PG2: coL.cs vs UMX

April 25th, 2010

Postgame

coL.cs came out of the start looking for the win as they took on ULTIMAX Gaming on de_dust2. With thoMz and dboorN teaming up to frag all of UMX, coL began to run away with it early. UMX was able to grab 5 rounds before the half thanks to a strong effort from buskey. In the second half, it proved to be all coL as they took it to UMX on the favored T-side of de_dust2. After grabbing the pistol, it was smooth sailing as they were able to take the final 5 rounds and the win. Good game to both teams!

Pregame

Tonight, coL.cs looks to get back on the winning track as they take on UMX for the ESEA Season 6 Invite division. Originally, this was the supposed to be coL’s first match, however a delay in scheduling pushed this match up until today. UMX is currently sitting at 1-0 after a convincing 16-6 win over ATP in the first week. coL on the other hand is at 0-1 after a surprising loss to Immortal7. coL.cs will need to step their game up if they look to regain their status as one of the elite teams in ESEA. The match is set to begin at 10:30PM EST on de_dust2.

 

 
compLexity
10
6
0
16
ULTIMAX Gaming
5
0
0
5
Map: de_dust2
HLTV: spectv010.esea.net:29177
Scorebot: #compLexity

QPAD Search and Win Contest – Winner

April 24th, 2010

QPAD Heaton Mousepad Search and Win Contest

Winner

Congratulations to zaijth, the winner of our QPAD Search and Win contest! zaijth will be recieving a signed Heaton mousepad from QPAD.

Contest

Today, we would like to announce or next contest for April! This contest is brought to you by QPAD and the new Heaton mousepad. SImilar to our XFX Search and Win Contest only a few weeks ago, this contest is a scavenger hunt. Your job is to find the answers to the questions below. They can be found anywhere on the internet, but each has a specific answer. One winner will be selected to win an autographed Heaton mousepad!

Rules

1. Only one entry per user.
2. The answers MUST be sent to coL|aMies via PM on the website (do NOT post answers in this thread).
3. Include the question before your answer.
4. Read receipts will not be confirmed upon submission.
5. One RANDOM winner (with the correct answers) will be chosen.

Questions

1. How old is Emil “HeatoN” Christensen?
2. During the CGS, what team was Heaton the GM of?
3. What type of surface is on the QPAD®|CT™ Small 4mm mousepad?
4. What country is QPAD based in?
5. The QPAD®|5K Gaming Laser Mouse is designed to fit the __ finger grip.

 

Prize

The new QPAD HeatoN Medium has a size of 36.5 x 28 cm compared with the first version QPAD HeatoN XL that was 43.5 x 36.5 x 0.35cm. The new size is adjusted to fit every gamers table. The surface is constructed in a 3 layer construction. Starting with a high quality cross weave natural rubber base to make it stay firm on the table. The second layer is an ABS plastic sheet to give it stability and weight. The third surface layer is made from a durable Carbytek™ plastic that offers a unimagined feeling of speed in combination with smooth micro precision control. The combination of a spongy 2mm natural rubber base with an 1mm ABS board in between and the Carbytek™ hard top surface gives it a feeling unique for the QPAD HeatoN series. The weight of 550 gram makes it stay firmly on the table. “With the best glide ever on a hard top gaming pad together with the durability so the glide won’t change every week. I would have to say that we have developed the perfect plastic pad that will never interfere with your game and make sure you are always on the top of your game.” Says Emil “HeatoN” Christensen

Release and availability

QPAD®|HeatoN™ Medium will be available in partner shops during May 2010 with a recommended price of 31.92 EUR + VAT, you can pre-order from selected QPAD resellers today!

