Category Archives: Interviews

RattleSnake LaNm interview: ECL, pre-TI3

Replays.NET: Hello LaNm, thanks for accepting our interview. Say hi to everyone!
RattleSnake.LaNm: Hello everyone, I am LaNm.

RN: Starting off, let’s talk about why your team only arrived at ECL on the third day?
RSnake.LaNm: We have two players who have never been to America, so the day before they had to go for the visa interview. ECL organizers were understanding of this and arranged for all our matches to be pushed back to the third day.

RN: On the third day your team had to play five consecutive matches, did this affect your performance at all?
RSnake.LaNm: Not too greatly, though we still didn’t manage to get the results that we wanted, so the hope was to improve later on in the elimination stages.

RN: So RattleSnake has not entered their best form, so to speak?
RSnake.LaNm: Yeah, we’re still adjusting.

RN: In the first two days, you made some cameos as a commentator during matches, and many viewers noted that your commentary was excellent. What do you think?
RSnake.LaNm: I feel that most professional players will have a great understanding of the bigger picture. Plus, I’m usually talk a lot within the team, so I have practice in this regard.

RN: Would you consider becoming a caster/commentator in the future?
RSnake.LaNm: If the chance is there, then yes, but for now I’m still concentrating on achieving better results in my playing career.

RN: Of course, your Tiny at TI2 left us all a great impression with the comeback win, can you tell us about some of what was going on behind the scenes at the time?
RSnake.LaNm: At the time, only in the few minutes where the comeback was on the verge did I feel the adrenaline rushing. For the rest of that game, I was calm and collected, completely in a competitor’s mindset, I didn’t think of anything else, and didn’t think about what people might say or think after a potential comeback win. Also, because our team at the time had practiced this strategy many times, the whole team had the belief that if we held out long enough, we would be able to win it.

RN: There’s an image online from a foreign website reviewing your team, giving you guys an 8 out of 10 in creativity, but only 1 or 2 in all other aspects, do you think this is an honest appraisal?
RSnake.LaNm: I think that maybe this website is trying to bait pageviews… because even though our team does indeed have relatively strong innnovative abilities, it’s not actually that great, plus, I feel that if a team did have good creativity, then their other aspects couldn’t possibly only be 1 or 2 points out of ten.

RN: The roles within your team aren’t very set, and you yourself sometimes switch between solo mid and the 4 spot, why?
RSnake.LaNm: Mainly it’s due to the fact that our play style isn’t particularly set upon any one style, then it’s that our players’ strengths have their differences. For example, Kabu, his offensive ability might be a 9 out of 10, but his defense might only be a 1 or 2. To put it simply, he doesn’t know how to babysit someone. So heroes like Clockwerk are suited for him, yet a counter-initiating Naga Siren wouldn’t suit him. Thus, sometimes I make cameo appearances on Visage, Enchantress, and Chen, as a bit of a substitute player in those situations.

RN: Talk a bit about your hopes and predictions for TI3?
RSnake.LaNm: TI3 is definitely going to see every team doing their utmost to win, us included. We just want to play to our standards and not leave any regrets.

RN: Lastly, some words for fans?
RSnake.LaNm: Thank you for all your support for us, and if I get the chance in the future, I will make more vods for you all.

Source: http://dota2.replays.net/news/page/20130713/1832506.html

DK.rOtK talks DSL and ECL, and hopes for TI3: “All for TI3 and BurNIng!”

Replays.net: Hello xB, welcome to this interview with Replays.net. DK quite nearly didn’t manage to make it to the ECL matches this time, can you explain to us what happened?
DK.rOtK_xB: Following DSL, the feeling was that we lacked the drive to win championships, and so for a few days we soaked in an atmosphere of disappointment and demotivation. After that, the club’s boss called out to us to gather back at our Yunnan base, where we held a team meeting in which we all reiterated our collective desires to win. We all felt that with so little time before TI3, we should do this for ourselves, and go out there and try our best once again. So with that understanding, in the end we managed to set aside all other obligations in order to participate in ECL.

RN: In the DSL you guys lost, where do you think you lost?
rOtK_xB: Our in-game performances and pre-match preparations were both inadequate, and our mentality wasn’t in the right place either. In the offline environment, execution and performance is very key.

