Song Ho Young (송호영), known as Dove is a Former Professional Brood War player for the highly reputable team: SK-Telecom 1 who has now switched full time to SC2.
Is there anything you wish to say to the mainly foreign SC2 audience who may not know you?
It’s natural that not a lot of people know me. I started gathering fans by streaming Brood War on Afreeca and Team Liquid, but I am a nobody in SC2. I’ve been putting in a lot of hours into SC2 and even though I am not popular like other streamers I will work hard to please and gain fans. Did you have a background in gaming before playing Starcraft? When you picked up Starcraft as an amateur, were you naturally gifted with the game?
I played Diablo II six months before Starcraft was released. Starcraft was fun 6th, 7th grade back then when there were no professional teams. When I first picked up Starcraft as an amateur I sucked, I was really terrible at the game. My hands were really slow. I didn’t even get to practice that much because of studies. However one day all of a sudden my hands became a lot faster and I had a huge jump in skill. How young were you when you first decided to pursue a career as a professional Starcraft player? How did your family react? How do they feel about your career now?
I first decided to become a professional gamer in my junior year of high school. I entered a small tournament where I crushed a pro named Rhythm. That motivated me to enter a Courage Tournament, and there I met s2 and BeSt. I beat BeSt in the quarter finals and s2 in the finals to receive my pro gaming license.
When I first suggested the idea of becoming a professional gamer to my parents, they were really against it, but I kept trying to convince them over and over again little by little. When I won the courage tournament, I dropped out of high school and joined SK-Telecom 1.
My parents were supportive when they saw that I was on TV.
In 2010 when I was quitting, I didn’t have notable achievement, I was not a break out player in the professional scene. At that point they went into “I told you so mode” and I got a lot of pressure to study from my parents. Streaming Brood War I constantly talked about this. 50 percent of it was pressure from my parents and the other 50 percent was me wanting to study.
Right now I don’t think they are proud of my decision to become a gamer. It must have been a very emotional experience joining SK-Telecom 1, one of the biggest established teams in Brood War.
When I first joined SKT1 in 2006, it was sort of unreal for me because there were all these famous players that I had saw on TV and now I was living with them. Were BeSt and s2 not progamers back then since you knocked them out of the courage tournament?
They were online practice partners back then. Did you meet BoxeR?
I met BoxeR when he was still playing for SKT1, six months after I joined he would leave for the military and found the Air Force team ACE.
Could you describe him?
BoxeR treated his teammates and junior’s really nice as a senior player should. He practiced really hard. I joined about one week apart from BeSt, and I remember going home on vacation with BeSt, and when we came back we saw BoxeR had been playing through vacation days. It really inspired me to work harder and be like BoxeR. You seem to be mentioning BeSt a lot, could you describe him?
I was close to BeSt even when we were amateurs when we entered the Courage at the same time. We don’t really keep in touch now since I’ve retired. BeSt has a very cool personality, he’s definitely not a warm person.
Not warm?
시크 (Shee-Kuh), he doesn’t really care about trivial things. He isn’t the type of person to tangle himself up in relationships. He acts just the way he looks doesn’t he? BeSt actually doesn’t work out. Amongst teammates his nickname is “horse”. Can you spill a secret? Who was the most hard working and who was the laziest in SKT1?
Midas and BoxeR were the hardest working, and I was the slacker. A lot of foreigners assume that Korean training houses are military boot camps, where you are forced to play Starcraft in 10+ hour sessions, with little breaks in between. What were the training conditions actually like, living in the SKT house?
The training regimes were pretty harsh, but at the same time we all knew that we were professionals. We knew we needed to put in the time and the long hours.
To be honest compared to what other teams were saying we had a very relaxed schedule and had more vacation teams than other teams.
When I first joined the team Coach Joo was the coach for SKT1, but when Coach Park replaced him my vacation days were cut and the practice schedule got a lot harder.
The dorm conditions were good, only 2 people in a room which was not what I had expected.
When I first entered with Coach Joo, everyone was together. The dorm was practically two houses put together, one side was the practice room and the other side was for food and sleep. When Coach Park joined the team, we moved to a training facility where the practice facilities were totally separate from the dormitories. Coach Park had wanted separation between work and home.
Were there moments where you thought about giving up?
There were a lot of times where I wanted to give up. In the Proleague Finals against MBC, I was matched up against 910[Ete] and Thezerg and I had been suffering from food poisoning. I wasn’t in my best condition and I didn’t play that well. I had made a critical mistake that cost me the game. And I think that’s why the team lost vs MBC. That was the one moment where I wanted to quit. What kept you going?
My parents were so against my decision to go professional in the beginning. I felt like I had to accomplish something so I could look them in the eyes. What was your favorite single game that you played in BW? Who was it against and could you describe it?
Two games that stand in my mind:
One was my debut match against ShinHwA and Dongrae back then when they were called unbeatable and I defeated them in my first televised match.
My second game was vs ] [Min] [Gu] [ on Blitz in the MBC Survivor tournament.
Coach oov had devised a unique strategy: 8 barracks and then a command center. The point of this build was to tech to vessels fast. I was supposed to deny scouting from the ramp the entire game, but one zergling slipped through my scvs and my entire strategy was revealed putting me at a disadvantage.
