Please before you read, understand that this article was written with great respect to sc2. This article was written to enlighten people about the history of broodwar, not create tension. And i hope by the time i finish with this pieces final installment that everyone is excited for sc2 and what the game can and will bring in the future because at the moment sc2 is where broodwar was 10 years ago, and after reading this youll understand that theres nowhere to look but up
Preface
So I know you all know and love SC2, but if you’re me, you’re mad. Why? Because my friends make statements like,
“I don't get why you don't like Fruitdealer because he's cheesy, you love Boxer and he bunker rushed 3 times in a final.”
The complete lack of understanding of who Boxer is, what he did, and why we all idolize the guy was completely nonexistent with him. Other things like, man who would have thought fast expand and macro, or drop plays would be important, make me cringe because they clearly have missed out on 10 years of the greatest strategy competition to ever have taken place. They missed out on Brood War. If I say Nada, they think “oh that mediocre Terran”
If I say Savior they think why you are talking about Jesus. Call me old, call me cranky, but it’s time to teach these youngsters a thing or two. Because, and I'm just going to say it, the players in Brood War at this very moment, this very second actually, are playing a more evolved higher level game than us Starcraft II players are, and if they were not paid to be on those teams, and decided to play Starcraft II, would crush the hopes anyone has in that belief that they are good at the game. Gather around children as I tell you the epic of heroes and villains, revolutionist and kings. A story of unstoppable gods beaten by mortals, of monsters with 400 fingers, of beasts who kill with a stare. This is the story that should be heard by all, of our ancestors, of our origin, this is the story of Brood War.Chapter One: The Dark Ages
Yes, there was life before Lim Yo Hwan, a prologue to the age of SlayersBoxer. History is scarce before the days of the Brood War. They say that there were other realms, other worlds out there. It's hard to piece together the tattered writings, but they all seem to point to one story of our creation. There were other realms, other, creators. Some created a realm known as Command and Conquer, some created worlds like we have never seen, but that is irrelevant. What is relevant, is that among these beings, these developers as they called themselves, there was a group gathering from the land of Irvine. They had set into motion many great realms already, the realm of Warcraft and Diablo most notably. But in 1998 they once again breathed life into code and created our realm, the realm of Starcraft. Now tales of her brood war Starcraft exist, but for that you must ask elders far older than me, no our story shall start at the heart of our existence, the dawn of the Brood War.
Blizzard Entertainment in 2008
In the beginning there was only darkness. The units were there, but not how we know them today. Reavers shot immediately, hydras grew faster for free and transformed into lurkers without cost. Dropships were slow and psi storms tore the world asunder. Those were dark times, instability ran rampant, as ling rushes dominated the game and all that existed. But then something unusual happened. The developers, the gods from the clan, Blizzard, took interest in their creation, something people would call strange in those days. Years had passed by, a millenia in our time, and yet, the continued changing things, as if they were searching for something. Then on May 21st, 2001, 3 years after that initial spark of life, they found it. Patch 1.08, now known as the great ordering, or balancing by some, was forged and resonated throughout our realm. Now everyone knows of the great changes, the retardation of the reaver, increased speed at which battle cruisers were constructed, but something else was added much more subtly. They added memory to the game, they gave it a mind. Replays made so you could go back and watch how you won, or how you lost, instead trying to remember or recording a VOD. It gave you specific information on how you won or lost, brought light and the age of enlightenment to the game and changed us forever.
It was in these dark times, though that we get our first champion. His name was Maynard, and every time you transfer a harvester from one base to another, you’re thanking him. The term is named after him. We learned the first effects of great economy from him, and he will always be remembered.
Now many people know of the Koreans, and most fear them. But how did such dominance occur so locally? Well it is very important to note one of the greatest secrets of Korean history. In the 90s, the government spearheaded a project to get high speed internet in the country, and when I mean spear headed I mean that in Korea. In 1998, over 60% of the population had broadband, just when the U.S. was just starting to have dial-up. Today in Korea, the numbers climb over the 90th percentile. By comparison, the United States, who invented the internet, in 2008, only had about 50% of its populace on broadband. What does this mean? Well it means it is very cheap to create “PC bangs”, or as we know them LAN centers, in Korea. So much so that right now if you walk down the city of Seoul, Korea, you would be hard pressed not to find one on every block. Because Starcraft was released later in Korea than everywhere else, no one knew who these kids were for years. But by the turn of the century, one thing was clear, the Koreans had arrived in full force, and they were ready to take over our realm.
