Profile |
Popularly known As: St4rk
WiC Team: KGB
AoC and Past Life |
St4rk: Hmm, ok. I'm brazilliam, my closest friends call me Ever, i'm 23 years old, and i'm trying to finish college and become an industrial engineer. Aoc is my hobbie, maybe my passion.. I play this game since i was like 12-13 years old. And i really feel good when i'm playing it ^^
Btw, this interview will probably have the largest count of grammar and sintax errors, so i hope readers can forgive me for that 11
Ashby: 11, dont worry about it, if you can say "Grammar and sintax errors" you English is more than good enough for this interview
St4rk: uff, feel much better now 11
Ashby: So, you said AoC is your passion. How exactly did you come across AoC?
St4rk: Well 11, this is going to be weird. When i was like 7-8 years gold (about 1998-1999) i remember visiting my father at work, and the guys on the office were in launch time(or maybe just being lazyass 111) and they were playing a computer game against each other.. i noticed they had some small guys fighting each other, killing animals, building stuff... (it was AOE1 !! ). And i had this image with me, at the time i didn't have a computer, and there were no lan houses yet (2-3 years late they just boom and happens to be a lot!)
In 2001 i think, i found a game-magazine, that had a cd with some demo's of games 11, and there was a game named age of empires II in it! i wanted to try it, installed... and that was my favorite thing to do by that time 11, it tooks me age to beat william wallace scenarios! (like a year!). In 2002 or 2003 i got internet conection (56k lol 11) and there was a real popular chat, where people gather (mIRC), it doesn't take long to realize there was big roons (most likely what medieval siege is today..) only with brazillians playing.. and then i started playing aoc ^^
So basically i knew i would be a lazy guy playing a weird game 16 years ago!
Ashby: Good bless the Magazine, that gave the community a player like st4rk
St4rk: It also had a car game, i'm terrible at other games 1111 i don't even have a video game or play other stuff....
I played like 4 games my whole life, but aoc is forever, others were small distractions 11
Ashby: AoC FTW! 11, so when and how did you start becoming a Super-Expert
St4rk: It seens i haven't yet 111
Well, when i started playing in mIRC, i had absolute 0 knowledge about english, so it was pretty impossible for me to sign up and play on ms zone... and in IRC games were divided by scenario games (gwars on blood, germs blood...) arabia games (mostly were ara 11) and oasis/fr other maps... each of "big teams" had his own channel, and it's experts.... i was rly enjoying to play, but i was always getting my ass kicked 11 then i realized (after like 6 months of it.. ) that it was possible to watch record games! (yes, i'm really slow learner 111 ). Since my internet was 56k, (brazillians can relate..) i only played on weekends! because it was cheaper... so i spent the week watching record games of IRC experts! (1600-1700 or 1800-1900 max! in ms-zone 111) and i started getting better... after some time friends helped me creating an ms-zone account, and i achieved a 1400 rating! (yeah, i was insane man!) then i start walling an towering like a whore, and using massive hussars on imp (pretty much what i do today -.-) and went from 1400 to 1750! in few time 111
When i was an expert! (oh cmon, 1750 on brazillian mIRC... i beat hell out of guys 11111 ) i discovered ladder room, and started playing team games... for a long time didn't play rated games, just learn to boom, to micro.... and started playing more team games... after that i start playing mayan, became a mayan whore and achieved 2k! (drush fc only!)
(actually, it's pretty much what i do today 111)
St4rk: this was in 2004-2005
Ashby: that sounds like a preety nice thing to do, maybe i will try that in my games now 11, So when did you make the to 2200?
St4rk: Back in my story, i'm already a 2k mayan whore 111, ms-zone is down.. i start playing on igzones, (got smtg like 1850 1900 there...) Igzones is down -.-.
Stopped for more time... and join college... in college vacations (smtg like 2-3 months 11) i had nothing to do... and re-installed aoc... started watching games, learning new strategys, became a more boomer player... and suddenly i was a 2k player, and joined a team that few might remember, called Viper! it was the only team that compete with rvk by the time, players were Viper_Jordan, Viper_Daut, Viper_Bling, Viper_Dogao, Viper_Gary (know some of those names? 1111) it was basically the "tyrant" for like 6 months -.- 11111111, my nickname was Viper_Primera, and i could sneak into some of jordan, dogao's, and other guys games, and could understand a bit more about the game ^^.