Product specifications

Name: QPAD®|HeatoN™
Size: Medium 36.5 x 28 x 0.4cm
Color: Black
Surface: Carbytek™ Hard top
Base: Natural rubber, ABS board.
Weight: 550 gram
Other: QPAD Glidz included
EAN code: 7350020290763
Article number: 3903
RSP: 31.92 EUR + vat


(1 entry per registered user.  Complexity players and staff can participate but can not win. That winner will be contacted and announced on this post. Void where prohibited. Contest ends Saturday, May 1st at 10 EST.)

 

compLexity Gaming:  YOUR source for professional gaming news and entertainment!

SB Facebook Contest – Week 1 Winner

April 24th, 2010

Winner #1

Congratulations to Oregon Slacker, the first winner of our Sound Blaster Facebook Contest. Oregon Slacker has won an official compLexity Gaming Headset valued at $99.99. Stay tuned, as a new winner will be chosen every Saturday for the next 3 weeks!

 

 

Contest

This event will run for the next four weeks and is a Sound Blaster Facebook contest.  As we move into 2010 we will be holding more contests on Facebook and will be releasing exclusive insider sneak peaks via our Facebook and Twitter accounts.  Be sure to subscribe to both to stay updated on all the action!

The event is easy to enter.  Simply join the Creative Sound Blaster and compLexity Gaming Facebook pages and post at least 1 comment each week.  We will randomly choose a winner who is subscribed to both pages and posts a comment on each during that week.  Each Saturday for the next four weeks we will announce a winner.

 

 

Prize

The winners will receive the compLexity Edition Sound Blaster Arena Headset which retails for $99.99.

 

compLexity Gaming:  YOUR source for professional gaming news and (contest!) entertainment!

Twixz on ArenaCast

April 23rd, 2010

Mike “Twixz” Shane of coL.Black has recently been featured on an episode of ArenaCast. In the episode, they dicuss the opening of the TR, the future of WoW and esports, as well as the possibility that the next WoW expansion will be even bigger than expected. Joining Twixz as a guest are both Kintt and Azael.

Play the Cast


You can view the official ArenaCast website by clicking here.

Recession? Not for Microsoft

April 23rd, 2010

Arguably the best gaming console on the market, the Xbox 360, has sold over 40 million since its public debut in November of 2005. Early yesterday, Microsoft announced that sales in the third quarter are up 2% opposed to last year. In the third quarter alone Microsoft has generated an astounding $1.67 billion in revenue.

Unfortunately, with the holiday rush coming to a close, Microsoft also announced that their sales are down 12% since the end of the holiday season. Of course, they have nothing to fear as Project Natal, a motion camera add-on for the 360, is set to launch later this year. Also, it’s being rumored that a new Xbox 360, only half the size of the original, could be on the market later down the road. Some are expecting it to be announced at the 2010 E3 convention in June.

Source: ign

Pro’s Asked – WoW 3.3.3

April 23rd, 2010

Pro’s Asked – WoW 3.3.3

by Sascha “Yiska” Heinsich

The patch is a couple of weeks in and many top players have been trying to stay in shape for the TR, testing the newest changes. We asked a couple of questions to players both from Europe and North America about the most important changes and how they will effect the tournament scene. The answers were interesting to say the least.

Rogues had been buffed in the last patch and old school Rogues have been trying it out as most would describe it as the “more fun” spec to play. While more fun does not exactly equal more success but rather a break from the usual Mutilate spamming, players like Reckful have been fairly successful with it. Check out his video if you haven’t.

Let’s see what the top players think of the changes. First I asked:

“What was your opinion with the changes to Subtlety Rogues? Do you think we will see them in live ladder or tournament play?” 

