Interview with Lead Mod Richard Tebbutt

We managed to catch hold of Sega Lead Mod Richard Tebbutt and asked him a few questions about the game.



Interviewer : Firstly thank you for taking the time to talk to us as we appreciate this is a busy period for you guys at Sega.
Interviewer : What exactly is the job of a lead Moderator ?

Richard Tebbutt : The idea of the role is to be the escalation point for all moderators in all gameworlds. This means that if they are unsure of what to do in a situation then I am the person they refer to for an answer. As I have also written a Moderator Guide with details for what to do in each situation this means that we can ensure that all gameworlds have the same procedures in place.

I am also responsible for recruiting and training all new moderators – this is something that we obviously need to get right as not everyone is suitable, but we are going to need more and more people as the game progresses J I would advise anyone interested in the role to let their ingame moderators know, but be aware that we will judge you on how you behave ingame, so be helpful in chatrooms, assist with your Football Association and don’t cheat (!) and you too could have that blue band over your name in future :D

Interviewer : How would you describe the launching of the first ever FML Gameworlds ?

Richard Tebbutt : Better than could be expected in some areas, but we did hit a few unexpected technical hitches unfortunately on opening night. These did resolve themselves after a couple of hours and since then the gameworlds have been running very smoothly.

Interviewer : Some people have suggested that the Cantona launch was a PR disaster, however historically MMO's always get off to a poor start. Would you agree ?

Richard Tebbutt : I saw one comment in the forums which cheered me up no end – someone who has been involved in every launch of a major MMO who said that even with the issues we had it was still the best planned launch he had ever seen J However, we were not happy and will be constantly striving to improve all the time.

Interviewer : Some would say you have the perfect job working for Sega and playing FML a game you love do you agree?


Richard Tebbutt : Yes



Interviewer : Trialists seems to have been a hot topic over the last few months, we have seen a post from Marc Duffy saying they are coding it so no player with an Acquistion Fee over 100k can be trialed. Do you think this goes far enough to create a level playing field for all ?


Richard Tebbutt : Yes (as it was my suggestion!) – we have already stopped a lot of the issues regarding trialists, and tend to find it is only in the early weeks of the gameworld that there is an issue with this at all. The £100k limit has just closed off the final issue in this area.



Interviewer : We appreciate you are entitled to your own time and Do not work 24/7 on FML, on that basis have you had time to play the FM09 Demo ? If so what are your thoughts ?


Richard Tebbutt :I am ashamed to say that I have not played FM09 as all yet (and I get a free copy!) – it’s purely down to time constraints and I’m looking to take a week’s holiday at some point soon so I can spend the time playing properly! It does look amazing though!



Interviewer : As lead Mod are you going to be able to actually play the game ?


Richard Tebbutt : I have just this week bowed to the inevitable and resurrected Northern United to play in the Shearer gameworld J I just couldn’t stay away from the game



Interviewer : In your view why do the Mods decide to do the job they do ?


Richard Tebbutt : I would like to say it’s not because they’re power-crazed (as people have accused us of being in the past)! I think the over-riding factor is that the care deeply about the game and want to help other users with the knowledge they have gained. A lot of responsibility is placed on their shoulders and they give up a LOT for FML in what is usually a thankless role.



Interviewer : Who has been the best player you have ever signed in FML ?


Richard Tebbutt : Difficult one! My favourite player is either Kaka or Eto’o – I just can’t pick between them. Most suprising signing though was Stewart Downing who averaged 7.4+ over 2 seasons with my all-England side in BETA GW Psycho!Interviewer : Is there anyone you really wish you had signed but have not as yet ?
The one player that I’ve never owned in all my GWs was Cristiano Ronaldo – I’ve seen him perform brilliantly at so many clubs I would have loved to have seen in him play in the famous Northen United colours. You never know – now that I have a team going in Shearer, you might just see me targeting him!


Interviewer : Thanks for taking the time out to speak to us at a very busy period. It is appreciated.