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  1. WFAS World Cup

    www.scheduleague.com/manager/index.cfm?League_ID=23003

    Mags had posted the link in this thread, but I believe team captains are not checking their matches there. Please visit the link to see who you should be playing and when.
  2. WFAS World Cup

    Basi,

    Did you visit the league page? It has all the opponents and dates.  I believe you were supposed to play Bohemia today. I asked Riley and he said you were playing today...
  3. WFAS Cup: Interviews and Team Chatter

    I wanted to take a couple of seconds and address some points before posting interviews and reviews of the last two matches (Brazil vs USA) and (Germany vs Poland).

    I am a new to this online community so I am not going to debate who is better player or why - I am sure I need far more time here to determine that - but I will speak in terms of teams and their attitudes. 

    I have spoken to a few German players now and I have nothing but pleasant convos.  Very polite and very well articulated.  I have played with Polish players for thousands of hours and most of them too very were polite (aside from occasional retards who would just insult for no reason)... The competitiveness is fine - but I find it strange that someone would be hurt, because after all you all can mute everyone... :smile:

    That said, there is an issue that was brought up by a few random players here and there, that their best team is not here otherwise it would have been a victory for them.  Well, to them I can only say - this is World Cup 2015... not 2011 or 2012... so if you do not have your best team, then certainly this year you are not the "best" team and there is no need to bring or invoke players of the old who moved on to other games or don't care about this world cup enough to represent their countries.  We are here to judge the best nation in WFAS in 2015. 

    What I am saying is, win or lose, we are dealing with the best teams those countries can offer NOW!  and this tournament is about NOW.  Through my interviews I learned that Poland and Germany traditionally field very strong line ups and are always favorites.  But in this World Cup, THIS YEAR, whether its because some of those players moved on or some were unwilling to participate, the team performances were all stellar making it a very even field.  And I prefer an even field to a very lopsided one.

    Germany so far has been stellar!  They are playing tight formations and very determined.  They also practice a lot as I see their players in daily scrims. 

    Poland had a nice start but was not able to carry the momentum all the way.  I don't think they made any excuses, but it's clear that their team needs some serious adjustments because the team that played in the last match made some grave errors.

    Brazil... well Brazil is as I predicted - its picking up momentum and definitely going to come together before this tournament ends.  I would not be surprised to see them deliver some upsets.

    USA... we are a relatively new team.  We still base most of what we do in international competition on the said "international competition".  But we are lucky to have some versatile players that can do the job and compensate for whatever shortcomings we have.  We have are looking for cohesion more so than skill, because that we have a huge abundance of.

    Turkey and Azerbaijan... well those two teams are just spectacular.  Very well organized, exceptional communication and definitely two of the best squads in the tournament.

    Austrians and Bohemians are similarly well organized team, and this year they lack the star power to make them dominate the tournament, but they are still fielding enough experienced players to compete at more or less similar levels. 

    So this year, the favorites to win the cup are many... Why? Well the balance of power, dictated by natural things (players leaving, communities disappearing) is what makes it so much fun.  The new teams come to the top, and the natural aspirations will challenge the old teams for supremacy... Its the way of things. 

    No need for excuses because frankly I don't care who was a better player five years ago or who won a tournament six month ago.  Don't get me wrong its a wonderful topic of a conversation, but not in terms of why a team wins/loses this world cup. 

    All teams in this tournament are fielding the BEST players they CAN field.  And we are here to measure which of those BEST teams is the BEST internationally. 

    Can't wait for the matches to get into semis and finals stage. :smile:

    Looking forward to meeting the rest of you who I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet.

    Ele
  4. WFAS Cup: Interviews and Team Chatter

    Yeah this was an epic confrontation.. I didn't see it but based on Mags review it was a very competitive match - well nothin less was expected from these two favorite teams.
  5. WFAS World Cup

    Ahh we are running the tourney with two threads, one steam page and one league table. On top of this each team has their own steam page in regards to the tourney. 

    We wanted to do broadcasts but it seems there is a valid concerns for people talking in spec mode so we probably will not have live broadcasts. That said for semis we are going to record the games and review them with. 

