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I would like you all to meet Mama Bear. It is a real pleasure to have a lady in the house for a change, no offense to my wife! (Boomer looks nervously behind him). Her name is Marjan, she has blond hair and brown eyes and she comes to us from The Netherlands. I have been to Amsterdam and I have to say it was the most friendly and most beautiful of any of the cities I have ever been to. I cruised down waterway alleys and canals in a glass bottom boat, out into the bay and by the Heineken’s beer brewery, largest brewery in the world! To adequately describe The Netherlands in the summertime is like describing that picture we all have in our head as we are walking down Main Street at a Disney Park in the summertime. Flowers gardens, sparkling water, windmills and laughter, a heady combination of ingredients found both in a theme park and in Holland…. and our dreams!
So it is no wonder that the RCT parks that Mama Bear has designed are a masterpiece of pastel color and texture, look at what she’s use to living around, she is like a lucky lady who gets to live in Disneyland. Her work has been on display over at RCT Fun and she works hard on the staff of RCT2.com and brings a certain grace and eloquence to this site. Marjan has a great sense of humor and hands out advice and encouragement with that particular style that fits in so well with this site. We will get to know her a little better as we embark on this E-View river ride but let me say this much right now. Mama Bear has a very giving and dear spirit, when Kai’s son Gavin was born, Marjan made him his own little RCT Park as a present. Just recently the staff here presented me with a tribute that astounded me and as my mouth was hanging wide open in surprise, I saw that she had put together a little island hideaway park for me called Fisherman’s Friend. That blew me away and that gives you just a little insight into who this wonderful woman from the Netherlands is and what she is about.
I could go on and on about Marjan, but you came here to meet Mama Bear so I guess we will just put this show on the road! Be careful though, wild animals can be dangerous and please DO NOT FEED the bears! I now welcome you to a conversation with a Bear, Mama Bear that is!
| Boomer |
Well hi their Marjan! I guess we can let your staff duties go while we set down for this E-View. (Boomer laughs) It is really a pleasure to be doing this E-View with you Marjan and I guess we might as well get right to it. Tell us a little about yourself and try to describe what it is like where you live. Is Holland really covered with windmills and tulips, wooden shoes and sea dikes?
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| Marjan |
"Hi Boomer, it is good to be here! Well, to business then! I’m 48, and not only am blond with brown eyes but also am 5ft11 and a little bit (180cm) in height! Since I stopped growing when I was 12, you can imagine I always sort of “stood out” which wasn’t an advantage all the time! I have been married and I have one 24 years old son. He is 6ft2 and as strong as a bear. His first names, Kay Arthur, actually dangerous bear in old Celtic, or at least so I was told. After this being said, you may guess why I am Mama Bear! About Holland; if I was in a bad mood, I would probably say that Holland is covered with highways and cars! (laughs). But since I’m not… Yes we do have all that, but you can’t say we are covered with it! I have seen most of Holland as a kid since we moved about every 2 years. Holland is… flat! That is for sure. It isn’t called “The Netherlands” for nothing. Except for some dune areas and a small hilly part of the very south of Holland the surface is flat and a lot of that is below sea level! Yet, Holland also has a large variety of landscapes. Cities, small forests, farmland, villages, lakes, canals, river; even if you drive for less then an hour through Holland you will see all of that! I’m living in a village named Wassenaar in the west part of Holland (which is the highest populated part of Holland) near the coast and I am lucky because it is called “the oasis of the west”. We have forest, beach, dunes, parks, lovely countryside and lots of green, all within 5 to 10 minutes by bike."
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| Boomer |
You said Kay Arthur in Old Celtic means dangerous bear”! I told these folks not to feed the bears! (Boomer winks) With a name like that and also probably being a hungry mean bear, they might end up joining old “Nubbs” in the rusty ol RCT band playing the tuba with their feet. Do you have a family that you live with Marjan?
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| Marjan |
"Actually, right now, I’m living with my brother and my mother. After my father died I moved in and we all have our own apartment in the house. Usually, kids leave the house when they are grown up but in our case I was the one that left. My son is still living in my old apartment!"