After it ended, i start playing as Nigelslack, both on mIRC and voobly, and reached 2200, playing mostly team games... my 1v1 attenpts were frustrated by an rvk rookie, they called him rvk_theviper, that mfucker won much sets vs me... and i was starting to get pissed 11... but stopped playing ag...
(During that time, i basically played only in college vacations, so i played like 2-3 months, than stoped for 4... back for 1 month.. stoped for another 4...) so it was really hard to participate in any tournaments or smtg like that...
When i got more time avaiable, I came back and join buzz, there i played with guys like TheViper, Sletten, Geen... and we won an aocliga..., after that i join RVK, and start playing together with dogao, chris, feage.. and other strong guys, by that time i was able to reach 2.4k and play tourneys with RVK ^^
i remember playing early stages of TTW, the invitational SY tourney (that was probably the one who originates the new sy_nations cup (3rd) ), and more recently played the medieval wars(2nd). More recently rvk ended and i played nations cup tagless with fire-riut-goku(2nd)
not to mention the 5-6 rtsl leagues we won in rvk 1111 and i keep playing 11, that noobie theviper keeps getting lucky and aoc goes on
Ashby: 11, that ending was just awesome 11
Ashby: What is the most memorable game you have played?
St4rk: oh, i have many memorable games 11, one i really like was the first time i beat a "famous" guy, a game i played vs ruso (maya war), beating him make me so proud 11, i was a unknown brazillian guy, who only played maya 11 that was really nice... but nothing special about the game... some games i remember because of how hard they were, how we had to push ourselfs (from that you can know i'm talking about team games 11).
There was a Land Nomad vs CKF(Tim's team..) in the Sy invitational tourney... game was 3h+ long, and we won in the end... it was memorable because it was the first time i felt so tired during a game 11
and my favorite right now is a Nomad game in Nations Cup, vs Brasil B(yes, B, deal with it (cool)). At some point fire was half-dead, riut dead in a spot without gold/stone... Goku being tripled 11, i was stuck between boomed persian and china 11 and brazil B, manage to have twice our population! (we were so behind 11). Then we started slinging Goku, fire, riut, even me doing a half-sling, and he fought of the whole brazil team, and we slowly get back to game 11 we ended up winning this game, and finishing then in a 3-1 score ^^. I honestly feel bad it wasn't choosed as best game of Nations Cup! :^)
Ashby: 11.. sounds like gg i remember the comments of the game.. GOKU SUPER STRONG!!!
St4rk: was also nice because, when playing with players like RiuT and Fire, me and goku were stated as "the weak part of brazil A", and ppl even think we were just being carried away 11, that set prove the opposite (yeah, fire and riut sux, that's what i mean)
Ashby: 111.. 2k4myass vs TyRanT Warlords xD the mindgames are awesome
Ashby: ok, who is your favourite old expert in AoC and why?
St4rk: 111 true, we did a good set
St4rk: my Favorite expert... hard question.. in past it was MyST_BT4. a really strong player, loved his games 11, also DauT... i was a 1450 when i first find out there were guys that strong playing 11, DauT, Chris, MyST_Iori... man what big names 11, Iori was an awesome guy, i see a lot of "IORI style" in RiuT play, specially in huns team games 11, (mostly when IORI was playing in bsk with some newbies like that depthbomb guy.. what a burden...)
Nowadays i'm a big fan of kkab, specially because of his game knowledge, his focus and his passion for the game, an interview with him would always be welcome and ofc, i like all guys who are stronger than me 11, because i feel so happy when i fight a stronger guy ^^ i feel there is much i can learn, there is yet much to explore in this awesome game, (stronger guys than me, and bact aswell, which is not included in first group ofc...)
