Pulse #2, Feb 2 2014 | Page 9

OPERATION PITCHFORK By Feylan, sailor67 & Seraph84 This week we’ll take a look at Operation Pitchfork, an event organised by sailor67 to commemorate the end of the Star Citizen Persistent Universe beta test. Over 2000 pilots have signed up to take part in a massive invasion of Vanduul space, and we took some time to talk about the event with sailor67 and Seraph84, one of the event’s bigger supporters. are law and order types and would oppose it. So the idea was to find an enemy that the community as a whole could agree on. The other part was I am one of the few who own a Vanduul Scythe. Lore prevents anyone else from getting insurance on one that bothered me some. So the only way to change it was to change the lore so humans can manufacture Scythes. Of our stated goals, this is the only one that is “in game” the rest are community related. PULSE: Have you organized this sort of event before? The coordination for it is really incredible to see. sailor67: No, it is kind of funny I have never even played an online game before. In real life on the other hand I am retired military and organized various things while active duty and since retiring. There is a concept called “system of systems”, organizing this falls nicely into that. PULSE: So many people have signed up since you started Pitchfork, were you expecting to get such a huge response? PULSE: How would you describe Operation Pitchfork? sailor67: A community event to celebrate the end of this wild ride Chris Roberts invited us on. Seemed appropriate that it be “in game”, as opposed to a physical location. PULSE: How did you hear about it, and what interested you in it? Seraph84: I saw the thread on the forums, and this was in the earliest days of my RSI forum addiction. I thought to myself, whoa, this is huge. Here is a PvE idea that every fan can get behind, an idea that transcends bitter in-group/outgroup rivalries and brings a community together for fun. Operation Pitchfork is exactly what multiplayer gaming should be about - a fun, social, 100% inclusive grand adventure. sailor67: Yes and no. When I envisioned this, I wanted the entire player base to participate. When I thought it through, all the parts “fit” so well together. So on that level I knew the potential was there. Did I actually think we would have thousands of our fellow backers signing up? Oh heck no, I have been so totally humbled by the support of the community. PULSE: Seraph, I know you have your own organisation outside of the operation, are they all joining the fight too? Seraph84: Yes. BCP is a team and we’ll be slaughtering Vanduul as a team. I’m hoping that by the end of beta, our little dozen-member clan will have enough players to fill (or nearly fill) our own battle instance. I guess we’ll see! I’m interested in it for two reasons: 1. It sounds fun & profitable. 2. How could I miss an event that nearly all my friends and enemies from the forums will be participating in? Never! PULSE: What was your inspiration for it? sailor67: There was a suggestion late last year about a general attack on the UEE, but it could not gain consensus with the community at large, simply because many of us 7