Nagan-4
Auto-translated
Here is the long-promised interview with Alex R. It is in no way related to the latest disputes; it had been scheduled for a long time with the person who made a decisive contribution to the team's victory in the semifinals and finals. Here it is...
Nagan-4:
I see you on the forum on a wide variety of threads. Still, which versions of Heroes do you play online and offline?
Alex R:
I play Heroes 3 and 5 online regularly; I tried playing Heroes 2, but there are few people there.
Offline, I mainly played when I registered on the forum in February 2007; I didn't have internet at home, stumbled upon the site at work, and started downloading saves from all the tournaments in a row, and played through them at home... I played all 5 versions.
Nagan-4:
Heroes 5 and Heroes 1?
Alex R:
I play Heroes 5; I would play Heroes 1 too, but there are critical bugs and the online simply doesn't work. I haven't tried Heroes 4 online and I don't feel like playing it.
Nagan-4:
Do you have enough time for everything?
Alex R:
There is less and less time; there was never enough; I just have to economize on quality or sift through tournaments.
Nagan-4:
Then let's try to get things in order. What's your favorite version?
Alex R:
I can't say for sure... most likely I just like the Heroes series in general... and the reason I play Heroes 3 most often is simply because there are more opponents, more tournaments, etc.
Nagan-4:
What about the first and second parts? What's their deal?
Alex R:
Heroes 1 is nostalgia... quite simple overall, although the atmosphere and nostalgia prevent you from forgetting it. Plus, it's one of the most interesting from the perspective of computer AI (the AI is dangerous there, IMHO).
Heroes 2, like the first one, also evokes more nostalgic feelings, but it has more room for maneuvering and such.
Overall, it's the most suitable for a pocket game (so to speak, a chess simulator).
Nagan-4:
Tell me, you've been on our forum for quite a while now. What made it so appealing to you back then that you decided to stay?
Alex R:
Well, I didn't really choose it; I stumbled upon it by chance (I don't remember what I was looking for) and registered. About half a year later, I saw the Portal, but I wasn't particularly drawn there... HeroesWorld remained a priority, even after I checked out the League and Bai... though I did register on the Portal eventually, during a period of slight stagnation on HeroesWorld.
Nagan-4:
About Heroes 2 - what maps were there... What hot-seat battles you had. What's your favorite map in Heroes 2?
Alex R:
In Heroes 1 and 2, whether hot-seat or solo, I played through all the maps and all the campaigns at least once.
Specifically in Heroes 1, I love the duel map "Two by the Sea".
In Heroes 2, the choice of maps is larger, but most often "Continent" or "Good vs. Evil".
Nagan-4:
Now a question about the clan. When I came to the forum, the great clan Homo Homini was dominating - in the seasonal tournament, 4 out of 6 first places were yours. Then suddenly - Invisible and Adelaida left... What is it - natural rotation (people got tired of the forum) or were there tensions within the clan?
Alex R:
Adelaida didn't leave; she's temporarily on vacation. In principle, she's back now, but she still has very little time.
Invisible left; I didn't delve into the details of that decision; it's more like the usual rotation.
But that's not the point.
The clan Homo Homini was very active playing offline in 2007 and a bit in 2008, but now there are very few players who prefer offline to online.
Nagan-4:
This is probably a trend - offline prevails at first, but when online appears, players gradually switch to it.
We can recall the Portal, the Heroes League, and now the World.
Alex R:
Yes, I agree. As soon as I got internet at home, the scales immediately tipped towards online. Of course, I played a couple of offline tournaments after that, but time was catastrophically short, and it affected the results.
Nagan-4:
But gradually your clan managed to attract new players; even recently, Aldegir, Britvochka, and Erdem joined you. What attracts them? Does the clan have a player recruitment program, or do they find you themselves?
Alex R:
In principle, for Heroes 3, among the strong players, we only specially invited Pit to strengthen the clan.
Well, before Adelaida left, she was personally able to attract a lot of Heroes 5 online players. For example, in the current tournament, about 5 out of 20 players are from our clan. There are also players who played in past tournaments, and all of them are very strong players.
As for Heroes 3, it's more like the players found a clan "to their taste" themselves :)
I don't remember if I suggested Aldegir join, but I noticed Erdem and consider him very promising (still with the newcomer status), but with a fairly strong game.
Nagan-4:
Congratulations to the clan on good reinforcement. Now let's talk about the past team tournament. Which match was the most difficult for your team?
Alex R:
O_o that's a tough question... unfortunately, we didn't have the opportunity to support and follow each other's games offline or online, so each of us only knows about our own matches...
