2015 WINTERVIEWS ARCHIVE

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Re: 2015 WINTERVIEWS ARCHIVE

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Winterview #3 with (MC)Jim
[spoiler=spoiler]Q) Who is (MC)Jim, tell us a bit about yourself?
A) Hello! Iā€™m (MC)Jim, 18 years old and I live in the south of The Netherlands. At the moment Iā€™m studying Enviromental Planning and Development (Ruimtelijke ordening en Planologie), which has to do with how we use our land optimally. I enjoy the Italian cuisine, partly because I really dislike the local ā€œpotato foodā€. Pizza, pasta, I love it! I also like couscous, a typical Moroccan dish.

Q) How did you get into gaming, do you remember the first time you played any of the AoE games? What is your favorite AoE game or RTS.
A) Well, the first time I played AoE3 was at my uncle's place. He is a history teacher and had the trial version installed. At that time I was young and didnā€™t know anything about (online) gaming. I played British and Spain (yeah, the only civs in the trial version) multiple times and overall I loved the game. After a couple of years I asked the complete collection on CD and so the account MCJim was born! I made my account on the 16th of December 2011 and Iā€™m still using it every day.

Q) You have been a long time streamer, am I correct? When and why did you start streaming games? You also came up with the idea for StarGameplays, can you tell us a bit about that?
A) Well actually Iā€™m a ā€˜long time Youtuberā€™. I uploaded my first video on the 3rd of March 2013. I originally started YouTubing because a couple of friends who were also uploading videos (of different games). My intension was to have more than 15 views after the weekend and I succeeded! I even got my first subscriber! At that time I was lvl4 on Vanilla and I had no idea about the PR system. I did some research and saw I was at the bottom of the PR ladder. I was a bit surprised and so I made up an intention for myself. I wanted to reach lvl 15 (sergeant). I succeeded and continued, I uploaded my games (also vs the AI) on YouTube. About 1.5 year later Twitch became popular and people began streaming. I remember Veni_Vidi_Vici_w was one of the first AoE3 streamers and about half a year later I started my own Twitch channel, it was linked to my YouTube channel and I began streaming myself. The reason I am streaming is to have more fun while playing. You know people are watching you and you can actually have very nice conversations with them in chat! Overall I donā€™t think I did bad last years. Recently I reached more than 850 subscribers and Iā€™m very proud of that!

I came up with the idea of Star Gameplays when I realised every stream got deleted by Twitch. There actually is so much good AoE3 content out there but at the same time it will be easily deleted by Twitch since most of the streamers donā€™t have a YouTube channel or don't use Twitch highlights. My idea was to record first person gameplays played by good people and then to upload it on YouTube. As far as Iā€™ve seen people are very enthusiastic about it and that translates into a nice view count :).

Q) What gamemode do you play mostly, 1v1 or teamgames? Which one do you prefer, and why? Have you ever played treaty or deathmatch? Do you like any scenarios?
A) In my early days I preferred teamgames, but when I became better I started to like 1v1 more. The reason I prefer 1v1 is because I think itā€™s more sensational to play and itā€™s also easier to find a game. I also think 1v1 is more enjoyable if you are a bit skilled. I really dislike scenarios because I find them meaningless. I prefer playing the game for what itā€™s meant. The only scenario I may like is Time To Micro xD. I have never played treaty or deathmatch, aside from a couple of games in my life maybe. Treaty takes so long and I donā€™t see the point in playing deathmatch if you can also play supremacy.

Q) What is your favourite civ and why? and which civ do you hate to play against the most? Favourite map and why?
A) My favourite civs are probably British and French. Probably because I started on Vanilla. I only came to TAD in the end of 2014, one year ago, together with Mr_Bramboy. I hate to play against Sioux, Aztecs and India. Mainly because Iā€™ve never learned how to play vs them correctly. Iā€™m hoping to improve this in the future. My favourite map by far is Arkansas! I love British mirrors on this map, I donā€™t know why. The map has good hunts, treasures and looks very good.

Q) Can you tell us a bit about your approach to the game? do you have an idea before the game about how to play the mu? or do you play vs your opponent more specifically or do you just make it up as you go?
A) Mostly I think about my approach before I agree to a matchup. In case I really donā€™t what to do know I either try a different civ or I mirror my opponent. Also, if Iā€™m slow I think about my strat in colonial. Mostly I lose the game then xD

Q) How would you best describe your playstyle? And is there a kind of style you prefer to play against or hate to play against?
A) My playstyle is very different every game. It really depends on the matchup. But, I really like to play aggressive if the matchup allows it.


Q) What do you think about the current balance on the patch? Are there any changes you like or dislike? do you think that the inclusion of otto and iro again will shift the mu's played in the tournament? What civ is the top dog at the moment? And which civ is the worst?
A) I havenā€™t really played a single game with Iro or Otto for far. I only hope we will see less mirrors in this tourney. I really like the option to play rated on ESOC maps, thatā€™s what was needed. The RE maps are so unbalanced. I also like the Quicksearch map pool, I hope more people want to use Quicksearch now.


Q) Is this the first time you played a tournament? Why do you play tournaments, for fun or to test yourself against others? Does it matter to you that you have a very small chance of winning? Are you preparing in anyway for the games you have to play, or do you just show up and see how it goes?
A) This is the 2nd time I play in a tournament. I played in the last Summer Tourney but lost vs my second opponent. I know tourneys are rare in this game so I enjoy every tournament even more. I also love watching the games, if it were up to me Iā€™d watch every tourney game there is! I play just for fun and to test myself against others. Iā€™m not gonna win anyway, so Iā€™m happy if I can beat at least one player, depending on my group at the moment.

Q) Do you think tournaments and watching other people play (in the tournament) helps you to improve in any way? Or is mostly just for entertainment?
A) Yeah, I think people really improve because of tournaments. They arenā€™t only practising more, but people are also watching others play, which gives them insight in a new strats and styles.

Q) Who is the best player you ever played?
A) Iā€™ve never played against many proā€™s, but I think the best players Iā€™ve played are _H2O, Bart331 and KingofOsmane. I could list a lot more players like Blackstar_OP, Samwise12 etc, but I just havenā€™t ever played a game vs them. I mostly play vs random people with similar ranks or people from my clan (~WAC~).

Q) Any players you are looking out for this tournament? What are your predictions for winter tournament? How far do you think you will go this tournament?
A) My top 4 is: _H2O, Samwise12, LordRaphael and Aizamk; _H2O and Samwise12 in the finals. I really hope Dyddyd91 will do well this touney. He has a lot of potential. And as I said, I probaly wonā€™t come far. I just play for fun :)

I wish everyone in the tourney good luck![/spoiler]
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Re: 2015 WINTERVIEWS ARCHIVE

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Winterview #8 with Kynesie
[spoiler=spoiler]Q) Who is Kynesie?, tell us a bit about yourself?
A) I am 24 and I live near Paris. I have been working for over a year now as software developer for French hospitals. Besides playing AoE3 my hobbies are reading, watching series, and eating junk food... I have been playing less since I got this job, but I have some time for now which is cool.

