View source for Wil Bunce-Edwards

[[File:Maxoddtour4.jpg|thumb|Max the Mug at [[OddTour#OddTour_4 | OddTour 4b]]]]
'''William Bunce-Edwards''' (born 7 October 1987), also known by his screen name '''Max the Mug''', is the Studio Coordinator of [[Just Add Water]] and long-term [[Oddworld fan]]. Along with [[Xavier De Coster]] he co-owns [[Oddworld Library]] and along with [[Nathan Rose]] he co-administrates the [[Oddworld Forums]].

== Oddworld fan ==
Bunce-Edwards got an original PlayStation on Christmas Day 1997, and on Boxing Day 1997 played the ''[[Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee]]'' demo on the demo disc that came with it; he got the full game in the summer of 1998.<ref name="fom"/><ref name="elderberries"/> It wasn’t until he recognized [[Mudokons]] in a magazine he was flicking through that he realized he was a true fan.<ref name="fom"/> He joined the GT Interactive Software message boards in 1998 with the username '''skELUMton''' to ask what a [[Greeter]] looked like (getting ''[[Abe’s Exoddus]]'' on Easter Sunday 1999), but along with the other regular posters moved to the [[Exoddus Club]] when activity on the GTIS boards died down, joining as '''billy_squeek''' on 12 February 2000.<ref name="toexoddusclub"/><ref name="ecmemlist"/>

Bunce-Edwards first came to the attention of [[Oddworld Inhabitants]] when he emailed [[Alf]] with a collated list of errors regarding the [[Oddworld Map]] and was in return made [[Fan of the Month]] February–March 2003 on the official Oddworld website.<ref name="fom"/><ref name="firstmail"/><ref name="beforefom"/><ref name="heresfom"/><ref name="aboutfom"/><ref name="afterfom"/>

Bunce-Edwards has attended several [[OddTours]]: OddTour 2 in Amsterdam, 2004;<ref name="oddtour2"/> OddTours 3a and 3b in London, 2008;<ref name="oddtour3"/> and OddTours 4a and 4b in London, 2010.<ref name="oddtour4"/>

=== Oddworld Forums ===
Bunce-Edwards joined the [[Oddworld Forums]] as '''Max the Meetle''' on 4 June 2000<ref name="ezboardprofile"/>, changing his screen name to '''Max the Mug''' when the Forums moved to Ultimate Bulletin Board.<ref name="newname"/>

Bunce-Edwards began being called ‘The Oddworld Dictionary’ and ‘The Oddworld Encyclopedia’ at least as far back as April 2001<ref name="dannyDictionary"/><ref name="maxEnc"/>, although because the original ezboard Oddworld Forums are not well preserved the terms could pre-date this. The latter nickname became the more popular and longer lasting, being made Bunce-Edwards’s custom title around September 2002<ref name="khanzStatus"/> and remaining in use until June 2004,<ref name="xavSekEnc"/> after which the term was used in discussions exclusively referring to his [[Oddworld Encyclopædia|fansite]]. However, his custom status remained ‘Oddworld Encyclopædia’ until at least May 2006,<ref name="pedstatus"/> and ‘The Oddworld Encyclopædist’ until at least May 2008.<ref name="paedist"/>

Key Oddworld Forums features to which Bunce-Edwards has contributed include the current ''[[Stranger’s Wrath]]''-themed titles<ref name="swtitles"/>, the current Oddworld-themed reputation levels<ref name="replevels"/> and the current Forum rules.<ref name="rules"/>

==== Member of staff ====
Bunce-Edwards stopped posting on the Oddworld Forums in August 2002 in favour of [[The Glass Asylum]],<ref name="farewell"/> but returned the following month<ref name="owfreturn"/> having missed the Forums-wide moderator elections that saw [[Xavier De Coster]] join the moderation team;<ref name="start2002elecs"/><ref name="end2002elecs"/> he was elected moderator of [[General Oddworld Discussion]] (and by extension the [[Spoiler Forum]]) by public election the following year.<ref name="start2003elecs"/><ref name="end2003elecs"/> He retired from moderatorship in July 2005<ref name="endofmod"/> only to return as a Super Moderator of Zulag One in February 2007<ref name="smod"/> and be promoted to administrator in January 2008 to complement the Oddworld Library’s new sponsorship by the Oddworld Forums.<ref name="admin"/>

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|+ Sortable table
|-
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" | Forum(s)
! scope="col" | Appointment
! scope="col" | Retirement
|-
| [[Moderator]] || [[General Oddworld Discussion]] || 16 September 2003 || 15 July 2005
|-
| [[Moderator]] || [[Spoiler Forum]] || 19 June 2004? || 15 July 2005
|-
| [[Super Moderator]] || [[Zulag One]] || 1 February 2007 || ''Still active''
|-
| [[Oddworld Administrator]] || N/A || 15 January 2008 || ''Still active''
|}

==== Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards ====
Bunce-Edwards has won the following Poster Awards in the following years:

