 Behind the more than 130k files contained in the archive of his very own sponsorkits, released here on PCM.daily for the 10th consecutive year, there's a grown man who is as passionate about his own work as anyone can be.
Jacky Durand is one of the most experienced modders of not only Pro Cycling Manager, but with expertise in the field dating back to the late 90's, he definitely knows more than one thing or two about editing graphical aspects of our games.
In order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first release of the Jacky Durand's sponsorkits, which you can find out more about by going in this thread, he's volunteered to get interviewed, for us to know more about what he does and who he is. Click on read more if you are interested about it!
How much time in total have you spent on the sponsorkits?
Too much :-) Numerous hours, days and weeks. Creating, testing and adapting a sponsorkit takes several hours. Sponsors, race logos and trademarks change every year so it is a never ending story to keep the kits up to date.
You have to be an idealist to never give up on this work.
How did you get the idea of working on the sponsorkits? Looking back, would have you ever imagined that it would take so much of your time?
I was annoyed by the fact that only the Tour de France’s adboards and banners were original and not the ones of Vuelta and Giro. So I started to create them. At this time, I created adboard patches as a graphic artist for NHL and Pro Evolution Soccer. I could use my know how for my work on PCM.
When I offered my files online, I was surprised how big the response of the community was. Lightened by that success, I decides to create more sponsorkits for the major tours of cycling.
Success and request became bigger and bigger, so the number of the sponsorkits rose higher. But I have never imagined that it will be more than 150 sponsorkits I made.
At the moment, there are special sponsorkits for all UCI World Tour Races and most of the UCI Continental Races in the game. Furthermore, there are more than 50 generic country sponsorkits for all countries where professional cycling takes place. All in all I made more than 150 sponsorkits. I think that is a lot for
something you don’t get paid for :-)
The 2017 edition of the sponsorkits contains about 130k files. Are you as impressed as we are about that number?
I would be happier if there were less so I did not have to work on the patch so much. It is quite impressive to see how the patch has developed. But I am proud on what I created throughout the last years.
What is, in your opinion, the best-looking sponsorkit among the ones you have made?
I like the Tour de Romandie’s sponsorkit best because of its colours. The UCI World Tour sponsorkit is one of my favourites, too.
Since when are you interested in professional cycling?
Since the mid 1980’s. I try to watch every stage of Tour de France and nearly all other races I try to watch on TV. This year I will see the Grand Depart in Düsseldorf. My first time to see the Tour live. I am really looking forward to it.
Is PCM the only game you create mods for?
Since 1998 I have developed my own patches and mods for FIFA Series, Pro Evolution Soccer Series and NHL Series. Since 2006 I have been modding Pro Cycling Manager Series.
I am one of the heading members of ModdingWay.com best known for its FIFA mod. This mod has been downloaded several million times during the last couple of years.
What has been the most satisfying moment in your modding career?
There are lot. To see the final result satisfies me every single time.
Do you have any advice for newcomers to the modding scene?
Always try to give 100%. Never be too satisfied with your work. There is always something to improve and refine. Quality weighs more than quantity. Don’t give up when there is not enough positive feedback because most people of the community download your files but will never say thank you or praise your work. You put lot of effort and time in your work but that is hardly recognized by other people. Do that work for your pleasure and be happy if others appreciate your efforts. Praise is all you can earn because nobody will pay you for your work.
What are your thoughts about the newer editions of PCM, with regard to graphics?
To be honest, nothing much has changed during the last editions of PCM. So I can use many files from last year’s edition. That makes it easier for the jersey artists and me. There could be better and more detailed graphics in a modern computer game. But we can be happy that there is a cycling manager existing because many other sport games did not survive due to of their low financial success.
Do you play PCM online with other users? Do they know that you are a patchmaker?
Sure. I play online very often. I host online games and we mostly play Time Trails, Mountain Stages and Mini Tours. You can read more about this in this thread. Most of the users don't know who I am but sometimes someone asks me if I have something to do with the Sponsorkits Patch :-)
So, if you’d like to play with me online, search for "JackyDurand" in the Lobby and join my game...
How can we, the users, help you to improve and keep on creating sponsorkits?
My idea would be a Sponsorkits Supporting Team which helps me to keep the Sponsorkits up to date because the logos and sponsors are changing so often that I am not always informed about it. Checking the logos and sponsors for one race does not take a lot of time but do that for 150 Sponsorkits takes a lot of time for me alone. So we could share the work and create a win-win-situation for everybody. Users can report me the changes in my Sponsorkits thread.
You are nominated for our ‘Best (non-DB) Download’ award every year, but you always end up as the runner-up. Doesn’t that annoy you a bit?
No, it is a great honour to be nominated in this important category. I had been nominated as best graphic artist but of course, I became runner up as well :-) Since I am long enough in this business I hope for a lifetime achievement award some day! But maybe I will be runner up then, too.
Anything else that you would like to add?
It would be great if there was a bit more feedback for my work and if more people tried to support the other patchmakers and me. That would make it much easier for us. Have fun with my Sponsorkits and do not forget how much work has been put in it. And I want to thank all of my supporters that helps me in all the years with their support. Thank you all for that! |
