EPTGetting to know the Chinese scene: An Interview with Dingdang
It’s not exactly an “elephant in the room", but it’s certainly a fact, which doesn’t get enough attention: The Chinese Broodwar scene is most likely the biggest and most active outside of Korea featuring the strongest players aside from the SOSPA stars. Yet, we know extraordinarily little about this healthy and vibrant scene. There definitely is some ground to cover.
An event of the category "requiring more attention" is the Chinese Our Starcraft League aka. the C-OSL. It's fifth edition was announced a month ago, and while im writing these lines, the first round of preliminaries is already done. The coverage for the event remains a sidenote in comparison to more recent Korean events, and nothing in relation to its magnitude, however. I appeal to you, my dear readers, to give this event the spotlight it deserves! With
Sziky, trutaCz and eOnzErG three known top foreigners are competing in the tournament. As so often, one guy has been the motor and the stalwart warden behind the C-OSLs since their first iteration in 2012. The unsung heroes name is Dingdang. I had the pleasure to conduct the following interview with him.
Note: The Interview was held in Chinese, all answers have been translated in English most faithfully and with the best effort of everybody involved. Yet, we cannot guarantee to have hit Dingdangs meaning exactly in every sentence. In order to alter his statements as little as possible, the answers were translated with very careful and minimal changes, trying to strike the fine line between improving your reading experience and staying true to what he said. So, without any further ado, here it is.
An event of the category "requiring more attention" is the Chinese Our Starcraft League aka. the C-OSL. It's fifth edition was announced a month ago, and while im writing these lines, the first round of preliminaries is already done. The coverage for the event remains a sidenote in comparison to more recent Korean events, and nothing in relation to its magnitude, however. I appeal to you, my dear readers, to give this event the spotlight it deserves! With
Sziky, trutaCz and eOnzErG three known top foreigners are competing in the tournament. As so often, one guy has been the motor and the stalwart warden behind the C-OSLs since their first iteration in 2012. The unsung heroes name is Dingdang. I had the pleasure to conduct the following interview with him.Note: The Interview was held in Chinese, all answers have been translated in English most faithfully and with the best effort of everybody involved. Yet, we cannot guarantee to have hit Dingdangs meaning exactly in every sentence. In order to alter his statements as little as possible, the answers were translated with very careful and minimal changes, trying to strike the fine line between improving your reading experience and staying true to what he said. So, without any further ado, here it is.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/QqpjiCs.png)
Please introduce yourself shortly to our readers, tell us a bit about yourself and your role in the C-OSL and in the Chinese StarCraft scene.
My name is Jin Xiao, I am 28 years old and live in the city of Zhuhai in the province of Guangdong. I work as construction engineer and I am the organizer of the C-OSL. China has a lot of StarCraft fans and a lot of good players too. They all love StarCraft and I think Broodwar is the best eSports game. I love it very much and I played Broodwar back when I was a student.
The English speaking StarCraft Brood War fans know very little about the Chinese scene, perhaps because communication and playing together is often a problem. The C-OSL’s have been very impressive to us and the Chinese scene seems very healthy. Tell us a bit about the Chinese StarCraft scene, how it developed after StarCraft 2 was released and how you see the Chinese scene in comparison to the Korean and English scene.
Thank you for the question. Firstly we have vast numbers of Broodwar fans here in China who are very passionate about the game. Also between the period of 2003-2010, China has regularly invited progamers and had a huge amount of competitive BW events, which also included many of China’s own BW progamers.
When the Korean BW progaming scene ended in 2012, I began to organize an individual competitive league for China known as C-OSL . This event gathered many of China’s own ex-progamers and talented amateurs. And from the 2nd season onwards, it attracted numerous Korean ex-progamers and a few strong European amateurs to participate in the event.
Currently the Chinese and Korean BW scene have established a platform of mutual exchange through constant communication and the hosting of friendly China versus Korea BW competitions, which I myself have organized plenty of before. One of the mutual benefits is that Chinese amateurs will get to improve their skill as they are given opportunities to practice more against Koreans.