; [[Member With The Best Oddworld Knowledge]]
: [[1st Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards|2003]]–[[8th Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards|2010]]
; [[Best Advice Giver]]
: [[2nd Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards|2004]], [[4th Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards|2006]]
; [[Best Veteran|Best Old Dude]]
: [[2nd Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards|2004]]
; [[Most Meaningful Poster]]
: [[2nd Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards|2004]]–[[4th Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards|2006]]
; [[Most Dedicated Member]]
: [[5th Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards|2007]]
; [[Most Valuably Poster (MVP)]]
: [[5th Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards|2007]], [[8th Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards|2010]]
; [[Most Liked]]
: [[7th Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards|2009]]
; [[Oddworld Forums Unofficial Mascot]]
: [[7th Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards|2009]]

=== Oddworld Library ===
Bunce-Edwards’s first attempt at a fansite was a 2000 webpage on Xoom called ‘The Kennels’. It took the form of a conjoined twin [[Glukkon]] called Glasp taking the reader on a tour around the Kennels, which hosted one of each [[Oddworld species|Oddworld creature]] known at the time.<ref name="kennels"/> By 2001, the project changed to one more formally encyclopædic in nature called ‘The Scrabacombs’,<ref name="scrabacombs"/> but by 2002 this was renamed to ‘The Oddworld Encyclopedia’ to reflect his Oddworld Forums nickname.<ref name="websiteEnc"/> Despite numerous promises that the site was coming, only an FAQ appeared (in 2003)<ref name="firstfaq"/> before [[The Oddworld Encyclopædia]] finally launched in April 2006—although the April Fools’ Day joke articles were little appreciated by members of the Oddworld Forums given the site’s long-awaited appearance.<ref name="TOLlaunch"/>

By this time Bunce-Edwards had already created [[OddBlog]]<ref name="oddblog"/>—originally a personal blog but quickly evolving into an Oddworld news blog—and had made plans to have it join with [[Xavier De Coster]]’s [[TOGG]] and Oddsville’s [[Oddworld Archives]] to form ‘The Shaman Network’. Although De Coster eventually assumed Oddsville’s role of creating the Archives and most component subsites were already public, the project—incorporating The Oddworld Encyclopædia and renamed ‘[[The Oddworld Library]]’—was formally launched simultaneously with the Encyclopædia.<ref name="TOLlaunch"/> The Oddworld Forums became a sponsor of the Oddworld Library in January 2008 by adding a link to the fansite to the top of its banner alongside links to [[Oddworld-Web]] and [[Oddworld Universe]].<ref name="admin"/>

== Just Add Water ==
Bunce-Edwards and De Coster visited the office of [[Just Add Water]] in August 2010, between [[OddTours]] 3a and 3b, meeting [[Stewart Gilray]] for the first time. Bunce-Edwards was invited back to the office in November that year where he was offered the task of looking after the [[official Oddworld Inhabitants website]] and [[Oddworld Inhabitants Facebook Page|Facebook Page]] in his spare time.<ref name="JAW"/>

At the start of August 2011, Bunce-Edwards began working in the office full-time with the job title of Studio Coordinator. His usual tasks include monitoring of Oddworld fan communities, filing, watering plants and communicating with fans, job applicants, the gaming press and potential merchandise partners. During the production of ''[[Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD]]'' he put together the unlockable extras, contributed to the [[Achievements in Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath|achievements]] and decided where to place the [[RuptureFarms barrels in ''Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD''|easter eggs]]. Although he had updated his Twitter and Facebook profiles to accurately identify his job with JAW, Bunce-Edwards did not declare his employment on the Oddworld Forums until 23 December 2011.<ref name="JAW"/>

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="fom">Odd Wide Web, Oddworld Archives, Oddworld Library (15 August 2010). Archive of Max the Mug (19 February 2003). [http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/web/oddworld.com/firsttenyears/alf/ow_fan2_03.shtml Fan of the Month February–March 2003]. Alf’s Fan Odds N Ends. Alf’s Rehab & Tea. Official Oddworld website.</ref>

<ref name="elderberries">Max the Mug (22 June 2004). [http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?p=158224&highlight=demo#post158224 Post 14] in ‘What made YOU buy your first OW game?’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="toexoddusclub">Max the Mug (24 August 2001). [http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?p=30920#post30920 Post 13] in ‘How did you find Oddworld Forums?’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="ecmemlist">[http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/exoddusclub/members Exoddus Club member list]. Exoddus Club. Yahoo! Groups. (accessed 26 November 2010)</ref>

<ref name="ezboardprofile">Wayback Machine (1 September 2001). Archive of [http://web.archive.org/web/20010901052759/pub10.ezboard.com/boddworldian.showLocalUserPublicProfile?login=maxthemeetle Profile for Max the Meetle]. Oddworld Forums. ezboard.</ref>

