Category Archives: Insight

Tencent posts an article on qq.com flaming Dota2, quickly removes it but not before dota.uuu9.com posts a counter-flame

Dotaland note: the original Tencent flame article was at http://games.qq.com/a/20121208/000026.htm — but has now been replaced by a completely different topic at the same link. Amongst other things, it claimed that Valve was selling Dota2 for $100 each… Nonetheless, if you think Riot does shady things, wait ’till you see some of what Tencent does to promote its own interests and/or crush competitors… is this the first shot fired of an inevitable clash to be heard across all of gaming?

Dotaland note 2: Tencent is the Chinese distributor of League of Legends, and they also own Riot Games, devs of LoL. QQ.com is Tencent’s official main portal website.

Original: http://dota2.uuu9.com/201212/95503.shtml

Earlier today a certain website published a report on “The biggest money-grabbing, integrity-lacking games of 2012 — Dota2 ranks top”.

Therefore, we at UUU9 Dota will debunk each of their claims one by one:

1. Claiming that Dota2 is literally the most expensive game in history, with a price of 100 USD?

The [Tencent] article claimed that there is only one way to buy Dota2, with a price of 100 USD. This is purely baseless fabrication, we won’t even mention that Dota2 can be purchased as a standalone bundle currently, but they even failed to realize that this 100 USD pack includes every single one of Valve’s games since 1998, with a total value of more than 150 USD.

And then of course there is the standalone purchase of Dota2 available right now, for 30 USD, which gives you the game, a wild boar courier, and full cosmetic sets for Sven, Juggernaut, and Witch Doctor. Compared to a certain ‘penguin company’ (they mean Tencent, as a mascot/logo of Tencent’s is a penguin) selling skins one at a time for over 100 RMB each, we think everyone will be able to realize in their own hearts what is what here.

2. Flaming Dota2 translation team for profiting from beta keys

This is really causing a fuss out of nothing. First off, Valve giving keys to the translation teams is not a ‘compensation’, it’s more an effort to use the translation team to spread keys to Chinese players and thus grow Dota2 in China. The translation team often posts keys on their Weibo accounts, and for sure there are many current players who have access to the beta because of this. As for how Valve actually thanks their translators, they have other means, such as mailing gifts from America or inviting them to tour their offices etc, we’re sure most people have seen this from interviews at TI2 and will understand.

3. Steam as a platform is run with only profit in mind

Compared to a certain penguin company’s (aka Tencent) reputation as “king of copying”, Steam itself is a superior platform that is unique and groundbreaking in its convenience and pushing of the entire industry. In traditional retail channels, game developers only get around 30% of revenue, while on Steam they get up to 70%. This alone has greatly increased the standing of many a developer, as well as helped developers create higher quality games. Yet penguin company’s motto for operating is to copy a popular game or platform and then spam the internet with braindead pop-up advertisements. And in the process, destroy many a decent website while simultaneously spurring more unhealthy and unfair forms of competition in the domestic gaming industry, and ultimately become the root cause of such a proliferating trend of copying and infringing in the entire Chinese gaming industry.

After reading the above, hopefully everyone has a better understanding of the situation now.

Interestingly, compared to a certain penguin company going out of their way to try to stifle and slander Dota, Valve has shown a degree of openness. In addition to Valve saying that they “will not limit players”, and are rumored to be allowing Penguin company’s League of Legends onto the Steam platform, Gabe Newell has also said that he is a fan of all games in this genre, and not only limited to Dota2: “I think moba-style games are a pretty nice genre, they’re very exciting when you play. The reason we’re doing things this way is because everyone at the company are fans of this type of game, and we feel we should allow more gamers experience the fun, not only limited to IceFrog’s creation.” (Dotaland note: this LoL on Steam thing is not actually confirmed as far as I know)

So, gamers, viewing the difference in attitudes between these companies, who will you choose? In the words of the Dota2 shopkeeper: The choice is yours!

The greatest desire is still to win: DK, the forlorn kings [17173]

Dotaland note: Small feature/opinion piece reflecting on DK…

Original: http://dota2.17173.com/news/12042012/175256792.shtml

As champions of nine events in 2011, the kings DK have performed less than ideally in 2012; after winning G-1 2012 Season 1, they’ve spent a long period of time away from the top.

