MSL Champion, Park “fOrGG” Ji Soo the “Conquerer” has returned to Starcraft 2 as a progamer.
On September 30, 2011, team oGs has announced that the MSL Champion Pro-gamer, fOrGG has joined the team. This was 9 months after fOrGG announced that he is retired from pro-gaming.
After returning from the retirement, fOrGG was able to confidently break through the Sony Ericson GSL Season 7 Code A Qualifier and illustrate his greatness as a player. He beat Sage(NSHoseo) 2:0 and also beat the Super Tournament Winner, Polt (TSL), 2:0 and was continuing his dominance. Now fOrGG just has to beat July (Startale), “the God of War,” in the Round 3 to guarantee his spot at the Code S.
fOrGG who has been practicing legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2, illustrated his confidence in himself: “If I manage to play like the way I used to before, I think I have a great potential in winning.” Furthermore he stated “Since I am now in Starcraft 2, I might as well do even better and win more than I did in Starcraft 1.”
It has been two months since you returned as a StarCraft 2 Pro-gamer.
Before I started practicing for the tournament, I had no clue what to do. Fortunately, because I am an experienced pro-gamer from StarCraft 1, I was able to concentrate well on my practice and learn quickly. Before I started practicing, I actually had no idea on what to do against Sage, but after some period of practice, I felt that my games were beginning to find their missing pieces. Also I have improved even more after preparing myself for the match against Polt.
Your match against Sage was quite a match.
The game flowed the way I wanted it to. In the first game, I knew that a successful 2 Barrack rush will create a huge mental impact on my opponent. Fortunately, such was the case. I was able to play comfortably after the first game.
As a previous MSL Champion, you are getting a lot of attention. Is that burdensome?
Of course, but I am not nervous because of that. I was able to prepare my self comfortably for my match against Sage.
What convinced you to move over to StarCraft 2 after retiring from StarCraft 1?
I was planning on going to the mandatory military service after retiring from the pro-gaming, but due to my braces, I was unable to enlist. After that, I got interested in Starcraft 2 and saw the great potential of Starcraft 2 from watching the GSL. I did not want people to think that I retired suddenly from Starcraft 1 just to play Starcraft 2, therefore I decided to practice hard and prove myself as a player. I really wanted to qualify for Starcraft 2 as quickly as possible, but I was not confident that I will qualify. Therefore I pondered for a really long time.
Before getting into a legit practice with StarCraft 2, you were highly ranked in the ladder.
Every time I got confident in playing Terran on the ladder, the race got nerfed and I lost my confidence. When I was thinking hard about returning to Starcraft 2, Kim “Gon” Seong Gon contacted me and tried to convince me to play Starcraft 2 professionally. After a while, I was finally convinced and decided to join oGs. Gon told me that the best way to improve was to practice inside the teamhouse, and such was the case. After Gon convinced me to join oGs, he left to enlist in the mandatory military service. I feel like I was tricked… haha
What’s the benefit of being in oGs?
The team atmosphere is very comfortable to me. When I was in Starcraft 1, my life centered around practice all the time with a tight practice schedule. But practicing in oGs team is definitely more relaxing. I guess I feel like being a human again?
A lot of people predict that top players from Starcraft 1 will do well in Starcraft 2. What do you think about?
Top players from Starcraft 1 have great potential to do well in Starcraft 2. Players who have been a pro-gamer in Starcraft 1 definitely has a different mindset. A lot of top Starcraft 1 players have great experiences with big matches, therefore they have great mind control and I think they’ll be able to learn Starcraft 2 quickly.
You are currently living with a foreign player, Jonathan “Jinro” Walsh, how is that?
There’s nothing different between living with him and living with a Korean player. Also Jinro is very good at understanding Korean, therefore we never have a communication issue.
Is there a particular reason why you chose to play Terran in Starcraft 2?
I tried out Protoss, but in the end I decided to play Terran. I played Terran in Starcraft 1, therefore I believe I am most familiar with that race.
What’s the difference between the Terran from Starcraft 1 and Starcraft 2?
They’re very different. In Starcraft 2, you have to use the bionic unit very well and it was much more complicated. Therefore I was timid to play with Terran at first, but now I am confident in playing the race.
What’s the overall difference between the two games?
Starcraft 1 tends to have a lot of different types of diversion plays one can do. Such is not the case with Starcraft 2. I feel that Starcraft 2 is more battle based. Therefore if one loses in a big battle, it’s really hard to recover.
In Starcraft 1, a lot of people called you the “Time Attacker,” but you’re not using the timing attack as much as you used to.
I have only played legitimately for 2 months, therefore I do not fully understand the game yet. I think I’ll be able to return to my playing style from Starcraft 1 once I get some experience.
If you compare between the fOrGG when he was the MSL Champion and fOrGG now?
Back when I won the MSL, my life completely revolved around gaming. Nowadays, I have been thinking about other things outside of gaming. Therefore I am trying to get my head straight and concentrate back on gaming. I have a high expectation of my self and I am afraid that such expectation will back fire on me.
When do you think you’ll be able to reach the result you want?
I am still learning a lot while practicing the game. At this pace, I think I can continue on to the Code S and win it. For some reason, I am very confident with myself right now.
In your opinion, who’s the best Starcraft 2 player right now?
MVP (IM), NesTea(IM), MC (oGs), Leenock (FXO), and JookTo (oGs). Something along that line? I am actually learning a lot from watching MVP’s vod replays. Once a pro-gamer is on fire, they’re usually invincible and I feel that such is the case with MVP. MVP can probably win even without practicing with the way he’s been playing. Also, I respect and am jealous of Nestea who have won 3 times already and have been maintaining his status as a top player for a while despite his old age compared to all the other pro-gamers.
Starcraft 2, there are a lot of tournaments with a lot of prize money. You must be interested in those? Since I am now in Starcraft 2, of course one of my main goal is to make a lot of money. I want to make more money than I did in Starcraft 1.
