Cool. OK, now will you tell us how you first came across TSA?
Yes, I will!
How did you first come across TSA?
I think it was around the time of the Fury DLC coming out for WipEout HD, I was searching for details and it led me to TSA.
Oh you’re typing. I thought you were being difficult.
For a change I wasn’t!
A pleasant surprise.
I feel typecast…
I just liked the look of the site and the writing. At that time I was getting into Twitter, and started chatting to some of the staff and the memebers. It snowballed from there really.
Memebers would be members of a meme site.
Indeed. I imagine that on the internet there is a place where that term is actually used.
Hold on.
Nope, I can’t see anything about it. That’s disappointing.
Copyright it quick!
Ha! On it! Do you have any particular favourites from TSA’s catalogue of regular features, old and new?
I really liked the EG Expo stuff, as well as that, one of the things that got me into the site was the interaction, be it on comments or more often for me from Twitter.
Probably my favourite things, the competitions have always been fun to take part in as well as help with. There is also the “racing group” who I play online a lot with, that came together from a combination of the competitions and the forums, they’re all very friendly and always great craic. If anyone likes racing games they should join in.
Most certainly. Now name names from the “racing group” who you like, please?
Well yourself when you can be bothered!
Any people you forget to mention will be purged.
Manorhowze, Freezebug, THL, Ash, Adam, Stanley, Cam, Tony, Heedbaw is back too. That’s probably the group that race most often, thought there are others but not as consistent.
People like me.
Yes, people like you. Oh, FunkyMunkyy too, I would be rude not to mention him.
Right, so Lee_ma is getting the chop, then.
Oh bugger. I forgot about him.
You’re just bitter.
Haha. Sorry Lee!
He deserved [the F1 2011 championship], he was very fast in F1 2011, and I lacked commitment…
You’ve mentioned them in passing already, but you’ve taken part in quite a few TSA competitions, and helped create a few too. Which have you enjoyed most?
I think my favourite was F1 2010, which was the first I had seriously taken part in. I’m probably more bitter about that one.
Didn’t you lose that one too?
Yeah…
And wasn’t it the winner of that who you kept colliding with in 2011’s final? The parallels to Massa and Hamilton’s endless crashing last year are numerous.
Haha, this year at Brazil I had geared my car far too short. I would close up to pass and then not have the top end to finish the job, so have to apologise.
In 2010’s finals I qualified badly in Sepang due to wrong tyres on drying track, then got my wing taken off. At Singapore I qualified on pole, but messed up a pit entry and got a five place penalty, then got taken out in turn 3. Interlagos I won by 8 odd seconds, but have mostly forgotten about that.
I won the GT5 competition, though!
Like a boss.
I think people would accept the word convincingly. It was fun.
The GT5 competition? Oh yeah, the endless faffing around with people trying to join lobbies was great fun.
Well the driving bit was fun.
I remember lots of pain. Some of the racing was really great, though. I didn’t do too badly for myself, I remember.
Our group wasn’t too bad as far as I remember, for connections.
Silly game.
Alright, I think people have probably gathered by now that you’re kind of into driving games, but away from TSA and playing games what do you do? I remember there was some big news recently?
Well, its not that I don’t do anything that isn’t game related in some way, but over the last few years I attended university at Northumbria in Newcastle, studying Computer Game Software Engineering. I graduated and then moved back home whilst I looked for a job.
Finally at the start of this month I had a successful interview at Eutechnyx, developers of NASCARÂ The Game and Auto Club Revolution amongst others and am moving back to Newcastle on Monday!
So in a great turn of events I am going to be making racing games. I’m sure you can probably tell how delighted I am about that!
I do have a life outside of games though. Sometimes.
And it couldn’t have happened for a nicer guy, either…
Hah! Some may argue that.
A life outside of games? Photos or it didn’t happen.
Well I like motorbike racing and go to them sometimes! I have a video on my phone.
A video would satisfy my demands, I guess…
Well, I’m sure that everyone will wish you luck, happiness and other soppy things in your new job. So it makes perfect (or no) sense for me to ask the bizarre question: Snog, Civil Partnership, Smother or Shark Attack for the four podcast host Peter, Lewis, Kris and Kev?
Have been waiting for this moment.
Everyone does.
Building up to it, talking over in my head about what and who to go with.
It’s a pretty important question to get right.