Q) How did you get into gaming, do you remember the first time you played any of the AoE games? What is your favorite AoE game or RTS.
A) I started with AoE1 , do you remember the campaign with the priest? :) After that AoE2 followed, then AoM, which I started to play online as well. When AoE3 is came out, I did not play it that much. Even today, I don't like Vanilla because all games are too similar or standard. With TWC and TAD the game offered more opportunity. I tried a lot of other strategy games but TAD is still my favorite. I also like the Total War games, especially Shogun 2.

Q) You are very (in)famous for your playstyle walling, can you tell us why, when and how you got to play like that? Somppu wants to know if you built a wall around your house?
A) (in)Famous! :) Actually, many people like me and many hate me (or at least hate to play versus me), few are indifferent. A random noob recently told me: "You are the cancer of AoE!"

About my walling playstyle, 3 years ago I played only 1v1 as Japan. Mainly versus Otto, Iro and India 10/10. I lost many games, it was really hard to counter any rush, so I started to wall. When I wall, I also boom more, so I can make less units early and I need even more walls. Vicious circle. I have often lost when I attacked too early, so now I just wait behind my walls until the OP Japan late-game kicks in..

Wall around my house? Ofcourse not! But ingame it's like... Image

Q) You win many games on water and are considered (one of) the best water players in the game, why is that? Do you win because you have such good warship micro, or do most people play wrong vs you?
A) Since 2012, as Japan on kynesie, I have won 72 out of 75 games on Sag and 51 out of 52 games on Hispaniola for example. I'm not sure anyone has done better. I usually win for several reasons:
-I go water every game I can so I have a lot of experience now. :p
-I think my macro is really good.
-I wall my base when I go water (most players donā€™t, or make only 1 layer of walls.) Going water without wall can work but itā€™s really easy to counter as well.
-I have good warship micro, better than my land micro but actually it doesn't matter in most games.
-Do most people play wrong vs me? I saw many wrong strats like FIā€¦ However to win a game against a (Japanese) waterboom isn't really hard. All you need is a full aggressive water strat or an aggressive strat on both land and water. The water player will win the game only if you make mistakes.


Q) Many people believe that the balance on water is broken and that schooners and/or warships are overpowered. You on the other hand, actually believe that waterboom isn't that strong at all, can you tell us your thoughts on that in short?

A) The problem is that most of the players don't want to use schooners or warshipsā€¦ In that case, they have no chance, but it is their own fault. When both players use warships or schooners, the balance is OK!

Port, Brits, Japs, Otto, Aztecs, Russia, Spain, India, Iro, Sioux and China; They all have means for a water boom or to counter a waterboom by using warships and cannons.
Only Germany, France and Dutch are disadvantaged. So 11 civs can deal with water while 3 canĀ“t. It is not less balanced than land where Ports, Spain, Russia and Dutch are useless on the RE patch.

Q) What gamemode do you play mostly, 1v1 or teamgames? Which one do you prefer, and why? Have you ever played treaty or deathmatch? Do you like any scenarios?
A) I like every gamemode! Although, I rarely play treaty and DM. Most important is to be on Skype with friends. I started to play 1v1 3 years ago, and since then I play everything. I like most scenarios, like colosseum or cannibal. Some are really awesome, but there often is a balancing (and lag) problem.

Q) What is your favourite civ and why? and which civ do you hate to play against the most? Favourite map and why?
A) Someone doesnĀ“t know what my favourite civ is?!? What I like about Japan is that I have to adapt to the opponent. With Japan I usually canā€™t make the standard BO 600w4v4v and 20 shrines because I must react to the opponent's timing push. With France a good player knows how to best spend resources during the first 9-10 minutes. For example, a 5 cav semi FF is 4cdb, 700g and 700w. Itā€™s the best way, everything is calculated, I don't enjoy that, but with Japan I need to improvise.

I think my favourite map is Saguenay! Except when there are no trees above my town centerā€¦ . I can boom water easily, there are a lot of whales, and good natives (CDB + wood cost building + 25% fishing up + 30 or 60 huron for 0 population in late game) and ofcourse, it's easy to wall!


Q) Can you tell us a bit about your approach to the game? do you have an idea before the game about how to play the mu? or do you play vs your opponent more specifically or do you just make it up as you go?

A) As the game is depopulated, I know most of the players I face. Often there is no need to even scout to know their strategy. I always wall and boom as much as I can :p

Q)How would you best describe your playstyle? And is there a kind of style you prefer to play against or hate to play against?
A) My playstyle is a booming turtle. And I really like to play against players who are doing the same thing.

Q) What do you think about the current balance on the patch? Are there any changes you like or dislike? do you think that the inclusion of otto and iro again will shift the mu's played in the tournament? What civ is the top dog at the moment? And which civ is the worst?
A) About the patch: I'll be rude about nerf wall -_-ā€˜ Otherwise they have done a good job! It is not perfect, but it is a good start. Dutch are now WTF in team, Iro are just bad, Otto are still OP when they can take 3-5 tradeposts. Germany and France are really good now.
Nerfing water by making maps with 4 whales is not a solution: the only consequence is that no one except me will go water.

What about the Japanese card for 15%berries (+1v ), is it a bug that needs to be fixed?

Q) Ports is a civ you like to play a lot, what do you think about the villager cost change? Do you feel ports are a lot better now on EP? What about the monitor nerf?
A) I like play to Ports on land now! They are ok, not OP because caƧadores and the 2 organ gun shipment are still useless, but they are playable.

The monitor nerf seems ok! I need them to kill defensive buildings near the water and to take all of the water, and they can still do the job. Now they are less lame ofcourse, so I just won't make them if I don't need them and spend the resources on something else.

Q) What do you think about the nerf to walls? And what do you think the effect was of the wall nerf and the xp nerf to the Shogunate Wonder in Industrial to your Japan playstyle, or Japan in general?
A) The wall nerf hurts Japan a lot, more than the shogunate XP change, which just changes the strategy. I stay age3 and push instead of going age4, but does not make much weaker Japanese. Walling is much harder now. Timings are very hard to hold. Because ESOC maps are generally small, I think that Japan is no longer OP. Fortunately, they are still good on maps like Siberia or Kamchatka.

Q) You played two more tournaments this year, and both times you had a good run, finishing top 8 twice. Do you think you could have won it all if there were more water maps?
A) Even with more water maps, I would not have beaten BSOP during the Spring championship. In the Summer tournament, more water would have helped me ofcourse, but I can not complain, there already were alot of water maps. I was really disappointed after losing to Acergame09 (a very epic and close series). I think that if I had beaten him, I could have won the tournanment. Samwise12 is obviously good but I am not sure about his ability on water. (One more whale in every ESOC water map would be really good xD)

Q) Why do you play in tournaments? For fun or competition, or is it a mix?
A) Actually I play tournament because I think these events make AOE3 live. Without the 3 ESOC tournaments, I don t think I would play again - A lot of good players just play for tournaments. I like AOE3 so I participate. I haven t really hope to win it, but it s the game I like.

