SEM_56
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Good afternoon, everyone!!!
Decided to give you all a gift for the New Year in the form of an interview. I've already told some people who it would be and hinted at it, so everyone probably guessed...
Every time you sit down at the computer, pick up the mouse, turn on ICQ, Hamachi, Heroes, and start playing, something strange happens!!!
Either it's new sensations, in anticipation of victory. Or it's the excitement of showing yourself and surprising your opponent, or sometimes just relaxing, doing something you're used to (something you've become accustomed to, accepted as something familiar and your own, and forgetting about reality for a while)!!!
Is it foolishness, a pastime, childishness, a lack of childhood, you ask???
What's the answer???
For everyone, it's different, truthful, personal, and you'll agree with that answer without even thinking about it!!!
And today, that's the answer I'll give. Today, I'm talking to a man who can be called a legend in the Heroes community (and that community is already quite large), Dmitry - PALADIN!!!
I'll start, as always, with a quote, reworked by your comrade-in-arms:
Only those who fight every day are worthy of victory and glory (Aristotle - SEM_56)))
SEM_56
Hello Dmitry, I'm SEM_56, and together with Nagan (You're Glad), I run the "Heroes Stories" section. I would like to interview you as one of the strongest players in the world...
Paladin
Today is my last day playing Heroes, and I'm retiring.
SEM_56
I and many other guys would like to know more about Paladin!!!
I can write down the questions now, or later, and you can answer them later.
Paladin
Whatever is convenient for you, but I'll probably answer later, and as brothers-in-arms, we can call each other by our first names.
SEM_56
Question 1: Tell me a little about yourself. Where did you study, what did you do, and how did you get acquainted with Heroes???
Paladin
When I was a student, the games were weak and simple, but then Civilization, Dune, and Warcraft appeared. Playing these games obsessively, I eventually got to Heroes (HoMM1), and that's when everything changed. I couldn't stop, and I didn't want to. This was back in 1995, and after that, no other games interested me. But when HoMM3 came out, I forgot about everything.
Let's just say that from the moment I got acquainted with the first Heroes, it became a serious passion. Playing Hot-Seat on one computer, we could play 20-50 games a week, and we mostly played the same map, "Four Grains." The first year after I got acquainted with HoMM3 was just a passion, but then everything changed. The more skilled the player, the more experience and interest in the game.
Even when my company went bankrupt in 1999 and everything was collapsing "around me," I would sit down to play Heroes in the evening, and I would feel "peace" and bliss. But that didn't last long... my attitude towards the game changed drastically and instantly.
SEM_56
Question 2: At what point did Heroes become more than just a game, and you started to devote part of your personal time to it?
Paladin
The turning point was the first real championships. That's where I met DS_Vasya and a couple of other strong pro Heroes players (they had been playing for money in HoMM3 for over a year). And feeling the strength of my opponents, I just started to go crazy and play better and better, and it turned from "blissful pastime" into a big sport, where the beer and nuts were gone, and only dry emotions and a clear mind remained.
SEM_56
Question 3: Your first serious games and tournaments, how did you start in them???
Paladin
Probably it was in 2001. It was a shocking experience, playing in a championship and in my "sandbox" is like heaven and earth. I won the first round brilliantly. But in the second round, I lost to a player who later made it to the final and lost to DS_Vasya.
The second time I participated in a tournament a year later and took 3rd place. I played well, but really, as "Paladin," I was being targeted with magic, and I just kept going into battle. I beat everyone until I ran into DS_Vasya, and he didn't let me into the final. But after that, we became friends.
Then I played with a group of strong, gambling strategists. Now they are all in poker.
SEM_56
Question 4: Being one of the strongest in the world, how do you feel about it, and was it your goal (to become the strongest)?
Paladin
I definitely wanted to win. I have average abilities and moderate ambitions, but the desire to win has always been there. There were times when I played against a strong opponent and made mistakes, but I still won, I retreated, losing everything, and I still won. For me, the strongest Heroes players include: Stinger, DS_Vasya, and AlexTheGreat. And I'm a moody person. I know that I can beat anyone, but I don't always have the motivation. And that's bad. The best should always be the best, but I haven't reached that level yet.