I was able to win the game through good engagements. I felt proud because the build was unheard of at the time. As a Terran player, which players did you admire the most?
Fantasy and Flash because they both practice really hard and play really well. Flash is a God and God is imbalanced. I actually practiced with him. Could you describe Flash? Why do you think he’s so dominant despite having relatively lower APM than other professional gamers?
Flash just has a way to design the game before the game starts. He will plan all of his moves before and execute it flawlessly. He is a really nice person outside the game.
What do you think about the Flashcot?
If I was Flash I’d be pissed because the doll looks ugly. Korean people are really sensitive to body proportions, the Korean rule of thumb is that you look better if the head is smaller but they made the head massive.
Why did you retire from Brood War?
I decided to retire because I wanted to study, and lack of performance/achievements as a professional gamer in SC1 was very disappointing. How did you get into SC2?
Even when I was studying I felt like I had something missing. I missed that feeling Brood War gave me. I remember seeing SC2 and seeing all these players like MMA who is a close friend of mine I used to play with who wasn’t even that good. It lit a competitive spark in me again. How long are you planning to play SC2?
I plan on playing for a year. I want to win any kind of competition to see if I have any hope at this game. The last tournament that I won was the courage tournament so long ago; I haven’t accomplished anything yet. So I want to win something. I want to put everything I have in this game for a year.
If I do not accomplish anything I’ll give up and focus on my career and my future. Many former players are currently serving their military service requirement, playing other games, working as coaches/commentators for the scene, or are in non esport occupations. Do you have any thoughts on your former colleague’s decisions?
I don’t really care about it to be honest. I see people I used to know working on E-Sport or other jobs, so it’s kind of cool seeing former players doing things that are not pro gaming. As a former professional player from an established team, you have a very unique perspective on the esport scene in Korea. What do you think of the burgeoning SC2 scene in Korea? Is it comparable to Brood War?
I first started talking about BW from development to the twilight years of the BW scene.
When I first strated streaming Brood War on Team Liquid, I had a foreigner ask me: “people still play this game?”
It was really shocking for me, because in Korea there is no real doubt that people still play Brood War. I thought to myself “Oh my God, I’ve been trapped from the rest of the world”. I thought I was the shit in Korea, but all this time there was this whole other world for Starcraft. I was shocked that there were BW fans outside Korea.
I think SC2 has a future: it’s exciting it’s getting a lot of development and media coverage. I watched the Blizzard Cup and Blizzcon and that was really cool. There’s a lot of infrastructure from Blizzard and tournaments are everywhere. Outside Korea, SC2 has grown immensely popular over the past years. Many Korean players, most notably NaDa have joined foreigner teams for higher salaries and more opportunities to compete in events abroad. Do you see yourself possibly joining a foreigner team and/or competing in tournaments such as MLG/NASL/IEM/IPL. If you do join a team, would you be willing to live outside of Korea?
I think it’s natural that people do that because it’s a career. If you’re offered a higher salary of course you are going to accept it. If I were to go pro and get an offer from a foreign team, I would definitely be persuaded to accept that opportunity.
Of course I would love to go to tournaments around the world, because that’s part of being a professional: the busier the better.
However I think I would be a little hesitant about moving abroad. I am a little scared because I have never been outside of Korea. I don’t want to be alone without friends in a foreign culture and have to use a different language. It is widely accepted that SC2 is an easy game and not as mechanically difficult as Brood War. For that same reason, many Brood War players/fans and even SC2 players believe it is too easy and makes the game less exciting/challenging. Do you share this notion? Do you find as much enjoyment playing SC2 as you did playing Brood War? What about watching?
The interface of SC2 definitely makes it easier for everybody. I don’t have to baby sit all of my units and buildings, and it’s a lot more user friendly. I don’t think it’s an easier game though. I was one of those people who thought SC2 would be so easy compared to BW. When I was first playing I was surprised by how fast paced the games were. There is a bigger emphasis on control and micro management.
When I first started Brood War I didn’t have a computer at home. I had to use a computer Hagwon, and there was SC installed on there. One time I was playing and there was this older guy who I was learning with. He told me he wanted to teach me something, there’s a seniority thing in Korea and I had to say okay. He didn’t teach me anything. He started playing and half an hour later he was still playing and I went home crying.
One thing about the original Starcraft: The mineral counters were white, but in the expansion the mineral counters were green. When Brood War first came out the old man whispered to me to keep it a secret so no one swarms to play the new expansion.
I don’t think it is fair for me to commentate on viewing and enjoying games, because I am a professional gamer. When I watch a replay I have to analyze and study it like a text book.
One thing I think about a lot, is after MMA beat MVP in the GSL Finals at Blizzcon, MMA told me that he really does not regret his decision to become a pro gamer in SC2. A lot of feelings went through my head when I heard that. “He’s having so much success, despite being completely unknown back then.”
You seem to be good friends with MMA, what’s he like to you?
MMA is just really nice and kind. Any stand out memories?
Back in the internal ranking games inside the SKT1 house, I crushed him 4-0 the first games. MMA asked for a 30 minute break before continuing and I agreed. When the break was over he reversed the score to 4-4. He had been pumping himself up during the break, that is the kind of player he is. What do you think of Terran in SC2 compared to Brood War? Are there any particular concepts, such as the Orbital command or Tech Lab, that you find peculiar/interesting?