Q) In Spring you got knocked out by Blackstar, and in general you had a hard time vs him in QS. Is he the best player you ever played? Or is there someone else?
A) He is undoubtedly one of the best players I have ever seen. And he was particularly interested in my gameplay. Many players have tried to copy my Japanese water boom, but he is the only one who has succeeded. He is also the only other player who beat PR40+ with this strat. He had a complete understanding of my gameplay so he beat me easily. But there are also other good players, like Nagayumi or Darwin when they played regularlyā€¦


Q) Any players you are looking out for this tournament? What are your predictions for winter tournament? How far do you think you will go this tournament?

A) I want to bet on Diarouga! Because he became really good lately, he plays a lot 1v1 games, and he is French :) For once, a French guy is not a noob, that is a nice change! I hope to get top 8 again, but I don't expect more. I don't play a lot, and with wall nerfā€¦[/spoiler]
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Re: 2015 WINTERVIEWS ARCHIVE

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Winterview #10 with Couprider
[spoiler=spoiler]Q) Who is Couprider, tell us a bit about yourself?
A) I'm doing some research work in Shanghai China now. I like to read novels, watch movies (The force awakens is great!) and cartoons, ... and aoe3.

Q) How did you get into gaming, do you remember the first time you played any of the AoE games? What is your favorite AoE game or RTS. Do you play any other games besides Aoe3?
A) I've played aoe2 some years ago (playing with AI) and on the forums I saw some screenshots of aoe3 and thought: wow it's cool! Apart from this, I've played some blizzard games like warcraft3 and hearthstone (nerf warlock plz). But I still love aoe3 the most, because I think it SHOULD be much more popular, but it DIDNT happen. What a sad story.

Q) You are one of the few active players from China on ESOC, why do you think that is? Is language a big problem? Do you think there is a way to bring the Western scene (Europe, USA and South America etc) and the Eastern scene (China, Japan, Korea etc) closer to each other?
A) It's not because of the language, it's simply because the esoc forum and the fan patch came too late. 3 years ago there were quite a few high-ranked chinese player (The well known black_xiii_t is one of them, and also the infamous "5sepoy 4sowar 10tigerclaw" who reached elo No.1 once). And many japanese player too (piroshiki lol). But no one will have patience playing with iro otto india everyday.... They left aoe3 before the fan patch. A tragedy, it is.

Q) You often stream, but you don't use twitch, on which site do you stream? Can you link your stream? It would be interesting to put it up on the ESOC Site so people can see when you go online. The people that watch your stream, are they mostly from China?
A) Oh how did you know that! I streamed in chinese... But trying twitch is a cool idea and I'll try it. (Ed: his stream is http://www.douyutv.com/71697)

Q) What gamemode do you play mostly, 1v1 or teamgames? Which one do you prefer, and why? Have you ever played treaty or deathmatch? Do you like any scenarios?
A) 1v1 mostly. Teamgames are cool too, but it's harder to find one and there will be lag problem sometimes. I've tried treaty too but I don't know about deathmatch much (Cause ESO only have lvl10 deathmatch homecity. A stupid design.)
Scenario? Time to micro! (and lose!)

Q) What is your favourite civ and why? And which civ do you hate to play against the most? Favourite map? What is your favorite unit?
A) I used to play sioux mostly (because this is the easiest civ) but now I like to use french (because it's the 2nd easiest civ lol, relatively balanced, and native warriors!).
I hate to play vs japan! Because I hate those shriiiiiiiiines everywhere, and they can train an unstoppable army without leaving his base for the entire game. (yumi=jesus, ashi=allah.)
Deccan is an interesting map, as extra crates lead to interesting strategies.
Favorite unit? Doppelsoldners maybe. They're really cool (Though I seldom train them).

Q) Can you tell us a bit about your approach to the game? do you have an idea before the game about how to play the mu? or do you play vs your opponent more specifically or do you just make it up as you go?
A) Pray to Goodspeed's guide :)

Ofcourse I'll try to have a plan for a MU before it starts, but I'll try to adapt too. And making the right choices most of the time is what the top players do. But, if I play with a Chinese player who plays india, I know he MUST 10/10 lol.

Q)How would you best describe your playstyle? And is there a kind of style you prefer to play against or hate to play against?
A) Greeeeeedy! (send vills, upgrade tps, schooner, age up, and gg)
I love to play against players who allow me to play greedy, like a Fast Fortress. And I hate those rushers, especially india. Even iro and otto have to train 2-3 unit combo's, but India is just sepooooooooooooy everytime.

Q) What do you think about the current balance on the patch? Are there any changes you like or dislike? do you think that the inclusion of otto and iro again will shift the mu's played in the tournament? What civ is the top dog at the moment? And which civ is the worst?
A) It's pretty good: at least it's much better than the RE patch. The buff to spain and dutch is good, and nerfing those lame civs is awesome. But port is stronger than russia now (25s 240f 3v vs 53s 270f 3v, and a TC >>>>> a blockhouse). India and japan are also relatively buffed (sepoy is a badass.).

Iro and otto? I've watched many group stage recs and I've never seen these 2 civs. So, forget them :)

Germans and Ports are the top euro civ, but I'm not sure if they can beat India and Japan. The duel between euro and asia will be interesting, and after the tournament there will be a conclusion. Anyway, forget the TWC civs. They used to have bug units, but after nerfing their units they need a big enhancement to their eco. Maybe a 2nd food & gold upgrade in the market? 6 vills at the start? I'm not sure.

Q) Sioux is one of the most controversial civs in AoE3, it is also one of your most played civs and you often made a lot of Bow Riders. That style received a pretty big nerf on the patch, what are your thoughts on that? Are Bow Riders still a good unit to make? At the same time, Cetan Bows got a little buff, do you think its enough compensation? Is bow club viable now?
A)I used to play sioux often because they're easy.... and lame too. But after I play other civs and get rekt by tons of bow riders I hate those monsters too! Bow rider is really LAME and I totally agree with nerfing it. And sioux warchief needs a nerf too (they shouldn't snare).

But even after bow riders got nerfed, they're still the most reliable unit after cav upgrades.
At the same time, sioux eco is the worst among all the civs. Cetan bows are not that weak as before, but they're not an OP unit either. And with sioux's shitty eco, it'll be difficult to win an infantry war with other civs: french can spam from 1 stable 2 rax easily, while sioux can hardly train 5+5 from 1 stable 1 warhut. Anyway, buff native civs' eco. (20range wakina is also a good idea.)

Bow club rush is just a rush. It's relatively easy to counter. Russia 5+4cossack 13strelet, india 12sepoy 4sowar, otto 15jani 3huss.... these noob BO can't become the main playstyle of a civ.