G-League, ACE Dota Pro League, the Dota2 International 2, the three big events of this summer all saw DK fall short of their goal. Worse, apart from the G-League, they failed to even make the finals. “A team cannot perpetually be in good form, it’s quite normal to see a drop, and participating in both Dota1 and Dota2 is a big factor as well,” DK’s manager Farseer said at the time.

At the same time as WCG China region finals were going on, DK announced that they were officially transitioning to Dota2, and this paved the path for DK to focus on preparation for the upcoming WCG World Finals.

On the 29th of November, WCG 2012 World Finals officially kicked off. In the Dota2 competition, DK was placed in a group with Orange and the Ukrainian team led by Dendi, this group was commonly seen as this competition’s group of death. In the first group stage match, DK comfortably defeated Orange, and following that they also achieved a win over Team Ukraine, thus defeating in succession both of the major threats to their advancement from the group and securing a certain spot in the next stage as leaders of their group. “Our preparations for this WCG have been excellent, we’re have a lot of confidence that we will win it all,” were the words BurNing declared after the group stage.

In the semi-finals, DK’s opponents would be team DevilMice from Belarus. This match was, like the matches before, without suspense as DK achieved a complete 2-0 victory to advance to the finals. And, with their match complete, DK enthusiastically went to spectate the other on-going semi-final match between iG and Orange.

In the finals matchup, DK once again met their rivals iG. In both G-League and The International 2, it was defeats to iG that stopped DK’s progress, and so here DK swore to overcome their adversaries… “This WCG is the first to include Dota2 competition, and at the same time is held in China, so it has special meaning. We absolutely must take the championship,” were the desires that DK.Farseer put into words beforehand.

On the day of the match, because of time constraints, the first game of DK vs iG was played in the off-stage competition area. In this game, iG used a Magnus and Brewmaster combo to successfully delay their opponents, leaving ample room for their Anti-mage to grow; and as Anti-mage got built up, iG gradually took the game to a win for themselves.

On the 2nd of December around 11AM, the second game between these two teams began to play out on othe main stage. Under the gaze of thousands of live audience viewers, iG once again drafted the Magnus Brewmaster combo, but this time it was clear that DK had made adjustments — they held an early advantage. Yet, as the game went on, iG’s overall roster superiority gradually began to show, and even though DK resolutely stood firm in defense for a time, they ultimately fell once again in front of iG……

The glories of 2011, the pities of 2012… the ‘Galacticos’ of Dota have fallen from such heights a year ago to such depths recently. Even though DK has placed decently in most competitions this year, it is certain that what they want the most is that long-lost championship title.

[fluff] Chinese trolling in game… “what is this egg?”

Dotaland note: Fluffity fluff. Random convo I happened to catch in one of the Chinese chat rooms in Dota2, bit of light hearted trolling back and forth…

TT2: Right, people are always talking about some egg or another, what is this egg?

Mr.Black: If you die 100 times it’ll give you a courier

TT2: Where can I see my egg, and I don’t mean the ones I see when I look down

加班没有加班费: Eggs are for hatching new heroes..

加班没有加班费: Without eggs you can’t play new heroes

TT2: Eh, where can I see it then? Or, how do I acquire them

我爸刚弄死他: Oh fuck me, you are a bunch of cruel bastards

帅酷美少年: New heroes?

TT2: But… for me I can select all the heroes I see?

耍酷美少年: I can’t even laugh any harder

Mr.Black: There are hidden heroes of course

TT2: Enough… I’m serious here, I’m asking for help

帅酷美少年: Off you go then, just go play

17173 series: G-1 2012 bits and pieces (1)

Dotaland note: This is a mini-series from a 17173 writer, documenting bits and pieces of the events and happenings leading up to the G-1 League and Dota2 this year. This particular one shows a bit of the general buildup a few months prior to G-1 League 2012 starting.

Original: http://dota2.17173.com/news/11142012/092601975.shtml

September 19, two months before G-1

The Drums of War in Autumn

The second time I heard from Pikachu (Pikaxiu, Chinese commentator) was a month after the original. The ripples of the battle in Seattle had yet to settle, and he was already brewing up China’s first own Dota2 competition.

The International 2, was a competition, but more so it was like Valve holding a massive forum to recruit followers across the world to their cause, akin to the way Steve Jobs might hold an Apple event. And I had also been infected with the emotions fueling all this, so when I discussed things with Pikachu, I took the stance of a braindead fanboy and was a furious proponent of Dota2. Yet, considering the reality of the current situation, from the lower player and viewer base, to the incomplete transition of teams participating in the scene, to the question of Dota2’s official Chinese partner… holding a Dota2 competition was going to have significant challenges.