Enter Grrr, and his foreign (non-Korean) superstars. Grrr was the single most feared man in our world. His reavers never touched the ground, and his micro was impeccable. He was very much like the great Starcraft II players of today. What I mean by that is, he was not that good. He came up with new things, but in all honesty, he was bad. Grrr would take 4 of his non-Korean pals and tear up the scene, becoming by far, the most successful non-Korean player in Korea. There were many others to note: Elky and Rekrul, for sure, and even Pillars were a great champion of old, but all paled in comparison to Grrr. He did what no non-Korean ever has, or ever will do again.
In the year 2000, Hanaro decides to sponsor a pro-gamer tournament for the TV channel Ongamenet. They called it the OSL, and it is the now known as the most coveted trophy of all pro-gaming. The first year the tradition was held, it was a guy with round eyes and pale skin who won it, it was Grrr. It may have been the first, and it may be the foreigners last, but he won it.
It is important to note that though these players were great, and champions of their time, there was no leader, no clear cut winner out of the bunch. As great as Grrr was, his prestigious win was quickly taken from him by Garimto following the next years of OSLs. As those two fought for best Protoss, there would be other players like Hot Forever, and Gorush battling for best Zerg, while Terran would remain untouched.
Why?
Within the Terran race, there was no dominion, no order, just violence executed within the mind. It like this until a young player with eyes screaming with intelligence, hungry for victory, entered the scene. While people described Terran as a fundamentally unusable broken race, this player defended them. He referenced a quote and said,
“Man is the lord creator of all things”.
Enter 2001’s OSL sponsored by Hanbit, less than a year after the Freechal OSL won by Garimto. This Terran player would be the last of his kind in the tournament dominated by Protoss and Zerg.
The deck stacked against him.
This unknown face would step into the ring, with what all would call impossible odds with an impossible race.
He proceeded to drop a single game, and win 11, taking the world’s most prestigious title with him.
Before they called him the hope of Terran, but little did they know we would now call him Emperor. The Brood War had found its first king of unrivaled supremacy. The dark ages were gone, and in his dominion there was only light. The greatest figure e-sports would ever have, The Emperor of Terran, the mind of Brood War, a name all should know and revere, Lim Yo Hwan. The age of SlayersBoxer had begun, and our realm would never be the same again.
SlayersBoxer
Chapter 2: The Age of Men | Preview
Part I: From Man to Monster - The Birth of a Legend
Preface
“I haven't slept for four days. I couldn't lie down in comfort. Fortunately, my mind is as clear as the autumn sky. The mighty opponent most likely to defeat me is not the player sitting across from me. It's me. If I beat myself, give it my best I will not lose this game. My laziness is my most fearful enemy. Defeat is the acceptance of my own laziness. I practiced without regard to day or night for today's game. I pushed onward until my practice partners collapsed, begging to stop playing. In a game, only the last man standing has the privilege of making the victory toast.
I'm now sitting on the player's seat. The blinding lights are shining and the cameras are fixed on me. "YEAH~~ YEAH~~" I can hear the cries. They are the cheers of the countless fans surrounding me. Even more fans are watching me in front of their television. Everyone is waiting to see what kind of game I will play today. Why am I sitting here? There’s only one answer—for victory.
I input the alias SLayerS_`BoxeR` and await my adversary's entrance. The lights and cameras vanish far away and even the fans' cries are now inaudible. Instantaneously I'm alone in complete tranquility. Soon the curtains will rise. I am the protagonist and I am the victor, and the stage for the game that only I can finish will open.
