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Aotearoa39261 Posts
If they ever tell my story let them say that I walked with giants.
Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die.
Let them say I lived in the time of Boxer, Emperor of Terran.
Let them say I lived in the time of Savior, Maestro of Zerg.
Let them say I lived in the time of Reach, Hero of Protoss.
Let them say I lived in the time of TSL.
- ATeddyBear
Ambition
by Plexa
TeamLiquid Final Edits
It was only a short time ago when Gretech proudly announced that they had 1,000,000 unique I.P. hits on their website for GSI. Everyone who had anything to do with the tournament was blown away by the fact they could draw that many viewers together for a simple Starcraft invitational tournament. It was only a short time later that OnGameNet attained the #1 rating for the OSL Finals. Despite the fact the finals were a disappointment; it still drew together crowds that simply brought the producers to awe.
Starcraft has a certain magic about it which is impossible to reproduce in any other media, platform or game. Ever since the very first showmatches on Tooniverse people have been pleasantly surprised at how it drew together crowds. It was that gap in Tooniverse’s programming lineup which allowed the premier Starcraft tournament at the time a way to showcase some games on T.V. From Tooniverse, each cycle of the tournament became bigger eventually turning into the OSL and from there the rest is history. The magic of Starcraft captures up audiences from far and wide and has allowed the development of progaming. What makes Starcraft a game which people can continually turn to for entertainment? What makes this game so good? There are a number of causes which can be likened to sport and others which are unique to Starcraft.
Initially, Starcraft was all about the talent. The skill and strategies used by the top players in the Tooniverse days were envied by the mass of Koreans playing the game. With this initial set of followers it was only a matter of time before sponsors picked up on this untapped market. With financial backing the OSL took off and progaming took its first steps toward legitimization. While the talent of these players served as the basis of the fan following, new fans began to be attracted to the scene. However, it was the sheer skill, dominance and looks of Lim Yo Hwan that established the initial fan girls which have gone on to become a huge portion of the Starcraft fanbase.The fan girls cannot be underestimated. These girls are one of the largest reasons why progaming has continued expand. With the rise of players like Hong Jin Ho and Park Jung Suk fan girls became an increasingly large section of the fan base. As time went on, newer faces came along in the scene attaching themselves to the new trendy pros – most notably within recent times Bisu. Bisu is arguably the biggest chick-magnet in the progaming scene today. Just look at the OSL intro, check out http://splspl.net, check out the sheer number of Korean blogs dedicated to Bisu. It’s really quite impressive. With the rise of Bisu came a new wave of progaming fans which took Starcraft another step forward.
While on one hand we have the plethora of fan girls giving progaming a large boost, notably in recent times, there is something more there for the more ‘hard core’ fan - the drama, the rivalries, the players. There a defining points in the history of Starcraft which we can pick out as the great moments. Some off the top of my head are SKY 2001, Coca-Cola OSL, EVER 2004, So1 and GomTV S1. Those tournaments spawned some of the great matches and rivalries of Starcraft. The LimJin rivalry in particular created some of the greatest moments in history and was always anticipated by fans. While on the other hand, the drama of So1 and the story of Boxer’s resurrection created one of the most emotional OSLs yet. Whenever someone new enters the progaming scene they almost always immediately attach themselves to a player. That player is their number one, and is almost invariably one of the top players of the day. They stick to these players like glue and are their platform into progaming. The older fans have their favorites fade away eventually, but they pick up new players to cheer on (generally from the same team) and another cycle of their life as a fan begins. The ever changing list of favorites and the pride and honor that comes when they win is one of the great facets of professional Starcraft that all fans enjoy.
Above all else, there is something deep at the core of this game which gives it the edge over all others. That is none other than the community. Starcraft has one of the greatest, tight knit and expansive communities around. There is something special, something magical about us Progaming fans – something which just makes us get along. Perhaps this is the pride of knowing that this is OUR game, the pride that this game is the best RTS game, if not the best game ever made. We laugh [or cringe] at the sight of FireBatHero doing his traditional antics, we love it when Savior trashes some noobie terran and we come a little closer together when Boxer advances.
The community at TL is one of the greatest amongst any internet community and it is time that we build off this community and create the greatest Starcraft tournament outside of Korea. WCG no longer caters for the needs of us foreigners who have gone far too long without any real way to prove ourselves. This offers anyone and everyone a chance to prove themselves against the rest of the foreign community. The TSL is the pinnacle of foreign gaming and is designed to ensure only the best advance from a pool consisting of every person outside of Korea. Even if you don’t make the final 16, there will be enough entertainment to keep you happy. With full TL coverage, liquibet, broadcasting and drama, this tournament will be the best foreign based tournament since TLT. With the structure of TSL set up the way it is, only the cream of the crop will make the top 16 and you can be guaranteed of quality matches right from the opening game. As a fan you can find new players to support, new strategies and styles to fall in love with, and come along on a ride to the top with our premiere casting team.
