Welcome, Lavie_Head and LB10 as representation of Austria A in the upcoming Nations Cup. This will be my first try at having an interview with two people, so let’s see how it goes. I know that Liereyy is Austria’s top star, but he has been covered a lot already recently, so that’s why I chose to contact the two of you.
When I started AoC in a Russian community around 2010 I used the nickname Futbolka and most people from that time remember me under that name.
LB10: LB stands for my initials and the 10 used to be my football number. Lately I played some games on FranceNo2, but those are my only accounts.
What bothers me apart from the game quality, is that the competitive scene might split with many players from South America and Asia unable to run the DE and AoE if they have weaker hardware.
LB10: I turned 24 in August and played all the AoK and AoC campaigns and some fun LAN games when I was around 10-12. When it came out again on Steam in April 2013, I instantly pre-ordered it and play online since then. In 2014 I switched to Voobly.
I never touched any other AoE game and I'll just sit back and take a look first at DE before being able to judge. I haven't played the beta and I feel pretty neutral about it.
Lavie_Head: I briefly played with the Russian clan VIC. And then with NaBs.
a) Can you tell a bit about the state of Nadya’s Boys and what happened to the team since 2016? Zuppi, Rubenstock and Pike are playing for Suomi, so it’s understandable that they are kind of out. But Nick, mentalist and Spaden are there, Lojza comes back from time to time. 8th wonder is at least active on AoEZone sometimes. Is there still a competitive future for the team? What needs to happen for 8th wonder to really come back?
Lavie_Head: Everyone in NaBs were still very active in 2017 I would say. Our last biggest team tournament was Clan Masters in 2016.
But wonder was the one who glued us up together in a special way, and I don’t think a comeback is happening unless he returns. Sadly, you can’t make a living from AoC and we’ll see more people quitting as time goes. I would say NaBs is history.
But some of us have become good friends outside of the game and I believe we will stay so for years to come.
[If you are interested in more info about Nadya’s Boys, you can read this old interview: https://www.aoezone.net/threads/interview-with-nadya-wic-nabs-and-others.106500/]
It has also changed me in many ways, I believe. The distance between me and my family made me more independent and gave me confidence in myself. I have learned how to cook, changed many jobs, got to travel more.
I'd also say I am better in TGs than in 1v1s.
Lavie_Head: My strongest stage of the game is Castle Age and this explains my preferences when it comes to playstyle. The most comfortable game scenario on Arabia for me is going semi-defensive scouts + skirms followed by an early Castle Age with kts/camels. If the matchup allows me to do that I could safely take games from 195+ players. But I am not very flexible and I find it hard to make strategic choices in early stages of the game when you are low on resources and small decisions/mistakes can decide the outcome. I am terrible at forwarding and defending against it. There are also too many things in the “equation” in Feudal: your map, opponent’s map, civs matchup etc. Somehow, the equation works easier for me once I hit Castle Age.
Other than that, my playstyle has followed the general trend :D. I used to play 1v1 Huns war non stop when it was the thing, and m@ rush every game more recently. Also, I have been a huge fan of slam’s build orders and I would adopt his style if I could pull it off as perfectly as he does.
Honestly, only the lack of time I spend playing nowadays. I'll take it more casual in the future.
Lavie_Head, you have always been known more as a team game player instead of a 1v1 player? Why?
Lavie_Head: I have probably played waaay more 1v1s than tgs in total and I have reached 2k once, but I prefer to duel in secrecy ^^ It is also true that I have always seen 1v1s mainly as a means to improve my general skill and be able to get better in team games.
Lavie_Head: I use a 6-year-old Asus laptop, LG monitor, Razer Deathadder mouse and a Cooler Master keyboard.
I used to stream on/off over the last 2-3 years. On average maybe once a week. I think it's rather simple, I do PoV streams of 1v1s or TGs 95% of the time. I also always try to stream my PoV in tournaments, but it's really tough for me to even get a spot lately, haha.
Rarely, I do stream some online poker tournaments as well.
But I really like my Twitch viewers, they are super chill. Shoutout to them <3.
Generally speaking the AoE 2 community is awesome. I've already met so many nice people over the last years, also a lot irl.
I think that's the main reason why I kept playing for so long.
Lavie_Head: I have set up a channel on Twitch and streamed a couple times a few years ago. Unfortunately, my laptop does not make streaming an enjoyable experience and now I don’t have the time to commit to it either.
Not so long ago I finally grew to appreciate that it was a special place to grow up in at a special time: in between communism and capitalism, being the last generation born in the USSR and experiencing how the Soviet way of living passes away. I had the happiest childhood you can wish for but when I think about it now, with full knowledge of what my country and my family had gone through in the early 90s, I realise what a difficult time it was.
Minsk is still one of the most soviet-looking capitals left on Earth. We haven’t truly broken away from the soviet past, you can still find the biggest Lenin statue standing in the middle of the city and department stores with the vibe from the 80s. One can say that European capitals have way more history on their streets and buildings left unchanged for generations. But sometimes 30 years happens to be “longer” than 300. Minsk was fully destroyed in the Second World War and most of the monuments and buildings in the city are relatively young. And yet they belong to a different world.
In other words, come visit before it is all gone!
LB10: I am from Vienna, Austria, and have lived there all my life. Since two weeks I'm in Valencia and will stay there until July for an Erasmus year. I study music, classical guitar in performance and pedagogics to be precise.
I've always loved living in Vienna and most likely want to stay there for the rest of my life. I feel really lucky to be born there.
The city itself is nice to visit, but even better to live in. It's clean, has rather low criminality and the public transport system is amazing.
