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Good evening,
taking break between q2 games, then sit down an enjoy another article by kabysdoh.
Started in the beginning of 2014 with just a few players in, EDL is still here 13 years after. But why people actually keep returning to an old game with such a small community? is it for the love of it? Is it for the competition? Maybe some people are addicted?
kabysdoh, the div3 player from Russia, decided to approach some participants and ask them a simple question: What does EDL mean to you?
Below is a compilation of the interesting and diverse answers he received.
Feel free to include your own reasons in the comments section below.
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Hibru, from Finland, the division 2 player:
Nothing can replace it. The destruction, the beauty of the frags, all unique. The sound of my email saying "You have earn some warnings" was my wake up call, my starting pistol, my morning sun, my beginning to each new day, I cared for nothing else. This is everything, I live for a kill and it would never to be changed. Or so i thought.
Myrmidon^, from England, the division 1 player:
Anyone who knows me knows that I am somewhat critical of the EDL, and when kaby asked me if I wanted to comment for this article I thought it would be a good opportunity to elaborate on my views.
I see the EDL from two different perspectives. But what's more important is that I understand it to be a crucial aspect of the Quake 2 community, and the underlying construct that is essential to keeping the game alive. Firstly, EDL is what draws players back to Quake 2 each year. Without the EDL, I feel that Quake 2 would be a very fragmented community, only sustained through the development of much smaller leagues associated with specific countries or regions of the world, similar to what we saw in terms of the "Polish Duel League" or "Russian Duel League". Personally, I'd like to extend my thanks to Claire, our all-knowing and illustrious head admin, who has resuscitated the EDL, year-after-year, for us all to enjoy. The crap he has to put up with at times is astonishing (I'll admit that even I'm guilty of being difficult at times), and the countless players who sign up each year but never actually participate must pile stress onto a man who is not only a father working full time, but single-handedly keeps the Quake 2 community alive. So, yes, I believe the EDL is an essential factor for the health of Quake 2 and I also feel that a lot of players take it for granted.
Secondly, after considerable thought and scrutiny, I believe that the EDL doesn't reflect a player's ability or skill, if that's your word of choice as much as people like to believe. I've come to realize that, above all else, it's a tournament of maps. Many players excel in the EDL simple because they understand a handful of obscure maps better than everyone else. When you come to understand this, you start to realize that the EDL doesn't represent natural talent, but simply who has enough time on their hands to play these maps on a regular basis. This is why I prefer the Edge League over the EDL: when you take maps out of the equation, it boils down who has the best aim, strategy, tactics, movement, creativity, and focus; these are the characteristics that I measure a player by. I don't care if someone is good at Map X, because in truth, I can spend a few months playing nothing but that map and end up better than them. Why, you ask: because I have that better aim, strategy, tactics, movement, creativity, and focus. Learning a map only takes time, it's what you do on the map once you've learnt it that reflects skill.
To wrap up my answer, I will tell you this: there is a myth that I only know one map - dm1. My response: complete horse shit. The truth is: I know just as many maps as everyone else, if not more. Ever since the Euroq2l crumbled into the annals of e-sport history, there has been a large shift in map popularity, and many of the new schoolers, that make up about 90% of today's Quake 2 community, forget about the "proper" Quake 2 maps. Yes, that's right; I'm referring to the 3.20 patch maps: dm1, dm2, dm3, dm4, all the way up to dm8. Not to mention all the old school Clanbase maps that I also know, like Grom_dm3, Hammer, and Unrdm1. You might be Johnny Backpedal on rdm2 or Captain Spawn-rape on Duel5, but you challenge me to any of those patch maps, and I'll fucking destroy you.
MHZ, from Russia, the division 2 player:
I had rather signed up to this season out of old habit, as I actually hadn't been playing duels since the last year's EDL. But now, two games behind, I feel that fire Quake 2 in me again, and the excitement, yet not that strong as it used to be some day, is still here.
Keizer, from Serbia, the division 2 player:
Let's say EDL for me means keeping the best FPS game alive. Also I love competition and it's a honor to compete against best Q2 players in the world.
detina, from Russia, the division 2 player:
It's a part of my life where I can examine how good my emotions are balanced with my mind. For me, it's like a drug, or a fire, or a space ;) Or, simply put, the best game out there.
ivers, from Poland, the division 1 player:
EDL and generally Q2? It's something different than dullness of everyday life. Especially after a day of hard work and after taking care of a child for the rest of the day. For lack of time this is the only game I played since I can remember (I even bought gtx 1080 few months ago but game still remained unchanged :) I've got more fps in q2 and that's the only change ). Duels suit me the most so I try to participate in every season. Its pity that lot of people quit q2 and there are missing big nicks like David for example (maybe next season :) ). EDL always provide good entertainment and interesting competition. I like to focus and put different tactics into operation. So I hope to keep playing that game for a long period of time :)
kabysdoh, from Russia, the division 3 player:
EDL definitely brings one of the the most complex competitive experiences I have ever felt as a player, alongside with Euroq2l. It's awesome to feel the thrill every time time the countdown starts now that I'm far from being new to the game or even EDL itself. Also, as the community is so small and the same people stay for years, it's quite a good place to learn to control your emotions, be nice and not blame your opponent for your own mistakes, which is crucial, yet so hard to stick to, in other games, just as in so-called "real" life.
And running Quake 2 again for all these years, I'd say, it's how we settle what we really are. I've been out there for quite some time, seeing people moving here and there, hastening to something which is "cool" from which is "not cool" anymore. But you know, Neil Gaiman was precisely right to say that - "Wherever you go, you take yourself with you." And unlike those naive people, I don't see no need to go, as here am I, being myself, and doing what I love the best. | |
can't play any oldschool map
