[CLIMaX] When did you first get involved with C&C and how did it happen?

[C4Kitty] That was when I tried my fiancé’s game Red Alert 2. I got addicted to the game. I even played some of the 'retro' games that were out there. I then, of course, bought Yuri's Revenge and saw the trailer for C&C: Renegade and knew I had to try it. Time went by and C&C: Renegade kind of fell into the back of my mind until then someone sent me a demo which I installed and I instantly fell in love with Renegade. As a result of this I played a single map countless times and my skill quickly grew from there. Even though the game was not going to be released for another 4 weeks I never lost interest. When my boyfriend bought his copy of Renegade I quickly stole it and I've never given it back. Hehehe, what are boyfriends for right? I never really lost interest because I particularly liked the driving tanks around, which reminded me of Tokyo Wars, that I spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on in the arcades. I loved to do and it quickly became my specialty. Using tanks to pound buildings and destroy other tanks is what the game was about for me. This skill quickly propelled me to the top of the charts where I finished 3rd in the World Wide Standings, however anyone who has played the game for a long time and is adept at the game will tell you that rank is really meaningless until you look at the players overall stats.

C&C: Renegade really can't compare to other games because of the dynamic nature of the players and their ability to use units in combination with vehicles, in so many ways, not to mention the fact that the map type and available terrain means the game never quite stays the same from one time to the next. When you throw in that teams mix, and different players with different styles are always on different teams, it makes the ending of each game unpredictable. Although players may not change very often, the fact that the teams mix and different skills combine makes every time you play seem like a new experience. This is what sets this game apart from so many others; it may not be better by many peoples standards but it is unique in its own way.

[CLIMaX] Tell us about your involvement in the C&C Renagade community.

[C4Kitty] The extent of my involvement in the community is based both on the name that I've made for myself and the name that other people have made for me.

To describe the name that other people made for me I’ll make a long story short: I gave a member of a well-known clan a taste of his own verbal medicine after beating him. This then spilled over into chat where I was verbally attacked and I'd fight back; the results of this would be other people stepping in and making fun of me based on the fact I'm a girl. So in response to this I had to develop a 'thick skin' and a very 'sharp tongue,' which resulted in the creation of a 'second game' where I'd show up in chat and quite enjoy both dishing out and thwarting off flames.

Now the name that I've actually tried to make for myself is one of a skilled player who knows her stuff. Of course I'm biased but I think I really do know my stuff, but I suppose you'd have to ask the people at the server where I moderate if I actually know anything or not. Which brings up my moderating and the name I've tried to make for myself there. I work on the basis of making the game better for everyone as well as encouraging the growth of peoples skills. I moderate with an 'iron fist' and I'm sure a lot of people can attest to that. But one thing I'm not is unfair or inconsistent and I would never kick or remove someone from a game for personal gain. I’m not the most diplomatic person when I talk but I'd never kick a player for doing anything that isn't against the rules. I've tried to make a name for myself as a moderator and as C4Kitty the player as someone who is fair and tries to make the game more enjoyable for others.

As a skinner or a person who makes textures for characters, vehicles, guns, and other objects in the game, I've always tried to make a name for myself as one who makes the game better-looking or even making the game more challenging. Sometimes I try to make the game fun. One instance where I did this was making a replacement sound for when you kill someone. I changed the audio from 'boink' to Mr. Garside from Southpark saying "You go to hell, you go to hell and you die."

My involvement as a player has and always will be a true Renegade, which is the result of both how others have treated me and how I regard others. I've never really had an interest in clans or anything of that sort, and the experiences I've with most of the skilled players never really pushed me to being loyal to a group. Therefore, I tried to make a name for myself as a solo-player who could turn the tide in the game and consistently be one the top player. But I always played for myself, I never really had concern for others or what they wanted or even what they thought, I just tried to do the best I could do on my own. For the most part I think I succeeded in doing this. The downside of this was the fact that I soon found myself being branded a 'point whore' and a 'non-team' player. My attitude towards the game and how I play has changed somewhat since I started playing on the Pitts server, but I've always remained true to my form in being one of those players you find at the top of the charts. People can interpret what they want from it, but I think I do my part in the game and nobody on my team seems to complain when we win. Here are my stats from the Pits for all my games in 2004, you can take from it what you wish.

[CLIMaX] Who in the C&C Renagade community stands out and inspires you?

[C4Kitty] Aneonelite, C4Miner, MsgtPain aka UrFaceDwn, SnipeGod1, Aircraftkiller, Slash0x, Tahnm, Gizbotvas, Urrtoast, nas680, Xtrapale... I mean, I could go on but I've been playing for so long and I've played so many games that it would become very hard to name them all because most of the players up there have moved on and so have the ones that I'm obviously forgetting. But this short list isn't even a tenth of the players that should be on the list.

With regard to being inspired by another player, I can't say that I've ever really looked at another player and said to myself "gee I wish I could be like that person." This stems mainly from the fact that I don't try to be like another person; now that is not to say that I haven't been encouraged to be better than I am, but I've never tried to be like another person based on how they play or act. I simply try to be the best that I can be, at what I do, and how I do it. I simply be myself. And that's what I'd say to any young new female gamer, that they shouldn't try to be like other players they should simply be themselves and happy with that. They shouldn't be discouraged by male gamers who shun them based on the fact that they're a girl. The best way to get better is practice, not emulate.

[CLIMaX] What are you going to do now that you've finished school?

[C4Kitty] Well I haven't really finished. But when I do I think I'll just spend the rest of my life on vacation. Either that or I'll go for my Ph.D. and then travel the world some more. It all really depends on how bored I get, hehehe.

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