    I just want to say that while I'm mostly doing the interviews, Mags has been amazing at organizing,running and communicating in this tourney.  And this is promising to be a very exciting event. We are all aware that WFAS isn't as populated anymore and some top players are gone, but since we are all affected by that, all teams have a fair chance for a well deserved fame. 
  6. WFAS World Cup

    Well we sort of forgot to mention another round that did play out this past weekend... And as I hoped, after Turkey vs Azerbaijan match, this one also went down to the wire.

    The match I'm referring to was played between Bohemia and Brazil.  So far all matches in all match ups were played between just three factions - Sweden, Polish Commonwealth and Cossack Hetmanate.  And to my knowledge only two maps were ever used - Marketplace and Fields.  This match was no exception.

    Bohemia jumped to a quick lead and was looking to rout Brazil after the first ten games... However Brazil did manage to come back roaring on Marketplace to almost pull off an upset... They fell in the closing couple of rounds with the final score settling at Bohemia 11 - 8 Brazil.

    Of note it's important to mention that Brazilian players are slowly gaining cohesion and composure. Considering that it's the first time this bunch had played in international competition, this young team shows a lot of potential for a very dynamic tournament performance.

    Great set of battles. And congrats to Bohemia as it secure its first tourney match win.

    Ele
  7. WFAS World Cup

    World Cup Match Review (Turkey vs Azerbaijan)

    Take it from someone who hasn't played in any of WFAS competitions prior to this, I was actually in awe watching this match unfold.  Granted, Mags and myself were a bit saddened that the other two matches were not happening due to rescheduling, so we were expecting a quick match, especially given the fact that Azerbaijan's team was the latest addition and we figured that the team will probably not be able to come together this fast, especially considering that their first opponent was none other than Turkey!!!  But even as the first battle unfolded we quickly realized that this was no ordinary walk in the park for Turkey, and clearly not a first competition game for Azerbaijan. 

    So what did happen?  I bet most of you are wondering what the hell is he talking about? Well, for starters, team Azerbaijan began the match as if they were the winners (or at least finalists) of every single WFAS tournament.  The first match took place on Marketplace and just like Turkish players, Azeris were quick to camp the alley, position shooters and move their infantry in coordinated and determined formations.  To top it all off, even with flags spawning away, they moved in organized and highly coordinated fashion. The whole first match of ten games was basically a tit for tat, and the result was astonishing (5-5).  The second match started on the Fields, and to our continued bewilderment (by we I mean myself and Mags, cause I am sure he could relate to my feelings) the rounds went back and forth.  In fact, the only difference I could observe was the way in which Turkish and Azeris team deployed on this map.  Azeris basically stayed in the village, all the way to the flags.  They appeared to have adopted a defensive stance. The Turkish team finally came out of shock - I can't really call it anything else, because it was clear from the way the match was unfolding they did not at all anticipate this type of performance from Azerbaijan.  To them this was no longer a walk in the park... hell it was not even about toughing it out... To the Turks it was now do or die, as they were looking at either a tie or loss.  Yes, guys, this match of 20 games went all twenty games not because of ego or pride - it went all this way because until the last battle, this entire match was not decided!!!

    Turkish players as Poland finally defeated Azeri team as Sweden on the Fields, but long after the musket smoke faded and the hissing of the hussaria subsided, we were still left with a few questions.

    Was it just a very good game with an almost impossible upset?  Sure.  It could have been just that.  It could have been that Azerbaijan as a team just came together naturally in the matter of days and almost took out one of the best teams in the tournament. 

    Did anyone "ghost" in this round?  Ghosting is a term I use in reference to players using different tags to pretend they are someone else.  In regards to this question, I can't truly answer it because I simply don't know enough players in MP to know if someone actually 'ghosted' here.  But this match did feature some incredible shots by people who moved and fought like a bunch of pros.  I am not even going into cavalry tactics of the Azeris on the Marketplace.

    One thing is for sure... whatever element of surprise Azeri team had it has now lost because now they will be taken extremely seriously by whoever their next opponent is.  Turkish team had to pull out all kinds of tricks and draw heavily on the experience of its veterans to pull off a win here.  And in the final match they succeeded. 

    Strategy wise, especially in the last battle, their cavalry simply managed to wreck havoc on Azeri infantry during flag rush and this left Azeri shooters dangerously unprotected.  Without pike protection, they succumbed to repeated Hussar charges.