Lavie_Head: I guess I answered this question above for Minsk instead .
What concerns Vienna, it has been ranked number one city in the world in terms of quality of life for many years in a row! It is very cosy, neither big nor small, has an amazing public transport, lots of woods nearby. The crime rates are low, there is a lot of culture and history around but it is not as hectic and busy as megalopolises like Paris or London. Also if you live here, you are just a few hours ride away from the Alps and Alpine lakes and meadows!
Let us know when you come to Vienna again - we shall show you around!
LB10: What Nadya said basically :P
So better take your chance to come if you have the possibility and we will do part 2 of this interview irl in some years :D
It was just hypothetical, but I am sure that with small children I would definitely consider Vienna a city to work and live in in the near future, if I have the chance. I would probably not want to stay there for very long though, since I also want to try something that is a bit more different than Denmark and Germany.
Lavie_Head: Austria is one out of 5 officially neutral countries in the EU. It means Austria can’t belong to any military alliance and can’t host any foreign military bases on its territory.
Another interesting fact: In Vienna almost one in two children don't speak German as their mother language!
Lavie_Head: coffee and more coffee. Food would be pastries and all sorts of baked stuff, british pies, dishes with mushrooms and sushi
LB10: I don't have a favourite food or drink. There are only 3-4 things I don't like, everything else is fine, I'm not too picky.
I think you will find a lot of new things to try in Spain then, if you haven’t already.
Which foods from your home country/region and family background would you recommend?
Lavie_Head: from Slavic cuisine: soups (mushroom soup, beetroot soup), Mochanka (meat based stew served with pancakes), draniki (potato pancakes), babka (baked grated potato pie).
Not a fan of Austrian cuisine really. Maybe try Austrian Goulash. And don’t go for Sachertorte, it is overrated and not worth it, 11.
LB10: The most famous Austrian food would probably be the Wiener Schnitzel, my grandmother makes them from time to time with a classic potato salad… mjam
What can you cook well yourself and how often do you do it?
Lavie_Head: Something worth trying would be my soups (chicken soup or peas soup) and banana pancakes. I practically cook for myself all the time, but I prefer simple dishes with few ingredients and that’s not something you can impress with. Right now I am experimenting a bit with curries, trying to learn how to make a good one. In Belarus not many people know what curry is, but in Austria it is really common.
Well, depends on how it tastes. As a student I always cooked myself, now I am married since a bit more than 3 years, so my wife also cooks (both of us do). But both as a student and as a parent I did not have much time to spend on cooking. So the main factors are that it is healthy and tastes good. I’m quite sure things with few ingredients can taste good although they are not looking like something you prepared for hours.
How are the banana pancakes? I know 2 kinds. One would be to just slice the banana and have fried banana pieces with the pancakes. The other one which I got to know in Indonesia this year and really liked were not really pancakes, but more like mashed bananas with some flour and then deep-fried.
Lavie_Head: Mine are 3-ingredient pancakes: one large banana, 2 eggs, two tablespoons of oatmeal and some baking powder. I also like to add some cinnamon. Simply blend the ingredients together and fry them on a pan. You get legit fluffy pancakes if you do everything right and they taste amazing!
LB10: Actually I wanted to become a chef when I was younger, so I always was interested in cooking. Usually I try to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen, but I try it to be somewhat balanced and healthy. Now, I cook once a day, when living at my parents much less.
What would you put on top of a pizza?
Lavie_Head: a lot of cheese (Brie in particular) and mushrooms
LB10: Mozzarella, onions, and some kind of ham. But again, I like most of them, so I always change.
What is your favourite colour? (Does not need to be one of the 8 AoE II colours.)
LB10: Teal in AoE, maybe a nice sunset orange irl.
Lavie_Head? Lavie_Head: i don’t think I have one.
What is your favourite animal?
Lavie_Head: Dogs and alpacas. And my cat!
LB10: I don't really have any, maybe koalas? They are cute.
What/where is your favourite place on Earth?
Lavie_Head: My grandparents’ summer house in Nikolaev, a city near the Black Sea in southern Ukraine. My happiest and warmest childhood memories come from there.
LB10: Vienna and a small town in northern France called Wimereux. My mother has a house there where I usually spend 4-5 weeks in summer.
What is your favourite song at the moment, of all time (can be top 5)?
LB10: Random order of all kind of music styles:
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Snow
Arctic Monkeys: Do I Wanna Know?
Roland Dyens: Tango en skai
A. Dvorak: New World Symphony /4th movement
E. Lalo: Cello Concerto in D Minor
Lavie_Head: I can name my favourite bands - Rise Against, Imagine Dragons, Jimmy Eat World (older albums), A-ha, Coldplay, Much the Same, Milencolin.
What is your favourite movie at the moment, of all time (can be top 5)? Who is you favourite actor?
LB10: Lord of the Rings trilogy and Star Wars 1-3, no favourite actor.
Lavie_Head: Lord of the Rings, Leon the Professional, Pi, Life Is Beautiful, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien. I love space sci-fi and fantasy. Natalie Portman.
Do you have a favourite sports team? (football, basketball etc.)
Lavie_Head: No.
LB10: Yes, SK Sturm Graz in Austria. Borussia Dortmund internationally.
What are your favourite traits on a man/woman?
LB10: Honesty and being able to make me laugh.
Lavie_Head: sense of humour, intelligence, passion (for life/hobby/profession) and a bit of nerdiness. And glasses would be a good bonus.
LB10: During the week around 1-2 if I have to wake up early, if not it can get up to 4-5, depending on what I do. Sometimes I play poker at the casino until 7 because then they serve free breakfast, hahaha.
