Posts from Broadcast of the CIS Championship 2013. Auto-translated

Scorpiona (red, Rampart, Kyrre, Broghild) def Lizard (blue, Dungeon, Shakty) @ 8mm6a, 223

On day two, the lookout revealed a stable under the castle, a unicorn pick-up, 3 Dragon Fly Hives, 3 Griffin Conservatories… JUUUUICY.. 6 heroes, tons of gold!
113 — took the horse pick-up, heroes split.
114 Broghild takes the enemy's castle, Kyrre runs in a different direction.
By the end of the week, I bought 2 more heroes, took a village in my native treasure zone, where I got a shield +3, and beat up some "Castle" bots. I actively scraped together gold to upgrade the castle in "Rampart".
At the start of the second week, I take a prison with Ivor level 6 — third papa to help Kyrre and Broha. I take a Pandora's Box for 10k gold. I take the first Conservatory 2.
Broghild reveals a treasure zone off-road, where she takes Conservatory 2 and a couple of boxes for experience, leveling up to level 14. Meanwhile, Kyrre and Ivor collected Dragon Fly Hives for 20 Wyverns at the native respawn. A Golden Bow appeared.
131-132 I gather the remaining Dragon Fly Hives in both treasure zones, totaling 49 Wyverns, Conservatories +3+1. And I take the first Dragon Utopia in the mini treasure zone… got a shield +4 all and 2 bags of gold. I run to the second Dragon Utopia deeper in…
134 Ivor reached another Conservatory (2). Dragon Utopia mini again… a vest +3+3 attack defense… and gloves.
136 Broha 21-17-11-9, 10 Angels, 49 Wyverns, 16 War Unicorns, 44 Grand Elves. She drives off Luna with minotaurs, minimizing their numbers. I scout the passage ahead with a scout, and there's Shakti on a speed boost on an Angel… Broha can't reach him(((, Shakti on the next turn took another Dragon Utopia from right under my nose and ran off to his own lands. I built a mage guild, but there was neither Dimension Door nor Town Portal… resources were catastrophically low…
On the fourth week, I cleared another enemy treasure zone and captured one of the enemy's Dungeons. Ate a couple more Dragon Utopias, found the Water key, and for stats only a sword +6.
211-217 searching for the opponent, without vision it was very tough for me… Cleared another enemy treasure zone.
223 Shakti shows up in range and dies.

Thanks for the game!

Scorpiona (red, Stronghold, CragHack) def Sup (blue, Fortress, Broghild) @ Jebus 126

On 113 I see at respawn: a stable under the castle, an external market. 2 Griffin Conservatories, 3 Dragon Fly Hives. 2 Dragon Utopias, a Book of Earth, a shield +4 all, a sword +12, a necklace +3+3. Just need to collect it all…
117 collected a shield +4 all, necklace +3+3, ring +1 speed. Ate a Pandora's Box for experience. Barely reached the Behemoth pick-up.
121-125 hung around at respawn doing nothing useful… all chains got messed up, Crag lost a lot of time… took a Griffin Conservatory, 2 Conservatories, a Pandora's Box, scouts collected the Wyverns. In 1 Dragon Utopia got Titan's Cuirass and Vial of Lifeblood. Crag only just reached the Dragon Utopia. As the turn changed, my scout ran into the opponent on the second road from respawn… and Broha jumps to my respawn.
126 Crag breaks through the Dragon Utopia from the other side, manages to eat another Dragon Fly Hive and collect several boxes for experience, leveling up nicely to level 21 with expert armor, fire, and earth.
As the turn changes, Broha attacks. The presence of the Griffin Conservatory decided the battle's outcome.

Thanks for the game!

I'm very glad that there's such a large percentage of open-minded, positive, and sociable people among the Heroes of Might and Magic community. I had a great time, relaxed, and was very satisfied with the trip overall. I left with great regret, leaving a city that was quite unfriendly towards everything Ukrainian, but a city where I met many great people. :smile20:

As for the game itself, I don't have much to say, as it wasn't a top priority for me during the trip. But I played the third game rather poorly, which left me a little disappointed.

Kind of a report.

The trip was divided into 3 parts. The first and third parts were the journeys there and back – socializing, board games, introducing people to Dixit and Settlers, a bit of poker. Overall, it was positive.

And in the middle – something that can be compared to trying to stuff a Cobra into Alex's jeans while both are shouting in unison.

Apparently, the fact that Aztec perceived this event more as a vacation than as a tournament had an impact. Therefore, he thoroughly approached the selection of the recreation center, the meeting and accommodation of participants, and the cultural program – he did an excellent job with this aspect.

