Inteview with Nme

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interviews
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 I N T E R V I E W   W I T H   N M E


     By Marc Panther of Soundwave


For some time i've been trying to get
this interview with NME but I managed
to switch his modem off for 5 mins so
I could get this interview for
Grapevine.


Q: Who are you?  Introduce yourself.
A: My name is Matthew, i'm 22 and I
live in Cleveland, England.  I am a
cracker in "Illusion" a major group on
the 64 and my handle is NME.

Q: How long have you been in the
scene?
A: I suppose its about 4 years, i've
had my 64 for about five or six but
the first few are normally where you
just play games on it.

Q: Have you got an Amiga?
A: Yup, i've had it about a year now
and I suppose i've never regretted it.
Having a steady flow of new games has
helped I suppose, but I have to say
that I prefer my 64, probably because
I enjoy coding.

Q: Have you got any other computers?
A: Well the Spectrum 48k that I had
about 8 years ago didn`t last the
journey and apart from the Amiga and
64, I only have a super NES which i've
just got (very nice)

Q: What was the first game you cracked
and trained?
A: Back in the good old days, I never
used to crack - only freeze stuff
because I never knew better, but the
first game I ever managed was a budget
game called "Psi Droid", the first
game I trained I did by accident and
it was another crappy budget from
Zepplin, Since then I suppose i've
cracked about 300 games.

Q: What's your favourite drink, food
and music?
A: Hmm, favourite food has got to
spicey stuff like chilli and
Bolognaise, the only drink I have if I
have a choice is Lilt, my Favourite
music is probably Guns `N` Roses, U2
and I like all the Jarre stuff.

Q: Do you like Torch?
A: Who?  Ha, yeah I suppose he`s ok,
i've had a few cheap deals with him
and he`s always come up with the
goods, although he can be a pain if he
wants something off you and you won`t
give it to him.

Q: Do you have any plans to go Amiga?
A: Nope, i'm having it easy on the 64,
I do a little cracking and show my
face on a few BBS`s and i'm set, plus
- there`s no way i'm gonna learn
another language unless I have to... I
might consider a console scene tho
because most of them use 6502 and
that's the same as the 6510 that I
already know from the 64.  Another
reason I wouldn't go Amiga is that,
when you crack a game on the 64, you
also train it and do the best version
you can...  On the Amiga, all crackers
seen to do is put an intro in front as
quickly as possible and then a few
days later some other group will train
it...  What?
Q: Is the 64 dead?
A: No way, its true, it did die a lot
since the Amiga came out as lots of
people went Amiga, some of the good
groups left and we saw old 64`ers on
Amiga like "Weetabix" from the old
"Scouse Cracking Group" as some of the
diehards know, but, if you look in any
issue of PCW an established mag you`ll
see that the 64 is the second best
seller of software and computers at
any time, (the ST is a sad 6th being
topped by the Spectrum and Amstrad,
which proves that any ST owners are
Prats) there is still a big scene for
the 64 with groups from all over the
world even the Aussies have there own
scene which consists of importing the
European Cracks and putting there own
intro in front, which is quite lame as
more often that not there is already
an American intro in front of that
from where they have imported it.

Q: What do you see as the future of
the 64?
A: Hopefully, there will still be as
many Software Company's, I can't see
people like Ocean ever leaving it,
there's already a shit load of
hardware out for it so I can't see any
Future development there but maybe the
future Games will be better as even
now clever twats are finding out
hidden routines to speed things up and
stuff.  There are so many people still
very much into the 64 that its gonna
be around for years to come and will
probably only go out when no more
parts are made for it.

When you think, its never been changed
much since the year it came out and
has lasted longer than some of the so
called better Computers (BBB,
Spectrum, Amstrad, Atari)

Q: How long have you owned a modem?
A: I've had my two 1200 baud Modems
for my 64 for about two year and a
9600 that I got given for my Amiga
i've had for around 6 month, I use my
9600 with a new cable I had made so I
can Connect and Transfer at a
breathtaking 2400...  This is the
fastest speed that the 64 can handle
without chucking out errors...

Q: What do you think about Grapevine?
A: Well the few editions that i've
seen have been very nice and
informative, it makes a change from
all the crap I get on the 64 which are
all near enough the same apart from
the parts that are cheated by the mag
owners group, a little example is a
group called Genesis Project on 64,
In there magazine, they have about
three members in the cracker charts,
two or three in the gfx charts and so
on, when in fact in nearly all the
other mags, they aren't in any...  I
suppose this goes on in the Amiga
Scene, but as i'm a spectator then I
can't comment...

Q: How many groups are there in the 64
scene?
A: There are about 20 very active good
groups that everyone knows, but I
would say that there are about 200
other lame groups that think they are
cool.  Of the elite groups, we all
have a little lamer bogus group so we
can release the shit games that we
wouldn't consider releasing, this is a
good idea because we have a sort of
competition to come up with the
shittyest intro's and names for groups
like, "The Pies", "Bad Taste", "Duh"
Lamers R Us...  All the best groups
have a lamer group with lame handles.
So as well as NME/illusion I have also
been lawnmower/PIES.  This is of
course all classified and I would deny
all of the above.

Q: Do you call any boards?
A: I call the boards (When I have
cards) Everyday... along with about 60
other elites and a lot of Germans who
can still bluebox (phreak the phone)
But cards are getting harder to get
hold of because nobody is prepared to
HACK them anymore.  But since AT&T
have gone automated cards are more
popular than ever because its now
possible to call overseas to anywhere
in the world....  At the moment tho
there are maybe 20 64 boards in the
States and around 10 in Europe.  I
only call our HQ's the Forum and
Terminal Obsession (813-846-0645).
The Forum is one of the most popular
boards and it is Elite only.

