Time: 00:50:47 CET 15:50:47 PST 18:50:47 EST 07:50:47 Seoul 06:50:47 Beijing
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Chris0s CPL WT UK Report Day 1
Sorry for the delay no internet last night :)
After an early start, 6:30am (thanks to ph33r talking all night) we headed for McDonalds for something to eat, we spotted a 1 mile to McDonalds sign and off we went. After getting there, eating, and walking back we had killed sometime. After planning our day we decided to head off to the CPL. ph33r, Gekko, Boon headed off in the first taxi to the Magna Centre (hosting the CPL UK Event). I went with Smurf to our new hotel for the weekend, we managed to throw our bags into bds' room since it was to early to check in. Once that was done we got a taxi to the CPL. We arrived at about 10:30 and proceeded to wait for the opening. We waited some more and also waited a little more. The gamers from all over the world started to arrive. Brazilian CounterStrike teams, Chilean and Japanese Painkiller players, they were all here. We had along walk into the venue itself, walking around the science venue to get to the Big Hall. There was suddenly a rugby scrum at the registration desk. Eventually we got signed up and was ready to roll.
While waiting for the seedings and brackets to come out we decided to have a look around the venue, there was a chill out zone which got filled quickly, an Intel stand with 4 high spec laptops running Painkiller. Across from the entrance was the nvidia stand with the latest graphics cards on show on some high speed machines. We made our way to the BYOC area and got setup, one major problem for us producing coverage was the lack of Internet and lack of hired monitors. With a tight schedule between filming and rendering the lack of monitors was painful. Luckily we was able to keep in contact with iantje via mobiles. The admins were alway helpful on letting us know when matches would be starting and continious updates. Eventually the action got started with some great Painkiller action. I was lucky to watch SteLam vs Mjolnir in the Upper Bracket 1st round, with commanding wins, 62:0 and 54:-2, SteLam had a good start to the event. While writing this zyz is in action against the Italian CraZy.
SK CounterStrike have been delayed all day and about to start at about 20:30. I can imagine it has been a drag for them today, but they have kept their spirits high by using the 4Kings computers from time to time. The event has got going and everything seems to be working for the players. Lets hope tomorrow starts off smoothly and we get some great action and great coverage. Also I hope our Internet is running all day tomorrow and that TGI Fridays is still open when I get back to the hotel, a sausage and egg McMuffin isn't enough for a whole day.
Chris0s CPL WT UK Report Day 0
This promises to be one of the best events in the UK for a number of years. We have the best Painkiller players and also some of the best Counter Strike players taking the trip to Sheffield. The event will be my first major LAN event I have ATTENDED, mainly due to events announcing their dates to close to the event and time has been booked off work. But luckily for me it was free this time around.
My Schedule
My initial dilemma was, do I travel up on Thursday evening after work or early Friday morning. I checked the train times, looked around for hotel rooms and found the best solution. The return journey to London by train was the major problem. The finals of the PK and CS event are spread out over the day, and prize giving ceremony isn’t till 19:30. In my opinion it is a waste of a day, and it traps people up in Sheffield an extra day, adding to the cost of the trip. I understand why organisers schedule nearly all of the matches for the first two days, in case they get some problems but it does make a day drag out.
I manage to get my train tickets booked and decide to go with a later train to I can see the finals and get my stuff together and get home before my station closes. I shall wait till I get home to see if our transport system has improved or not. I'm banking on getting home at some point during the night and getting a few hours sleep before I start work on Monday morning.
So your train is booked, you then move onto booking your hotel room, ask around to see which of the two recommended hotels are closest, enter in the details..... SORRY. Soon as you see those 5 letters together you know something is up. Because I had planned to arrive Friday, and just searched for rooms for 2 nights and not 3, I didn't realise that Thursday night would be booked. Another thought goes into my mind, do I ask about jumping into someone else’s room for the night or just stay in the other hotel for the evening. I went with the second option. It gives me plenty of time to sleep and get ready for the morning start. Also means on Friday morning I shall be able to get some breakfast in peace and not have to worry about 30+ gamers all arriving to get. That’s the plan anyway.
Many of you out there would have already thought of my next problem.... YEP you guessed it, check out/in times. I have to check out of my first hotel and check into my second. But this results in a problem because I shall be at the event while this is going on, the quickly thought out battle plan is throw my stuff into some ones room who is staying in the second hotel, sorted.