Here are the responses:

“I think we will see it come up more as time goes on for ladder play, shd requires less babysitting  than mutilate so you can expect other healer dps / shd rogue comps to work better than before. As for RMP I definitely think it will be used in tournament play” – Kalimist, Team Dignitas

“They will have more of the option of using the spec now at least” -Twixz

“I like how Shadowdance is now a viable spec for Rogues that understand how to play the spec.  Verty/Sodah and I did many RMP games with Reckful while he was playing dance and I really enjoy working with a dance Rogue in arena.  Subtlety is also interesting because it doesn’t seem like it’s a spec that anyone can be successful with, since it doesn’t consistently have high damage like Mutilate Rogues do.” -Pookz, Team EG

Exciting answers from Pookz and Kalimist in terms of continent perception of the spec. Both seem convinced that Subtlety now is a viable option for tournaments, which should definitely get some mind games going. Pookz hinted at this as well, stating:

“I feel Rogue teams with Druid healers will attempt to play Shadow Dance and teams with Shaman (RLS) will continue playing mutilate for ladder play.  Tournament play is different because they’d know what comp they would be fighting so the spec of the Rogue would depend on the comp they are fighting” 

From my own personal experience I can say that, for example, RMP mirrors change entirely as sticking to the Mage while always having the option to switch to a different target in a heart beat (or a Shadow Step *cough*) seemed very viable. Great options and mind-games ahead people!

On to the next question:

2. How big was the Bladestorm change? (for those unfamiliar with the change; it can now be disarmed) 
 

“The Bladestorm change was quite big but it has not really effected the good warriors as much as the bad ones from how thinks are looking.” -Kalimist

The difference between a good and a bad Warrior in situations Kalimist is referring to is that good ones know when to expect a disarm. It’s all about timing and coordination with your team. If the player with the disarm is CC’d, you’re free to storm. Pookz agrees:

“The Bladestorm change was a buff to rogue, Shadowpriest and even some Hunter comps.  Double Healer warrior and TSG comps are not as strong against RMP as they were.  I can’t really say if the Bladestorm change was needed or not needed but it definitely does require warrior teams to coordinate CC (on the disarmer in this case) before their burst.” 

TSG and double heal both don’t have a spammable CC, so it’s rather easy for them to disarm a Bladestorm because even if they use one of their CC’s on the disarm class, he always has the option to trinket if times get tough. SK’s Inflame didn’t sound all that concerned even though he will play with a Warrior in the future, though they of course have a spammable CC to force Trinkets before Bladestorming:

“Bladestorm change doesn’t matter. Warriors are still overpowered as f***” 

And all doubts just have been killed. Chin up Warriors, it’s not so bad after all.

What do you feel was the biggest change in 3.3.3? 

“DK buffs and passive auras”  -Twixz

Is he hinting at a come back of Flexx on the DK Class? Certainly the ability to protect their diseases was huge for Dks in some comps and especially against some teams. Dks can do pretty scary things to Priests on Live at the moment.

“There weren’t really any game breaking changes in 3.3.3” -Inflame

The bad boy of the WoW community obviously isn’t convinced that anything really changed on live servers to a degree that some comp or class suddenly got better. The changes weren’t so harsh after all.

“The biggest change for me was being able to use Frosfire Bolt instead of Fireball when Brain Freeze procs.  Having those extra Fingers of Frost procs is a good addition to my game.  The biggest changes in the game were the Subtlety changes, diseases not being dispelable, and the Bladestorm change.”  -Pookz

Pookz also mentions the DK buffs and adds some Mage centered information to it, which certainly was a buff as well. Contrary to other players, he seems to think that Bladestorm was indeed hit pretty harsh.

 
Finally I asked the players to grab their crystal balls and predict the future for me.

“What class/combo do you expect to do well on TR?” 

“Hunter, Paladin, Warlock is going to be the most popular comp this TR.” -Kalimist

“I think any type of Ele/Lock Wizard cleave, Spriest/Rogue/Sham will do good” -Inflame

“I see PHD doing quite well on tr”– Twixz

Interesting answers for sure. No one answered the same comp twice and I personally couldn’t pin a comp as well. The Meta game will once again be important. Is your comp strong against the majority of teams playing? Can I do well by just sniping the top teams with my comp? Those kinds of question should be considered when trying to aim for the top 8. When players from all around the world come from their Battlegroups to crawl onto the Tournament Realm, surprises will happen. Can Blizzard please surprise us with an announcement soon?