Objectively speaking, neither Dota2 nor TI2 are or were perfect. It was just that Valve’s unprecedented effort and dedication would quickly win over what was originally a comparatively unsupported and tough Dota1 scene, and ultimately let these original Dota1 players finally find a sense of safety, or maybe it was a sense of belonging. This convinced millions of Dota believers to transfer their faith to the Valve camp. Viewing things from this perspective, the 1.5M dollar prize pool was a worthy expenditure for Valve.

After confirming the G-1 League’s structure, the most pressing issue at hand was of course which teams would participate. Even though ForLove had recently announced their intentions to get into Dota2, their lack of offline training and teamwork showed, their players did not have enough experience with Dota2. The results in the preliminaries showed this: neither ForLove nor Noah’s Ark have matched their Dota1 skills in Dota2.

As for WE and EHOME, they had both lost players and were in a state of roster limbo after TI2, so they would be unavailable in the near term. Add in DT, Tyloo, and Royal Club, these ACE clubs declined to participate for one reason or another, and all that was left were iG, LGD, DK, and TongFu these four representatives recently returned from Seattle.

As a result, we had to invite foreign teams. Luckily, the Singapore server has always been acceptable for the entire greater Asia area in terms of delay and ping. And so, in a bit of a hectic and random fashion, this iteration of the G-1 League became half of an international competition in itself. At this time, coincidentally, it was also nearly a full year from the last international Dota competition held in China — WDC.

At the time, Pikachu was doing another 17173 event called UGT, so his energies were a bit stretched. On the other hand, I was not unfamiliar with the foreign scene and Dota2, and I’d say my English was adequate for the job, so Pikachu gave me the job of communicating with foreign teams.

Realizing that I could personally be involved in China’s first Dota2 competition, I can’t help but feel the chemicals in my body reacting, leaving me with an excitement that reminds me of that bit of poetry from one of our textbooks back in school: “In the depths of a dream, thoughts return to a camp ringing with the sounds of warhorns. The warriors are well fed, the music evocative of a majestic morale. This is an autumn display of military might on the battlefield.”

People.com.cn interview: commentator DC talks Chinese eSports

Original: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201210/147620.html (technically the real original is from people.com.cn, but I can’t find that one, and didn’t look hard for it either)

Dotaland note: insightful look into Dota2’s place in competitive esports, the Chinese market, player development, and more, from one of Chinese Dota’s most experienced and well-rounded contributors… interviewed by a mainstream website’s gaming section.

DC, personal name Dong Chan, is a legendary Chinese Dota figure. Formerly played on EHOME, winning countless Chinese and international competitions, nicknamed Teacher DC. After retiring became a commentator, and is now a top Chinese commentator.

Q: As a veteran of Dota competition, how do you view the changes coming from Dota2?

DC: In terms of game quality, Dota2 has escaped from the limitations of the old game engine, and thus quickly achieved an overall improvement; IceFrog and his development team need no additional praise, and their future innovations on a new and limitless platform will be something we all look forward to. The transition from DotA to Dota2 has been a series of practical changes that lead to improvements, allowing Dota to be more stable, and more lively and open for creativity, it’s great!

Q: Dota2’s Chinese agent Perfect World has estimated that Dota2 will hit the market in 2013, will this affect the game’s domestic market share?

DC: The issue of Dota2’s official date of going open, has already become a major weakness. In the past two years, large amounts of Dota-type games have arisen, and in many ways have limited Dota1’s territory, even to the point of affecting Dota2’s growth. How to solve and conquer this issue will be the core of Dota2’s growth strategy. Even though Dota2 is an unparalled game of high acclaim and fame, when it does finally hit the Chinese market, perhaps it would be best to focus on its inherent production quality and superior user experience.

Q: Dota-type games, such as League of Legends, what are their current status in China? Are you able to make a prediction in regards to this segment of the market?

DC: League of Legends can be said to have chosen the right time to lay out all their cards. Its development was quick, its momentum is fierce, all to the point of having no equal. It was because of League of Legends’ momentum and growth that ultimatley pushed Dota2 to make its belated appearance, so the pressure is immense here. There’s no question about it, LoL on the Tencent platform will be a juggernaut on the scene for a considerable period of time yet. In the competitive scene it also has been very effective, and taking the lead Dota1 set, it has become a world-leading competitive title.