Nagan-4:
Still, you brought in the decisive victory in the semifinal against the Heroes legend Cobra and in the final against Vigo.
Alex R:
The match with Cobra was personally the most difficult for me. Frankly, I was on the verge of another transition to Heroes 5 at that time, and the positive result gave me a new surge of desire to play Heroes 3.
And in the final, my match was the last, but the decisive victory was more brought by Aldegir.
vbn and I subconsciously felt that one of us had to win against the "Phoenixes".
Overall, I think Aldegir performed best on our team and deserves the title of "player of the tournament" - he brought 3.5 points out of 4 matches played. But it's also very important that he almost always played first, and we started each match with a positive balance and mood.
If you take the match as a series of games, rather than any specific individual game, then I think the most we prepared for was the game against Zavry. But that doesn't mean the other matches were easier or that we didn't prepare for them; it's just that the match against Zavry decided our advancement from the Group and the position we would take, and after that, it was like "euphoria". We supported each other with the saying that there was nothing left to lose - the minimum task was accomplished. Special thanks to vbn for that.
Nagan-4:
Online started with the first seasonal tournament by Adelaida, which you won in spring 2007. All this time you have been participating in tournaments. Who on the forum is your most principled and most inconvenient opponent?
Alex R:
Hmm... I don't have to think much; I played very few games relative to the number of games and the playing period (about 80 games in 2 years).
I have a file where 95% of all my games (headers) are recorded.
The most inconvenient opponent is Uran (we played 2 times in finals, 1 time in a team tournament).
It's always hard to play against him. The toughest and most memorable matches were against Napalm during the inter-portal tournament... we played 3 games, and all of them went past the 3rd week.
Nagan-4:
Now for a painful question... The thread: "What do you think this could be?" shocked me. The essence of the topic is that the player Yakuza cheated. And he cheated completely obviously, not particularly hiding it. The arguments were damning. As a lawyer, I'd say - I couldn't defend his position in court.
And what's worse - based on the manner of communication and writing posts on the forum, the pseudonym "Yakuza" hides a well-known player, a devotee of Heroes, with a very good reputation.
In your opinion, was this a temporary lapse of reason (problems in the family, at work) or did the person actually cheat systematically?
Alex R:
In my opinion, the specific presented episode is a kind of revenge for an argument in the topic "tactics for playing as Stronghold" (an attempt to prove one's point by any means, but as always, the truth got lost somewhere along the way to the goal).
This is definitely not a lapse of reason; regarding problems in the family, etc. - it's not worth talking about... perhaps there is something like that, but that's that person's personal business.
Whether he cheated systematically - I think no, but where the motivation was serious - then most likely yes! Occasionally, by the way, a difference is noticeable in the skill of the same player; and if you consider how much these games differ in motivation, one could assume... it's slacking off in insignificant games or simply there was no opportunity/desire to cheat.
Nagan-4:
What's your attitude towards cheaters? Still, it's been proven, say, a well-known person in our circles cheats, looks at the map, opens the game in a second window... what should be done with him?
A permanent ban on the forum, or could you suggest something else?
Alex R:
Well, on our forum, he'll probably get a "black mark". As for the ban or disqualification from tournaments, that's for the organizers and administration to decide...
Of course, cheaters don't evoke positive emotions; I definitely wouldn't play against them in tournaments, although I might play a season game... I feel more antipathy towards people who behave disgustingly; I wouldn't play even a season game against them.
I won't suggest anything, because the goal was to catch them; what to do next is less interesting.
Nagan-4:
Okay, I'll continue with the tough questions. You and Derty are both respected offline players, now successfully playing online, forum veterans, adults, respected forum members.
Where did the war between you come from? The hostility damages our forum, the same AK, your refusal to join it, the recent thread about moderators, we can recall a couple more threads. How to overcome the discord? What would you suggest to Derty for peace and the successful prosperity of the forum? I don't doubt for a second that you both love the World very much.
Alex R:
It's a dead-end question. He thinks I'm to blame, I think he's to blame.
The more relevant question is not where the war came from, but why it continues?
It's hard to judge myself, but I can say there were periods of neutrality - and then it all started anew. I don't like the communication style of such forum members as Derty and Vlk777... Qwerty once tried to convey the same thing to them, but they unanimously pointed him to the Heroes 2 section (by the way, that was a very ugly and unfair move).