That’s my position so far on the CPL World Tour UK Stop, after writing a little preview of the PK event I am now ready to attend. Will there be more problems during the week and at the weekend? I’m sure of it, but it will be fun at the same time.
P.S. Anyone arriving at Sheffield Station at 9:30pm-10pm on Thursday evening give me a message.
My Top eSport Journalists
My Top eSport Journalists
iantje (SK Gaming)
Midway (Gotfrag)
Carmac (GGL)
ph33r (SK Gaming)
KidArctica (SK Gaming)
Myers (UKTerrorist)
Keemo (Gotfrag)
Karpov (Gotfrag)
atdt (SK Gaming)
Iceman (Gotfrag)
Above is my pick for the top eSport journalists around. This list is a mixture of feature writers and coverage writers. Many people call themselves feature writers or coverage writers and literally post news from other sites and don't create their own content. These people would be called scene news writers, a very important position but easily done as a "warmup" to the more appealing work of writing features. As you can see the list is mainly full of writers from SK and Gotfrag, but also two people who shine out from other sites.
Carmac is known throughout the community for his great in-depth interviews and also his strong opinions on many subjects. One important element that Carmac uses to great effect in his articles are facts, he won't turn against his subject unless he has the facts to backup his work. This makes him standout against the other writers.
Myers from the United Kingdom has been posting features on gaming before gaming started. With many different sites, but mainly UKTerrorist, Myers has produce 100s of features. Add those features to the LAN events under his management, he has really controlled the eSport scene, especially in the UK. With his great knowledge in the gaming industry he always finds the questions to ask when it comes to the important subjects.
The main two sites in the scene, SK Gaming and Gotfrag have really shined in my rankings of the top journalists. Both sites have key members in different positions, from fresh faces to the experience guys. Both sites would agree that losing one of these members would be a huge blow to their staff and would struggle to find someone with the same knowledge and experience.
The two fresh faces I have picked out are atdt and Iceman. atdt has recently started posting at SK Gaming, the first event to take place is the MiBR Cup, atdt has wrote in-depth match reports of the big games of each night. With the speed and quality of his work, we are sure in for a treat in the future. Iceman has written two great features about the upcoming CAL Invite season at Gotfrag. If any of you out there have tried to write a report for a league, and detailed information about each team, with opinions, you will know the amount of time needed, and Iceman has done this to great effect.
My next two journalists are Karpov of Gotfrag and KidArctica of SK Gaming. Karpov probably writes one of the best previews for CS events in the scene. His knowledge is always up to date and his detail on each review is informative to read. Without his work Gotfrag would be a different place. KidArctica is the Karpov of the WC3 scene. If there’s a player she hasn't heard of, or can't find out some information on, means they aren't in a position to take part in a WC3 event. Her features and coverage stands out as the best in the WC3 scene. With such a big game is strange to see one person dominating but that’s why she is the WC3 scenes top journalist.
Top coverage writers in my opinion are few and far between. The position is a dedicated role and usually takes up an entire weekend when the main events are in progress. Most people will say "All they do is add in the results", which is true, but there is so much more work than that. Imagine waking up at 9am on a Saturday, and having to update results till 10pm with just a few breaks in between. This is the life of the top coverage writers. Keemo has been on a roll for ages now, he has taken over the CAL Invite coverage at Gotfrag and also the other main events covered at Gotfrag. If you want to see the quickest results from the American leagues, watch Keemo in action. His melee's are informative, the key to a top coverage writer is speed and accuracy, Keemo adopts both. ph33r was a new addition to the SK ranks in May and was an instant hit in the world of coverage. With so many events happening at once and different games at each event, it was clear another coverage writer was needed. iantje and myself had it locked down, but also needed a new face to be able to back us up and also work his own coverage. Once ph33r received a crash course in coverage from the top two at SK he was let loose, an instant hit with his work. Once you get the right man you know it, his work was a source for the other sites in the scene and helped thousands of people find out match details. He is without doubt one of the best coverage writers in the scene and will be until he moves on.
