Meet the Team: Cryptic Moon

Enter the vibrant world where pixels fuel our passion and organization is an art. In this edition of Meet the Team, we’re excited to shine a spotlight on Cryptic Moon, our dedicated office manager and administrator.

We’ve posed 75 intriguing questions to uncover the heart and soul behind her role, and to share some unexpected tales from her daily grind. Get ready for a delightful dive into her world of meticulous management, spiced with humor and a dash of sass. Settle in, because this interview promises to be uniquely engaging and refreshingly candid!

Survey

Name: Claud aka Cryptic Moon
Title: Vizier of Scribes / Administrator

1. Zodiac Sign: Gemini
2. D&D Class: Warlock
3. Hogwarts House: Slytherin
4. Superhero: Scarlet Witch
5. Ninja Turtle: Michaelangelo
6. Ice Cream: YES! Oh, pick one? Ben 'n Jerry's Boom Chocolatta
7. Cocktail: The Engineer
8. Coffee or Tea: Coffee
9. Early Bird or Night Owl: Night Owl (mostly because of insomnia)
10. Mountains or Beach: Beach baby!
11. Marvel or DC: Marvel, duh!
12. Empire or Rebellion: Rebellion
13. Pirates or Ninjas: Pirates
14. Edward or Jacob: Team Edward
15. Pineapples On Pizza: Sure. I love pizza, Steve!

Black Lotus & 3XO

1. What's your role at Black Lotus, and what steamy details can you share about it?

• Office Manager - I take care of the house, bills, the cats, and keep the snacks fully stocked.
• Cheerleader - I remind the others that they can accomplish anything and praise them when they solve a problem.
• Brainstormer - I may not be able to code or do any of the other techy stuff, but I am very good at coming up with great ideas for the game and the other projects we want to do.
• Ear for venting - whether it's a code issue or whatever, I listen very carefully and try to offer some helpful advice.
• Shoulder for crying - when the stress of developing, or even life, gets to be too much, the team can count on me to lend a shoulder and probably even cry with them. No-one likes to cry alone.
• Small non-coding tasks - I have helped with the Avatar Editor and the morphing options. I come up with most of the contests and giveaways. Any small grunt work needed. I catalog the assets from Daz and I will be finding the outfits for those who have a custom outfit ordered.

2. If you had to describe your job with a meme, which spicy one would you pick?

3. Give us an enticing glimpse into your daily life working on 3XO – what’s your routine like?

First thing is a coffee meeting in the morning, and I use the term "morning" loosely. It begins after noon, usually. We discuss the progress from the day before and make a plan for the rest of day. We brainstorm ideas for features, contests and future projects. Sometimes the brainstorming takes on a life of it's own and the creativity really flows. We are usually surprised that hours have gone by!

After our "morning" meetings, I'll get up and go to the computer for a few hours. I can only sit in one place for a little bit at a time because of my knees and back. After that I try to get some housework done: dishes, laundry and so on. Then it's dinner time.

After dinner, it's back to work! I try to get to sleep around 2 am or so, if I'm lucky.

My favorite day of the week is Sunday because we do Sunday Funday!! We have our special Sunday Funday coffee (that's actually what it's called). We save certain TV shows and movies to watch together on Sundays. After coffee, we make drinks and take gummies and all pack into Sun's big king-sized bed. The cats also love it because they get all of their favorite people together!

4. What’s the most delightful part about working at Black Lotus?

Working from home, most definitely. Being your own boss. Doing the job your way, not the way someone else thinks it should be done. That really gives you ownership of your task and the creativity to do it in a way that makes you feel very satisfied when it's completed. Also working from home gives you very flexible hours. You can start your day when you want and end it when you want, too. Sometimes, if I'm bored or can't sleep in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning, I'll get up and get on the computer and get to working.

5. What’s one thing you could do without while working here?

The out of our hands, always badly timed, and infuriating delays! From Sun's computer taking a dump, my various health issues and doctor appointments, to our A/C breaking and not being able to get it fixed for over 6 days. But, that's life, isn't it.

6. What captivating feature or system are you currently working on?

Over the course of the next several weeks I will be working on the games and contests for Alpha 1. Gathering ideas, trivia questions, fun features and such for Alpha 1. I'm so excited for this!! I know that everybody is tired of waiting for Alpha 1, but none more than me. I am sick and tired of coming up with all of these games and contests that were based on one holiday and then another, only to have to delay again and again. I understand the need for the delays, but it's so frustrating to do all of that work just to be told "Scrap that. It's not going to happen." Ugh!