SEM_56
Question 5: You say you're retiring, why, are you tired of playing or are there no opponents left?
Paladin
Right now, there are many opponents, and the level of skill is good. But this isn't the first time for me. In 2004-2005, I took a year off, and after returning in 2006, I took 1st place in a real championship in Minsk with 57 participants (until 2 losses). And during that year of break, I got married, we built an apartment with my wife, and a year later, we had a son.
And right now, I need to sort out issues that require not just time and attention, but something more profound, which, unfortunately, Heroes takes away from me. So a year-long break is simply vital.
SEM_56
Question 6: In your opinion, will Heroes have a place in the future, and will they be able to compete with sophisticated games or improved versions of Heroes?
Paladin
100%. A simple example: Heroes 4 and 5 are not random. They are definitely interesting to those who play HoMM3, but not HoMM3 itself. HoMM3 is still a classic, and if it is replaced, it will be by something equally serious. I haven't found anything like that yet. And the game isn't sophisticated, and that's a sign that it won't get boring. After all, a chessboard hasn't gotten boring in thousands of years. The same effect applies. It all depends on the opponent. I haven't played against the computer for many, many years, even out of boredom. But as long as there are real and strong opponents, it's interesting to play with them.
SEM_56
Question 7: What would you say to future comrades-in-arms, is it worth getting involved?
Paladin
This game is great and worth the effort to hone some skill and realize it. But that's also what makes it dangerous. It gives a serious outlet for some inner desire for victory, and after the game, you feel satisfied, and you're no longer driven to conquer the world, which is sad. That's why I love Heroes, but I haven't fully understood how to feel about them. If I lived forever, I would play more, but time is precious.
SEM_56
Wow, thank you so much!!!
Paladin
In reality, you can say a lot of good things about Heroes, but then I'll have to go on for a long time.
SEM_56
I understand.
Paladin
It was a pleasure to work with you.
SEM_56
It was a pleasure for me too, talking to a legend.
I was a student of AlexTheGreat, maybe someday I'll reach your level.
Paladin
Alex is also a fun guy, you won't get bored with him.
I'll be back in a year to check your level.
SEM_56
Great, I'll be waiting
Decided to give you all a gift for the New Year in the form of an interview. I've already told some people who it would be and hinted at it, so everyone probably guessed...
Every time you sit down at the computer, pick up the mouse, turn on ICQ, Hamachi, Heroes, and start playing, something strange happens!!!
Either it's new sensations, in anticipation of victory. Or it's the excitement of showing yourself and surprising your opponent, or sometimes just relaxing, doing something you're used to (something you've become accustomed to, accepted as something familiar and your own, and forgetting about reality for a while)!!!
Is it foolishness, a pastime, childishness, a lack of childhood, you ask???
What's the answer???
For everyone, it's different, truthful, personal, and you'll agree with that answer without even thinking about it!!!
And today, that's the answer I'll give. Today, I'm talking to a man who can be called a legend in the Heroes community (and that community is already quite large), Dmitry - PALADIN!!!
I'll start, as always, with a quote, reworked by your comrade-in-arms:
Only those who fight every day are worthy of victory and glory (Aristotle - SEM_56)))
SEM_56
Hello Dmitry, I'm SEM_56, and together with Nagan (You're Glad), I run the "Heroes Stories" section. I would like to interview you as one of the strongest players in the world...
Paladin
Today is my last day playing Heroes, and I'm retiring.
SEM_56
I and many other guys would like to know more about Paladin!!!
I can write down the questions now, or later, and you can answer them later.
Paladin
Whatever is convenient for you, but I'll probably answer later, and as brothers-in-arms, we can call each other by our first names.
SEM_56
Question 1: Tell me a little about yourself. Where did you study, what did you do, and how did you get acquainted with Heroes???
Paladin
When I was a student, the games were weak and simple, but then Civilization, Dune, and Warcraft appeared. Playing these games obsessively, I eventually got to Heroes (HoMM1), and that's when everything changed. I couldn't stop, and I didn't want to. This was back in 1995, and after that, no other games interested me. But when HoMM3 came out, I forgot about everything.