<ref name="newname">Max the Mug (14 April 2001). [http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?p=6480#post6480 Post 20] in ‘Welcome to Oddworld General Discussion’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="dannyDictionary">Danny (19 April 2001). [http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?p=7360&#post7360 Post 15] in ‘rumours’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="maxEnc">Max the Mug (17 April 2001). [http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?p=6884&#post6884 Post 19] in ‘hey! vital info on munch to be noted!’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="khanzStatus">TheKhanzumer (23 September 2002). [http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?p=87573&#post87573 Post 11] in ‘Look at this pic.’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="xavSekEnc">Xavier & Sekto Springs (21 June 2004). [http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?p=158090&#post158090 Posts 34] & 35 in ‘Centered around the poor side of Oddworld!’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="pedstatus">Wayback Machine (4 May 2006). Archive of Max the Mug (6 May 2004). ‘[http://web.archive.org/web/20060504005357/www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=10017 Oddworld Questions and Answers III]’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="paedist">Wayback Machine (5 May 2008). Archive of ‘[http://web.archive.org/web/20080505011113/http://www.oddworldforums.net/member.php?u=20 View Profile: Max the Mug]’. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="replevels">Alcar (20 March 2008). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=16758 Revamped Reputation Levels]’. Forum Suggestions & Help. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="swtitles">Oddworld Forums members (2–26 April 2006). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=13668 New Titles System]’. Employee Lounge. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="rules">Oddworld Forums members (13 July – 23 September 2010). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=19363 Forum Rules]’. Employee Lounge. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="firstmail">Oddworld Forums members (19 June – 25 August 2002). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=5391 first Oddworld mail!]’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="beforefom">Oddworld Forums members (29 September – 3 October 2002). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=6522 Map Of Oddworld]’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="heresfom">Wayback Machine (22 March 2003). Archive of Oddworld Inhabitants (19 February 2003). [http://web.archive.org/web/20030322165823/http://oddworld.com/ ‘What’s New’ February–March 2003]. Official Oddworld website.</ref>

<ref name="aboutfom">Oddworld Forums members (19 February – 8 March 2003). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=7486 Oddworld site updated...HAHA, I beat the fans...!!]’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="afterfom">Oddworld Forums members (1 – 3 March 2003). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=7533 Map of Oddworld]’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="oddtour2">Oddworld Forums members (12 July – 9 August 2004). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=10384 Amsterdam Oddworld Meeting (The Report) -56K Unfriendly-]’. Off-Topic Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="oddtour3">Oddworld Forums members (2–5 May 2008). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=16933 OddTour 3]’. Off-Topic Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="oddtour4">Oddworld Forums members (13 September – 8 November 2010). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=19651 OddTour 4]’. Off-Topic Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="farewell">Max the Mug (19 August 2002). [http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?p=82224#post82224 Post 44] in ‘Farewell’. Off-Topic Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="owfreturn">Max the Mug (14 September 2002). [http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?p=86136#post86136 Post 9] in ‘The slogan game’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="start2002elecs">Oddworld Forums members (20–26 August 2002). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=6120 Moderator Applications now Open!]’. Forum Suggestions & Help. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="end2002elecs">Oddworld Forums members (26 August – 8 September 2002). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=6202 Voting has begun!]’. Forum Suggestions & Help. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="start2003elecs">Oddworld Forums members (24 August – 17 September 2003). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=8825 New Moderator Nominations]’. Forum Suggestions & Help. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="end2003elecs">Oddworld Forums members (16–23 September 2003). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=8936 New Moderators]’. Forum Suggestions & Help. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="endofmod">Alcar (15 July 2005). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=12480 Staff Shifting and New Positions]’. Forum Suggestions & Help. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="smod">Alcar (1 February 2007). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=14947 New Off-Topic Mod & Zulag 1 SMod]’. Forum Suggestions & Help. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="admin">Alcar (15 January 2008). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=16485 TOL Sponsorship & Staff Changes]’. Forums Suggestions & Help. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="kennels">billy_squeek (2 July 2000). ‘[http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/exoddusclub/message/2451 My Webpage]’. Exoddus Club. Yahoo! Groups.</ref>

<ref name="scrabacombs">Max the Mug (22 April 2001). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=2722 Coming Soon - The Scrabacombs]’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="websiteEnc">Max the Mug (7 April 2002). [http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?p=58789#post58789 Post 10] in ‘There's more than one Shrink!?’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="firstfaq">Cloverfield (24 June 2003).  ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=8382 Oddworld FAQs:  READ]’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="TOLlaunch">Max the Mug (1 April 2006). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=13663 The Oddworld Library - grand opening]’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

<ref name="oddblog">Max the Mug (17 August 2003). ‘[http://oddworldlibrary.net/oddblog/2003/08/OddBlog_created OddBlog created]’. OddBlog. Oddworld Library.</ref>

<ref name="JAW">Bunce-Edwards, William (23 December 2011). ‘[http://www.oddworldforums.net/blog.php?b=3424 Job]’. Post on ‘A Max to Grind’. Blogs. Oddworld Forums.</ref>

</references>
[[Category:Fans of the Month]]
[[Category:Oddworld Forums staff]]
[[Category:Oddworld Library staff]]
[[Category:Annual Oddworld Forums Poster Awards winners]]
[[Category:Just Add Water employees]]