Please tell us a little about yourself.
Hello everyone, I’m GrainReaper, leader in both Aurora Audax (iOS) and Aurora Supernova (Android) and am one of the leaders of a 6-pack league team alongside commander crimmins. I’m a master mechanic by trade and have been fixing cars since the late 90s, Im married and have a fantastic young son, when I’m not working or online playing War Robots I can be found at our cabin up in the north woods of northern Wisconsin relaxing and doing some fishing or exploring the wilderness with my boy.
What sort of hobbies do you have?
What sort of hobbies do I have? Well that’s a tough one, perhaps the easier question is “what do you not have in your hobby arsenal.” I seem to collect hobbies, I forge knives, I make walking sticks, I enjoy drawing and carving. I’ve built countless high performance engines, I’ve made cheese, I love to cook, I am a very avid beer brewer with 15 years of brewing experience. I fly RC planes and enjoy fishing. I hunt and I garden. Often you can catch me in one of my many kilts some of which I’ve made myself.... I’m sure if it involves working with my hands I’ve had an interest in it..
What brought you to WR and when did you start playing?
I saw an online ad for war robots and was immediately drawn to the concept, I grew up watching robotech, and later pacific rim so the idea of piloting a massive bot into battle was an immidiate “sign me up”. I started playing just before the implementation of the league system, I forget the exact time, was that the end of 2016? Or was it 2017...
What do you think attracts you to a game like WR?
I love the idea of a man vs man battle, I love the scale and speed of the battle, it’s almost in slow motion at times, but at blinding speed in the blink of an eye, tactics to achieve a victory, it’s all so amazing to be a part of..
What platform and device do you play on?
I play on both iOS and Android, I have the latest iPad I play on as well as a Samsung tablet I picked up last year to replace an older one I used when I started playing on android.
What level are you at at the moment?
Currently I’m in expert 3 on iOS and am in diamond 1 on android, I love the diamond/expert range, I like to think of this as the Goldilocks zone, there aren’t too many tankers, the overall skill level of players is reasonable, and I see few wallet warriors... it’s nice in these leagues, I can play what bots and weapons I want and still stay competitive.
What’s your hangar like?
My hangars on both accounts consist of one short range/ closed map hangar of mostly brawlers and a capper/ multitasker, and one with range and a quick capper or two to cover the large/ open maps.
What are your favourite bots?
My favorite bots? Dang that’s another hard question, I love my Loki, but he is more of a mid game player, I started out on griffins and as a result I play ravens and still pull in a griffin or two depending on how I’m feeling that day.
What are your favourite weapons?
I have always been a machine gun guy, I fell in love with punishers early on,and still have a soft spot for weapons that rain brass... I also enjoy a good rocket volley ala death button style...call me nostalgic but I feel that lockdown weapons and similar stuff are a bit skillless.
Do you have a favourite map and tactic?
I do have a few favorite maps, I love a match on castle, and on dead city, I feel every map has specific tactics for achieving victory but in domination which is my favorite mode, three and hold gets you the gold..
How often do you play?
I try to play daily, but with a family and a demanding job I find playing is getting shoved to a couple games in an evening during the week, and a good many matches on weekends, time allowing.
Do you squad?
I used to squad nightly with an awesome crew of people hailing from many Aurora chapters, but that was before the matchmaker dropped the hammer on it all.
Any thoughts about squadding?
I feel the current matchmaker is making squadding so prohibitively difficult that the up and coming players are losing out on cohesive team play experience that is needed for play in the higher leagues, I feel this will result in stagnation in expert and master leagues and a swelling of players with high level gear but with no team tactics to take them to champion level play.
What would you change in the game if you could?
If I could change one thing it would be the matchmaker, it’s the single biggest thorn in the side off all players. And needs to be fixed to allow players to advance to their skill levels as opposed to their financial wherewithal.
Why did you join our discord server? ( AuroraNovaClan )
I joined the discord server because I was told by Dredd that it was a requirement, it was the best thing I’ve done in this game!
What do you like/dislike about our discord community?
I feel the best thing about our discord server is it has expanded well beyond the scope of the game and is a fantastic community where I have made great friends from all corners of the world, where else can you feel welcome and know you have good friends/family spread all over the globe? I’ve had the pleasure of hosting a good number of my Aurora Nova family at my house, we enjoyed talking in person instead of on voice comms, I’ve put faces to the voices I’ve heard in battles so many times.. it’s something amazing to pour a pint of ale for and share a meal with someone who you have known for years but have never seen... friendship is what Aurora nova is all about.
Why do you play War Robots ?
Lastly, why do I play war robots? Hell, somebody has to defend us from the reds right? May as well be me. I’ll catch you on the battlefield pilots, and remember the warriors code: fight with honor, win gloriously or die valiantly!!!!!
Interview by boldasluv! Feb. 2020