Q) On the forums you often reply in topics about the meta, and you have many ideas about it that are very different, why is that? You often say that there is no 1 right way to play, can you explain that a bit?
A) I've changed some of my ideas now. But still, some BOs, like india rush, are still strong on some maps. Even in esoc patch, maps like yukon is still a good rush map and a fort in front of your hunt at 4:10 is still lame. Let alone those RE maps, sonora, patagonia, araucania....

Also, a player can't play perfectly in every game. This will give your opponent some chance. Goon skirm is meant to beat musk huss, but a small micro mistake (or lag) will break the balance. You may find a front tower before your base, but you may not find it in the corner of the map (that's yuza's style). The best players seldom make mistakes, but it will never be "never".

Q) What would you do to bring more Chinese and Japenese players to the ESOC Patch?
A) Now every Chinese player knows Goodspeed! And they're looking for Garja's guide too (with his photo. Is he a pony? or a sith lord? supreme leader snoke? a mysterious one, he is.) And Japanese players... sorry I dont know much about them. Interestingly, it seems that they don't hate iro otto etc. They never complain about shitty maps or lame civs. You can ask Boneng about this.

Q) Is this the first time you play in a big tournament? Why do you play in tournaments? For fun or competition, or is it a mix?
A) No it's the second time! I met samwise12 in the summer tournament.
Taking part in a tournament is both interesting and challenging. Also, though there are not many chinese players who know this forum, this patch, and all your efforts behind it, I will be one of them.

Q) You often post recs from old players, who are your favorite 3 players of all time? Did you ever play with any of them? Who is the best player you have ever played?
A) I've played with H2O once and i won! So I used to have 100% winning rate upon the WCG champion! I should have never played with him after that. That number is about 0% now. And Goodspeed. I've never beat him before (cause he didn't allow me to use lame sioux lol). Among Chinese players, Jui may be the best-known one, but I would say black_xiii_t (or spider_xiande) is the most unique player. He's not playing a rts, he's playing car racing game: Sioux Japan run run run raid raid raid... and it works! Interesting; but annoying.

Q) Any players you are looking out for this tournament? What are your predictions for winter tournament, who will win? How far do you think you will go this tournament?
A)I met samwise in the summer tournament and this time, it's Aizamk. As we know, Sam became the champion. So this time, Aizamk will be the king. (Or will it be me? lol)[/spoiler]
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Re: 2015 WINTERVIEWS ARCHIVE

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Winterview #11 with Diarouga
[spoiler=spoiler]Q) Who is Diarouga, tell us a bit about yourself?
A) I'm 17 and I currently study science. As most of you might know, I'm French. I live near Paris, (well 15 minutes from Paris, so let's say I live in Paris :P). Obviously I play a lot of AoE3 but I also like to play chess and I like cinema a lot (Nolan, Tarantino and Spielberg). My favorite movies are Inglorious Basterds and Inception.

Q) How did you get into gaming, do you remember the first time you played any of the AoE games? What is your favorite AoE game or RTS. Do you play any other games besides Aoe3
A) I started playing noob games like Darkorbit or Dofus when I was around 10-12 years old but I got bored of them. I discovered AoE3 when I was 12, at that time, I used to play vs comps. I've been playing actively for a bit more than 3 years.

I've played StarCraft2 for 1 month and to be honest, I preferred Starcraft but losing to noob strats made me so mad, so I stopped. What I like in AoE3 is that you can't really lose to stupid things if you play seriously but you can still be creative and come up with new strategies even 10 years after the release of the game.

Q) What gamemode do you play mostly, 1v1 or teamgames? Which one do you prefer, and why? Have you ever played treaty or deathmatch? Do you like any scenarios?
A) I play mostly 1v1 but I also like team. I prefer 1v1 because it is more competitive and there is more strategy involved imo. I don't like treaty, DM, scenario etc.

Q) What is your favourite civ and why? And which civ do you hate to play against the most? Favourite map? What is your favorite unit?
A) Hum, my favourite civs are probably Japan and India since they need a lot of micro/macro/adaptation, which is a nice challenge. I also like the design of these two civs, boom, never push and outscale your opponent. Sadly, in the current meta, both civs are quite weak (at least india). I hate to play vs Sioux/Ger/Fre because I am not great against raids and you usually get raided when you play vs these civs.

My favourite map is probably High Plains, I like the fact that the map is big and that you have a lot of natural resources. I also enjoy playing the tp meta and with 5 tradeposts you can be sure that atleast one player will try to take the road! My favourite unit is the yumi archer because it is so damn good!

Q) Can you tell us a bit about your approach to the game? do you have an idea before the game about how to play the mu? or do you play vs your opponent more specifically or do you just make it up as you go?
A) I think I am a standard player who tries to use the best builds, do the best timing attacks etc. I used to watch a lot of recs and I still watch recs of tournaments, as well as streams, trying to understand the game better. That's almost a science lol.

I usually try to pick fair match ups, but I am not very good at it and often, I want to play a civ even if its a MU I don't know very well and I sometimes go for weird builds.
However, when I'm playing seriously in a match up I master, I know exactly what I will do for the first 8-9 minutes. I have to adapt to the map or to the opponent (aizamk for example), but if I know what my opponent will do before starting, I will have an idea of what I'll do too ( and I think every pr30+ player also will).

Q)How would you best describe your playstyle? And is there a kind of style you prefer to play against or hate to play against?
A) I'm carefully following the meta as I said, so I try to be as greedy as possible, and I will never all in, in that way I'm agressive but on the other hand, I sometimes have to be agressive to punish a semi ff or to take the tps. I don't like to play when I don't know what my opponent will do or if I can t beat it. I'm fine vs big rushes or kynesie's style since they are predictable and I know how to counter it but I don't like to play vs dyddyd91 :).

Q) What do you think about the current balance on the patch? Are there any changes you like or dislike? do you think that the inclusion of otto and iro again will shift the mu's played in the tournament? What civ is the top dog at the moment? And which civ is the worst?
A) The balance is of course much better than on RE, even though I often blame garja for his maps, I have to admit that maps are the main factor. About the civs, well, ger and fre are op imo, dutch is still a weak civ. I like the way iro was changed to a fortress civ but I think we failed at buffing dutch and I don't like port colonial builds (with forward tc and cm as Umeu often does), because I find it dumb and it also got buffed with the vill buff.

Q) Spring was the first tournament you played in, and you made quite a name for yourself by going far while nobody had really heard of you. In summer you were already mentioned by some as a possible contender, and now in Winter, nobody doubts that you have what it takes to reach the top4. Can you tell us a bit about how you look back upon last year, what did you do to reach the top?
A) I was lucky to get to the top 8 in the spring championship, I had a good bracket and two of my opponents forfeited. I think I would have beaten Chusik but Heroes_ was better than I. Also Musket was meant to go to the round of 8 instead of me, but he lost to a major :p I was very disappointed after the Summer championship, I didn't practice at all to beat ACERGAME09 because I had beaten him 4-0 before the tourney and he lost a game to a lieutenant in RO64. I hope I will do better in this tournament. I think I should reach the semi finals vs H2O but I don't know how to prepare for a tournament match and I'm scared of somppu, fard and goongoon.