Q: When competiting in international competition, what exactly is the competitive level of Chinese players?

DC: In terms of Dota 1 and 2, Chinese players have attained a dominant level of performance in the world. Looking at competitions over the years, at the highest level, it’s common to see Chinese teams take consecutive championships, and sometimes even take all three top spots. In the recent International 2 in September, not only did Chinese team iG defeat Ukrainian juggernaut NaVi to take first place, all five Chinese teams made it into the top 8, and 3 out of 4 of the top 4 spots were taken by Chinese teams, once again recording a legendary feat. At this competition, players from all over the world gave high praise for Chinese players’ skill level, noting the excellent training environment and competitive atmosphere available to them.

Afterwards, many well-known international players expressed desire to come to China to train and develop, and top Chinese team LGD has already created an international team, currently training in Hangzhou. This Chinese-created international team, how well they perform exactly, will be a point to look forward to seeing.

Q: What are the prospects for professional players in China now?

DC: After many years of development and growth on the scene, current players in China now enjoy very decent compensation and benefits. From champions iG who just moved to Shanghai, to LGD who just moved to Hangzhou, as well as the kings of kings DK, situated in Yunnan… the players have access to excellent training facilities and conditions, and countless fans envy and follow them. And their incomes are continuously rising, with dense calendars of competitions and high prize pools, added to their good salaries, all allow them to completely focus on training and competition with no other worries. The most representative example here is team iG, who, after taking the 1m dollar prize, are now being called the million-dollar team by the media.

In summary, the players who are currently stepping into their career peaks right now, have conditions that are worthy of envy.

Q: What is the greatest barrier to the growth of a professional gamer?

DC: Lack of enough time and background support. For the entire player development scene, it is still very much a grassroots situation currently. There’s virtually no strict or organized system for developing and bringing up new players, so new infusions of talent into the scene is still in a confusing and random status. In the majority of examples, the rise of a new player relies mainly on that players natural talent and ability to work hard, plus an exceptional amount of luck, to be able to ultimately display a little bit of their brilliance.

The difficulties at this level perhaps require an organized, unified, and intentional administrative push to resolve and eventually create a positive and sustainable model for the scene, thus breaking our current awkward situation of the professional scene being a virtual ‘building in the sky’ type of isolation.

Q: After the national government made efforts to encourage professional work in culture and creative arts, were there any changes in this situation? Why or why not?

DC: For now, there haven’t been much noticeable changes. The entire industry, for now, is still relying on its own internal momentum, as well as pushes made by industry insiders for their own purposes. On this topic, there remains a considerable amount of conservatism; how we can accurately and fairly portray the difference between addiction to games and playing games professionally, how we can provide balanced news reports and publicity, and how we can engage in dialogue rather than plug our ears and embark on single-sided narratives, these will all be things that will have effects. If we want to build a concrete foundation for the entire industry, then we still need firm and strong leadership and support.

Gamefy Cribs: iG, NA, LGD team houses overview

Dotaland notes: Chinese gaming channel Gamefy visits iG, Noah’s Ark, and LGD team houses.Video link below.

iG has just moved to a new base in an apartment in Shanghai, where they have a dedicated internet line that is vastly improved over what they had in Shanghai. According to Zhou, Faith grinds his teeth in his sleep and likes to eat at night. ChuaN’s cell phone holder is a gift from a Thai friend. Zhou has a lucky Buddha that he brings with him. IG typically trains from 5pm to 9pm every day, and they go to bed around 1-2am.

Noah’s Ark’s training base is their team owner and sponsor’s internet cafe, also in Shanghai. Their goal is top 3 in every competition once they get the hang of Dota2. They all like spicy food, so they often go to the restaurant next door for dinner, where their captain makes the order for everyone too. Last scene of the NA section is them getting taxis to a competition that night.

LGD’s new base is in Hangzhou. Two floor house, Yao gets one of the two single rooms. Yao enjoys reading and is currently reading more adult novels, in the past he enjoyed romance novels aimed at teenaged girls…

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDY4MjY3MjY0.html

17173 interview with iG.Faith: “LGD was better in the past, G-1 offline matches will be even more intense, Dendi is very funny”

Original: http://dota2.17173.com/news/10262012/113800655.shtml

Dotaland note: 17173, organizers of the G-1 League currently ongoing, has this interview with iG.Faith. Good insight into iG and perspectives of things from a top tier pro.

