Last year, and especially the last few months, were very interesting for Enemy Territory.
A year ago, hardly anyone thought that what is happening today, would be at all possible. Including me.
When we looked at competitive ET there was not much to go by. We had Eurocup, an of course Warleagues,
And the highlight of the year was Quakecon, and that was it. That was the way it was, and the way it would be. But things have changed. Lately we've seen more and more LANs coming our way.
Interest for ET is growing. Is ET taking a leap? Is ET involving into something which could actually threaten CS as the #1 teamplay game?
For years Quakecon was the only LAN, or well, the only non 1-nation based LAN. It had a huge amount of prizemoney, and of course iTG was always there to cover it. Quakecon was all we got. And, basically all we needed. But things have changed now.
It all started with the Crossfire LAN being announced. Although TosspoT already had the idea for a LAN in November, planned to take place in January 2006, it was not untill June 2006 when he could really execute his plans. And Crossfire LAN was born. Suddenly ET had a new LAN with prize money, and you didn't even have to pay 500 bucks for a plane ticket to go there.
It was in the centre of the ET culture (ar close to it atleast). Almost anyone with a little dough could attend.
But that was not all, a few months before the Crossfire LAN took place, 22nd of June to be precise,
FlyingDJ announced they he would leave Inside the Game to join GIGA2, an english version of GIGA, except that GIGA2 is on the internet and not on the television.
Being the Enemy Territory freak that he is, he immediately started broadcasting ET on GIGA2 and GIGA. On GIGA this meant a few thousands viewers, besides the regular ETTV, and on GIGA2 it meant an extra couple of hundred viewers, next to the regular ETTV.
So ET was starting to get attention. We had seen two LANs, and regular broadcasting on GIGA/GIGA2. ET was being put on the international map. But this was not the end of the story. On October the 14th PGA Digital Arena was announced, and, for the first time in PGA's LAN history, two non-polish teams would be allowed to compete for the prize money aswell. Zeropoint and cdap - pi managed to qualify and went on to battle in Poland.
It was being broadcasted by HS via streaming, and it attracted a lot of visitors. So there you had ET, with european teams, on an event with other major games. Not an event held by the engine developers of the game, or held by a major ET geek, no, an event just like your regeular LAN.
On November the 5th Tosspot and co announced the second Crossfire LAN. Being the succes it was the first time, a second edition could not be held back. And just when we thought we had seen it all (Quakecon, Crossfire LAN, GIGA coverage and PGA LAN) TosspoT informs us that the 2nd edition of the Crossfire LAN is to be postponed due to another LAN that will also feature ET.
The LAN which caused Crossfire to postpone its own, is none other than the sHgopen, announced on 19th of December.
An interesting move, as a year before that sHg only had CS as the major teamgame (this could be incorrect). And now all of a sudden, they took in ET aswell.
So is ET on the verge of a change? Will ET take over CS at LANs? Can Enemy Territory replace Counter Strike as the #1 teamplay game?
In my eyes, it cán happen. Because ET ís the #1 Teamplay game. However, it wont. Big events such as the World Cyber Games, the World Series of Videogames, the ESWC and many many others, will still only focus on Counter Strike. But we are not to fear.
What we wanted, has mostly come true. ET is being seen by others, we are being featured on LANs, and suddenly there is money to be made in ET. Suddenly there is a whole competition world open. We went from having Quakecon, Eurocup and Warleagues to having Quakecon, Crossfire LAN, PGA Digital Arena, ESL IPS, Eurocup, Warleagues and now the sHgopen.
What the future will bring, no one knows, but LAN wise, the future has never looked so bright. ET is out there.
The future is bright, the future is Orange and Black!
Since the university library is closing atm, and wont open again till tuesday, admins please feel free to edit this article spelling, flags and banner wise. Ty.
A year ago, hardly anyone thought that what is happening today, would be at all possible. Including me.
When we looked at competitive ET there was not much to go by. We had Eurocup, an of course Warleagues,
And the highlight of the year was Quakecon, and that was it. That was the way it was, and the way it would be. But things have changed. Lately we've seen more and more LANs coming our way.