To improve, I played a lot, and I tried to play vs players better than me as much as I could. That's the only way to improve.

Q) You haven't been playing for that long, but who is the best player you have ever played so far?
A) I haven't played much vs Sam, and H2O was rusty the few times I played vs him. So the best player I've played is definitely blackstar_OP.

Q) Why do you play in tournaments? For fun or competition, or is it a mix?
A) I play tournaments for competition. I want to challenge myself and see how far I can go. I'd be very proud to make it to the semi finals.

Q) Any players you are looking out for this tournament? What are your predictions for winter tournament, who will win? How far do you think you will go this tournament?
A) I think Sam will win. I'm excited to see Samwise12 vs LordRaphael and the _H2O vs Sam match if both win as expected.[/spoiler]
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Re: 2015 WINTERVIEWS ARCHIVE

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Winterview #12 with Boneng
[spoiler=spoiler]Q) Who is Boneng, tell us a bit about yourself?
I'm in my 20s, I live in Japan, I like Ramen, favorite movie is Castaway.

Q) How did you get into gaming, do you remember the first time you played any of the AoE games? What is your favorite AoE game or RTS. Do you play any other games besides Aoe3
A) I think I got into gaming playing "The Legend of Zelda: A link to the past" on the nintendo, but my favorite RTS is Warcraft 3. I play lots of strategy games in general.

Q) You are one of the few players from Japan on ESOC, why do you think that is? Is language a big problem? Do you think there is a way to bring the Western scene (Europe, USA and South America etc) and the Eastern scene (China, Japan, Korea etc) closer to each other?
A) The language barrier is the biggest problem, but also the time zone difference can be quite hard on Japanese people, as most times when Japanese players can play is a bad time for Europe/America, so scheduling in this kind of long tournament is rough.
For your second question, I don't necessarily think the two communities have to come together. They are very different, and they are both good in its own way, and trying to bring them together will have a negative effect on both communities. Besides there is no real wall between the two community in terms of gaming anyway, we can play each other on quick search any time.

Q) What gamemode do you play mostly, 1v1 or teamgames? Which one do you prefer, and why? Have you ever played treaty or deathmatch? Do you like any scenarios?
A) 1v1 mainly, only because there are so little competitive team games. I like both team and 1v1, I like to alternate between the two. I have played treaty but find it to be too long. Deathmatch and scenarios I never play.

Q) You are a player who can play (almost) all civs very well. What do you think is better, to play a few civs and know them perfectly or to play all civs and know them well?
A) I think its is a bit of both. It is better to play all civs to some level and gain first hand experience in the strengths and weaknesses. However before any big tournaments, you should limit yourself to playing only your top 5-6 civs to perfect the macro.

Q) What is your favourite civ and why? And which civ do you hate to play against the most? Favourite map? What is your favorite unit?
A) My favorite civilization is Russia. The reason is because Russia is the most open ended civilization strategy wise, for two reasons. Firstly their villagers and armies comes in batches, so it is always gives you a hard decision to make in early game, about which one to go for requiring lots of strategical thinking and minor adjustments to your build order each game. Secondly, card order is more important for Russia then any other civilization, as there is no standard card order after your second card, which means having no meta is the meta for Russia. It presents a strategical question to the player, and an ultimate balancing act between army and economy, attacking and defending.
The civilization I hate to play the most is Iroquois, mainly because they have too many strengths, (where most civilization only have 1-2 strengths) meaning they are strong whatever they do, basically overpowered.

My favorite map is Saguenay as it has balances for all types of play. Turtling, water boom, TP boom, etc. My favorite unit is heavy canons. That is why I end up in industrial most games.

Q) Can you tell us a bit about your approach to the game? do you have an idea before the game about how to play the mu? or do you play vs your opponent more specifically or do you just make it up as you go?
A) There are certain matchups where the meta is very concrete, but these matchups I hate as it comes down to little strategical thinking and more down to APM and luck with treasures. That is why I don't like the mirrors, specifically France, Germany, Japan which people just practice spamming the same build orders over and over, then call it the "fairest matchup" (They forget to mention they have been practicing their ass off for this matchup while the opponent has not ;) ) .

For your second question, I always have an idea of what to do first, but it's a game of adapting, and I always try to see what the opponent is doing before choosing my next move. When I am playing to win, I adapt, when I am playing for fun I ignore their build order and do what I wanted to do anyway and just continue to age up! Everyone knows that blowing infantry to shreds with heavy cannons is the most satisfying way to win.

Q) How would you best describe your playstyle? And is there a kind of style you prefer to play against or hate to play against?
A) I would say I do more of a dictating the pace of the game style rather than adapting. Also more macro than micro style. I hate to play against mass walls. When people decide to triple wall up from age 2, an effective play style, but very everyone knows it is also boring to play against it.

Q) I know you haven't played alot on the patch but what do you think about the current balance? Are there any changes you like or dislike? do you think that the inclusion of otto and iro again will shift the mu's played in the tournament? What civ is the top dog at the moment? And which civ is the worst?
A) I don't know about best or worst but I liked the changes especially wall nerf and iroquois nerf. I would say it is not perfect but a step in the right direction. Otto and Iro, I am not sure.

Q) Russia is one of your most played civs, many players think they are one of the weakest, if not the weakest civ at this moment (both on RE and EP), what are your thoughts on this?
A) Russia basically is a test of strategic depth of the player. It is a very balanced civilization with no real weakness and has the adaptability to hold its own against any civilization. Actually they are the only civilization where I don't really care which civilization I face up to, as I am confident I can win with the correct macro. To me they are the dream civilization, the best in the game if best is defined by having the highest number of positive win rates (over 50%) with all 12 other civilizations. They will not have alarmingly high win rate against any one civilization but will achieve a number just over 50% with nearly all.

Q) Ports is a civ you like to play a lot, what do you think about the villager cost change? Do you feel ports are a lot better now on EP? What about the monitor nerf?
A) They are definitely better. I have not played the patch enough to know if it is balanced though. The monitor is kind of a nerf but they also cost less, so it sounds balanced to me. The issue about water was more the offshore shooting card for more range for ships in age 2, it should really be a card for age 4 or deleted altogether, as it turns frigates into un-counterable units.

Q) What do you think about the nerf (3000hp>1500hp) to walls? And what do you think the effect is of the wall nerf and the xp nerf (600xp > 200xp) to the Shogunate Wonder in Industrial to Japan in general?
A) The wall nerf is very good. It was way too cost effective, especially walls without pillars. It stops boring games where you end up sieging walls all day. The shogunate wonder bug nerf is also great, as it seemed too strong, but it is a shame that the FI strategy for Japan may become redundant.

