COMMAND & CONQUER 3 CHAT ON XFIRE WITH METALON, KNOLZ, APOLLO AND DACKEL
September 26th, Online.

Before stepping on stage to try and grab the 5th Xfire Trophy, our four contestants took part in a live chat with Xfire users. All very relaxed and open, the masters of strategy share their views on C&C, RTS and pro-gaming. And we'll even get a hint of what prospects a young C&C champion might head for, both in gaming and "real life". Meet in close details Metalon, Knolz, dignitas/Apollo and a-L|Dackel.

Maybe a bit of a broad question, any general tips?
dignitasapollo: My general tips would be practice, it’s the most basic way that everyone tells you, but it is so true. Practice makes perfect, you become more confident in your playing style and will overtime become more experienced and turn into a much better player.
Metalon: Watch a lot of replays from good players, and just basically play a lot. Experiment with units and build orders etc.

What is the most essential element in successfully defeating the enemy?
knolz: The build order is very important in CC3. If you miss your build order, you can lose! But micro takes a good part of the game too. So for me, the most essential element is the build order.

radu12345: What is your most preferred defence/attack unit? What is your most preferred race?
dignitasapollo: My favourite faction is Scrin, it always has been since the release of the game, Scrin looks so cool! Its great to play with as well, especially when you get late game and have access to their superior units. Tripods ftw!
dackelcc: My most preferred race is GDI. In the early game, I like to use APCs combined with engineers. In the later game, I use Mammoths and Firehawks. For defence I use, Sonic Emitters.
dackelcc: GDI: Sonic Emitters, Firehawks, APCs combined with engineers.

What playing styles have you guys adopted?
dignitasapollo: I like to be aggressive when possible, but on the other hands its always nice to sit around and get some of the Scrin late game units up which...

Carand: Do you play many different RTSes?
dignitasapollo: At the moment no, I do like to play battlefield2 every now and then to take out some noobs I will be looking into playing Starcraft 2 next.
Metalon: Not really. ATM I don’t got time for any other game than C&C3, though i like playing CSS from time to time.
knolz: I played WC3, but i only play C&C3 now. But I will reinstall SC & WC3 just for fun next week.

Pazy: Your comments make you sound like your bored with the game, is that an accurate assesment?
dackelcc: Yes, I don't really like the game to be honest. I am only playing the game still due to WCG and other events

radu12345: At what point do you like the game the most?
dignitasapollo: When the screen says "You are Victorious"

radu12345: In what skills do you excel in C&C 3?
dignitasapollo: I like my adaptation skills and my creativity, which you will see when these games are broadcasted =)

Colonel Tempest: what’s your favourite race/unit?
dignitasapollo: Scrin and LE mastermind
dackelcc: GDI, APC with engineer inside.
knolz: Scrin, but i think i will play all the races after Xfire Trophy ! Engineer is my favourite unit..

radu12345: In what skills do you excel in C&C 3?
knolz: I think I’m good in micro, because in WC3 the micro is very very important, maybe the most important thing in the game. But sometimes i make mistakes about micro, it happens.

zinho97: do u like the game?
dignitasapollo: Yea its ok =)

radu12345: What did you think when you saw how much space the game took?
dignitasapollo: Not much, I just installed it lol

Carand: Are the nice graphics essential or just a bonus? i.e. if the visuals would look like crap but the gameplay was still the same, would you still play cnc3 at such a high level?
dignitasapollo: I turn all graphics down to minimum. Yes I would play it, like Starcraft, not a good looking game but has the best gameplay ever, graphics don’t mean much to me =)
dackelcc: I don't care about the graphics, as long as...

Pazy: Do any of you drink weird space smoothies for energy while in tourneys?
dignitasapollo: lol not from home, at lans, I like to drink energy drinks
Metalon: Nothing else than a good bottle of coke

^&#125^ĐŗåģōʼnҐϊŕĕ: How did you guys come involved with sponsorship?
knolz: Yes, my team globalteam.esports has some sponsor for C&C3 crew.

Colonel Tempest: do you guys earn enough money playing competitively to live off?
dignitasapollo: No, not from cnc3. I have gained about $8000 from playing cnc3 over the past 6months which isn’t enough to live off. Gaming outside of Korea is not a well paid job. With the rise of the championship gaming series and the increase in the media, hopefully professional gamers will be spread across the world
knolz: Oh no. There are only few players who can live with the money they earn in gaming, so it's too difficult for a new game like CC3.