QPAD Heaton Mousepad Revamped

April 23rd, 2010

HeatoN Expands Pad Series – “Perfect Pad” Resized

 

QPAD, the Swedish company famed for it’s premium gaming gear, today announced the release of a new Heaton mouse pad.

“The feedback I got from the first release has been extremely positive. The one thing people have requested is the same quality feeling in a smaller size. So making a QPAD HeatoN in a smaller size felt like the obvious next step. It’s smaller but still big. ” – Says Emil “HeatoN” Christenssen.

“Internaly we have been joking about customers having to check in the HeatoN pad at airports. Now we can provide the same HeatoN pad that you can bring with you in your carry-on luggage”. Says QPAD president Christer Körnbäck.

The QPAD HeatoN pad resized

The new QPAD HeatoN Medium has a size of 36.5 x 28 cm compared with the first version QPAD HeatoN XL that was 43.5 x 36.5 x 0.35cm. The new size is adjusted to fit every gamers table. The surface is constructed in a 3 layer construction. Starting with a high quality cross weave natural rubber base to make it stay firm on the table. The second layer is an ABS plastic sheet to give it stability and weight. The third surface layer is made from a durable Carbytek™ plastic that offers a unimagined feeling of speed in combination with smooth micro precision control. The combination of a spongy 2mm natural rubber base with an 1mm ABS board in between and the Carbytek™ hard top surface gives it a feeling unique for the QPAD HeatoN series. The weight of 550 gram makes it stay firmly on the table.

 

With the best glide ever on a hard top gaming pad together with the durability so the glide won’t change every week. I would have to say that we have developed the perfect plastic pad that will never interfere with your game and make sure you are always on the top of your game.

 

Release and availability
QPAD®|HeatoN™ Medium will be available in partner shops during May 2010 with a recommended price of 31.92 EUR + VAT, you can pre-order from selected QPAD resellers today!

Product specifications
Name: QPAD®|HeatoN™
Size: Medium 36.5 x 28 x 0.4cm
Color: Black
Surface: Carbytek™ Hard top
Base: Natural rubber, ABS board.
Weight: 550 gram
Other: QPAD Glidz included
EAN code: 7350020290763
Article number: 3903
RSP: 31.92 EUR + vat

About Heaton:
Emil “HeatoN” Christensen is a legend for his achievements in the Counter-Strike 1.6 pro gaming arena, and his unique technique when shooting. By taking his team “NiP” (Ninjas in Pyjamas) to winning the World Championship and once more with the successful team SK-Gaming, HeatoN has been a centre figure in the pro-gaming arena for a long time. After retiring as an active pro gamer he became General Manager for the Swedish team “Stockholm Magnetik” in the global gaming tournament CGS. Emil “HeatoN” Christenssen has won several tournaments around the world e.g. 9 CPL, 4 CPL World Championships, 1 World Cyber Games and 3 Nations cups and several other tournaments. Today Emil “HeatoN” Christenssen is making a living out of developing gaming products with several brands. Heaton recently launched his first gaming mouse pad together with QPAD.

About QPAD:
QPAD built its success on a grassroots commitment to the gaming community. Like you, we thrive in the madness of competition and embrace the free spirit of gaming. Our sponsorship of the QTOUR, communities, cups, tournaments, teams and LAN parties reflects this commitment. The knowledge we’ve gained has fed into our development of high quality products that have a great performance and given many a winning edge. For more information on QPAD, visit the official website: www.qpad.se

evolution Interviewed by SK

April 22nd, 2010

Scott “evolution” Cavallero has recently been interviewed by SK-Gaming. Scott discusses his outlook on the upcoming ESEA season, as well as the state of North American CS, including CSProMod. An excerpt from the interview can be found below:

 

Last week we saw the conclusion of the CEVO-P Grand Finals between coL and EG, after thrashing them on two maps and winning the championship it is clear that your lineup has the potential to be the best team in North America, do you feel that your lineup is more talented than EG or do you feel that EG still holds the North American crown as best team?