    One final thought on all this... I truly hope that I am as surprised and excited as I was during this match, because honestly this is what World Cup is all about.  And if our matches continue in the same fashion we are bound to make history with some incredible games!!! 

    Thanks to both teams and congratulations to Turkey!!! In this match, there were no losers.  It was a spectacular event and regardless of the side stories, this event featured two very abled and determined squads that put on quite a show in skill and coordination.

    Ele
  8. WFAS World Cup

    I'm currently writing about this match... I got a chance to see it... Very tough competition all the way to the end, and it does bring a lot of questions...

    One question however is how a team that hasn't existed or played together displayed such an exceptional teamwork and almost pulled of the biggest upset of the tournament? 

    Of course it's possible - there are countless examples - but. Azeri teamwork was just too perfect... So either this was the most amazing team of the tournament or we got some players "ghosting". Don't get me wrong - it was amazing match to watch but for a brand new team to almost rock the Veteran Turkish team is rather unorthodox and hence the conspiracy theories.
  9. WFAS World Cup

    Two amazing matches took place today... The first one featured the much dreaded German squad taking on Azeri team. It was the first match for both teams and it was interesting to see how each team will be able to adjust to each other and what strategies and tactics they would use. And sadly, as much as I wanted to witness it, i was not able to do so. However, based on an eyewitness account, this match quickly proved to be a very contested event. Despite the score (14-5) in favor of Jubeg's squad, there was plenty of super contested rounds. Congratulations to the tournament favorite (Germany) in making their presence felt in the first match. And we hope to see the Azeri team adjust accordingly for their second match.

    The second event taking place today pitted Magician's team USA and Ausrian's led by Polar. I was able to witness this match and partly partake in it, and must admit this was a very interesting bout. The decisive factor in the first stage of the match was undoubtedly flanking movements and good terrain control by the Americans. In a couple of instances, the Austrians made flag dashes too late in the round, and on such maps as Fields, this strategy is better served by using cavalry. Since Austrian team opted to play without cavalry, it limited their mobility and therefore terrain control. In the second stage, the battlefield unfolded on the Marketplace and Polar's squad attempted to use Polish faction to rebound from 4-6 score. Here however, again, their lack of cavalry, which in my opinion was the Polish faction's ace, was instrumental in their limited ability to control the battlefield. Despite a valiant defense, the Austrian team fell 2-8 in the mostly shooting contest, ceeding the obvious benefit to Sweden.

    This review of course contains a personal observation and opinion so feel free to jump in with your own conclusions and thoughts. All discussion is appreciated.
  10. WFAS Cup: Interviews and Team Chatter

    As our tournament continues yet another team captain was able to provide us with his outlook on the tournament and status of his team.  This time, it was an Austrian team captain, Polar. Seeing how they had quite a few matches coming up and were entering into their second round today, it was interesting to see what the Austrian team cooked up for their American foes in this round and what if any adjustment Polar planned to make following their defeat at the hands of the Turkish team.

    Question 1: What can you tell us about yourself and Team Austria in general?

    Polar: Well, I'm pretty new in WFAS. I've got the game about one year ago, so I'm definitely not one of the very old pros.  Nevertheless I'm also not a newbie and give my best to improve.  About team Austria, I think we are half made of skilled new players and half very experienced older pros.  We do our best in the matches but at the moment sadly some of our core members have no time for playing.  I hope this will improve during the tournament.

    Question 2: Since you have played your first match at this time, what can you tell us about it? And what adjustment will you make for your match today?

    Polar: Our first match is the perfect example of the lack of activity of our players.  Finally after waiting about 45 mins I collected 5 other Austrians beside me.  Here I have to thank the Turkish team again, they were very patient and polite although it took me this long.  Our team was made up of three main players, one reserve and two who weren't even planned to play at all.  With this bad starting conditions it was very hard to win but we did our best and I am happy about our five points although I think with some  flag luck we would have been able to win more rounds. To me this match showed that even with no optimal team, Austria still can win some rounds and we are able to win some matches.  About the match with Americans... I am not able to say something because I don't know the American players and how good they are, also again some of our main players told me that have more important things in their real life, so I can just say we will try to do our best.

