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Torbull Reacquires 3D from CGS

Or so I've heard.The topic in 3D's IRC channel claims that, anyway. I'm going to assume the news is true because we all know that IRC topics cannot be faked by any technology known to man and nobody has ever...

CGS Pro-AM Round 3 Results

Upper Bracket CGS Pro-AM R3 Upper F OT 2H 1H (1) Dallas Venom 8 - 0 8 (9) Los Angeles Complexity 10 - 9 1 Map: de_tuscan Preview Dallas Venom: Mustang, sunman, Dominator, zid, brawwr LA Complexity: Storm, fRoD, Warden,...

CGS Pro-AM Round 2 Upper Bracket Results

CGS Pro-AM R2 Upper F OT 2H 1H (1) Dallas Venom 10 - 4 6 (17) Chicago Chimera 3 - 0 3 Map: de_dust2Preview Dallas Venom: Mustang, sunman, zid, brawwr, Dominator Chicago Chimera: Stevenson, lari, hahN, shaffeR, da bears...

CGS Pro-AM Predictions on CarolinaCore.com !

The CGS Pro-AM Source playoffs kick off tonight with $16,500 in prize money up for grabs. Head on over to CarolinaCore.com to read my Pro-AM playoff preview article!...

CEVO-P Preview: Carolina Core

Roster: - Sam "devour" Chamma - Mark "masternook" Torrez - Chadd "daffsta" White - Sonny "s0nNy" Tran - Cyrus "org" Habibi Predicted Finish: sapphiRe's prediction: 7/16 Mike's prediction: 5/16 Composite prediction: 5th place, 10-5 How They Got Here Carolina Core...

Everybody Panic!!! -- CGS Loses Three Brazilians

If you haven't heard the news, three players from the CGS franchise Rio Sinistro decided to leave the global gaming league and, in exchange for an especially tasty steak, betray their former comrades by reintegrating themselves back into the Matrix....

The Tale of Torrez

I'm back with more content for the CGS team sites. This time, it's a look at Mark "Masternook" Torrez's career, from the very beginning and through all the highs and lows. Enjoy!...

Year in Review, Part II

The second half of the Year in Review articles I did for the Dallas Venom is posted. Hopefully people find it as funny as the first one. Enjoy!...

Authenticity

A couple weeks ago, the GGL Wire’s Michal “Carmac” Blicharz wrote about his disappointment in the CGS World Finals, comparing it (unfavorably) to Pamela Anderson's, uh ... assets. I had the unfortunate luck of finding the article through the GotFrag...

CGS World Finals: Unsung Heroes

Originally, I wanted to make this list ten spots, just like the previous entry about Surprising Performances. I soon realized there was a big problem: not many people qualified for both “unsung” and “hero”. Unless you expand “unsung” to literally...

CGS World Finals: Surprising Performances

It is with great shame that I admit you're seeing the second iteration of this post. The first is sitting, nearly completed, on my computer. In my infinite wisdom, I decided not to transfer that file to my laptop, which...

CGS World Finals Running Diary

I took notes during every match for the CGS World Finals, and I never thought of doing a running diary. It was a serious oversight on my part, especially considering it’s one of my favorite things to do. Thankfully, I...

The 1.6 Martyr

The CGS World Finals were a complete rush, and the whole experience was incredible. I’m going to be writing about it in the coming days, but something leaped ahead in the queue. If I don’t write about this now,...

You Are Morally Obligated to Spread This

Take it to e-mail. Take it to the forums. Write to your congressmen. It's the grt dance from opening night. You simply have to watch it. I don't insist on much. If you don't follow some of my links, I'm...

Raining Boos

There's been a running theme for the World Finals, and it gets me chuckling every time. Whenever the Carolina Core are announced, and in particular Peekay, half the crowd boos. This is the same crowd that has to be prompted...

WoW Ain't Gonna Make It

I don't consider myself a good barometer of a game's value for the CGS. I'm far too biased, and for most games, I'm not the target demographic. We need to branch away from the competitive community, into the general public....

Idea Update

I brought up some thoughts on the Counter-Strike broadcasts earlier, and it's time for two quick additions. The Core's match featured some Picture-in-Picture (PiP) shots, and they used first person and third person views in the two windows. It didn't...