RN: Did this have anything to do with the fact that just the day before, your team had defeated TongFu?
rOtK_xB: Yeah, we had a bit of overconfidence.

RN: Then what will be your team’s goal in participating in this ECL?
rOtK_xB: We lost in the DSL, taking second place. In reality, this result is one that we can accept, because after all, the second place result is one that we fought for. We all care about the process, so in our meeting we had agreed that this time at ECL our goal is just to fight it out and do our best, whatever we can achieve as long as we do that, as long as it’s in the top 8, is something we can take.

RN: So your DSL result was certainly not poor, second place. Then why did you say earlier that after this loss, you were all seriously demotivated?
rOtK_xB: Because, the team didn’t feel united. Everyone focused too much on the result itself, and forgot to actually have the heart to fight for it.

RN: Many people are saying that ECL, being an offline event, is your place to shine. Yet today we didn’t hear you do any trash talking, why not?
rOtK_xB: I feel that something like trash talking should be done in moderation. The inherent nature of it is to simultaneously raise your own team’s spirits while lowering the other team’s, so keeping it at a reasonable level is enough. It’s been around all along, yet because I was one of the early adopters of this, I got the reputation for being a very aggressive trash talker. Really, over all these years, whenever I do partake, I always keep it to a certain level without going too far. For example if they’ve already called GG, and you’re still shouting and yelling… this is not something that I will ever do.

RN: Well, then will we see your trash talking abilities later on here?
rOtK_xB: It’ll be contingent upon the atmosphere at that moment. Typically the best times for it are when a game is really close and tight. If one side is really far ahead or behind, there’s not much power behind it, it’s only when the game is back and forth, intense, that its effects are truly seen.

RN: Over the first two days of competition, many viewers and spectators are saying that it is just this kind of offline environment, with no soundproofing between the two teams, that provides for the best trash talking.
rOtK_xB: I also feel this way. Being able to shout at each other, face to face, that’s what really gets the blood flowing. If you look at other competitive sports, none of them will have any soundproofing; if you’re playing basketball, you aren’t going to have covers over the players’ mouths so they can’t speak. In the end, games aren’t won on the back of shouting at each other.

RN: With TI3 approaching, what goals and thoughts do you have for it?
rOtK_xB: TI3 is the true challenge for us. It will be time for us to truly show everything we have, and the goal is top 3.

RN: We all know that B-god will be retiring after TI3, how do you and your teammates view this?
rOtK_xB: Our DSL-related meeting also touched upon this issue. We all understand his decision, because BurNIng is not only respected and admired by all of us, but also the entire scene and other players. So we all agreed, that with TI3 very possibly being B-god’s last tournament, we must strive to leave no regrets for him, for this unmatched teammate.

RN: 820 in a recent interview mentioned that he thought your team’s playing style is relatively stale and predictable, what thoughts do you guys have on strategies for your team?
rOtK_xB: Before, we had always played 4 protect 1. After doing that for a while, we realized that as long as BurNIng’s farm is impeded significantly and he doesn’t get fat, then we would have no way into the game. So back and forth, we always came back to leaning on the 4 protect 1 heavily, the goal being to make sure that he does get the farm he needs. In reality, 4 protect 1 doesn’t really suit the current versions of the game, so we’ve made complete changes to everything. Because B-god himself might’ve been unfamiliar with having less farm to work with in early game, so the new strategies for our team encountered some early challenges and growing pains. Now, though, BurNIng has said, he can play anything in any style, and if he is needed to go up against heavy pressure, then he will carry the pressure, and thus our team has opened up many new styles, and we’re now able to play almost any style, and willing to play any style.

RN: So this ECL, your team is partaking purely for the purposes of getting more practice?
rOtK_xB: Yes indeed. For TI3, this time we’re here to thoroughly transition our style.

RN: Then how many different strategies have you guys prepared?
rOtK_xB: We’ve prepared many different ones. As long as we’ve thought of it, then we dare to use it. Right now we’re very liberal in this, we aren’t like before where we were very conservative in our style. In the past, perhaps we’d think of a strategy or a draft but not go with it because we weren’t completely comfortable or familiar with it, but this time we’re willing to use whatever we come up with!

