RPGuides.net Creator Interview - Zygor14 September 2007
RPGuides : I am here today with the one and only Zygor, creator of Zygor's Horde and Alliance 1-70 Guides. Thanks for sitting down with me today. I'd like to start off by saying that you have a great guide.
My official review is still yet to come but i have been testing out the guide for a quite a while now and the map mod is awesome. Easily the most detailed map mod i have seen to date.
zygorguides: Hey thanks, I've put a ton of work into each guide.
RPGuides : How long did it take you to make the map mods for each guide?
zygorguides: Well, I created the map mod informational dots as I wrote the guide, but the entire process for each guide took a little over 5 months each
RPGuides : Wow, that is a while. Did you do all of the work yourself or did you hire out friends to write certain sections?
zygorguides: No, everything in the guides are straight from me.
Although the temptation wa there sometimes haha
RPGuides : Well that's a good thing if you ask me. Makes for good continuity between the steps and everything. Haha yeah i imagine!
zygorguides: Yeah, that was the main goal of my guides. I wanted to make soemthing for players where they could sit down with it and not have to use any other outside source to level. I wanted my guides to stand on their own without having to use other sites as a crutch to prived detail. I think I've succeeded in that aspect.
provide*
RPGuides : Yes you have, I very much agree with you on that point. Well lets hear a little bit about yourself before we get to in depth into the guide. How long have you been playing WoW?
zygorguides: I've been playing WoW since day one it was released. I started with some friends and completely fell in love with it.
RPGuides : So you have quite a bit of insight into the game then. You have seen all the buffs and nerfs and different mechanics they have thrown around.
What made you ultimately decide to write the guide?
zygorguides: Well, in all games that I play, I tend to try to complete it as fast as I can. It had always been a sort of challenge with myself to add a little more excitement for myself in the games. The idea started when my friends were always asking me how I did it so fast, what exactly I did, questions like that. I was glad to help them on a personal level, but then I started to realize how many other people would also like to know how to level extremely fast. It just all started to come together from there.
RPGuides : So that leads me to a good question then, what is the fastest /Played time you have ever recorded?
zygorguides: The fastest /played I've had to 70 so far is 7 days 21 hours
I'm currently working on beating that time in my spare time, so hopefully that will improve a good deal
RPGuides : That's a heck of a lot better than I would do, but it's obviously not as fast as some of the other guides are posting. 5 Days and 20 hours or 6 Days and 4 Hours. Do you think you can beat those times?
zygorguides: Yes, I think I can. The main thing that eats away at your /played is leaving the game open while you go off to do other things. I tend to do that haha, but with this new run I'm doing now, I'm being very careful to log out at any time I am not actually at my computer.
RPGuides : Yeah I hear that. Most the time when i play i live my guy sitting at the AH for hours on end.. just thinking about what i want to do next.. or just looking for new gear.
I love the AH so I would never be able to speed run haha
zygorguides: Haha, I understand that. It is always fun buying new gear and such.
RPGuides : Well this is one i'd like to know. What is your favorite race/class and what do you think is best for speed leveling? I know most guides are written for hunters, is yours good for all classes? (sorry thats like 3 questions)
zygorguides: Haha, that's fine.
My personal favorite class/race is a Gnome Warlock.
I have tried to take into account all the different classes' strengths and weaknesses while writing the guide, and if I believe any class would be unable to perform a task, I either leave it out or advise them to find a small group
RPGuides : So you like being overpowered then? haha, you don't have to answer that one.
zygorguides: Haha.
RPGuides : So what do you think is the best speed leveling combo though?
zygorguides: I would have to say hunter.
RPGuides : That seems to be the common answer right now. OK, lets get to some tougher questions.
zygorguides: alright
RPGuides : You are currently the only guide maker I know of with both a horde and alliance guide on the market. How long do you think that will last?
zygorguides: I don't think it will last very long at all, haha.
I think that is a good thing, though.
Not every player is going to be happy with the same guide maker, so I feel that the more guide makers to make more guides for the people who like their guides, the better.
RPGuides : How often do you see people that purchase your guide buying both sides of the fence?
zygorguides: It happens pretty often.
RPGuides : Many people agree that Team iDemise has the alliance guide market on lock with their superior in-game map mod. How do you intend to compete with iDemise in that market in the future?
zygorguides: Yes, I have heard that. I have something extremely huge in the works as far as the map mod is concerned. It is still in the early stages of development, so I don't want to make any promises or leak too much information about what we're doing. But trust me, it's going to raise the bar.
RPGuides : Well we all love to hear that!
So no hints as to what that is all about? wink wink
zygorguides: Haha, not at this time. Like I said, we're still working out what ideas are possible and what isn't, but as we figure out more and more of what's going to be solid, I'll definitely let you know.
RPGuides : Awesome, we will keep our eyes glued to the site for that one!
You recently lowered the price of your guide to $29.99. Any idea how long that promotion will last?
zygorguides: It is a very new promotion and I don't plan on changing that within the immediate future. I'll probably let it run over a 2 month period and see where we want to go from there. Although, people seem to like that price.
RPGuides : Well cheaper is better, thats what I like to say... haha
zygorguides: Haha.
RPGuides : Ok, now I would like to offer up a few questions from my readers over at the RPGuides.net Forums.
zygorguides: Alright.
RPGuides : "Does speed leveling so fast through the game make you short on cash for epic mounts/gear etc.?"
zygorguides: Absolutely not. Just pick up some gathering professions (I usually do skinning and mining). Here's a tip for that, also. In order to make your /played much better, mail everything you want to sell on an alt character so your speed leveling character is not sitting in the Auction House for ages. But no, I have never come up short on cash. I've been able to afford all the gear I buy, my level 40 mount, level 60 epic mount, as well as my level 70 regular flying mount with ease.
RPGuides : Another speed leveling question... "Do you find that speeding through the game makes you miss out on the fun parts?"
zygorguides: I think that depends more on the person. To me, it is extremely fun challenging myself by speed leveling. Some people prefer to get really involved in the story aspect of the game and read into all the lore and everything. If you are one of those people who really enjoy the more subtle sides of WoW, I suggest speed leveling AFTER you'd already experienced everything in the game as you like to play it. But for me, it doesn't take the fun away from the game, it enhances it.
RPGuides : Ok and one final question, this is probably the one on everyones mind
What do you think of the other guides on the market and why should people buy Zygors Guides over any of the others or even free ones like James?
zygorguides: I believe Zygor Guides provides a level of detail that is not experienced in any other guide available. My guides are very unique in that aspect. I basically hold your hand throughout the entire leveling process. There is not any time where you are left thinking "what?"....or even having to think at all. It's all laid out in front of you in a highly organized design.
zygorguides: But just to tease you more, when our new map mod is released, it will be abundantly clear why Zygor Guides is your best pick
RPGuides : haha they are going to hate you for that one. You better leak some info soon!
Ok so that still doesnt answer the first question.
What do you think of guides like iDemise or Brian Kopp or Joana?
Those seem to be the big dogs in town
zygorguides: Oh, I'm sorry.
zygorguides: iDemise have something good. There's no denying that. I see them doing great things to improve the guide industry. As for Brian Kopp and Joana's guides. They're decent, but I think they're beginning to becomes obsolete with all the new advances in what guides are expected to do for players now.
RPGuides : Fair enough..
Well thank you very much for talking with me today. Once again, you have a great guide & I can't wait to find out more about these super secret squirrel updates you have in the works. Please keep us posted of any new developments!
zygorguides: Thank you and I'll be sure to do that.
RPGuides : Well that is all for the first ever RPGuides.net Creator interview. Hope you all like it!