I would not recommend Terran to anyone starting the game. When I first got into SC2, people saying “Terran easy”, “Terran imbalanced” and I cannot agree with that. Beginning players should play Protoss or Zerg because Terran is extremely difficult to master.
I hate the add ons for barracks, it feels like such a hassle because whenever I build barracks I do a BW sim city without considering add ons, and then I remember and have to move all of them one space over.
People say I scan too much. It’s a BW habit because you would scan whenever you did not know what your opponent was doing, but in SC2 I use up so much energy I have no MULEs. MULE is a good mechanic that I like but I really hate warp in for Protoss, they such a cheap mechanic for their army.
Bionic seems to be noticeably stronger than mechanic, in all match ups, especially protoss. Is it difficult using marines and marauders in all match ups instead of just one? How do you feel about each matchup in general?
If you watched my stream in Brood War you know I like bionic army over mechanic army. I hate using mechanic. When I first saw SC2 and saw that I don’t have to play mechanic, and that I could use Bionic I was so happy and confident. But when I first started playing I didn’t realize how hard TvP would be. TvZ and TvT are difficult for me, but it’s mostly a learning problem. TvP always feels impossible for me because whenever it gets to maxed army vs maxed army I don’t know how to win. I have nightmares about being psi storm’d to oblivion. What was your first game like?
It was a team game among friends in a PC Bang. I remember misclicking a lot because the mineral patches were so much smaller. Also I cannot get used to the vulture firing animation, going from the grenade to the strange flame thrower line. Marine firing animation is also different speed so that was something I had to get used to.
I remember one of my first games, I got zergling rushed and I didn’t know how to wall in SC2. I pulled my scvs and attacked like I would in SC1 and I was shocked at how bad they were. (60HP -> 45 HP). How difficult is it to pick up new strategies and standard tactics for a new game? Which SC2 player(s) have you been studying to learn the game?
I’m still having a lot of trouble picking up new strategies. I don’t have a good feel for the game: I don’t know how many workers I need to saturate a base or when I am safe, or how to macro correctly or power up. I watched a couple MMA replays but there aren’t a lot of replays of anybody out there so I have to watch whatever Terran games there are available.
Favorite new unit?
The marauder. Which new unit do you despise the most?
I hate the colossus and Templar because units clump up so much in SC2- WAIT I CHANGE MY MIND. I hate the infestor the most. It’s a piece of shit. It needs to be removed from the game. Many SC2 players know that Brood War players are gifted with fast hands, and many want to know: how do you become faster and increase your APM?
Some inherit aptitude factors into hand speed. I think anyone can improve hand speed though. I remember asking Bisu how his hands were so fast and how he was so good at multitasking. Bisu says he uses an application called APM live that showed the current APM in game and that he would make a conscious effort to constantly keep it up above a certain number. When I first started professional gaming I was only at 200 APM, but now my average is around 400. You are currently team less and practicing on your own. How do you maintain a strong work ethic to keep practicing? What’s the main difference between the BW practice regime and SC2 practice regime?
I have plenty of motivation because I am not terribly young anymore. I am 23, I have given up a lot for professional gaming and I want to pursue this dream I dropped out of high school and didn’t go to college. This is what I want to do. That is where my motivation comes from. My strong work ethics come from living in a team house. The main difference between practicing in Brood War and practicing in SC2 is that in Brood War, whenever I lose I know why I lost and how I can improve. Whenever I lose in SC2 I have no idea how I lost and how I can improve or where to look. With years of gaming experience on your hands, are there any tips you want to give to the young amateur players out there who wish to pursue pro gaming?
There are people who actually want to pursue a pro life outside of Korea? Wow.
As a senior with many years ahead of them, I want to say that a lot of foreigners talk about how bad and terrible conditions are for practice facilities in Korea for professional teams. If small stuff like that is going to deter you from pursuing your dream then don’t even try.
People like Fantasy and Flash are ridiculously good because they put everything into it. If top level players are that good and putting in that much effort, you need to be motivated to practice and try three times harder than Flash and Fantasy. You need passion. You are going to be attempting to qualify for Code A in a short while, are you confident?
I don’t have high expectations because it’s been so little time since I first started playing. But I am confident though, I am playing a lot and my goal is to make it through prelims. Closing thoughts?
I want to thank you for interviewing me, even though I am a nobody in SC2, I am very thankful for providing me with this opportunity. Thank you to rotinegg for helping translate and interview me for a long time. When I was streaming on Afreeca there was so many people and it was lively, now not a lot of people watch my stream, but I will do my best to get more viewers and fans. I will work hard in SC2. Where can we follow and support Dove?
Youhnha –내 남자친구를 부탁해 (Please Take Care Of My Boyfriend)
Beyonce
Journey – Open Arms
Girlfriend?
One of my older teammates introduced a girl to me when I was on SKT1 and we went out for 4 years. She is very pretty and beautiful, but I didn’t have time for her because I was a professional gamer. She waited for me for four years, but when I retired I was studying for college. She broke up with me last September and I am very sad about it.