Selling Out

Sometimes I’m a little slow in the head, so bear with me while I make sure I have this story straight. People in competitive gaming have been working for years to build the industry with the hope that players...

A Bunch of Terrible Ideas

I’m a depressed Counter-Strike fan. Heading into the CGS World Finals, I was upbeat, or even happy-go-lucky (can somebody be depressed-go-unlucky?). The moment we’ve all been waiting for had finally arrived. Well, everybody that isn’t a 1.6 fan has...

Impending Doom

My gaming experience is very limited. The only game I’ve played competitively is Counter-Strike (1.6 and Source). I haven’t owned a console since Super Nintendo. And my one regret from childhood was never playing spin-the-bottle. (Strike that last one....

Some Stories from Day 1

You can't possibly have hundreds of fans, gamers, suits, and nerds in the same building without some humor involved. With that in mind, here are some stories and happenings I found amusing. The Seven Dollar Diet Pepsi The CGS Press...

More on Source

Rio just never had it going in CS:S. I don't know if their teamwork was hurting because "bit", a longtime member of Made in Brazil, couldn't compete in the CGS, but they looked overmatched from the start. As for the...

Rio Sinistro, Source

We're at halftime of the Source match, and I have two realizations to pass along. The first is that Source really is a slow game compared to the others. It doesn't stick out like a sore thumb, it sticks out...

CGS Online: Viva la 1.6!

The most shocking news (to this rumor-ignorant blogger, anyway), was the announcement of a CGS Online project, which would feature web-based content, and, far more importantly, games that aren’t tailor-made for television, or are particularly popular in one region....

Answering Your Concerns

Note: I originally wrote this under the impression that it was Eric Shanks attending the press conference, but it was actually Steven Roberts, the director of New Media and Business Development for DirecTV. This has no practical change to the...

And Now, the Moment You've Been Waiting For...

After what seems like a decade of waiting, the CGS Finals are here. I'm not sure that's even an overstatement. Some people in the community probably have been waiting ten years for a league like this to come along. Just...

Long Term Planning

Long-Term Planning I came across this quote in an article by the ESPN ombudsman, talking about a new program called E:60 that debuted a month earlier. “So how committed is ESPN to giving E:60 a long run? "I can guarantee...

CGS Finals Info: Quick Reaction

If you missed the news, the CGS released the information for their World Finals. Most of the news fell into two categories: expected, and pleasantly surprising. I only had one small gripe. The best thing has to be the...

CGS Finals Information

The CGS released more information for the World Finals, taking place from December 6th to December 14th in Culver City, California. For everybody interested, here’s the raw information. Schedule December 6th: - Press Conference (woo-hoo?) - Rio Sinistro vs. Birmingham...

Playing With the Boys

I’m a huge fan of Spider Solitaire. It’s one of those lame (but fun!) games that come with Windows, along with FreeCell, regular Solitaire, and the undisputed king of quick, mindless games: Minesweeper. Even though the game is based heavily...

Mo' Money, Mo' Problems

I saw an article on GotFrag a week ago that I was excited to read. That’s noteworthy, because most of the time their coverage is excellent, but their commentary is lacking. This, however, was definitely commentary: it was a...

Change

Everything creative changes. Hopefully, they’re evolutions; a step towards making a product (league, etc) better. Sometimes they’re not, and the Law of Unintended Consequences makes sure the process isn’t flawless. But for anybody that’s writing off the CGS as a...

Buy a SourceTV Ticket

The CPL didn’t have SourceTV. The XFX regional qualifiers didn’t have SourceTV. DigitalLife didn’t have SourceTV. I hope you’ve noticed the trend, because I’m out of examples. On the other hand, three examples are enough: too many fans didn’t get...

Daily Spray (9/25)

– Listening to your fans is a good idea, but I think there’s a point where you have to make decisions in the best interest of the game, even if they’re not popular. CEVO announced Season 7 of their Counter-Strike...

Interview with Carolina's Mark Dolven

I have a lot of respect for all different kinds of people. I respect Stephen King because my brain looks a lollipop compared to his. I respect Chuck Norris because of his internet fame. (Just kidding, I respect him because...