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| Boomer |
Does your son enjoy playing RCT as much as you do?
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| Marjan |
"Alas, no. Although I started playing RCT because he had the game, he isn’t playing it anymore. He is very much involved with Never Winter Nights, an online role playing game."
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| Boomer |
What kind of work in the real world do you do for a living may I ask?
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| Marjan |
"Originally I am a licensed photographer. But I soon found out that making a living out of that and raising a son at the same time didn’t work. So up to now I always worked in the administrative sector. Next to administration, I do bookkeeping and organization of congresses and seminars and such. I am rather good at that but it never really had my heart, so now that my son is self-supporting, I’m on the look out for something that fits my interests and talents a little more. My daydream was, is, and will stay, to become a painter and be able to make a living out of that."
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| Boomer |
THAT explains your very noticeable artistic talents shown in your RCT Parks! I would love to see some original canvass art by you as I’m sure those talents would be even more obvious. Outside of RCT, what other interest do you have?
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| Marjan |
"Painting, sculpture, just about everything creative you do with your hands (and mind of course!) in fact, art (I studied art for a while), nature (both flora and fauna), music. My son and I both play Warhammer, a strategic tabletop war game. You play it on a big table filled with lovely scenery and with armies that consist of 28 mm scale, highly detailed, miniatures, either made of metal or plastic. You have fantasy armies (orcs, elves, dwarves, lizardmen, etc.) and SF armies (space marines and such). My greatest pleasure in the game is the fact that you have to assemble and paint all the miniatures yourself and make the scenery. My son is the better general of the two of us! I like to sail (grew up with that) and used to play tennis and I’m treasurer for the local water-scouting club where my son is a staff member. And I like to read (with a preference for fantasy and horror)."
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| Boomer |
Now that’s what I call staying busy! How much time do you get to put in playing RCT and making parks?
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| Marjan |
"That depends on what else I have or want to do. Hard to say. I think I spend about 80% of my spare time on the game and the forum at the moment. "
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| Boomer |
And what about that forum, how much time do you spend helping out on that?
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| Marjan |
"Right now probably more then is really necessary since I’m still in the “getting adjusted” period and formulating in English does take me more time then in Dutch. Love it though! And I do learn a lot!"
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| Boomer |
Don’t we all! What is your reason for playing this awesome game so much? What draws you to it?
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| Marjan |
"Because in this game you have more freedom to be creative in building, decorating, shaping etc, etc. then in any other PC game I know. Besides, I love good amusement parks! "
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| Boomer |
Well put, that’s how I feel also. How do you feel about the newer release RCT2 and its expansion pack? Good as RCT and its expansions? (Boomer winks) One of my famous 2 for 1 questions.
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| Marjan |
"If you had asked me that, lets say, November last year, I would have said NOT as good! It took me quite some time to get adjusted to RCT2. But now that I am I must say RCT2 has even more creative possibilities then there are in RCT. I don’t play RCT anymore. But I still have it installed for I still do like to look at RCT parks every now and then. I think part of the credit should also go to the wonderful persons that made trainers to make the game even more enjoyable and, especially, to Dr.J. His object editor opened the way to an entire new dimension in the game of which the end can’t be seen yet!
Is there a RCT2 expansion pack? Don’t say you mean that CD with 70 MB mostly “out of place” scenery and trains + additional game bugs! that happens to have, by accident, I’m sure, the RCT logo on its box?"
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| Boomer |
(Laughing) Got to admit you had me going there for a second. Your Holland humor carries over well into English by the way! (Boomer laughs again). What are your suggestions for the improvement of both the game and the support that should come with it?
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| Marjan |
"1.Patches to repair the bugs. 2. The paths; the choice of railings for the paths and the colored wall edges from RCT back in the game. 3. Sandbox mode! Improvement of support?!? How can you improve something that isn’t there? "
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| Boomer |
I heard that! Chris Sawyer, the creator of RCT and RCT2, has obtained an almost God like status to the fans of this great game, that being said, what would you say to him if you could just ask or say one thing?