Now this is when you get down to the top two guys in the scene. Most people are referred to as the next Midway or the next iantje when it comes to eSport journalists and this is why. These guys dedicate all of their time to their sites. The successes of the two sites come down to two men, Midway for Gotfrag and iantje for SK Gaming. Without these two guys I their sites would be the same today.
Midway was the source for all of the news coming from North America. If you didn't hear about a certain clan move or changes in the North American scene, it wasn't worth knowing. He is still in control of the big news concerning North American players, if you hear a rumour on a possible move he will have the details already and posting it as your clicking Gotfrag. When he created the "Midway Melee" it was the source for all the CAL Invite results and still today his North American coverage work is second to none. He has also shown the world his in-depth CS knowledge by casting at VBCast. The stories of teams from a year or so ago during a cast are fascinating and detailed. With this information the cast is more enjoyable and great to listen too. Overall Midway is Mr America when it comes to the gaming industry.
iantje has seen and done it all, from being a top old school player from the legendary TAMM, CSA and dRc to being head admin at CPL Holland, London, Berlin and Cologne. His knowledge of the European scene is incredible, if you hear about a move in the scene, all you got to do is mention the players name and he can tell you his gaming history. iantje produces many hours worth of coverage at the big events. The coverage from the main CS events is normally done by iantje and has been the source for the other European sites. His quick work and in-depth knowledge make him the king of Europe. Many people only see him as the guy who runs SK Insider, but he is far more than that. I wouldn't be in the position I am now if it wasn't for iantje, neither would ph33r. He helps the new recruits and also backs up the other guys in coverage work. SK Insider is controlled by iantje, he has taken the role on well and produces exceptional features for the Insider members. The amazing wallbanged videos and weapon guides assisted many people in the scene to improve their knowledge. Overall iantje is Mr Europe when it comes to the gaming industry.
Well if you have managed to read all of the descriptions, congratulations and please comment once you wake up. It was a pleasure to write this as I enjoy reading fellow journalists work, like gamers like watching top gamers in action. Remember all of the above comments are my opinions and yours may differ which I won't disagree with. Maybe one day I can achieve some of the things Midway and iantje have, or have the style of KidArctica and Karpov or the dedication of Keemo and ph33r. If that day comes I will be a happy man.
By Chris 'Chris0' Hall
Sep 3, 2005 10:31
Sorry for the delay no internet last night :)
After an early start, 6:30am (thanks to ph33r talking all night) we headed for McDonalds for something to eat, we spotted a 1 mile to McDonalds sign and off we went. After getting there, eating, and walking back we had killed sometime. After planning our day we decided to head off to the CPL. ph33r, Gekko, Boon headed off in the first taxi to the Magna Centre (hosting the CPL UK Event). I went with Smurf to our new hotel for the weekend, we managed to throw our bags into bds' room since it was to early to check in. Once that was done we got a taxi to the CPL. We arrived at about 10:30 and proceeded to wait for the opening. We waited some more and also waited a little more. The gamers from all over the world started to arrive. Brazilian CounterStrike teams, Chilean and Japanese Painkiller players, they were all here. We had along walk into the venue itself, walking around the science venue to get to the Big Hall. There was suddenly a rugby scrum at the registration desk. Eventually we got signed up and was ready to roll.
While waiting for the seedings and brackets to come out we decided to have a look around the venue, there was a chill out zone which got filled quickly, an Intel stand with 4 high spec laptops running Painkiller. Across from the entrance was the nvidia stand with the latest graphics cards on show on some high speed machines. We made our way to the BYOC area and got setup, one major problem for us producing coverage was the lack of Internet and lack of hired monitors. With a tight schedule between filming and rendering the lack of monitors was painful. Luckily we was able to keep in contact with iantje via mobiles. The admins were alway helpful on letting us know when matches would be starting and continious updates. Eventually the action got started with some great Painkiller action. I was lucky to watch SteLam vs Mjolnir in the Upper Bracket 1st round, with commanding wins, 62:0 and 54:-2, SteLam had a good start to the event. While writing this zyz is in action against the Italian CraZy.
SK CounterStrike have been delayed all day and about to start at about 20:30. I can imagine it has been a drag for them today, but they have kept their spirits high by using the 4Kings computers from time to time. The event has got going and everything seems to be working for the players. Lets hope tomorrow starts off smoothly and we get some great action and great coverage. Also I hope our Internet is running all day tomorrow and that TGI Fridays is still open when I get back to the hotel, a sausage and egg McMuffin isn't enough for a whole day.