Daily Spray (9/24)

– It’s a Team Fortress 2 bonanza! Yes, it’s finally here, although by this point I’ve forgotten what the fuss is all about. On the timeline of late-arriving games, TF2 rates ahead of Duke Nukem Forever, but far, far behind...

Daily Spray (9/21)

If you’re wondering where the articles or coverage went, don’t worry, I haven’t stopped writing my own material. Those will resume in the near future, hopefully tonight, and I promise it’ll be the high-quality, insightful, and humorous writing that’s...

Daily Spray (9/19)

– Organize a parade, I updated the Source rosters!  They really needed it, too. It was starting to get dusty in there. As always, if you have rosters tips, corrections, or a set “starting lineup” to send in, please do...

Daily Spray (9/18)

– I find it hard to believe that World of Warcraft II was even a rumor. Why would Blizzard put out another MMO game when their only competition would be … Blizzard? Their big incentive is money, also known as...

Daily Spray

When I first started the blog, I had a “Week in Review” section that got dumped faster than … well, I don’t know if anything has been dumped that fast. It wasn’t a bad idea, I just decided to...

WSVG Cancelled: Good or Bad Sign?

It seems counter-intuitive to call the closure of the WSVG a good sign for eSports. It was the second-biggest league (for PC gamers). Now their events and prize money have been taken away from the collective pool, and that...

Calling for a Player's Union

Remember back when Mark Dolven, General Manager of the Carolina Core, drafted his former team? I think you do. It’s hard to forget how outraged everybody in the Source community was. It’s probably one of the only times when the...

The Communal Experience

It’s hard to pinpoint the biggest problem in eSports. Is it the lack of one game to market? Maybe it’s a general lack of interest in the general population. What about all the immaturity and shady “sponsors”? That’s got...

Money is not the Solution

I love money. You probably do, too, unless you’re worried about obesity-related deaths among wallets. What’s not to love? It’s green. It smells nice. It lets me acquire other nice-smelling things, like a girlfriend. And, unlike a girlfriend, it’s never...

CGS Prize

Even though I’m not a hockey fan, there are two things I love about the NHL: mullets, and the Stanley Cup. The first doesn’t need much explanation. Best of both worlds, party, business, you know the drill. What you might...

The Next CGS Draft (Questions)

The first season(for Region 1 is over, and like any good sports fan, I’m already looking forward to next season. Will the CHImera repeat? Can Belle and sWooZie learn new moves in the offseason like Naruto, or will they...

CSP: Small Step for eSports, Giant Leap for CS ... Maybe

It’s time for LANDodger’s semi-regular “questions for Promod which never get answered”. We have one of these every time a big CSP update (read: every CSP update, even if it’s crappy alpha maps) is released. The 1.6 community works...

The Quickest Way to ESPN

As a society, we like doing things as quickly as possible. Everybody knows the fastest way to a man’s heart is through is stomach, and unfortunately, the fastest way to his prostate is through an exit ramp. So, I have...

Wim Barelds Interview

There were so many great things I could name this interview: "Wimsical Interview", "Interview on a Wim", "Getting to know TheUnknownFactor". It definitely appealed to my love of puns and wordplay, but instead I went with the same boring format...

PGR Punishment: Proper?

There was a post a couple days ago that I want to look at from a different angle. A while ago, I wrote that somebody should go backwards to cause a collision, thus helping his/her teammate to move up. Skittles, a PGR...

A Slight Discrepancy

Now that the first CGS season is over, we can look back and start to see some team identities forming.  NY, for instance, is probably still defined by their Source team, even though Wizakor was undoubtedly their star player....

I'm Changing the World

Don’t believe me? This is what I wrote about PGR a few weeks ago. Now, check out this article on GotFrag. It’s a good article in general, but I recommend you focus on the last paragraph on the first...

CGS Playoffs: Don't Blink

Get out your clothespins, some duct tape, or maybe some little sticks; if you blink, you’re going to miss the CGS playoffs. I blinked, and the semi-finals were already gone like a hot girl that didn’t want to talk...

Best Player in the CGS?

