* Koktel_Majstor* Special interview with the President of Croatia

Hello dear presidente, Koktel_Majstor

Thank you for accepting my invitation for this interview. Before diving into the questions, could you please introduce yourself? If you have anything to share with our audience, now’s the time...

I'm Koktel_Majstor, the current Country President of Croatia. I might be a President in game but in real life I’m just an ordinary guy who likes programming and often has extra time on his hands. I hope to still have friends after my presidency since they are already calling me out for being on my phone too much.
First, I want to commend the initiative behind activities like this. This is what WarEra is all about: bringing the community together and sharing a bit of fun. Hats off to everyone putting interviews and AMAs together.
With that said, I'd add one reminder for anyone doing these, especially anyone people actually listen to, whether an Admin, Content Mod, or Country President. Influence comes with responsibility for the tone you set. The people meant to uphold the standards are the ones who should be modeling them. Hold the role, hold the line.

1) To start, do you find yourself collaborating with friends in the game, or do you prefer to go solo?

Collaborate, every time. The interesting part of almost anything is the people, and that goes double for video games. Don't get me wrong, beating a tough boss feels great, but the memories that actually stick around are the ones you make with friends.

2) If you were the President in real life, which players would you choose for key positions—Vice President, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, and Secretary of the Treasury?

Tough question, because our community is full of people who'd give any of these roles their absolute best. But to answer without wading too far: Yossy, my current VP, stays as VP. martial_ant, the only person I know who actually works in the army, takes the Secretary of Defense. Monarh handles Secretary of State, and Rajka15 is the obvious pick for Secretary of the Treasury. The bonus in real life is that the stock market has opening and closing hours, so he'd get to sleep.

3) What is your favorite food?

The one and only pašticada. It's a traditional Dalmatian braised beef dish cooked in a fragrant sweet-and-sour sauce built on red wine, usually served with gnocchi. If you ever visit Croatia, do yourself a favor and order it.

4) If you were to recommend a movie or series, what would it be?

For a film, Triangle of Sadness. For a show, Pluribus or Shōgun.

5) Who is your favorite male and female actor?

My favorite actor is Russell Crowe, mostly because Gladiator shaped half my childhood. My favorite actress is Anne Hathaway, and you'll find out exactly why in a couple of questions.

6) Are you a fan of music? Please share four(4) of your favorite singers.

I'm a massive music fan, so narrowing it to four is borderline cruel. The artists in heaviest rotation lately are Tame Impala, Fred again.., Kendrick Lamar, and Miki Matsubara (the Forza Horizon 6 soundtrack got me hooked). As the list probably gives away, I jump between genres constantly.

7) Among the popular songs you enjoy, can you highlight just one?

"Dracula" by Tame Impala.

8) What’s your favorite sport?

To watch, it's football, or soccer depending on who's asking. I'm counting down to the World Cup. I also follow MMA and tennis closely, but football gets the most of my attention. When it comes to actually being active, I'm into hiking and swimming, plus tennis and padel whenever I get the chance. Last weekend I tried wakeboarding for the first time. Brutally hard, but a lot of fun.

9) Which football team do you support?

Arsenal is the club I grew into, but Hajduk Split is the club I was born into. And here's the Anne Hathaway payoff: beyond being excellent at her craft, she's a die-hard Arsenal supporter, and we look after our own.

10) If you had the chance to have lunch with a historical or fictional character for a day, who would you choose?

A proper programmer's answer: Ada Lovelace. She imagined what the machines we use today might one day become, a full century before the hardware caught up. I'd love to hear what she actually pictured.

11) What does happiness mean to you?

For me, happiness is being grateful for what you already have. Too many people live fixated on what they're missing, and I think that's a mistake. Every one of us has something to be thankful for that someone else would give anything to have, whether it's your health, a partner, kids, parents, whatever it may be. Some people aren't nearly as lucky as you are. Keep that in perspective.

12) If you were to write a book with five chapters on achieving success in life, what would you title each chapter?

Pick the Right Game Before You Play It Well
Boring Consistency Beats Brilliant Bursts
Your Network Is Just People Who've Seen You Show Up
Learn to Lose on Purpose (Small, Early, Often)
Define "Enough" or the Game Defines It for You

13) Imagine you’re planning a day out. Which one player from the game would you invite? (Just one)

My VP, Yossy, because he's earned it. I'd take him out for a proper boat trip on the Adriatic.

14) Now, picture a scenario where you’re battling a bear in the forest. Which player would you want by your side? (Again, just one)

Kragi02, no contest. He strikes me as the type who'd handle a bear the way Khabib handles anyone, either locking in an armbar or climbing up the nearest tree and leaving me to my fate.

15) If you’d like, please share a memorable story—whether it’s funny, emotional, or something else from your experiences in the game or in real life.

Our community has given me plenty of moments I won't forget, but the infamous Mrav (Ant) Files are the first that come to mind. Quick version: we have a notorious Military Unit called Zuti Mravi (Yellow Ants). Word got around that a female member had sent a revealing picture that was then deleted. The next morning, half the unit lost their minds, furious that nobody had thought to screenshot it. The plot twist? The picture never existed in the first place.

16) What advice do you have for new and incoming players?

Listen to the veterans. They've already made the mistakes you're about to make, and they're just trying to spare you the trouble. And if you do slip up, no big deal. Focus on building companies, upgrading your automated engines, and resist the urge to hire workers too early.

17) Do you have any suggestions regarding the game?

The game's still in Beta, so I'm sure the developers have no shortage of plans. The one thing that nags at me is the UX on the sliders when setting up contract auctions. As someone with mild OCD, seeing 2.01m instead of a clean 2m physically pains me. I once spent embarrassingly long trying to land an auction on exactly 5m. There are other things I'd tweak too, but those belong in the proper channels.

18) Are you satisfied with the recent changes in the game? On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate the admins performance?

I think the changes are mostly positive, though I'm not convinced they'll have the effect the team was going for.
I don't want to come off too harsh, but a 6 feels fair. There's still plenty of room to grow, and I suspect just about everyone working on the game would agree.

Thank you again dear predsjednik

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Best regards,

Brane