^&#125^ĐŗåģōʼnҐϊŕĕ: How did you guys come involved with sponsorship?
dignitasapollo: I got noticed about 7months ago when I won a couple of live tournaments, I was later approached to join dignitas. Being a part of this team makes life a lot easier with money and travelling.


^&#125^ĐŗåģōʼnҐϊŕĕ: Do you think Professional gamers will get paid better in the future?
knolz: yes of course.
dignitasapollo: Yes, gaming is becoming huge!

[Xfire] Artaxs: Are you guys planning on playing Starcraft 2? What's your favourite race from the original Starcraft?
dignitasapollo: Yea I will be playing it =) Terran for me atm

Ex1le: Do you spend time studying strategies?
Metalon: Yeah I use a lot of time with my friends to discover new strategies and building orders.

Colonel Tempest: do you feel that c&c3 lived up to your expectations
dackelcc: Regarding the game itself, I had expected a better game. Regarding the C&C3 events and everything around the game, I am satisfied
Metalon: Same as dackelcc.

Team Stealth | тєн0ωηαgє: what’s your favourite team, GDI, Nod or Scrin? ...

COUNTERSTRIKE CHAT ON XFIRE WITH XPLAYN
August 3rd 2007, Online.

Scandinavia is commonly acknowledged as the cradle of occidental Electronic Sports. Here is a chance to meet the nurses who have nurtured the wonder boys of Denmark since 2000. Guddo, team leader of NoA and his crew of tournament reporters from XplayN dig deep into the core of gaming. From their lives as e-sports columnists to the future of CS and CS:S and the most notorious moments they had the opportunity to experience, Phil, Guddo, Crash and Lizzard give us a chat to remember, in ten years of time, when it’s turned out big, where it all began...

Would you ever consider making the transition to focus primarily on Source?
Phil - XplayN.com: A transition to CS: Source seems quite radical with the current state of the CS 1.6-community, but we are always looking at the market and think of how we can develop. And there is CS:S a quite big subject for us since CGS seems like they will be there for a long time

How long have you been playing together?
guddo - XplayN.com: We are not playing any kind of game, we are working together - making an eSport site.


TheATXKiller: How powerful are your computers? Do you build them yourselves, or are they from brand names like Dell or Ibuypower?
Crash_ - XplayN.com: We put together our computers ourselves as it saves money and often gives you a better performance for less $

How does your normal day look like?
Phil - XplayN.com: I think it s rather different, for my sake I work for one of the biggest Internet Service Providers in Denmark, so I go to work like every normal person. When I get home I work a lot with XplayN, updating it with news from around the world.
guddo - XplayN.com: A normal day for me is working with eSport the whole day, including the news site XplayN and the gaming organisation Team NoA.

Snapy: Were there any time we you fort you would fold the whole thing??
Lizzard - XplayN.com: Actually not. Why should we? It has always been the community that has driven us, and the backup has...

Do you all consider Xplayn as your job or do most of you have other main sources of income (if Xplayn makes you any real money...) ?
guddo - XplayN.com: I can only speak for myself, when i say that XplayN is not my main income. I'm a part of the developing team and the tournament director, which is not my main income.

How does XplayN come into play with the growth of CS community in Denmark?
Lizzard - XplayN.com: XplayN.com is based on CS and pretty much more than 95% of our users play mainly CS. We do a lot of CS-activities and have a lively community so it pretty much work out in between CS and the site

What are some video games that you want to do coverage in the future?
Phil - XplayN.com: We are looking into both consoles, CS:S and a couple of more PC-titles, but we are waiting for the market to settle before making our choices (with CoD4 and ET:QW coming out soon we'd like to wait a little while)

Do you all consider Xplayn as your job or do most of you have other main sources of income (if Xplayn makes you any real money...) ?
Crash_ - XplayN.com: As it is right now XplayN is just a hobby with small benefits. Income goes it with expenses - but we all have a dream that we can live off of XplayN.com one day

How did you start off doing coverage??
Crash_ - XplayN.com: I started out at a small news site, I learned the basics of writing and then moved on to XplayN.com which is and always has been the leading site in Denmark and one of the most organized in Scandinavia

What kind of knowledge is required to do e-sports coverage?
Phil - XplayN.com: Well there are two things that are more important than everything else; 1. you have to be able to express yourself - and your feelings - in words. You have to be able to move people, engage them in the story you are writing. When you know how to do that you are a good writer
Phil - XplayN.com: Aaaaand
2. You have to know where you can get your stories, your exclusive stories
Crash_ - XplayN.com: Besides the obvious - which is of course to know a...