I have been and will continue to catalog all of the amazing Daz assets for the game. One thing that I am looking forward to is going through all of the custom outfits that our backers want. I'm excited and a bit nervous to see if I can actually find what people are looking for in an outfit. Daz has the most extensive and truly amazing items of clothing.

7. What’s been the most satisfying part of your journey with Black Lotus so far?

There is so much that is satisfying on this journey. From being able to work from home and set our own schedules to meeting so many wonderful people in our community. However, I would have to say that the most satisfying part was the Kickstarter campaign. I'm not talking about the amount of money we raised, but the unbelievable support and belief in what we are doing. That was the best experience ever!! And it makes me so excited for Alpha, because it's going to blow your minds!

8. Can you share a sultry moment or unforgettable experience from your time working on 3XO?

I'd have to say helping Cali with the dick morphs. As someone who has been celibate for almost 20 years, I really had to rely on my memory for what makes a good looking dick. I had some very interesting dreams for weeks after that!

9. What is the most priceless lesson you’ve learned while working at Black Lotus?

Never, and I mean NEVER announce dates for anything that isn't 100% ready to go! There are so many people that are literally salivating over the release of this game and it's not fair to put dates out there if we are not absolutely certain that we can get it done by those times.

10. Where do you conjure up your inspiration from?

As someone who doesn't play PC games and never played any social/sex games, my frame of reference is completely different from the rest of the team. So it makes it a bit difficult to be creative. Plus my lack of coding and tech stuff makes it difficult too. I'll have ideas and Sun & Cali just look at me and go "That's not how it works." I get a lot of "How did you get to be this clueless?" looks. But, sometimes I will come up with some pretty good ideas and it's their job to figure out how to implement them.

11. If 3XO could team up with anyone, who would be your dream collaborator?

I'd have to say Henry Cavill. From everything I know about him, he loves gaming, has a great eye for detail and would know what it takes to make the perfect game for a gamer.

12. How crucial are gaming communities and fan feedback in shaping 3XO?

Gaming communities are super important for any game to be succesful. They can make or break a game, sometimes even before launch. I know that we try our very best to listen to our community. Especially when it comes to features they want to see in the game. We want to include everything possible that our players want.

13. How do you elegantly handle player criticism and feedback?

Not very well. I try to be a nice person and be supportive and understanding as well as I can. But, sometimes the constant criticism, doubts and trolls get the better of me and I lash out. I am not very diplomatic and I have no filter. If I feel attacked or someone I love is attacked, my initial reaction is to hurt back and I usually go for the jugular. That's why I'm not allowed to engage with trolls on Discord anymore, lol! I understand the frustration of waiting on this game. Trust me, no one is more frustrated than we are. We want and need it to be done! That's why the complaining and whining gets to me. The stress of it is not good for my health either. I need to keep a positive attitude to beat this cancer!

14. What’s been the most grueling part about creating 3XO?

Waiting! 'Nuff said.

15. What’s the boldest risk you’ve taken during the development of 3XO, and did it pay off?

Being a very small team trying to create such a big game. We know that we can do it. Unfortunately, we have encountered unavoidable delays, unknown problems and the need to scrap some of what we have done in order to use the most up to date programming.

I am absolutely positive that this risk will pay off, not only for us, but for our players as well.

16. What’s the most maddening challenge 3XO faces right now, and what’s your strategy to conquer it?

The most maddening challenge is the out of the blue, unpredictable and out of our control delays. In other words - Life. Just when we are cruising along and can see the light at the end of the tunnel... WHAM! Some monkey wrench is thrown in and totally fucks everything up or puts it all on hold.

Unfortunately there is no way to prevent these awful delays. All you can do is grit your teeth and have patience and wait for them to pass. I used to pray for patience, it's something that I have been lacking in since birth. But my mother told me never to pray for patience because God gives you more patience by putting you in certain situations to test the amount of patience that you have. I'll never forget that!

