computerfrk1: Thank you for taking the time out for this interview.
Noah Fentz: No problem
computerfrk1: I guess one thing that people might be interested in is Why did you take it upon yourself to go your own way especially when the old VPF was still out there?
Noah Fentz: Well, AJ's was pretty much a disappointment at the time the thought crossed my mind. I had just become a moderator and was throwing a lot of ideas out there. The typical response was, "Good idea, but we can't without AJ." So, without an administrator capable of moving forward, there was only stagnation and what seemed to be a slow, agonizing death for the community. I decided to change all that.
computerfrk1: Were you surprised when the old VPF suddenly just disappeared?
Noah Fentz: Absolutely! I never conceived it as a possibility.
computerfrk1: I have heard that some blame you for the old VPF being gone. Is there anything you would like to say to those particular people?
Noah Fentz: Heh ... don't give me so much credit. How could I bring down a website?
computerfrk1: While that is true and I guess there will always be naysayers. You have literally turned this community around and have given us all something to look forward to. What do you now envision with the site now for the future?
Noah Fentz: We are currently making giant leaps in the tournament direction. While the tournaments at Pinball Unlimited were great, they were limited to VP-only tables. We are working on hosting VPM tournaments in the very near future.
computerfrk1: May I ask how you can make this happen considering it seemed like such an impossibility?
Noah Fentz: With the help of a volunteer, we are putting together a frontend that can parse the scores from NVRAMs and submit them to our Tournament Database.
computerfrk1: Sounds complicated
Noah Fentz: It is in the developmental stages, but we hope to have an alpha version soon to test. It's beyond my capabilities, so I've entrusted it to someone more capable.
Noah Fentz: Also, I am putting forth a lot of effort in compiling libraries of both sounds and images that anyone can use in their tables designs. I hope that this not only assists the new authors, but speeds up designing for veterans.
computerfrk1: So pretty much it sounds like everything that has been compiled over the last few years through different authors' hard drives will be available all in one place. Is this a correct assumption?
Noah Fentz: If you are referring to the libraries .. no. If an author wishes to submit material, that's a great thing. For the most part, I've been spending a lot of time with editing sound samples and creating new images for use with VP. There is and always will be respect for an author's work that we will not use it without their permission.
computerfrk1: What do you think will happen with the future of pinball starting with the S.A.M. system? If it does get emulated?
Noah Fentz: If the S.A.M. system gets emulated, then there will be no future for real pinball (ie, Stern will be out of business), but we will be here preserving it's history as best we can.
computerfrk1: If I'm not mistaken wasn't there an agreement that S.A.M. would not be emulated until the next generation platform is introduced?
Noah Fentz: That is correct. I don't foresee a change in their software with the current state of the industry, though. Meaning S.A.M. is likely to be the last of its kind.
computerfrk1: What about you personally is there anything that we can know about you?
Noah Fentz: What would you like to know?
computerfrk1: Are you married, have kids, other hobbies etc...
Noah Fentz: I spent over 20 years in the restaurant industry, which makes relationships difficult, if not impossible. I married once, in '95, but it only lasted a couple years. I have no children. I enjoy games of all kinds, mostly video games, but I like to shoot pool, play darts, golf, and occasionally bowl. I did spend a lot of time designing my own games. I have board, card, and video games designed and ready to market when the opportunity presents itself.
computerfrk1: WOW sounds to me like you have a creative mind. Too bad the economy is in the state it is in then you might be able to make some money for your hard work.
Noah Fentz: Heh ... you don't know the half of it. I got laid off in October, 2008 and have not worked since. Being in the Metro-Detroit area, the unemployment rate has skyrocketed with the collapse of the automotive industry.
Noah Fentz: I hope to have a future in something else soon.
computerfrk1: Like what or do you know yet?
Noah Fentz: I've been interested in graphic design, sales and marketing, and merchandising, so probably something along those lines.
computerfrk1: Well whatever you choose I wish you luck.
Noah Fentz: Thank you.
computerfrk1: Before we close this interview is there anything else you would like to say to the community as a whole?
Noah Fentz: The only thing I really can say is, "Thank you." Without the community, there would be no reason for this site. I appreciate all the hard work and effort many members have shown to making this site great. Wtiger comes to mind BIG TIME with his work in the workshops. He's taken on quite a bit. Destruk is amazing and spent a lot of time uploading, TAB and his table releases every few days ... that guy is a MACHINE! Guys like JP, scapino, GRONI, Jamin, kristian, Jive, and everyone else who has been a part of VP is the reason I'm here.
computerfrk1: Actually there is one person that I would like to thank on behalf of the community and that is you. I have not met too many people in my short lifetime with the drive and determination to live out a dream and you are doing it not just for yourself but for people around the world.
computerfrk1: Thank you for your time Paul
Noah Fentz: Thanks, man, it really is a pleasure doing it ... Thank you.
Copyright © 2009 VPForums.org. All rights reserved.
The information contained herein may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
without the prior written authority of VPForums.org.
The information contained herein may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
without the prior written authority of VPForums.org.
Top
Contributor
are all trademarks of VPFORUMS.