Who’s your fav cs player and why ??
Phil - XplayN.com: Must be Lancelot, he was the one I admired most when I was a kiddy playing public. The way he could throw the AWP was amazing (if you don't know him, try dig up some CB-demos from 1.3 from erratic, he's a monster)

Do you see yourself keeping this job over a period of years?
Crash_ - XplayN.com: I've been with XplayN.com for three or four years now and I expect that I'll be here at least three or four more years eSports and XplayN.com has a bright future
Phil - XplayN.com: Well I've worked on the site since late 2003 and I still enjoy it a lot. Right now I can't se myself working for any other community-site in the world.

Did you meet with some clan which was on your tournament or event and that wasn’t from Scandinavia ?
guddo - XplayN.com: I have now been travelling to internationally events for about 4 years - and yes, of course I’ve met several non-Scandinavian teams.

could you explain why Sca players rule cs?
Phil - XplayN.com: I think it is because fast paced games, especially FPS-games, have always appealed to Scandinavians. Must be our Viking-blood
guddo - XplayN.com: Yes its easy. They were the first to play the game, and since then, they strive to improve and perform the best as possible. Simple.

Snapy: Who are your main rivals (HLTV, Fragbite??)
Lizzard - XplayN.com: HLTV and Fragbite are our friends. We don’t really have any rivals in Denmark, and those who wants to rival usually end up whining about monopoly.
Crash_ - XplayN.com: Our main rival is meetYourmakers who recently launched their Danish community section. We don't regard HLTV.org has rivals actually they are more our partners. And Fragbite... well in my opinion it's the best community site in the world, so you could call them some sort of rival I guess

What crosshair scale/colour works best for you?
Phil - XplayN.com: Large and red, but trust me - it doesn't work very well for me
guddo - XplayN.com: Large, non translucent, white crosshair ftw :p
Crash_...

COUNTERSTRIKE CHAT ON XFIRE WITH XPLAYN REPORTERS
August 3rd 2007, Online.

What’s a better game cs or css big Q now days
guddo - XplayN.com: You cant compare those 2 games. CS:S is good in one way, 1.6 in another.
Crash_ - XplayN.com: Counter-Strike 1.6 definitely. The maps in CS: S have been altered far too much, not only have they been remodelled but they've also been stuffed with odd noises and all sorts of stuff floating around on the map.
Furthermore the aim in CS: Source is just bugged and god how I hate the flash bangs :p

are you studying or working besides xplayn?
guddo - XplayN.com: I'm working fulltime with eSports.


Do you work in your home or at an office?
Phil - XplayN.com: From home. But we gather a couple of times a year, doing some different work - and of course, unplugs a few beers and get mighty drunk

concerning competitive counterstrike do you think this scene has raised from its former glory to a bigger one or the scene has died out
guddo - XplayN.com: The interest avails, but CS:S are splitting into 2 sections.
Phil - XplayN.com: No one knows. The CS-scene is living from year to year. Will WCG support another season of CS 1.6, will ESWC? Will CPL turn around? No one knows until they have announced their games, so I would like to wait and see before answering that question
Crash_ - XplayN.com: Regarding the Danish CS 1.6 scene it is definitely on its way up after a period of hitting rock bottom. It's a combination of better structural circumstances, better LAN-parties (shgOpen fx) and of course a lot more ambitious players

awarequichotte: are you studying or working besides xplayn?
Lizzard - XplayN.com: I work as a teacher besides XplayN and extract every hour of my long and envied holidays in dedication to XplayN.
Crash_ - XplayN.com: I'll be starting fulltime at SteelSeries in a week. Just finished my education this summer (some might compare it to be a college graduate)

what kind of studies are you following if you're studying?
guddo - XplayN.com: I’ve been studying...

COUNTERSTRIKE CHAT ON XFIRE WITH "LES SEULES"
August 2nd 2007, Online.

Straight out of World Cup 2007 where they couldn't reach the final stage of a very tough CS:ladies tournament, despite losing only once to four wins in the first qualifying bracket, Les Seules show up for a unique series of chats on Xfire. Digging into the place of women in e-sports, their future as pro-gamers and their future as entertainers as seen on Playus.tv, they'll share their experience of gaming, in CS and in other games, training and living as a pro-gamer.
A thrilling hour of conversation with four brilliant, successful and charming young ladies about CS, computers and gaming. The accurate description of a nerd's ideal social intercourse.