The momentarily darkened monitor soon shows my position. The game has begun. My heart rate begins to gradually rise and my hands, my eyes, and my whole body is moving towards only one thing. I have to strike before my opponent deduces my cards. A bit more··· a bit more···. But at the same time I gather myself. Because of the ambition to seize victory, I had once lost everything I had prepared so long for in an instant. I cannot commit another painful instance to my memory. The moment of victory approaches me. 10 seconds, 9 seconds···2 seconds, 1 second. Finally the dropship revealed itself.
I load the troops that are already standing by. And I fly the dropship to the region completely unexpected by the opponent. Of course, this too was a route discovered through practice. It passes through the areas where the opponent never scouts and infiltrates where the defense is weakest. The dropship flies. To prepare for the possible counter-attack I also check my main base relentlessly. I construct a defensive line that is not easy to penetrate. Now all that's left is for the units to unload safely from the dropship.
Between the already scoped out buildings, the covert dropship exposes itself in the enemy base, after having taken the unrevealed route at an unexpected moment. Even if the opponent had predicted it, he cannot stop me. That is my strategy. Using the enemy buildings as shields, I destroy the units and buildings one by one, but quickly, even before his reinforcements arrive. I still have a second force left even if my tired units are eliminated by the reinforcements. I have to defend my base as perfectly as I execute the attack.
The outcome hinges on this. If I'm hurt as much as I've damaged the enemy, then the strategy has failed. Even as I assault the enemy base my eyes are always observing my base. In the end, I have built a new squad of units from the moment the dropship departed.
This is the most critical moment. I have to steal even the time my opponent has to breathe. If left alone, the enemy will revitalize. The enemy will prey on the unguarded moment of my thinking that I've won. I must constrict him completely. At the last instant, I must not have even a modicum of hesitation. Hesitation about the road I'm taking, the choices I'm making, the future···. The moment I hesitate, the opponent will find my weakness. Until the enemy completely acknowledges defeat, Nike, the goddess of victory, does not raise my hand. Thus I cannot stop.
With a final attack as sharp as a sword and as swift as a flash, I must completely dominate the opponent. Precise timing! A moment I cannot pass by, my units trample over the enemy base. I set ablaze everything to make restoration impossible, and pressure him to admit defeat. However the opponent cannot let go of even the thin thread of a hope. Coldly I must crush even that hope. After all the fibers of hope have been severed, the opponent gives up everything and declares GG. At last the goddess Nike timidly gives me a kiss. Slowly I lift my eyes from the monitor and look at the fans. I take off my headset and listen to the cries of the fans.
Today I sit again on this seat. Tomorrow I will sit here again. I will be standing on the stage for the game until the day I declare GG to myself.”
I'm now sitting on the player's seat. The blinding lights are shining and the cameras are fixed on me. "YEAH~~ YEAH~~" I can hear the cries. They are the cheers of the countless fans surrounding me. Even more fans are watching me in front of their television. Everyone is waiting to see what kind of game I will play today. Why am I sitting here? There’s only one answer—for victory.
I input the alias SLayerS_`BoxeR` and await my adversary's entrance. The lights and cameras vanish far away and even the fans' cries are now inaudible. Instantaneously I'm alone in complete tranquility. Soon the curtains will rise. I am the protagonist and I am the victor, and the stage for the game that only I can finish will open.
The momentarily darkened monitor soon shows my position. The game has begun. My heart rate begins to gradually rise and my hands, my eyes, and my whole body is moving towards only one thing. I have to strike before my opponent deduces my cards. A bit more··· a bit more···. But at the same time I gather myself. Because of the ambition to seize victory, I had once lost everything I had prepared so long for in an instant. I cannot commit another painful instance to my memory. The moment of victory approaches me. 10 seconds, 9 seconds···2 seconds, 1 second. Finally the dropship revealed itself.
I load the troops that are already standing by. And I fly the dropship to the region completely unexpected by the opponent. Of course, this too was a route discovered through practice. It passes through the areas where the opponent never scouts and infiltrates where the defense is weakest. The dropship flies. To prepare for the possible counter-attack I also check my main base relentlessly. I construct a defensive line that is not easy to penetrate. Now all that's left is for the units to unload safely from the dropship.