I was a moderator for just over a week, saw the forum a bit from the other side, partially realized some of my old mistakes, partially felt what it's like for other moderators, but the fact that there is a problem with player communication is a fact. There's not much to suggest here, except perhaps tightening the moderation rules. Also, I personally think that the current Heroes 3 moderators are far too tolerant and, by the way, all very busy.
I refused AK not because of Derty... I just don't like doing PR, including black PR. And when I see something starting, something going on behind my back, I simply withdraw my volunteer impulses. Anyway, if someone wants to, they can outmaneuver anyone - but this isn't real life - there's nothing for me to fight them over here (my nerves are more precious).
Nagan-4:
By the way, I fully approved of your appointment as a moderator. A moderator in an online topic should be a strong player themselves. And yet, being a moderator is a thankless job; they always get kicked around on all forums. Why did you agree?
Alex R:
I agreed because I saw this problem, because I discussed it with Qwerty, who, by the way, suggested it to me. And, well, I became the 4th moderator there, since there were already three - and 2 of them are my clanmates, with whom it's no problem to discuss something, and a pleasant Girl... I wanted to help them all.
There's, of course, a ton of work, but since I visit the forum often, I managed to do at least part of the work.
But given all these factors, the decision was 50/50, because I had been offered moderator positions in the Heroes 1 section and other sections before, but I was categorically against it - precisely because I understood that the work is thankless and that I don't have that much time; to faithfully fulfill all the duties... and I honestly admit that I considered myself not quite suitable for the role of moderator... sometimes I could lose my way at the corners.
Nagan-4:
I have no doubt that good sense will prevail, and the two respected forum members will overcome their differences and work together for the benefit of our forum.
Next question - a new clan war starts in July. Will there be any changes in your championship team?
Alex R:
:-) It's too early to say; we are assembling the team - haven't had time to discuss it yet...
My vision for the future team is the veterans on the bench or out of the game, while the new generation will go into battle.
I really hope for this lineup
Core:
ewgeniy
Aldegir
Britvochka
Erdem.
On the bench
vbn
I probably won't participate, except maybe as a reserve.
Nagan-4:
Yes, you'll make your opponents scratch their heads with such a lineup.
And at the end of the interview - what is your favorite town (in all versions of Heroes) and favorite main hero?
Alex R:
I can't single out a town in any of the parts. In different periods, I played for different towns and different heroes...
Nagan-4:
Thank you very much for the substantive conversation. I want to wish you and the wonderful clan Homo Homini new great victories. Good luck!
Nagan-4:
I see you on the forum on a wide variety of threads. Still, which versions of Heroes do you play online and offline?
Alex R:
I play Heroes 3 and 5 online regularly; I tried playing Heroes 2, but there are few people there.
Offline, I mainly played when I registered on the forum in February 2007; I didn't have internet at home, stumbled upon the site at work, and started downloading saves from all the tournaments in a row, and played through them at home... I played all 5 versions.
Nagan-4:
Heroes 5 and Heroes 1?
Alex R:
I play Heroes 5; I would play Heroes 1 too, but there are critical bugs and the online simply doesn't work. I haven't tried Heroes 4 online and I don't feel like playing it.
Nagan-4:
Do you have enough time for everything?
Alex R:
There is less and less time; there was never enough; I just have to economize on quality or sift through tournaments.
Nagan-4:
Then let's try to get things in order. What's your favorite version?
Alex R:
I can't say for sure... most likely I just like the Heroes series in general... and the reason I play Heroes 3 most often is simply because there are more opponents, more tournaments, etc.
Nagan-4:
What about the first and second parts? What's their deal?
Alex R:
Heroes 1 is nostalgia... quite simple overall, although the atmosphere and nostalgia prevent you from forgetting it. Plus, it's one of the most interesting from the perspective of computer AI (the AI is dangerous there, IMHO).
Heroes 2, like the first one, also evokes more nostalgic feelings, but it has more room for maneuvering and such.
Overall, it's the most suitable for a pocket game (so to speak, a chess simulator).
Nagan-4:
Tell me, you've been on our forum for quite a while now. What made it so appealing to you back then that you decided to stay?
Alex R:
Well, I didn't really choose it; I stumbled upon it by chance (I don't remember what I was looking for) and registered. About half a year later, I saw the Portal, but I wasn't particularly drawn there... HeroesWorld remained a priority, even after I checked out the League and Bai... though I did register on the Portal eventually, during a period of slight stagnation on HeroesWorld.
Nagan-4:
About Heroes 2 - what maps were there... What hot-seat battles you had. What's your favorite map in Heroes 2?