War is Coming |
St4rk: i was expecting an event, there were rumours about an event, before sy nations cup 11 (that's why u saw teams like avengers, even warlords to be formed..., small rumours can do a LOT 1111). But when it was announced, i was shocked by the prize... i was already shocked by nations cup, so WIC was even a bigger surprise, i also get so excited to play it! and i want so bad to play more games on WIC ^^
Ashby: 11, So whats been your best WiC related moment so far?
St4rk: my best WiC related moment was gathering the crew 1111
During and after nations cup, me and goku talked a lot, and we were seriously thinking of playing next tourney, but we needed more players.... after months of flerting with Ra & Hasan (we even schedule some swing.) We played vs them in SLU, and gather together!, We also found Alive looking for a team, and Ra & Hasan brought Whack!!!!. Goku also bring a reinforcement, (Leo), he won a nations cup with Dogao & RiuT some years ago, he is more known as rusty_leo, and is a really skilled team gamer!. But our biggest trumph card is our dinamic DM duo, Hecto and Praxes, who are recognized by their skills, and respected in dm community as long date experts ^^ so for me the best moment till now is to sign up a group made of such strong names!
Ashby: Sounds like a preety strong team , so where do you see yourself reaching in WiC?
St4rk: Well, we were settled as one of the 8 strongest teams! so our main goal for sure, is to be among the 8 strongest teams in tourneys. I'm not aiming for #1, our team is really new, we barely practiced as a team yet... we are what's left from two teams (immortals and brasil A), so if we can grow as a team during this tourney, i'll be happy enough ^^
Ashby: hmm, the WiC Mod and nerfing of sling, is slinging still worth it? do you like the change??
St4rk: well, at first, i'm against it 11, i think nerfing is bad. i rather see counter-strategys being developed instead of balance modifications 11, so answering the second question, i don't like it! haha, it's against my beliefs on aoc. But.. yes, sling still worth in some cases, we already seen even tyrant losing to it in WiC haha
Ashby: 11, very true, in that context asking, Do you think TyRanT is almost unbeatable like the previous tournament? or have other teams now come at par with them?
St4rk: Well, i believe that they achieved the status of best team... but maintaining it is harder than obtainind it... they are sure the most sucessfull team in last years, but they have two main antagonists. Sy, which gather a strong line-up, leaded by vg_paladin, and with many talents. A consistent team play and lots of practice!. Second problem for them is the monster they've crated 11, the warlords, tyrant war results were pretty close! and only shows how powerfull they are, so this tourney will be surely harder than last ones for tyrant, but i still think they might win! (but who knows! )
Ashby: 11. point accepted .
Ashby: And the WiC Map Pack, do you think it is a good set of maps? any grievances?
St4rk: haha that's a tricky question, first because i don't know what grievances means anyway, but it seens like smtg fancy for dislike!
Well, every tourney, a new set of maps is made, CoT Map Pack, SY_Map Pack... we also have old map packs like ultrarandom, megarandom...
The point is, there are two perspectives about maps,
1 - the player perspective
2 - the administrator, the viewers, the sponsor... perspective
My opinion comes from the player perspective. I belive many maps on WiC are not ready for competitive games, we have lots of bugs, problem with resources, positions, totally unfair maps like the old ancient lake (new one is a expanded rooster like map... totally different from the older one, which shows it was a bad idea 11). Many players state that WiC is a failure, that maps are unfair... they have lots of unfair situations, lots of problems.. that it should've be used in tourneys.... But i also have a counterpoint do that... this week i was playing full random (the original set of maps!) i played two continentals (unfair because of fish position...) 1 migration (unfair waswell...) a coastal (enemy could fish in 75% vs me in 25% when we both did our best docks... a totally unfair scandinavia... a unfair salt marsh @@...... all this Week 11...
Also, i remember restarting regicide fortress like 3-4 times in the medieval wars finals! because of trapped resources, and bugged maps ^^ so... there is no such thing as "failproff or unfairness-proff map. or map pack...) all maps have problems.
This week i heard from taff,when discussing with me/juan the second perspective, that this sets of maps, those inovations, new ways of playing, is basically what helps to most to get visibility to the events, and sponsors, so from admin perspective WiC is a success... when u see it from that point (i won't extended myself too much on that because it's not my view, and i don't want ppl to judge it when some1 like me talk, it would be better to ask wic staff!).
