An Interview with Oleg Maddox Page 2

By SimHQ on July 19, 2007 in _air10, hide

“Dolph”: Have you made a calculation of the average number of working hours that takes to implement a new plane (from zero) in the IL-2 engine?

Oleg: Well it really depends. There are a lot of variables here that can greatly affect this. First, the amount of available data is very important; sometimes the research takes as much time or more as actually making the airplane.

Secondly, some planes are much more complex than others, especially if we’re talking about making them flyable, and having to make more than one cockpit.

At the bare minimum, for a non-flyable single-engine single-seat, with all data already at hand and no additional research needed, we’re talking about 1.5 months.

This was in IL-2. In SoW:BoB, we’re already talking about a bare minimum of 6 months.

“Dolph”: What’s your personal opinion about chute killing in online gaming?

Oleg: I don’t like people who do it.

“Dolph”: Any chance that we’ll see 1C developing a WWI sim in the near future?

Oleg: Not at this time. At least not with my own team. Really it’d be easier to do WWI than WWII, but…

“Dolph”: Is there something new that you want to share with the community about the upcoming “Battle of Britain”?

Oleg: See above about complexity. Also I’d say that more complex means more authentic, but it also means much more difficult and much more time-consuming.

“Dolph”: And one last question that comes after many people’s request: Was there any time that you got fed up of the community’s whining and you said “Enough is enough. I quit”?

Oleg: I get that feeling every once in a while.

“Dolph”: And now let’s move to the most interesting part of this interview in my opinion. Let’s talk about Oleg the Man. And my first questions are simple: Are you married? Do you have kids?

Oleg: I’m married. I have two kids, both boys. My wife is 20 years younger me. My mother-in-law is a year younger than me.

“Dolph”: What is your favorite music?

Oleg: Rock, progressive rock and art rock. Some classics, some electronic. Wide interests, but progressive and art rock preferable.

“Dolph”: Who is your favorite writer and which ones are you favorite books?

Oleg: Hard to say. For the past 10 years I’ve mostly read technical non-fiction. Before that, when I had more time, I liked medieval history and some science fiction about space, etc.

“Dolph”: Do you have any “motto” that you believe in and follow in your life?

Oleg: “It’s never too late to learn something new.”

“Dolph”: What do you think affects people most in life: the talent that comes with birth or the influence of the environment where you grow up? Which one was most significant in your life and in what way?

Oleg: I don’t think that having a talent is crucially important. It’s more important to be born during the time and in the environment where you can actually use your talent.

And of course, hard work is 100 times more important. Talent is only 1% of success.

“Dolph”: What is the most important thing in life? What is worth living and dying for?

Oleg: Children.

“Dolph”: Now there’s a hard question but its answer shows many things about a man. Have you ever lost faith in life?

Oleg: Never in life in general. I’ve lost faith in some people sometimes. But that was rare, and a long time ago. I guess I was lucky to be always surrounded by good people.

“Dolph”: Why do you think men like games where they can “kill” other people?

Oleg: Killing is naturally exciting, and people like to be excited when playing games. And it’s also guilt and consequence free.

“Dolph”: Do you like traveling? Which is your favorite place to visit?

Oleg: I like skiing in mountains and underwater diving. Favorite? Everywhere where it is possible and interesting. There is a lot of places where I was and where I only plan to be.

“Dolph”: What do you think is your strong point as a man and what is your weak one?

Oleg: Yeah my point as a man is quite strong, thanks for asking.

“Dolph”: And one last question. What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?

Oleg: Aircraft, mountains, again aircraft and mMountains and… sharks.

“Dolph”: Thank you for this interview. Now I’ll let you go back and speed up the development of “Storm of War: Battle of Britain”!

And as we, virtual pilots, say: Salute!

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Other SimHQ Oleg Maddox Interviews are here, here, here and here.

Our sincere thanks to “Dolph” for making this interview available to the readers of SimHQ. “Dolph’s” forum ishere.