In the G-1 League group stages, team iG has shown an enormous display of skill and ability in consecutive wins over MUFC and LGD. On this, we interviewed iG.Faith, and learned more about iG’s latest developments.

G-1: Hello Faith, thank you for doing this interview with G-1 Champions League. In yesterday’s key match against LGD, your team was able to take the win 2-0, which surprised some people. Can you comment on the match a bit?

iG.Faith: Both games revolved around a high pressure in-your-face team ganking strategy led by Bounty Hunter and Night Stalker. Yet in both games, the opponent lacked any kind of crowd control team fight ability, so they ended up losing fights over and over as they tried to defend their towers.

G-1: This match received extreme amounts of attention, so with iG being able to take the win so easily, what were your first reactions, and does this give you more confidence for your upcoming matches?

iG.Faith: Both games revolved around teamfighting so to pull it off successfully left us feeling very satisfied. Of course we will gain confidence from this, but we also will not underestimate any opponent.

G-1: Can you tell us why iG is so strong right now? Has the TI2 title really triggered a chemical reaction within the team? If you had lost in the Finals against NaVi, would your current mentality, confidence, and form be any different?

iG.Faith: I think we’re close-knit as a team, trust each other, and we are quite all-around. The TI2 title gives us motivation, as well as pressure to perform. If we had truly lost back then, we would still need to rely on our own ability to adjust ourselves and the team as a whole, because in the end we still believe that we are a talented team.

G-1: Can you evaluate the current LGD? It seems like xiao8’s position is shifting towards a support role. In your match with them yesterday, what do you think was different about them compared to in Seattle?

iG.Faith: I felt they weren’t as good as they used to be, perhaps because they’re changing roles. In comparison, it’s still LGD of the past that’s a bit stronger, in Seattle every match with them left us feeling drained.

G-1: Talk a bit about your thoughts on the new DK and TongFu rosters, or how do you view 357, Dai, longDD, Veronica (new TongFu member)?

iG.Faith: DK should need less time to learn to play with each other, after all 357 and Dai are veterans and will have a comparatively easier time blending into a new team. As for Veronica and longDD, what they’ll need to do first is find and confirm their role with their new team.

G-1: You guys will soon be participating in the WCG Dota competition, and afterwards there is the SMM Dota competition, so you continue to be busy on two fronts. What are your thoughts on future ACE and G-league competitions then?

iG.Faith: If we compete in Dota1 then we will practice Dota1, if we compete in Dota2 then we will practice in Dota2. I think in the future Dota2 will become the mainstream.

G-1: Apparently iG’s team headquarters has moved to Shanghai, can you reveal the specific reasoning for this? Compared to Beijing, how is the new environment, what is your favorite aspect, or what do you miss from Beijing?

iG.Faith: The main thing is that Shanghai’s internet service is better, so we decided to move to Shanghai. In terms of environment it’s also quite a bit better than Beijing. It’s still got to be the improved internet in Shanghai that satisfies me most though, this way we can practice better, and perform better in online competitions.

G-1: LGD has built an international team. If iG were to really create an iG.int, which international players would you recommend to your manager?

iG.Faith: This is something I’ve never thought about, we players are only responsible for playing Dota well, win championships; other issues are up to the club’s management to handle. Although in Seattle I gained a strong impression of Dendi, he is very lively and funny.

G-1: Apart from this iteration of the G-1 League maintaining its easygoing, fun, style, the actual competition has made big breakthroughs in terms of participants, format, and prize money. Which of these has given you the biggest impression?

iG.Faith: This time G-1 will have an offline portion, so in comparison to the past the matches will be even more intense.

G-1: There was an interesting sidenote from yesterday’s match with LGD, you guys failed to join the room 10 minutes early and as a result lost 20 seconds from your ban/pick timer, what is your opinion on this relatively strict ruling? If you have any other suggestions for the G-1 League, we will strive to improve.

iG.Faith: Don’t really have anything, I feel it’s all pretty good. At the time YYF was watching replays to analyze, and ended up forgetting the time for a while, the resulting punishment I feel isn’t inappropriate.

G-1: Thank you Faith for doing this interview with us, is there anything else you’d like to say to everyone?

iG.Faith: Thank you to the club for the nurturing you’ve given us, thank you to everyone for your support, in the future we will continue to do our best to bring exciting matches for all.

Sgamer interviews 820: “Not going back to EHOME… yet”

Dotaland note: 820 sounds noncommittal, but reveals that there are talks going on between him and EHOME about returning in some capacity… this, his thoughts on TI2 and more, below.