Most of the time I just check social media and then fall asleep to a FIFA, poker or AoE stream rather fast.
With Central Asia, do you mean Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan? I’m not sure if people count Mongolia as central Asia or not. But I have friends from Mongolia and Uzbekistan and I would like to see those places too. They are not so famous, but look fascinating, a mixture from what you now from further to the West (Russia), the East (China) and South (Arabic countries).
Lavie_Head: Yes, all the above! I have become more interested in the history of the USSR recently and especially those parts of it that have a complicated history of joining the union and then breaking away. All Central Asian republics fall into this category. Not mentioning the amazing nature in the region!
LB10: I've been to a lot of countries in Europe, but never outside.
I'd like to visit Vietnam and Iceland in the next years.
LB10: I grew up speaking German and French and learned English in school, now I'll learn Spanish as fast as possible.
LB10: My biggest passion has to be football, I've been playing all my life, and created together with my brother our own team in 2012.
Music also has a big impact on my life, playing, listening, teaching, whatever. I played violin from 4-14 and guitar since I'm 13.
Next would be poker, I started to play with my brothers, their friends and my father with some 5 € home games when I was 13/14. Shortly after that I started playing online and in casinos since I'm 18.
I wouldn't want to miss any of those :D.
Could be, but not what I intended. I had thought that most people would go for an artist, politician or historical figure.
Lavie_Head: Ok, if you start thinking about it, I would love to meet so many, 11. Let me say Hideo Kojima.
LB10: I've met most AoE people I like already .
I'd like to play poker with Fedor Holz (German pro).
LB10: Has to be Viper, right? Other than him I loved watching Ra and Hasan play 2v2 back in the days.
Nowadays TaToH and TheMax impress me the most.
LB10: Japanese, Nomad and Samurai/Longbow with op treb support.
LB10: 12.
LB10: Only when I talk about something AoE related.
Lavie_Head: Yeah, probably Nomad.
Lately I also enjoyed the games I had against YNA_naerata. It's also always fun to play Metal, even tho he has a special personality .
Least favourite,... mhmm. Maybe AJ, even if I didn't play much against him, he was always instantly walled, 11.
Lavie_Head: Last time I played 1v1 it was mostly vs 18+ and 19+ players. There are so many people on that level, that opponents constantly change and it’s impossible to figure out their style. I can recall Kongensgade_42 and bobdedestructor. I enjoyed playing vs. both.
Also, although another three players are out of my league, I have always enjoyed practicing 1v1s with TaToH, Villese and TheMax.
LB10: Nili, Skittle, Andorin and Ganji probably.
I meant it can be that you can play really well together with someone, but you have never met him/her in real life or you don’t chat outside of the game etc., so those could be different people.
Lavie_Head: Hmm, still the same players, I think.
Would you live with him/her together in one apartment for a month or a year? With one bedroom or two?
Lavie_Head: I lived with Zuppi for 5 days during the ECL LAN :D He is an ideal roommate: quiet and doesn’t snore.
I think we would be able to live together over a longer period of time. I have shared an apartment with flatmates since I moved to Vienna and I am used to it. Zuppi would have made a great flatmate with his easy-goingness and cooking skills. I think wonder has a slightly more complicated personality but we could give it a try, 11.
I haven’t heard anyone call organ guns like that, where does it come from? I have only heard Ørjan guns.
Lavie_Head: 11
LB10: Malay, they are so fun to play.
BF! But I always liked the NC map packs, I'm sure robo will do a good job.
Lets see how DE works, maybe Voobly would make more sense, but idk.
Lavie_Head: We all hope Lierey will play and unfortunately it is a possibility that he won’t. And then lb, tanks, clem and me. I do not follow the scene and the forums close enough right now, so there might be some new rising Austrian players around who I haven't heard of.
I want Bedouins included!
And definitely Voobly, otherwise I might not be able to play.
1. Finland, 2. China A, 3. Brazil A/B, 4. Canada, 5. Vietnam A, 6. China B, 7. Brazil A/B, 8. Italy.
Lavie_Head: I believe we finished higher than 12th place (?). I don’t have a goal or ambition for 2020 NC either. Despite being happy about the chance to play with austrians again, AoC is kind of low on my list of priorities right now.
To complete the team I would bring back some more lesser known retired players: maybe L_Clan_Ugnis and Bender or The_Chobo. Or more recently retired Garyyyy (Argentina) and Fayt (UK). Makes zero sense to put them in one team, but I simply want to get to see them play again!
LB10: TaToH, Nili, Viper and myself.
LB10: Metal, DraCoNT, Bugum, Pete, Josepreto, Influenza, Hoang and myself.
I would like to see some changes on Voobly, I never understood why one could make as many accounts as he/she wants f. e.
But Voobly Staff is a bit special and hard to talk to since Taff is gone as far as I noticed.
Lavie_Head: Replace the rating system on Voobly with a rank/tier system (something similar to what CS:GO has). I have heard the idea from Zak and it makes so much sense to implement it.
I don’t know that system, but could both work at the same time? Theoretically you could gain points for a ladder but also towards such a ranking.
Lavie_Head: They could both work at the same time but then what is the point of introducing the tiers? The idea is to help people get games easier (an automatic match-making system could be developed based on ranks) and not over obsess over numbers. Rating exists but it is hidden from the profile (yet again as in CS:GO). But obviously there is no single correct way of doing this, and there are probably multiple examples in competitive esports disciplines.
Lavie_Head: Multiple ts late night games/conversations/having fun. “Team-building” on the first NaBs meeting in Riga. Many ridiculous dreams I had featuring people from AoC.