Chris0s CPL WT UK Report Day 0
By Chris 'Chris0' Hall
Aug 29, 2005 18:33
This promises to be one of the best events in the UK for a number of years. We have the best Painkiller players and also some of the best Counter Strike players taking the trip to Sheffield. The event will be my first major LAN event I have ATTENDED, mainly due to events announcing their dates to close to the event and time has been booked off work. But luckily for me it was free this time around.
My Schedule
My initial dilemma was, do I travel up on Thursday evening after work or early Friday morning. I checked the train times, looked around for hotel rooms and found the best solution. The return journey to London by train was the major problem. The finals of the PK and CS event are spread out over the day, and prize giving ceremony isn’t till 19:30. In my opinion it is a waste of a day, and it traps people up in Sheffield an extra day, adding to the cost of the trip. I understand why organisers schedule nearly all of the matches for the first two days, in case they get some problems but it does make a day drag out.
I manage to get my train tickets booked and decide to go with a later train to I can see the finals and get my stuff together and get home before my station closes. I shall wait till I get home to see if our transport system has improved or not. I'm banking on getting home at some point during the night and getting a few hours sleep before I start work on Monday morning.
So your train is booked, you then move onto booking your hotel room, ask around to see which of the two recommended hotels are closest, enter in the details..... SORRY. Soon as you see those 5 letters together you know something is up. Because I had planned to arrive Friday, and just searched for rooms for 2 nights and not 3, I didn't realise that Thursday night would be booked. Another thought goes into my mind, do I ask about jumping into someone else’s room for the night or just stay in the other hotel for the evening. I went with the second option. It gives me plenty of time to sleep and get ready for the morning start. Also means on Friday morning I shall be able to get some breakfast in peace and not have to worry about 30+ gamers all arriving to get. That’s the plan anyway.
Many of you out there would have already thought of my next problem.... YEP you guessed it, check out/in times. I have to check out of my first hotel and check into my second. But this results in a problem because I shall be at the event while this is going on, the quickly thought out battle plan is throw my stuff into some ones room who is staying in the second hotel, sorted.
That’s my position so far on the CPL World Tour UK Stop, after writing a little preview of the PK event I am now ready to attend. Will there be more problems during the week and at the weekend? I’m sure of it, but it will be fun at the same time.
P.S. Anyone arriving at Sheffield Station at 9:30pm-10pm on Thursday evening give me a message.
My Top eSport Journalists
By Chris 'Chris0' Hall
Aug 7, 2005 03:05
My Top eSport Journalists
iantje (SK Gaming)
Midway (Gotfrag)
Carmac (GGL)
ph33r (SK Gaming)
KidArctica (SK Gaming)
Myers (UKTerrorist)
Keemo (Gotfrag)
Karpov (Gotfrag)
atdt (SK Gaming)
Iceman (Gotfrag)
Above is my pick for the top eSport journalists around. This list is a mixture of feature writers and coverage writers. Many people call themselves feature writers or coverage writers and literally post news from other sites and don't create their own content. These people would be called scene news writers, a very important position but easily done as a "warmup" to the more appealing work of writing features. As you can see the list is mainly full of writers from SK and Gotfrag, but also two people who shine out from other sites.
Carmac is known throughout the community for his great in-depth interviews and also his strong opinions on many subjects. One important element that Carmac uses to great effect in his articles are facts, he won't turn against his subject unless he has the facts to backup his work. This makes him standout against the other writers.
Myers from the United Kingdom has been posting features on gaming before gaming started. With many different sites, but mainly UKTerrorist, Myers has produce 100s of features. Add those features to the LAN events under his management, he has really controlled the eSport scene, especially in the UK. With his great knowledge in the gaming industry he always finds the questions to ask when it comes to the important subjects.
The main two sites in the scene, SK Gaming and Gotfrag have really shined in my rankings of the top journalists. Both sites have key members in different positions, from fresh faces to the experience guys. Both sites would agree that losing one of these members would be a huge blow to their staff and would struggle to find someone with the same knowledge and experience.