Q) There is quite a distinct difference in meta between players from Japan and players from the rest of the world, why do you think that is? Do you also think there is a difference in skill?
A) Japanese people like their distinct orders, the west likes the perfect meta build orders more which causes the gap. There is not too much of a skill gap in my opinion.

Q) What would you do to bring more Japenese players to the ESOC Patch?
A) Not too much. Japanese players just like playing casually on quick search rather than new patches, and trying to make them use the patch would be a mistake.

Q) The JP community often hosts shorter tournaments, that typically last around a weekend, while the ESO community (and PK Clan before that) often has fewer but longer lasting tournaments, do you have a preference for either style?
A) I think ESO community tournaments are too long as they commit you to months of scheduling, and it can be burden to players like me who always seems to find their way into the final. The Japanese tournaments are more preferable for me as they last one month at the longest. Because we have only one time zone, and the time and day of playing is fixed for everyone, it means no hassle for scheduling.

Q) You have always been a top contender in tournaments, even winning PK4 two years ago. Do you think experience with games where there is a lot at stake is important in tournaments? Do you think that psychology (mind set and mind games) is a factor in your good performances in tournaments?
Yes, experience in many different tournaments can certainly help, as unlike quicksearch it is a BO3 or more, with civilization restrictions as well as psychological factors affecting the following games. I think psychology has helped me in tournament situations against tough opponents.

Q) In the Spring championship an unfortunate event prevented a clear outcome in your rematch with Garja, do you think you could have won that last game? And if you had gone all the way to the semi-finals from there, how well do you think you would have done vs H2O in the semi-finals and perhaps Blackstar_OP in the finals? Is there a reason why you didn't play in summer, but decided to play in Winter?
I definitely think I had a good chance to beat Garja, although the outcome was very unclear and we are quite equally matched. Maybe it can be made clear this tournament as it seems I will have to face Garja once again early in the tournament if we both win our brackets. Against H20 I think I had a fair chance, and maybe I could have made it to the finals to face blackstar. I did not play in the last summer tournament as it was very long and was played just after the winter tournament, and I did not feel up to playing another long tournament. I decided to play in this tournament, mainly thanks to the persuasion of H20 and the good balance achieved in the fan patch.

Q) Who is the best player you have ever played?
A) I think Boneng. And maybe Blackstar OP.

Q) Any players you are looking out for this tournament? What are your predictions for winter tournament, who will win? How far do you think you will go this tournament?
A) Boneng, Boneng, Boneng.[/spoiler]
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Re: 2015 WINTERVIEWS ARCHIVE

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Winterview #14 with LordRaphael
[spoiler=spoiler]Q) Who is LordRaphael, tell us a bit about yourself?
A) Hey my name is Raphael (surprise :D) and I am 22 years old. I am currently studying to become a middle school teacher. Outside my gaming career I go to the gym and love reading books or watching series. My favourite movie is definetly The Lord of the Rings (I recommend the Special Extendend Version) but there are lots of other good movies out there.

Q) How did you get into gaming, do you remember the first time you played any of the AoE games? What is your favorite AoE game or RTS. Do you play any other games besides Aoe3, you were quite good at starcraft2, right?
A) Well I started out with Age of Empires 2 but I never played it online and only against the AI. When Age of Empires 3 was released I bought it as well but wasn't the biggest fan of it in the beginning. So it kind of rested on my shelf for 1 year until I finally tried out the multiplayer mode of AoE3 and I liked it a lot.

My favourite RTS game would have to be AoE3, followed by SC2 and AoE2. I had played SC2 for about 1.5 years before I came back and I was decent at it, usually hovering between rank 300 and 500 on the european ladder with occasionally peaks where i would exlusively play GrandMasters (rank 200 and better would have been GM so I was several times so close to become a GM but unfortunately could never make it. :( )

Q) You left AoE3 for a while, presumably to play SC2, but what made you come back? Do you think playing SC2 helped you get better at AoE3?
A) Coincidence really. I only wanted to play a game or two for the sake of the old times and then heard about the tourney and ESOC which got me interested in playing again. I was also frustrated by playing SC2 because I barely missed the GM ranks again. SC2 has helped me a lot regarding my skills. The competition is brutal there and I started to learn using hotkeys for everything while playing Sc2. I also think my micro has improved by playing Sc2, everything feels so slow if you come back to AoE 3 after having played SC2.

Q) What gamemode do you play mostly, 1v1 or teamgames? Which one do you prefer, and why? Have you ever played treaty or deathmatch? Do you like any scenarios?
A) I like 1v1 the most. I started out as a NR30 player on Vanilla then switched over to team games and now I play exlusively 1v1. Its just so much more fun to play without lag and to know that you are the only one responsible for your results. I also played deathmatch a few times, I think it can be quite funny once in a while.

Q) You are not known for playing many civs, but rather for being an expert with a few. What do you think is better, to play a few civs and know them perfectly or to play all civs and know them well?
A) Hm I think it really depends on how many civs you can play really well. If you can play, letĀ“s say, 4 or 5 civs on a really high level and when you know 2 more civs which you can play well, I would prefer that over knowing every civ well. In my case I would like to know a few more civs better but i get frustrated too quickly if I lose and know that I could be playing much better with another civ .

Q) What is your favourite civ and why? And which civ do you hate to play against the most? Favourite map? What is your favorite unit?
A) It has to be France. The civ has no real weakness can do everything decently and excells in semi FFs which is really good in the current meta. Furthermore it has the coureur which can be used in battle, kinda reminding me of the SCV in SC2. When I played aoe and Sc2 simultaneously in late 2012 I used coureurs very often in battle and also did some "coureur pull" strategys against sioux or brits.

Q) Can you tell us a bit about your approach to the game? do you have an idea before the game about how to play the mu? or do you play vs your opponent more specifically or do you just make it up as you go?
A) Well if I am in a lobby and have picked my civ, I pretty much know exactly what I am going to do. With some civs I decide after having seen his deck or seeing with how many wood crates I have started with. Sometimes I also do play my opponent but usually I just stick to my plan because I know that if I dont make a mistake I will win.

Q)How would you best describe your playstyle? And is there a kind of style you prefer to play against or hate to play against?
A) My playstyle has drastically changed, I think mainly due to my time playing SC2. I was a very agressive player before i switched over to SC2. But because I played mech most of the time in SC2, my style evolved into a boomy one, focused on outbooming my opponent while raiding him.