And I am thinking in the order you gave me both lists…
I think Peter would be down with a snog and he is relatively nearby, at least for a few more hours. I’d marry Lewis, as he has plenty of films to complement the games so that could pass the time nicely.
See this is the problem, because I went with a simple method of doing this but then wrote nice things about the first two, and now I have to give reasons for killing the next ones.
I guess I’d smother Kris as he is third on the list and a bit moany on the Twitter, then Kev gets the shark attack as he is Nathan Drake and will probably punch it on the nose and get away.
Shark attack would be a fitting way for a Nate Drake lookalike to go… Then restart from the last checkpoint and try NOT to fall into the shark tank.
That would be key.
Absolutely. Right, this has been pretty epic, and I’ve really quite enjoyed our rambling, tangential chat, but we’ve reached the end!
It has been a long and winding road.
Before you go and pack, do you have anything to say to the readers that made it this far?
Well thanks to everyone that has played games with me, taken part in any of the competitions I have helped with and also thanks to all of you who I am sure are going to join the Auto Club Revolution open beta which started this week! Hahaha.
Already you’ve turned into a corporate stooge!
I would prefer consummate professional.Â
I’ll bet you consummated…
OK, that was dirty.
Thanks to Jambo for the interview, and taking part in my mad cap audio escapade too! See you all next week.
Sympozium
Best MTR yet… Hahaha
Jambo
Haha thanks :)
MadJunkBoy
hahaha!!!!
this was 45 minutes long, 10% text, 10% talking, 30% rambling and 50% laughter! and all was a fucking joke??!!
i guess i was the only one that didn’t notice that u had switched “positions”! but i thought it sounded like u were reading from a paper but i just didn’t care and thought it was really funny!
i am sooo easy to fool!
and even though i have been talking to teffers alot on the MS:A meets i didn’t recognize his voice! hahahaha!
Best MTR ever!! =D
*all three thumbs up*
Jambo
Hehe thanks, am impressed that you got to the end without realising!
MadJunkBoy
haha yeahh, i had my suspicions… and i thought teflons voice sounded a little high-pitched :P but as the interview went on i just didn’t care since it was such a fun MTR =D
teflon
Haha. That’s pretty special, dude. ;)
Sympozium
I’m surprised because the accents to me was a huge difference, especially Teflons as it was very Northern Irishish Hehe :p
revilo13
lol i started listening going , y is james not himself ? … and then it clicked…im slow. good interview, haha
Jambo
Got there eventually Oli, see you soon!
bunimomike
Lovely interview, guys! Bonkers but lovely.
Best of luck with the new job too, Jamb.
Jambo
Thanks on both counts! Was hilarious to do, can tell you that much!
Been a busy day between finishing packing and saying goodbyes, busy and a bit sad too!
The Lone Steven
Originally, i was going to impersonate Tef and the Irishman with a shotgun(Phil) would be impersonating Jambo. But Phil being Phil broke his PC (something to do with pornographic potatoes and guns wearing bikinis) so this is what Tef and Jambo managed to salvage.
yiddo
I swear down your constantly taking kush.
gazzagb
So that’s why there was the random messages on twitter Steven! I had to ask Tef on Steam what the hell you were on about! :P
@Yiddo Yep, that’s Steven for ya! :D
The Lone Steven
Actually, i wanted to scar you for life thus handing complete control of the round ups over to me. :P
gazzagb
Nice interview Jambo, making driving games for a living must be a dream come true!
Jambo
Thanks man, yes indeed it is!
McProley
Great MTR guys! Congrats on the new Job, nice to meet you!
cam the man
Another great MTR.
Good luck for the new job (in the best city in the country). Oh, can you ask your new boss to release the next NASCAR game here, or even just in Newcastle :-}
Jambo
On PS3 its region free at least, think they want it out here too, depends on publisher maybe.
cam the man
Gonna get it from Amazon when my trade-ins are processed, but it’s still about £40. If it had been released here it would be cheaper by know, except I would have bought it on release.
Tomhlord
DHL is a delivery company, not to be confused with my rival business…THL
teflon
If DHL competes with Yodel, then do you, THL, compete with Crazy_Del? :P
zb100
And there was me thinking your name was like because you’re a Jambo!
(aka a Hearts of Midlothian fan)
Jambo
Have heard that before :P