RN: We wish you good luck, and you have the last word for anything you might want to say to fans.rOtK_xB: After all this time, especially in recent times, I really want to thank all of DK’s fans for their support. Just as one fan said to me: supporting DK is a kind of belief. I really really really thank you and appreciate you all for your support. And of course, also thanks to our sponsors Tt eSports for their long-standing sponsorship. Thank you all.

Source: http://dota2.replays.net/news/page/20130712/1832081.html

Follow Dotaland on Twitter for updates, random bits, and stuff like that: https://twitter.com/Dotaland

TongFu team interview after their DSL win

Congrats to TongFu for taking champions in this season of the Dota 2 Super League. First off, we’d like to ask the three of you with tears streaming down your faces, what brought those tears about?
Sydm: For me, to see them win made me very happy. To watch them grow step by step, and finally win this title, the feeling is that for me, to give so much to this game and finally see some results in helping them become champions here, it’s a very joyous thing. We all love each other, and the win is a collective achievement.
Mu: Tears of joy; this has been my very first champion in a large event, and I hope that this is a new beginning for me. I will work even harder down the line.
Hao: I’m the same as Mu, really, hadn’t achieved a title at a large event in a very long while. To play together for such a long period of time and finally win a title, the tears falling are tears of happiness.

KingJ, you had a chat with Nekomata before the match, what was that about?
KingJ: His mom had said that it would be DK and TongFu in the finals here, with TongFu to take the title. At the time, I had hopes for this as well, but didn’t think that it would really come true like it has.

Before the match, there was an EHOME reunion. As an old EHOME veteran, did this awaken your desire to become champion today?
KingJ: It was a very emotional moment, but to be able to win against old teammates, current opponents… I’m still happy about it.

How do you all rate your coach, sydm?
KingJ: Coach has helped us improve on our focus and analysis, the effects have been great.
Banana: We wouldn’t have this title without our coach!
Mu: He is a legit coach.
Hao: He fully deserves to be recognized as a great coach!
Sansheng: Coach has helped us focus better, and become more disciplined, thus allowing ourselves to overcome our own challenges.

In the match-deciding Game 3, you guys picked Naga Siren and Razor. This was something we had seen from Zenith before, were you guys borrowing the strategy from them?
Hao: I think a lot of people had tried this before in practice, and we will make sure to prepare more strategies for TI3.

Banana has just had his 26th birthday, how will you guys celebrate tonight?
Banana: We’ll go celebrate by having a fun team dinner.

What do you think of Hao’s recent performances?
Banana: He’s becoming more and more steady and reliable all while maintaining his fierce and aggressive style, and he should be considered a top tier carry now.

Use your home dialect and say something to your fans?
Banana: Thank you for all your support (in the Henan dialect)

Your team had just lost previously to DK in the Alienware Cup, what adjustments did you make for this?
Mu: We lost yesterday, then we spent a lot of time discussing together. We felt that the loss had something to do with our own performances and form, our drafting, as well as our execution. But we also felt that the DSL match would be much more important, and so after our discussions, our drafting for the DSL finals was improved, but of course most importantly, we played much better.

How would you rate your opponents in the DSL finals, DK?
Mu: I think DK failed to perform to their own standards today, and their picks entirely fell into the traps we had set.

Can you talk a bit about the key points in each of the three games played, or share with us when you felt you had each game won?
Hao: The first game was determined from the drafting and lane setups that they would be at a disadvantage, and indeed they basically lost in laning phase, and we had a clean win. The second game with me on Anti-Mage, I got two kills and was very fat, while my teammates held the ship steady to give me more room to farm, but the win was probably secured later on when I had fully built out my items on Anti-Mage. In the third game, they attempted to counter us by changing their laning up, but it didn’t end up affecting us at all. Our supports rotated, and we ended up getting an advantage later in laning. The drafts meant that we had stronger teamfights, and when we took Roshan, that’s when we could had the title in sight.

