Hello Racers!

Today I present you an Interview with a well known member of the LFS Community. He's not only handy with Hacksaws, he also started a career as (cowbow)actor. But besides all this fun he one of the nicest and friendliest persons you can meet.

So I caught him in his lunch break to answer a few questions without having much time to prepare himself.

Give this man the honor he deserves and say hello to Mr. Tristan Cliffe. 

Hello Tristan and thx for joining this little (surprise) Interview.
You've sprung an interview on me! Cheeky git!

Ok, here is the first (and easiest) question: What is your real name, when were you born and where are you living?
My real name is, surprisingly, Tristan Cliffe.  I was born nearly 26 years ago in 1981, and I'm living in a small village near Norwich in the UK, about 20 minutes away from Shaun (Fordman).

Describe yourself and your appearance to your audience.
Well, I'm sort of normal and unexciting really. Short (ish) brown hair that is far too curly for its own good, and very stretchy skin (I'm sure there's a picture of me eating a sandwich that would work here). I'm about 6ft, so neither tall nor short, but on the internet no one can see your tape measure!

Please explain us why did you choose your name as nickname.
It's two reasons I guess.
1. I hate remembering lots of usernames, which is what I used to do when I was at school, and
2. I've never really understood the need to hide behind a fake name.  Lack of creativity was the final incentive too - I have no idea what name I'd use other than my own.

Well, we all know that LFS takes its time, but I'm sure that you still have other hobbies and maybe a job too. Please tell us about them.
For a living I work for a classic car restoration firm. We specialise in pre-1976 Lancias, but have been known to work on Triumphs to Lambos, as well as get our hands dirty with race car preparation. As for hobbies it seems to change all the time, but computing, engineering and cars are the things that get me most interested. Computing is just a general hobby, playing the odd game, fiddling in Photoshop, or just watching movies. Engineering means anything really - watching a TV documentary about Pyramids to replacing a kitchen in a house. At the moment my time is taken up (almost entirely) with rebuilding and, shortly, racing a 1988 Reynard F3 car, so I'm not just an LFS racer. Or, at least, won't be soon.

Please complete the following sentence: "Since I play Live for Speed..."
...I've spent far too much time on forums, buying force feedback wheels, and chatting to people all over the world, but so far it's been worth it!

Your favourite drink / food when you are racing. (Drink and drive???)
Drink - Ribena. I know it's silly, but it's just soo nice. And I can't do an interview without mentioning Jaffa Cakes (1 , 2), although I'm a bit sick of them at the moment.
And no, I don't drink and drive, either for safety reasons, or because I'll spill it and make my desk sticky.

What was your most memorable time in LFS?
That's a tricky one, because I've been playing this damn sim for nearly four years, and a lot has happened.  But (and I'm not saying this to impress 'the team') being asked to join T7R was a definate highlight!!! My first league race victory was pretty sweet too, in the Formula XR at Fern Bay, as it was a race long battle with Josh di Fabio.

We all know your funny side with having bunny ears on your helmet, hack sawing helpless MOMOs etc. Do you like this image of being a bit weird or would you like to be taken more seriously?
I like to have both - I love the fact that people can laugh at/with me, and that I can make people remember stuff I do, even if it's at my expense.  But at the same time I can be very passionate or opinionated about certain things, at which point my light-heartedness disappears. But most of the time I think silliness rules.

What is the special thing that keeps you playing Live for Speed?
Because somehow, and don't ask me how, it captures the essence of racing, of physics, and of feedback, so that it works and feels more like reality than anything else.  Being able to feel the sidewalls of your rear tyres move around over a kerb whilst controlling a tiny power slide within inches of a kerb, yet not actually be in a rear car at all must take some very nifty programming. Other than that, it's the WIP development process (we're always getting something new) that keeps it fresh, most of the time.

If you had the chance to add one thing to Live for Speed (no matter what it is), what would it be?
I would like to see what is commonly referred to as a 'Hardcore Mode'.  Nothing to do with naked women on the 'net, but a mode in LFS that gets rid of arcadey stuff, like resets, insta-pits, on screen displays etc other than those that are needed to replace real life cues. Repairs take times, tyres visually wear, and crashes almost certainly will end your race.  Why? Because it'll add another element of depth to LFS, without removing the bonus of being able to race quickly and easily in a fun environment whenever you want to.

Please tell us the three things you would take with you to a lonely island.
Other than lots of food, drink and a boat to come home on?! Errrr, well first of all I'd have to take some books (both fiction and non-fiction), because I hate not having something to read. And I've have to take my girlfriend Lucy, because she's lovely. And probably my dog Toby, but as we don't get him until Saturday it's hard to say if I'll like him.

Speaking of books....what was the last Book you have read? Please tell us something about it and was it worth reading?
It was a Terry Pratchett Discworld book called Soul Music. It's about a group of travelling musicians who become controlled by some form of musical magic, and of course the master Wizards of Unseen University have to fix the damage! Unfortunately, it's not THAT good - he's written better. But I'm reading them because so many people have recommended then to me over the years that there must be something good in there!

What was your dream when you were young? Is it still your dream, or is there a new one?
My dream was to be an F1 driver when I was little - I've always loved it! But when F1 drivers started being younger than me I realised I'd missed the boat, so I've had to rethink. I suppose my biggest current dream is to be able to raise a successful family one day, but that's not something to really be thinking about right now!

The audience is yours, feel free to speak to your fans :D
Now's the time I wish I had done a psychology degree! I have no idea what to say to people in general, other than follow your heart, and don't accept anything less than happiness if you have even the slightest choice in the matter!

Than I can only say: thx a lot for taking the time and answering my questions :)
Thanks to you for taking the time to ask the questions, and for not giving me any warning (because I'd have suddenly been 'busy' :))

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