(He’s single ladies!) Care to say something to your audience in English?
Thanks for sharing with me. I’ll win many tournaments. I really appreciate to my fans and… one of my fans called me panti-terran but I never wear boxer underwear so it wasn’t underwear it was just…pants. (Translated afterwards): BoxeR gave me my uniform when I left. I wasn’t sure what to call the pants, the lower half of the uniform so I called it underpants. I told my viewer that Boxer gave me underwear and they were shocked that BoxeR gave me his panties so they called me Panty Terran.
I want to offer a big thank you to rotinegg for devoting hours of time helping me translate and interview Dove. It was a conversation between friends and an amazing and unreal experience. rotinegg came up with a lot of these questions on the fly and had just such great Korean and English. Also shout out to Spica who despite being unable to translate recommended rotinegg in his place. You are also awesome.
Go watch In_Dove's stream! HE'S FEATURED! He answers questions from the chat and commentates if you ask him nicely!
With years of gaming experience on your hands, are there any tips you want to give to the young amateur players out there who wish to pursue pro gaming?
There are people who actually want to pursue a pro life outside of Korea? Wow.
As a senior with many years ahead of them, I want to say that a lot of foreigners talk about how bad and terrible conditions are for practice facilities in Korea for professional teams. If small stuff like that is going to deter you from pursuing your dream then don’t even try.
If you want something you have to go all out for it . Thanks for the advice dove !.
I hate the colossus and Templar because units clump up so much in SC2- WAIT I CHANGE MY MIND. I hate the infestor the most. It’s a piece of shit. It needs to be removed from the game.
I love these answers, especially that he hates the three main non-Terran AOE units.
I know Ho Young, hes really nice, i talked to him a bunch before on skype and talk to him whenever I seen him on and hes always friendly. I hope he gets far, he is already improving really quickly at SC2, and has only been playing for about a month, and he will only get better. gogo Dove!
"I hate the colossus and Templar because units clump up so much in SC2- WAIT I CHANGE MY MIND. I hate the infestor the most. It’s a piece of shit. It needs to be removed from the game."
"I remember seeing SC2 and seeing all these players like MMA who is a close friend of mine I used to play with who wasn’t even that good. It lit a competitive spark in me again."
I remember seeing SC2 and seeing all these players like MMA who is a close friend of mine I used to play with who wasn’t even that good. It lit a competitive spark in me again.
I hate the colossus and Templar because units clump up so much in SC2- WAIT I CHANGE MY MIND. I hate the infestor the most. It’s a piece of shit. It needs to be removed from the game.
Lmao yeah clumping sucks >_<. Great article, really interesting read. This should be featured!
I remember seeing SC2 and seeing all these players like MMA who is a close friend of mine I used to play with who wasn’t even that good. It lit a competitive spark in me again.
ouch that's harsh, especially from a friend =/
it sounded more like a friendly jab between old friends/rivals than an actual taunt.
The interface of SC2 definitely makes it easier for everybody. I don’t have to baby sit all of my units and buildings, and it’s a lot more user friendly. I don’t think it’s an easier game though. I was one of those people who thought SC2 would be so easy compared to BW. When I was first playing I was surprised by how fast paced the games were. There is a bigger emphasis on control and micro management.
On February 22 2012 16:08 DirtyLemons wrote: He does things micro-management wise on stream that from the Starcraft I've watched, you simply shouldn't be able to do.
Amazing interview, this should get a lot more attention. Very long and in depth - perfect. Also, very interesting answers (which means good questions) Are you going to do more interviews?
Journey--this guy knows what's up. He has an interesting connection with MMA, haha.
Thanks for the great interview. My initial reaction (Edit: to Dove's switch from BW to SC2) was, "great, another bump for the elephant thread," but I'm starting to dig this guy. I like when BW players aren't hung up on the elitism, for one. He talks really plainly rather than all manner all the time, too.
Such a wonderful interview. I love these types of interviews.... this had the same depth as the DRG interview that came pout before he made his debut in the GSTL.
Thanks a lot for the interview and the translation, I will be cheering for you in code A!
God, I still remember watching his replays...I loved his style. Terran was my worst race and he made me so jealous...
Specically I remember watching a replay of him against MidiaN where MidiaN played a really nice hydra lurker style and the game was just epic T_T so nastalgic lol
Great interview and the player shows a very nice character. I wish him the best and I have been following him stream SC2 for a month or so. He is good but it's obvious he doesn't completely understand the game at this point.
As a senior with many years ahead of them, I want to say that a lot of foreigners talk about how bad and terrible conditions are for practice facilities in Korea for professional teams. If small stuff like that is going to deter you from pursuing your dream then don’t even try.
Back in the internal ranking games inside the SKT1 house, I crushed him 4-0 the first games. MMA asked for a 30 minute break before continuing and I agreed. When the break was over he reversed the score to 4-4. He had been pumping himself up during the break, that is the kind of player he is.
[/b][/i]
And that's exactly why MMA would have being class S if he was still playing BW.
Wow, excellent interview Gamegene, thanks and well done!
Dove seems like a really good guy. I'll definitely be cheering for him. I love that he's not afraid to criticize the game. He speaks his mind.