Ashby: ok, nice to have insight from an expert about maps
Ashby: Tell us your top 8 WiC teams prediction, in order.
St4rk: Hhaha, this top8 prediction is like a dark room (tyrants will get it, cause they're fags.). I doubt i can predict it correctly, but let me try
1 - TyRanT Legends
2 - TyRant Junior (you may know as Warlords)
3 - Sy
4 - KGB
5 - Legion
6 - CKF
7 - Poz
8 - VNS A
St4rk: i would be fine with this final standings 11 would make sense to me
AoC and Present Life and Drinking :P |
St4rk: Drinking and party like a insane (cool)
Ashby: 11, i had heard from you but i would like to confirm it, is it true that you played almost every Nations Cup game drunk? 11
St4rk: 111111111111 **** this is bullshit, all team played it drunk, i remember a round RiuT paused a game like 2-3 times to trow up, Goku was always hangover...... So this is a lie! but i can assure you that we only played 1-2 sets with whole team sober 11
Ashby: 11, so for all viewers, more alcohol = better at aoc
St4rk: no 11, don't drink and play guys, you might end playing like Fire... don't do it!
also, if you are not feeling ok, wall and sling, arg did it a lot but because they are pussys, we did it for alcohool reasons...
Ashby: 111 xD secret to Brazil A success, get the team drunk so that they have to sling 11, i have to try that in my games tomorrow, 11
St4rk: man, i must say, playing a big tourney like nations cup, wic.. is exausting 11, I remember weekends, where instead of relaxing, i was playing vs arg from 10 a.m to 10 p.m.... it's real haaard, you are playing for hours, at high level, hard to keep ur best performance....
Ashby: 11, ok, this makes me ask as i really want to know, do you have a girlfriend?
Ashby: (because if i play from 10am to 10pm at any moment my girl would probably drop a nuke on me)
St4rk: Atm i don't 11, which is nice, but when i was in rvk i had, what a pain 11 i rather have 2-3 "special friends" than 1 gf 1111
How can you drink for 12 hours on saturday, play for 12 on sunday, and have a girlfriend? that's insane...
main reason we lost to SY was RiuT's gf and Fire's bf, they could've carried the team if they were free! (yes free, not single... i'm not mistaken about that word...)
Ashby: 11
St4rk: My advice for aoc players, don't get a gf, it sux after sometime, get friends, get drunk, get ladys! and get stronger 11
Ashby: 11, god blessed me with a aoc loving girlfriend recently, so i can get away with most of my gaming, but 12 hours would be too insane 11
Ashby: ok, another question that just clicked my head, do you have the problem with using aoc taunts in real life?
St4rk: well 11, yes i do... mostly 1, 2 and 11..... in the old msg mensager, i put an laughing emoticon as "1111" so everytime i spammed a 1111111111111111111111 it only appers lots of emoticons, some of my closest friends get so used to my "1111" that some of them starting using it, without even knowing how is the original "11"
Ashby: 11, age of mods, lots of mods have been released in recent times, have you tried any of them? which is your favourite?/
St4rk: Yes, i've tried, i've played some versions of forgotten empires, when i was just a mod, i've played carlos balance patch mod, and even the arabia tourney on that mod ^^, i've enjoyed the games, but i keep my position about game modifications...
St4rk: i detailed my opinion in this feedback post for TAC - The Arabian Conquest, played in AoC balance patch. Post can be found here: viewtopic.php?f=937&t=104850#p378982
Ashby: What's your opinion on the Polaris Series 2k+?