Alex R:
In Heroes 1 and 2, whether hot-seat or solo, I played through all the maps and all the campaigns at least once.
Specifically in Heroes 1, I love the duel map "Two by the Sea".
In Heroes 2, the choice of maps is larger, but most often "Continent" or "Good vs. Evil".
Nagan-4:
Now a question about the clan. When I came to the forum, the great clan Homo Homini was dominating - in the seasonal tournament, 4 out of 6 first places were yours. Then suddenly - Invisible and Adelaida left... What is it - natural rotation (people got tired of the forum) or were there tensions within the clan?
Alex R:
Adelaida didn't leave; she's temporarily on vacation. In principle, she's back now, but she still has very little time.
Invisible left; I didn't delve into the details of that decision; it's more like the usual rotation.
But that's not the point.
The clan Homo Homini was very active playing offline in 2007 and a bit in 2008, but now there are very few players who prefer offline to online.
Nagan-4:
This is probably a trend - offline prevails at first, but when online appears, players gradually switch to it.
We can recall the Portal, the Heroes League, and now the World.
Alex R:
Yes, I agree. As soon as I got internet at home, the scales immediately tipped towards online. Of course, I played a couple of offline tournaments after that, but time was catastrophically short, and it affected the results.
Nagan-4:
But gradually your clan managed to attract new players; even recently, Aldegir, Britvochka, and Erdem joined you. What attracts them? Does the clan have a player recruitment program, or do they find you themselves?
Alex R:
In principle, for Heroes 3, among the strong players, we only specially invited Pit to strengthen the clan.
Well, before Adelaida left, she was personally able to attract a lot of Heroes 5 online players. For example, in the current tournament, about 5 out of 20 players are from our clan. There are also players who played in past tournaments, and all of them are very strong players.
As for Heroes 3, it's more like the players found a clan "to their taste" themselves :)
I don't remember if I suggested Aldegir join, but I noticed Erdem and consider him very promising (still with the newcomer status), but with a fairly strong game.
Nagan-4:
Congratulations to the clan on good reinforcement. Now let's talk about the past team tournament. Which match was the most difficult for your team?
Alex R:
O_o that's a tough question... unfortunately, we didn't have the opportunity to support and follow each other's games offline or online, so each of us only knows about our own matches...
Nagan-4:
Still, you brought in the decisive victory in the semifinal against the Heroes legend Cobra and in the final against Vigo.
Alex R:
The match with Cobra was personally the most difficult for me. Frankly, I was on the verge of another transition to Heroes 5 at that time, and the positive result gave me a new surge of desire to play Heroes 3.
And in the final, my match was the last, but the decisive victory was more brought by Aldegir.
vbn and I subconsciously felt that one of us had to win against the "Phoenixes".
Overall, I think Aldegir performed best on our team and deserves the title of "player of the tournament" - he brought 3.5 points out of 4 matches played. But it's also very important that he almost always played first, and we started each match with a positive balance and mood.
If you take the match as a series of games, rather than any specific individual game, then I think the most we prepared for was the game against Zavry. But that doesn't mean the other matches were easier or that we didn't prepare for them; it's just that the match against Zavry decided our advancement from the Group and the position we would take, and after that, it was like "euphoria". We supported each other with the saying that there was nothing left to lose - the minimum task was accomplished. Special thanks to vbn for that.
Nagan-4:
Online started with the first seasonal tournament by Adelaida, which you won in spring 2007. All this time you have been participating in tournaments. Who on the forum is your most principled and most inconvenient opponent?
Alex R:
Hmm... I don't have to think much; I played very few games relative to the number of games and the playing period (about 80 games in 2 years).
I have a file where 95% of all my games (headers) are recorded.
The most inconvenient opponent is Uran (we played 2 times in finals, 1 time in a team tournament).
It's always hard to play against him. The toughest and most memorable matches were against Napalm during the inter-portal tournament... we played 3 games, and all of them went past the 3rd week.
Nagan-4:
Now for a painful question... The thread: "What do you think this could be?" shocked me. The essence of the topic is that the player Yakuza cheated. And he cheated completely obviously, not particularly hiding it. The arguments were damning. As a lawyer, I'd say - I couldn't defend his position in court.
And what's worse - based on the manner of communication and writing posts on the forum, the pseudonym "Yakuza" hides a well-known player, a devotee of Heroes, with a very good reputation.
In your opinion, was this a temporary lapse of reason (problems in the family, at work) or did the person actually cheat systematically?
Alex R:
In my opinion, the specific presented episode is a kind of revenge for an argument in the topic "tactics for playing as Stronghold" (an attempt to prove one's point by any means, but as always, the truth got lost somewhere along the way to the goal).
