Author Topic: [Interview]I wanna be the very best (Read 3561 times)

FML|Mage · « **on:** June 19, 2013, 05:10:38 pm »

Like no one ever was
To catch them is my real test
To train them is my cause

I will travel across the land
Searching far and wide
Each Pokemon to understand
The power that's inside

Pokemon, its you and me
I know it?s my destiny
Pokemon, oh, you're my best friend
In a world we must defend
Pokemon, a heart so true
Our courage will pull us through

You teach me and I'll teach you
Pokemon, gotta catch 'em all

Every challenge along the way
With courage I will face
I will battle every day
To claim my rightful place

Come with me, the time is right
There's no better team
Arm in arm we'll win the fight
It's always been our dream

FML|Mage: What's up everyone, with us today we have Seksi 2 time FML ladder winner, and multiple finalist.
FML|Mage: Care to give us some background on yourself?
Seksi: Hey, first of all thanks for having me. FML is doing really well due to its great community of players and admins, nice job!
Seksi: I started playing WC3 in RoC.. back when I was like 13 years old. My first race was Human and I did pretty well abusing triple arcane sanc mass casters. Once TFT came out, I played different races for periods of time which naturally led to being a Random player
Seksi: I had always liked FFA, I played it back in the golden days with F-L-Y, Pencil, Lost.Ancient etc, however I wasn't very good back then. I played a lot of solo and 2v2 ladder and leagues over the years until I got better. A few years ago I started to really get into FFA again and hosted a lot of custom FFAs before the days of bots
FML|Mage: Very nice, when did you first get hooked up with FML?
Seksi: I wanted to promote FFA and get people to join. I have been rank 1 FFA 3 or 4 times, rank 1 Solo, 2s and 4v4 rt back when the ladder mattered and wasn't infested with hackers =/.
Seksi: I started playing FML 4 or 5 seasons ago and have improved results each season. I started out frustrated as most players who enter FML not being able to win much. Either getting teamed out or making bad decisions, sometimes both.
Seksi: I enjoyed the competition with many established players who were already doing well. Renaud, Magadansky, Htrt, Daselend to name a few.
FML|Mage: Pretty sure that's right around when a lot of us joined. Season 10 when Worp restarted the league. What would you say are the biggest difference between then and now?
FML|Mage: Both in terms of the FFA atmosphere, FML's reputation in the WC3 community, and the meta game/how people play FFA
Seksi: Ah, yes. hmm.. I would say that of course the scene has grown a lot and many new players have joined the community. Thanks to our admins and players promoting the game type (as well as pro solo players playing), I believe our reputation has strengthened across different communities, especially those that really only knew 1v1 and 2v2. Generally speaking, most people unfamiliar with FFA have a negative stereotype that it is all luck and unskilled. Now, more and more people are getting to understand FFA and how that is not the case at all.
Seksi: Since the time I joined FML until now, It seems that people play now with more chat and diplomacy... some more crying or whining when getting hit etc. This is kind of lame, but I think it is a natural progression as more players watch replays and see that, unfortunately, it is usually beneficial to use chat and manip as a key tool to not only get players off of you but have others help you as well.
Seksi: On the other side, the overall skill level of FML has increased and has a wide range of players and styles, which is great. As the game progresses, players improve and now as have a very solid player base with many talented faces.
FML|Mage: Some solid analysis there, and it's always interesting to see different player’s perspective.
FML|Mage: Now, I had a fun intro but we got a bit sidetracked so let's get to it.
FML|Mage: We're going to do some word association. I'll say a word, you say the first thing that pops into your head
FML|Mage: Ready?
Seksi: Let's do it
FML|Mage: Off to a good start =D
FML|Mage: WC3
Seksi: Yes
Seksi: lol
FML|Mage: FML
Seksi: Pro
FML|Mage: Undead
Seksi: Imba
Seksi: (jokes)
FML|Mage: Noob
Seksi: Mage
Seksi: ^^
FML|Mage: =D
FML|Mage: Maga
Seksi: Nightmare
Seksi: that I must take down
FML|Mage: mage
Seksi: #1 interviewer
FML|Mage: mog
Seksi: tinker + manip + 20k
FML|Mage: activities outside of wc3
Seksi: music
Seksi: basketball
FML|Mage: and the last one, Worpex
Seksi: the greatest ever... behind Gnom
FML|Mage: Of course, Gnom #1
Seksi: It is a common understanding.
FML|Mage: You're pretty well known for playing Random, what's your favorite race to play? Or do you really not have one?>
Seksi: Yes, I think I would get bored playing the same race always. I have always played all races so I think I am about equal skill with all. I really don't have a favorite, but depending on my mood and the matchups some I would favor one over another. Undead is my strongest 1v1 race so I like playing with them in FFA, but as you know it is tough to win FFA games (even if you win battles) with UD. I enjoy playing Orc, while Elf and Human are probably the most boring. But it all just depends.
FML|Mage: Ok, how about maps. Any favorites among those?
Seksi: Silverpine is my favorite map. I love the crazy marketplaces as well as small quarters that promote action. Lots of creeps in a small area! Other then that I enjoy playing the lesser played maps, I wish we had more to choose from. It is more interesting and fun to play maps that are underused like Murgal, Bloodstone, Swamp of Sorrows etc. I am looking forward to trying out the new FML map and hopefully we can continue to produce new maps in the future.
FML|Mage: I certainly think that's all of our hopes. For those that don't know what Seksi is talking about, you should check out this thread here: http://ffamasters.net/index.php?topic=1147.msg20707;topicseen#new
FML|Mage: are there any maps that you haven’t played in a while that you wish had made it into the pool this season?
Seksi: Yeah, let me look over the maps for a second
FML|Mage: not a problem
Seksi: As I mentioned I really like Mur'gol Oasis. I also think Gold Rush can produce some epic games with 4 players, although I understand the negative thoughts on that map with so many gold mines and opportunities to mass towers. I am a fan on Monsoon as well. As far as irregular maps, (6)Stranglethorn Vale is a nice map to play FFA on as well as (8)Garden of War. (6)Stromguarde is a classic map too.