Q) What do you think about the current balance on the patch? Are there any changes you like or dislike? do you think that the inclusion of otto and iro again will shift the mu's played in the tournament? What civ is the top dog at the moment? And which civ is the worst?
A) Balance is certainly better compared to the RE patch, but not nearly as great as some others claim it to be. So far the new maps have had a much greater impact on balance than the changes we have done. I think for future balance updates, the question the people involved into balancing the game really have to ask themselves is what kind of balance they want to achieve. A patch where most of the units are viable (grenadiers etc), even up smaller imbalances (uhlans being to stong at raiding chinese having shipments that are to strong etc) or some that rarely occur to be relevant (old han/genitours etc ) will be fixed or a patch that leaves most of the issues as they are with some civs being stronger than others and some things just being as imba as they are on RE.

In a way I would compare the situation with the situations of Blizzard during the LOTV Beta (on a much smaller level obviously). Many players in the Sc2 community wanted an almost complete rework of the Protoss race and a new economy model being implemented into the game. There was tons of research being done by the community and Blizzard had to decide if they would go that road which could have made the game better than it had ever been but would have also meant tons of extra work from Blizzards side . In the end Blizzard decided to go the easy way with some surface changes being done but leaving the core mechanics and problems as they were. I hope that the EP team wont go the Blizzard way but it does seem like it .

Q) You have been trying out Ports recently, what are your thoughts on them? Or other civs?
A) Well Port is one of those civs I hate to play against because I feel like they are very strong but when I actually play them, they always appear to be rather weak. But ports is certainly a civ with a very interesting mechanic and they are in a good spot right now, I believe. I think the way Aizamk plays them, they might actually be not only mediocre, but tier 1 material.

Q) You haven't played alot in the last few tournaments, dropping out for technical reasons in Summer, so for some new players your high seed might come as a surprise. However, those who have stuck around for a while, should know that you got a 2nd place in pk2 and 3rd place in pk1. How would you say your form is at this moment, compared to back then? Do you think it's true that players from Vanilla are worse than those from TAD?
A) I think my skill has improved quite a bit since my nilla days. My current form is rather hard to judge because of the nature of AoE and the fact that there is no real matchmaking system.

In SC2 I knew exactly how good I was and if my form was currently good or bad. Usually my form would go up until I reached my peak and then it would fall down rapidly for some reason. And this would repeat itself every 2 or 3 months I would say. If I had to transfer that schemata onto AoE3, I would say I am probably in that stage where my form drops rapdidly for some reason :(. So in a way the tournament has started at the very moment for me, where I feel I would have been better 1 months ago, I think.


Q) Why do you play in tournaments? For fun or competition, or is it a mix? You are often named as a favorite to win it all, how do you deal with the pressure? Or don't you feel it at all?
A) I play because of the competition, the potential money is a very nice extra as well. I certainly donĀ“t feel more pressure because I am named as a tournament favourite but that doesnĀ“t mean much because I already feel a lot of pressure simply because I am in the tournament.

Q) Who is the best player you have ever played?
A) The best is probably _H2O, followed by Samwise12. I know many people would like to see Blackstar_OP, but when I played vs him I had just come back to AoE3, so its hard to judge how good he really was or if I just played really bad.

Q) You have to play Samwise in the ro16, that will be a bo5, do you think that is more favorable for you, considering you may have less experience with some civs? Or have you been practicing (in secret) to learn more civs? What do you think the outcome of that match will be?
A) To be honest, I have never seen it from that perspective but you are right in a way. It is better for me to play him early in the tournament. But still it is a shame that we will meet this early. I think many people would have liked to see those games a bit further into the tournament. About the outcome, I will make a call and say that if I win the first game, I am going to beat him. Winning the first game is just such an important mental advantage (at least for me).

Q) Any other players you are looking out for this tournament? What are your predictions for winter tournament, who will win? How far do you think you will go this tournament?
A) Well obviously _H2O. I am really curious about Umeu's performance and that of Diarouga. I think Diarouga should easily reach the semi finals, given the easy bracket he got seeded into. Other than that, Aizamk and mongo10 are some interesting wild cards to look out for. My performance largely depends on whether I can beat Sam or not so, I wont predict how far I might go in the tourney.[/spoiler]
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I really like this series, thanks for putting it together man! That's a lot of time.
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Re: 2015 WINTERVIEWS ARCHIVE

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umeu wrote:Winterview #8 with Kynesie
[spoiler=spoiler]Q) Who is Kynesie?, tell us a bit about yourself?
A) I am 24 and I live near Paris. I have been working for over a year now as software developer for French hospitals. Besides playing AoE3 my hobbies are reading, watching series, and eating junk food... I have been playing less since I got this job, but I have some time for now which is cool.

Q) How did you get into gaming, do you remember the first time you played any of the AoE games? What is your favorite AoE game or RTS.
A) I started with AoE1 , do you remember the campaign with the priest? :) After that AoE2 followed, then AoM, which I started to play online as well. When AoE3 is came out, I did not play it that much. Even today, I don't like Vanilla because all games are too similar or standard. With TWC and TAD the game offered more opportunity. I tried a lot of other strategy games but TAD is still my favorite. I also like the Total War games, especially Shogun 2.

Q) You are very (in)famous for your playstyle walling, can you tell us why, when and how you got to play like that? Somppu wants to know if you built a wall around your house?
A) (in)Famous! :) Actually, many people like me and many hate me (or at least hate to play versus me), few are indifferent. A random noob recently told me: "You are the cancer of AoE!"

About my walling playstyle, 3 years ago I played only 1v1 as Japan. Mainly versus Otto, Iro and India 10/10. I lost many games, it was really hard to counter any rush, so I started to wall. When I wall, I also boom more, so I can make less units early and I need even more walls. Vicious circle. I have often lost when I attacked too early, so now I just wait behind my walls until the OP Japan late-game kicks in..

Wall around my house? Ofcourse not! But ingame it's like... Image

Q) You win many games on water and are considered (one of) the best water players in the game, why is that? Do you win because you have such good warship micro, or do most people play wrong vs you?
A) Since 2012, as Japan on kynesie, I have won 72 out of 75 games on Sag and 51 out of 52 games on Hispaniola for example. I'm not sure anyone has done better. I usually win for several reasons:
-I go water every game I can so I have a lot of experience now. :p
-I think my macro is really good.
-I wall my base when I go water (most players donā€™t, or make only 1 layer of walls.) Going water without wall can work but itā€™s really easy to counter as well.
-I have good warship micro, better than my land micro but actually it doesn't matter in most games.
-Do most people play wrong vs me? I saw many wrong strats like FIā€¦ However to win a game against a (Japanese) waterboom isn't really hard. All you need is a full aggressive water strat or an aggressive strat on both land and water. The water player will win the game only if you make mistakes.


Q) Many people believe that the balance on water is broken and that schooners and/or warships are overpowered. You on the other hand, actually believe that waterboom isn't that strong at all, can you tell us your thoughts on that in short?

A) The problem is that most of the players don't want to use schooners or warshipsā€¦ In that case, they have no chance, but it is their own fault. When both players use warships or schooners, the balance is OK!