Interest for ET is growing. Is ET taking a leap? Is ET involving into something which could actually threaten CS as the #1 teamplay game?
For years Quakecon was the only LAN, or well, the only non 1-nation based LAN. It had a huge amount of prizemoney, and of course iTG was always there to cover it. Quakecon was all we got. And, basically all we needed. But things have changed now.
It all started with the Crossfire LAN being announced. Although TosspoT already had the idea for a LAN in November, planned to take place in January 2006, it was not untill June 2006 when he could really execute his plans. And Crossfire LAN was born. Suddenly ET had a new LAN with prize money, and you didn't even have to pay 500 bucks for a plane ticket to go there.
It was in the centre of the ET culture (ar close to it atleast). Almost anyone with a little dough could attend.
But that was not all, a few months before the Crossfire LAN took place, 22nd of June to be precise,
FlyingDJ announced they he would leave Inside the Game to join GIGA2, an english version of GIGA, except that GIGA2 is on the internet and not on the television.Being the Enemy Territory freak that he is, he immediately started broadcasting ET on GIGA2 and GIGA. On GIGA this meant a few thousands viewers, besides the regular ETTV, and on GIGA2 it meant an extra couple of hundred viewers, next to the regular ETTV.
So ET was starting to get attention. We had seen two LANs, and regular broadcasting on GIGA/GIGA2. ET was being put on the international map. But this was not the end of the story. On October the 14th PGA Digital Arena was announced, and, for the first time in PGA's LAN history, two non-polish teams would be allowed to compete for the prize money aswell. Zeropoint and cdap - pi managed to qualify and went on to battle in Poland.
It was being broadcasted by HS via streaming, and it attracted a lot of visitors. So there you had ET, with european teams, on an event with other major games. Not an event held by the engine developers of the game, or held by a major ET geek, no, an event just like your regeular LAN.
On November the 5th Tosspot and co announced the second Crossfire LAN. Being the succes it was the first time, a second edition could not be held back. And just when we thought we had seen it all (Quakecon, Crossfire LAN, GIGA coverage and PGA LAN) TosspoT informs us that the 2nd edition of the Crossfire LAN is to be postponed due to another LAN that will also feature ET.
The LAN which caused Crossfire to postpone its own, is none other than the sHgopen, announced on 19th of December.
An interesting move, as a year before that sHg only had CS as the major teamgame (this could be incorrect). And now all of a sudden, they took in ET aswell.
So is ET on the verge of a change? Will ET take over CS at LANs? Can Enemy Territory replace Counter Strike as the #1 teamplay game?
In my eyes, it cán happen. Because ET ís the #1 Teamplay game. However, it wont. Big events such as the World Cyber Games, the World Series of Videogames, the ESWC and many many others, will still only focus on Counter Strike. But we are not to fear.
What we wanted, has mostly come true. ET is being seen by others, we are being featured on LANs, and suddenly there is money to be made in ET. Suddenly there is a whole competition world open. We went from having Quakecon, Eurocup and Warleagues to having Quakecon, Crossfire LAN, PGA Digital Arena, ESL IPS, Eurocup, Warleagues and now the sHgopen.
What the future will bring, no one knows, but LAN wise, the future has never looked so bright. ET is out there.
The future is bright, the future is Orange and Black!
Since the university library is closing atm, and wont open again till tuesday, admins please feel free to edit this article spelling, flags and banner wise. Ty.
nice read!
And then ET has 0 big lans, something that may be de-motivating for top-players. ET will never take over CS :/ CS is just to big.
Why not bf2142 then too... and there's always 2009 :D
And secondly, who will send a 12man-team to us? I don't see a game with vehicles etc go 6o6 and I don't think there will be anny smaller custom maps in the first months, so if you ask me it's just not possible that soon.
Though if they really do want to promote it they'll always find a way :D
Grtz, psy
Still i think 7 pps is little for big maps with vehicles etc etc. But as you know more then me about it. You'll prolly be right :'(
Grtz, psy
I can see ET:QW with different ladders like BF2
Conquest
Infantry Only
Objective
etc :)
Last thing i read from SplashDamage said that et:qw will be 100% playable 6on6.
