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(Player News) The Peerage of Siege Perilous: [SPHS] Interviews Malloc, Grandmaster Man of Leisure and Taste!

Silent Singer

Certifiable
Stratics Veteran
UNLEASHED
Hail Siege!

It gives me great pleasure to present to you our 12th Peerage of Siege Perilous Interview. Today we have my avowed arch-nemesis Malloc, IDOC hunter and Siege Antiquarian Extraordinaire (and he's not too shabby with a bow either!). Last year when the Interviews were started I looked forward to this one, and from the get-go inserted Malloc as everyone else's nemesis into the question set. But kidding aside, Malloc is a pillar of Siege, has helped me out innumerable times, and I really appreciate him taking the time to do this. So without further ado...

Malloc, Grandmaster Man of Leisure and Taste!

20190119 - Malloc at home.png
Above: The Nefarious Malloc!?

[SPHS]: What was your first experience with Ultima Online?

Malloc: I grew up playing the Ultima PC games. When Ultima Online came out I knew it would be something that I could not stop playing. Thus I did not play it from the start. I started playing just over 12 years ago after my real life stabilized and I could put some time into it. My first memories are running around Haven on Chessy trying to understand the world I had joined.

[SPHS]: Do you still have the maps, or other items / notes, from your original Ultima PC games? Talia still has a notebook of dungeon maps, and I have something similar from Ultima IV (though on the NES). Did you kill the children?

U5_ChildrenAlive.png
Above - Think of the children!

Malloc: I have the boxes from my PC games somewhere. Yes I have the maps and my notes as well. Yes I did what needed to be done in the games.

[SPHS]: What brought you to Siege? How long have you played here, and how frequently do you play now?

Malloc: I came to Siege when they allowed an account to hold a prodo house and a Siege house. Think that was around June of 2013. I try to log in every day if for just a few minutes.

[SPHS]: In the last month, what did you spend the majority of your game time doing?

Malloc: Krampus and the trade runs; IDOCs; a couple of spawns; mindless resource farming; household reorganizing; and a couple peerless bosses.

[SPHS]: To date, what has been your best day on Siege?

Malloc: There were two IDOCs next to each other and Gilfane had a ring of ships around them. We found out about them late in the cycle. There was lots of fighting on and off the ships. There was even some ship on ship battles. I think that was one of the first times I pvp’d with Boolean. I died a lot but it was definitely the most unique IDOCs I have done. I don’t think I did that well on looting but as long as you enjoy what you are doing then it was worth the time.

Malloc: Close behind are the days that Siege set the Void Pool world records.

[SPHS]: Which players do you interact with the most?

Malloc: CharGar, Sara Dale, Sarah, Creeger, Mavia, Susie

[SPHS]: Are you in a guild, and if so, how many other players are in it? What guilds were you in before this one?

Malloc: On Siege I was in New2; then the blue IPKU guild and finally in Gilfane.

[SPHS]: What was Gilfane like when you first joined? How has it changed over the years?

Malloc: Gilfane is diverse. There are lots of different people; knowledge; templates and play styles. The guild opened my eyes to trying other things. I like to say that I learned to play UO on Chessy but I never played it until I came to Siege.

Malloc: Over the years my online time varies as does everyone’s. Life demands take priority over UO. People leave and come back and leave again.

[SPHS]: When I came to Siege several years ago, [GIL] was unquestionably the largest guild. The current direction under Reuggan has been a more inward facing period. Aside from the re-started auctions, what are some activities that you all do these days? Are you still accepting members? If a graduate of [NEW] were interested in joining, who do they contact?

Malloc: GIL still has scheduled hunts and people routine ask to do a hunt in our alliance chat. It depends when you are online and when the others are. We have players all over the world and it can be hard to get them together. GIL is still accepting members. Anyone interested should join our forums and post a message. Someone from the leadership will respond.

[SPHS]: How many guild members have you met in RL? Do you interact with any of them outside of UO on a regular basis?

Malloc: I have only met my guild members at the anniversary parties. When some travel they will make an effort to meet with the guild members living there.

[SPHS]: What got you interested in collecting rares? What are your favorite items? Are there any items still out there you hope turn up one day? Your 'holy grail' so to speak?

Malloc: IDOCs on Chessy got me started in collecting rares. Finding something interesting is what keeps me doing them. I do not have a wish list of items to get; I just take what I can find and enjoy it. I find it is easier enjoying UO when you want generically. Fixating on one thing tends to make you lose some of your UO excitement when you finally get it.

Malloc: I am currently the custodian of the Famine’s Rares Museum in Zento.

Hub-tile-to-Malloc-museum.JPG

Museum-tile-to-hub.JPG

[SPHS]: How did you become the curator of Famine's Rares Museum? Are you finished re-arranging and updating it? What are some interesting or easily overlooked items for players to take note of when visiting?