The next C-OSL is explicitly open to foreign players. What are your hopes and expectations towards foreigners playing in the C-OSL 5?
I think that StarCraft is international and can get the fans together worldwide, we can be friends.
For Teamliquid, Sziky, trutacz and Eonzerg are playing in the C-OSL 5. How much of a chance do these players have in your opinion? Did you hear from them before they applied for C-OSL 5?
I think they are Gosus and that they can maybe get into the Round of 16 or even round of 8. I heard of Sziky before and I have seen their introductions on Teamliquid. I think they are the best players in the world, except for the Chinese and Koreans.
The C-OSL 5 will be played on the -VS- Server, which uses the 1.13f Version of StarCraft. In the west, Version 1.16 is the standard. Why is Version 1.13f being used on the -VS- server?
That is because the VS Server uses the UDP protocol. If you’re operating system is Windows 7 or Windows 8 you can’t play on the -VS- Server, because the client will crash. That’s obviously not good and I am trying to contact the coworkers of the -VS- server to solve this bug.
I read that Korean Ex Pros have to play their off-race half of their games versus the Chinese players. How does this work exactly? Do they have to play half the games with their off-race too versus Europeans and Americans?
This particular rule states that whenever a Korean ex-pro meets any Chinese amateur during the event, the Korean must use his off-race during the 2nd game of a Best of 3, the 2nd and 4th game of a Best of 5 and the 2nd,4th and 6th game of a Best of 7.
We recognize that there still currently exists a relatively large disparity in skill between Korean ex-pros and Chinese amateurs and with regard to that, we implemented this rule to ensure that the competition still holds meaning and generates excitement. All Korean ex-pros have to obey this rule in order to stay in the competition.
Unfortunately during the time when we wrote up the rules, we neglected to consider the issue that a similar disparity of skill may exists between Korean ex-pros and European amateurs. Hence we did not consider that European amateurs would have to be included in this rule when facing Korean ex-progamers. Therefore, for the current season of C-OSL, the rule does not apply for European amateurs, thus Korean ex-progamers do not have to use off-races when facing European amateurs. I will consider amending the rule for the benefit of European amateurs for the 6th season of the C-OSL.
Who is your favorite to win the tournament? And who is in your opinion the best up and coming Chinese player?
I think eitherFengzi or Zhanhun have the best chance of winning the C-OSL. I would name Zhanhun as the best newcomer.
The English speaking Starcraft Brood War fans are very excited about the recent developments in the Korean Scene. With the Sonic Starleague 10 and LoveTV Starleague 3, which have very big prize pools and well known Ex-Pro’s, things are going very good. Also, Sonic announced a partnership with Ongamenet for Sonic Starleague 10. What do you think of this development? Do you think Sonic can bring back professional Broodwar?
I have monitored these developments with much interest. I am very ecstatic to see that the Korean Broodwar scene still has amazing potential for development in the future and also I am very grateful for the organizers and players who have made contributions to the Broodwar scene. They are all very good people and I hope that professional Broodwar can be revived and continue. That’s because it is my belief that Broodwar is the world’s best competitive classic game. That the game is made in heavenly creation and passed down to Blizzard to be brought to us as a precious gift. Therefore as grateful recipients we must love and cherish it.
I believe that Sonic can help to revive the professional Broodwar scene, because Korea has a strong Broodwar culture and there still are many Korean ex-pros who can give us engaging clashes on the live stage. I sincerely hope that this will continue to keep up.
What do you think about the KeSPA and Blizzard Entertainment? The KeSPA and Blizzard Entertainment have had a complicated relationship in the past, considering the broadcast rights for Starcraft Brood War, upcoming Starcraft 2 and other things. What do you think of these things and what do the KeSPA and Blizzard mean to the Chinese Starcraft 1 scene? Did Blizzards claim for broadcasting rights affect the Chinese scene?
