Published Nov 27th, 2020, 11/27/20 2:34 pm
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This interview was our third PMC Weekly Interview, featured in Volume 62! In this volume, we interviewed Geforce! Geforce has been a member of Planet Minecraft since 2016! He has a handful of submissions; his most notable is his Security Craft! Security Craft is a mod that adds security cameras, retinal scanners, keycard readers, unbreakable blocks, mines and more! The mod has over 188,000 views and over 65,000 downloads. Geforce is very active on the forums and gives detailed feedback on several topics including Modding and other technical topics! He's been a Site Mod for a while, so we've included a question or two about his role as a Moderator.
You’ve been a part of the Minecraft community for over a decade! Tell us - How did your Minecraft experience begin and how has it evolved?
Well, it all started when my desktop PC started crashing and behaving weirdly after I installed a screen capture program to record some Wolfenstein footage. I searched on YouTube for "how to fix Blue Screen of Deaths" and stumbled across a Youtuber named Tinkernut who had some interesting computer and technology-related videos. After watching a few of his videos with the intent of solving my PC troubles, a video about setting up a Minecraft server created by him appeared in my recommended feed. The thumbnail featured this weird pixelated-looking game which, I thought, was something similar to those free-to-play online games of the era such as Runescape or World of Warcraft. After clicking on the video just because I was curious about what this "Minecraft" game was, I saw the classic pig mob and floating dirt sculptures for the first time. Still being unsure about what the game was supposed to be, I searched for "Minecraft game" on YouTube (which, at the time, had not exploded in popularity yet) and discovered the Yogscast's classic playthrough of it. Within 5 minutes of watching their series, I was like "okay, I need to buy this game."
The Minecraft scene has definitely changed since 2011. I played Minecraft to death from 2011 to 2016 and eventually stopped playing it in survival mode, simply because of burnout. Now, I play it when trying out fun new mods or when debugging my own! I was also a part of the "Minecraft boom" on YouTube, watching everything from CaptainSparklez's Minecraft music parodies to ZexyZek's classic trolling series. With so many then-teenagers who became interested in computer science, architecture, and design because of Minecraft, it's viewed a lot less as "just that Roblox clone that kids play" and now (rightly) remembered as one of the most influential games of all time.
Do you still play Minecraft?
I don't really "play" Minecraft much anymore outside of modding. Being in college for the past four years, I have had progressively less and less free time to play Minecraft as much as I used to before that. However, I have started playing again on my own lightly modded 1.16 server and the differences between 1.16 and what I remember from 1.7.10 and 1.8 is incredible. Having a ton of new stuff to explore definitely makes me interested in playing vanilla again!
What got you into modding? How did you learn and do you have any tips for anyone wanting to learn?
Honestly, I never planned to get into modding. Back in 2011, I was curious about programming in general and watched a few C++ tutorials on YouTube. However, since I was completely brand new to programming and only watched very basic tutorials showing how to display output in the console window, for example, I had very little motivation to keep learning. One day, I thought "hey, learning how to make a Minecraft mod might be a more fun way to learn to code," and I ended up watching tutorials on how to do that. Unfortunately, this meant that I had to learn the basics of Java, yet another programming language. A few weeks of Bucky's Java tutorials and I was ready to code my first ModLoader mod! I was obviously not ready and made many, many mistakes along the way, but the idea of being able to add my own blocks into the game was so exciting to me.
If you want to learn how to create Minecraft mods, you will have to learn at least some Java, as did I. Don't be afraid to do so though! A few people have told me that they want to get into modding but that they cannot because they are "not able" to learn to code or that they "cannot" do so because they are "too young." Age does not matter! Simply start off with the very basics and slowly work your way up. As with everything else, you will start getting the hang of it little by little and, before you know it, you will have your first mod completed and ready to publish!
You have one mod submission on Planet Minecraft that has over 65,000 downloads. Tell us a little about this mod - how did you come up with the idea, and why did you make it?