17. What do you think makes 3XO irresistibly unique compared to other games in the same genre?

3XO is going to a one-of-a-kind game. There will be no competition. The main reason for that is Sun. He has played many video and PC games and has a very good idea as to what works and what doesn't. Plus we are focused on listening to our community and what they are looking for in a game like this. I believe that they will be very happy with the end results and quite surprised by some features that we are going to be adding. We have tons of features for this game. Y'all know some of them, but there are some that we have kept in our back pockets to surprise ya'll with!! Like Bruno says, "Don't believe me, just watch!!" (Can you tell what song I'm listening to? LOL!!)

18. What about 3XO has you absolutely thrilled?

As I've said before, I've never played games like this. So I don't have much to go on as for what to expect. However, I can tell you that I am very excited to see what our players design in the game. For example, there is a lovely young lady that I've been chatting with and I can't wait to see what she has planned for the game! She is going to create something that the whole community can participate in and I believe it will set the bar high! I don't want to give away what she has planned, but it's going to be red carpet worthy!! I'm excited to see the buildings and environments that people will create, the clothes, the beautiful avatars, the dances. It's going to be awesome!

19. How do you envision 3XO evolving in the long run after its initial release?

As I stated before, we have tons of features that we will be adding to the game in the future. Some ya'll know about and some are top secret.

One of things that we want to do, that I will tell ya a bit about, is the realty TV show that we want to do with the game. It's going to be a take on The Circle from Netflix. In our version, players will live in apartments that will be designed like some of the places available in our game. For example, there will be a Pirate room, a Country Western room, a Medieval room, a BDSM room, a Gothic/Vampire room and so on. Also, the players will each have avatars that will represent themselves in the game and will be "meeting" each other and partying together. It's a great environmnet for catfishing or possibly meeting someone special.

Another show that we want to do is one that will be a scripted show based on 3XO. That's all I'm gonna say about that one. You'll have to wait and tune in to see it!

20. What kind of lasting legacy do you hope 3XO will leave in the gaming world?

We really hope that 3XO shows that a game based on what the players want can be done. Not only by the big game development studios, but also by small indie teams. We want customer satisfaction and enjoyable gameplay to become the top priority in game development. Developers need to make games the right way, a way that puts their consumers first and not just the bottom line.

Game Development

1. What exhilarating escapades were you on before you graced us with your presence at the studio?

I worked for our local newspaper selling advertisements. I really loved this! I learned so much and had such a blast participating in the cities that were my territory. I was very involved in those communities. I was on the board of directors for 2 different Chambers of Commerce at the same time, as well as being involved in the downtown organizations and the local chapter of the American Cancer Society. I was quite the social butterfly and I loved it! Unfortunately my body gave out and I had to retire.

2. When and how did you charm your way into the world of game development?

Ha! I still can't believe that I am part of this! Sometimes I think I'm dreaming. Sun and Caliope are the reason that I am involved. Living with them, that's all it took. Listening to them complain about the games they were playing and how they would do things different if they had made the game. So I told them one day "Why don't you do it then? Make a game the way you want it to be." The rest will be history!

3. What’s the most attractive aspect of game design for you, and why does it get your pulse racing?

For me, since I don't know nothing about this stuff, I'm excited to see the finished product. We've been talking about it for so long and working on aspects and parts of it, it's been amazing to see it all come together as a cohesive game!

Another thing I love is picking which assets we use from Daz. The clothing, hair, tattoos, makeup and all that other amazing stuff is so much fun to browse and catalog and then send to Cali to integrate into the game. Just look at what cool avatars you'll be able to make in 3XO!

4. What’s the most maddening challenge you face in game development?

How long it actually takes to get things done. And how, when you have finally solved a problem, there are ten more behind it! These are not my problems, per say, because I don't deal with them, but they affect us all, as y'all well know! It really is a waiting game for the rest of us.

5. What’s the most irresistible skill a game developer should possess?

The desire to learn.

6. What’s one jaw-dropping secret about game development that would make anyone do a double-take?

There's so much more to it than most people would even think.

7. Describe the game of your wildest dreams that would be the ultimate fantasy to create.

There's one that I have had floating around in my mind for a while now. It's going to be called The Coven Chronicles.

It's about a young girl that finds out she has magical powers, like a real witch. The game will consist of learning skills and crafting potions & spells and leveling up. Eventually, the girl will discover an item that will allow her to travel through space and time. She will visit places like Salem, England, Scotland. Places that have a history of witches. She will also travel to ancient places like Ancient Asia and learn from their sages, Ancient Mexico to learn from their shamans and priests and the Aztecs too. Even the Ancient Egyptians!

