Posts from About the game and other related topics.

About the game program and other things.
At the recent CIS event, there was some unhealthy discussion about the content of my game events. This discussion stemmed from the fact that less than two weeks before the event, the organizers decided that they no longer needed the traditional game program focused on general knowledge, dexterity, wit, and so on. Furthermore, the organizers decided to offend me by calling my contests from last year "wedding-themed." It should be added that at that time, work on the script for the traditional game program was nearing completion. And everything had to be done from scratch, literally. For some reason, when people offer criticism, they only remember two contests. This includes the round with questions from the school curriculum and the final "Hardcore" round, in which Skorp demonstrated amazing flexibility. I have always believed that a person who plays Heroes should not only be able to calculate move points in their head. They should also possess intelligence, and a fairly decent level of intelligence at that. Therefore, it seems strange to me when there are any debates about questions on general knowledge, because it raises a reasonable question: do you even know anything besides Heroes in this life?
Regarding the last round, which some people called wedding-themed: a wedding contest is a dead end for a drunk crowd. A wedding contest is one where you don't need to think, but you need to suck bananas and jump on butts and penises. The "Hardcore" round implied that people would have to think about how to complete the task and achieve victory. The winning Skorp pointed out a very correct thing: that victories could be achieved in different ways. He chose the most original one, because few Heroes players could demonstrate such dexterity.
Go to Tvarina's stream and write to him in the chat that you didn't like his last stream. And you'll get... Actually, go to hell. And that's right.
Someone might say that I get paid for this. No, my friends. I don't get paid for this. I come as a volunteer – I only get reimbursed for travel and accommodation expenses. I don't get any extra money in my pocket. At market value, hiring a host in St. Petersburg with an original script, that is, one written from scratch, and two programs (because you also need to think about the opening of the championship), would cost around one hundred, or even two hundred thousand. Moreover, no one pays for creating the video sequence – my resources are used for this. In addition, the photo album of the participants – and before that, the photos need to be found, selected, processed, and a layout created – and the bag for the draw are made with my money.
And that's why I went to the Brain Ring unprepared and without enthusiasm – I only perked up towards the end. I announce the start of the Brain Ring at 10:00 PM. There are people whose ears are in order, and they can confirm this. They tell me that it should have started at 8:00 PM. I physically couldn't start it earlier because I was waiting for a miracle in the form of dinner. Because someone ate my dinner. Because I also have to run after the organizers so that they fulfill their minimum obligations. I ask the guys, while I'm having dinner, to help and do a simple thing – put two tables and place a laptop on each of them. I return after an hour and a half – the story about the turtles from the restaurant-bar will be mentioned separately in the Report – and even that no one bothered to do. Finally, a person for whom alcohol is contraindicated, under its influence, turns into a drunk idiot. And this drunk idiot actually disrupts the start of the Brain Ring. And so what? Everyone sits on their asses – instead of throwing this person out of the room into the dry fountain. A month before the event, I provided a list of what I needed for working in the hall. Instead of two radio microphones, there was only one. Instead of batteries, there were my own fingers. If they had said right away that they couldn't do this, I would have bought the batteries myself and wouldn't have worried.
All of this, taken together, leads to a simple conclusion. No one needs anything. Only Merlin.
Merlin at the CIS event is an image. And every year, it is incredibly difficult to maintain this image. Especially when you give it your all and work even beyond the limits of human capabilities. In a week, I slept for about 20 hours, because you go to bed – and you can't fall asleep, because you are so tired and because the show must go on. It is especially difficult when you put all your energy and soul into it – and everyone who wants to spits on it. Including the organizers. And the audience. And the self-proclaimed critics. Everyone doesn't care, only Merlin is jumping around here and there, because for Merlin, people have always been the most important thing. A jerk, in a word.
And how can I then bring myself to discuss anything about my work? Any of you would have given up long ago and said, "Whatever."
I don't know what will happen next year – I would like to participate in organizing a decent CIS event. One that should be. But I simply don't have the financial resources for this. And when it comes to money, many immediately hide in the bushes: some because they don't have it, others because of greed and avarice. And now, in addition to money, there are also no nerves left – I returned completely exhausted on all fronts, physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. Last year, I, of course, was physically exhausted – but I was energized in other areas.
But, one way or another. In my show, I am used to focusing on the audience. And this audience consists not only of hardcore gamers. But also of guests with their wives, last year there were even children. And many who have already distanced themselves from Heroes enough to answer questions on the subject matter. Out of 40-45 guests this year, only 24 were playing. At the same time, at least 4 of them were technical representatives. That is, 50% of the audience was not involved. This is absolutely unacceptable to me. The CIS event has long gone beyond a purely hardcore event. We mostly come together to chat, spend time together, meet new or old people. But also to show that Heroes is still alive. And for this, the main tournament is held. And the game program is entertainment and a show for everyone.
Therefore, I propose a simple vote to determine preferences. If I continue to run a game program in the future, what should it be based on? There are only three points.
Point one. The game program is based on general knowledge, dexterity, wit, resourcefulness, and all sorts of other interesting things. And, of course, it will include something on the Heroes theme – last year, for example, we drew a centaur with a blindfold.
Point two. The game program consists only of questions about Heroes 3.
Point three. The game program is not needed.
Only those who attended my game programs are allowed to participate in the vote {the votes of those who were at the CIS event but did not attend because they are not interested in the Heroes brain game also have full weight}. These are CIS 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016. As well as the organizers of these CIS events. All other opinions will not be taken into account when calculating the results.
The system for calculating the results. Attended one program – 1 vote. Attended two – 2 votes. Attended three – 3. Attended all – 5 votes.