For Coach Sydm, you had not been highly rated as a player, yet you’ve seen great success and recognition now as a coach. What was the transition like? And how exactly are you going about helping your team and players?
Sydm: I hadn’t ever considered becoming a coach before this, and it was a bit of a coincidence or fate that brought me to TongFu. It was decided after I chatted with Hao, and I felt that becoming a coach meant I wouldn’t have to waste all the time I’d put in before. I wanted to dedicate myself to helping them, and I made them improve on their living habits, so they could focus completely on training and competing. And as an observer, I’m able to see many things that they might not be able to see clearly in-game, as well as be there to smooth over any potential conflicts. After all this hard work, seeing them able to win this title, I feel it’s all been very worthwhile.

Banana, as an older player, what have you done to ensure that you continue to play at a high level, even improving over your previous self?
Banana: Because I want to win titles!

What hopes do you have for your TI3 adventure?
Sansheng: The DSL title is just a beginning for us, and as long as we don’t get overconfident with ourselves, I feel that we can achieve even greater things at TI3.

Predictions for TI3 results?
Sansheng: Before this, we wanted to strive for a top 3 finish. After this, I think we’ll want to make sure we get top 3, and strive for top 2. We won’t talk about being champions at TI3 because we don’t want to put that kind of pressure on ourselves.

Can you all share you takeaways from this DSL win?
KingJ: To be able go the whole distance is a reward in itself.
Banana: We were able to do well in terms of teamwork and execution.
Mu: The biggest takeaway is to be able to win the title.
Hao: What Banana said, an achievement in teamwork with new teammates.
Sansheng: The biggest reward is that we proved ourselves, and increased our own confidence.

Say something to fans to cap off this interview.
TongFu: Thank you to all for your support, and thank you to our sponsor TongFu Porridge for their unrelenting sponsorship.

 

DSL interview with TongFu.Hao: We will look to counter DK’s style

SGamer did an interview with TongFu’s Hao, focusing on their upcoming Dota 2 Super League Finals showdown with DK…

SGamer: Thank you for doing this interview with us. You’re just about to partake in the DSL Finals now, what is your team’s form like recently?
TongFu.Hao: Our current form is pretty good, because in practice in the past few days we’ve been performing quite ideally. There’s still time before the Finals though, so what actually happens on the day is still uncertain.

SG: Have your practices been the same as usual, or have you undergone specific routines to prepare?
Hao: Our recent practices have mostly been the same as usual, we’ve been focusing on training up on a wider variety of heroes and styles, so we can have them as options to use in the match.

SG: Have you found any particular style to counter DK’s renowned ‘turtle’ strategy?
Hao: Eh, we’ve done some analysis into styles that may be able to counter, but we’ll have to wait until the actual match to see if they actually work out.

SG: How do you feel about your team’s chances at taking the title here?
Hao: This is hard to say, because after all, DK is an old-school powerhouse team. We can only find out after we’ve played and fought, but if you insist on having me make a guess, then I say it’s 50/50!

SG: Many fans have taken a liking to you due to one of your nicknames being ‘Chopper Hao’; now, if you don’t win the title here, then will you follow through on the whole “if I don’t win then I chop my hand off” thing?
Hao: Uhm… actually, that’s hard to say. Actually, it was a misunderstanding at the time that I said that.

SG: Then let us settle this misunderstanding once and for all by taking a look back at what truly happened then.
Hao: It was like this: at the time, I hadn’t gone professional yet, I was still just another amateur player. I was with friends on a team playing at an offline event in Guangzhou, it was a school league. But at the time, we weren’t actually students, so we got reported to the authorities. The person who reported us also happened to be someone whom we had played against earlier, and we ended up flaming each other on the forums. What I said at the time was that, as long as it was an offline event in Guangzhou, if I failed to win then I’d chop my hand off, yet it ended up being interpreted to apply to all kinds of competitions outside of that, so it really was a bunch of misunderstandings.

SG: If you do win the DSL title, are there any wishes you have in you that you’d be able to fulfill afterwards?Hao: Winning the title itself is my wish, plus, my goals are to win more than just the DSL.

SG: What other goals are there?
Hao: Of course to win more titles and championships, haha.