Ah yes, SecurityCraft. To be honest, I never intended to make a full-fledged security mod. In 2013, after just releasing my first mod and failing miserably, I started thinking of new mod ideas. A lot of the ideas that I had were already being worked on by other modders, so I had to think of something new. Then, an idea popped into my head: a Splinter Cell-style keypad block! I could not think of any other mod that had something similar to that so I started working on it. I also threw in the idea of laser tripwire blocks, because nothing related to security is complete without lasers! You can see the very first mod spotlight video of SecurityCraft here.
Despite how bad it looked (check out the glass placeholder textures acting as "lasers" in the video!), I got a fairly positive response to the first few versions of the mod. After searching for other security-themed mods and not finding any real results, I claimed that as my niche and kept working on creating more security-related items! Paril actually retweeted a picture of some security cameras that I was working on from the Planet Minecraft Twitter account and got my tweet dozens of likes and retweets, something that I have never seen before. You bet that I felt like a real celebrity after that!
The last update to your mod was 2 years ago. Do you plan on updating it again? Why/why not?
The mod is still actually being developed! I have just been lazy in posting update logs to SecurityCraft's submission on PMC, which is ironic considering how much time I spend on Planet Minecraft. bl4ckscor3, one of my friends from the Minecraft Forum, has been helping to maintain the mod while I have been busy in college. Thanks to his help and help from a few others, it is updated to 1.16.3 and has just reached eight million total downloads on CurseForge yesterday, so woot woot!
Do you have plans for any future mods?
I do actually have another side project that I hope to release eventually! It is a smartwatch mod with fully customizable screens and apps. I haven't worked on it for a bit because I have been busy, but I haven't forgotten about it. Perhaps it will make its debut on Planet Minecraft one day!
We see you’re in the process of creating a series of your favorite 50 video games of all time. When can we expect the next video?! Can you give us a hint on what your favorite one is?
I hope to be able to work on the last three videos within the next month or two! I don't want to give too many spoilers, but I guess I can give a handful of phrases from a few of the higher-ranked games. If you know, you know. π
"Powell, check the door!"
"Who dares wins."
"Keep that hair short."
"Everything has clearly gotten out of hand."
What do you enjoy most about Planet Minecraft?
I love how Planet Minecraft has "a little bit of everything." You can upload mods, maps, and texture packs here just like on CurseForge, skins just like Skindex, and it has a forum like the Minecraft Forum. Rather than having to visit a bunch of different sites to look at all of those things, you can just come to Planet Minecraft. The community side of things, being able to share content and interact with others almost like a mini Minecraft social media site, is also fun. No matter what you want to explore, PMC has you covered!
How long have you been a Site Mod? What do you enjoy most/least, and have you learned anything by being a site mod?
I have been a site mod since June of 2019. Like many others, I made the jump over from MCF to PMC when the Minecraft Forum announced that it would be set to read-only mode last year. Well, another company ended up saving the Forum, so now I browse both sites!
I enjoy being one of the first people to see a lot of new submissions on the site (because of the Greenlight system), almost as if I have "VIP" access to new content! I am sorry to the people who I have nitpicked Greenlight changes from, but I like submissions to be detailed! At least you know that your post looks great once I have reviewed it!
I would say that I have learned patience more than anything by helping with moderation. In fact, I proudly mentioned both sites in a cover letter for a job application last year. I got the job, so now I can say that fan-made Minecraft websites helped me to find work. π€ͺ
Do you have any goals on the site (subscriber goal, perhaps win a contest, etc).
I don't have any specific "goals" per se, but I would like to create and upload a few skins one day. The only problem with that is that I have 0 artistic ability whatsoever, so it's going to take me a while to make something decent. π
Is there a specific member that inspires you or you look up to? Who/Why?
Basically any artist. Members who create those incredible-looking resource packs that change nearly everything in the game are so inspiring and talented. There's no way that I could have the patience or attention to do that. In particular, Nitgo's pixel-art style is really my type of thing.
Tell us the story behind your PMC username.