Only heroes, only hardcore. All other contests can be held as a side activity if you want, but don't force everyone to wait and watch, because at an event dedicated to Heroes, there should be heroes and everything related to them. No one is obligated to entertain visitors who know nothing about it. But this – "In my show, I'm used to catering to the audience. And this audience consists not only of hardcore fans, but also of guests with their wives, and last year there were even children. And many who have distanced themselves from Heroes enough that they can't answer detailed questions. Out of 40-45 guests this year, only 24 were playing. At the same time, at least 4 of them were there as technical support. That means 50% of the audience was not engaged. This is absolutely unacceptable to me" – this is what I find unacceptable. I'm not coming to socialize with wives and children or those who just came along for the ride and to drink. I'm also not very interested in watching them have fun at your contests. If someone wants to join the group, they should adapt. If a Heroes fan brings their family or girlfriend, they should explain what they're getting into. What worries me more is that every year, the Heroes session is increasingly resembling an alcohol-fueled session. People are drinking more and more, and it's interfering with the main event, and this also applies to the founder of this topic. So far, it hasn't crossed the critical threshold, but it's clearly approaching it.

instead of making everyone wait and just sit around watching

Have you seen yourself in the mirror? How can anyone force you to do anything? :smile10: :smile42:

I'm more concerned about the fact that every year, the Heroes session is starting to resemble an alcohol-fueled session more and more...

There will be a separate post about this, in which I will raise a whole range of questions. Because the outrageousness that was happening clearly went beyond everything that was before.

At the next CIS tournament, there should be two halls. One for the computer championship, and another for all sorts of other fun and activities. Because the players at the computers were really struggling to concentrate amidst all that chaos.

I ask that in this thread, only comments directly related to the topic are posted, namely, Merlin's game program.
A report on the past ESENG will appear a little later. For now, I'm in recovery mode – and just sleeping whenever I can. And I'm still getting out of character. I've already gotten rid of the regular "Kстати," but I haven't been able to get rid of the regular "Баранина" yet {especially today, I felt like using the word in relation to the saleswoman in the store}...
But I managed to record the main points on paper, and some things are still fresh in my mind and won't be forgotten anytime soon. So, we'll wait with discussing the event. Everyone has something to think about. Let everything settle in everyone's minds so that we can start a constructive discussion without the usual squabble {let the squabble be unusual:smile04:}.