Between the already scoped out buildings, the covert dropship exposes itself in the enemy base, after having taken the unrevealed route at an unexpected moment. Even if the opponent had predicted it, he cannot stop me. That is my strategy. Using the enemy buildings as shields, I destroy the units and buildings one by one, but quickly, even before his reinforcements arrive. I still have a second force left even if my tired units are eliminated by the reinforcements. I have to defend my base as perfectly as I execute the attack.
The outcome hinges on this. If I'm hurt as much as I've damaged the enemy, then the strategy has failed. Even as I assault the enemy base my eyes are always observing my base. In the end, I have built a new squad of units from the moment the dropship departed.
This is the most critical moment. I have to steal even the time my opponent has to breathe. If left alone, the enemy will revitalize. The enemy will prey on the unguarded moment of my thinking that I've won. I must constrict him completely. At the last instant, I must not have even a modicum of hesitation. Hesitation about the road I'm taking, the choices I'm making, the future···. The moment I hesitate, the opponent will find my weakness. Until the enemy completely acknowledges defeat, Nike, the goddess of victory, does not raise my hand. Thus I cannot stop.
With a final attack as sharp as a sword and as swift as a flash, I must completely dominate the opponent. Precise timing! A moment I cannot pass by, my units trample over the enemy base. I set ablaze everything to make restoration impossible, and pressure him to admit defeat. However the opponent cannot let go of even the thin thread of a hope. Coldly I must crush even that hope. After all the fibers of hope have been severed, the opponent gives up everything and declares GG. At last the goddess Nike timidly gives me a kiss. Slowly I lift my eyes from the monitor and look at the fans. I take off my headset and listen to the cries of the fans.
Today I sit again on this seat. Tomorrow I will sit here again. I will be standing on the stage for the game until the day I declare GG to myself.”
- The opening passage of Boxers Biography Crazy As Me.
If you haven't already, read it now. It can be found here: External Link.
Before he was a monster, he was a man.. well a boy. It is important for us to know where the monster came from, and how he grew before we speak of his reign of terror. It is important because his story is the basis of all the beasts that would come after. There would be many to come, but he was the first. Though he was probably not the best, probably not the most successful, he is the origin from which we were all spawn. It was his system, his environmental, that would be the forge for all that would come after, but remember he was once a boy...
The world was changing and the people at the very center did not even realize it. A young boy had been introduced to star craft. Wide eyed, captured by its magic, he would go to his friends house everyday to play.
This made him stronger.
One day his friend would reveal that there existed a place where there were many computers, a place where people came exclusively to play video games. This wasn't an arcade this was a PC bang. They were popping up all over Korea as a result of cheap fast interwebs. And for the boy it was a playground. For the first time he played other players, and for awhile he lost. But in the darkness that was common in PC bangs, one pair of eyes could always be seen, watching from the shadows and learning. Never once did he lose and think, people are just better than me. Never once was he made complacent by his failures. No these eyes hungered for victory, and it was clear that nothing would stop them until satisfied.
Alas star craft was not all that was in the boys life. School was a huge force and in those times, to play a video game for great periods of time was looked. The boy tried to focus on what society told him to, but again and again the brood war called him back. In the back of his mind during every test, every late night spent studying, the sounds of his passion could not be silenced. Eventually the boy could no longer fight, it had drafted him, he would fight in the brood war.
In the old days, the boy did not at first choose the race of men. The alien race of protoss called him. It was the reaver that had initially captured his imagination. But the creators would soon change the reaver, and much of the boys fascination with it dwindled. Instead it was terran that the boy would turn to.
“the biggest reason why I chose Terran was that it was the only human race of the three in Starcraft.”-boxer
At the time the boy thought it was just a game. He played for fun because that is all that his passion asked of him. The boy understood one thing only, with the keyboard and mouse in hand he felt complete. And that was all that mattered. It was ironically at this point that he would stumble the ladder. It was in this ladder he saw a guy that was ranked first. Without thinking of his rank, or the meaning of rank the boy requested a game with him. The immediate response from the guy on the top of the ladder was now, with the implication that the boy was far too inferior for him to waste the time.