My PMC username is also the name that I use on most other websites and forums, sometimes with variations such as Geforce132 or Geforce_ depending on availability. I first came up with that name in 2011 when I signed up for my first real online account - on the Minecraft Forum! I had just installed a new powerhouse of a graphics card into my PC, the GeForce 8400GS, and had the box sitting on my desk for a little while. A few days later, I saw a thread on the Minecraft Forum that I wanted to respond to, so I created an account. I had absolutely no idea what username to use, so I just sat and stared at my screen for a second. After not being able to think of anything interesting, I just looked around my room for names of things that I could use. And lo and behold, the GeForce box was right in front of me, so I used that. The rest is history.
Do you have any other hobbies alongside Minecraft? What are they?
I'm big on other video games as well! I love the classic genre of FPS games even though I absolutely suck at them (you should be very afraid when I join your team in CS:GO or Valorant). WWII-related games would have to be my favorite video game setting of all time, simply because that's what I grew up when I was a kid.
I have also done a bit of speedrunning. I can technically say that I have held the world record times in a few Ultimate Doom levels - E1M6, E2M4, and E4M5 - for a while before they were beaten by people with faaar more skill than me.
Swiftie to swiftie, what’s your favorite album? Song?
I would have to go with Red, the perfect mix of pop and country with some awesome songs. State of Grace, my all-time favorite, is also on there. Enchanted, Style, Call Me What You Want, and Paper Rings are close seconds though!
Do you have any pets?
No, I currently don't. Although I think that a cockatoo would be pretty cool to have!
If you had to choose just 1 season year-round, which one would it be?
Because I live in Texas, definitely fall. Summers are ridiculously hot but it can still get cold in the winter. Fall has comfortable, cool temperatures and doesn't give me allergy attacks like spring does!
Favorite quote or words of wisdom for the community? OR Do you have any advice for new members of PMC?
Don't worry about your subscriber or diamond count! If you know that you are publishing quality content that you've worked hard on, it doesn't matter that another submission may have gotten more likes than yours. You know that it was great!
On that note, if you really want to stand out, original or uncommon ideas are your best friends! Your submission is far more likely to "go viral" when it is something that hasn't been done before rather than something that is commonly made (looking at you, emerald and ruby tool mods π). And last but not least, don't forget to have fun! PMC is a great place to mingle and chat with other like-minded gamers like yourself. Yes, receiving your first like or diamond or publishing your first submission will be exciting, but remember that there is a welcoming community to be a part of as well!
Anything you'd like to add?
Thanks so much for wanting to know a little more about my history with the game. If any of you would like to chat more, do not be afraid to message me. I don't bite. :)
You’ve been a part of the Minecraft community for over a decade! Tell us - How did your Minecraft experience begin and how has it evolved?
Well, it all started when my desktop PC started crashing and behaving weirdly after I installed a screen capture program to record some Wolfenstein footage. I searched on YouTube for "how to fix Blue Screen of Deaths" and stumbled across a Youtuber named Tinkernut who had some interesting computer and technology-related videos. After watching a few of his videos with the intent of solving my PC troubles, a video about setting up a Minecraft server created by him appeared in my recommended feed. The thumbnail featured this weird pixelated-looking game which, I thought, was something similar to those free-to-play online games of the era such as Runescape or World of Warcraft. After clicking on the video just because I was curious about what this "Minecraft" game was, I saw the classic pig mob and floating dirt sculptures for the first time. Still being unsure about what the game was supposed to be, I searched for "Minecraft game" on YouTube (which, at the time, had not exploded in popularity yet) and discovered the Yogscast's classic playthrough of it. Within 5 minutes of watching their series, I was like "okay, I need to buy this game."
The Minecraft scene has definitely changed since 2011. I played Minecraft to death from 2011 to 2016 and eventually stopped playing it in survival mode, simply because of burnout. Now, I play it when trying out fun new mods or when debugging my own! I was also a part of the "Minecraft boom" on YouTube, watching everything from CaptainSparklez's Minecraft music parodies to ZexyZek's classic trolling series. With so many then-teenagers who became interested in computer science, architecture, and design because of Minecraft, it's viewed a lot less as "just that Roblox clone that kids play" and now (rightly) remembered as one of the most influential games of all time.
Do you still play Minecraft?