It is impossible to underemphasize the importance of this tournament to the community as this is quite possibly the largest event ever for foreign Starcraft. Anyone who has even the remotest interest in Starcraft should be coming along and participating in the TSL Ladder – this is an event for every gamer outside of Korea. Once the tournament begins in May, get all your friends, family, loved ones, acquaintances and neighbors to tune in. Get in on the fun and excitement of the tournament and support your favorites as they advance through the tournament.
The TSL is so much more than just another tournament. It is laying the foundations for the expansion of Starcraft which is long over due. With Gretech looking to expand into the foreign market, the exponential growth of TLA and now TSL opening up; the foreign scene is finally being catered to like we deserve. Let us not forget that the OSL got where it is today from being the best tournament inside Korea, this could be the first steps in the same direction for Teamliquid. TL is embarking on a journey of epic and ambitious proportions, and you are invited to join us. Remember, with SC2 on the way this could be one of the last times you will get to see foreign Brood War at its best.Starcraft has that special magic which allows it to exceed expectations. With TSL, we have set our expectations high and with the top quality community we have here we are bound to meet them. The wheels have been set into motion, and we are on our way towards a Starcraft revival. TSL is everything we have been waiting for for a long time – it’s time for you to sign up and let’s get this tournament going.
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Daaamn, when I clicked on the FE for this I didn't expect something anywhere near as good.
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Canada7170 Posts
I think everyone's still drooling at the news announcement to read this 
Rock on. This is gonna be sooooo sweet.
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Plexa this is the shit. I can't wait to see these games and cheer for some foreign players, thank you again TL.
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lol @ so many words dedicated to the fangirls
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aww someone hyped this up and said it was gonna be 300 pages :O
not disappointed though
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Wow, now I have a reason to stop being just a fan and start actually playing this game.
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Aotearoa39261 Posts
On March 31 2008 01:18 Goosey wrote:
lol @ so many words dedicated to the fangirls fangirls rule ^^
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Amazing Totally worth waking up hungover for.
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Plexa made things sound so epic^^
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This is going to be an interesting series of events to follow.
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I am crying with happiness.
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Can someone please explain what the clues actually meant??
Is there a thread for this. Because I fail to see how the best of 50 on versions of LT relates to this.
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I've never been so excited.. Holy shit, man.
I <3 TL.net
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I wish I had a viable internet connection.
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South Africa4316 Posts
Beautiful Plexa. I think this sums up what the tournament is all about. Having a professional league that can rival the korean leagues, and which everyone can participate in.
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I got a question: Are the games going to be live? Like, are you going to rent out a building or room for the gamers to go to and play, with a tv hooked up for fans [obviously not a lot] to come view? If not this year, do you have plans in the future if the TSL is a hit to have live shows like the OSL? I think at the very least you should try to do it for the finals, live finals etc would really give the legitimacy we need, don't you think? hmm
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Wow I'm blown away by you guys.
You guys really do have ambition (hheehehheeh).
So tell me, is there any chance of getting tasteless to come in to commentate for a guest appearance? :D
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You summed it up pretty well. Korea schmuck - we can too!
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Netherlands19135 Posts
Eeeepppppiiiiiiixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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10 k in prizes???
holy mother
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United States24718 Posts
Yeah it would be nice to learn more about where the funding is coming from.
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Will there be another season? I can't practice when still going to school (not on vacation). ;/
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where did you guys get all the money for this anyways?
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wowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowwowow
wow
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Belgium6772 Posts
On March 31 2008 01:52 pooper-scooper wrote:
Can someone please explain what the clues actually meant??
Is there a thread for this. Because I fail to see how the best of 50 on versions of LT relates to this.
what?
That wasnt a clue. That was just a random funny joke that was put on the teamliquid page. Who ever said anything of this being related to amibition?
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I really wish you all the success and i hope everything goes down well. After the birth of iccup i kinda waited for a league like this for the foreign scene. It's just a good idea and with the plattform iccup is giving us it's definitly the right step to launch a starleague.
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On March 31 2008 01:52 pooper-scooper wrote:
Can someone please explain what the clues actually meant??
Is there a thread for this. Because I fail to see how the best of 50 on versions of LT relates to this.
Red Herring
On March 31 2008 02:06 ScarFace wrote:
I got a question: Are the games going to be live? Like, are you going to rent out a building or room for the gamers to go to and play, with a tv hooked up for fans [obviously not a lot] to come view? If not this year, do you have plans in the future if the TSL is a hit to have live shows like the OSL? I think at the very least you should try to do it for the finals, live finals etc would really give the legitimacy we need, don't you think? hmm
Round 2 and on are probably gonna be live internet broadcast. Renting out a building and such just isnt feasible, especially given the international playerbase and limited funds and manpower.
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Amazing. I can't wait. I'll try out but I bet I'll be out of contention within an hour.
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Spenguin
Australia3316 Posts
PLEXXXAAAA MOVE TO AUSTRALIA!!! YOU BLOODY KIWI!!! AWESOME ARTICLE!!! WAAAAHHHH!!