In an earlier article, I went through and figured out the average margin of victory in the five CGS categories to point out how inherently unbalanced the scoring system was. One of the interesting side effects is that it...

Think eSports has Problems?

If you’ve spent any time around the forums or following the CGS, you’ve probably heard more than your share of complaints and problems with the CGS. I’ve written about some of them, as well. But let’s face it, the...

Scoring: Feedback, Answers

Got a couple points of interesting feedback regarding the CGS scoring article that I wrote, and I figured they were worth addressing in a post. First, thanks for the feedback, even the person that just said “hi” through the...

CGS Scoring

CGS Scoring System There’s an article on the CGS website that brings up an interesting debate: is the CGS scoring system working? Apparently, there’s been “a lot of bad press bashing the CGS scoring system.” I know I’ve written about it twice. Is...

DoA Scoring

I’ve been looking at the scoring systems for the CGS (as you’ll see later, in depth). The more I think about it, the need, and market, for extra statistics becomes clearer. I've been thinking specifically about DoA, so I'll...

Similarities in Boxing, eSports?

Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a post comparing the action in boxing to eSports, like people do with football. Personally, I think most comparisons to the NFL are far too ambitious. It’s like comparing your current girlfriend to a...

CS Spectators

There was a big 1.6 tournament over the weekend. PGS won, but I was far more intrigued by the number of spectators and the response to it. Basically, it was used as another example of why Source sucks, why the...

Project Gotham Pondering

I’m not sure how many PGR matches you’ve seen, but they’re not too bad. Personally, I’m a fan of the collisions. Never liked 'em in real racing, but it adds a little spice (not to be confused with Baby Spice) to...

CGS: Summys and Belles and Wheats, oh my!

Sunman Can somebody verify that Justin “sunman” Summy is alive? I don’t want anyone to panic, but this clearly isn’t the same person I saw on EFG or coL. If he is alive, please make sure he’s not some alien replica...

Head-Start for coL?

Let’s face facts: coL isn’t doing well this season. They’re 1-2, they’ve scored the least amount of points this season (through the weekend), and Belle has been an anchor. I’m not sure if “anchor” does her score (1-15) justice, but that’s...

CEVO-P News

Now I know what Sauron feels like. My freakishly large eye was so focused on CAL that I forgot to make sure plucky adventurers weren’t sneaking CEVO information past me. They almost got away with it. Thankfully, the Internet (a series...

Shifting Focus

The CAL season is taking a little break while the eMazing Tournament (CAL forums) runs its course, so we’re having a little shift in focus at LD, too.  I’ll be covering the tournament while it goes on, but the...

Carolina Cure

You’ve just become one of the first six General Managers in a new league. Your first draft is starting. Everything is going smoothly. You aren’t hoisting the championship trophy yet, but there haven’t been any major wrenches thrown in your plans. Then you...

CGS Regular Season Update

Quick update: I pointed out that GotFrag posted the regular season schedule for the CGS with an error.  Here’s the correct schedule, from the CGS site. I’ll save you the trouble of comparing them; the problem is on July 22nd. GotFrag...

CGS Regular Season Schedule

A lot of people have been wondering what the CGS schedule would look like. Wonder no more. One problem: the schedule is wrong. Using my mega-uber-super reasoning and counting skills, I instantly noticed that the San Francisco and Carolina franchises were...

CGS OT, Revisited

I wrote about this earlier as part of a larger article on the different overtime policies, but it’s time to revisit the CGS OT setup. There’s a very good for doing this: I was wrong. (My only consolation is that it’s...

Pandemic Epidemic, Part Deux

I’m hopping back aboard the Pandemic train for one more stop.  Choo-choo! I thought everything regarding the selection was over. He made the pick, people were outraged and took to the streets (read: forums) to complain, and some people, including...

CGS Draft, Part II

I covered the Pandemic storyline already, but there are certainly other things worth noting from draft night.  Ben Stein on his happy day. Wait, that might be a wax statue. Hard to tell. They was a big surprise on...

CGS Draft, Part I

So much happened tonight, I feel like I need some blogging minions to help sort it all out. I’m thinking something less creepy than Oompa-Loompas, but more helpful than the workers at Planet Express. Send in your applications! Disclaimer: I’ll probably...