Do you have a desire to go to the foreign tournaments?
I saw the finals between MVP (IM) and MMA (SlayerS) and whoa. The fans there are ridiculously awesome! I would love to play in front of those fans. It’s been a long time since I played in front of a big audience and I would love to have that feeling again.
You were quite popular in Starcraft 1
I actually lost a lot of fans since I retired from Starcraft 1. I guess I did not take care of them enough. Once I returned as a pro-gamer with Starcraft 2, all of my fans have evaporated. Haha. I’m sure they’re all doing well, but the Conqueror has returned and please support me. I was hoping that I will at least have some fans when debuting… but NONE came and I was shocked… haha Unfortunately I was unable to take care of my fans because of my sudden decision of retiring from pro-gaming. I am very sorry and now that I am back, please support me again!
Are there any other retired pro-gamers from Starcraft 1 that are thinking of playing Starcraft 2?
I think HiyA (Hwaseung OZ) was thinking about playing Starcraft 2 professionally. But recently, I heard that he’s going to the mandatory military service. I’m not sure about the rest of the players.
Hwaseung OZ, the team you used to be in has been dispatched.
Right before the team was dispatched, I was actually over at the Hwaseung team house to hang out. When I was there, there were a lot of trainees and the atmosphere seemed happy. But it feels really weird to realize that OZ is now gone. I was very sad when Hwaseung OZ was gone.
What’s your future goal?
My current plan is to make it to Code S. GSL is the only tournament I am participating in right now therefore I will put all of my effort into the GSL.
When do you think you will be able to win once again?
If I get my game back, I think I’ll be able to even win the first season of 2012. When I was on a role in Starcraft 1, I did not even have to practice much and new builds will just appear in my head! But now, because I do not have a lot of experiences with this game, I have to study really hard in order to be able to plan a strategy. I think I’ll be able to get better in planning strategies once I practice more. Hopefully I will win by then.
You are currently living with a foreign player, Jonathan “Jinro” Walsh, how is that?
There’s nothing different between living with him and living with a Korean player. Also Jinro is very good at understanding Korean, therefore we never have a communication issue.
The team atmosphere is very comfortable to me. When I was in Starcraft 1, my life centered around practice all the time with a tight practice schedule. But practicing in oGs team is definitely more relaxing. I guess I feel like being a human again?
Gotta say, sounds like living in a BW-prohouse is a stressful experience. This is something many others have said as well.
Thanks for translating!
Edit: Stokes17: He has been playing since january.
On December 03 2011 02:13 SarcasmMonster wrote: SC2 Terran is more complicated than SC1 Terran. Well said.
Thanks for the translation.
I read it as bionic being more complicated than in SC1.
Anyway, thanks for the interview! Was waiting for this.
I think it really depends on the way you read. I think he's saying that Bionic is also more difficult to use. Therefore terran overall is more difficult in sc2. =) i think.. hehe
On December 03 2011 02:16 Quakie wrote: The team atmosphere is very comfortable to me. When I was in Starcraft 1, my life centered around practice all the time with a tight practice schedule. But practicing in oGs team is definitely more relaxing. I guess I feel like being a human again?
Gotta say, sounds like living in a BW-prohouse is a stressful experience. This is something many others have said as well.
Thanks for translating!
Edit: Stokes17: He has been playing since january.
It's also more proof that Starcraft 2 Koreans aren't training as hard as their Broodwar counterparts. That's why the Broodwar players do well when they switch, they still have Broodwar work ethic and training strategy which produces better results than casual practice.
On December 03 2011 02:11 XiGua wrote: fOrGG gonna show that elephant in the room to everyone. XD
Great play by him so far, really excited for more BW legends to join SC2!
Haha well put. Dood improved insanely fast, like KR diamond to almost code S in 2 months.... shit son
He was already in the top of the korean ladder since the start of 2011 I think, so no. Cool to see that he is rising so fast though, I could see him taking out July and going straight to Code S.
What's interesting is that even though he was top of the Korean ladder for almost a year, he feels like he still had no idea how to play the game until he joined oGs 2 months ago. I guess that's his way of saying training at home is nothing compared to a team house.
I've never been as hyped about a player as fOrGG. I never had the pleasure of watching these ex-BW stars, but even an uneducated buffoon like myself was able to see both the creativity and accuracy in his play style in the matches against Sage and Polt and I'm really excited to see how he goes in the next round.
Looking forward to watching him on his SC2 journey
On December 03 2011 02:13 SarcasmMonster wrote: SC2 Terran is more complicated than SC1 Terran. Well said.
Thanks for the translation.
I read it as bionic being more complicated than in SC1.
Anyway, thanks for the interview! Was waiting for this.
I think it really depends on the way you read. I think he's saying that Bionic is also more difficult to use. Therefore terran overall is more difficult in sc2. =) i think.. hehe
Thanks though. I appreciate your comment!
Thanks for reading guys!
Considering how hard bw was in general, I find this a little hard to believe haha. Maybe it's different for a top-level pro.
Thanks so much for translating this. It's clear during his code A run that he's a great player, so it's nice to get to know some of his mindset/personality too, since we'll probably be seeing a lot more of him in the future!
On December 03 2011 02:22 Zzoram wrote: What's interesting is that even though he was top of the Korean ladder for almost a year, he feels like he still had no idea how to play the game until he joined oGs 2 months ago. I guess that's his way of saying training at home is nothing compared to a team house.
There are a lot of korean on top of the ladder that always fail in the qualifiers : Apocalypse and Luxury (not sure for Luxury) come to mind, and there are probably others. So yeah basically being on top of the ladder shows potential, but that doesn't guarantee anything
On December 03 2011 02:13 SarcasmMonster wrote: SC2 Terran is more complicated than SC1 Terran. Well said.