I feel that although both Broodwar and StarCraft 2 are made by Blizzard, they are actually two very different kind of games. Each of them has its own strengths and merits, hence they should not exist in conflict with each other.
It is my belief that Broodwar events should be freely broadcasted anywhere in the world. Currently in China, all of our competitive events are hosted by non-profit organizations. All of these events are organized by the initiative of Broodwar fans, with the prize money also being sponsored out of our own pockets. Hence all of our events can be considered non-profit. As for the issue of Broodwar broadcast rights I believe that this will not affect China’s competitive scene in any way.
We had some serious questions now, in contrast to the negative aspects, what are your three most positive and memorable moments in StarCraft History?
The boxer era, the nada era and the Flash vs Jaedong rivalry era. I love boxer very much, it is because of him that my love for Broodwar began..
It was a pleasure to do this Interview with you; thank you for taking the time even it wasn’t easy with the time zone difference! Do you have any final words for the English speaking StarCraft Brood War fans?
I am very thankful that there are still many Broodwar fans out there. We are all one happy family and best friends. I sincerely hope that all of you will continue your passion and love for BW, and further support BW competitive events like C-OSL. I am very grateful to you all. I love you.
My name is Jin Xiao, I am 28 years old and live in the city of Zhuhai in the province of Guangdong. I work as construction engineer and I am the organizer of the C-OSL. China has a lot of StarCraft fans and a lot of good players too. They all love StarCraft and I think Broodwar is the best eSports game. I love it very much and I played Broodwar back when I was a student.
The English speaking StarCraft Brood War fans know very little about the Chinese scene, perhaps because communication and playing together is often a problem. The C-OSL’s have been very impressive to us and the Chinese scene seems very healthy. Tell us a bit about the Chinese StarCraft scene, how it developed after StarCraft 2 was released and how you see the Chinese scene in comparison to the Korean and English scene.
Thank you for the question. Firstly we have vast numbers of Broodwar fans here in China who are very passionate about the game. Also between the period of 2003-2010, China has regularly invited progamers and had a huge amount of competitive BW events, which also included many of China’s own BW progamers.
When the Korean BW progaming scene ended in 2012, I began to organize an individual competitive league for China known as C-OSL . This event gathered many of China’s own ex-progamers and talented amateurs. And from the 2nd season onwards, it attracted numerous Korean ex-progamers and a few strong European amateurs to participate in the event.
Currently the Chinese and Korean BW scene have established a platform of mutual exchange through constant communication and the hosting of friendly China versus Korea BW competitions, which I myself have organized plenty of before. One of the mutual benefits is that Chinese amateurs will get to improve their skill as they are given opportunities to practice more against Koreans.
The next C-OSL is explicitly open to foreign players. What are your hopes and expectations towards foreigners playing in the C-OSL 5?
I think that StarCraft is international and can get the fans together worldwide, we can be friends.
For Teamliquid, Sziky, trutacz and Eonzerg are playing in the C-OSL 5. How much of a chance do these players have in your opinion? Did you hear from them before they applied for C-OSL 5?
I think they are Gosus and that they can maybe get into the Round of 16 or even round of 8. I heard of Sziky before and I have seen their introductions on Teamliquid. I think they are the best players in the world, except for the Chinese and Koreans.
The C-OSL 5 will be played on the -VS- Server, which uses the 1.13f Version of StarCraft. In the west, Version 1.16 is the standard. Why is Version 1.13f being used on the -VS- server?
That is because the VS Server uses the UDP protocol. If you’re operating system is Windows 7 or Windows 8 you can’t play on the -VS- Server, because the client will crash. That’s obviously not good and I am trying to contact the coworkers of the -VS- server to solve this bug.
I read that Korean Ex Pros have to play their off-race half of their games versus the Chinese players. How does this work exactly? Do they have to play half the games with their off-race too versus Europeans and Americans?
This particular rule states that whenever a Korean ex-pro meets any Chinese amateur during the event, the Korean must use his off-race during the 2nd game of a Best of 3, the 2nd and 4th game of a Best of 5 and the 2nd,4th and 6th game of a Best of 7.
