Hello Spunky, and thank you for taking the time to talk to us today. You need no introduction here on TL, so I'm just going to jump right into it! These are exciting times for SC2 in general, and oGs in particular - how are you guys preparing for the GSL and what's the general feeling among the players at the moment?

Well, I am 99% sure that one of our oGs members will win it and all our players agree with that at the moment. We are very confident that we can win this and the players in oGs are all working really hard to prepare for this tournament.


Good luck with all the training! Given that you're an ex Broodwar progamer, why not tell us a bit about the similarities and differences between how training was for SCBW back then and how it is now as oGs prepares for the first big SC2 tourney in Korea? What has changed? What has remained the same?

There are a lot of similarities and differences between SC1 and SC2. After early midgame, the game becomes much more similar to SC1 because it comes down to a lot of macro with multi tasking. There is a lot of psycological warfare between two high level players for both SC1 and SC2. Since the game is much easier to play in SC2 (hotkeys, macro, micro) it’s more important that you think ahead of your opponent and consistently trick him into making mistakes. The way we train is very similar to SC1, however, we talk about strategies and think a lot more compared to SC1. Since micro, macro is much easier, it seems like timings and strategy is becoming a lot more important.


Interesting point. So in terms of strategy and timings, is Research and Development a strong focus at oGs these days? Could you tell us a little bit about how you guys approach the development of builds?

We spend most of our time discussing about new timings and using units that are not used as often. Early game is very important and you really need to use a different build on almost every map to find a small edge over your opponent. We time check and practice so we find the best build orders and strategies vs each race on each map all the time. Another way of thinking of it is:

In PVT if protoss succeeds in getting 5 collosus/20 stalkers/10zealots/10 pheonix by midgame without getting in much trouble, it’s very very hard for Protoss to lose in any fight vs Terran at this timing. So we think of how we can get these units and then in how many minutes we can get them into the game safely and play on from there.


Sounds very methodical. No wonder your guys are doing so well! So, let's talk a bit about Liquid` and oGs and what their newly announced partnership entails. What are you (and oGs) most looking forward to about this arrangement?

Well a lot of people around me always have had lots of respect for TL and also because of my long standing relationship with Nazgul, this was able to work. Those TL players will be staying with us at our gaming house and will be practicing and improving together. You guys should soon be able to see a TL logo on oGs uniforms and an oGs logo on TL uniforms very soon!


So given that your players know that soon they'll be in the same team house with Liquid, what have their reactions been like in general?

Well I am pretty sure the TL guys are very excited. Most oGs members are looking forward to it, but some still think foreigners are really behind in game level compared to Koreans so would rather just have other Koreans join the team, as opposed to foreigners. This shouldn’t be interpreted as racism, it’s just a mindset over here. However, since I've been close with all foreign players and Koreans for 10 years now, I know for a fact that this alliance will be the benefit for both TL and oGs


Yeah, Liquid` is definitely psyched about this partnership as well! Let's talk about your crew. The likes of Rainbow are well known thanks to their SCBW progaming careers, but Ensnare and some of the others we know less about. Could you give us foreign fans a quick rundown of your team?

Rainbow has been kinda off his game for a while but oGsEnsnare has been the top Terran in Korea for the past 2-3months and is getting better. We have a lot of other great players that foreigners probably don't know of much, like: oGsTheStC, oGsZenio, oGsHyperdub, oGsInCa and oGsGon. Our players are by far the best in Korea and I am very sure that the TL players will gain and learn a lot from these guys.


Let's look into the future a little. Do you see more foreign teams following in the footsteps of Liquid` and moving to Korea to try their luck in the GSL qualifiers and other leagues?

After a while, I am sure that a lot of foreigners will be coming to Korea because the prize pools for these monthly tournaments are so insanely big. Also there are probably going to be pro-leagues like SC1 coming next year as well so it’s gonna be a lot of fun. Since it costs a lot of money to have a team in Korea, I think most foreign players who play in Korea will be joining Korean teams when they arrive. Unless of course they find a million dollar sponsor to support them in Korea.


You speak of SC2 proleagues. There has been a lot of talk about if the game will catch on or not. As someone who has been in and around the Korean gaming scene for a long time, what is your take on this? Will SC2 effectively replace Broodwar as the #1 E-Sports title in Korea?

I am pretty sure that SC2 will overtake BW, it’s really just a matter of time. OnGameNet (OGN) is going to start broadcasting GSL next month. The commentators are dropping by our oGs house to learn the game since they need to be prepared. MBCgame is having a lot of plans as well. It’s just a matter of time till Kespa finally finishes negotiating with GOM TV and gets things going properly.


That's big news indeed! What about the game's reception among Korean players in general. There have been reports that it's not catching on very quickly and that a lot of people prefer Broodwar at the moment for casual play. Is this true, and if so, do you see this changing?

Yeah, there are some problems regarding SC2. My thoughts are:

1. SC needs battle.net, because the reason BW got big and became a cultural game in Korea was because there was battle.net, where people meet new people and get to know each other through these BN channels. A lot of people spent more time chatting and hanging out with their buddies through clan channels then actually playing the game. So this is one of the biggest reasons I think why SC2 is having trouble catching up.

2. You need a super computer to play SC2! I personally bought a computer for 1200$ this February but needed to upgrade it again recently to play SC2 recently because of all the new patches. This just makes it really hard for the average Joe at home to play SC2. You can't just play the game by purchasing it, you need to buy a new PC as well. There are also millions of smaller reasons but those two are the biggest in my opinion. Blizzard needs battle.net for Sc2 for it to be as big as BW!


One last question about SC2 – some old Starcraft veterans feel that SC2 just doesn't have the ability to produce awe inspiring "wow" moments like the original Starcraft and that the game itself doesn't lend itself to super high level play that leaves fans amazed. Having played both games, what do you have to say about this?

Well, we've only played SC2 for around half a year right now so it’s way too early to judge anything. Also there are going to be 2 expansion packs so things will change ALOT as it goes on. For BW, the game is still evolving and it’s been 10 years. It’s been 6months for SC2 so I suggest that whoever is judging the game so quickly should wait and watch for what might happen in the near future.


We're about wrapping up here - is there anything you'd like to say to Team Liquid, the community, as we ourselves look forward to seeing your team and our team working together?

I am not much of a community guy, I lived with Rekrul, giyom and others around me for many years now and the only time I would check TL is when I see them looking at the forums. I noticed that the TL community members never got enough information about Korea and "real" behind the scenes information about real pro-gaming life in Korea. I am sure that with this partnership, people will get more info and a better view of the action going on in Korea and that this will bring the Korean community and the foreign community closer together!
And yes, I am looking forward to us coming together, it’s gonna be a lot of fun and domination!

Fun and domination, what a solid note to part on. Thanks for talking to us, Spunky, and glhf to you and everyone at oGs. We look forward to hearing more from you guys soon!

Peter "Legionnaire" Neate is a legend here on TL, and as such, will not get much of an introduction. Progamer, moderator and Protoss powerhouse, he is most famous for performing the first all-kill in Broodwar. For many years, he also held the record for most kills on a single Reaver. But I digress. The man is here today to tell us three stories from a progamer's life at the beginning of the decade.

Taking a Chance

+ Show Spoiler +

First Blood

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Perks of the Trade

+ Show Spoiler +

All in all I had a lot of fun, especially considering how close I was to going home without these experiences. If you ever get the chance to do something others consider insane, go do it. Have fun. Live life.

Regards,
Peter "Legionnaire" Neate.