Imo id with qw was trying 2 do smth new, but they done smth what already exist. Kinda stupid. Nowadays most of releases are just graphic improved games with 'forced ideas'.
Would be nice though.
That is what mgc's organisations think (sad but it's even true :o)
But at the moment you're definitely right.
ROFL, et is like a zombie kinda dead, kinda alive
CS is also more spectacular - you've got short rounds, that make up a round. It's packed with adrenaline - I'm not saying here ET's not, but maybe just not in the same amount, if you follow me.
Stewie, however, underlined what people say on the scene - there's a wind of change. There is much more will of doing something, more multigaming organizations are looking at ET as a game worth puting money in. Players are rewarded for their efforts in valuable hardware or money.
Keep it going!
Keep them coming :)
- Overdrive showed some way to have a more professional game
- Evan announced a list about the current top teams
- stewie is talking about ET gets more attention
This last thing can change the biggest problem of the game:
- the problem of unstable teams
Only more LANs, online events with huge prizemoney can change the mind of the top players. If you look at the CS community, there are a lot of top teams, and there isn't two events with the same winner. Different teams win CPL, ESWC, WCG, WSVG, KODE5, etc, etc...
And in ET? idle.ee won all events and a big DOT after that. It's not so hard to turn it over why only that team can compete: playing with (almost) the same lineup for years, knowing eachother, knowing the gamestyle of eachother, having a lot of team experience.
Just try to imagine, if ET could be @ betandwin or somewhere else, and there could be a question like, "Who will be the winner of the tournament?", then what could be the answer? In CS, you just never can tell who will be the final winner...
I think now we have enough LANs, so the current top teams will not fold. And I think there will be an event in the Summer too, because maybe thats the biggest problem. Like last summer, a lot of teams prepared for QuakeCon, but it was announced too late (it was impossible to find sponsors) and all the teams folded. If the teams know there will be a LAN or a tournament with prizemoney in Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter they will not fold so easily. This could be the engine of this game's future.
"Is ET involving into something which could actually threaten CS as the #1 teamplay game?"
That impossible for ET and for all other teamgames in short time.
But you need think for the future. Just try to imagine what will be in 5 years. CS is a very old game, I'm sure about not the current CS 1.6 will be played in 2012.
In other hand just try to imagine, the top players of that game are more than 20 years old now, and they are playing Counter-Strike for 7 years. In 2012 they will be near 30, I don't think they will play anymore.
As you can see, maybe all top players are over 18 yo in CS, if you wanna be a pro in CS somewhen, you need start it when you are 12-14 years old. Like the current top players started it too.
But what do you think what will select an average 12-14 years old player in present days?
A game with low gfx where he has no chance, or a new multiplayer with awesome graphics where he can be in a good team in a short period?
Or you think, they will play CS 1.6, because they know a new CS will be released with the same model and better gfx?
In 1999 CS was a new game, so the current top players selected that, they did not think about LAN events in that time, they just selected a NEW game, and they had luck.
As you saw when CS:S was realeased the teams just did not changed for that, because the game was different. And if they don't make something with the same physical model and better graphics they will not chance again. Games like next CoD, CS:S, RTCW and the others will have around equal chance to be the new top game when CS dies - and yes, it will!
Or just look at this statistic @ xfire.com:
Counter-Strike Source : 11,478,762 mins played
Counter-Strike 1.6 : 2,906,834 mins played
So, what are the current young players selecting? The game with better gfx? Unexpected. By the way as you can see, CoD 2 is on a very good way on beating the CS era (Call of Duty 2 Multiplayer 9,395,915 mins played)!
So, yes, it's on you what will be the next CS. The next CoD or maybe the next RTCW?
Same will go for future games, I guess. "The new CS/CoD" will most likely have more players than "the new RtCW", which will most likely lead to it being featured on most LANs. Sad but true. :{
CS will defenitely die.
But i think the developers of CS 1.6 and CS:S will go on with a game like CS in 5 years... they will notice and react and produce a game, which is competetive to the games with a higher gfx.
So in fact, the new CS will take the place for CS 1.6 and CS:S, just like ET did to RTCW and ET:QW will do for ET imo.