Thanks for the translation.
I read it as bionic being more complicated than in SC1.
Anyway, thanks for the interview! Was waiting for this.
I think it really depends on the way you read. I think he's saying that Bionic is also more difficult to use. Therefore terran overall is more difficult in sc2. =) i think.. hehe
Thanks though. I appreciate your comment!
Thanks for reading guys!
Considering how hard bw was in general, I find this a little hard to believe haha. Maybe it's different for a top-level pro.
BW Terran is mechanically harder than SC2 Terran. But the Terran race was simpler in BW (for better or for worse). Difficulty and simplicity are two different things.
always cool to hear about the perspective of people who have played both games professionally. ForGG Hwaighting!
EDIT: When I read bionic is more complicated, I thought of marine splits vs banelings, which requires a wc3-esque micro. That type of micro isn't typically seen much in BW, unless you have very few marines and you need to kill some lurkers. Since marines are so cheap you can usually have a handful and move them around in the magic box, but against banelings splitting is a must. I'm sure there are other instances hes referring to, but that's the one that came to my mind
On December 03 2011 02:13 SarcasmMonster wrote: SC2 Terran is more complicated than SC1 Terran. Well said.
Thanks for the translation.
I read it as bionic being more complicated than in SC1.
Anyway, thanks for the interview! Was waiting for this.
I think it really depends on the way you read. I think he's saying that Bionic is also more difficult to use. Therefore terran overall is more difficult in sc2. =) i think.. hehe
Thanks though. I appreciate your comment!
Thanks for reading guys!
Considering how hard bw was in general, I find this a little hard to believe haha. Maybe it's different for a top-level pro.
BW Terran is mechanically harder than SC2 Terran. But the Terran race was simpler in BW (for better or for worse). Difficulty and simplicity are two different things.
On December 03 2011 02:09 tnud wrote: Nice translation! Always nice to hear that the BW pro's are having some difficulty with SC2 at least :O + Show Spoiler [Obligatory pretender video] +
I actually lost a lot of fans since I retired from Starcraft 1. I guess I did not take care of them enough. Once I returned as a pro-gamer with Starcraft 2, all of my fans have evaporated. Haha. I’m sure they’re all doing well, but the Conqueror has returned and please support me. I was hoping that I will at least have some fans when debuting… but NONE came and I was shocked… haha
bad Koreans!
I am still learning a lot while practicing the game. At this pace, I think I can continue on to the Code S and win it. For some reason, I am very confident with myself right now.
On December 03 2011 02:57 kYem wrote: legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2
oh please well known fact that he is playing it for around 8 months or so
That's pretty interesting. According to forgg, maybe that means he started playing seriously for 2 months, and messed around for the other 6?
It really sounds like he barely has any experience of playing sc2 in his interview.
There's a difference between ladder play and professional team house training. I'm assuming that's what he is talking about when he said he has been playing for 2 months.
On December 03 2011 03:00 EchoZ wrote: He thinks Jookto is good? O.O
Jookto is probably a really good zerg who suffers from some stage fright. I mean he's qualified for a bunch of Code As but always gets knocked out early. Same was true about Cezanne, now he's tearing it up
On December 03 2011 02:13 SarcasmMonster wrote: SC2 Terran is more complicated than SC1 Terran. Well said.
Thanks for the translation.
I read it as bionic being more complicated than in SC1.
Anyway, thanks for the interview! Was waiting for this.
I think it really depends on the way you read. I think he's saying that Bionic is also more difficult to use. Therefore terran overall is more difficult in sc2. =) i think.. hehe
Thanks though. I appreciate your comment!
Thanks for reading guys!
Considering how hard bw was in general, I find this a little hard to believe haha. Maybe it's different for a top-level pro.
BW Terran is mechanically harder than SC2 Terran. But the Terran race was simpler in BW (for better or for worse). Difficulty and simplicity are two different things.
How?
BW Terran mechanically harder: only one building selected at a time, no auto-mine rally point, only 12 units per control group
SC2 Terran more complex: more viable bio variety and viability (in BW, bio is viable only in TvZ excluding cheese and your composition is mostly marine, medic and sometimes a firebat), tons more openers in SC2 (2-rax, banshee w/ or wo/ cloak, reactor hellion, blue-flame hellion, 1-rax expand, cc-first, siege-expand, fast medivac drops, marine-tank push, hellion-marauder push, 1-1-1, 2-port banshee, 3-rax stim timing, iEchoic, ghost-rush, bunker rush, Boxer's reaper rush, etc), the addon-system and addon-swapping in SC2 adds complexity to build optimization and timing. In general, SC2 Terran units are more viable in most matchups than in BW and that adds complexity.
In your opinion, who’s the best Starcraft 2 player right now?
MVP (IM), NesTea(IM), MC (oGs), Leenock (FXO), and JookTo (oGs). Something along that line? I am actually learning a lot from watching MVP’s vod replays. Once a pro-gamer is on fire, they’re usually invincible and I feel that such is the case with MVP. MVP can probably win even without practicing with the way he’s been playing. Also, I respect and am jealous of Nestea who have won 3 times already and have been maintaining his status as a top player for a while despite his old age compared to all the other pro-gamers.
On December 03 2011 02:13 SarcasmMonster wrote: SC2 Terran is more complicated than SC1 Terran. Well said.
Thanks for the translation.
I read it as bionic being more complicated than in SC1.
Anyway, thanks for the interview! Was waiting for this.
I think it really depends on the way you read. I think he's saying that Bionic is also more difficult to use. Therefore terran overall is more difficult in sc2. =) i think.. hehe
Thanks though. I appreciate your comment!
Thanks for reading guys!
Considering how hard bw was in general, I find this a little hard to believe haha. Maybe it's different for a top-level pro.