Playing an AoC version of a forehead detective: https://ibb.co/XJJBCs7 The game is fun in itself, but playing it with Lojza takes it to another level, I am telling you.
Bed-flipping in Brighton! Scarface dancing in Italy, 11.
Also this one:
And another one: I was couch-serfing in London 2 years ago and I told the host about playing Age of Empires (talking about AoC has been my favourite conversation-opener for years). It turned out that he had rediscovered the game on steam recently and he got overly excited about the fact that I was good at the game and had played it for years. He asked me if I would be able to earn something from streaming. I said I probably would. Then he offered me a deal: He would buy a new gaming pc for me but I had to promise to give him 70% of all stream revenues for the next year (I think it was just one year). And he was 100% serious about that plan, 11. Needless to say I didn’t accept the offer although it was probably a better deal for me rather than for him :D.
Lavie_Head: DauT
LB10: Who is Chris?
Tim or TheViper?
Lavie_Head: TheViper
LB10: Viper
Edie or Terror?
Lavie_Head: Edie
LB10: Edie, Terror only if I need free puntos.
RiuT or 8th wonder?
Lavie_Head: can’t choose
LB10: RiuT
FeAge or dogao?
Lavie_Head: dogao
LB10: dogao
T90 or ZeroEmpires?
Lavie_Head: ZeroEmpires
LB10: Both <3
Lumberjack or Hunter?
Lavie_Head: Hunter
LB10: Hunter too!
Sheep or water buffalo?
Lavie_Head: Sheep
LB10: Määh
1v1 or 4v4?
Lavie_Head: 4v4
LB10: 3v3
Feudal Age or Imperial Age?
Lavie_Head: Feudal Age
LB10: Imperial Age
Black Forest or Islands?
Lavie_Head: Black Forest
LB10: BF ftw!
It was more about what you as a person think you can do. But you can mention what you think about humanity too. Because I want the interviewees to think a little bit. It is quite easy to say what other people or states should do, but can be harder to say what you yourself actually can do. But different people understand this question differently. Someone said people should smile more, someone people should read more, someone said he wants to help his country by contributing in developing technology to reduce the harm to the environment.
Lavie_Head: I would speak up when I get a chance to, read more, educate myself and then share the knowledge. I value personal comfort too much to commit to more radical steps (like zero-waste or child-free to stop overpopulation and things like that).
LB10: Not much, I worked voluntary as a medic for some years, but don't have the time for it anymore.
Lavie_Head: https://www.instagram.com/oliverwjackson/ - this guy.
LB10:
Arena clown, Arena clown
On a water map
You would simply drown
You can't drush FC
Under minute twenty one
And your losing streak against me
Has just begun
I'm bad at rhyming
And so are most of you
At least you are not only playing Arena
Or are you?!
I had quite a few ideas if you look forward to new questions to ask other players:
Would players like to play AoC for a living (if that was a realistic option) and if they would give up a different job/life plan and pursue an esports professional career if AoC paid enough.?
If they woke up tomorrow and there was no need to earn money ever again and they could choose the lifestyle they want and do things they enjoy most, what would they do?
If there was anything you could tell your 16-year-old self, what would it be?
What players find the hardest aspect of the game overall and the hardest aspect given their own talent/weaknesses/strengths? The easiest?
To recently improved players: what threshold was hardest to cross (18+ to 2k or 2k to 2k1 etc.)? Could they tell what was holding them back then and what is holding them back now?
And question for you: Who has been your favorite person or player to interview? Who's answers you enjoyed the most?
There were very different ones. The one with StrayDog was definitely the funniest one to do. The one with AJ had the most creative start. Maybe those too were 2 of the most alive ones. Depth-wise this one, Turkman's and the one with Memb were good - I mean the details and thoughtfulness of answers (if you compare it to Cloud or LoveCheng for example). There are different levels of how much the interviewees want to share about their private life. If we find something in common, it can be discussed more, like the music with Turkman. I could have discussed football more with LB10, but just now I did not come up with any concrete answers, maybe I need to do a EURO edition next summer about AoE player's opinion on some football topics.
LB10: Thanks for having us! I always enjoy reading your interviews (the last one with Kellan was really good!)
Keep up the work you are doing for this community and long live AoE.
Thank you both for the interview and good luck and success both with your Nations Cup team and your current studies/work.
- Why did you choose the AoE nicknames Lavie_Head and LB10? Which names did you use in the past?
When I started AoC in a Russian community around 2010 I used the nickname Futbolka and most people from that time remember me under that name.
LB10: LB stands for my initials and the 10 used to be my football number. Lately I played some games on FranceNo2, but those are my only accounts.
- How old are you and since when do you play Age of Empires 2, have you played Age of Empires 1/3? What are your expectations and wishes for AoE 4? If you could add one thing from AoE 1 and one from 3 to add to AoE 2, what would it be? For the upcoming AoE 2 Definitive Edition, what are your hopes? Did you play in the beta?
What bothers me apart from the game quality, is that the competitive scene might split with many players from South America and Asia unable to run the DE and AoE if they have weaker hardware.
LB10: I turned 24 in August and played all the AoK and AoC campaigns and some fun LAN games when I was around 10-12. When it came out again on Steam in April 2013, I instantly pre-ordered it and play online since then. In 2014 I switched to Voobly.
I never touched any other AoE game and I'll just sit back and take a look first at DE before being able to judge. I haven't played the beta and I feel pretty neutral about it.
- In which clans have you been since you started to play AoE 2 online?