I don't really "play" Minecraft much anymore outside of modding. Being in college for the past four years, I have had progressively less and less free time to play Minecraft as much as I used to before that. However, I have started playing again on my own lightly modded 1.16 server and the differences between 1.16 and what I remember from 1.7.10 and 1.8 is incredible. Having a ton of new stuff to explore definitely makes me interested in playing vanilla again!
What got you into modding? How did you learn and do you have any tips for anyone wanting to learn?
Honestly, I never planned to get into modding. Back in 2011, I was curious about programming in general and watched a few C++ tutorials on YouTube. However, since I was completely brand new to programming and only watched very basic tutorials showing how to display output in the console window, for example, I had very little motivation to keep learning. One day, I thought "hey, learning how to make a Minecraft mod might be a more fun way to learn to code," and I ended up watching tutorials on how to do that. Unfortunately, this meant that I had to learn the basics of Java, yet another programming language. A few weeks of Bucky's Java tutorials and I was ready to code my first ModLoader mod! I was obviously not ready and made many, many mistakes along the way, but the idea of being able to add my own blocks into the game was so exciting to me.
If you want to learn how to create Minecraft mods, you will have to learn at least some Java, as did I. Don't be afraid to do so though! A few people have told me that they want to get into modding but that they cannot because they are "not able" to learn to code or that they "cannot" do so because they are "too young." Age does not matter! Simply start off with the very basics and slowly work your way up. As with everything else, you will start getting the hang of it little by little and, before you know it, you will have your first mod completed and ready to publish!
You have one mod submission on Planet Minecraft that has over 65,000 downloads. Tell us a little about this mod - how did you come up with the idea, and why did you make it?
Ah yes, SecurityCraft. To be honest, I never intended to make a full-fledged security mod. In 2013, after just releasing my first mod and failing miserably, I started thinking of new mod ideas. A lot of the ideas that I had were already being worked on by other modders, so I had to think of something new. Then, an idea popped into my head: a Splinter Cell-style keypad block! I could not think of any other mod that had something similar to that so I started working on it. I also threw in the idea of laser tripwire blocks, because nothing related to security is complete without lasers! You can see the very first mod spotlight video of SecurityCraft here.
Despite how bad it looked (check out the glass placeholder textures acting as "lasers" in the video!), I got a fairly positive response to the first few versions of the mod. After searching for other security-themed mods and not finding any real results, I claimed that as my niche and kept working on creating more security-related items! Paril actually retweeted a picture of some security cameras that I was working on from the Planet Minecraft Twitter account and got my tweet dozens of likes and retweets, something that I have never seen before. You bet that I felt like a real celebrity after that!
The last update to your mod was 2 years ago. Do you plan on updating it again? Why/why not?
The mod is still actually being developed! I have just been lazy in posting update logs to SecurityCraft's submission on PMC, which is ironic considering how much time I spend on Planet Minecraft. bl4ckscor3, one of my friends from the Minecraft Forum, has been helping to maintain the mod while I have been busy in college. Thanks to his help and help from a few others, it is updated to 1.16.3 and has just reached eight million total downloads on CurseForge yesterday, so woot woot!
Do you have plans for any future mods?
I do actually have another side project that I hope to release eventually! It is a smartwatch mod with fully customizable screens and apps. I haven't worked on it for a bit because I have been busy, but I haven't forgotten about it. Perhaps it will make its debut on Planet Minecraft one day!
We see you’re in the process of creating a series of your favorite 50 video games of all time. When can we expect the next video?! Can you give us a hint on what your favorite one is?
I hope to be able to work on the last three videos within the next month or two! I don't want to give too many spoilers, but I guess I can give a handful of phrases from a few of the higher-ranked games. If you know, you know. π
"Powell, check the door!"
"Who dares wins."
"Keep that hair short."
"Everything has clearly gotten out of hand."
What do you enjoy most about Planet Minecraft?
I love how Planet Minecraft has "a little bit of everything." You can upload mods, maps, and texture packs here just like on CurseForge, skins just like Skindex, and it has a forum like the Minecraft Forum. Rather than having to visit a bunch of different sites to look at all of those things, you can just come to Planet Minecraft. The community side of things, being able to share content and interact with others almost like a mini Minecraft social media site, is also fun. No matter what you want to explore, PMC has you covered!
