Star Wars Galaxies: Player Spotlight: Ziso

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Real life first name: Lee
Forum handle: Ziso
Main Character name: Ziso and Mego
Server: Ziso is on the European Farstar Server and Mego is on the European Infinity Server.
Player Association: On Farstar it is "Unity" and on Infinity it is "Lovolan".

Where in the real life world do you live? Hertfordshire (just outside London), UK

How long have you played Star Wars Galaxies? For almost two years.

What other MMOs have you played? I tried WOW briefly but none other than that.

What type of work do you do? I am the Financial Director of an Advertising Agency.

How long is your typical gaming session when playing Star Wars Galaxies? During the week it's just a few hours a night, but on the weekends, I can be on for up to six hours at a time.

What does a typical Star Wars Galaxies day consist of for you? It consists of checking emails, answering tells (luckily I have a lot of friends in-game), decorating, shopping and/or grinding experience. On Infinity it's grinding, doing legacy quests, or arranging player events.

What was the race and profession of your very first character? My first primary profession was Master ranger.

What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? I am not and have never been a serious gamer. Those who have seen me try to do Player vs. Player will vouch for that. A friend, Chris, got me into this game as he has played since launch and I remember him arriving many times for work looking like he had a late night session in- game. I like Star Wars and science fiction in general and thought... why not try it? The rest is history. Other than SWG, the other types of games I sometimes enjoy are management/god games.

What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other then playing Star Wars Galaxies? I enjoy learning about web design. Even though I am a novice, I can just about get a basic site up. I also just picked up playing the guitar again.

What is your highest level Character in Star Wars Galaxies? I have a combat level 90 and a Master Trader.

What race and profession is your main character? Ziso is Trandoshan and is currently a Bounty Hunter. Mego is Mon Calamari and is also a low level Bounty Hunter (although he was Master trader till recently).

What do you like the most about the profession you have chosen for your main character? I like the variety of weapons we can use, the traps, and the defenses (especially the shields). As mentioned above, I need all the protection I can get.

What faction is your main character? I am always Rebel.

What is your favorite player owned ship? I have been so busy in-game for the last 2 years, that I have not even got into space yet. So, I must say the Sorosuub veteran reward.

What is your favorite ground vehicle? The AV-21 landspeeder.

How did you choose your main character's name? I knew I wanted a short name so it would be easier for others to communicate with me. It just so happened that Ziso and Mego came up in the name generator while creating the characters.

Which professions in Star Wars Galaxies have you NOT played? I have not been a creature handler (always regretted not trying that profession) and the only trader I had not tried was bio-engineer. I have done everything else.

What is your favorite expansion? Trials of Obi-Wan

What is your favorite planet? My favorite is Lok, if only just for the music and night sky.

What is your favorite NPC? Max Rebo and his band are my favorites.

Which expansion do you like the least? I like Rage of the Wookiees least.

Which planet do you like the least? That would be Kashyyyk.

Which NPC do you like the least? I like the clone sickness droid the least. When I talk to them it means perhaps I was a bit too overconfident in my approach to combat.

What is the most credits you have ever spent on purchasing a single item for one of your characters? I spent 50 million credits on a lava crystal.

Do you have an item you no longer use but keep around for nostalgic reasons? If so what is it and why do you keep it? If so what is it and why do you keep it? I have some pet deeds that we can no longer use. I drop them in the house and use them as decorations, which looks awesome.

What do you like best about Star Wars Galaxies? By a mile, it's the community! Without player cities, the friends I have made in SWG and the laughs we have had, this game would lose its heart for me. I have been blessed to be involved in two fantastic guilds, Unity and Lovolan, and have met some great people like Dirkstar, Tiema, Dirtnose, Devries, Eipilice, Nicodemuss, Charlene, and Liilaa to name only a tiny selection of them. I would need a very long list to name them all but they know who they are. It has required a lot of teamwork to get the communities we belong to, to be the major successes they are.

What do you get out of playing Star Wars Galaxies? I mostly get relaxation and a break from real life. I also play for entertainment and to have interaction with others. I really pride myself in helping other players. Last but not least, after a hard week's work I get the satisfaction of taking all my frustrations out on some poor Gurks on Lok during the weekly Guild Hunt.

Describe your best experience playing Star Wars Galaxies? My best experience was the day I decided to start a player city on Farstar called Prometheus, named after the God who helped mankind. My previous guild had disbanded so I invited all my friends from that guild to live in the new city. After six months of very hard work, we achieved metropolis status and I earned the Master Politician badge. To this day, it is still the badge I am most proud of because back then you only got decent experience if the players in the city voted for you as Mayor. I earned the badge by doing my job well enough for them to feel like they wanted to vote for me as Mayor. Nothing will beat this achievement for me in-game. I also have had excellent experiences organizing events - everything from parties, fishing, racing to full-blown live events supported by Pex. I love organizing these and watching other players enjoy them.

Do you run or work for a Star Wars Galaxies Fan Site? I run the forum for the City of Prometheus on the Farstar server: Prometheus Forums. I also help out with the Lovolan guild website by supplying event photos: Lovolan Guild. Both of these sites are great. They contain a lot of humor and even run contests and other member activities.