    Question 3:  Granted it appears that team Austria is slowly coming full strength and it's too early to predict results, I would like to ask you, which team, given Team Austia is full strength, will you consider to be your toughest competition?  I mean if your line up was available and fully staffed?

    Polar: Ok, if it really comes to the point when the optimal Team Austria plays, I think Germany and Poland are the hardest opponents.  Nevertheless in a 6v6 of our and their best players, to my mind, we are able to beat them, because our pros are at the same level.

    Question 4:  Your team is one of the very few in WC that allowed a foreign player to take part? What was the reason behind it and how well do you think he integrated with your squad?

    Polar:  I know Marth pretty long and I knew this situation of great inactivity of the Austrian players, he is very skilled and he knew he won't be able to form a team of Hungarian players, so it was an easy decision to have a Hungarian pro in the team.  My Austrian teammates never complained about it, he muted himself on TS and if there was something important I told him in English.  There weren't any problems.  Sadly his game crashed and he isn't able to play with us at the moment but if he fixes his game he can join us instantly.  Since he is very experienced, he knows what to do even though he isn't able to understand us every time.  I think there won't be any problems during matches.

    Question 5: For today's match you will be facing an American team... You spoke of not knowing much about this team and also Team Austria participation issue.  Given all that, how well do you think you will do today?  Are you expecting a full squad of Austrians?

    Polar: Today I hope we can show good results cause two very good players - Johny and Swordhunter will play.  At the moment it looks like nearly a team only made of main players will play, sadly still some important players are missing.

    Question 6: What message would you like to convey to other teams and fellow captains in this tournament?

    Polar: We will give our best so DON'T underestimate us!!!

    We wish Austrians all the best in the tournament and hope to see them rebound with force and finally achieve their optimal team.  This tournament will slowly draw more attention and we certainly hope that it will catch the attention of the Austrian players that will be willing to defend the country in this amazing tournament.
    Ele
  11. WFAS Cup: Interviews and Team Chatter

    I'm thinking Polar is going to do some adjustments for the match today.  Either way they will be hungry for a win now... Lol don't tempt them... I think it will be Ana amazing match today! Good luck to both teams.
  12. WFAS Cup: Interviews and Team Chatter

    After a small hiatus, the World Cup returns this Friday with two matches.  First, Azerbaijan will take on Germany in what promises to be a very entertaining match ups… While Azerbaijan’s presence in the World Cup was unexpected and unique, one must not forget that they are force to be reckoned with.  Drawing heavily on the experience of their Turkish big brothers, this team is bound to test the resolve and determination of the German squad.  Germany, on the other hand, will be making it’s long anticipated and closely watched debut.  It will be interesting to see how Jubeg will lead his exemplary team vs a very young and very determined Azeri squad.

    The second match will feature the Magician’s USA squad take on Polar’s Austrians.  Unlike Germany and Azerbaijan, both USA and Austria will be playing in their second round matches.  USA comes into this round fresh off the victory last Saturday over Bohemians… While Austrians will be attempting to rebound from their bittersweet loss to Turkey last week.  Granted that each team in WC has a very unique character – composition, strategy, coordination and communication, it will be very interesting to see how the Austrians will adjust to the American squad.  We will attempt to catch up with Polar very soon to get an Austrian team captain’s perspective on this upcoming match.

    Who do YOU think will come out as victors this Friday?  Will it be Azeri’s making their first WFAS statement?  Will it be the famed German squad, reasserting its dominance in WFAS?  Will it be the Americans, driven by the determination of their captain? Or will it be the Austrians hungry for their first win of the WC?
    Thoughts? Comments?

    Ele
  13. WFAS World Cup

    I'm sure most if not all countries playing in this World Cup are hospitable. So you are clearly wrong there.  Besides I would not consider a country to be inhospitable because they didn't "tell you" or "asked" you to join them.  In your case it should come as no surprise. :wink:

    Besides no one ever accused England to be "inhospitable" because it would not allow a player from say Burma to play on their World Cup team in football. To even suggest that current WFAS team are not hospitable shows that you don't have a clue as to what World Cup stands for or what hospitality means. 

    Ele
  14. WFAS World Cup

    Mags mentioned something earlier in regards to this, so I'll just reiterate it again...