This is definitely not a lapse of reason; regarding problems in the family, etc. - it's not worth talking about... perhaps there is something like that, but that's that person's personal business.
Whether he cheated systematically - I think no, but where the motivation was serious - then most likely yes! Occasionally, by the way, a difference is noticeable in the skill of the same player; and if you consider how much these games differ in motivation, one could assume... it's slacking off in insignificant games or simply there was no opportunity/desire to cheat.
Nagan-4:
What's your attitude towards cheaters? Still, it's been proven, say, a well-known person in our circles cheats, looks at the map, opens the game in a second window... what should be done with him?
A permanent ban on the forum, or could you suggest something else?
Alex R:
Well, on our forum, he'll probably get a "black mark". As for the ban or disqualification from tournaments, that's for the organizers and administration to decide...
Of course, cheaters don't evoke positive emotions; I definitely wouldn't play against them in tournaments, although I might play a season game... I feel more antipathy towards people who behave disgustingly; I wouldn't play even a season game against them.
I won't suggest anything, because the goal was to catch them; what to do next is less interesting.
Nagan-4:
Okay, I'll continue with the tough questions. You and Derty are both respected offline players, now successfully playing online, forum veterans, adults, respected forum members.
Where did the war between you come from? The hostility damages our forum, the same AK, your refusal to join it, the recent thread about moderators, we can recall a couple more threads. How to overcome the discord? What would you suggest to Derty for peace and the successful prosperity of the forum? I don't doubt for a second that you both love the World very much.
Alex R:
It's a dead-end question. He thinks I'm to blame, I think he's to blame.
The more relevant question is not where the war came from, but why it continues?
It's hard to judge myself, but I can say there were periods of neutrality - and then it all started anew. I don't like the communication style of such forum members as Derty and Vlk777... Qwerty once tried to convey the same thing to them, but they unanimously pointed him to the Heroes 2 section (by the way, that was a very ugly and unfair move).
I was a moderator for just over a week, saw the forum a bit from the other side, partially realized some of my old mistakes, partially felt what it's like for other moderators, but the fact that there is a problem with player communication is a fact. There's not much to suggest here, except perhaps tightening the moderation rules. Also, I personally think that the current Heroes 3 moderators are far too tolerant and, by the way, all very busy.
I refused AK not because of Derty... I just don't like doing PR, including black PR. And when I see something starting, something going on behind my back, I simply withdraw my volunteer impulses. Anyway, if someone wants to, they can outmaneuver anyone - but this isn't real life - there's nothing for me to fight them over here (my nerves are more precious).
Nagan-4:
By the way, I fully approved of your appointment as a moderator. A moderator in an online topic should be a strong player themselves. And yet, being a moderator is a thankless job; they always get kicked around on all forums. Why did you agree?
Alex R:
I agreed because I saw this problem, because I discussed it with Qwerty, who, by the way, suggested it to me. And, well, I became the 4th moderator there, since there were already three - and 2 of them are my clanmates, with whom it's no problem to discuss something, and a pleasant Girl... I wanted to help them all.
There's, of course, a ton of work, but since I visit the forum often, I managed to do at least part of the work.
But given all these factors, the decision was 50/50, because I had been offered moderator positions in the Heroes 1 section and other sections before, but I was categorically against it - precisely because I understood that the work is thankless and that I don't have that much time; to faithfully fulfill all the duties... and I honestly admit that I considered myself not quite suitable for the role of moderator... sometimes I could lose my way at the corners.
Nagan-4:
I have no doubt that good sense will prevail, and the two respected forum members will overcome their differences and work together for the benefit of our forum.
Next question - a new clan war starts in July. Will there be any changes in your championship team?
Alex R:
:-) It's too early to say; we are assembling the team - haven't had time to discuss it yet...
My vision for the future team is the veterans on the bench or out of the game, while the new generation will go into battle.
I really hope for this lineup
Core:
ewgeniy
Aldegir
Britvochka
Erdem.
On the bench
vbn
I probably won't participate, except maybe as a reserve.
Nagan-4:
Yes, you'll make your opponents scratch their heads with such a lineup.
And at the end of the interview - what is your favorite town (in all versions of Heroes) and favorite main hero?
Alex R:
I can't single out a town in any of the parts. In different periods, I played for different towns and different heroes...
Nagan-4:
Thank you very much for the substantive conversation. I want to wish you and the wonderful clan Homo Homini new great victories. Good luck!