Sounds like a person committed to his ideals of working hard and becoming the best! LoL @ the Psi-Storm and Colossi nightmares. Infestors should be removed! Haha, I don't know. When I say those two sentences together it does kind of seem like Terran bias.
Amazing interview Gamegene! It's really cool to get some insight into the personalities of the the other players that he's trained with over the years. Hope to see more of him in the future (Code A).
I was pleasantly surprised with how good the interview actually was. It always kinda seemed that Dove wasn't really taking SC2 as seriously as other professionals (aka he was only in it for the money), but he really does seem to have a lot of very good and interesting opinions about the scene.
On February 22 2012 18:13 pdd wrote: I was pleasantly surprised with how good the interview actually was. It always kinda seemed that Dove wasn't really taking SC2 as seriously as other professionals (aka he was only in it for the money), but he really does seem to have a lot of very good and interesting opinions about the scene.
Good read.
I felt like his reasoning was more like "How is that noob MMA winning all these tournaments? SC2 must be EZPZ" rather than anything having to do with money. Obviously from the other answers, a successful career would make him (and his parents) much happier about his career choices than any amount of money.
he should still randomly play some BW on iccup/fish though, I like both games and want to increase my skill in both, and he's one of the only BW Terran players that stream :|
On February 22 2012 18:55 zhurai wrote: he should still randomly play some BW on iccup/fish though, I like both games and want to increase my skill in both, and he's one of the only BW Terran players that stream :|
he has stated on stream (today) that he is no longer going to be playing BW, focus soley on SC2.
Most of his statements help his own career and image:
"Terran is not that strong" "infestor needs to go" "MMA was not really that good compared to me" and "SC2 is not tht easy".
I don't doubt that he means it, but all of it kind of points in the same direction. In any case, I wish him good luck in SC2! It will be exciting to see him in action.
On February 22 2012 18:55 zhurai wrote: he should still randomly play some BW on iccup/fish though, I like both games and want to increase my skill in both, and he's one of the only BW Terran players that stream :|
he has stated on stream (today) that he is no longer going to be playing BW, focus soley on SC2.
Well I kinda understood that he's not gonna play BW because it says in the topic title that he's switching fulltime I just wish there were a bit more BW streams (even though I wasn't into that scene at all/really) because I'm interested in BW Terran. ...and there's mainly just a bunch of protoss BW streams and sometimes some zerg ones but almost no Terran ones other than Dove (before ofc) and Top (where I'd only sometimes see on)
The interface of SC2 definitely makes it easier for everybody. I don’t have to baby sit all of my units and buildings, and it’s a lot more user friendly. I don’t think it’s an easier game though. I was one of those people who thought SC2 would be so easy compared to BW. When I was first playing I was surprised by how fast paced the games were. There is a bigger emphasis on control and micro management.
Back in the internal ranking games inside the SKT1 house, I crushed him 4-0 the first games. MMA asked for a 30 minute break before continuing and I agreed. When the break was over he reversed the score to 4-4. He had been pumping himself up during the break, that is the kind of player he is.
And that's exactly why MMA would have being class S if he was still playing BW.
[/b][/i]
Yes, because going 4-4 with in.Dove, who commented that MMA wasn't very good, would put you in S-class.
I hate the colossus and Templar because units clump up so much in SC2- WAIT I CHANGE MY MIND. I hate the infestor the most. It’s a piece of shit. It needs to be removed from the game.
The interface of SC2 definitely makes it easier for everybody. I don’t have to baby sit all of my units and buildings, and it’s a lot more user friendly. I don’t think it’s an easier game though. I was one of those people who thought SC2 would be so easy compared to BW. When I was first playing I was surprised by how fast paced the games were. There is a bigger emphasis on control and micro management.
Iiiinnnteeeerressstiiiingggg.
That was an awesome interview, thanks!
when i read that i was a bit baffled Dove thinking almost the same about sc2 as me. (But unlike me it comes from a progamer level perspective) So agree interesting interview ^.^
On February 22 2012 14:29 Dodgin wrote: Read the whole thing, awesome interview thanks for posting it!
Interesting that he says sc2 is not easier.
forGG said that too. The mechanics of the game is of course easier but that doesn't mean it's easier to be the best. Just easier to play the game at all.
On February 22 2012 14:29 Dodgin wrote: Read the whole thing, awesome interview thanks for posting it!
Interesting that he says sc2 is not easier.
forGG said that too. The mechanics of the game is of course easier but that doesn't mean it's easier to be the best. Just easier to play the game at all.
It is easier to play the game at a level where you don't look like an idiot (having idle scv's, units loitering around). However if you are in the competitive scene, the difficulty is the same as in starcraft 1: as hard as you can bear. Because as soon as you don't give 100%, people who do will start beating you.
I hate the colossus and Templar because units clump up so much in SC2- WAIT I CHANGE MY MIND. I hate the infestor the most. It’s a piece of shit. It needs to be removed from the game.
Lmao yeah clumping sucks >_<. Great article, really interesting read. This should be featured!
Since I'm not a bw expert, I'm asking this, why is clump so bad in sc2 ? It adds a lot to micro like managing your units, making good concave, spreading your units, and increase the difficulty of controling your army etc...