Maybe ET:QW / 7on7)will turn out as a game like BF2 ( 8on8) due to the game-style ( vehicles etc.) is similar.
Happy newyear, my evenings' starting now.. !
Yeah, you all talking about taking over but noone talks about being equal.
ET, on the contrary, can be very frustrating. you just killed one, but errr, he was revived. and there's the artilery. and the rain of nades. and the freakin' rifle nades.
plus, as ET evolved, rushes as axis to the allies spawn before spawntime became more and more popular. if the allies spawntime is 7-10 seconds before the axis spawntime, there's nothing they can do against that.
dont get me wrong. I like ET and its aiming style, but there are many things to improve\change in this game for it to become a top competitive game.
But i agree with you, et will never be able to overtake cs, et's complexity is one major reason.
there are still not much fullholds in the game, so...
But i agree with you thats not very intresting getting panza-camped on a 40 man public :P
people wanna see good aiming skilles and\or smart moves. throwing nades constantly to prevent the enemy from getting into a room, standing like a scarecrow untill somebody comes and shooting your riflenade or putting an arty are not interesting.
L O L !
urtier, anubis, gifty, unskilled! low+ max.
omg...
same for artillery ( timing, placing )
agree about nade spam.
Fire your arti, 11 seconds later they spawn & you frag. Where's the skill?
There are quite a few nice places...
Then the strike comes unexpected right on your head... = skill
if not, define!
;)
*edit*
Probably more apt to talk about the level of skill required or the type of skills. If i want to learn monster artillerys then i spec urtier for a few games of ettv and then I acquire skills at arty :). Speccing the likes of mystic or tekoa isn't going to improve my aim skills but u can learn other stuff no doubt.
all those things make game more complicated and thats good, coz it doesnt get bored. various actions, tasks, position, tax, sense of players, priority of obj and stuff, weapons
et had much popularity before, but it wasnt so developed as today, but if it was it would have chance.
but still, i think its just about its free game :/
agree
Anyone can do anything basically, as it's all a matter of pressing buttons at the right time. That doesn't mean certain things are harder than others though.
and yes maybe the nades spam and so on isnt that skilled to do, but to dodge them and get past it does.
like the old 141 - it was very boring to watch on ettv tbh ,spam spam spam.
To tell the truth - I used to love watching games on rtcw tv , I watch ettv games for 10 mins max before I'm bored to death
Sure rtcw had alot of spam - but et has the same spam and a whole lot more of it
Btw: what ever happened to that mod that highlighted where the action was (aimed to mak watching games alot more interesting)
HOWEVER
You're claiming the world is opening it's eyes for ET. As an argument you use the increasing lans that have an ET tournament.
-Poland had a lot of lans before with prizemoney anyone could attend. this is just the first year european teams attented.
-Crossfire lan (mainly the second one comin up) is an initiative by Crossfire, Tosspot in particular. This has nothing to do with the eyes of the world (although I dont really think you exactly claimed this). And don't forget the huge attention the organisation gave COD2 rather than ET.
-What do you know about the organisation of the shgopen? Maybe there were a lot of et-fanatics behind this decission.
What I'm trying to say is: Maybe it's just the community opening it's eyes for LAN's rather than LAN's opening their eyes for ET. I reckon the biggest reason CS is still so damn popular on LAN is because millions of people play it, love it and WANT to come together and compete.
ET was (maybe still is) such a actively played game because it's free and fun. And because it's free, neither the community or LANs took the game seriously. As time evolved we, the community, and 'the world' realised people are more and more willing to attend lans and invest time and money.
ET is being seen by others, we are being featured on LANs, and suddenly there is money to be made in ET. Suddenly there is a whole competition world open. We went from having Quakecon, Eurocup and Warleagues to having Quakecon, Crossfire LAN, PGA Digital Arena, ESL IPS, Eurocup, Warleagues and now the sHgopen.
which, ofcourse, isn't entirely correct.
I agree with you that CS wont take over ET. Which I already stated in the column.
You claim you're not confusing ET-fanatic based events with events organised by 'them', yet you are.
Again, it's just a matter of us opening our eyes instead of the other way around.
<3 ET ! :)
Anyone has further information?