BW Terran is mechanically harder than SC2 Terran. But the Terran race was simpler in BW (for better or for worse). Difficulty and simplicity are two different things.
How?
BW Terran mechanically harder: only one building selected at a time, no auto-mine rally point, only 12 units per control group
SC2 Terran more complex: more viable bio variety and viability (in BW, bio is viable only in TvZ excluding cheese and your composition is mostly marine, medic and sometimes a firebat), tons more openers in SC2 (2-rax, banshee w/ or wo/ cloak, reactor hellion, blue-flame hellion, 1-rax expand, cc-first, siege-expand, fast medivac drops, marine-tank push, hellion-marauder push, 1-1-1, 2-port banshee, 3-rax stim timing, iEchoic, ghost-rush, bunker rush, Boxer's reaper rush, etc), the addon-system and addon-swapping in SC2 adds complexity to build optimization and timing. In general, SC2 Terran units are more viable in most matchups than in BW and that adds complexity.
Bio is not the only viable TvZ build in BW, it's just the most effective. Besides nearly every bio ends up transitioning into some kind of mech bio/mech. There are however a few players that do poorly with bio, so they actually make do with straight mech sometimes. (looking at you fantasy!)
On December 03 2011 02:13 SarcasmMonster wrote: SC2 Terran is more complicated than SC1 Terran. Well said.
Thanks for the translation.
I read it as bionic being more complicated than in SC1.
Anyway, thanks for the interview! Was waiting for this.
I think it really depends on the way you read. I think he's saying that Bionic is also more difficult to use. Therefore terran overall is more difficult in sc2. =) i think.. hehe
Thanks though. I appreciate your comment!
Thanks for reading guys!
Considering how hard bw was in general, I find this a little hard to believe haha. Maybe it's different for a top-level pro.
BW Terran is mechanically harder than SC2 Terran. But the Terran race was simpler in BW (for better or for worse). Difficulty and simplicity are two different things.
How?
BW Terran mechanically harder: only one building selected at a time, no auto-mine rally point, only 12 units per control group
SC2 Terran more complex: more viable bio variety and viability (in BW, bio is viable only in TvZ excluding cheese and your composition is mostly marine, medic and sometimes a firebat), tons more openers in SC2 (2-rax, banshee w/ or wo/ cloak, reactor hellion, blue-flame hellion, 1-rax expand, cc-first, siege-expand, fast medivac drops, marine-tank push, hellion-marauder push, 1-1-1, 2-port banshee, 3-rax stim timing, iEchoic, ghost-rush, bunker rush, Boxer's reaper rush, etc), the addon-system and addon-swapping in SC2 adds complexity to build optimization and timing. In general, SC2 Terran units are more viable in most matchups than in BW and that adds complexity.
Bio is not the only viable TvZ build in BW, it's just the most effective. Besides nearly every bio ends up transitioning into some kind of mech bio/mech. There are however a few players that do poorly with bio, so they actually make do with straight mech sometimes. (looking at you fantasy!)
I meant that out of the 3 Terran matchups, bio is only viable in TvZ excluding cheese.
On December 03 2011 02:13 SarcasmMonster wrote: SC2 Terran is more complicated than SC1 Terran. Well said.
Thanks for the translation.
I read it as bionic being more complicated than in SC1.
Anyway, thanks for the interview! Was waiting for this.
I think it really depends on the way you read. I think he's saying that Bionic is also more difficult to use. Therefore terran overall is more difficult in sc2. =) i think.. hehe
Thanks though. I appreciate your comment!
Thanks for reading guys!
Considering how hard bw was in general, I find this a little hard to believe haha. Maybe it's different for a top-level pro.
BW Terran is mechanically harder than SC2 Terran. But the Terran race was simpler in BW (for better or for worse). Difficulty and simplicity are two different things.
How?
BW Terran mechanically harder: only one building selected at a time, no auto-mine rally point, only 12 units per control group
SC2 Terran more complex: more viable bio variety and viability (in BW, bio is viable only in TvZ excluding cheese and your composition is mostly marine, medic and sometimes a firebat), tons more openers in SC2 (2-rax, banshee w/ or wo/ cloak, reactor hellion, blue-flame hellion, 1-rax expand, cc-first, siege-expand, fast medivac drops, marine-tank push, hellion-marauder push, 1-1-1, 2-port banshee, 3-rax stim timing, iEchoic, ghost-rush, bunker rush, Boxer's reaper rush, etc), the addon-system and addon-swapping in SC2 adds complexity to build optimization and timing. In general, SC2 Terran units are more viable in most matchups than in BW and that adds complexity.
You're giving BW Terran a short stick with your description. All three you mentioned were true for both BW Zerg and BW Protoss as well.
BW Terran was a race that has a lot of nuance in its play, when to defend, when to move out, how to split your army, what ground to cover, how to block chokes. Vultures, BW siege tanks and wraiths are some of the most skill-based units in Starcraft history. Their effectiveness radically changes with skill and there have been players who made a living just mastering one of these three.
BW Terran is also the most cheese proof race in SC history. If you're good, you can use the same few builds over and over again and come back even from build order advantages. SC2 Terran requires more guessing and some build order luck. You can't just map split and defend your way out of any disadvantage. There's more risk taking required.
People are overeading his answer on "difficulty". Typical korean interview answer. Plus he came from a game where he was top50... He probably does not care about it. His statement about his prime is pretty cute. Yeah "new builds appeared in my head", king of two fact...
On December 03 2011 02:13 SarcasmMonster wrote: SC2 Terran is more complicated than SC1 Terran. Well said.
Thanks for the translation.
I read it as bionic being more complicated than in SC1.
Anyway, thanks for the interview! Was waiting for this.
I think it really depends on the way you read. I think he's saying that Bionic is also more difficult to use. Therefore terran overall is more difficult in sc2. =) i think.. hehe
Thanks though. I appreciate your comment!
Thanks for reading guys!