However, he didn't monitor the tournament aspect – the arrival/departure times of players and the availability of laptops. As a result, a problematic situation arose – 22 people, 16 laptops, and only 4 full days instead of the promised 4 full days and 2 half-days. Plus, there was an abundance of cultural activities, and players were constantly trying to sneak away – to watch football, play it, go on excursions, or somewhere else. Several participants also didn't want to eat in the local canteen and went to the center of Odessa, which took about 2 hours.

I also didn't pay enough attention and didn't ask for a list of players' accommodations by room number – the base is large, there are many buildings and rooms, so it was difficult to find players in the morning after their late-night revelries; some were found only naturally, closer to lunchtime, and not always in their rooms.

We somehow relaxed after the easy event in Yekaterinburg and therefore experienced Kyiv and Michurinsk again. When I was traveling, I thought that everything would go as it did the year before – I would draw lots for the players and go to the beach to relax or play board games. But instead, it turned out to be playing in 2 shifts, searching for missing players, begging spectators for extra laptops, tinkering with the draw to shorten the schedule and, if possible, eliminate "extra" winners with losers, changing the tournament rules for individual matches, and monitoring the game situation in several matches to predict their outcome and the possible draw for the next round. Plus, there were many glitches and desynchronizations – maybe the Wi-Fi was slow, maybe HDmod and WT don't work well together (for some reason, most of the glitches occurred with fans of this mod), or maybe something else.

In the end, somehow, by some miracle, everything came together "at the last minute" – 4 rounds were enough to determine a sole winner, and we managed to fit it into the schedule, although the last round had to be played until 6 a.m. But I don't want to repeat this, sorry.

On the last day, I discussed this with Vasya and Stinger; it seems that in Minsk, we need to somehow organize the time aspect of the tournament – organized arrival/departure, renting missing laptops, a strict schedule for the rounds. Also, perhaps, we should change the list of maps and control the time – returning to 4000+400 seems quite justified to me; long matches disrupted the timing of the rounds several times. And for the connection, it's better to use cables instead of Wi-Fi – fewer glitches and desynchronizations, and faster loading/transfer of turns. We should also ask Baratortcha to add a function to the autosave that saves the game before each battle between players – this will simplify the reproduction of the turn in case of a glitch during the battle.

Among the positive impressions, I was pleased with the participants' desire to play mirror matches; most of the tournament matches were played on this map. The watchability of the matches is very high, especially when skilled players are playing. And even a minimal difference in skill/mood/physical form immediately becomes apparent.

Also, Jebus turned out to be unexpectedly watchable – although I don't like this map, I try not to watch or play it, but when I had to watch, I realized that you can "get into" it at any moment of the game; the history of the moves doesn't particularly affect the assessment of the position. This is convenient.

I'm very glad that this time the dates worked out for me and I had the time to attend! 90+% of the participants tried to make the gathering not only a sporting competition but also a wonderful and enjoyable rest, and I thank them for that! I'm glad I got to know everyone and was able to appreciate their personal qualities, which made the rest unforgettable! I think that winning or losing in the final would have had very little impact on my assessment! If anyone felt that my jokes and active attitude were somehow pretentious, I'm sorry that they had that impression; I hope it only applied to the remaining 10%... Mutual teasing and friendly competition are exactly what many people come to these gatherings for! The euphoria of winning the tournament fades quickly, but I hope the emotions and relationships will last a lifetime!

Dad almost burst into the home training room and will respond as soon as he arrives... as usual, in about a month)))

Another dad burst into the home gathering, but since he's a Siberian sloth, he'll respond as always... in about two months.
In short, everything was great, and the heroes passed by quickly, which I definitely won't regret. The last two days turned into some kind of entertainment marathon... Stinger perfectly captured the overall mood with the words, "Can I reschedule my tickets for a later date?".
As always, it was hard to say goodbye, thanks to everyone for the great time!