Lavie_Head: I briefly played with the Russian clan VIC. And then with NaBs.
a) Can you tell a bit about the state of Nadya’s Boys and what happened to the team since 2016? Zuppi, Rubenstock and Pike are playing for Suomi, so it’s understandable that they are kind of out. But Nick, mentalist and Spaden are there, Lojza comes back from time to time. 8th wonder is at least active on AoEZone sometimes. Is there still a competitive future for the team? What needs to happen for 8th wonder to really come back?
Lavie_Head: Everyone in NaBs were still very active in 2017 I would say. Our last biggest team tournament was Clan Masters in 2016.
But wonder was the one who glued us up together in a special way, and I don’t think a comeback is happening unless he returns. Sadly, you can’t make a living from AoC and we’ll see more people quitting as time goes. I would say NaBs is history.
But some of us have become good friends outside of the game and I believe we will stay so for years to come.
[If you are interested in more info about Nadya’s Boys, you can read this old interview: https://www.aoezone.net/threads/interview-with-nadya-wic-nabs-and-others.106500/]
- You will most likely play for Austria in the Nations Cup. LB10, you always played for Austria, Lavie_Head, you played for Austria in 2017 and live there now since a long time. How Austrian do you feel now? If you want to share from your private life, you can do that too - why and how did you move to Austria and how did Austria change you?
It has also changed me in many ways, I believe. The distance between me and my family made me more independent and gave me confidence in myself. I have learned how to cook, changed many jobs, got to travel more.
- How would you describe your playstyle and how much has it changed during the last years?
I'd also say I am better in TGs than in 1v1s.
Lavie_Head: My strongest stage of the game is Castle Age and this explains my preferences when it comes to playstyle. The most comfortable game scenario on Arabia for me is going semi-defensive scouts + skirms followed by an early Castle Age with kts/camels. If the matchup allows me to do that I could safely take games from 195+ players. But I am not very flexible and I find it hard to make strategic choices in early stages of the game when you are low on resources and small decisions/mistakes can decide the outcome. I am terrible at forwarding and defending against it. There are also too many things in the “equation” in Feudal: your map, opponent’s map, civs matchup etc. Somehow, the equation works easier for me once I hit Castle Age.
Other than that, my playstyle has followed the general trend :D. I used to play 1v1 Huns war non stop when it was the thing, and m@ rush every game more recently. Also, I have been a huge fan of slam’s build orders and I would adopt his style if I could pull it off as perfectly as he does.
- LB10, you have reached a 2k2 1v1 rating. How far away do you feel from being a top player? What is the difference between you and a 2k3+ or 2k4+ player?
Honestly, only the lack of time I spend playing nowadays. I'll take it more casual in the future.
Lavie_Head, you have always been known more as a team game player instead of a 1v1 player? Why?
Lavie_Head: I have probably played waaay more 1v1s than tgs in total and I have reached 2k once, but I prefer to duel in secrecy ^^ It is also true that I have always seen 1v1s mainly as a means to improve my general skill and be able to get better in team games.
- With which setup and at what place do you usually play? Would you add a photo of your gaming setup?
Lavie_Head: I use a 6-year-old Asus laptop, LG monitor, Razer Deathadder mouse and a Cooler Master keyboard.
- Do or did you stream? What is your stream link, how often do you stream and what is special about your stream?
I used to stream on/off over the last 2-3 years. On average maybe once a week. I think it's rather simple, I do PoV streams of 1v1s or TGs 95% of the time. I also always try to stream my PoV in tournaments, but it's really tough for me to even get a spot lately, haha.
Rarely, I do stream some online poker tournaments as well.
But I really like my Twitch viewers, they are super chill. Shoutout to them <3.
Generally speaking the AoE 2 community is awesome. I've already met so many nice people over the last years, also a lot irl.
I think that's the main reason why I kept playing for so long.
Lavie_Head: I have set up a channel on Twitch and streamed a couple times a few years ago. Unfortunately, my laptop does not make streaming an enjoyable experience and now I don’t have the time to commit to it either.
- Which city do you come from/live in? What do you like/dislike about it and where would you like to move to?
Not so long ago I finally grew to appreciate that it was a special place to grow up in at a special time: in between communism and capitalism, being the last generation born in the USSR and experiencing how the Soviet way of living passes away. I had the happiest childhood you can wish for but when I think about it now, with full knowledge of what my country and my family had gone through in the early 90s, I realise what a difficult time it was.
Minsk is still one of the most soviet-looking capitals left on Earth. We haven’t truly broken away from the soviet past, you can still find the biggest Lenin statue standing in the middle of the city and department stores with the vibe from the 80s. One can say that European capitals have way more history on their streets and buildings left unchanged for generations. But sometimes 30 years happens to be “longer” than 300. Minsk was fully destroyed in the Second World War and most of the monuments and buildings in the city are relatively young. And yet they belong to a different world.
In other words, come visit before it is all gone!
LB10: I am from Vienna, Austria, and have lived there all my life. Since two weeks I'm in Valencia and will stay there until July for an Erasmus year. I study music, classical guitar in performance and pedagogics to be precise.
I've always loved living in Vienna and most likely want to stay there for the rest of my life. I feel really lucky to be born there.
The city itself is nice to visit, but even better to live in. It's clean, has rather low criminality and the public transport system is amazing.
- You already started telling a bit about Vienna. II have been there once, but only for a day, so I have only experienced very little of the city. But many people I know love the city. Can you tell a bit more, why would you recommend it if I saw a job offer there?
What concerns Vienna, it has been ranked number one city in the world in terms of quality of life for many years in a row! It is very cosy, neither big nor small, has an amazing public transport, lots of woods nearby. The crime rates are low, there is a lot of culture and history around but it is not as hectic and busy as megalopolises like Paris or London. Also if you live here, you are just a few hours ride away from the Alps and Alpine lakes and meadows!