Please vote; the more participants vote, the less I have to ask individually.

The frequent use of "By the way, go to hell" was probably a special part of the program for women and children.
Regarding the topic – in my opinion, this year's Brain Ring looked better than what was in Volgograd. I'm not very sure if it will be possible to maintain the level of questions for 2-3 years, because, in my opinion, the purely "Heroes" theme will be exhausted quite quickly. I think it's better to focus on purely "Heroes" related content rather than something more general, excluding, of course, questions like "name 104 elements from the periodic table" or "name all European countries."

In my opinion, it’s better to focus on hero-related trivia rather than general knowledge, excluding, of course, questions like naming 104 elements from the periodic table or all European countries.

Did anyone ask to name all the elements or all the countries? The auction format is simple: whoever gives the last correct answer to multiple-choice questions advances to the final round. And that’s why the questions should be as diverse as possible, including questions about things that every schoolchild should theoretically know. And this leads to the conclusion that those who respond negatively simply have unpleasant memories of school, or they didn’t study very well. Because the periodic table or European countries and their capitals are, in fact, common knowledge. It’s general erudition because everyone learned it in school. Or do you think that everyone else is so stupid that they don’t know the periodic table? So, we also checked that.
And whether to include or not include – that’s exactly what the question is.
And one more thing. Regarding Brain Ring and any similar format. Coming up with one interesting question takes time. Some questions took up to half an hour just to verify. And even then, there were disagreements. But I can confidently say that the final questions were the most interesting, and as a host, I was most interested in the final.
But truly interesting questions about Heroes – no matter what anyone says – are limited in number. Questions like “how much HP does a simple centaur have” are unnecessary and boring in this format.

Did someone ask to name all the elements or all the states? The auction format is simple - whoever gives the correct answer to multiple-choice questions last goes to the final round.

The auction format is simple, but in the end, we got 2 overly long questions that made the audience fall asleep.

The auction format was simple, but in the end, we got two overly long questions that bored the audience to sleep.

This isn't a problem with the questions themselves. It's more of a shortcoming on my part. And I'm taking all of this into account when preparing the next program. Because Minsk, where Mee managed to forget the save file for the Heroes competition, was a complete failure. And I was once again convinced that if you don't do it yourself, no one will. At the same time, the save file wasn't shown to me in advance. And I repeatedly asked them to send the save file for review and to measure the timing. Everything was fine, they said... We'll do everything perfectly, they said... At the same time, I always duplicate all my materials – on a flash drive, on an external hard drive, and in my email. As a result, Mee didn't have the save file for Minsk with him – and this, damn it, was only discovered when it was time to seat the participants at the laptops: they only found the Odessa version, which couldn't be used because it lacked an entertainment program.
Last year, it was less drawn out. This year, it was supposed to be even more dynamic. The Heroes competition was part of the gaming program with a strict time limit. The script for this year was timed precisely with the understanding that the audience wouldn't be able to stay engaged for more than an hour or an hour and a half. It was during the stage of refining the details, props, and timing of the main script that I was forced to start working on it again and switch to a Brain-Ring format.

I read it, and a tear rolled down my unshaven cheek... poor Kirill, he always tries so hard, and because of some bad people, he always goes through hell. Falcon and I essentially insisted on the "Heroes" questions – consider it my vision. I liked the phrase about the number of people who didn't participate – essentially, only "the exhibit" and a couple of other people were truly non-participants; the rest simply didn't care what the questions were and weren't even in the room (like Dd, who immediately said he wasn't interested). Or can you imagine if the questions were about the lore of Vego, Oxy, or Blood, would they even bother to play? As I wrote above, I believe our gathering is a gathering of the "Heroes" community, so the game should be on a corresponding theme. I'll gladly see what the organizers come up with next year, but remember, Kirill, the younger generation is nipping at your heels, and if you were moved from your usual spot as the dealer this year, who knows, maybe the apprentice will become the host, although I'm, of course, "rooting for you," because your apprentice is putting out such garbage... :D

If there were questions about Viego, Oxy, or Blood's knowledge, would they sit down and play?