Given what they’ve accomplished in the past so many months and given the fact that we are a new team I would have to say they still are number one. Until we consistently beat them at tournaments both online and on lan only then could I say we are number one. However I believe that them being the number one team also offers us advantages as we continually have hunger and motivation to prove not only to the community but to ourselves that we are indeed a better team.

With the ESEA season starting this week, what are you guys doing to prepare for the season with such short time together as a team? and out of all of the new lineups we see this season who do you believe are going to be the teams that stand in your way of the championship?

We’ve just been practicing, scrimming, and getting our teamwork and communication down on the 4 basic lan maps that we see every tournament. As far as the ESEA only maps we will probably take them on one at a time a few days before we have to play them. In regards to teams standing in our way of course I’d have to say EG, also teams such as Underestimated, Graffiti and Loaded are all to not be taken lightly.

 

The full interview can be found at SK-Gaming

Blizzard Bans 320,000

April 22nd, 2010

Accordingly to one of Blizzard’s representitives, Blizzard has banned over 320,000 users for ToS violations in Warcraft III and Diablo II. This includes anything from hacks and bots to illegal configurations. First time offenders were given a 30 day ban, while repeat offenders were permanently banned. Only their CD-key was banned, however, which means that their Battle.net accounts will be fully usable for the release of Starcraft 2. The statement from Bashiok at Blizzard can be found below:

 

We’ve recently banned over 320,000 Warcraft III and Diablo II accounts that were found to be violating the Battle.net Terms of Use. If this is a first offense, the CD key associated with the banned account will be suspended for 30 days, while repeat offenders will see their keys banned permanently. All account ban decisions are final.

We would like all players to remember that abuse of unintended mechanics and/or use of third party programs is a violation of the agreement made when signing on to Battle.net, and can subject your account to disciplinary action up to and including a permanent ban of its access to the service. These types of activities can severely impact the stability of our servers, and we’ll continue to aggressively monitor Battle.net in order to protect the service and its players from the harmful effects of cheating.

Many account closures come as the direct result of tips emailed to our hacks team by legitimate Battle.net users. If you come across a hack, find a site responsible for distributing hacks, or have a replay of a newly available hack, please report this to our hacks team at [email protected] or through our Hacks Report Form at http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&tag=hacksform

As always, thank you for your continued support, and we’ll see you on Battle.net!

 

It has also been announced that all bans are final and are not open to appeal.

PG2: coL.cs vs i7

April 22nd, 2010

Postgame

Unfortunately for coL, ESEA didn’t start out the way they had hoped as they were defeated on de_dust2 by Immortal-7, along with former coL.cs player, Ryan “Ninespot” Bell. i7 got off to a very strong start, taking the first 7 rounds from coL. The rest of the half was no different as i7 was able to extend themselves to a 12-3 lead. In the second half, the opposite looked to be taking place as coL took the pistol and the following rounds. They were able to bring the score to 12-10 before i7 locked down their defense and took the match by the score of 16-12. Good game to both teams!

Pregame

Tonight, coL.cs kicks off ESEA-I Season 6 as they take on Immortal7 in their Week 1:2 match. Fresh off their convincing win against EG in the Grand Finals of CEVO only a week ago, coL.cs will be looking to keep the momentum going against the relatively new i7 team, led by former coL.cs stars, Andrew “Irukandji” Timmerman and Ryan “Ninespot” Bell. The match is set to take place at 10:30PM tonight on de_dust2. As always, HLTV will be provided 15 minutes before the match and scorebot will be available in #compLexity.

 
compLexity
3
9
0
12
i7
12
4
0
16
Map: de_dust2
HLTV: spectv009.esea.net:29055
Scorebot: #compLexity