8. Which game dev or studio has you utterly mesmerized and why?

Black Lotus! Duh!

9. What’s your most triumphant moment that makes you puff up with pride?

There are two actually.

The first is when I learned how to make pixel art for a game that we were thinking about developing. It was challenging and meticulous, but the end results were rewarding.

The second is learning how to create 3D art with Daz Studio. This was something totally foreign to me. I really enjoy playing around with Daz. It's a great way to unleash my creativity.

10. How do you keep your cool when dealing with stress, deadlines, delays, and player criticism?

Yeah, I don't do that very well.

11. How do you masterfully balance work and play, especially during those heated crunch times?

We are definitely homebodies and only leave the house when absolutely necessary. What helps me get through all of this is our Sunday Fundays. I look forward to them all week long!

12. What makes all your hard work feel like a sweet reward?

When I'm chatting with certain community members and they are so excited about all of the possibilities of the game and they tell me what they are going to build in the game. That makes me excited and even more impatient!

13. What recent gaming trends or technologies have you absolutely enchanted?

Well, I don't know much about trends and techie stuff, especially for gaming. I would have to say the many uses of AI in gaming. We haven't used it yet in our game, but I'm sure we will someday. Maybe in 3XO or in a future project.

14. Do you have a programming language that you’re head over heels for?

English? No, that's not one? How about Spanish? Not one either? Oh well, that's all I know!

15. What’s your favorite tool or software that you can’t help but flirt with every day?

My favorite is Daz Studio. I love how creative you can get with it. If you can imagine it, you can create it with Daz.

16. What personal quality have you polished to perfection that’s been crucial to your game dev career?

As I said before, I have learned how to create pixel art and 3D art. I learned that this old dog can learn new tricks!

17. If you could wave a magic wand and transform one thing about the game dev industry, what would it be?

If I could wave a magic wand and transform one thing about the game dev industry, it would be to create a perfect balance between work and life for everyone involved. After all, happy developers create the best games!

18. How do you foresee the electrifying evolution of gaming over the next five years?

I truly believe that after the release of our games, you will see more games like 3XO created. Games that are player oriented. Games that give the player a full and satisfying experience and aren't worried about the bottom line.

19. What alluring pitfalls or mistakes should one avoid in the world of game development?

Make sure that you have completed something before you announce any dates.

20. What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to someone dreaming of a career in game development?

Just believe in yourself. There is so much online to learn from and so many tools to use that anyone who has the vision, determination, patience and desire to learn can make a game.

Personal Details

1. What’s your ultimate video game crush – your favorite game or series?

Okay, there is a mobile game that I loved called Ingress. It's a GPS based game that you go out into the world to play (made by the same company behind Pokemon GO, actually). It's not the greatest and there were many things about it that we didn't like and would change if we made a similar game. However, the adventures we had while playing it were amazing!

We used to go out every night and play. We visited many cemeteries, local downtown areas, parks, walking trails and such. We even went to Savannah, Georgia for a weekend to participate in a huge Ingress event they were doing there. We had the best time playing that game and I miss doing that and hope to play or make a game like that.

2. If you could slip into the skin of any video game character, who would you choose to be?

Yennefer of Vengerberg from the Witcher series. She's an extremely powerful sorceress! She's very independent, like me, but has a heart of gold that she doesn't like to show. She's brave, intelligent and has the most beautiful lavender eyes!

3. What tantalizing hobbies do you indulge in outside of gaming?

TV - I watch a lot of TV. I love reality shows and competition shows, thrillers, detective shows, and time period ones. I'll watch almost anything or at least give it a try. That's why Sun and Cali ask me to watch shows first so I can let them know if it'll be something that they will enjoy. I'm like the TV show guinea pig.

4. If you couldn’t seduce pixels as a game developer, what would be your dream job?

TV show producer. I have ideas for so many TV shows from scripted ones to reality & competition ones too. Hopefully it will happen one day! And hopefully you'll all be able to watch them!

5. What movie sweeps you off your feet every time?

There are soooo many that it's hard to choose just one!! Probably Goonies. It's got everything - adventure, tresure hunting, pirates!, bad guys, humor, romance, thrills, great sets and a great cast!