Considering how hard bw was in general, I find this a little hard to believe haha. Maybe it's different for a top-level pro.
BW Terran is mechanically harder than SC2 Terran. But the Terran race was simpler in BW (for better or for worse). Difficulty and simplicity are two different things.
How?
BW Terran mechanically harder: no auto-mine rally point
But Terran was the only race with auto-mining in BW. Did you never build a refinery? It was the casual easy-mode race.
On December 03 2011 02:13 SarcasmMonster wrote: SC2 Terran is more complicated than SC1 Terran. Well said.
Thanks for the translation.
I read it as bionic being more complicated than in SC1.
Anyway, thanks for the interview! Was waiting for this.
I think it really depends on the way you read. I think he's saying that Bionic is also more difficult to use. Therefore terran overall is more difficult in sc2. =) i think.. hehe
Thanks though. I appreciate your comment!
Thanks for reading guys!
Considering how hard bw was in general, I find this a little hard to believe haha. Maybe it's different for a top-level pro.
BW Terran is mechanically harder than SC2 Terran. But the Terran race was simpler in BW (for better or for worse). Difficulty and simplicity are two different things.
How?
BW Terran mechanically harder: only one building selected at a time, no auto-mine rally point, only 12 units per control group
SC2 Terran more complex: more viable bio variety and viability (in BW, bio is viable only in TvZ excluding cheese and your composition is mostly marine, medic and sometimes a firebat), tons more openers in SC2 (2-rax, banshee w/ or wo/ cloak, reactor hellion, blue-flame hellion, 1-rax expand, cc-first, siege-expand, fast medivac drops, marine-tank push, hellion-marauder push, 1-1-1, 2-port banshee, 3-rax stim timing, iEchoic, ghost-rush, bunker rush, Boxer's reaper rush, etc), the addon-system and addon-swapping in SC2 adds complexity to build optimization and timing. In general, SC2 Terran units are more viable in most matchups than in BW and that adds complexity.
Bio is not the only viable TvZ build in BW, it's just the most effective. Besides nearly every bio ends up transitioning into some kind of mech bio/mech. There are however a few players that do poorly with bio, so they actually make do with straight mech sometimes. (looking at you fantasy!)
I meant that out of the 3 Terran matchups, bio is only viable in TvZ excluding cheese.
On December 03 2011 02:13 SarcasmMonster wrote: SC2 Terran is more complicated than SC1 Terran. Well said.
Thanks for the translation.
I read it as bionic being more complicated than in SC1.
Anyway, thanks for the interview! Was waiting for this.
I think it really depends on the way you read. I think he's saying that Bionic is also more difficult to use. Therefore terran overall is more difficult in sc2. =) i think.. hehe
Thanks though. I appreciate your comment!
Thanks for reading guys!
Considering how hard bw was in general, I find this a little hard to believe haha. Maybe it's different for a top-level pro.
BW Terran is mechanically harder than SC2 Terran. But the Terran race was simpler in BW (for better or for worse). Difficulty and simplicity are two different things.
How?
BW Terran mechanically harder: only one building selected at a time, no auto-mine rally point, only 12 units per control group
SC2 Terran more complex: more viable bio variety and viability (in BW, bio is viable only in TvZ excluding cheese and your composition is mostly marine, medic and sometimes a firebat), tons more openers in SC2 (2-rax, banshee w/ or wo/ cloak, reactor hellion, blue-flame hellion, 1-rax expand, cc-first, siege-expand, fast medivac drops, marine-tank push, hellion-marauder push, 1-1-1, 2-port banshee, 3-rax stim timing, iEchoic, ghost-rush, bunker rush, Boxer's reaper rush, etc), the addon-system and addon-swapping in SC2 adds complexity to build optimization and timing. In general, SC2 Terran units are more viable in most matchups than in BW and that adds complexity.
Bio is not the only viable TvZ build in BW, it's just the most effective. Besides nearly every bio ends up transitioning into some kind of mech bio/mech. There are however a few players that do poorly with bio, so they actually make do with straight mech sometimes. (looking at you fantasy!)
I meant that out of the 3 Terran matchups, bio is only viable in TvZ excluding cheese.
A very specific counter to a certain timing of a carrier rush. Both you and I know it's not viable as an option in a straight up standard macro game. It's either for a timing attack midgame preferably after 1 Rax FE or as a response to a really fast tech rush to carriers.
Yes yes yes I know, I just had to throw that out there for some Hiya love <3 We all know why terran don't dare go bio against protoss normally (Tempest vs Light mangoon) lol
Wow FORGG has lost a ton of weight since he retired from bw. That or the different clothing, angles etc just make him look thinner. Before he had a strong chin and such, now with the lost weight he actually looks a little anemic. Hope he does well, I think he'll become a top top player in a very short time. I was always a fan of him in bw too .
On December 03 2011 04:25 VPCursed wrote: he hasnt been playing for 2 months legitimately... that guy has had 2 accounts in gm for the past 7 months or so..
I think he means practicing with the intention of competing rather than just playing the game. Although him just "playing the game" is probably still a good 6+ hours a day of practicing his actual training was probably considerably more intense. Even with his BW background there is still a ton of stuff to learn about sc2 and no matter how similar/good your experiance in a previous game was you still need to put in alot of time to learn about a new game.
What’s the overall difference between the two games?
Starcraft 1 tends to have a lot of different types of diversion plays one can do. Such is not the case with Starcraft 2. I feel that Starcraft 2 is more battle based. Therefore if one loses in a big battle, it’s really hard to recover.
Aha, he also sees the whole giant battle to decide it all syndrome that SC2 has.
I've been a fan for a while - when I was in Korea once of the matches I was at was an MSL game (back in 2009) where he beat Much with a bio timing attack.