Seksi: It was cool to experiment with Spider Falls. I think it would be a good idea to include at least one unordinary map choice in the season. Even Emerald Shores was a fine addition.
Seksi: Mur'gul *
FML|Mage: Cool, certainly looks like you're one of the more open players map wise.
FML|Mage: What do you consider to be your biggest WC3 achievement, and your biggest FML achievement
FML|Mage: If they're separate that's completely fine
Seksi: Hm... I held rank 1 2v2 on the ladder when it was competitive with dual random at 90-13 which was exciting and tough to do. I've been rank 1 in other game types but it is not that special of an accomplishment. Rank 1 4v4 AT, proto style with FFA skills was cool since we had only 1 loss. I have beaten some pro players in solo throughout the years, probably my best one was against BMi.Philbot. This was the days when he was absolutely dominating ladder, he was the first player to really use fiends in solo well. He was undefeated, like 101-0 ? Something like that, and I gave him his first loss. Elf vs UD, I went solo panda and massed expos while teching to chim/hippo/mg, FFA type army. Ended the game with a level 10 Panda +D.
Seksi: In FML, I missed the playoffs in my first season. I was in the Semi final the next season, only to lose a game I probably should have won. The next two seasons I was in the finals each time. I won both of the FML ladder seasons so far, 1 and 2. I have not been able to win an FML championship yet, so that is of course what I would like the most.
FML|Mage: Haha that is pretty cool. I know you pride yourself on bringing some FFA into solo so it's fitting that that was your win.
Seksi: :D yes
FML|Mage: Now, let's move onto a tougher question or two. A lot of people feel that while your play style is effective, it can be not fun to watch and annoying. That you use manip too much, and take advantage of players who don't know the game very well in addition to teaming people even when you could just clean up both players and win the game that way.
FML|Mage: This is the most public forum that you'll get to answer these critics. Do you have anything you'd like to say?
Seksi: Haha sure. I have always tried to improve my game and learn from my own mistakes as well as others styles and strategies. My game is always evolving and has changed as time goes on. I have tried including different elements and strategies in my play style to better my overall game.
Seksi: When I first started playing FML, I used little manip or chat. I had played FFA the way I was used to over the years in ladder and custom games. I would try to take out my nearest opponent and look for opportunities to hoard etc. In FML, with much smarter players, I was getting teamed out all the time and it was frustrating. Some games, I would start out very well against another player only to get teamed and lose. I wanted to figure out how to defend against this and started to learn how to manipulate others. Either by playing weaker then I was or getting others' attention away from me.
Seksi: I would play for the ultimate win, in any way possible. Sometimes, if I was able to manip someone to team with me against my biggest threat (even if I was the dominant one) I would do that. I understand that this would be annoying to watch as in most cases I could have done without that and still won. As time went on, my game evolved to not doing this, but rather saving manip for only the times needed. I learned that if I over manip then not only is it annoying, but also creates a negative image to where players either won't believe or go for you anyways.
Seksi: I no longer team players when it is not needed, and manip far less then once percieved. Manip is a tool in FFA and should be used intelligently. As you know, some of the best players in FML frequently manip. Maga for example, the most successful FML player of all time manips as much or more then anyone.
Seksi: Ultimately, when playing to win, you should utilize every advantage and tool given to you. I have realized that using too much manip is not only annoying but also doesn't benefit you in the long run with good players. I have tailored my game to focus more on my strengths in micro, macro, and other FFA elements and less on chat and manipulation. However, you would be a fool to not use it to an extent when the rest of the battlefield wields it.
Seksi: One more note on manipulation. Manip nowadays seems to be alot of chatting and crying to get others to attack your opponent or team away from you. This is very basic and not really manipulation. Eshan, for example, was one of the best at true manipulation. His micro and macro were not as stung but he would compete with the best players through clever manipulation. He would get into player's heads and disguise his own strength as well as get other's to think certain things about his opponents in a clever way to his advantage. This type of manip is higher level and something that isn't frowned upon, unlike today's 'manip' with a lot of whining, crying, or lying. I would like to see more of intelligent manipulation and less of reactive manip.
FML|Mage: Fair enough, I think that's a pretty damn valid response to everyone . I've taken enough of your time and I've gotten slammed at work. Before we go though any special shoutouts or anythings else you want to add before we go?
Seksi: Shoutouts to our admins which are second to none. Ugri for promoting the game type through his immensely successful FFA bot as well as scheduling and keeping things running smooth. Mage for his great write-ups and interviews and sharing them throughout. Persuade for his map-making skills and efficiently collecting 5 points/round. WorpeX for making it all possible.
Seksi: And to everybody that is involved in the community that keeps us thriving. It's been great that we continue to add more strong solo players (Rain, Starshaped, Cechi, WaN, etc) which helps broaden our audience and invites more people to learn about FFA and join us. Thanks for selecting me to interview, see you on the battlefield. gl!
Seksi: thanks for the interview mage
FML|Mage: Np, thanks for being my victim and I look forward to seeing more of your games!