Original: http://dota.sgamer.com/201210/news-detail-153214.html

Sgamer (SG): Thank you to 820 for doing this interview with Sgamer. A while back you said in one of your videos that you might return to EHOME, approximately when was it that you got in touch with EHOME?

820: Someone mentioned it to me in passing, I said I’d consider it, but right now the whole thing is still missing some key elements.

SG: Even the news of EHOME moving headquarters to Shanghai isn’t accurate?

820: Like I said, everything hasn’t come together yet.

SG: Returning to EHOME is still in your consideration?

820: When did I say I was going back to EHOME? It really was just something I thought about…

SG: Not long ago, 357 and Dai both transferred to DK, so what kind of a situation is EHOME in right now?

820: Basically disbanded? Right now LanM is the only person left.

SG: As for whether you will take up the managerial/coach position at EHOME, is this news accurate?

820: We’ll have to see what developments and negotiations occur, there won’t be anything in the short term.

SG: What kind of feelings do you have for EHOME?

820: Of course I really love EHOME, after all they are the team that I went through much trials and tribulations with. All the details within are hard to describe now, so I will just wish EHOME luck!

SG: What do you think were the reasons for EHOME’s weak performance at TI2?

820: Unclear positioning and roles within the team, and individual skill was slightly lacking compared to other teams.

SG: There were once rumors saying that you would make a comeback to play in TI3, have you ever had these thoughts?

820: Where did these rumors come from. Yes, but they were just random thoughts.

SG: Dota2’s professional scene is pretty much all the same old faces, have you found any new players with good potential?

820: It’s hard, unless current players are willing to train and help new players, there is basically no chance for them. Unless a completely new team appears and takes the scene by storm!

SG: EHOME has pretty much fallen apart, how do you view the ACE Alliance versus EHOME situation now?

820: I feel that, the circle of people involved isn’t very large in the first place, so it would be best if we never had any divides such as this, no one has it easy.

SG: Previously you created a Dota2 first person vod, but didn’t get many views. Will you give up on creating content for Dota2 in the future because of this?

820: No, I will continue, but just not as much.

SG: Perhaps a lot of people do not necessarily view Dota2’s future positively, what are your views on this after your experience at TI2?

820: Dota2 is a game with very high production quality. But the only problem is that it’s too hard for new players to get in, and right now there is no open beta, so it’s not reaching the masses. TI2’s impression to me was that this game has really great spectator value.

SG: To end the interview, any last words?

820: Thank you to SGamer for the interview, and I hope SG continues to get better.

A fan’s heartfelt account of meeting a hero: “I randomly met ZSMJ today on the plane”

Dotaland note: According to random rumors on both Chinese forums and Western social media, ZSMJ is set to make a return to the competitive scene in the near future. In light of these rumors, thought I’d translate a fun first-person story from a fan on the day they met ZSMJ …

Original: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/1894131962

My flight from Tianjin back to Changsha was a flight at 5 o’clock on the afternoon of the 30th. As I was seated on the plane awaiting takeoff, I looked up.

“Zhu si ma ji?” (ZSMJ is short for zhu si ma ji*)

“Yeah.”

I became a bit excited.

His seat was towards the back of the plane, I was towards the middle.

When the plane landed, I specifically waited a bit in the tunnel for him. He was wearing a gray t-shirt; he’s not very tall, but he stood very straight.

“Jian god (his given name plus ‘god’ as an affectionate term by fans for top players), are you by yourself?”

“Yeah,” he looked me up and down, and realized that I was the person who had recognized him earlier.

He laughed, like a big kid.

We chatted, and he asked about me, I told him I was a university student in Tianjin. He asked me if I was comfortable with life in Tianjin , and I said when I first got to Tianjin I couldn’t really understand the local dialect, and he laughed and said that, in truth there isn’t much to learn, you just need to hear more of it. I said to him, you are the first legend I’ve met, in person. He said, I appear in many places. Appear, haha :P.

We took the airport shuttle together, headed to the train station. On the shuttle, they were playing Yi Zhoulibo Show (a variety show) on the screens, he looked as if he enjoyed it greatly. He asked me if I wanted to sit inside or outside towards the aisle, I said it’s up to you, so he said he wanted to watch the show, so he’ll sit in the outside seat.