How long have you been a Site Mod? What do you enjoy most/least, and have you learned anything by being a site mod?
I have been a site mod since June of 2019. Like many others, I made the jump over from MCF to PMC when the Minecraft Forum announced that it would be set to read-only mode last year. Well, another company ended up saving the Forum, so now I browse both sites!
I enjoy being one of the first people to see a lot of new submissions on the site (because of the Greenlight system), almost as if I have "VIP" access to new content! I am sorry to the people who I have nitpicked Greenlight changes from, but I like submissions to be detailed! At least you know that your post looks great once I have reviewed it!
I would say that I have learned patience more than anything by helping with moderation. In fact, I proudly mentioned both sites in a cover letter for a job application last year. I got the job, so now I can say that fan-made Minecraft websites helped me to find work. π€ͺ
Do you have any goals on the site (subscriber goal, perhaps win a contest, etc).
I don't have any specific "goals" per se, but I would like to create and upload a few skins one day. The only problem with that is that I have 0 artistic ability whatsoever, so it's going to take me a while to make something decent. π
Is there a specific member that inspires you or you look up to? Who/Why?
Basically any artist. Members who create those incredible-looking resource packs that change nearly everything in the game are so inspiring and talented. There's no way that I could have the patience or attention to do that. In particular, Nitgo's pixel-art style is really my type of thing.
Tell us the story behind your PMC username.
My PMC username is also the name that I use on most other websites and forums, sometimes with variations such as Geforce132 or Geforce_ depending on availability. I first came up with that name in 2011 when I signed up for my first real online account - on the Minecraft Forum! I had just installed a new powerhouse of a graphics card into my PC, the GeForce 8400GS, and had the box sitting on my desk for a little while. A few days later, I saw a thread on the Minecraft Forum that I wanted to respond to, so I created an account. I had absolutely no idea what username to use, so I just sat and stared at my screen for a second. After not being able to think of anything interesting, I just looked around my room for names of things that I could use. And lo and behold, the GeForce box was right in front of me, so I used that. The rest is history.
Do you have any other hobbies alongside Minecraft? What are they?
I'm big on other video games as well! I love the classic genre of FPS games even though I absolutely suck at them (you should be very afraid when I join your team in CS:GO or Valorant). WWII-related games would have to be my favorite video game setting of all time, simply because that's what I grew up when I was a kid.
I have also done a bit of speedrunning. I can technically say that I have held the world record times in a few Ultimate Doom levels - E1M6, E2M4, and E4M5 - for a while before they were beaten by people with faaar more skill than me.
Swiftie to swiftie, what’s your favorite album? Song?
I would have to go with Red, the perfect mix of pop and country with some awesome songs. State of Grace, my all-time favorite, is also on there. Enchanted, Style, Call Me What You Want, and Paper Rings are close seconds though!
Do you have any pets?
No, I currently don't. Although I think that a cockatoo would be pretty cool to have!
If you had to choose just 1 season year-round, which one would it be?
Because I live in Texas, definitely fall. Summers are ridiculously hot but it can still get cold in the winter. Fall has comfortable, cool temperatures and doesn't give me allergy attacks like spring does!
Favorite quote or words of wisdom for the community? OR Do you have any advice for new members of PMC?
Don't worry about your subscriber or diamond count! If you know that you are publishing quality content that you've worked hard on, it doesn't matter that another submission may have gotten more likes than yours. You know that it was great!
On that note, if you really want to stand out, original or uncommon ideas are your best friends! Your submission is far more likely to "go viral" when it is something that hasn't been done before rather than something that is commonly made (looking at you, emerald and ruby tool mods π). And last but not least, don't forget to have fun! PMC is a great place to mingle and chat with other like-minded gamers like yourself. Yes, receiving your first like or diamond or publishing your first submission will be exciting, but remember that there is a welcoming community to be a part of as well!
Anything you'd like to add?
Thanks so much for wanting to know a little more about my history with the game. If any of you would like to chat more, do not be afraid to message me. I don't bite. :)
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And good luck by the college thing and getting the pet