The two fresh faces I have picked out are atdt and Iceman. atdt has recently started posting at SK Gaming, the first event to take place is the MiBR Cup, atdt has wrote in-depth match reports of the big games of each night. With the speed and quality of his work, we are sure in for a treat in the future. Iceman has written two great features about the upcoming CAL Invite season at Gotfrag. If any of you out there have tried to write a report for a league, and detailed information about each team, with opinions, you will know the amount of time needed, and Iceman has done this to great effect.
My next two journalists are Karpov of Gotfrag and KidArctica of SK Gaming. Karpov probably writes one of the best previews for CS events in the scene. His knowledge is always up to date and his detail on each review is informative to read. Without his work Gotfrag would be a different place. KidArctica is the Karpov of the WC3 scene. If there’s a player she hasn't heard of, or can't find out some information on, means they aren't in a position to take part in a WC3 event. Her features and coverage stands out as the best in the WC3 scene. With such a big game is strange to see one person dominating but that’s why she is the WC3 scenes top journalist.
Top coverage writers in my opinion are few and far between. The position is a dedicated role and usually takes up an entire weekend when the main events are in progress. Most people will say "All they do is add in the results", which is true, but there is so much more work than that. Imagine waking up at 9am on a Saturday, and having to update results till 10pm with just a few breaks in between. This is the life of the top coverage writers. Keemo has been on a roll for ages now, he has taken over the CAL Invite coverage at Gotfrag and also the other main events covered at Gotfrag. If you want to see the quickest results from the American leagues, watch Keemo in action. His melee's are informative, the key to a top coverage writer is speed and accuracy, Keemo adopts both. ph33r was a new addition to the SK ranks in May and was an instant hit in the world of coverage. With so many events happening at once and different games at each event, it was clear another coverage writer was needed. iantje and myself had it locked down, but also needed a new face to be able to back us up and also work his own coverage. Once ph33r received a crash course in coverage from the top two at SK he was let loose, an instant hit with his work. Once you get the right man you know it, his work was a source for the other sites in the scene and helped thousands of people find out match details. He is without doubt one of the best coverage writers in the scene and will be until he moves on.
Now this is when you get down to the top two guys in the scene. Most people are referred to as the next Midway or the next iantje when it comes to eSport journalists and this is why. These guys dedicate all of their time to their sites. The successes of the two sites come down to two men, Midway for Gotfrag and iantje for SK Gaming. Without these two guys I their sites would be the same today.
Midway was the source for all of the news coming from North America. If you didn't hear about a certain clan move or changes in the North American scene, it wasn't worth knowing. He is still in control of the big news concerning North American players, if you hear a rumour on a possible move he will have the details already and posting it as your clicking Gotfrag. When he created the "Midway Melee" it was the source for all the CAL Invite results and still today his North American coverage work is second to none. He has also shown the world his in-depth CS knowledge by casting at VBCast. The stories of teams from a year or so ago during a cast are fascinating and detailed. With this information the cast is more enjoyable and great to listen too. Overall Midway is Mr America when it comes to the gaming industry.
iantje has seen and done it all, from being a top old school player from the legendary TAMM, CSA and dRc to being head admin at CPL Holland, London, Berlin and Cologne. His knowledge of the European scene is incredible, if you hear about a move in the scene, all you got to do is mention the players name and he can tell you his gaming history. iantje produces many hours worth of coverage at the big events. The coverage from the main CS events is normally done by iantje and has been the source for the other European sites. His quick work and in-depth knowledge make him the king of Europe. Many people only see him as the guy who runs SK Insider, but he is far more than that. I wouldn't be in the position I am now if it wasn't for iantje, neither would ph33r. He helps the new recruits and also backs up the other guys in coverage work. SK Insider is controlled by iantje, he has taken the role on well and produces exceptional features for the Insider members. The amazing wallbanged videos and weapon guides assisted many people in the scene to improve their knowledge. Overall iantje is Mr Europe when it comes to the gaming industry.
Well if you have managed to read all of the descriptions, congratulations and please comment once you wake up. It was a pleasure to write this as I enjoy reading fellow journalists work, like gamers like watching top gamers in action. Remember all of the above comments are my opinions and yours may differ which I won't disagree with. Maybe one day I can achieve some of the things Midway and iantje have, or have the style of KidArctica and Karpov or the dedication of Keemo and ph33r. If that day comes I will be a happy man.
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