I'm very glad that I was able to escape from distant Siberia to this wonderful place, where the weather was as good as on the best summer days back home. I really liked the venue and its proximity to the sea. As far as I'm concerned, the organizational part was a success, and the tournament was judged excellently. I couldn't play well myself because I wanted to get out of the tournament as soon as possible and dive into a full-fledged vacation. By the way, the word "dive" will be relevant among Heroes players for a long time, just like the jokes about Kirzhakov :D In this tournament, I think the champion's victory was more convincing than ever. Alex didn't just play; he tore through, destroyed, and dominated in all games, especially in the mirror match, where, even giving up on red, he was ahead of his opponent from the very beginning. And of course, watching Bogema play live is much more interesting than any stream. At this tournament, I saw and met Alex for the first time, and he made a good impression. I was very glad to meet him, as well as the two Evgenys (God and Red). I was also pleased to see the Ukrainian players who visited us briefly (Forest, Papik, Vladimir), and it was very nice to chat with them. The Belarusian guys Lizard, Soup, Vodik, and Vasya also didn't disappoint, and I hope that next year they will maintain the high standard of the CIS championship and even surpass it; I will try my best to come. Tanya-Scorpion is a very pleasant girl, and her participation made this tournament even better, and moreover, playing on a less familiar version, learning some nuances right during the game, she managed to take a prize-winning place (this is a dig at the hardcore players). Lesha (Snoopy), who suffered the most injuries, was also noticed. In general, it's very nice when newcomers attend such events. I would especially like to mention the person who surprised me the most - this is Igor (Satyr), who turned out to be a very pleasant and witty person. Dzhavdet, Medium, and Peterius are also great. In general, everyone who came is great, although there could have been more people from Ukraine. I was also very, very glad to see all my old friends!!!! Respect to everyone!!!

jokes about Kirzhakov :D

Did you mean to write it with an "e," but missed? )))))))

All good things must come to an end, and CIS 2013 is no exception, which is a pity. It was a great event, and I'm left with only positive emotions. The only thing that spoiled it was that after the copious amounts of alcohol consumed on the first day, everyone suffered from a bad stomach.
Our mistake was in the timing of the tournament, as 5 days is simply not enough for everything. There were too many temptations and the weather was too good to spend all day and night in front of computers.
There were some minor organizational flaws; the internet failed, and we wanted to do full-fledged streams, but it didn't spoil the mood for those who were at the venue. New faces appeared, people who hadn't come before, and I hope that these ranks will continue to grow.
I was incredibly happy to see old friends - Forrest, Papik, Vasya, Chaos, and to make new acquaintances - God, Javdet, Scorpion, Shevanesian, Satyr, Snoopy, and everyone else with whom we've been meeting at tournaments and outside of them for all these years!

My congratulations to the champion - Alex! He played exceptionally well; his emotions were sometimes overwhelming, but that's understandable when there's a desire to win, and then there will be a result!

I'm looking forward to the next tournament, and I also hope that Tvarina's plans to hold a similar tournament on the Sod version will come true, and I really want to attend it. Although, in my opinion, many who came this time for the first time realized that it's not about the version, but about the desire to come, chat, and play the beloved game.

Tanya-Scorpion is a very pleasant girl; her participation enhanced this tournament, and moreover, while playing on a less familiar version and learning some nuances right during the game, she managed to take a prize-winning place (this is a jab at the hardcore VT players).

Quite the opposite, Kostya. :) This shows that even without knowing all the nuances of VT and without proper practice on this version, a SOD player can take prize-winning places, defeating VT players. Because playing VT is incomparably easier than playing SOD.
And huge respect to Scorpion, of course! She can do it! She just sometimes criticizes herself unnecessarily. :smile01:

Please accept a few lines from a grateful viewer. To say that I am impressed would be an understatement. These five days turned out to be very eventful for me personally. I haven't had such a good rest in a long time. I got a lot of pleasure, took away a bag full of emotions, and barely managed to carry it all )). First of all, I liked the company; I met almost everyone: open, friendly, and kind people. They welcomed me like one of their own, fed me well, and gave me plenty to drink )),
I've wanted to meet Alex for a long time, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to talk to him so much. Cobra turned out to be a very kind person in communication; he doesn't resemble a snake at all )). Special thanks to Max, who gave me such a thorough introduction to the world of Heroes outside the conference hall )). In general, listing everyone would result in a long text; just know, guys: I am grateful to everyone for the wonderful atmosphere. I think the vacation was a success, and I give Aztak respect for organizing this celebration! If possible, I will definitely try to attend similar gatherings in the future! I wish everyone success in Heroes and in life!

Kind of a report.

A few more participants didn't want to eat at the local cafeteria and went to the center of Odessa, which took about two hours.

That happened, we might have picky tastes, but overall, it doesn't affect my high opinion of the tournament organization!
First of all, we were greeted with great hospitality; Oxy and Aztec made sure we got to the base. We wouldn't have found it ourselves.
Secondly, the tournament venue itself – a base on the seashore and a beautiful city – there's a lot to see, and it will be remembered for a long time.
Thirdly, and most importantly, it was great to communicate with old friends and many new Heroes players. I especially remember the intense game with Javtet – I haven't had such a fierce battle for the center before; respect for the game (I'll try to write a report later). I watched the game (on a nearby laptop) of the new champion, Alex; it's a completely new style of play for me – I saw many interesting things, and I will use this experience. Besides the Heroes moments, I remember Cobra's "call about probabilities" at the poker table and the 3x3 soccer game – for the first time in many years, I didn't sit on the bench but even ran a little – it was great ;)

Suggestions for improvement:
- in order to comply with the regulations, give the judge the authority to award technical defeats for not showing up at the start of the game (the criteria for non-appearance need to be discussed).
- offer more game maps. It's not interesting to play on the same map throughout the tournament – I think many will agree. Although, the future of such tournaments lies in improving the game on this map. The unbalanced Diamond map is simply not worth criticizing – I think it would be a shame to go to the next championship and lose on an unfamiliar map.
- on the 8mm, 6cm, Noste, etc. maps, force players to play the final on 147 (137) by the judge's decision in order to save time on the round. Test this idea in some online tournament.