    There are tons of people from all over the world playing WFAS on any given day.  On top of this, there are even more players from all over the world who are on Warband but who also have WFAS.  So the effort by the few players that lack national teams should not be directed at Mags to change the rules and accommodate mixed teams BUT instead on gathering their countrymen in lobbies of WArBanD and WFAS... I can assure you that you can form teams almost in a week or less.

    Nature of World Cup events is designed to showcase a country's pride and unity so allowing mixed teams defeats the purpose of the event.  My point is that a French player joining a French server will find plenty of willing candidates without resorting to mixed team participation.  The problem is a lot of people here tend to rely on friends they knew from before or community status of a specific country, while in reality there are tons of willing MP players in the lobbies are daily playing the game.

    Ele
  15. WFAS Cup: Interviews and Team Chatter

    I watched some of those games... I thank Mags for providing a valuable feedback in regards to strategies and tactics of international teams.  This guy is one of the few players that actually gone through a lot of communities and not only played in lot of matches but spectated or watched the replays - that's a rare attribute.

    In regards to ping... That's exactly my point aside from the part where you said that "luck plays an important role".  I would rephrase it to the phrase "decisive role", because it is important enough to force an outcome.

    Ele
  16. WFAS Cup: Interviews and Team Chatter

    Truth be told, after Mag's interview, I am even more excited about seeing these Germans in action... Haha... hopefully this is going to happen soon.  Very exciting!
  17. WFAS Cup: Interviews and Team Chatter

    Today I finally had a chance to catch up with the captain of the American team, The Magician.  So very busy with Team USA and planning of the tournament in general, I had caught him for a few brief moments to discuss the North American team, the tournament and his outlook on WFAS in general.  I must admit that as far as captaincy goes, I find our team in rather capable hands.  Below is an interview with this very gifted player and capable organizer.  Enjoy!

    Question 1: Magician... Team USA and Tournaments... I guess we would like to know if you can tell us a little about yourself, your team and your goal with creating this wonderful tournament.  What can you tell us?

    The Magician: Been playing WFAS for a little while now and I've been lucky enough to meet alot of cool people who I like to play WFAS with, but I noticed that we don't have too many competitions in the NA community and even less international competitions, due to the number of players in the community, so I wanted to create a tournament/league where everyone from around the world can play, kind of like a mix of Champions League and the World Cup, but with national teams.  I'm hoping that this tournament can bring together players from all different countries to play each other, we've got 7 teams right now but  I'm working on trying to get that 8th team before the start of the next week.  As for the US team, its filled with guys who have been playing open scrims together now for the last 1-2 years, some of our best guys who really came through in the clutch are guys like Gwen and Bill who have really been coming through in the flag scramble and the spear/pike melee aspect.  And Mexican Sniper who is always on call and thankfully can always fill in if we ever are missing a player, he's been getting a lot better lately as far as flag/timer awareness and shooting goes.  As well as Elendil who makes people think twice about crossing open ground if he's aiming at you.  You also can't forget Lopan and Jeff who are both probably the two best cav gunners in our NA scene.  I'm really excited to be having this tournament and I'm super excited to play team Poland which made up of alot of CHoHu guys, and those guys won the Dzikie Pola a few times as I remember so they will be pretty tough competition.  As well as Germany who have a mix of Barabe and TDA guys and those are some bad dudes in the clutch, it should make for some epic matches, and of course you can't leave out Turkey who always finds a way to win and is always in the conversation for top 3.  I'm also excited about these sleeper teams like Brazil, Austria and Bohemia, who can come up out of nowhere and steal a win from you if you even make a minor mistake.

    Question 2: Considering the first day of matches, and the results... were you surprised by them? Or did they live up to your expectations?

    The Magician: To be honest I had no idea what to expect, every team has lots of good veterans or at least a lot of good guys with a lot of potential, even the newly formed teams.  But if I had to pick one surprise, I'd say it was Poland against Brazil, even though it was 19-1, Brazil had a few close rounds on the Polish server against a good veteran Polish team, I'm excited to see how Brazil plays their next match since this is only the first time they've ever played together as a team.

    Question 3: As far as Team USA is concerned, were you pleased with your performance today? And what if any adjustments that you think you will make in your next round?