SG: Nowadays, more and more teams are constructing coaching teams. Your team has sydm (战神7） as coach, how have the results been? Do you feel that having a coach is becoming increasingly important?
Hao: I am absolutely convinced by sydm’s attitude towards his work. Why I say this, because he is very professional and treats his work with the utmost respect. Drafting, every team’s style, he takes notes of everything in a notebook. When we lose, he is always there to remind us, to keep our heads up, that we still have chances, and helps us adjust our mentality and help us analyze why we lost. When we win, he’s always there to remind us, to not get arrogant, to not get loose, to work on staying in winning form. I really do feel that having a coach is pretty important.

SG: You’ve been playing professionally for three or four years now, and been in scores of events, small and large. What do you think about DSL?
Hao: DSL is currently the highest prizepool event in Chinese competitions. Due to official support from Perfect World, it has the broadest reach, and does very well at packaging and presenting the players. Gamefy’s work at producing the event itself has also been very professional. Of course, for me my favorite part is the commentators they have, haha.

SG: Do you like the Chinese voice work for the localized edition?
Hao: The voice work is very decently done. Some will sound very sincere and full of emotion, while others are hilarious. Additionally, the Chinese client has been done to be very user friendly, so I believe that as the Chinese beta grows, many people will come to love it.

SG: Currently, it would seem that most professional teams in Dota 2 consist largely of veteran players who have been around for a while. Newcomers seem to lack opportunities to prove themselves, why do you think that is? Speaking for yourself, do you tend to dislike carrying new players?
Hao: I feel that one cause for this problem is that Dota 2, unlike LoL, is not as easy to get into. Most people at the top are there on the basis of many years of practice and experience. I do indeed dislike having to play with newcomers, I basically don’t do it. The reason I dislike it is simple: I don’t want to waste my time, and it affects my mood.

SG: Older players eventually naturally end up in the end of their careers and choose to retire, so will these things add up and cause overall Chinese Dota 2 competitiveness and ability to decline?
Hao: I feel that right now there hasn’t been much of any decline, but it’s not an easy thing to determine.

SG: Do you think that the current TongFu is the strongest TongFu there’s ever been?
Hao: I don’t think so. Reasons are two-fold: first, we have yet to win anything, so there’s nothing for us to boast about. Second, I feel that our previous roster was rpetty good too, it just lacked a bit of teamwork and trust. After this Final, you will see whether the current TongFu happens to be the one that looks the most like champions, haha.

SG: Okay, then go ahead and say something to cap off this interview!
Hao: There’s a lot I’d like to say, but I haven’t earned the right to say it for now. After we’ve won something, I will say it on stage during the awarding! Lastly, thanks to our sponsors TongFu Porridge!

Source: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201307/151354.html

VG’s fy leaves, xtt quits: Interview with Xtt himself regarding the split

After news of VG’s roster undergoing some changes — some sanctioned and some not so sanctioned by the club, UUU9.com got an interview with one of the players at the center of this upheaval…

Original interview: http://dota2.uuu9.com/201306/445667.shtml

UUU9.com: Just now, via weibo, we’ve learned that you and teammate Fy have ‘been kicked’. What reasoning was behind the club’s decision in you leaving? Or was it you guys making the choice for yourselves?
XTT: The club never told me to leave, but I had heard certain things, not much else is clear.

U9: Then that means that, without an official announcement regarding the departure, perhaps it has all been a misunderstanding?
XTT: Actually, even without this particular episode, I still wouldn’t want to continue on, because the club has already tried on three separate occasions to replace me.

U9: On your Weibo, you have mentioned that there’s a replacement for you lined up already, can you reveal who it is?
XTT: I’m sorry, this is inconvenient for me to reveal.

U9: When did the three occasions of trying to replace you come? Were these attempts direct responses to certain matches?
XTT: It was when I first joined, then when ZSMJ joined, and now this time.

U9: Your progress so far has been very clear to see, and many fans believe that right now you are one of the best performers out of VG’s players, so why would this all end up happening? Is it because of communication issues? Or because of other internal problems?
XTT: Mainly it’s because my style conflicts with the leadership in the team.

U9: Can you talk a bit about this conflict in style?
XTT: My playstyle tends towards being more conservative, I like to play with a plan.

U9: Your play with VG has been excellent; do you have any plans for the future, will you continue playing professionally?
XTT: I’m mostly happy with my performances. I will continue playing, I wish to achieve some results.