CGS Mock Draft

Finally, the deed is finished. (I can’t believe how long this has taken already, even before the writing.) You know what that means? Two things. One: prepare yourself. This is long, strong, and long. You don’t need one snack. You need two or three, at...

And now for Something Completely Different

So, here’s something nobody’s talking about regarding the CGS: franchise names.  coL and 3D have already been drafted into the league as the Los Angeles and New York franchises, so I’m going to use them as examples. Call me...

It's The End of The GotFrag as We Know It

There’s major news afoot and the silence is deafening. For those of you that haven’t heard: MLG “acquired” the best, biggest eSports site, LANDodger. Wait, no. That was just a pipe dream I had. They did acquire that eSports site, but it's...

CGS Cities, Managers

The CGS is slowing progressing, and before we get into the excitement of things like the combine and the Playboy Mansion, we have to go through some no-so-exciting announcements. The list of cities and General Managers is one of them,...

CAL Anti-Cheat: Enemy Down

A long-awaited day is finally here, and CAL continues their quest to bring back the professional teams and build community support with the latest news that their AC client is ready.

Time For Overtime

The overtime setup for the CGS is ridiculous, and it's time for a new format. Instead of the same old rules, why not take a shootout and covert it to CS? Crazy? Maybe.

3D's CEVO Playoffs

Being a favorite isn't all it's cracked up to be. You can't win every time, just ask 3D. Here's a small breakdown of what went wrong during their CEVO playoff run.

CAL|Gancorz Interview

He's overseen change, but doesn't take bribes. He's CAL|Gancorz, the CS:S Game Manager for CAL, and he was kind enough to answer some questions for LD.

CAL|Daniel Interview

Mr. Colbert does an interview every night, and it's time for my second in two days. If you've ever wondered about CAL-QC, wonder no more. CAL|Daniel's interview is here.

CAL|Barry Interview

I had a chance to ask CAL|Barry some questions about the CPL, CAL, and his experiences as an admin. Find the answers inside, along with some obscure Futurama references.

CPL: Summer, Winter, Sierra

Bird had Magic. The Sawx have the Yanks. Even fictional characters like Ichigo have rivals (Kenpachi, pictured). Now the CPL finally has some, and that's a good sign for eSports.

CSP Update

Pancakes on a stick won't take over breakfast, and CSP won't take over the Counter-Strike scene. Novelties that appeal to small groups of people just don't cut it.

Check-Six's CGS Qualifer

The Cubs might lose games, but Check-Six lost a whole team. If the team makes roster changes -- do they, and should they, keep their spot in the CGS qualifier?

Old Dog > New Tricks

CAL announced some huge changes today, but they're trying to change more than just their colors. They want to bring back the competition, and LD is on the scene.

The Decline of EFG

EFG might not need one of these quite yet, but it's getting close. They lost another good player, and the CGS events are looming just over the horizon.

CGS Commissioner

The CGS appointed a commissioner, and he's just the man for the job ... even if nobody outside of volleyball fanatics know about him.

WSVG Games

The WSVG shifted focus away from Counter-Strike for a good reason. If a seventh seed wins in a tournament, but the top six teams didn't show up, did they make any noise at all?

Buy.com LAN Recap

He might not look like much, but after looking at the results from the Buy.com LAN, it's clear that I need to eat some crow. (Thankfully it's only a figure of speech.)

Buy.com LAN Preview

What does USA basketball have to do with the Buy.com LAN Preview? Both have people trying to play two versions of the same game, with the same relative lack of success.

coL wins a ... 1.6 tournament?

If you're tired of coL winning in Source, you should be happy to know they've just won a little 1.6 tournament. If you're tired of coL winning, period, well ... better luck next time.

Week of Mar. 16th, 2007

There was a flurry of player movement, since our last check-in. One team's attempt to add more power would have made The Toolman very happy.

Source of Debate

When DirecTV announced their new Championship Gaming Series, the Counter-Strike community cheered the news, especially the increased player salaries and the chance for wider exposure. At least, they cheered until DirecTV announced the CGS would use CS:Source, not 1.6, as...