It looks like baby sit your units in bw because of bad pathing. No ?
I hate the colossus and Templar because units clump up so much in SC2- WAIT I CHANGE MY MIND. I hate the infestor the most. It’s a piece of shit. It needs to be removed from the game.
Lmao yeah clumping sucks >_<. Great article, really interesting read. This should be featured!
Since I'm not a bw expert, I'm asking this, why is clump so bad in sc2 ? It adds a lot to micro like managing your units, making good concave, spreading your units, and increase the difficulty of controling your army etc...
It looks like baby sit your units in bw because of bad pathing. No ?
Because the game is a lot less forgiving. One mistake and your whole army is gone, instead of just portions of it. In broodwar, if your attention on army control slips for a second, you end up at a small disadvantage which you can nullify easily by just macroing better than your opponent. In starcraft 2, this is no longer possible.
And, from a spectator's point of view, battles are over too quickly.
Really great interview. It was interesting hearing him talk about his first experience with SC2, getting used to the interface and all the new units. I watched him when he first started; scanning all the time haha. Looking forward to seeing his improvements.
On February 22 2012 14:57 Louuster wrote: Lol at the part about BeSt who doesnt work out, really?
Uhh I dont get it. Is that picture suppose to back up the fact he DOES work out? He looks pretty damn small and only has any muscle tone because hes super skinny. O.o
On February 22 2012 14:29 Dodgin wrote: Read the whole thing, awesome interview thanks for posting it!
Interesting that he says sc2 is not easier.
forGG said that too. The mechanics of the game is of course easier but that doesn't mean it's easier to be the best. Just easier to play the game at all.
It is easier to play the game at a level where you don't look like an idiot (having idle scv's, units loitering around). However if you are in the competitive scene, the difficulty is the same as in starcraft 1: as hard as you can bear. Because as soon as you don't give 100%, people who do will start beating you.
Anyways, nice interview, thanks for sharing it.
No the difficulty isn't the same. -_- There are different things to hold you back in SC2. Dove is still very new to the game and his knowledge of how everything works is still not where it needs to be. That's all he meant when he said he's still trying to figure everything out when he loses because he doesn't necessarily know what he did wrong.
Back in the internal ranking games inside the SKT1 house, I crushed him 4-0 the first games. MMA asked for a 30 minute break before continuing and I agreed. When the break was over he reversed the score to 4-4. He had been pumping himself up during the break, that is the kind of player he is.
And that's exactly why MMA would have being class S if he was still playing BW.
No. -_-
There's a reason why there are only a few players in BW fit the criteria. How about we focus on what's happening now instead of things that would never happen?
On February 22 2012 14:57 Louuster wrote: Lol at the part about BeSt who doesnt work out, really?
Uhh I dont get it. Is that picture suppose to back up the fact he DOES work out? He looks pretty damn small and only has any muscle tone because hes super skinny. O.o
Doesn't prove he doesn't either.
The BW pro's do go to the gym for workouts and meet occasionally for soccer. They do do things to keep themselves in shape.
I hate the colossus and Templar because units clump up so much in SC2- WAIT I CHANGE MY MIND. I hate the infestor the most. It’s a piece of shit. It needs to be removed from the game.
Lmao yeah clumping sucks >_<. Great article, really interesting read. This should be featured!
Since I'm not a bw expert, I'm asking this, why is clump so bad in sc2 ? It adds a lot to micro like managing your units, making good concave, spreading your units, and increase the difficulty of controling your army etc...
It looks like baby sit your units in bw because of bad pathing. No ?
Because its way to easy to punish it, auto cast/aoe units punish a default mechanic which is clumping. While in BW "punish" mechanic(like spells or reavers) require comparable ammount of effort compared to deflecting it. Simple disproportion of skill used in execution and countering it.
On February 22 2012 14:29 Dodgin wrote: Read the whole thing, awesome interview thanks for posting it!
Interesting that he says sc2 is not easier.
forGG said that too. The mechanics of the game is of course easier but that doesn't mean it's easier to be the best. Just easier to play the game at all.
It is easier to play the game at a level where you don't look like an idiot (having idle scv's, units loitering around). However if you are in the competitive scene, the difficulty is the same as in starcraft 1: as hard as you can bear. Because as soon as you don't give 100%, people who do will start beating you.
Anyways, nice interview, thanks for sharing it.
And this is why just any BW player switching to SC2 would not make an immediate impact with relatively minimal practice with the game. Mechanics would translate over, sure, but strategically/tactically speaking, there would be a need to learn and refine those skills.
Except maybe for Flash of course. He is, after all, GOD
On February 22 2012 14:29 Dodgin wrote: Read the whole thing, awesome interview thanks for posting it!
Interesting that he says sc2 is not easier.
forGG said that too. The mechanics of the game is of course easier but that doesn't mean it's easier to be the best. Just easier to play the game at all.
It is easier to play the game at a level where you don't look like an idiot (having idle scv's, units loitering around). However if you are in the competitive scene, the difficulty is the same as in starcraft 1: as hard as you can bear. Because as soon as you don't give 100%, people who do will start beating you.
Anyways, nice interview, thanks for sharing it.