U9: Let’s chat about some other things — previously we recall that you were sick for a long period of time and had to be hospitalized, how is your health now?
XTT: The recovery’s gone pretty well, the sad thing being that a lot of time was lost in the process.

U9: Indeed, we remember that during that time, you were playing with us from the hospital bed. Does your family support your current choice of career?
XTT: My family really supports me, they watch every match of mine.

U9: Also in that period of time, you played a bit of LoL. What brought you back to Dota?
XTT: After I got better, I could no longer play LoL as comfortably, the 11 platform had just released, and so I went back to play Dota.

U9: At the end here, any words for your fans?
XTT: Thank you to the friends who have supported me all this way, I will not give up.

Chinese comment on the interview: “You only play LoL when you’re sick”

http://dota2.uuu9.com/201306/445667.shtml

Royal Club forms new Dota 2 squad; interview with Royal support player 5400

Chinese organization Royal Club is back on the Dota scene with an all-new Dota 2 squad!

Jiezoumowang 节奏魔王 (Dota ladder player, carry)
SN (former solo player for LW, hard working, has experience playing in G-League, solo mid)
Xiaosi 小思 (former 3 position player for LEO, 3 position)
Yimi 一米 (Dota 2 pubstar status, famous semi-pro player, 4 position)
5400 (drafter, 5 position)

Their first appearance was in the ECL against TongFu on June 3. How will this all-new team fare in upcoming months?

Interview with Royal.5400: http://dota2.17173.com/news/06062013/151939941.shtml

17173: 5400, hello! I think this should be your first official interview~ Can you start off by introducing your teammates to us?
5400: Our players are as follows: Jiezoumowang (Ren Yangwei) as carry, SN (Shi Heng) as the 2, xiaosi (Dong Huanxiao) as the 3, yimi (Long Zhan) as the 4, and myself, 5400 (Yang Huaining) in the 5.

17173: Alright~ How long have you guys been training together? Where is your team based?
5400: About two months. Our team is based in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area, in a place that no one knows of. XD

17173: We’ve heard that your team base is some 2000 square meters in size? How many club staff and players call the base home?
5400: Indeed, the base is very large. We’ve even got a gym! Currently there are three other game squads along with our Dota 2 squad based here. In addition to management, plus our cook, we have around 30 people in total based in the house.

17173: Wow! It sounds like your club is going big? Yet your manager told me that the team house only has two bathrooms, so is there a long line for the bathrooms every morning?
5400: Nah! Even though two bathrooms is a bit lacking, our timings for getting up in the morning aren’t all the same. In the early morning there actually aren’t any people using the bathrooms, everyone’s still sleeping~ But we do have people who can shower for over an hour, that’s a bit tough to deal with!!

17173: Your team’s average age might not even be 18 years of age, obviously you’re a very young team. From your own point of view, compared to the currently established powerhouse teams right now, what are your team’s strengths and weaknesses?
5400: Our strength you’ve already mentioned: we’re young! When all those oldtimers have retired, then the world is ours… wahahaha. As for weaknesses, it is a lack of experience and a need for more teamwork, because after all we’ve only been together a short period of time, and need work in that respect.

17173: You guys have a showmatch scheduled with RisingStars. Tell us a bit about your impressions of RisingStars!
5400: Lately we’ve scrimmed with them a bit. They give me an impression that they’ve reached significant heights in terms of individual and team execution, and they’re constantly improving as well. Even though they didn’t manage to get to TI3, they’re still continuously growing and learning in the DSL, and their attitudes are gradully maturing as well! Where they are now is the direction we want to work towards.

17173: On an upcoming show aimed at giving non-professional newcomers a stage to shine, we’ve heard that you’ll have friends participating!
5400: I heard too! I wish them good luck; there will be many strong participants there. Perhaps in the future, we’ll even see high quality players and even teams emerge from this show.

17173： Thank you to 5400 for the answers, and we hope that Royal Club continues to grow improve, along with all their players!
5400: Thanks! Thank you to our supporters!

 

SGamer interview with LongDD: I will grow old, but I will not leave

Oops, had this one backlogged. This is from May 15, a few days ago.