Well, Oxy would definitely sit down, DD too, and Bloodlicker as well. Simply because they actively participated last year. And not just out of respect for me – but because they found last year's format interesting.
As for the issue of someone who was just giving away points – that's a disgrace. And not my disgrace. Yours. As they say, I don't need such students, not for free and not for money. This is your son of the regiment. And a product of your upbringing system:smile09: You spoiled your little one.

And there's no need for whining here. Whining is expected in another thread.

Okay, it would be very interesting to hear the opinions of DD and Oxy (Max Blood, I don't think he's registered on the forum).
P.S. - No need for pointless arguments, why bother?

Regarding the issue of someone who just sits there and gives answers – it’s a disgrace. And it’s not my disgrace. It’s yours. As they say, I don’t need such students, not even for money. This is your regiment’s son. And a product of your upbringing system:smile09:. You spoiled your little one.

I don’t know how to understand this, so I’ll ignore it.
I really liked Merlin. And the Brain Ring, in which I barely participated, was magnificent. Perhaps I’m judging subjectively – I only participated once. I’m in favor of questions on general topics. I wanted to answer something else, but I only knew the answer to one question, and I even messed that one up.

Regarding the game program, first of all, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Merlin and the team for this celebration (and I won't hesitate to call it that). For me personally, it was a welcome respite, showing me that I still have something to offer in this game. Both options are acceptable thematically, whether it's a "heroic" or a "wedding" theme (no offense to Kirill); it depends on the target audience. Personally, I'm more in favor of a heroic competition because I understand it and find it interesting, and drinking beer by the bucket and pouring water from a bottle into a bucket with my feet... well, I'm just not into that.

I'm not really sure if we can maintain the level of questions for 2-3 years because, in my opinion, a purely heroic theme will quickly become exhausted.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves; when the questions run out, we'll figure something out. Personally, I can come up with a lot of questions, but I'm interested in participating as a player. But if there are no other options, I'm ready to do everything I can.

I'm more concerned about the fact that every year, the heroic session is increasingly resembling an alcohol-fueled session. People are drinking less responsibly and interfering more with the main event.

This is not just a problem for the CIS region, but for any heroic event. On the first day, everyone is drunk; I understand that "having a drink to celebrate" is a sacred tradition, but if you can't handle your alcohol, why torture yourself and others? I'm not even talking about broken furniture and equipment, which the organizers had to pay for out of their own pockets. Moreover, some people treated the alcohol as if it were free :confused: and never paid for it.

This is completely unacceptable to me" - I'm not happy with it; I'm not coming to socialize with wives and children or those who just came along for the ride to get drunk.

And this is another part of the problem, which is not related to the competitions, but to the organization as a whole. I'm talking about the number of "outsiders" who are present at this event. I fully support the presence of wives/children, as well as people from the chat, in general, anyone who is somehow connected to the game. I am absolutely against completely unrelated people, like "good guys who just want to come and hang out and play poker" - I believe that such people have no place at this event, no matter how good and sociable they are. This year, there were almost no such people, unlike, for example, Volgograd, where there were Dark's friends (great guys, no doubt) and Stinger's drunk driver, who was just a nuisance. I'm coming to socialize with like-minded people, with those I communicate with online, and I want to communicate with them in person. And "just hanging out with good guys" is, frankly, not interesting.

I didn't mean to offend anyone; this is just my opinion.

Both options are acceptable in terms of theme, whether it's a heroic one or a "wedding" theme (no offense to Kirill).

Actually, it's offensive. As far as I remember, you don't allow anyone to be offensive towards you, but you also demand the same from yourself. This is exactly that kind of situation.

and drink beer by the shot.

It's much better to get drunk on a bucket of vodka. This was clearly demonstrated. But that's a different conversation for a different topic.

The program, therefore, presents a spectrum of various questions and tasks to cover the maximum audience.