EPT
Anyway, let me put on my serious cap. I know it's a bit late, but I'd still like to take some time and run you through 9 things that I took away from HSC5.
#9 The summer, the better.
I think I mentioned before that the live experience is awesome.. Back in Januari, the pub was nicely crowded and you could easily walk out to get some fresh air. That’s what I thought of as the ideal BarCraft back then. I was wrong. What if you can watch the games in a nicely crowded pub, but then also take your cold beer outside, sit down on the terrace and bask in the German sun while lounging with your fellow StarCraft nerds. Not only that, the town’s center was actually a bit lively this time around. No more trying to find a quick kebab, escaping from the cold and rain, but instead dining outside in a vivacious city square. I reckon there were more people around this time, but with the allure of spending some time outsides, a nice balance is struck between the people inside and outside, making the getting inside less of a shoehorn-fueled ordeal and spending time outside more of a social event.
#8 Cadred.
If you haven’t found the Cadred coverage yet go check it out after reading this. These guys deserve a mention for a number of things. Let’s first acknowledge Kennigit’s talk about framing though. They completely botched that. The question we’ve got to ask ourselves though – is it for good reason? The guy behind the mic is Richard Lewis, a fast-paced Brit who I’d never heard of before. However, even though he’s relatively new to the SC2 scene, you have to commend him on preparing so well for every single interview he did. He’s well verses and animated, no wonder they’re pushing him as a brand. The clinch though is that they manage to produce content in the HSC environment. With all the interviews, banter and behind-the-scenes footage going on, it’s hard to find an aspect worth investing in. Cadred has found their niche though, asking direct, controversial and open questions, that really yield interviews worth watching. A job well done guys.
#7 Looping Louie for ESPORT.
[19:53] <marinet> WHAT DOES ZATIC DO
[19:53] <marinet> lol
[19:53] <HoMM> rofl
[19:53] <marinet> Pholon: what does zatic do
[19:54] <@Pholon> wears suitjackets and is generally awesome
[19:54] <HoMM> rofl Pholon thats exactly what rotterdam said T.T
Who is zatic and what does he do? And now you know. <3
#6 Player-fan interaction not optimal.
Homestory Cup tries to pass itself off as a tournament with a relaxed sphere, in which the players can freely act with the pub and fans downstairs. Unfortunately his is far from the truth. Idra describes the player’s situation as “pretty much self-contained”, which is a pretty accurate description. The players spend most of their time in the apartment, which pretty much suffices in all their needs. And you can’t blame them either – as soon as they show their faces downstairs they’re swarmed by fans like a squad of Marines on Char. If you want to go get a simple beer, but get stuck signing 25 of the posters the crew hands out for that purpose, whatever remains of the appeal of getting a quality ale or hardy scotch soon vanishes. I can imagine it being even scarier for the Koreans – young, tiny nerds being hailed in foreign languages the instant they tread outside. The crew has to resort to some kind of signing squads, where taskforces of players – white markers at the ready – enter the streets for, finally, some brief fan interaction.
#5 “Ohana” apparently means “family”.
It’s Hawaiian. Also, you should follow @LiquidRet on twitter.
#4 Why does Dimaga have the best fans?.
I bewail the lack of cheerfuls throughout the foreign scene. In Europe they’re sparse (though getting better) and we’re thankfully starting to see a fair amount of them at the American events, but they’re still not as prevalent as they used to be in Korean BroodWar. I’d like to point out that at those events, the organisers would actually hand out blank sheets of A4 paper with the sponsor’s logo printed in some corner. A great way to stimulate fans to make their contributions, more exposure for the sponsors, and surely cheaper than the wall-size posters HSC handed out. Regardless though, at every European event I go to, the biggest, baddest cheerfuls always belong to some Ukrainian Brigade. This HomeStory Cup was no exception, and I loved seeing the zeal these guys brought to the table. Pointer for the Germans: You may cheer your loudest for Hasu and Socke, but next time around let’s have some flags and signs okay? :D
#3 The highlight videos.
The actual header for this #3 was actually going to be something like “great atmosphere”. However deserved, I think we might be getting tired of harping on the HSC’s relaxed environment etcetera yadayada. So instead, I’d like to put a feather in the cap of the guy that did an excellent job of conveying this fact to the audience at home. Throughout the tournament we’ve been fed these awesome highlight clips that will get those nerdchills going and should be watched once a month in anticipation of the next event to retain that warm fuzzy feeling. On top of all of this, take into account that the guys behind the switches and dials are stowed away in the darkest dankest part of the apartment. Let’s tip our hats to these heroes.
#2 Group selections aren’t what they used to be
Anyone who remembers the OSL and MSL group selections will look back with a smile. Anyone who doesn’t should go look them up. They used to host a separate event, dress players up in suits, cosplays or dresses and have hours of banter and drama. Players would place themselves in a group – often enough motivated by having a grudge against the players they’re placing themselves in a group with – and then (and this is the good part) the higher seeds would be given the option of swapping others around. What would result is delicious drama, with players helping out a teammate or, even better, professing their desire to chew this particular nerd’s face off before dragging them into their own group. The HSC’s group selection had good intents, but in the end the whole thing was unclear with everyone talking and a format that would potentially allow the top seeds to (since they could only switch themselves?!) end up in the same group. This might sound more like a complaint than it is. Sure, the scrappiness is a natural part of the HSC, the resulting groups I think no one could complain about and at least it’s a better effort the kind of jizzless draws IEM does. But just take a second and imagine Idra, dressed up as your favorite Pokémon, being given full control over people that are not him. Just imagine…
#1 Nerchio is a complete baws.
Nerchio wins HSC V with honour and glory, having an absolutely sick run in a decently stacked tournament. Should I mention his games were predominantly against Protoss? Absolutely, because among those players we find ToD, Socke, Bling, HasuObs, MC and Yonghwa. Sure, it’s only one matchup in which he was allowed to shine, but we find Europe’s top, HSC4 champion MC and a 6-2 record against the player who both @Artosis and @Naniwa picked as their favorite to win the whole thing. There are only a few “foreign hopes” but Nerchio should be counted among them. And when Mana finishes building his ManaLair with Draco, we can only hope his countryman will receive an invite. *wink wink nudge nudge*