The airport shuttle was headed towards the Minhang Hotel next to the train station, how long it took I have forgotten. As we chatted, I asked him if he’d ever make a comeback, he laughed a bit, and said we’ll go with the flow and see. He has a very noticeable Hunan accent, and the feeling inside of me as I chatted with this idol of mine, as his words displayed an accent very close to my own, was an intriguing yet spirited feeling.

I asked him about his current situation with work and career, he answered that currently he’s in Jiangsu, I asked him what he’s doing so far away, his answer was that young people should go out and explore.

Watching the Yi Zhoulibo Show, I asked, “Jian god, do you like watching this?”

“Yeah, I liked it in the past, but after that I didn’t have much time anymore, so didn’t get to watch it much,” he said, “The stuff they talk about in this show, it’s all real talk, a lot of satire. I appreciate those who are willing to speak the truth and say things that others won’t say. Even though [show host] Zhou Libo has bad press such as beating his wife, but every person has negatives, and no one is all good, and it’s impossible to get everyone to like you.”

Later on, he said, “Truthfully, I don’t want to be a celebrity or a public figure, because it’s very tiring, there are always people watching you, saying bad things about you. I just want to be a normal person, go out and explore, play, see things.”

During the trip, he got a phone call, and I, I just sat to his side and watched him. He is such a normal person, normal to the point of an 8 minute Relic, normal to the point of a Divine Rapier comeback, normal to the point of having so many fans and supporters. And yet, right now he was sat right next to me, a strong countryside accent, talking on the phone.

His face, like many others, has a few traces of acne, the right side of his neck has a long scar on it. Short hair, southerners would call it a ‘ball head’, northerners call it ‘inch hair’. He’s not tall, in the south he’d be medium height, in the north he’d be considered short.

Such a normal person, on the streets no one knows of the legends he has written. Talking with him, it simply feels like I’m talking to an older brother; we can talk about anything, swear, and he’d open his mouth wide and laugh his simple and honest laugh. The feeling is sincere, like he’s really easy to get close to. No distance at all.

We chatted about Changsha, where he lived, where I lived. He said that he actually isn’t very familiar with Changsha in general, just with his own neighborhood, and he doesn’t typically come out much while in Changsha. I said the food in Tianjin is too salty, and it’s still southern food that’s best, fragrant and spicy. He said, you will only know salty food when you’ve been to Jiangsu, you look at a bowl of braised meat and think it must be very good, but once you remember how salty it is, you instantly lose your appetite… but nonetheless he had gotten used to it, anyway.

When the bus arrived at the hotel next to the train station, he got off first, and waited a bit for me. I said let’s get a photo together, and he said alright, let me get a passerby to help us take it.

Earlier on the trip I demanded he give me an autograph on my plane ticket: “Gong Jian, ZSMJ” … this is what I had wanted him to sign for me.

“Gong Jian, ZSMJ, Happy Mid Autumn Festival, 2012.9.30” … this is what he actually signed for me.

After we had gotten our photo together, I said, well, I guess you should go into the station to wait for your next bus home. The meaning being that this is goodbye. He said, yeah, and I shook his hand, and said: “Goodbye, add oil**.”

And then,

And then I watched as he slowly disappeared into the sea of people before me, and for a moment I felt that he truly was as ordinary and unremarkable as he described himself: a gray t-shirt, a pair of sneakers, jeans, a backpack, a crew cut, big round eyes, a mouthful of the countryside in his speech.

_______________________________________________________________________

Right now it’s 2am on October 1, and this has taken me over an hour, and more than 1000 characters. I’ve been endlessly reminiscing and organizing my thoughts and words, wanting to highlight Jian god’s understated, ordinary, yet sincere and easy personality and share it with everyone. I wish everyone a happy Mid Autumn Festival, and a fun National Holiday.

At the last, I wish for Jian god, no matter where you are, whatever field you choose, there will always be many people quietly observing and supporting you.

Gong Jian, add oil**.

*Dotaland note on Zhu si ma ji: 蛛丝马迹, which is a saying in Chinese that roughly means ‘clues’ or ‘hints’ — ZSMJ’s is a play on that and uses 诸司马技,  a reference to his days playing Zhensan, the Chinese Dota-like based on Three Kingdoms lore – thanks to a friendly user in comments

**Dotaland note on “add oil”: In a lot of contexts, when someone says “____ add oil”, it translates more to “GO ___”, such as in sporting events, they will say “Zhongguo jia you” AKA “China add oil”, which is the equivalent of “Go China”… But in an article like this, it isn’t “Go ZSMJ” as much as it is “I hope you continue to excel at whatever you choose to do in the future, ZSMJ, good luck”. So essentially, given a full understanding of the culture and contexts it is used in, “add oil” is a bit of many different well wishes, combining sentiments of “good luck”, “go for it”, “success”, “strength”, etc… which is why I translate it literally. Thanks to reddit user ydnawel for noting that I should clarify this a bit.