And this is why just any BW player switching to SC2 would not make an immediate impact with relatively minimal practice with the game. Mechanics would translate over, sure, but strategically/tactically speaking, there would be a need to learn and refine those skills.
Except maybe for Flash of course. He is, after all, GOD
Fin took about 6 months to a year to figure out the game o:
In_Dove is so nice I had the pleasure of playing him before his mmr got really high in masters. He always talks to his viewers and loves interacting with his chat.
Great interview, always watching his stream because TLO once featured him on Facebook and Dove seems to be a really nice guy. Therefore I want to support him by watching his streams!
No no no no no no brood war pros are going to ruin starcraft and there will be no more place for foreigners... Wait, there already is not any. I agree though, it is a nice interview. I hope he will do well, giving it everything and not making any good results is very devastating. 화이팅!
On February 23 2012 04:21 Hemula wrote: No no no no no no brood war pros are going to ruin starcraft and there will be no more place for foreigners... Wait, there already is not any. I agree though, it is a nice interview. I hope he will do well, giving it everything and not making any good results is very devastating. 화이팅!
Hahahah cool interview. What a suprise marauders are his favority unit and he has a hard time with TvP hahahaha.
Hope he makes it through code b, would be cool to see him in the gsl. Go have success in that one year so you can pursue your dream even longer! In_dove fighting!!! Everyone should watch his stream, I haven't seen that much brood war in a players style since the open seasons (maybe f orggs build vs leenock on daybreak).
One of the best interviews I've seen. Very vocal and seems like he definitely thought through all the questions without being afraid of saying what he wanted to say.
Why is it you guys always put SK Telecom 1? It's SK Telecom T1
Good luck Dove. I'll miss watching you play BW, but it would be selfish not to expect you to do whatever you needed to make a living. Just carry your SKT pride with you forever <3
Why is he playing on NA? And o.o hes only 14-21. I mean, not bad since he's new i suppose, but strange to imagine a Olympic iCCup player being anything but GM
On February 23 2012 08:43 sAfuRos wrote: Why is he playing on NA? And o.o hes only 14-21. I mean, not bad since he's new i suppose, but strange to imagine a Olympic iCCup player being anything but GM
he's having a hard time getting a "feel" for the game. it takes a while for good habits to set in.
like whenever he build units he has this habit of going back to his main base and staring at his production buildings.
On February 22 2012 14:29 Dodgin wrote: Read the whole thing, awesome interview thanks for posting it!
Interesting that he says sc2 is not easier.
forGG said that too. The mechanics of the game is of course easier but that doesn't mean it's easier to be the best. Just easier to play the game at all.
It is easier to play the game at a level where you don't look like an idiot (having idle scv's, units loitering around). However if you are in the competitive scene, the difficulty is the same as in starcraft 1: as hard as you can bear. Because as soon as you don't give 100%, people who do will start beating you.
Anyways, nice interview, thanks for sharing it.
And this is why just any BW player switching to SC2 would not make an immediate impact with relatively minimal practice with the game. Mechanics would translate over, sure, but strategically/tactically speaking, there would be a need to learn and refine those skills.
Except maybe for Flash of course. He is, after all, GOD
Fin took about 6 months to a year to figure out the game o:
Fin is not Flash...you cannot compare someone who retired after getting frustrated at losing with the current master of the [BW] universe
On February 22 2012 14:29 Dodgin wrote: Read the whole thing, awesome interview thanks for posting it!
Interesting that he says sc2 is not easier.
forGG said that too. The mechanics of the game is of course easier but that doesn't mean it's easier to be the best. Just easier to play the game at all.
It is easier to play the game at a level where you don't look like an idiot (having idle scv's, units loitering around). However if you are in the competitive scene, the difficulty is the same as in starcraft 1: as hard as you can bear. Because as soon as you don't give 100%, people who do will start beating you.
Anyways, nice interview, thanks for sharing it.
And this is why just any BW player switching to SC2 would not make an immediate impact with relatively minimal practice with the game. Mechanics would translate over, sure, but strategically/tactically speaking, there would be a need to learn and refine those skills.
Except maybe for Flash of course. He is, after all, GOD
Fin took about 6 months to a year to figure out the game o:
Fin is not Flash...you cannot compare someone who retired after getting frustrated at losing with the current master of the [BW] universe
If you are good at one sport, let us say Cross Country, you are obviously going to be a good Distance athlete in Track. But it takes different training and strategy during a race in order to be successful.
Saying someone will take time to figure out a new game is not an insult.
On February 22 2012 14:29 Dodgin wrote: Read the whole thing, awesome interview thanks for posting it!
Interesting that he says sc2 is not easier.
forGG said that too. The mechanics of the game is of course easier but that doesn't mean it's easier to be the best. Just easier to play the game at all.
It is easier to play the game at a level where you don't look like an idiot (having idle scv's, units loitering around). However if you are in the competitive scene, the difficulty is the same as in starcraft 1: as hard as you can bear. Because as soon as you don't give 100%, people who do will start beating you.
Anyways, nice interview, thanks for sharing it.
And this is why just any BW player switching to SC2 would not make an immediate impact with relatively minimal practice with the game. Mechanics would translate over, sure, but strategically/tactically speaking, there would be a need to learn and refine those skills.