St4rk: I like that, i like to challenge strong players, to test my best vs their best... in rated, it's not possible, some get lazy, some like viper are just trolling around... so this is the opportunity to push some strong names to their limit, as soon as i saw it i got interested in... i've tried to play the bo5 steel series but i was only voted once 11 (played vs viper, was 3-1 to him, lost 2 won games, ****in lucky bastard norwayan faggot ice butt noob,) and couldn't play it anymore =( . Btw, not that you are asking it but, main reason BO5 Steel series failed, is that players always delay the schedule, and we had like a month to see the bo5 -.- so ppl lost interest in it... basically, the prize helps a bit the players to schedule it properly (because most of them are lazy ass...) but an admin time is a solution. I'm really excited to play it, and i might even up my rating a bit to see if i get lucky in the pools, i've already seen so many big names ^^ i'm itching for some fight..
Ashby: 11, good to know its gaining some interest from experts
Ashby: okay, we have come to the ending part of the interview, lets play a little game
St4rk: oh, let's try! haha
Ashby: its easy, i will tell u a word and you will tell me anything you think related to the word, dont think too much, just short quick answers
St4rk: oh, ok 11 but u're asking for it...
Ashby: 11.. ok lets start
Ashby: 1. AoC
St4rk: nice ^^
Ashby: 2. Drinking
St4rk: i must
Ashby: 3. DauT vs Chris
St4rk: two old legends and current monsters
Ashby: 4. Goku vs St4rk
St4rk: the beast and the beauty
Ashby: 11.. 5. Voobly
St4rk: greatest achievment in aoc history
Ashby: 6. War is Coming
St4rk: The battleground!
Ashby: 7. TheViper
St4rk: he decayed a bit on his play.. 24
Ashby: 8. Miley Cyrus
St4rk: who that **** is that i maybe hit her if she's hot... hit *on her, omg.. i'm not spancking anyone 1111
Ashby: 1111111111111 9. Ashby
St4rk: Indian Taff
Ashby: O_O you flatter me. 11 10. last one, Future of AoC
St4rk: Future of aoc is beautifull... ^^ i'm expecting even greater times
Ashby: , ok on a closing note anything you would like to tell your fans
St4rk: haha, i waited so bad for that... i have a big (how was that fancy word? nevermind...), i'm disapointed with smtg that happen in aoc, some time ago... and i would like to use this space to comment on it
Ashby: ya sure
St4rk: I'm not trying to be #1, i never did... but i always wanted to be strong enough to make a real game with #1, with #2.... #3.... i really love playing, the stronger enemy is, the strongest i get... problem is, most of those guys, only play at their best, in tourneys, like GML, CoT (i'm expecting polarisss ^^). So i either practice with then when those tourneys are on, or i play vs them on the tourneys. Some time ago, don't remember exactly how much ,maybe 2 years? TEL was created, and to fight in TEL, only the strongest players would be invited, there was created a list, if i'm not mistaken, with 10-14 names ( i think 14)... the ones who donate, could vote in a player, so many sponsors gather up, and choose riut, lojza, bact, fire... those guys, aswell as hasan, slam, and all others who participated on TEL, had a chance to participate, and were voted/sponsored to
I'm really sad because that list of 10-14 players that could be voted to it, never had my name... i would like to knew what criterea was used, i remember having a higher rate than 50% of guys at the time, i could play vs them, even if i was not choosed to, i would like to have my name on that list, so if some1 think i could play vs them and donate.. (even myself 11) i could be among those guys, and play vs their 100% power....
So i'm asking for an answer, what criterea was made to open that pool with 14 players, what i had to do to be among them? at the time, i considered myself as strong as at least half of them. What were the criterea? rating? last tourney placements? past achievments? personal donation? who picked them? and what was my mistake not to be part of it?
If anyone involved on that could answer, that was probably the only time i was sad about AoC 11
Ashby: but on a last note, i will have an interview with TheViper in the near future, so anything you would like to ask him??
St4rk: Yep, i want to ask why his overall play in TEL Finals was worse than his performance in TEL1.
Want do know if he agrees with this, and if he does or doesn't, to talk a bit about that 11
Ashby: 11, ok thank you for being with us for this interview
Ashby: best of luck for War is Coming
St4rk: np, i have many storys on aoc, so i avoided saying much names, hope no1 gets pissed with me 11, i have all names and historys on my hearth, but this is an interview not an aoc biography 11
St4rk: ty for interviewing me, always wanted to answer some question (and make others