The boy was furious, never before had he thought of things as ranked, or as someone as superior or inferior. He only understood the game, and that he loved to play it. Never before had he wanted to be the best. But now those eyes that intelligently got caught up in the magic of the game had changed. They grew red with hunger. He wanted not just victory, he wanted obedience.
The boy grew stronger and closer to being a beast.
With that in mind he wanted to understand what made those that were better than him, better. He would enter a tournament and quickly find the answer.
They were fast. They never stopped moving, a concept that had never occurred to him. He was astonished at their movement. Speed was the key, he pushed for it, made his movements more nimble.
The boy grew stronger and closer to being a beast.
He grew large enough to be noticed. There were those who drafted boys like him. When they saw one who grew large enough consider progamer class. This class of boy was different than the ones that he met before in the shadows of the PC bangs. These boys were like him, and in most cases, in classes much higher than him. They would gather them and put them in a single arena, and tell them to fight for survival, in hopes that they would grow into champions. Some would grow, but many would be ripped to shreds. When they asked him if would be interested in such a horrific place the boy, uncertain if there would be a future for him, how he would live, or if he could even survive without being torn asunder, would smile with anticipation. With his heart soaring with elation of growing to the class progamer, he would walk into the cold dark arena known as a pro house. Battling with the other boys everyday, fighting tirelessly from sunrise to sunset, the boy began to understand his place in the this world.
The boy grew stronger and closer to being a beast.
The boys first test would come in 1999. It was the SBS Multi-Game Championship. The directors, or coaches as we know them today, requested him to join, not that they needed to. The boy would scrape and claw his way to the finals. In the finals he would play his first game and win, nothing out of the ordinary. Simply only thinking of victory he started the second game. He lost. Fear of losing crept into his mine, the training was too much, it started to drive him mad, and then something different happened. Something that had never happened to the other boys. The fear left him and instead of his victory he thought something new. He thought, I know you, and all you have to offer, no matter what my opponent, you shall lose. He would go on to win the third match. The directors thought, another success, and enjoyed their work. But they did not understand that their experiments had changed him, that with this victory he has tasted blood for the first time. He would come back different than the other boys.
The boy grew stronger and closer to the beast.
The transformation was not easy on the boy. We would watch him struggle with the darkness within himself. He would get knocked out of the 2000 Freechal OSL opening round, he would lose not only in tournaments, but in his pro house as well. The directors would say, why not play another race, you can not win with the race of men. Other directors would think his time was up and he was worn down. None knew of the battle within himself. Then while searching for something to settle the chaos within, he would find his answer. The dropship. He had been using it, and people had noticed before that it was unique. But now with the battle settled he understood, the timing, the execution required to fully utilize this tool. Quietly he would sit in the back of the pro house preparing. While the eyes of the directors and the world were on other things, he would quietly slaughter the other boys in the back of house where no one could see.
The boy had become the beast, but no one would see.
It is important that I told you that story, it is important because that is not the story people know (and quite honestly I took a lot of artistic license with it.) None the less it is the most important story. For while the world watched the likes of Maynard, Grrr, and Garimto, the showed a blind eye to the terran race . These are the origins of the beast.
So in May 2001 in the Osl sponsored by Hanbit, many were shocked to see a terran reach the round of 16. He was the last to use the race of men, and many called him the hope of terran. They did not know what would happen next. They only saw a boy. He would go on to massacre all the boys at the tournament, eyes that hungered for dominance, and the taste of blood in his mouth. He only lost one game. A single game against those who were considered the greatest of all the progamer class boys. He would win 11. That's correct, everyone else 1 the boy 11.
The boy had become the beast, and now everyone could see.
And that beast name was SlayersBoxer.
Chapter 3
From Beast to God-king-the story of the Emperor
Just the beginning for what will be a long endeavor into the world i grew up with.
Will be posting more on our new site http://www.omgyumyum.com/forums/home.php
and here on liquid.
-also if anyone has any cool art to give me for this thing i would much appreciate it