ROTW Classics #5 - faker on sn_boxedout
Run Of The Week Classics is now in spotlight, with its 5th edition!
A true legend!
... and not just because he played at a high level during the earlier times of KZ, but for the fact that he has been here, working with a strong dedication for Kreedz since day one as well.
Before saying anything else, I just want to tell you this faker: thank you, thank you for everything!
He was a great climber, a magnificent longjumper, he had a movie around 20 minutes long if I'm not mistaken, he now runs this community and he is a true classic!
And just to see how fast of a jumper he was, we picked a demo of his from 2006 on sn_boxedout, a map that nowadays is a possibility for only the best jumpers.
But before going any further, a rather new, but old wonder in the filmmaking biz has been given the trust to handle this unique classic edition. zythH^ in my opinion is the filmmaker of the hour. He has the right vision of filmmaking, which makes him understand how to create a proper video.
However, you have to bear with me a couple more minutes before seeing the video, because I have prepared for you a special one to one!
Back in 2006 you were playing this game and now you are running it. You were one of the best players in your time and you had a great career ahead of you, and yet you decided to move behind the curtain and "call the shots". What changed?
Well, at some point I simply didn't have enough time to train regularly and improve my skills anymore. As in any skill based game it is crucial to train and work on skills regularly, especially when a game is based on coordination like Kreedz!
So yes ladies and gentlemen, I have beside me the CEO of Xtreme-Jumps.eu, who wasn’t always a CEO, faker. Thanks for making some time for a fast talk sir. How are you this evening?
Well, as mostly these days, I’m trying to make up some time between university, work and organizing my little spare time left to still keep working for the community and find some time to play the latest games like BioShock Infinite and others :)
Working for the community, hmm… you have been doing that since the day KZ started. People are asking me all the time “how come you’re still motivated†and I often don’t know what to answer. What’s in for you? What makes you tick?
In the beginning I was just really into the game and wanted to contribute in any possible way I could, starting over as trial admin, later as normal admin and at some point I was asked to be more and take over coordination and management tasks and from there it just developed to the current situation. The more time, heart and commitment you spend, the more a thing like this grows dear on your heart. So I still try to stick around and help as much as I can for as long as posisble, even though my time is very limited and my motivation to still play KZ myself isn't nearly as big as it was back then
Not playing anymore and only managing it, does that make you vulnerable in the decisions you make? Or perhaps you have played long enough to think at every possible side before making up your mind?
Yeah interesting point. Even though I don't play regularly anymore, I would say my KZ skills are still between average and somewhat good. I can still beat 250-252 units longjumps if I try hard enough for example, or beat most of the maps out there (even hard ones but certainly not the extreme ones). I would rather say, not playing yourself isn't a problem and gives you a bit of objectivity as well. You just need to stay connected to the game in a way to avoid loosing all the knowledge and the overview you need for your administrative position.
Do you think it paid off? The transition from playing to administrating, that is.
For me it was definitely the right choice and the right way to go. After all, it was and still is a great experience to be able to see the community from both sides... playing the game and consuming the content that is provided for you and then getting insight into all the background processes and voluntarily work people do in order to provide the content and entertainment for others.
Having seen all sides, playing and administrating in both modern and old times, is there a difference that truly separates these periods?
Well, back in the day the community was much smaller and friendlier, everybody knew each other and most people tried to help each other getting better or simply had fun together. Today, everything is much more competitive, which has its ups and downside. Of course, we see a lot of amazing records that would have been considered impossible in the past, but the general mood in the community suffered a lot and it seems that everyone wants to be the best or at least better than the others - which leads to a lot of verbal conflicts. Also, sadly, quite a few trolls seem to have found their way into XJ, like in most other esports communities.
Considering what you just said, do you think we made it? I asked Alts!cH the same thing in the previous ROTW Classics edition, and he said that he doesn’t know if we made it, but this was definitely supposed to happen for us, we deserve it. He was referring at how big this scene got and after all the hard work we did, we deserve it. But now I’m asking you, at what cost? Sadness, being the general mood and competitive being the trend, if we place these two words in balance, which one wins and which one was supposed to win?