[..]fOrGG who has been practicing legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2[...]
and,
[...]He beat (P)Sage(NSHoseo) 2:0 and also beat the Super Tournament Winner, (T)Polt (TSL), 2:0 and was continuing his dominance. Now fOrGG just has to beat (Z)July (Startale), “the God of War,” in the Round 3 to guarantee his spot at the Code S.[...]
I never watched any Brood War but having seen him tear apart Sage and Polt, I'm without a doubt a huge fan now. I really hope he gets into Code S and puts up some great results next season.
This is actually one of the more interesting interviews I have read from a Korean progamer, maybe it's due to his experience as a successful sc1 player?
Wow, these are some solid questions and answers by ForGG. He's definitely looking pretty strong these days. We'll see what happens when he starts butting heads with the current best Korean players.
On December 03 2011 03:06 amazingoopah wrote: lol, JOOKTO is the 5th best player right now according to forgg??? wtf? They must be bunkmates or something lol.
I wouldn't be surprised if Jookto is one of those so-called practice bonjwas, i.e. scary to play against in practice but chokes hard in televised matches.
I think (T)HiyA (Hwaseung OZ) was thinking about playing Starcraft 2 professionally. But recently, I heard that he’s going to the mandatory military service. I’m not sure about the rest of the players.
(except HiyA was...something like he got owned by forGG's offrace/zerg so hard that he didn't want to play SC2 or something iirc? >_>)
its funny how people say that fOrGG needed only 2 months to become really good player, when hes actually playing for really long time. I remember last spring I was watching HuK stream and he was playing against fOrGG. So even at that point he had to be atleast GrandMaster.
On December 03 2011 02:16 Quakie wrote: The team atmosphere is very comfortable to me. When I was in Starcraft 1, my life centered around practice all the time with a tight practice schedule. But practicing in oGs team is definitely more relaxing. I guess I feel like being a human again?
Gotta say, sounds like living in a BW-prohouse is a stressful experience. This is something many others have said as well.
Thanks for translating!
Edit: Stokes17: He has been playing since january.
It's also more proof that Starcraft 2 Koreans aren't training as hard as their Broodwar counterparts. That's why the Broodwar players do well when they switch, they still have Broodwar work ethic and training strategy which produces better results than casual practice.
Well, most SC2 players will still put 8-10 hours in a day, some 12 if they feel like it. But they are not forced to play 12-14 hours every day like under Kespa, that's the difference.
Kespa style training is overdoing it, it's just that foreigners (and a few korean SC2 players) have always been way underdoing it.
Speedy guy. 0 to Code S in a few months. I wonder if he will end up like some of the other ex-Broodwar pros, who never manage to recapture their glory, or if he will truly reach his goal of Code S champion.
On December 03 2011 06:56 AnachronisticAnarchy wrote: Speedy guy. 0 to Code S in a few months. I wonder if he will end up like some of the other ex-Broodwar pros, who never manage to recapture their glory, or if he will truly reach his goal of Code S champion.
you mean ex-bw washed up old pros. there is a tremendous difference between competitive bw pros and washed up ones who can't recapture their former glory in bw, and are in fact much further away from that glory due to increasing level of competition in bw.
On December 03 2011 02:13 SarcasmMonster wrote: SC2 Terran is more complicated than SC1 Terran. Well said.
Thanks for the translation.
I read it as bionic being more complicated than in SC1.
Anyway, thanks for the interview! Was waiting for this.
I think it really depends on the way you read. I think he's saying that Bionic is also more difficult to use. Therefore terran overall is more difficult in sc2. =) i think.. hehe
Thanks though. I appreciate your comment!
Thanks for reading guys!
Considering how hard bw was in general, I find this a little hard to believe haha. Maybe it's different for a top-level pro.
BW Terran is mechanically harder than SC2 Terran. But the Terran race was simpler in BW (for better or for worse). Difficulty and simplicity are two different things.
How?
BW Terran mechanically harder: only one building selected at a time, no auto-mine rally point, only 12 units per control group
SC2 Terran more complex: more viable bio variety and viability (in BW, bio is viable only in TvZ excluding cheese and your composition is mostly marine, medic and sometimes a firebat), tons more openers in SC2 (2-rax, banshee w/ or wo/ cloak, reactor hellion, blue-flame hellion, 1-rax expand, cc-first, siege-expand, fast medivac drops, marine-tank push, hellion-marauder push, 1-1-1, 2-port banshee, 3-rax stim timing, iEchoic, ghost-rush, bunker rush, Boxer's reaper rush, etc), the addon-system and addon-swapping in SC2 adds complexity to build optimization and timing. In general, SC2 Terran units are more viable in most matchups than in BW and that adds complexity.
You people are reading to much in to this . ForGG just sucked with micro in BW compared to other top terrans . He was known for making a shit ton of units and throwing them all away , but he still kept winning do to his oov and flash like macro . Microing marine and medics in BW was the hardest micro and he was bad at it . In SC2 you pretty much have to be good with bio in order to survive and thats why he is struggling with it and will prefer mech in TvT and probably in TvZ also . He is still pretty good at bio control compared to other mechanicly weaker pros in SC2 and unlimited unit selection is helping him a lot so there is no need to worry .
On December 03 2011 02:16 Quakie wrote: The team atmosphere is very comfortable to me. When I was in Starcraft 1, my life centered around practice all the time with a tight practice schedule. But practicing in oGs team is definitely more relaxing. I guess I feel like being a human again?
Gotta say, sounds like living in a BW-prohouse is a stressful experience. This is something many others have said as well.
Thanks for translating!
Edit: Stokes17: He has been playing since january.
It's also more proof that Starcraft 2 Koreans aren't training as hard as their Broodwar counterparts. That's why the Broodwar players do well when they switch, they still have Broodwar work ethic and training strategy which produces better results than casual practice.
Well, most SC2 players will still put 8-10 hours in a day, some 12 if they feel like it. But they are not forced to play 12-14 hours every day like under Kespa, that's the difference.