Let us know when you come to Vienna again - we shall show you around!
LB10: What Nadya said basically :P
So better take your chance to come if you have the possibility and we will do part 2 of this interview irl in some years :D
It was just hypothetical, but I am sure that with small children I would definitely consider Vienna a city to work and live in in the near future, if I have the chance. I would probably not want to stay there for very long though, since I also want to try something that is a bit more different than Denmark and Germany.
- What would you like to tell the readers about Austria which they might not know?
Lavie_Head: Austria is one out of 5 officially neutral countries in the EU. It means Austria can’t belong to any military alliance and can’t host any foreign military bases on its territory.
Another interesting fact: In Vienna almost one in two children don't speak German as their mother language!
- Favourite things:
Lavie_Head: coffee and more coffee. Food would be pastries and all sorts of baked stuff, british pies, dishes with mushrooms and sushi
LB10: I don't have a favourite food or drink. There are only 3-4 things I don't like, everything else is fine, I'm not too picky.
I think you will find a lot of new things to try in Spain then, if you haven’t already.
Which foods from your home country/region and family background would you recommend?
Lavie_Head: from Slavic cuisine: soups (mushroom soup, beetroot soup), Mochanka (meat based stew served with pancakes), draniki (potato pancakes), babka (baked grated potato pie).
Not a fan of Austrian cuisine really. Maybe try Austrian Goulash. And don’t go for Sachertorte, it is overrated and not worth it, 11.
LB10: The most famous Austrian food would probably be the Wiener Schnitzel, my grandmother makes them from time to time with a classic potato salad… mjam
What can you cook well yourself and how often do you do it?
Lavie_Head: Something worth trying would be my soups (chicken soup or peas soup) and banana pancakes. I practically cook for myself all the time, but I prefer simple dishes with few ingredients and that’s not something you can impress with. Right now I am experimenting a bit with curries, trying to learn how to make a good one. In Belarus not many people know what curry is, but in Austria it is really common.
Well, depends on how it tastes. As a student I always cooked myself, now I am married since a bit more than 3 years, so my wife also cooks (both of us do). But both as a student and as a parent I did not have much time to spend on cooking. So the main factors are that it is healthy and tastes good. I’m quite sure things with few ingredients can taste good although they are not looking like something you prepared for hours.
How are the banana pancakes? I know 2 kinds. One would be to just slice the banana and have fried banana pieces with the pancakes. The other one which I got to know in Indonesia this year and really liked were not really pancakes, but more like mashed bananas with some flour and then deep-fried.
Lavie_Head: Mine are 3-ingredient pancakes: one large banana, 2 eggs, two tablespoons of oatmeal and some baking powder. I also like to add some cinnamon. Simply blend the ingredients together and fry them on a pan. You get legit fluffy pancakes if you do everything right and they taste amazing!
LB10: Actually I wanted to become a chef when I was younger, so I always was interested in cooking. Usually I try to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen, but I try it to be somewhat balanced and healthy. Now, I cook once a day, when living at my parents much less.
What would you put on top of a pizza?
Lavie_Head: a lot of cheese (Brie in particular) and mushrooms
LB10: Mozzarella, onions, and some kind of ham. But again, I like most of them, so I always change.
What is your favourite colour? (Does not need to be one of the 8 AoE II colours.)
LB10: Teal in AoE, maybe a nice sunset orange irl.
Lavie_Head? Lavie_Head: i don’t think I have one.
What is your favourite animal?
Lavie_Head: Dogs and alpacas. And my cat!
LB10: I don't really have any, maybe koalas? They are cute.
What/where is your favourite place on Earth?
Lavie_Head: My grandparents’ summer house in Nikolaev, a city near the Black Sea in southern Ukraine. My happiest and warmest childhood memories come from there.
LB10: Vienna and a small town in northern France called Wimereux. My mother has a house there where I usually spend 4-5 weeks in summer.
What is your favourite song at the moment, of all time (can be top 5)?
LB10: Random order of all kind of music styles:
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Snow
Arctic Monkeys: Do I Wanna Know?
Roland Dyens: Tango en skai
A. Dvorak: New World Symphony /4th movement
E. Lalo: Cello Concerto in D Minor
Lavie_Head: I can name my favourite bands - Rise Against, Imagine Dragons, Jimmy Eat World (older albums), A-ha, Coldplay, Much the Same, Milencolin.
What is your favourite movie at the moment, of all time (can be top 5)? Who is you favourite actor?
LB10: Lord of the Rings trilogy and Star Wars 1-3, no favourite actor.
Lavie_Head: Lord of the Rings, Leon the Professional, Pi, Life Is Beautiful, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien. I love space sci-fi and fantasy. Natalie Portman.
Do you have a favourite sports team? (football, basketball etc.)
Lavie_Head: No.
LB10: Yes, SK Sturm Graz in Austria. Borussia Dortmund internationally.
What are your favourite traits on a man/woman?
LB10: Honesty and being able to make me laugh.
Lavie_Head: sense of humour, intelligence, passion (for life/hobby/profession) and a bit of nerdiness. And glasses would be a good bonus.
- What time do you usually go to sleep? What do you like doing before sleeping?
LB10: During the week around 1-2 if I have to wake up early, if not it can get up to 4-5, depending on what I do. Sometimes I play poker at the casino until 7 because then they serve free breakfast, hahaha.
Most of the time I just check social media and then fall asleep to a FIFA, poker or AoE stream rather fast.
- Which countries have you visited? And where would you like to go to? Why?