{Oracle} Anime: have you played any pro teams from america and how was it like playing them?
seuleszelena: The only team we have played versus from America is SK.Ladies, at the esports world cup. We never practised vs any one The ping makes it sorta impossible to play any American teams seriously.

[SOS] sjk: Today, video games are more "favoured" by males. How does your gaming career influence females to play video games?
seulesaurora: I would hope that by showing the world that females can belong in a male dominated scene then we open the eyes of females and open opportunities for them to play. Already now one can see an increase in female gaming (at least in counterstrike) compared to when i first started. I think there were maybe 40 female players on a world wide level that knew about each other. Now it’s hundreds of females.

-[BW]- stoned™: How do you think the source scene can grow bigger?
seulesaurora: I think that in time it will grow bigger by itself. I mean all the right elements are there apart from the huge tournaments. Once sponsors and more lucrative prize money enter the source scene, you will automatically get more and more people changing to the game.

Kintaro: What were the first games you ever played, and what started off your...

#CoMpulsive - Ŗīp: Outside of gaming do people notice u from counter-strike and ask for autographs or do u just live a normal life?
seuleszelena: Yes sometimes people does recognize us - I have been recognized on the street in Copenhagen, and also in clubs when going out. I don’t enjoy it much because it feels weird being known by people you don’t know yourself. We don’t see ourselves as famous, so it doesn’t come natural to us, to sign autographs and such - we have done that more than once though.

-[BW]- stoned™: will source ever take over 1.6 concerning the professional gaming?
seulesaurora: I think eventually it will take over the professional scene, although i think that CS 1.6 will be played for years to come. I still know people that are playing 1.3 for example

[SOS] sjk: Did you see yourself playing in a professional gaming competition, or did you have other ambitions?
seulessophie: No I did not plan on becoming a professional gamer its kind of a side step i just happen to slide in on. My plans were and are to become a fashion designer.

#CoMpulsive - Rip: When you have kids would u allow them to play this game? if u don’t already
seulescazzidy: well, that’s a tuff question when u do not have children urself. But it would depend a lot on the age of my kids and also if they wanted something from it, like becoming professional. I would accept them playing but maybe I wouldn’t like it much if it would ruin for the school and education. Its hard to tell your children no! I know that, cause my parents always hated me playing but I just never listened. My goal was to become something within gaming and I wanted to be the best all the time.

Snapy: were you happy with your place at ESWC ?
seulesaurora: Yes and no.
Yes in the fact that we were not even supposed to be there, and actually didn’t play for 1 month before the even. No because we didn’t win the freaking thing (which is something we have been striving for since the day we started this clan)

Gilnar\Gilring: what do you...

last.breath -> Yaourt: do you enjoy sport ?
seulescazzidy: I really enjoy sport. I used to do figure skating, football and handball when I was younger and I also know that all the other girls has been into sports before too. I really miss playing football which is my favourite sport. One bootcamp we had we were watching the world champion in football on tv. All of us sitting together cheering for our countries

Desidiosus: haha, aurora a secret dream of becoming a singer? =P
seulesaurora: If you watch the TV show you will see my dreams of becoming a singer being shattered. I am a horrible singer

{ G.0.D}Tru7h: What’s your favourite sport?
seulessophie: physical? ye, I enjoy going to the gym and snowboard.

#CoMpulsive - Ŗīp: Do you ever consider yourself over obsessed with games as being a girl gamer
seulesaurora: I think I’m over obsessive with everything i do. Mainly because i always attempt to give 100% in no matter what i put my mind to.

NeonSoldierX: Would you like a character based on your appearance in a game? Or your whole team?
seulesaurora:HELL YEAH! How cool would that be!!!!

Ninjur: What is the best way to practice by yourself, and how often should you???
seulescazzidy: When I practice by myself I play a lot of public (FFA) . I also play aimmaps and mixes/cups and so on, clanbase ladder with friends or people that are better who you can learn from.

??¢?: Would any of you leave Les Seules to play for another team?
seulessophie: Never, we are family!

Desidiosus: what is your favourite "genre" besides fps?
seulesaurora: Strategy or like those tycoon games where you can build an empire and earn shitloads of monetos!!
seuleszelena: I enjoy MMORPG - I’ve played both Dark age of Camelot and World of Warcraft.

-[BW]- stoned™: What music type do u listen to.. d:
seulesaurora: I listen to trance mostly

#CoMpulsive - Rip: Do any of ur boyfriends say ur obsessed with the game or dot hey playa long with you?
seulessophie: Well, my boyfriend plays...