Kespa style training is overdoing it, it's just that foreigners (and a few korean SC2 players) have always been way underdoing it.
No one in bw is forced to train more than 8 hours a day. The players do it on their own time because it's not enough.
I predict ForGG is gonna skyrocket through code S.
He's got naturally good macro mechanics in SC1 and adapting pretty well to SC2, still not the sharpest knife in the kitchen today, but it will only get sharper with time unless he decides to recapture his slump
On December 03 2011 02:13 SarcasmMonster wrote: SC2 Terran is more complicated than SC1 Terran. Well said.
Thanks for the translation.
I read it as bionic being more complicated than in SC1.
Anyway, thanks for the interview! Was waiting for this.
I think it really depends on the way you read. I think he's saying that Bionic is also more difficult to use. Therefore terran overall is more difficult in sc2. =) i think.. hehe
Thanks though. I appreciate your comment!
Thanks for reading guys!
I read it as, "in starcraft 2 you also have to be able to use bionic well so its gotten more complicated". Basically inferring that in starcraft 1 it was more mech oriented and you didnt have to use bio as much. He says its more complicated, not harder.
On December 03 2011 02:16 Quakie wrote: The team atmosphere is very comfortable to me. When I was in Starcraft 1, my life centered around practice all the time with a tight practice schedule. But practicing in oGs team is definitely more relaxing. I guess I feel like being a human again?
Gotta say, sounds like living in a BW-prohouse is a stressful experience. This is something many others have said as well.
Thanks for translating!
Edit: Stokes17: He has been playing since january.
It's also more proof that Starcraft 2 Koreans aren't training as hard as their Broodwar counterparts. That's why the Broodwar players do well when they switch, they still have Broodwar work ethic and training strategy which produces better results than casual practice.
Well, most SC2 players will still put 8-10 hours in a day, some 12 if they feel like it. But they are not forced to play 12-14 hours every day like under Kespa, that's the difference.
Kespa style training is overdoing it, it's just that foreigners (and a few korean SC2 players) have always been way underdoing it.
Yeah I was a bit surprised too when I see no fangirl showed up for his debut match. Also this makes me think that there isn't many BW pro's who's seriously playing SC2.
On December 03 2011 02:57 kYem wrote: legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2
oh please well known fact that he is playing it for around 8 months or so
practicing legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2
I like how you leave out a pretty key word.
Mass laddering/custom games is practice wtf.... if you talking about team house, you realise that 80% of sc2 pros in eu/na dont have legitimate practice ? even though he played thousands games, in interview it's sound as he played for a few months and suddenly he is super good.
On December 04 2011 01:50 imEnex wrote: Wow, such a great read. Code S in 2 months? Wow. I hope he continues focusing on gaming and sticks to SC2, he will win a major title soon! ^^
2 months of progaming in sc2, he played ladder n a high level for nearly a year now.
looks like he is the next target of the TL hype train. unlike other previously (and usually unfairly) hyped up players who never hang out long in code s, though, i actually want forgg to win spectacularly. forgg really needs no hype at all. he is one of the few members of the elite club of progaming - a winner of the most exacting competition in the world - by demolishing the 2 greatest players of starcraft in history 6-1. it wasn't even close.
So basically he was fucking around on the ladder for a while and finally decided to train for real and own up GSL. Nice. Hopefully he goes far into code S next season, he's looking like he'll make it there for sure.
I actually lost a lot of fans since I retired from Starcraft 1. I guess I did not take care of them enough. Once I returned as a pro-gamer with Starcraft 2, all of my fans have evaporated. Haha. I’m sure they’re all doing well, but the Conqueror has returned and please support me. I was hoping that I will at least have some fans when debuting… but NONE came and I was shocked… haha Unfortunately I was unable to take care of my fans because of my sudden decision of retiring from pro-gaming. I am very sorry and now that I am back, please support me again!
Don't worry I will try to catch your vods again if i can find them on youtube , it's great to see you doing well in a different field and you are still doing some crazy stuff like 2 barracks rush , Will support you in the future .
I am so sad forGG didn't join IM... learning personally from MVP would help him immensely improve much more. Now... we need Flash to transfer over to SCII as well so we can see that MVP vs Flash rematch :D
On December 03 2011 02:57 kYem wrote: legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2
oh please well known fact that he is playing it for around 8 months or so
practicing legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2
I like how you leave out a pretty key word.
Mass laddering/custom games is practice wtf.... if you talking about team house, you realise that 80% of sc2 pros in eu/na dont have legitimate practice ? even though he played thousands games, in interview it's sound as he played for a few months and suddenly he is super good.
mass laddering.custom games is not real "practice". This kind of mentality that you can just sit and home and slack off playing at your own comfort is part of the reason for the skill gap.
On December 03 2011 02:57 kYem wrote: legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2
oh please well known fact that he is playing it for around 8 months or so
practicing legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2
I like how you leave out a pretty key word.
Mass laddering/custom games is practice wtf.... if you talking about team house, you realise that 80% of sc2 pros in eu/na dont have legitimate practice ? even though he played thousands games, in interview it's sound as he played for a few months and suddenly he is super good.
mass laddering.custom games is not real "practice". This kind of mentality that you can just sit and home and slack off playing at your own comfort is part of the reason for the skill gap.
How do you know he wasn't laddering seriously at home? I'm pretty sure pros in teamhouses ladder all the time too, not just play custom games. Ladder is great for practice.
On December 03 2011 02:57 kYem wrote: legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2
oh please well known fact that he is playing it for around 8 months or so
practicing legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2
I like how you leave out a pretty key word.