Original: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201305/150418_4.html

SGamer: Thank you to LongDD for doing this interview with SGamer.com. Earlier in the afternoon, you had told me that you were at the airport; where are you now?
LongDD: I’ve now arrived at the LGD team house.

SGamer: When you first left LGD a few days back, was there any anger?
LongDD: There wasn’t much anger, but there was a reluctatnce — I didn’t want to leave the pro scene, I didn’t want to give up on Seattle.

SGamer: Was it that once you left the team, LGD would have to play in the TI3 qualifiers? Additionally, something many people are curious about — when LGD first announced you as an official member, was there any contract signed?
LongDD: Indeed, because of my leaving the team, they would have to play in the qualifiers. My return this time is to accompany them along the way, to contribute that which I am able to. Everything was very rushed before so there was never any contract.

SGamer: LGD had mentioned in their earlier announcement that they had made efforts to keep you around by offering you other positions with the team, but you had declined. Why did you decline at first, and then return?
LongDD: Because I’d been playing professionally five years now, and had grown tired of floating around. After being out and about so many years, I wanted to go home. My role this time as a coach will still be a short one, just for a few days.

SGamer: Who contacted you to invite you back as coach? Does this all mean that you will still be leaving LGD after TI3?
LongDD: Xiao8 contacted me, and I agreed. There wasn’t much of a reason behind it, and if I had to say, it would be the fact that we’re all friends. After helping them make preparations for the TI3 qualifiers I’ll be leaving, so about 6 or 7 days…

SGamer: Why not choose to stick around with LGD, at least until after TI3?
LongDD: I will not stay, because I feel weary in the heart.

SGamer: Every in LGD is a veteran of the scene, so what will you mainly be responsible for?
LongDD: I’ve just arrived back so I’m still not sure exactly what. I think it’ll be things like summarizing results and strategies, making suggestions for improvements on things I see in 3v3 scrims, bans and picks, etc.

SGamer: How do you rate LGD’s current form? In terms of individual players do you think LGD can go toe-to-toe with iG?
LongDD: I’ve always felt that LGD has exceptional players in their team. Their loss in the DSL to VG, I feel, is only down to a lack of preparation.

SGamer: What do you think is the most important element of a typical competitive game now? Bans/pick stage?
LongDD: Nowadays in professional matches, the bans/picks determines something like 60-70% of the outcome. The rest of it is down to lane setups and how each lane fares, as well as performance and team execution. The reason I say this is because player skill is very similar between top teams now.

SGamer: Compared to the old mode of three bans in the first ban phase, what does the change to two bans bring?
LongDD: It means that strategies are more varied. Bans/picks become more difficult to get right, and thus require more out of each team in order to achieve success. It requires teams to know how to play more different styles. So competitive games nowadays possess a higher degree of tactical thought.

SGamer: What do you feel LGD’s greatest weakness right now?
LongDD: Mainly it is that they lack a wider array of styles. They must understand this, and practice some more combinations, and work on their mentality.

SGamer: Mentality? Are you saying their mentality right now isn’t in a good place?
LongDD: I personally feel that they need to try more different things; they can’t only always run the same exact things. The new styles coming from many different teams are things that cannot simply be ignored.

SGamer: After leaving LGD, you began making vods and streams. Has this been enjoyable for you, or have you still been thinking about……
LongDD: Playing pro? The professional lifestyle is a brutally competitive one. Without the chance of a good team, I don’t want to strive for it any longer. Streaming is quite fun, I had been spending 16, 17 hours a day doing it — putting my life into it, haha.

SGamer: Will you continue streaming after helping LGD with the TI3 qualifiers?
LongDD: Yes.

SGamer: Under your tutelage, how do you think LGD will do at G-1?
LongDD: I think they should be champions.

SGamer: What is training like for LGD right now? Are they mainly scrimming with the Int squad or with other teams?
LongDD: Yeah, the typical day is scrimming with various teams. During my time here I will help arrange some laning and bans/picks practices.

SGamer: Which teams do you scrim more with?LongDD: All about the same, we contact all of them.

SGamer: Do you feel that LGD is able to challenge iG’s position at the top?
LongDD: I feel that there is a possibility, and the possibility is a big one.