Port, Brits, Japs, Otto, Aztecs, Russia, Spain, India, Iro, Sioux and China; They all have means for a water boom or to counter a waterboom by using warships and cannons.
Only Germany, France and Dutch are disadvantaged. So 11 civs can deal with water while 3 canĀ“t. It is not less balanced than land where Ports, Spain, Russia and Dutch are useless on the RE patch.

Q) What gamemode do you play mostly, 1v1 or teamgames? Which one do you prefer, and why? Have you ever played treaty or deathmatch? Do you like any scenarios?
A) I like every gamemode! Although, I rarely play treaty and DM. Most important is to be on Skype with friends. I started to play 1v1 3 years ago, and since then I play everything. I like most scenarios, like colosseum or cannibal. Some are really awesome, but there often is a balancing (and lag) problem.

Q) What is your favourite civ and why? and which civ do you hate to play against the most? Favourite map and why?
A) Someone doesnĀ“t know what my favourite civ is?!? What I like about Japan is that I have to adapt to the opponent. With Japan I usually canā€™t make the standard BO 600w4v4v and 20 shrines because I must react to the opponent's timing push. With France a good player knows how to best spend resources during the first 9-10 minutes. For example, a 5 cav semi FF is 4cdb, 700g and 700w. Itā€™s the best way, everything is calculated, I don't enjoy that, but with Japan I need to improvise.

I think my favourite map is Saguenay! Except when there are no trees above my town centerā€¦ . I can boom water easily, there are a lot of whales, and good natives (CDB + wood cost building + 25% fishing up + 30 or 60 huron for 0 population in late game) and ofcourse, it's easy to wall!


Q) Can you tell us a bit about your approach to the game? do you have an idea before the game about how to play the mu? or do you play vs your opponent more specifically or do you just make it up as you go?

A) As the game is depopulated, I know most of the players I face. Often there is no need to even scout to know their strategy. I always wall and boom as much as I can :p

Q)How would you best describe your playstyle? And is there a kind of style you prefer to play against or hate to play against?
A) My playstyle is a booming turtle. And I really like to play against players who are doing the same thing.

Q) What do you think about the current balance on the patch? Are there any changes you like or dislike? do you think that the inclusion of otto and iro again will shift the mu's played in the tournament? What civ is the top dog at the moment? And which civ is the worst?
A) About the patch: I'll be rude about nerf wall -_-ā€˜ Otherwise they have done a good job! It is not perfect, but it is a good start. Dutch are now WTF in team, Iro are just bad, Otto are still OP when they can take 3-5 tradeposts. Germany and France are really good now.
Nerfing water by making maps with 4 whales is not a solution: the only consequence is that no one except me will go water.

What about the Japanese card for 15%berries (+1v ), is it a bug that needs to be fixed?

Q) Ports is a civ you like to play a lot, what do you think about the villager cost change? Do you feel ports are a lot better now on EP? What about the monitor nerf?
A) I like play to Ports on land now! They are ok, not OP because caƧadores and the 2 organ gun shipment are still useless, but they are playable.

The monitor nerf seems ok! I need them to kill defensive buildings near the water and to take all of the water, and they can still do the job. Now they are less lame ofcourse, so I just won't make them if I don't need them and spend the resources on something else.

Q) What do you think about the nerf to walls? And what do you think the effect was of the wall nerf and the xp nerf to the Shogunate Wonder in Industrial to your Japan playstyle, or Japan in general?
A) The wall nerf hurts Japan a lot, more than the shogunate XP change, which just changes the strategy. I stay age3 and push instead of going age4, but does not make much weaker Japanese. Walling is much harder now. Timings are very hard to hold. Because ESOC maps are generally small, I think that Japan is no longer OP. Fortunately, they are still good on maps like Siberia or Kamchatka.

Q) You played two more tournaments this year, and both times you had a good run, finishing top 8 twice. Do you think you could have won it all if there were more water maps?
A) Even with more water maps, I would not have beaten BSOP during the Spring championship. In the Summer tournament, more water would have helped me ofcourse, but I can not complain, there already were alot of water maps. I was really disappointed after losing to Acergame09 (a very epic and close series). I think that if I had beaten him, I could have won the tournanment. Samwise12 is obviously good but I am not sure about his ability on water. (One more whale in every ESOC water map would be really good xD)

Q) Why do you play in tournaments? For fun or competition, or is it a mix?
A) Actually I play tournament because I think these events make AOE3 live. Without the 3 ESOC tournaments, I don t think I would play again - A lot of good players just play for tournaments. I like AOE3 so I participate. I haven t really hope to win it, but it s the game I like.

Q) In Spring you got knocked out by Blackstar, and in general you had a hard time vs him in QS. Is he the best player you ever played? Or is there someone else?
A) He is undoubtedly one of the best players I have ever seen. And he was particularly interested in my gameplay. Many players have tried to copy my Japanese water boom, but he is the only one who has succeeded. He is also the only other player who beat PR40+ with this strat. He had a complete understanding of my gameplay so he beat me easily. But there are also other good players, like Nagayumi or Darwin when they played regularlyā€¦


Q) Any players you are looking out for this tournament? What are your predictions for winter tournament? How far do you think you will go this tournament?

A) I want to bet on Diarouga! Because he became really good lately, he plays a lot 1v1 games, and he is French :) For once, a French guy is not a noob, that is a nice change! I hope to get top 8 again, but I don't expect more. I don't play a lot, and with wall nerfā€¦[/spoiler]

Is @Kynesie a Chelsea fan? Would be really cool!
User avatar
India Challenger_Marco
ESOC Media Team
Posts: 2689
Joined: Nov 23, 2015
ESO: challenger_marco

Re: 2015 WINTERVIEWS ARCHIVE

Post by Challenger_Marco »

Hey nice!thx @umeu would like to see more interviews like from IrishFaithful etc Irish my fav player.
:nwc:
Italy DaRkNiTe1698
Lancer
Posts: 723
Joined: Aug 8, 2016
ESO: Marco1698

Re: 2015 WINTERVIEWS ARCHIVE

Post by DaRkNiTe1698 »

Challenger_Marco wrote:Hey nice!thx @umeu would like to see more interviews like from IrishFaithful etc Irish my fav player.
Really? I had no doubts :)
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Germany Akechi_Mitsuhide
Dragoon
Posts: 245
Joined: Feb 4, 2016
ESO: Akechi_Mitsuhide

Re: 2015 WINTERVIEWS ARCHIVE

Post by Akechi_Mitsuhide »

Challenger_Marco wrote:Hey nice!thx @umeu would like to see more interviews like from IrishFaithful etc Irish my fav player.

It's nice if I advertised the Winterviews with my post a bit.

However I'd still like someone to answer my question if anyone knows.
No Flag deleted_user0
Ninja
Posts: 13004
Joined: Apr 28, 2020

Re: 2015 WINTERVIEWS ARCHIVE

Post by deleted_user0 »

There probably wont be more interviews by me. Definitely not with irishfaithful. But others can continue with the idea

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