TotalBS - Interview with Nasafrasa
Nasafrasa. Modchart creator. Artmap creator. Beasties Award Winner. Kind of a big deal!
Nasafrasa most recently won in the 2023 Beasties under the Best Artmap category and the Best Gameplay Modchart as a runner-up, almost clenching both wins with the same map: modus - Superluminal!
Video playthrough of Superluminal
Interview with Nasafrasa
Q: Tell us who you are! Your name, how long you’ve been playing Beat Saber, what got you started playing, what got you started modding, hobbies, etc.
A: Hello! I'm nasafrasa, and I’m just a guy that makes anything with computers.
I first got Beat Saber around the time I got my Quest 2, back in 2021, and played it for a few weeks and even tried making some custom maps, but nothing came of it at the time. Then a year passed and I got back into it because of the release of OST 5. I started making a few simple maps again and experimented a bit with the V3 lighting system, but not too much came of it. But then during my time of losing interest in the game again, I saw a video on Swifter’s “Fragments” map. This is what then inspired me to get back into the game and start making specifically modcharts. And the rest is history!
Then for pets, I do have a cat named Nasa, and yes this is where I got my username from!
Q: When and why did you start coding?
A: Probably in school with basic scratch projects back in middle school, but on my own time probably when I was just watching random Unity tutorial videos and making simple stuff in Unity. I don’t remember why I got into coding, I just liked making computers do cool things!
Q: What was your role in Extra Sensory II? Give us a deeper dive into how you became involved, the commitment of keeping progress moving, were there any struggles?
A: My role in Extra Sensory II was just to make a map for it! I got involved by just getting a random DM from Mawntee one day, wondering if I’d be interested in making stuff for this event. I said yes and started to experiment with Vivify. At first, learning to use Vivify was a bit tricky and was very different to what I was used to, but I pushed through and started work on “Lifelike” and “luminescent”. There were multiple instances where I thought of just giving up entirely on my maps and just throwing them onto the ever-growing WIP pile, but I decided to push through. And then I finished them, two maps at that!
Q: For someone who doesn't know anything about coding, where and how do you recommend they get started? Do you have any role models in the community?
A: It really depends on what your learning style is, but for a person like me who is much more of a hands-on learner, I'd recommend a few things. Watch a few videos, start with small and simpler projects, use other peoples projects as reference for your own, and get involved with a community where you can ask questions and connect with people.
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to share in general?
A: Thank you for letting me be part of this project and thank you all for playing! This will be an event that I will remember for the rest of life, and I can’t thank you all enough for that.
We'd like to thank Nasafrasa for taking the time to answer our questions! Be sure to check out the interviews with the rest of the team!
*This interview was lightly edited for spelling, grammar, formatting, and clarity.