With Central Asia, do you mean Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan? I’m not sure if people count Mongolia as central Asia or not. But I have friends from Mongolia and Uzbekistan and I would like to see those places too. They are not so famous, but look fascinating, a mixture from what you now from further to the West (Russia), the East (China) and South (Arabic countries).
Lavie_Head: Yes, all the above! I have become more interested in the history of the USSR recently and especially those parts of it that have a complicated history of joining the union and then breaking away. All Central Asian republics fall into this category. Not mentioning the amazing nature in the region!
LB10: I've been to a lot of countries in Europe, but never outside.
I'd like to visit Vietnam and Iceland in the next years.
- Which languages can you speak and which would you like to learn?
LB10: I grew up speaking German and French and learned English in school, now I'll learn Spanish as fast as possible.
- What are your hobbies beside AoE?
LB10: My biggest passion has to be football, I've been playing all my life, and created together with my brother our own team in 2012.
Music also has a big impact on my life, playing, listening, teaching, whatever. I played violin from 4-14 and guitar since I'm 13.
Next would be poker, I started to play with my brothers, their friends and my father with some 5 € home games when I was 13/14. Shortly after that I started playing online and in casinos since I'm 18.
I wouldn't want to miss any of those :D.
- Who would you like to meet once, who you have not met? One AoE player and one other person.
Could be, but not what I intended. I had thought that most people would go for an artist, politician or historical figure.
Lavie_Head: Ok, if you start thinking about it, I would love to meet so many, 11. Let me say Hideo Kojima.
LB10: I've met most AoE people I like already .
I'd like to play poker with Fedor Holz (German pro).
- Do you have an AoE idol?
LB10: Has to be Viper, right? Other than him I loved watching Ra and Hasan play 2v2 back in the days.
Nowadays TaToH and TheMax impress me the most.
- What is your favourite civilisation, map and unit?
LB10: Japanese, Nomad and Samurai/Longbow with op treb support.
- What is your favourite in-game sound? (e. g. farm, water buffalo, relic…)
LB10: 12.
- How many times per day do you type “11”?
LB10: Only when I talk about something AoE related.
- If Arabia did not exist, which map do you think everyone would be playing like people play Arabia (and not Serengeti etc., which are just very similar to Arabia)?
Lavie_Head: Yeah, probably Nomad.
- Who is your favourite and least favourite 1v1 opponent?
Lately I also enjoyed the games I had against YNA_naerata. It's also always fun to play Metal, even tho he has a special personality .
Least favourite,... mhmm. Maybe AJ, even if I didn't play much against him, he was always instantly walled, 11.
Lavie_Head: Last time I played 1v1 it was mostly vs 18+ and 19+ players. There are so many people on that level, that opponents constantly change and it’s impossible to figure out their style. I can recall Kongensgade_42 and bobdedestructor. I enjoyed playing vs. both.
Also, although another three players are out of my league, I have always enjoyed practicing 1v1s with TaToH, Villese and TheMax.
- Who is your favourite team mate for a 2v2?
- For just playing
LB10: Nili, Skittle, Andorin and Ganji probably.
- Also outside of the game
I meant it can be that you can play really well together with someone, but you have never met him/her in real life or you don’t chat outside of the game etc., so those could be different people.
Lavie_Head: Hmm, still the same players, I think.
Would you live with him/her together in one apartment for a month or a year? With one bedroom or two?
Lavie_Head: I lived with Zuppi for 5 days during the ECL LAN :D He is an ideal roommate: quiet and doesn’t snore.
I think we would be able to live together over a longer period of time. I have shared an apartment with flatmates since I moved to Vienna and I am used to it. Zuppi would have made a great flatmate with his easy-goingness and cooking skills. I think wonder has a slightly more complicated personality but we could give it a try, 11.
- In the new expansions (after AoC), what is your favourite new civilisation and unit?
I haven’t heard anyone call organ guns like that, where does it come from? I have only heard Ørjan guns.
Lavie_Head: 11
LB10: Malay, they are so fun to play.
- Which 5-6 players from your country do you think will form the A team in the upcoming Nations? Which maps would you like to be included apart from Arabia, Nomad, Islands? Would you prefer the Nations Cup to be on Voobly or on the new Definitive Edition?
BF! But I always liked the NC map packs, I'm sure robo will do a good job.
Lets see how DE works, maybe Voobly would make more sense, but idk.
Lavie_Head: We all hope Lierey will play and unfortunately it is a possibility that he won’t. And then lb, tanks, clem and me. I do not follow the scene and the forums close enough right now, so there might be some new rising Austrian players around who I haven't heard of.
I want Bedouins included!
And definitely Voobly, otherwise I might not be able to play.
- What is your goal for the 2020 Nations Cup? Which teams do you think will reach the top 8?
1. Finland, 2. China A, 3. Brazil A/B, 4. Canada, 5. Vietnam A, 6. China B, 7. Brazil A/B, 8. Italy.
Lavie_Head: I believe we finished higher than 12th place (?). I don’t have a goal or ambition for 2020 NC either. Despite being happy about the chance to play with austrians again, AoC is kind of low on my list of priorities right now.
- Which 4 players would you like to see forming a team? (can include inactive players)
To complete the team I would bring back some more lesser known retired players: maybe L_Clan_Ugnis and Bender or The_Chobo. Or more recently retired Garyyyy (Argentina) and Fayt (UK). Makes zero sense to put them in one team, but I simply want to get to see them play again!
LB10: TaToH, Nili, Viper and myself.
- Which 8 players would you invite for Nili’s Apartment Cup 3?
LB10: Metal, DraCoNT, Bugum, Pete, Josepreto, Influenza, Hoang and myself.