Tough question. I think this is just a natural consequence when a thing becomes bigger and more popular - all sort of people get attracted. I doubt it was a mistake to promote KZ and make it more popular amongst as many people as possible, even though it had some negative side effects as well. To be totally honest I really don't know when and how the sadness came into play (RIP here, RIP there), but it's really annoying, at least if you are still working for the community and try to let it grow. Back in the day people weren't that suspicious towards newcomers (or even older players that improved a lot recently) compared to nowadays. I personally wouldn't know how to react if I was one of the current uprising stars and if I would feel welcome at all. The "funny" or actually sad thing is that people even tend to use names like Bibo (among others), who were already under pretty heavy cheat accusations back then as well to describe them as legends and why it is "impossible" for newer players to beat them, and hence they have to be using cheats, "obviously". That's not only superficial, it's simply a logical lapse. As I mentioned... the negative mood already started back then, but it never has been as bad as recently with LEWLY (who is probably around for longer than people would expect or are around themselves) and LyNn. I really hope people get over it and accept their achievement as long as we (or the users - we would never turn down a real and factual cheat suspicion report with concrete evidence or strange things that were found) prove the opposite and that the climate in the community is going to get better again (and maybe even heal). We are aware of the fact that KZ has seen more active days, but we are trying to change that and some changes will be applied to the community pretty soon. To make this happen we need your assistance and a better general mood in the community to avoid scaring away possible newcomers, when they read all of the bashing in most of today's threads and comments.
The lack of experience and immature thinking dominates nowadays. “KZ is dead†since…ages, in their opinion, if we actually go back in time and see how often it was used and still being used.
Well my friend, what was supposed to be a small journey got longer and deeper, so I’m afraid we have to call it a day, at least for now. Thank you for making time for this interesting chat. Let’s hear some old names now, shall we?
It would be almost impossible to name everyone who ever contributed to KZ and shared a part of history. Anyway, I want to thank every single one of you - you know who you are! You will never be forgotten.
YouTube Link
faker - The movie (free Download)
See you when April will end, for a new Classic!
A true legend!
... and not just because he played at a high level during the earlier times of KZ, but for the fact that he has been here, working with a strong dedication for Kreedz since day one as well.
Before saying anything else, I just want to tell you this faker: thank you, thank you for everything!
He was a great climber, a magnificent longjumper, he had a movie around 20 minutes long if I'm not mistaken, he now runs this community and he is a true classic!
And just to see how fast of a jumper he was, we picked a demo of his from 2006 on sn_boxedout, a map that nowadays is a possibility for only the best jumpers.
But before going any further, a rather new, but old wonder in the filmmaking biz has been given the trust to handle this unique classic edition. zythH^ in my opinion is the filmmaker of the hour. He has the right vision of filmmaking, which makes him understand how to create a proper video.
However, you have to bear with me a couple more minutes before seeing the video, because I have prepared for you a special one to one!
Back in 2006 you were playing this game and now you are running it. You were one of the best players in your time and you had a great career ahead of you, and yet you decided to move behind the curtain and "call the shots". What changed?
Well, at some point I simply didn't have enough time to train regularly and improve my skills anymore. As in any skill based game it is crucial to train and work on skills regularly, especially when a game is based on coordination like Kreedz!
So yes ladies and gentlemen, I have beside me the CEO of Xtreme-Jumps.eu, who wasn’t always a CEO, faker. Thanks for making some time for a fast talk sir. How are you this evening?
Well, as mostly these days, I’m trying to make up some time between university, work and organizing my little spare time left to still keep working for the community and find some time to play the latest games like BioShock Infinite and others :)
Working for the community, hmm… you have been doing that since the day KZ started. People are asking me all the time “how come you’re still motivated†and I often don’t know what to answer. What’s in for you? What makes you tick?