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Aotearoa39261 Posts
id rather slit my wrists than jump ship to australia 
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Spenguin
Australia3316 Posts
/cry fine, i wasn't going to do this but you have given me no option, say fish and chips kiwi boy hey hey u like that huh u like that, bitsssshhhhh!!
Lol. I hate you.
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I've stayed home from school today to make sure I catch up in the ladder. See what you've done to me TL? You are ruining my education! And I love you for it! 
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great idea. but isnt holding qualifying on iccup a bit skewed? because of the points system on iccup i mean, because your rank is determined almost as much by how much/frequently you play because wins give way more points than losing takes away, so someone with a much much worse (even under 50%) win % can have a higher rank than someone who has like a 70-80% win % but merely played fewer games? so i just thought using iccup wouldnt be the best/fairest method >> i mean you can argue that the ppl who really want to qualify will and should play the most and be rewarded for doing so but still, the emphasis on frequent play over skillful play seems a bit too much on iccup.
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Calgary25986 Posts
The staff put a lot of thought into the format. I'll walk you through the thought process so hopefully you can agree with us that it will work out well.
Everyone agreed we want a lot of known names in the finals. They are consistent (that's why they are known) and will provide exciting games in the final rounds of the TSL. Our goal then became coming up with a format that rewarded consistency, while having a realistic time frame.
We also fought to make sure anyone can play. This is very important in the spirit of competition and legitimacy as a foreign league. Can you imagine the OSL being invite only? It cheapens competition by adding an arbitrary amount of invitations. In the end, we decided to search for a format that is open to everyone, but rewards consistent play. I think that's why the TSL is so exciting, it's not the same 16 players you see in every league. If some unknown players or underdogs scrape their way into the top 48, that's great! I'll be cheering for them.
In having a league that's open to everyone, there are only two formats to use: Tournament and ladder. Given that there's about 1000 people signed up in 24 hours for the ICC team, running a tournament would be a logistical nightmare. So we planned a ladder.
Here is why a ladder rewards the best players. Let's assume you are going to play infinite games with a 50% win percentage, which any number of unknown foreign players could do. Once you hit A-, you lose 130 points for every game you lose, while you gain 130 for playing on MotW. Weaker players with 50% win percentages will get stuck at this point. Even if they have a slightly higher win percentage, say 55%, they will be getting so few points that stronger players should be able to get passed them during the pivotal final week. This is also helped by the shorter time frame. If the ladder was 3 months, someone could grind to Olympic Rank 10 points at a time; however, with a 3 week time frame there just isn't enough time for weaker players to achieve a rank they don't deserve.
Next we needed to solve the problem of rewarding the #1 player, to prevent people getting to #32 and then stagnating. We played with the idea of seeding, but there wasn't enough reward to warrant grinding up the last 32 places. This is why the top 16 get a bye, it gives you a reason to continue climbing the ladder even once you've secured a qualifying position.
You'll notice everything is best of 3. LDT2 is double elimination. This stops one-build wonders and all-ins from being as effective. It rewards solid play. It allows strong players who have one weaker matchup to have a better chance of getting through.
And after all that, there will be 16 solid players in the TSL.
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is it bad if im not excited at all about TSL?
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Braavos36379 Posts
On April 01 2008 05:41 GoSuPlAyEr wrote:
is it bad if im not excited at all about TSL?
Not at all, everyone has their own interests and opinions.
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South Africa4316 Posts
On April 01 2008 05:41 GoSuPlAyEr wrote:
is it bad if im not excited at all about TSL?
No, it is not bad that you are not excited about this. Everyone has their own interests as HotBid says. What is bad is that you feel the need to mention that as a comment on a very passionate piece of writing.
If you're not interested, great stuff, but there's no need to piss on the hard work of others.
Chill, thanks for trying to explain our reasoning behind the format. We really put a lot of thought into it- about 5 pages worth of comments as long as the one Chill posted here, and the format we came up with was the only one that could satisfy all of us.
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My. God.
I had to use my acct. to just say how awesome this is.
I don't know if I'll play, but i love you guys. So much.
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I like this idea a lot and glad it's bringing players to iccup  good luck to all who play
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Loved the write up. I hope we can all appreciate that this is a pivotal moment in not just foreign BW, but foreign progaming in general.
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haha what's that countdown of now? 273 days-->
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I really admire you for this. And really, if your going trough with this, please go all the way and make it the best tournament outside korea. cant wait for the next stages!
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Aotearoa39261 Posts
On April 12 2008 00:07 ThePhan2m wrote:
I really admire you for this. And really, if your going trough with this, please go all the way and make it the best tournament outside korea. cant wait for the next stages! Rest assured we are going through with this and we have set our expectations high
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Idra needs to play a few more games or he might get bumped out of the Top 48.
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the quote in the beginning ended in a wartestelle (-Ateddybear) O.o
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EPT![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/staff/pachi/fe/0308_cov_ambition.jpg)
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