- When you visit AoEZone and Voobly, is there something you really like or would like to have improved?
I would like to see some changes on Voobly, I never understood why one could make as many accounts as he/she wants f. e.
But Voobly Staff is a bit special and hard to talk to since Taff is gone as far as I noticed.
Lavie_Head: Replace the rating system on Voobly with a rank/tier system (something similar to what CS:GO has). I have heard the idea from Zak and it makes so much sense to implement it.
I don’t know that system, but could both work at the same time? Theoretically you could gain points for a ladder but also towards such a ranking.
Lavie_Head: They could both work at the same time but then what is the point of introducing the tiers? The idea is to help people get games easier (an automatic match-making system could be developed based on ranks) and not over obsess over numbers. Rating exists but it is hidden from the profile (yet again as in CS:GO). But obviously there is no single correct way of doing this, and there are probably multiple examples in competitive esports disciplines.
- What is the funniest moment in your life you experienced because of AoE?
Lavie_Head: Multiple ts late night games/conversations/having fun. “Team-building” on the first NaBs meeting in Riga. Many ridiculous dreams I had featuring people from AoC.
Playing an AoC version of a forehead detective: https://ibb.co/XJJBCs7 The game is fun in itself, but playing it with Lojza takes it to another level, I am telling you.
Bed-flipping in Brighton! Scarface dancing in Italy, 11.
Also this one:
And another one: I was couch-serfing in London 2 years ago and I told the host about playing Age of Empires (talking about AoC has been my favourite conversation-opener for years). It turned out that he had rediscovered the game on steam recently and he got overly excited about the fact that I was good at the game and had played it for years. He asked me if I would be able to earn something from streaming. I said I probably would. Then he offered me a deal: He would buy a new gaming pc for me but I had to promise to give him 70% of all stream revenues for the next year (I think it was just one year). And he was 100% serious about that plan, 11. Needless to say I didn’t accept the offer although it was probably a better deal for me rather than for him :D.
- Choose:
Lavie_Head: DauT
LB10: Who is Chris?
Tim or TheViper?
Lavie_Head: TheViper
LB10: Viper
Edie or Terror?
Lavie_Head: Edie
LB10: Edie, Terror only if I need free puntos.
RiuT or 8th wonder?
Lavie_Head: can’t choose
LB10: RiuT
FeAge or dogao?
Lavie_Head: dogao
LB10: dogao
T90 or ZeroEmpires?
Lavie_Head: ZeroEmpires
LB10: Both <3
Lumberjack or Hunter?
Lavie_Head: Hunter
LB10: Hunter too!
Sheep or water buffalo?
Lavie_Head: Sheep
LB10: Määh
1v1 or 4v4?
Lavie_Head: 4v4
LB10: 3v3
Feudal Age or Imperial Age?
Lavie_Head: Feudal Age
LB10: Imperial Age
Black Forest or Islands?
Lavie_Head: Black Forest
LB10: BF ftw!
- What would you do to make the world a better place?
It was more about what you as a person think you can do. But you can mention what you think about humanity too. Because I want the interviewees to think a little bit. It is quite easy to say what other people or states should do, but can be harder to say what you yourself actually can do. But different people understand this question differently. Someone said people should smile more, someone people should read more, someone said he wants to help his country by contributing in developing technology to reduce the harm to the environment.
Lavie_Head: I would speak up when I get a chance to, read more, educate myself and then share the knowledge. I value personal comfort too much to commit to more radical steps (like zero-waste or child-free to stop overpopulation and things like that).
LB10: Not much, I worked voluntary as a medic for some years, but don't have the time for it anymore.
- If you were not in a relationship, and could date anyone, who would it be?
Lavie_Head: https://www.instagram.com/oliverwjackson/ - this guy.
- Write a poem/rap of 8 lines (or more) about something AoE-related, either in English or your native language.
LB10:
Arena clown, Arena clown
On a water map
You would simply drown
You can't drush FC
Under minute twenty one
And your losing streak against me
Has just begun
I'm bad at rhyming
And so are most of you
At least you are not only playing Arena
Or are you?!
- Add one more comment or question for me or someone else.
I had quite a few ideas if you look forward to new questions to ask other players:
Would players like to play AoC for a living (if that was a realistic option) and if they would give up a different job/life plan and pursue an esports professional career if AoC paid enough.?
If they woke up tomorrow and there was no need to earn money ever again and they could choose the lifestyle they want and do things they enjoy most, what would they do?
If there was anything you could tell your 16-year-old self, what would it be?
What players find the hardest aspect of the game overall and the hardest aspect given their own talent/weaknesses/strengths? The easiest?
To recently improved players: what threshold was hardest to cross (18+ to 2k or 2k to 2k1 etc.)? Could they tell what was holding them back then and what is holding them back now?
And question for you: Who has been your favorite person or player to interview? Who's answers you enjoyed the most?
There were very different ones. The one with StrayDog was definitely the funniest one to do. The one with AJ had the most creative start. Maybe those too were 2 of the most alive ones. Depth-wise this one, Turkman's and the one with Memb were good - I mean the details and thoughtfulness of answers (if you compare it to Cloud or LoveCheng for example). There are different levels of how much the interviewees want to share about their private life. If we find something in common, it can be discussed more, like the music with Turkman. I could have discussed football more with LB10, but just now I did not come up with any concrete answers, maybe I need to do a EURO edition next summer about AoE player's opinion on some football topics.
LB10: Thanks for having us! I always enjoy reading your interviews (the last one with Kellan was really good!)
Keep up the work you are doing for this community and long live AoE.
Thank you both for the interview and good luck and success both with your Nations Cup team and your current studies/work.
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