Malloc: Famine’s game time has waned in the past few years. I feel he was worried that he might make a mistake with his accounts and the museum would fall scattering the items to shard or worse lost forever. I had known him since I came to Siege and we did a few trades. He knew I would be a stable caretaker of the items and thus we worked out a trade. Since taking over I have added a bunch of items to the museum from Famine’s collection and a couple from my own or given to me by others (Sara Dale, CharGar). I do not pull Famine’s rare items into my own houses. Almost everything in the museum is rare or unique or the non-replica version of items. I still go back there and look around and am amazed at the item’s Famine collected. I will add items to the museum as I find them. The last item I added was a Blackrock staff from the recent event in Khaldun.

20180209 - Famine's Zento Museum.png
Above - Follow the trail of blood, and read the signs (examples with yellow arrows) as you go!

[SPHS]: If you could pick one player who is no longer on the shard that you could return, who would it be and why?

Malloc: No one, people come and go for their own reasons. Wishing someone back is a waste of time. Either they come back on their own or it won’t be for any serious amount of time.

[SPHS]: If you could permanently REMOVE one anything (activity / item / player / encounter / mechanic) from the shard, what would it be and why?

Malloc: Cheat programs. People should have the same chance to succeed or fail on Siege as anyone else.

[SPHS]: If you could permanently ADD one anything (activity / item / player / encounter / mechanic) from the shard, what would it be and why?

Malloc: A Soul stone container that allows you to add/remove/sort/use them when locked down. I tend to lock my soul stones down on my floors and that takes up a lot of space.

[SPHS]: You met [SPHS]'s very own @Spiffykeen at the Anniversary party a year and a half ago. What were your experiences like there? I believe that you also went to the 15th Anniversary party as well. What differences did you notice between the two events? What were your impressions of the UO teams past and present represented at each event?

Malloc-party.JPG
Above - Malloc reading the EasyUO forums on his phone at the Anniversary Party (I KID! He was really reporting the Atlantic PvP guys for stealing from the hotel bar)

Malloc: The Anniversary parties were only 30 minutes from my house. The 15th party was in the developers offices. I actually worked in that building and floor a few years prior. The parties showed that a majority of the UO players are middle aged but still passionate about the game. It also showed that the development team cares about the game. I enjoyed meeting some of the people that I have known for years. Richard Garriott sat at the Siege table and chatted with us. That was very memorable.

[SPHS]: Who is your nemesis, and why is it Calavera?

Malloc: Definitely Calavera is one for hounding me to do this interview. I would say Bo. Lately when I get PK’d he’s involved. You have to respect his PVP skills.

[SPHS]: I have for years propagated a joke about how rich you are in game, and insinuated that you were a man of leisure in RL. All kidding aside, what does Malloc spend his time away from UO doing?

Malloc: Working as a software development and testing manager for a DoD contractor. I would like nothing more than to hit a big lottery jackpot and enjoy a RL of leisure and UO.

Wealth Beyond Measure Outlander!.jpg
Above - Famine / Malloc's Zento Rares Museum has two of the five Ghostly Shrouds of Spookiness, one of the two Demon Arcadian mirrors, and TWO 'I Beat Mesanna' lanterns. It also has copies of a few old rares of which I thought I owned the only copies (Evil Wench robe, Drosselmeyer glasses). *Shakes fist in area* Foiled again by Malloc!!!

[SPHS]: You are dropped into an IDOC brawl and have time to grab one item. What item would you wish to grab above anything else?

Malloc: When an IDOC falls and there is stuff that is one of the best moments in UO for me. I would grab whatever I deem grabable. A rare piece of rubble would be nice. But anything I get that is interesting is enjoyed. On Siege just because you grab it does not mean you keep it.

[SPHS]: Do you remember the IDOC where I was still trying to piece together my set of Hero and Evil dyed bone armor, and you set the Hero dyed skull helm from it on a box just out of my reach? Actually no question here, just remembering your taunting me


Malloc: Did I? That seems very evil of me. I can neither confirm nor deny the accusation. If I were someone else, I would believe Malloc would do that to you. Eventually you got the item and enjoyed the chase getting the sets. If you get something too easily you tend not to appreciate it as much.

[SPHS]: What do you use your Siege bless on the most?

Malloc: Malloc blesses his Crystalline Ring. Getting the keys for those runs early in my Siege life taught me that dying in a bad place is going to make getting your body difficult. But that is the frustrating beauty of Siege. Sometimes things become difficult.

[SPHS]: If you could give one piece of advice to new or returning players to Siege, what would it be?

Don’t give up. Siege is worth the effort.
 

Nirot

Journeyman
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Awesome... you caught him in the act.....!!!
@Malloc: See you like the hub!... We got now the proof that you been there in picture...

Great interview..Silent Singer... and yes... Malloc helped me a lot to built my characters, too. Thank you so much...
 

Shalimar/Cleo

Journeyman
Stratics Veteran
Very nice interview. I went into the museum a couple of months ago and saw a few items I had passed on to Famine. One is shackles (he bought those from me though, because they were a server birth item) and an engraved ring & book to Tamara (that was me) from Sgt. Pepper. Nice to know the items are still there. Great job, both of you.
 
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