We recognize that there still currently exists a relatively large disparity in skill between Korean ex-pros and Chinese amateurs and with regard to that, we implemented this rule to ensure that the competition still holds meaning and generates excitement. All Korean ex-pros have to obey this rule in order to stay in the competition.
Unfortunately during the time when we wrote up the rules, we neglected to consider the issue that a similar disparity of skill may exists between Korean ex-pros and European amateurs. Hence we did not consider that European amateurs would have to be included in this rule when facing Korean ex-progamers. Therefore, for the current season of C-OSL, the rule does not apply for European amateurs, thus Korean ex-progamers do not have to use off-races when facing European amateurs. I will consider amending the rule for the benefit of European amateurs for the 6th season of the C-OSL.
Who is your favorite to win the tournament? And who is in your opinion the best up and coming Chinese player?
I think either
Fengzi or Zhanhun have the best chance of winning the C-OSL. I would name Zhanhun as the best newcomer.The English speaking Starcraft Brood War fans are very excited about the recent developments in the Korean Scene. With the Sonic Starleague 10 and LoveTV Starleague 3, which have very big prize pools and well known Ex-Pro’s, things are going very good. Also, Sonic announced a partnership with Ongamenet for Sonic Starleague 10. What do you think of this development? Do you think Sonic can bring back professional Broodwar?
I have monitored these developments with much interest. I am very ecstatic to see that the Korean Broodwar scene still has amazing potential for development in the future and also I am very grateful for the organizers and players who have made contributions to the Broodwar scene. They are all very good people and I hope that professional Broodwar can be revived and continue. That’s because it is my belief that Broodwar is the world’s best competitive classic game. That the game is made in heavenly creation and passed down to Blizzard to be brought to us as a precious gift. Therefore as grateful recipients we must love and cherish it.
I believe that Sonic can help to revive the professional Broodwar scene, because Korea has a strong Broodwar culture and there still are many Korean ex-pros who can give us engaging clashes on the live stage. I sincerely hope that this will continue to keep up.
What do you think about the KeSPA and Blizzard Entertainment? The KeSPA and Blizzard Entertainment have had a complicated relationship in the past, considering the broadcast rights for Starcraft Brood War, upcoming Starcraft 2 and other things. What do you think of these things and what do the KeSPA and Blizzard mean to the Chinese Starcraft 1 scene? Did Blizzards claim for broadcasting rights affect the Chinese scene?
I feel that although both Broodwar and StarCraft 2 are made by Blizzard, they are actually two very different kind of games. Each of them has its own strengths and merits, hence they should not exist in conflict with each other.
It is my belief that Broodwar events should be freely broadcasted anywhere in the world. Currently in China, all of our competitive events are hosted by non-profit organizations. All of these events are organized by the initiative of Broodwar fans, with the prize money also being sponsored out of our own pockets. Hence all of our events can be considered non-profit. As for the issue of Broodwar broadcast rights I believe that this will not affect China’s competitive scene in any way.
We had some serious questions now, in contrast to the negative aspects, what are your three most positive and memorable moments in StarCraft History?
The boxer era, the nada era and the Flash vs Jaedong rivalry era. I love boxer very much, it is because of him that my love for Broodwar began..
It was a pleasure to do this Interview with you; thank you for taking the time even it wasn’t easy with the time zone difference! Do you have any final words for the English speaking StarCraft Brood War fans?
I am very thankful that there are still many Broodwar fans out there. We are all one happy family and best friends. I sincerely hope that all of you will continue your passion and love for BW, and further support BW competitive events like C-OSL. I am very grateful to you all. I love you.
Credits:
Translation: Probemicro
Contact: Scan
The Interview: dingdang
Proofreading: all the "advent calendar guys"
Translation: Probemicro
Contact: Scan
The Interview: dingdang
Proofreading: all the "advent calendar guys"
dingdang hwaiting~