PS. I'm still on the road, I'll post photos from the tournament later.:o

This shows that even without knowing all the nuances of VT and without significant playtime on this version, a SoD player can take prize-winning places on it, killing VT folders. Because playing VT is incomparably easier than SoD.

That's exactly what I meant :)

P.S.: People, more photos!!! Don't be shy :)

I'll jot down a few lines too :) The trip can be divided into two parts: mega-positive and slightly less so. From the latter, I can highlight the terrible airline, the draw, and the fact that everything went by so quickly. But even all of this doesn't overshadow the positive emotions. A huge THANK YOU to all the participants and spectators; the company was fantastic, even though I barely knew anyone personally before this trip. The groups were a bit different, but they all complemented each other with a friendly and fun atmosphere. Kudos to the Siberian Vatokats for their mega-positive attitude and humor, and to the ever-optimistic guys from Yekaterinburg; I hope you realize your plans for promoting Vt. Lizard and Asm, thank you for the musical accompaniment to the tournament; it was awesome to sing songs sometimes until morning. I'd also like to mention Tanya (Scorpion) and Katya (Katerina); with you, this meeting gained an extra special touch. :) There were quite a few people, I can't even list them all :o, but respect to everyone for coming! A separate huge thank you to Aztec!!! For the meeting, accommodation, and organization of this event. The dissatisfied can go away; everything was awesome :). I liked how they greeted Scorpion at dawn at 6 am :) As for the games, I can't highlight much. In the first round, I immediately "got lucky" with the draw and ended up against a very strong player. It was probably due to Vasya's lack of practice on the mirror matchup. In the second round, I was destined to play against Alex, the future tournament winner, who was in great shape. Here, my own mistakes and the opponent's flawless skill played their part. 6-8 hours of restarts during the match, and then almost the whole night playing poker, didn't throw him off his game :cool: After that, the special motivation was gone. I played a diamond game with Alone with interest, but then came a snag. I was one of the first to play the 3rd round (I didn't get an opponent right away), and in the 4th round, I sat down last (unfortunately, not according to the draw) and against the loser of the pair Bayazet - Medium. In general, I played poorly and wasn't particularly motivated. The game could have been dragged out for a very long time because the opponent had the advantage, but there were places to recover and secret trump cards. Late at night, I decided that Kostya (Medium) deserved it more based on the game and overall performance in the tournament :smile20: and I surrendered, and I don't regret it at all. Overall, my impressions of the games are 50/50; there's something to strive for. The main thing is that one record was broken: I became the youngest participant in the CIS :D. Now I need to win the cup at the next gathering :smile13: Thank you all very much; we're looking forward to the next CIS event!

Thank you very much to the organizers for putting together this unforgettable event! I can't recall any negative moments, except maybe the drafty air conditioning on the last tournament night, and the bartender trying to upsell me on a cocktail. Vic did a great job, keeping everyone motivated and preventing anyone from leaving early, so we managed to finish all the games on time. There were slightly too few laptops, but the problem was solved, so I don't consider it a negative factor either. Everything was great!

This was my first time attending a gathering of fans of my favorite game, and I wanted to meet the people I play with in person, as well as some of the legendary Heroes players I'd heard so much about. Everyone was just awesome, and it was a pleasure to meet such positive people, play with some of them, and just chat with others! I picked up a couple of useful tips. It's a shame I didn't join in on some of the gatherings that are in the photos and videos – I spent time with the beautiful Odessa, but I hope to not miss anything next time.
As for the games: I played to the best of my ability, and I was able to focus on the game. I got a little lucky in the match against Satyr, and the opposite happened in the last game. I'm happy with my overall result in the tournament.
Congratulations to Alex, the winner, on his victory! Well done!

I'd like to give some advice to the "hardcore SOD players" – definitely make sure to attend a tournament like this next year. You'll have the opportunity to chat with great masters, get a huge boost of positive emotions, and the game will shine with new colors. And as for SOD, I think you'll find someone to play it with.

Best regards from my friend Dimas to everyone!