 

Sgamer interviews LongDD after his DK to TongFu transition

Dotaland note: Heartfelt responses from LongDD. Some insight into DK as they went from invincible to merely great over the past year and a half. He puts team and friendship first… And some questions on him and his new team, TongFu.

Original: http://dota.sgamer.com/201210/news-detail-151908.html

SG: Thank you to LongDD for doing this exclusive interview with SGamer.com. Let’s talk first about what happened with DK, when did you learn that you had been taken off the team?

LongDD: After Seattle, about half a month into my break time back at home I received notice from the team lead.

SG: After Seattle, there had always been talk that DK would make roster changes, but it always only involved Zippo, were you a bit surprised when you got the notice?

LongDD: Before it happened I had no idea at all that I’d be taken off the team, so after I got the notice I was really sad and disappointed.

SG: At the time were there any thoughts of giving up on professional play?

LongDD: Yes there were, but they were gone in an instant.

SG: Then what is your reasoning for continuing on professionally?

LongDD: It’s hard to put into words a lot of the reasons, but regardless, I will go on playing professionally, unless I one day feel that my ability can no longer keep up.

SG: In the past you were once said to be one of China’s best Dota players, what do you think is your level of ability now in the domestic scene?

LongDD: In Dota2 I feel that I still have a lot of room for growth, and also I feel that I can be pretty satisfied with my performances at TI2, I don’t feel I made any major mistakes; at LAN events the most important things are experience and consistency.

SG: At the end of 2011, DK had been undisputed kings of China for over half a year, yet recently have dropped consecutive championships, is this because problems have cropped up within the team, or is it because of playing different versions of the game?

LongDD: I think it’s because last year’s accomplishments affected the team, there’s a missing sense of urgency and desire.

SG: Even a 1 million dollar prize isn’t enough to ignite your desire?

LongDD: No, this was only previously. More recently, everyone was putting a lot of work in for the 1 million dollars, but there wasn’t enough time. During our time in Beijing, our internet wasn’t ideal for a time, and it was only after we returned to our Yunnan team base that things got better.

SG: We heard that in the ACE Pro League, DK’s poor performances came from the fact that you purposely lost so you could head back to your Yunnan base earlier, is this real?

LongDD: No, we took it very seriously, it was only because our training conditions etc in Beijing were really not ideal, so our form was really poor.

SG: After winning Season 2 of G-league in 2011, you said your goal for the future was to win a competition Grand Slam (win each major tournament) alongside BurNing, do you have any regrets about not being able to do that now?

LongDD: I am pretty sad about that, I hope BurNing can continue his glory with DK, and I will focus on doing my best with TongFu.

SG: What is the deepest memory you have from DK?

LongDD: In my career, DK has been a team that I’ve had an enjoyable time with, in my heart it’s like a big family, and outside of training things are very lively too.

SG: Why isn’t it a memory of winning a certain championship? Because it’s been nearly 2 years since you have won anything.

LongDD: My first reaction was what I responded with, last year winning a lot certainly made me very satisfied, I was very happy. Thank you to my friends at DK, these were the accomplishments of everyone’s hard work. But, [in the end] I care more about those things that I might not have with other teams.

SG: In the end how did you come to choose TongFu?

LongDD: I was already pretty familiar with some of TongFu’s members, and we all get along well.

SG: Now there’s a question, who plays the 3 position?

LongDD: This hasn’t been decided yet, we’ll adjust based on training, it could be me, previously in DK I had filled in in that role before too.

SG: Have you trained together yet? How were the results?

LongDD: Not yet, the team base has just been settled today, training has to wait until tomorrow to begin.

SG: By your current understanding of your new teammates, how long will it be until you produce results?

LongDD: This is something that will depend on the degree of familiarity we achieve, it might be until the next interview with you that I can give you an answer.

SG: Do you think you’ll achieve what you want?

LongDD: I hope for a championship this year, or to make it into the finals of two competitions.

SG: How about you say some things to cap off this interview?

LongDD: Thank you to everyone for your continuous support, I will continue to do my best!