Congrats to Foxhack on being named the HKC player of the month! Here's Emil's interview with him:

Q: How long have you been gaming and what was the first game you really got addicted to?
A: I've been playing videogames since 1985 - though that was on a ColecoVision that my brother borrowed. I started playing on my own systems in 1988. The first game I got addicted to... that's a tough one. Maybe Final Fantasy III on the SNES. I used to play that before going to school, ha.

Q: What originally brought you to HK's TF2 servers and why did you stay?
A: I think I first started to play in HK around 2008? I bought Orange Box a month after release, but my internet connection at the time was still pretty bad. I remember finding the servers in the in-game server browser and it said newbies, so I tried it out. Back then I couldn't play for very long because of my internet connection. But I stuck around since most of the random users, at the time, seemed to be at my same level of newbishness. I had little experience with FPS games in general, being an old school console gamer, so the skill level of the servers allowed me to learn how to play the game. I saw lots of people and learned their strategies too, and I was able to experiment with things based on what I saw. And most importantly, I wasn't kicked off the servers for sucking. Unlike other servers that no longer exist, heh.

Q: What's your favourite map, and why?
A: 2FORT. Seriously though, Upward. Because it has enough different routes from and to the point for people to sneak around and attack from unexpected places.

Q: What's your favourite class and why?
A: It's a split between Medic and Engineer. I'm much better at helping people achieve objectives (capping, defending) than I am doing these things myself.

Q: And what do you consider your worst class to be?
A: Spy. No question. I like the class but I'm more of a Suicide Spy than anything. Go in, sap stuff, and let my teammates finish off the buildings while they're down. Maybe kill a random Medic once in a while. The Dead Ringer helps out.

Q: What is your favourite weapon unlock?
A: Heavy's Natascha, since it makes enemies go slower, which makes them easier targets. That's especially useful against pesky Scouts.

Q: And which unlock do you think should never have been added into the game?
A: This is hard. I'm trying to say something that -isn't- Dead Ringer. Maybe the Sydney Sleeper, since it's a pretty cheap way of weakening an enemy from a distance. And the Powerjack. 75 health on kill? Who thought THAT was a good idea?

Q: What single thing do you think they could add to TF2 to make it even better?
A: More maps for the neglected game modes, like Medieval and Territorial Control. Poor Hydro is lonely.

Q: That's all the questions I have for you, is there anything you would like to add or say to our readers?
A: Be kind to new players. Remember, you were just as bad as they were at one point.

Q: Good advice Thanks for your time and congrats on being picked!
A: Thanks for picking me. Guess I have to earn that title now. :P

Whether you've seen him cloak out of the corner of your eye or been repeatedly stabbed in the back by him, you've probably noticed Gavin is a pretty good spy.  Emil was able to track our new player of the month down and ask him a few questions:

Q: How long have you been gaming and what was the first game you really got addicted to?
A: Oh wow, this is going to make me seem old...I've been gaming since the late 80s, my first games were the Sierra adventure games, like Leisure Suit Larry and King's Quest. I got into online gaming in 1996 or so with Quakeworld

Q: What originally brought you to HK's TF2 servers and why did you stay?
A: I was looking for a server with a good ping and started playing on the HK servers when they were in NY (I miss my ping of 7!) The players seemed a lot better than the usual pubs so I kept on coming back.

Q: What's your favourite map, and why?
A: Hmm, either Goldrush or Badwater. I enjoy payload maps, they tend to be a lot more exciting.

Q: What's your favourite class and why?
A: Spy, there's something satisfying about taking down an Engie nest or stabbing everyone on the cart.

Q: And what do you consider your worst class to be?
A: Scout...I am terrible at Scout. I can play most of the other classes at least well enough not to embarrass myself.

Q: What is your favourite weapon unlock?
A: The Cloak and Dagger. It's so much better than the regular invis watch.

Q: And which unlock do you think should never have been added into the game?
A: The Phlogistinator, it's just too annoying.

Q: When in a game, what is the most annoying thing your team can do or not do?
A: The thing that really drives me nuts is when people refuse to play an offensive class, so we end up with all Spies, Scouts, and Snipers.

Q: What single thing do you think they could add to TF2 to make it even better?
A: Give some reasons for people to play Medic on pubs, it's a thankless task most of the time, and you're the class that everyone tries to kill first.

Q: Agreed :P That's all the questions I have for you, is there anything you would like to add or say to our readers?
A: Watch your back, I'll be hiding around the corner

Q: I'll keep that in mind... :P Thanks for your time and congrats on being picked!
A: Thanks again!

Congrats to Snoman for being named the player of the month! Here's Emil's exclusive interview with him:

Q: How long have you been gaming and what was the first game you really got addicted to?
A: I think I've been gaming since I was 8, which is 36 years. My first console was a pong machine with 3 or 4 variations on the original pong. The first game I really was addicted to might be Adventure on the Atari 2600.

Q: What originally brought you to HK's TF2 servers and why did you stay?
A: Back in 2008 I followed a friend in to one of the servers, had a great time with pleasant people, and continued coming there whenever the server my old group of Future US teammates would die late at night. It slowly morphed from being a standby place to go into the place I'd rather always play, as I got to know a lot of folks.

Q: What's your favourite map, and why?
A: Hoodoo by a slim margin over Barnblitz. Maybe it's the chokepoint factor, or the spam, that makes it my favorite. I know many many people feel quite the opposite about Hoodoo though.

Q: What's your favourite class and why?
A: Demo is my favorite. Not because of spam, nor Demo-Knighting, but because of the combination of manoeuvrability and power. He can get around quickly, dodge fairly well, go for a good amount of time on full ammo, and deal a lot of damage.

Q: And what do you consider your worst class to be?
A: Spy without a doubt. I'm too impatient. I give myself away all the time. Plus I'm terribly slow at killing/sapping combos.

Q: What is your favourite weapon unlock?
A: Oddly enough, it's a class I rarely play, but it's Jarate. When I do use use it, I get great satisfaction from seeing teammates do a mini crit push.

Q: And which unlock do you think should never have been added into the game?
A: Dead Ringer, for reasons most people probably already know.

Q: When in a game, what is the most annoying thing your team can do or not do?
A: That has to be a tie between Medics who go Rambo instead of healing, and Engies who won't build teleporters. Both of those can really screw up team effort.

Q: What single thing do you think they could add to TF2 to make it even better?
A: Better optimizations in the engine to address performance, and hit detection, in action heavy areas.

Q: That's all the questions I have for you, is there anything you would like to add or say to our readers?
A: Yes indeed. Thanks a lot for this surprise, and for the chance to blabber about myself. But really, a big thanks to everyone who keeps this place rolling. It's great to have a trusted hangout to play your favorite game with friends.

Q: OK, thanks for your time and congrats on being picked!
A: The pleasure was mine. Thank you.