N3V: Hi Kevonzone, can you tell me a little bit of background about your group.
Kevonzone: The Iron Horsemen is an online community, and a group of friends, that was created through common interests in railroad-related games and hobbies. Starting with a Trainz Youtuber called Bombs321 and The Terminus Podcast, we eventually came together to create a YouTube series known as The Iron Horsemen Chronicles in Trainz 2012 and A New Era.
N3V: Wow, I hadn't checked out that channel - some very interesting stories there (even if it is a little tough watching those 10 year old graphics)!
So when did you first hear about Multiplayer Surveyor?
Kevonzone: We first heard about Multiplayer Surveyor when it was teased several years ago. It seemed like a solution to one of our biggest problems: The difficulty of creating a model railroad club when the members are thousands of miles apart. We speculated on what features this new game mechanic could provide and began preparing at length.
N3V: Yes, it was a while ago now, and we're sorry it took so long for us to move forward on those plans. So what preparations did you do while waiting for MPS?
Kevonzone: We knew that MPS would allow us work together to build something more ambitious than we could hope to on our own, so we planned big! The "Iron Horseman Megaroute" was actually planned in Minecraft over several years and iterations. It consists of 13 railroads at this time, most of which connect in the central hub and metropolis of Gieger.
N3V: And how do you plan who does what and where on the route?
Kevonzone: We use things like google docs and Discord chat to discuss and plan things. Future sections of each railroad are planned one at a time; as a Horseman finishes their current segment they are allowed to plot a new one on the map, revealing geographic plans as they go (for example, a new river, mountain range, or interstate highway). The map allows these features to be consistent, and also catalogs all finished towns and industries for the purposes of collaboration.
N3V: Anything else you'd like to share?
Kevonzone: Though we have a long way to go before even what we've already planned is complete, we are proud of what we've done in the "Iron Horsemen Megaroute" in the past month or so. We've now enabled Guest (non-edit) access, so we invite anyone to drop in and view it for yourselves!
N3V: Ok thanks for your time and we hope you'll continue to enjoy MPS for a long time to come as we continue to add new features and new content.
