Sunday, March 6th, 2011
Issue: 71   Editor: TheAldarionArmy


Riserva- Two Years in Green PoisonedTomato
In this week, two years ago, Riserva was invited into an MSN conversation with 5litre and Sabin and was asked to relinquish his yellow coat and picked up his green- starting his two year career as a Moderator. We got in touch with him this week to have a chat about this milestone.

We at the Buzz would like to offer our congratulations and thanks to Riserva for giving two years of his life to Moderating this game- no mean feat for anyone and we want also want to thank you on behalf of our team and the whole BL public (except, undoubtedly some people you banned!).

When we got in touch with Riserva we thought the best place to start had to be the beginning, we asked him to talk us through how he was first asked to join the Elite Guard; he told us that he had been asked to join on the “3rd of March, 2009” and was “approached by 5litre and Sabin via MSN”. The story here goes that he was invited into an MSN conversation when he was a HDO and told that he ‘Wouldn’t be needing his yellow coat anymore’, something that to many would sound rather menacing to many. Riserva was then told that it was because he’d soon be picking up a green one if he wanted to- he accepted and the rest is history. It seems that 5Litre’s pranks on staff and staff to be (as with the recruited HDO promotions) may have started here!

We moved on to what Riserva thought his biggest success as a Moderator was, he told us “I think that my biggest success is probably this milestone”- (a proper press answer that is!) We also asked what his biggest regret in the past two years has been, he took a while thinking about this one and said “Biggest regret,... This is a hard one,” continuing “I don't think I have any. I stand by all decision’s I've made.”

We then spoke about how the game had sloped downhill during much of his tenure has a Moderator (which we’re pretty sure is unrelated), we asked if there was anything that he wished he personally or any other other member of staff had done differently that could you stopped this. Firstly he acknowledged what we had suggested; “We are all aware that the game has been on a downwards hill,” before adding, “however I do believe that it will be back once again.” He went on to explain that staff, he thought, were not to blame for this, he continued; “I don't think there is anything we could have done differently, as the main reason for the games downfall was the fact that players started paying more attention to the forums rather than the game. When they got killed, the first thing they did was post a topic in the forums or the HD with complaints, when what they should have done was shot back. It's not the lack of updates, it's not the fact that a group of players decided to create a manual reset, it's the fact that people forget this is a mafia game and not The Sims.”
So we all acknowledged that there was a problem in the game at the moment, whether it be lack of player morale and ranking activity or Staff activity and lack of updates. We asked if Riserva had ever considered leaving the Elite Guard, and he gave us a frank answer; “I'll be honest, I [have been]. But it was then that I realized that the game and everything it represents means too much to me just to leave and let it fall. I am willing to do my best and I actually believe I am doing just that in order to help the game and the players.”

As a Moderator of two years Riserva is one of the longest serving current members of staff (who actually still log on), we asked what he would do if he was in BSF2000’s shoes. He said, “If I was in his shoes, I would be doing exactly what he has planned at the moment. Planned and in development. Which is more than I can say at the moment.”

We asked Riserva for any final comments and he told said, “All I would really like to say to those players that are still with us is thank you for the support and I hope that in the upcoming weeks/month we will meet the standards you have set for us.”

We can only hope.