6. If you could be serenaded by any musician or band, who would it be and what song would they sing?

My all time favorite is Prince and he can sing anything he wants. All of his songs are masterpieces! I have loved him and his music since the early 80's, since I heard Dirty Mind. His lyrics are amazing, they shaped my life for many years.

7. What dish makes your taste buds tingle with delight?

Mmmm...Lasagna!

8. If you could morph into any animal, what would you be and why?

A house cat. Especially one that lives in a house like ours. They really have good lives.

9. If you could wield any superpower, what would it be and why?

Jedi Mind Control. When I was a salesperson, I really wanted to have Jedi Mind Control to get the person that I was talking with to like what I was saying and to buy what I was selling.

10. If you could whisk yourself away to any destination in the world, where would you go and why?

I really want to go to Reykjavik, Iceland to see the Northern Lights. That's on my bucket list.

11. Do you have any secret talents that would make jaws drop?

Well, I can't do it anymore, but I used to be a very good dancer. When I was a teenager, I wanted to be on a TV show that was called Solid Gold and be one of their dancers. I could do the high kicks and everything!!

12. What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

I love fast cars and I used to own some pretty fast ones in my youth. I had a 1975 Camaro with a 350 engine. That was sweet.

Then I had a 1976 Firebird witha 400 engine, Hearst transmission, dual exhaust and big rad tires. I took off both exhaust pipes, well one fell off and so I took the other one off and, oh boy, did it sound bad ass!! Every cop in town knew my name and pulled me over several times for the missing exhaust pipes and the noise. My car literally growled! I had a couple guys that wanted to date me just because they thought they had a shot at driving my Firebird. Ha! They wished! I won so much money in that car drag racing. I loved burying the needle!! So, I'd say that drag racing was the most adventurous thing I've ever done.

13. If you could magically master any new skill, what would it be?

Singing! I have always wanted to sing well, but alas, I can't carry a tune in a bucket. My family used to make so much fun of me for trying to sing. My dad would ask "Can you sing that song solo?" I'd say "Sure" and he'd say "Good. Sing it so low that we can't hear it!" My brother would say "Awe sis, you want to sing so bad don't you?" I'd say "Of course I do!" He'd say "Well. you do. You sing so bad!" Not nice!

14. What quote or saying gets you all fired up?

As a lover of Summer House and Kyle Cooke, the saying that gets me fired up is "Send it!" and "Summer should be fun!"

"Summer should be fun! Aging... not so fun." - Kyle Cooke, Summer House

15. If you had a sexy theme song that played every time you entered a room, what would it be?

Baby, I'm a Star by Prince for when I'm feeling good about myself. Voodoo by Godsmack for when I'm feeling wicked.

16. What’s the most outrageous dare you’ve ever accepted?

When I was in high school, I had a very high tolerance for alcohol. Probably because since I was 12 years old my father taught me how to make his drinks so he wouldn't have to get up and make them for himself, ha! I had to taste them so I knew what tasted good and what didn't. By the time I was 16, I could drink most people under the table.

One time when us hoodlum teenagers were hanging out in the field behind McDonald's (that's all there was to do in our sleepy little town) some older boys were daring each other to drink some 190 proof White grain alcohol, Everclear. So I mosied on over and told them that I could do it and they dared me to guzzle it straight from the bottle. I won $400 bucks that night! I don't remember anything else after that though!

17. If you could enjoy a romantic date with any celebrity, living or dead, who would it be?

Prince! Duh! He's so talented. He's so sexy! The way he moves and dances and those eyes!! Oh my! He may be small, but he's hot as hell!! He exudes sex and seduction!

18. What trait in another person turns you on the most?

Sense of humor. I love anyone with a quick wit. I especially love when people are comfortable making fun of themselves and don't take themselves too seriously. Having a great sense of humor is sexier than great abs to me!

19. What’s your favorite way to set the stage for a steamy, romantic evening?

Well, candles and music are great, especially if the music is Prince.

20. What’s a surprising fact about you that would leave people stunned?

Well, in answering these questions, I've pretty much told you my life story. There's not much left to tell.

But maybe this will come as a shocker to some of y'all. I was born on 6-6-66 at 6:06 in the morning and I weighed 6.6 pounds. Some people call me the Head Devil because I have 4 sixes, not three, but I actually have 9 sixes related to my birth. I don't know anything about numerology, so I don't know what that means. I do know that it has gotten me out a few speeding tickets! Maybe I do have secret powers?!