Let's just say that from the moment I got acquainted with the first Heroes, it became a serious passion. Playing Hot-Seat on one computer, we could play 20-50 games a week, and we mostly played the same map, "Four Grains." The first year after I got acquainted with HoMM3 was just a passion, but then everything changed. The more skilled the player, the more experience and interest in the game.
Even when my company went bankrupt in 1999 and everything was collapsing "around me," I would sit down to play Heroes in the evening, and I would feel "peace" and bliss. But that didn't last long... my attitude towards the game changed drastically and instantly.
SEM_56
Question 2: At what point did Heroes become more than just a game, and you started to devote part of your personal time to it?
Paladin
The turning point was the first real championships. That's where I met DS_Vasya and a couple of other strong pro Heroes players (they had been playing for money in HoMM3 for over a year). And feeling the strength of my opponents, I just started to go crazy and play better and better, and it turned from "blissful pastime" into a big sport, where the beer and nuts were gone, and only dry emotions and a clear mind remained.
SEM_56
Question 3: Your first serious games and tournaments, how did you start in them???
Paladin
Probably it was in 2001. It was a shocking experience, playing in a championship and in my "sandbox" is like heaven and earth. I won the first round brilliantly. But in the second round, I lost to a player who later made it to the final and lost to DS_Vasya.
The second time I participated in a tournament a year later and took 3rd place. I played well, but really, as "Paladin," I was being targeted with magic, and I just kept going into battle. I beat everyone until I ran into DS_Vasya, and he didn't let me into the final. But after that, we became friends.
Then I played with a group of strong, gambling strategists. Now they are all in poker.
SEM_56
Question 4: Being one of the strongest in the world, how do you feel about it, and was it your goal (to become the strongest)?
Paladin
I definitely wanted to win. I have average abilities and moderate ambitions, but the desire to win has always been there. There were times when I played against a strong opponent and made mistakes, but I still won, I retreated, losing everything, and I still won. For me, the strongest Heroes players include: Stinger, DS_Vasya, and AlexTheGreat. And I'm a moody person. I know that I can beat anyone, but I don't always have the motivation. And that's bad. The best should always be the best, but I haven't reached that level yet.
SEM_56
Question 5: You say you're retiring, why, are you tired of playing or are there no opponents left?
Paladin
Right now, there are many opponents, and the level of skill is good. But this isn't the first time for me. In 2004-2005, I took a year off, and after returning in 2006, I took 1st place in a real championship in Minsk with 57 participants (until 2 losses). And during that year of break, I got married, we built an apartment with my wife, and a year later, we had a son.
And right now, I need to sort out issues that require not just time and attention, but something more profound, which, unfortunately, Heroes takes away from me. So a year-long break is simply vital.
SEM_56
Question 6: In your opinion, will Heroes have a place in the future, and will they be able to compete with sophisticated games or improved versions of Heroes?
Paladin
100%. A simple example: Heroes 4 and 5 are not random. They are definitely interesting to those who play HoMM3, but not HoMM3 itself. HoMM3 is still a classic, and if it is replaced, it will be by something equally serious. I haven't found anything like that yet. And the game isn't sophisticated, and that's a sign that it won't get boring. After all, a chessboard hasn't gotten boring in thousands of years. The same effect applies. It all depends on the opponent. I haven't played against the computer for many, many years, even out of boredom. But as long as there are real and strong opponents, it's interesting to play with them.
SEM_56
Question 7: What would you say to future comrades-in-arms, is it worth getting involved?
Paladin
This game is great and worth the effort to hone some skill and realize it. But that's also what makes it dangerous. It gives a serious outlet for some inner desire for victory, and after the game, you feel satisfied, and you're no longer driven to conquer the world, which is sad. That's why I love Heroes, but I haven't fully understood how to feel about them. If I lived forever, I would play more, but time is precious.
SEM_56
Wow, thank you so much!!!
Paladin
In reality, you can say a lot of good things about Heroes, but then I'll have to go on for a long time.
SEM_56
I understand.
Paladin
It was a pleasure to work with you.
SEM_56
It was a pleasure for me too, talking to a legend.
I was a student of AlexTheGreat, maybe someday I'll reach your level.
Paladin
Alex is also a fun guy, you won't get bored with him.
I'll be back in a year to check your level.
SEM_56
Great, I'll be waiting
Ушел с героев, пока пряники)