing that makes the AoE series magical to me has always been the level of detail in the units. Every unit does not only have good animations but also has a story behind it. For example take the Trireme. Those were real ships from the era AoE took place in. And yes some did fire bolt weapons with flaming arrows. In AoK the trebuchet was a real weapon. It was used for launching stones, dead animals, and disease infested carcasses over a castles walls. There is nothing better than a game that follows things how they are or were in real life.

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

A) The success of the series is do to its well developed structure. No other game has such balances during game play. Each of the civilizations has a weakness and strength. Plus there are plenty of civilizations and units to choose from. Instead of some other games where there are only three.

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

A) Mostly I am into strategy and simulation games. I believe a game is not good unless it requires you to think. Some of my favorite games besides the AoE series are Sim City series, The Sims, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Railroad Tycoon II, Caesar 3, Prince of Persia, Pharaoh, Half Life, Unreal, and Need For Speed series. Yep sometimes classics like Prince of Persia are still even fun to play!

5. What do you like most about web design?

A) The best part of web design is the creative aspect of it. A lot of people just whip something up and throw it on a server. You can't do that if you want it to look original. Originality is what it is all about besides the content. People want to see something that is pleasing on the eyes, loaded with content, and easy to navigate. Those are the rules I follow when trying to be creative. There is nothing better than a page that looks and works good.

6. How long have you been involved with web design? What got you interested in it?

A) I have been doing web design since I first logged on the Internet. My first site was a MIDI site on GeoCities. That was back in 1996 when GeoCities first opened. The site had a handful of downloadable MIDI sound files. To tell you how I first became interested in webdesign I have to tell you a little story. One day I came across Age of Empires Heaven and was amazed at the quality of the site. It inspired me to create Ogre's Age of Empires. I
wanted a site that would get people excited about the game. 500,000 hits later I knew the site had done its job.

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

A) It all depends on what needs to be done with the site from day to day. I spend anywhere from probably one to two hours working on it each day. Pretty much I try to do something to it every day. Also I answer peoples questions which probably takes me about 45 minutes a day.

8. What's involved in creating a new site for you?

A) Hmm, well first I start out designing the template of the site. The template is the basic graphical and html layout of the page. The programs I use are Paint Shop Pro 6.0 and Front Page 2000. Many webmasters on a budget use Paint Shop Pro 6.0 because of its high-end capabilities. Some people may disagree with me on this, but I think that Front Page 2000 is close to being the best web-authoring tool on the market. I use it not because I don't know html, but because it is easy. Plus it does a pretty good job of sorting the code out. If it were up to me I would not indent any of the lines :-) Then after I have the template done, I just copy the content into. Sometimes I use SSI which is a more advanced web tool. It allows me to update one file instead of all of them.

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

A) Yes, I do. Never be rude to anyone or put someone's site down. That is just plain wrong! Also a good habit to picked up is updating your often. It shows that you care about it. Oh and if someone flames you, just ignore them. If you flame them back, you could be asking for a back and forth war. And believe me you will get messages cutting you and your site down. Because if there is one thing in this world that is very easy to find, it is ignorant people. And those ignorant people will do and say some pretty stupid things without thinking.

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

A) Age of Empires Heaven always holds a certain place in my mind. At one time I worked there. Not only that but it influenced me in creating my first fan site on the AoE series. The angels have always been very nice to me.

11. How did you get your handle?

A) Ogre is what I use to call my brother. Yeah I know it is not nice to make fun of your siblings :-) But he did look like an Ogre. Anyhow I was trying to come up with a name for my Age of Empires site. My friend suggested calling it Ogre's AoE. So that is how I became known as Ogre. Ever since then I have just kept it. Some people ask me what an Ogre is. Well it is a mythical man eating giant. Yep that is right it snacked on humans. I always joke that I have a pile of bones next to my lair.

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

A) It would be a game like Age of Empires in 3D. Also it would have some way cool graphics and sound elements. That is what kind of game I would have created. And they are probably working on something like that right now ;-)