Mass laddering/custom games is practice wtf.... if you talking about team house, you realise that 80% of sc2 pros in eu/na dont have legitimate practice ? even though he played thousands games, in interview it's sound as he played for a few months and suddenly he is super good.
mass laddering.custom games is not real "practice". This kind of mentality that you can just sit and home and slack off playing at your own comfort is part of the reason for the skill gap.
How do you know he wasn't laddering seriously at home? I'm pretty sure pros in teamhouses ladder all the time too, not just play custom games. Ladder is great for practice.
"Laddering seriously" is still not the same as team house training. Even he says that.
On December 06 2011 09:40 FidoDido wrote: I am so sad forGG didn't join IM... learning personally from MVP would help him immensely improve much more. Now... we need Flash to transfer over to SCII as well so we can see that MVP vs Flash rematch :D
Game Genie against the Ultimate Weapon/Final Boss... I dont see Genie terran beating the ultimate weapon at sc2 or sc1 as much as a man love I have for IMMVP if Flash gets proper training time
On December 03 2011 02:57 kYem wrote: legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2
oh please well known fact that he is playing it for around 8 months or so
practicing legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2
I like how you leave out a pretty key word.
Mass laddering/custom games is practice wtf.... if you talking about team house, you realise that 80% of sc2 pros in eu/na dont have legitimate practice ? even though he played thousands games, in interview it's sound as he played for a few months and suddenly he is super good.
mass laddering.custom games is not real "practice". This kind of mentality that you can just sit and home and slack off playing at your own comfort is part of the reason for the skill gap.
How do you know he wasn't laddering seriously at home? I'm pretty sure pros in teamhouses ladder all the time too, not just play custom games. Ladder is great for practice.
Did you even read the interview? He says he's still learning a lot about the game, and that he didn't even know what to do against Sage before he started practicing. Fact is, when you have people coaching you, and people around to help you it increases your game sense tremendously. Don't act like he's trying to compete with no name amateur NA GM players here. He's trying to get code S, and if you think you can get close to that with just laddering then well...
ugh its so frustrating to see players who are like "yeahhhh i GUESS ill play starcraft 2" and end up almost in Code S after 2 months whereas I feel like I'll never even be able to get to diamond with how crappy i am. I mean he was a former pro-gamer but still lol. props to him though.
On December 03 2011 02:16 Quakie wrote: The team atmosphere is very comfortable to me. When I was in Starcraft 1, my life centered around practice all the time with a tight practice schedule. But practicing in oGs team is definitely more relaxing. I guess I feel like being a human again?
Gotta say, sounds like living in a BW-prohouse is a stressful experience. This is something many others have said as well.
Thanks for translating!
Edit: Stokes17: He has been playing since january.
It's also more proof that Starcraft 2 Koreans aren't training as hard as their Broodwar counterparts. That's why the Broodwar players do well when they switch, they still have Broodwar work ethic and training strategy which produces better results than casual practice.
This. It isn't superhuman, it's just really quite a strong work ethic.
On December 03 2011 02:57 kYem wrote: legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2
oh please well known fact that he is playing it for around 8 months or so
practicing legitimately for 2 months after returning to Starcraft 2
I like how you leave out a pretty key word.
Mass laddering/custom games is practice wtf.... if you talking about team house, you realise that 80% of sc2 pros in eu/na dont have legitimate practice ? even though he played thousands games, in interview it's sound as he played for a few months and suddenly he is super good.
i wonder why 80% of eu/na can't hold a candle to b-team koreans?
On December 06 2011 13:25 Gojira621 wrote: ugh its so frustrating to see players who are like "yeahhhh i GUESS ill play starcraft 2" and end up almost in Code S after 2 months whereas I feel like I'll never even be able to get to diamond with how crappy i am. I mean he was a former pro-gamer but still lol. props to him though.
Remember, these guys devote their entire waking lives to this game (in addition to what may be a good portion of their REM cycles as well). Their minds and perspectives are devoted solely to their understanding and performance within the frame of the game and only the game. Hell, some of the team houses even have personal cooks and cleaning ladies to allow for a team of fucking 10+ people. I raise the point of their having so many people in the house not because it's such a high number of people for personal cook/cleaning ladies to care for but because of the apparent inability for 10+ people to divide household chores among themselves to do because of just how important their training is.
I'm sure there are some to many that don't even enjoy the game the way they used to. Some may even be hollow shells and remnants of former selves asking the question, "am I really here?" ad nauseum. To constantly question their very existence with tales of day-in and day-out soul-crushing, finger-exhausting madness. To realize that, if only they hadn't chased what many would eventually call a long-abandoned goal, they might be in a completely different place right now, possibly doing something they truly love.
But for them, what they have is passion to continue. Passion isn't love but passion can win you $100,000 in a couple weeks.
On December 03 2011 02:11 XiGua wrote: fOrGG gonna show that elephant in the room to everyone. XD
Great play by him so far, really excited for more BW legends to join SC2!
fOrGG isn't a BW legend.
You don't need to be a legend to show that, there are plenty of A-class BW players that aren't legends who could relatively easily do what MVP and forGG are doing
I liked how he poked fun at Nestea's age haha! Age shouldn't have anything to do with pro gaming cause Nestea has pretty much proved everyone that he's still owning!
On December 07 2011 14:06 zZygote wrote: I liked how he poked fun at Nestea's age haha! Age shouldn't have anything to do with pro gaming cause Nestea has pretty much proved everyone that he's still owning!
Ageing in broodwar means you are going to be slower in reaction,overall you are not as fast as you are back when you are young ,although it seems sc2 has a different side effect when broodwar players play the game .
Random Jookto hype lol... On the level of Nestea/Leenock? If Artosis reads this I'm sure he'll start hyping JookTo like crazy next time, if ever, he shows up in GSL. Either Jookto is some sick gangsta nerd in practice or he's forGG's bunk mate and makes him delicious pancakes or something
forGG kinda looks like Mr. Chae's younger brother, no wonder he's so badass.