Except maybe for Flash of course. He is, after all, GOD
Fin took about 6 months to a year to figure out the game o:
Fin is not Flash...you cannot compare someone who retired after getting frustrated at losing with the current master of the [BW] universe
If you are good at one sport, let us say Cross Country, you are obviously going to be a good Distance athlete in Track. But it takes different training and strategy during a race in order to be successful.
Saying someone will take time to figure out a new game is not an insult.
Agree it will take time, but just to clarify, have you seen Flash or Fin play Broodwar before? Fanboy talking, but the mindset and practice regimen is completely different, and 6 months is *quite* a long time. The top Broodwar Pros prepare weeks for A SINGLE match and practice far more then SC2 dudes. You might as well be comparing the NFL to Arena League
On February 22 2012 14:29 Dodgin wrote: Read the whole thing, awesome interview thanks for posting it!
Interesting that he says sc2 is not easier.
forGG said that too. The mechanics of the game is of course easier but that doesn't mean it's easier to be the best. Just easier to play the game at all.
It is easier to play the game at a level where you don't look like an idiot (having idle scv's, units loitering around). However if you are in the competitive scene, the difficulty is the same as in starcraft 1: as hard as you can bear. Because as soon as you don't give 100%, people who do will start beating you.
Anyways, nice interview, thanks for sharing it.
And this is why just any BW player switching to SC2 would not make an immediate impact with relatively minimal practice with the game. Mechanics would translate over, sure, but strategically/tactically speaking, there would be a need to learn and refine those skills.
Except maybe for Flash of course. He is, after all, GOD
Fin took about 6 months to a year to figure out the game o:
Fin is not Flash...you cannot compare someone who retired after getting frustrated at losing with the current master of the [BW] universe
If you are good at one sport, let us say Cross Country, you are obviously going to be a good Distance athlete in Track. But it takes different training and strategy during a race in order to be successful.
Saying someone will take time to figure out a new game is not an insult.
Agree it will take time, but just to clarify, have you seen Flash or Fin play Broodwar before? Fanboy talking, but the mindset and practice regimen is completely different, and 6 months is *quite* a long time. The top Broodwar Pros prepare weeks for A SINGLE match and practice far more then SC2 dudes. You might as well be comparing the NFL to Arena League
And? I'm sure they'll prepare just as hard for SC2 then.
I remember like 5 years ago downloading tons of reps of Dove/NaDa to learn how to SKTerran, since nobody else really did it right. He had incredible MM control ;p
On February 23 2012 12:31 Raithed wrote: I love how he changed his mind about hating colossus and HT and then it's like NO! FUCK INFESTORS! Hahaha.
Haha, exactly my thoughts, liked this line a lot.
Thanks for the great interview, it was a very good read, especially for someone that has no BW background. I liked it a lot. I will definitely watch out for his stream.
Great interview, I never got to play BW much so I never understood the transition like a pro would. Very insightful. Dove has a great personality, just like most of the other Korean pro gamers; so humble, and persistent. So inspiring, even outside of starcraft.
Great interview with tons of insider info which is what I like the best(no pun intended). I really liked his BW stream. I was kinda disappointed to hear that the marauder is his favorite unit and that he hates mech. Hope he succeeds in SC2 and make his parents proud.
On March 21 2012 20:16 RolleMcKnolle wrote: What happened to him? Haven't seen him in a while. did he stop playing?
He is still streaming SC2 from time to time, saw him streaming on sunday and monday. He did also play in the GSL Code A Qualifier and lost 0-2 to TSL.Hyun
Lol! What a great interview! This guy is so funny, honest and relatable!
Which new unit do you despise the most?
I hate the colossus and Templar because units clump up so much in SC2- WAIT I CHANGE MY MIND. I hate the infestor the most. It’s a piece of shit. It needs to be removed from the game.
LOL pure gold! He is such a Terran player ^_^
I like how he is taking the infestor personal, like it's just there to annoy the shit out of him =)
You are currently team less and practicing on your own. How do you maintain a strong work ethic to keep practicing? What’s the main difference between the BW practice regime and SC2 practice regime?
I have plenty of motivation because I am not terribly young anymore. I am 23, I have given up a lot for professional gaming and I want to pursue this dream I dropped out of high school and didn’t go to college. This is what I want to do. That is where my motivation comes from. My strong work ethics come from living in a team house. The main difference between practicing in Brood War and practicing in SC2 is that in Brood War, whenever I lose I know why I lost and how I can improve. Whenever I lose in SC2 I have no idea how I lost and how I can improve or where to look.
EPT
Dove is a Former Professional Brood War player for the highly reputable team: SK-Telecom 1 who has now switched full time to SC2.![[image loading]](http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n211/gamegenex2/1-1.jpg)
s2 and 
BeSt. I beat ![[image loading]](http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n211/gamegenex2/1205492169_1.jpg)
Courage at the same time. We don’t really keep in touch now since I’ve retired. ![[image loading]](http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n211/gamegenex2/DSCF1443.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n211/gamegenex2/2.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/3yd5X.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2152/5807620450_a13f2a42e3_z.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n211/gamegenex2/P071105001_06502.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ARUJ0.jpg)
Good luck to Dove, hopefully he will do well!