In the beginning I was just really into the game and wanted to contribute in any possible way I could, starting over as trial admin, later as normal admin and at some point I was asked to be more and take over coordination and management tasks and from there it just developed to the current situation. The more time, heart and commitment you spend, the more a thing like this grows dear on your heart. So I still try to stick around and help as much as I can for as long as posisble, even though my time is very limited and my motivation to still play KZ myself isn't nearly as big as it was back then
Not playing anymore and only managing it, does that make you vulnerable in the decisions you make? Or perhaps you have played long enough to think at every possible side before making up your mind?
Yeah interesting point. Even though I don't play regularly anymore, I would say my KZ skills are still between average and somewhat good. I can still beat 250-252 units longjumps if I try hard enough for example, or beat most of the maps out there (even hard ones but certainly not the extreme ones). I would rather say, not playing yourself isn't a problem and gives you a bit of objectivity as well. You just need to stay connected to the game in a way to avoid loosing all the knowledge and the overview you need for your administrative position.
Do you think it paid off? The transition from playing to administrating, that is.
For me it was definitely the right choice and the right way to go. After all, it was and still is a great experience to be able to see the community from both sides... playing the game and consuming the content that is provided for you and then getting insight into all the background processes and voluntarily work people do in order to provide the content and entertainment for others.
Having seen all sides, playing and administrating in both modern and old times, is there a difference that truly separates these periods?
Well, back in the day the community was much smaller and friendlier, everybody knew each other and most people tried to help each other getting better or simply had fun together. Today, everything is much more competitive, which has its ups and downside. Of course, we see a lot of amazing records that would have been considered impossible in the past, but the general mood in the community suffered a lot and it seems that everyone wants to be the best or at least better than the others - which leads to a lot of verbal conflicts. Also, sadly, quite a few trolls seem to have found their way into XJ, like in most other esports communities.
Considering what you just said, do you think we made it? I asked Alts!cH the same thing in the previous ROTW Classics edition, and he said that he doesn’t know if we made it, but this was definitely supposed to happen for us, we deserve it. He was referring at how big this scene got and after all the hard work we did, we deserve it. But now I’m asking you, at what cost? Sadness, being the general mood and competitive being the trend, if we place these two words in balance, which one wins and which one was supposed to win?
Tough question. I think this is just a natural consequence when a thing becomes bigger and more popular - all sort of people get attracted. I doubt it was a mistake to promote KZ and make it more popular amongst as many people as possible, even though it had some negative side effects as well. To be totally honest I really don't know when and how the sadness came into play (RIP here, RIP there), but it's really annoying, at least if you are still working for the community and try to let it grow. Back in the day people weren't that suspicious towards newcomers (or even older players that improved a lot recently) compared to nowadays. I personally wouldn't know how to react if I was one of the current uprising stars and if I would feel welcome at all. The "funny" or actually sad thing is that people even tend to use names like Bibo (among others), who were already under pretty heavy cheat accusations back then as well to describe them as legends and why it is "impossible" for newer players to beat them, and hence they have to be using cheats, "obviously". That's not only superficial, it's simply a logical lapse. As I mentioned... the negative mood already started back then, but it never has been as bad as recently with LEWLY (who is probably around for longer than people would expect or are around themselves) and LyNn. I really hope people get over it and accept their achievement as long as we (or the users - we would never turn down a real and factual cheat suspicion report with concrete evidence or strange things that were found) prove the opposite and that the climate in the community is going to get better again (and maybe even heal). We are aware of the fact that KZ has seen more active days, but we are trying to change that and some changes will be applied to the community pretty soon. To make this happen we need your assistance and a better general mood in the community to avoid scaring away possible newcomers, when they read all of the bashing in most of today's threads and comments.
The lack of experience and immature thinking dominates nowadays. “KZ is dead†since…ages, in their opinion, if we actually go back in time and see how often it was used and still being used.
Well my friend, what was supposed to be a small journey got longer and deeper, so I’m afraid we have to call it a day, at least for now. Thank you for making time for this interesting chat. Let’s hear some old names now, shall we?
It would be almost impossible to name everyone who ever contributed to KZ and shared a part of history. Anyway, I want to thank every single one of you - you know who you are! You will never be forgotten.
YouTube Link
faker - The movie (free Download)
See you when April will end, for a new Classic!