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| Marjan |
" Thank you! (And that is not meant to be sarcastic! I’m not blaming CS for the above-mentioned things)"
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| Boomer |
What role do you think a site such as RCT2.com plays in the overall enjoyment of this game?
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| Marjan |
"To me personally, an important role! Visiting sites such as RCT2.com gives you answers to your questions, help with problems, improvement of the quality of your parks, the opportunity to meet and talk with people loving the game as much as you do; I could go on for a while! "
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| Boomer |
And a chance to view a variety of other park makers, sometimes awesome, RCT Parks. Do you have any new parks or projects coming up that we should know about?
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| Marjan |
"There is Masters Palette, a group park of the RCT Masters I initiated, that is very dear to me and that promises to become a very unique park. I’m working with Todd Lee on our third T&M project (the first in RCT2) a park called, Insular Insomnia. Also a park, yet unnamed, I will do with rbarclay.
And, on hold right now due to a lack of time, my walls project. I released additional pirate and wooden walls and I intend to work my way through all the walls available in RCT2, adding those wall types that are missing in the game. Hope to start on that again soon!"
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| Boomer |
I’m looking forward to seeing all of your new stuff in RCT but how do you feel about REAL amusement parks? What is your favorite Amusement Park, in your country, that you like to visit?
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| Marjan |
"The Efteling!!! I visit there on regular base for more then 25 years now and never seem to have enough. "
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| Boomer |
planning any trips there soon?
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| Marjan |
"Probably this autumn. Next to that, my son wants to “drag” me to Six Flags Holland. He feels that if I build coasters I also should ride them! I’m of two minds there; me… in the Goliath?"
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| Boomer |
There is something to be said for your son’s thoughts about that Marjan. As an artist I’m sure you have heard that life imitates art, or was that art imitates life? (Winks one last time). Anyway, I’m sorry to say our time has come to an end, what a true pleasure having you drop by to visit Marjan. You are truly an amazing park builder and also an amazingly good staff member and forum moderator. In fact I need to let you go get back to work. Thank you, for both being on staff here at RCT2.com and for being the truly unique and special person you are! I’ll see ya back in the staff room later and I’ll see all the rest of you in the forums. Have a good summer Marjan and all my best to your son Dangerous Bear!
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| Marjan |
"Thank you Boomer (where’s that blushing smilie when you need it!) it was my pleasure! Besides, is there a better excuse for not being “on duty”. OK, OK, I’m going, I’m going (leaving in sudden haste, trying to hide a big grin)."
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Marjan has left the house! Bears! Living in the forest of the great northwest I have come to love and respect these larger then life wild animals. I usually try to avoid them, but in this case I gotta say I really liked spending time with this bear. Those big Black mama bears we have out here in the wild and wooly west can snap your neck with a single swipe of their razor sharp claws! The Mama bear I know from Holland will only make you a better person for having known her. Take care my Dutch friend and to all a good night!
As the blanket from Boomers bed floats gently down around him, lulling him off to sleep, between his soft snores and the chirping of the crickets, a sound was heard in the distant woods behind Boomers house! It was haunting and strange indeed, a sort of cross between a low roar and a light laugh. A shadow splayed against the side of Boomers house, dark and mysterious cast in the silver glow of the moon lit night. Then as the moon peeked out from behind a cloud an awesome sight could have been seen if only Boomer had been awake. Out in the moonlit clearing by Boomers house a Mama bear and her active cub played and danced and frolicked in the moonlight! Then as the moon slowly, almost grudgingly, moved back behind a cloud, the mama bear and her handsome cub “dangerous bear” in unison raised up on hind legs with a mighty roar and with one last look at Boomers house they dropped to all four legs and one by one disappeared into the dark embrace of the waiting forest. Left behind in the clearing stood an easel with a canvass and a portrait of an Amusement park, shimmering pastel colors radiated through the soft moonlit night. Then the artist ease AND the shimmer, turned to mist…. Then the mist drifted slowly and aimlessly off among the silvery silhouette of the giant trees. Then all was quiet and Boomer slept on.
---Boomer--- |