SGamer: Lastly, why don’t you bring this interview to an end?
LongDD: Thank you to those friends who have supported me all along. I will eventually grow old, but I will not leave.

Interview with Perfect World CEO Robert Hong Xiao on the eve of Chinese beta

Dotaland note: Some business talk in here, a few sorta strange responses, lots of interesting stuff too.

Q: Dr Xiao hello. The Dota 2 Chinese beta will come online on the 28th of April. At the same time, there have been increasing amounts of Dota-like games on the domestic market — in the face of so many competitors, what do you think Dota 2 will need to see success here?

Robert Hong Xiao (RHX): Our focus isn’t necessarily placed upon competing with others; instead, it’s more geared towards pushing out an excellent game and customer service product out for customers. From DotA to today’s Dota 2, the game itself has always been superb. Whenever anyone plays a similar game, they enter a gaming ‘mode’ defined by Dota, so all other similar games can only be described as Dota-like games. In Dota 2 we’re seeing a wide array of improvements in details, mechanics, and graphics, and during our global search for additional products to add to our portfolio, we felt that Dota 2 was truly a top tier product, which is why we steadfastly chose to work on Dota 2. It isn’t only a game, I believe that it represents a kind of culture, a set of values. Even though I’m personally not a gamer, I still believe that I have the responsibility of ensuring that we present the most positive, caring, interesting, and professional product possible to gamers, because it is a product that has the unstoppable ability to influence yet more people.

So what we need to do is very simple, we need to continue to improve the product, do our best in terms of service, these are our jobs. As for who we’re competing with, it’s not really something we are really concerned about, and whether it will defeat any competitors, it’s not something we really care about. In the process of getting the Chinese servers online, our team at Perfect World has put a lot of work in.

Q: A common piece of feedback from players is that quite a few of the characters in Dota 2, along with their style, are hard to swallow. Will Dota 2 see some changes to better fit the Chinese pallette?

RHX: There is indeed work being done on related items, but right now it’s very difficult to say exactly where that process is. This is also something that requires a lot of communication with Valve. The most important thing is, Dota 2 should be an avenue to promote Chinese elements to the world. The work itself is two-fold: first of all there must be constant communication with Valve to ensure the game operates smoothly, secondly it is to explore ways in which Chinese elements can be implanted within the game. Of course, these are all things that will be worked on.

Q: In the process of bringing the Chinese servers online, have you had any insights or lessons that you’d like to share?

RHX: Firstly, the team has been really hard at work. Due to time differences, our team often works late at night in order to collaborate with the American side, and then still work their normal hours when the American side is asleep. Additionally, the American side also has needed to extend their work hours to work with us, so both sides have put in a lot of hard work, they truly love this product.

In their collaboration, they’ve taken the approach of learning first. Under circumstances where we have language difficulties, to be able to gain such deep understandings in our work together, it has been a very unique experience. Valve have also learned a lot regarding the Chinese market.

Q: In the past few years, esports has boomed in its growth. For Dota, a very competitive game, has their been similar growth?

RHX: I’ve said before during open meetings at Perfect World, something like baseball (in China) was also once maligned and shunned by parents, to only gradually gain acceptance, and esports is very similar. They both allow people to express teamwork and individual potential. If a group of people push esports along a positive path, then over a few generations of effort, it is completely possible to develop esports into something that is recognized and accepted in the mainstream as an industry and market. Perfect World absolutely wants to pursue this goal. The hope is that perhaps one day, when your kid asks you if he or she can go play Dota 2 professionally, you can unwaveringly give him or her your support.

Q: Nowadays there are a lot of players on various school campuses, has Perfect World considered doing events or competitions on school campuses?

RHX: Right now we’re not yet able to talk about details, but our partnership with AMD and Gamefy is the beginning of just this type of thing. We will do widespread promotion, the goal being to push the game out to all sorts of potential enthusiasts. Not only university students, because Dota 2 has unlimited potential. To allow gamers a few tries with the game and get them to fall in love with it, that is our ultimate target. We will do a lot of events in order to support this.

Source: http://dota2.uuu9.com/201304/441575.shtml