Q: How often?
A: I would say every day for about
three weeks, then I need a New AT&T.
We have about three card hackers who
are dedicated but sometimes people
from the Scene have to share cards, I
know this goes on in the Amiga scene
because i've had loads of Amiga cards,
you can tell when a cards from the
Amiga Scene because you all abuse it
and it only lasts a day.  And
normally, when the card is used in two
different countries it will die very
quickly, once its dead there's not a
lot you can do, but I have called up
AT&T and bullshitted a card back to
life but not often.  In my time in the
scene I recon that i've had about 400
cards from about 20 different sources.

Q: What's your all time favourite game
on the 64 and Amiga?
A: My favourite game on 64 has got to
be Sabre Wulf, its about six or more
years old and at the time it was the
best thing since sliced bread.
Favourite game on Amiga is Elite,
although it does get a bit easy and
boring when you have everything and
you can rip the shit out of anything.

Q: How did you become a Cracker?
A: Like everyone (I think) I started
out playing games on my commy.  But
after a while it get's boring.  Then I
got myself an Expert Cartridge and
started to randomly save out memory
and when I loaded bits back in I got
some weird effects and I thought that
it was cool so I asked my friend who
was already a cracker to teach me what
he knows, and from there I picked up
bits on my own.  I have to mention
that I used to get my warez from my
old mate Marc Panther who was the
biggest pirate on 64 until he went to
the Amiga...

Q: Do you have any contacts?
A: No, I leave all that lame stuff to
other members in the group, in all the
groups there is scales of Eliteness,
And I regard mailtrading one of the
lowest.  On the boards the people who
do keep the boards up to date are
called "Runners" and they are the
equivalent to the dogsbody, I am a
cracker, the wares stem from me and
once I give it to the importers then
my job is done... and plus I never
look at other peoples cracks, I like
the odd demo but only so I can rip the
music and fonts (called character sets
on 64).

Q: What's the Crazyest thing you`ve
done?
A: What you mean Besides agreeing to
do this thing?  Well I once ran a
pencil sharpener blade down a brand
new Porshe and I've also swung from a
tree with my trousers and underpants
around my ankles while people walked
past for a laff.

Q: What's the worst game you`ve seen
on the 64 and Amiga?
A: I dunno about the 64 one because
there's been some really lame ones.
On Amiga, of the games i've seen I
would say Kick Off, I hate to see all
the little prats getting so excited
about kicking a little sprite between
to posts.

Q: If you were shipwrecked on a desert
island, what three things would you
want?
A: Hmm well first off I would want
some beautiful female company,
secondly I would say my Walkman with
loads of batteries for it and lastly
my 64, modem and a years supply of
AT&T's

Q: What are your future plans?
A: Once I get my shit together I would
like to become a computer programmer
and get loads of money for writing
games with the same code but different
Graphics and name.

Q: What other scene related things do
you do?
A: Shit, I code most of the intro's
that I use, I call the boards and keep
up with all the little arguments and
comments, I also (now and then) scan
for PBX's (Private Branch Exchanges)
so that if I run out of cards I can
still call out, once I found a 0800
(toll free) PBX that I could  start
Conferences with (an 0800) but it died
after about a Month.  I am also always
looking for MBX (mailboxes) so all the
group members can keep in touch.

Q: What's your favourite chocolate?
A: I like all chocolate but I think
dark stuff like Bourneville in small
bits is the best.

Q: What's your Favourite book?
A: Got to be the "Dragonlance
Chronicles", I like all fantasy and
some SI-FI.
Q: Do you Like lard?
A: There's nothing better for my Eggs
and Bacon, I hate my Bacon grilled
its just not the same and of course,
If i'm going out I use it to grease
the old hair.

Q: How do you get the games you crack?
A: I buy them from a very fast shop
then re-sell them to other groups
abroad that can't get hold of them...
This can be profitable but I wouldn't
say you could make a living off it.

Q: Are you a virgin?
A: No, I have sex with "Rosey Palm"
every night, but I think Someone else
is having Her too?

Q: How old is your dad?
A: Hold on, I'll ask him...  16

Q: If you had any amount of money,
What would you buy?
A: Probably a software company, then
i'd hire all the crackers and coders
from the scene to write games because
the professional coders are a load of
shit and the don't know all the short
cuts that Crackers do.

Q: What's the most trainers (+'s)
you`ve put in a game?
A: Lazer Squad on the 64 I found about
100 Trainers but I couldn't be Arsed
to write a Cheat Routine.

Q: What do you hate Most?
A: I hate it when everyone comes in my
room to play on the computers and
they leave the place looking like a
bombs hit it and I have to tidy up
and make my fucking bed every bastard
night.  Yeah, I think that's what I
hate Most.

Q: Who is the top group on 64?
A: Illusion of course...  haha no, I
don`t know because the games are
coming out all over the world and the
English guys can`t get hold of the
German wares and the Germans have to
order all the English stuff so the
Scene is spilt up a bit, but some of
the most famous are...  Illusion,
Legend, Talent, Genesis and of course
the American groups The Shoulin
Monestry, Empire, Excaliber...

Q: What is your claim to fame and
praised possession?
A: Well Marc, somewhere in the darkest
depths of the bottom draw of my filing
cabinet, I have a Christmas card from
"Bob and the lads at FAST" (No bull!).

Q: Okay Matt, thanx for the interview
you can go back to your Modem now,
but before you go have you any last
words?
A: Yeah, Peace and Cheese!
   Leech mode active...

end.