    The Magician: Team USA played a great game today, I can't be dissapointed in the least at that, everything seemed to go right for us today.  When it comes to fine tuning adjustments, well I think I'd have to talk to the team about that, we like to come up with a team consensus when it comes to matters of strategy.

    Question 4: Well that is certainly understandable, as strategies and tactics will change as adaptation takes precedence... However, there must be a team that you know you are going to have the hardest time with...  What team is that? and Why?  What makes them such a tough competition for our North American team?

    The Magician: If I can only pick one, then hands down it would have to be Germany.  One of the reasons is because their team is made up of some of the best players of Gothia, The Dark Alliance, and Barabe.  If I had to name the players I've had the most difficult time with in the past it would be Jubeg for shooting, Spartacus for shooting and Derfel for gunner cavalry and shooting.  Plus the German players play very well as a team and are excellent when it comes to team fighting in close quarters with a mix of everything as far as classes go.  The toughest part for our North American team is going to be trying to be able to hang with them in the pike team fighting close quarters action of maps like marketplace, while trying to manage not getting picked off one by one by their shooters.  Also some lucky flag spawns wouldn't hurt either on their server lol.

    Question 5: As a team captain, your job is probably the toughest... adding a responsibility of managing the whole tournament is definitely makes things even harder... So the first part of my question is, which players do you think have to come through for Americans team?
    for Americans team?


    The Magician: Well, we need Lopan and Jeff to be alive by the time the flag spawns because they are key in the clutch especially as cav, we need Elendil to keep doing what he's doing with sniping and calling out targets and troop movements, we need Gwen and Bill to keep doing what their doing in the close quarters game with spears/pikes and the short range pistol shooting, and we need Mexi in there to keep getting experience, the more time in the better you get, but he's come a long way in shooting.  And I need to step it up in terms of performance as well and be a little more consistent.  Some lucky flag spawns wouldn't hurt either on the away servers or our servers.  But everyone has been stepping up in terms of working together, this is actually the first time this specific group of players has ever all played on the same team.

    Question 6: As a tournament organizer and benefactor... I was wondering if you had a specific message to all the participants and team captains?  This can be both in terms of special rules or proposition... And if you can leave us with a special message, what would it be?

    The Magician: Good luck to all teams, lets try to conduct ourselves professionally, and let the games begin...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhnUgAaea4M

    Well, there is your well spirited and good natured Yankee attitude and bravado!!!  It's a simple "**** yeah" attitude that is destined to take them a long way.  One thing for sure, they are proud and very determined... and that, my friends, is a recipe for one hell of an amazing tournament run!!!  So bring it on! And perhaps if you ever wonder just how did these Yank pull it off?  Their answer is unanimous - it's magic!!!
  18. WFAS Cup: Interviews and Team Chatter

    I honestly think we are talking about the same thing just from different perspective.  I am sure we are agreeing.  Its like we are looking at a half full cup and one of us says its half empty while other claims its half full.  Both are right, just different approach I guess.

    What I was saying when I mentioned "doable" is that I would play with 900 ping vs a guy with 20 ping any day if all I had to do was melee... I would play in a tournament if I had to just melee my way through with this huge ping.  But if I am going shooter vs shooter (900 vs 20), then I don't have a chance in hell... The guy with 20, even if he is a mediocre shot, will be able to pick me off with all three factors (lucky, prediction and delay) going in his favor.

    Ele
  19. WFAS Cup: Interviews and Team Chatter

    @ Rapezz... LMAO!!! Amen dude, agreed!

    @ Super... I think you misunderstood what I meant... My point was that you can still duel and survive having no skill at it at all in high pings because there is a huge delay both ways.  So melee is doable at high ping because both sides disadvantaged by it.  But with shooting (I highly disagree about it being all luck), the chances of you hitting anything are very slim, because there is luck factor, there is predicting factor and there is also delay factor, which changes with every drop/increase in ping.  So yeah, as a shooter, you have almost no chance to shine, but as a melee guy you can still make it because delay effects both duelists.

    Ele
  20. WFAS Cup: Interviews and Team Chatter

    Yeah ping makes it a bit complicated... I found shooting to be the biggest issue... However, that is not to say that I enjoy waving my sword at targets who are not actually there but were there 2 seconds ago.  I believe in melee ping is doable because both characters are not in their actual spots so to speak... with shooting however, its a mess completely.
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