Figured I'd post some thoughts of my own in this old ass thread.
I'm an early Era 2 (2000 - 2003) player with only a hazy memory of everything that happened so long ago. Here are some of the better players from that time that I played with:
Def
ZZJohnZZ
Fiend
TK
Sniperman
Daw
Yogic
Bulldozer
-1
Mugwump
Clown
Cano
Kovaak
Cleansweep
Now, were any of these players particularly impressive compared to the best in Europe at the time? No. In that era many of the innovations from Europe, such as bunny hopping, more efficient team communication, and aggressive team play tactics, were still being ignored by most North American "elite" players. There were certainly notable exceptions, but most of the "elite" North American players were content to play an antiquated style reminiscent of Netquake. Change came, but it was slow.
To bring this point home, let me just remind everyone of what happened during the CPL 4 Year Anniversary Quakeworld tournament in 2001. What an embarrassment that was for the NA QW scene! Held in Texas, many notable North American QW players showed up (Def being a notable exception, he decided to back out for some reason; he has never played at a live tournament IIRC). And yet, this is who the top 3 were:
1. Harlsom (Australian)
2. Core (Swedish)
3. CZM (pro Q3 player)
So, the entirety of the North American regular QW scene was beaten by a good Australian, an obscure Swedish player who has never won another tournament to my knowledge, and a Q3 ringer. Somehow Fatality and Zero4 also managed to crack the top 8, despite playing like it was a 1996 Netquake tournament. Fiend was the only regular North American player on the list who managed to crack the top 8.
In the couple months before the tournament I spent many hours playing against all the Q3 ringers, and it was painfully obvious how flawed their games were at the time, despite their very solid fundamentals in aim and armor running. Fatality, Zero4, and CZM would frequently get beaten by regular North American players, who in turn would stand no chance against halfway decent Europeans. I chalk it up to prior tournament experience that the "pro" gamers were able to do so well with so little modern QW experience. Still, having only one "real" NA player in the top 8 was a pretty stark indictment of the skill of the NA QW scene.
It is also problematic - due to the weird Clan AG situation at the time - to pick the best players based on tournament wins. AG was a sort of Dream Team that would soak up the best, most active players and then beat up on all the remnants come tournament time. That wasn't a good thing for the QW scene at the time; it also makes it hard to distinguish between all the AG talent that never had to face a challenging match against another good team.
With all that said! In the end, if I had to pick players from my era that should be on an all-time NA top 10 list of some sort, I could probably only pick two.
Def and ZZJohnZZ.
Def because, though I think he was overrated due to being the big fish in a small pond, he was always a very solid dueler and team player. He deserves his due.
ZZJohnZZ, on the other hand, hated duels, but in my opinion he was the most well-rounded 4on4 player in America.
Notable mentions:
Sniperman (for being perhaps the first American to play with a fully European - and incredibly smooth - style).
Mugwump (one hell of a dueler).
Fiend (for being a solid player that could challenge anyone in a duel or in teamplay, and gave our scene its best placing at the CPL tournament).
TK (another very solid TP'er).
Kovak (who is apparently a great player, but I think he may have improved more after I departed).
I'm sure there are some great players I'm forgetting about, but it's been a decade and it's hard to remember everyone from those thousands of pickup games that all blend together now.
I'm an early Era 2 (2000 - 2003) player with only a hazy memory of everything that happened so long ago. Here are some of the better players from that time that I played with:
Def
ZZJohnZZ
Fiend
TK
Sniperman
Daw
Yogic
Bulldozer
-1
Mugwump
Clown
Cano
Kovaak
Cleansweep
Now, were any of these players particularly impressive compared to the best in Europe at the time? No. In that era many of the innovations from Europe, such as bunny hopping, more efficient team communication, and aggressive team play tactics, were still being ignored by most North American "elite" players. There were certainly notable exceptions, but most of the "elite" North American players were content to play an antiquated style reminiscent of Netquake. Change came, but it was slow.
To bring this point home, let me just remind everyone of what happened during the CPL 4 Year Anniversary Quakeworld tournament in 2001. What an embarrassment that was for the NA QW scene! Held in Texas, many notable North American QW players showed up (Def being a notable exception, he decided to back out for some reason; he has never played at a live tournament IIRC). And yet, this is who the top 3 were:
1. Harlsom (Australian)
2. Core (Swedish)
3. CZM (pro Q3 player)
So, the entirety of the North American regular QW scene was beaten by a good Australian, an obscure Swedish player who has never won another tournament to my knowledge, and a Q3 ringer. Somehow Fatality and Zero4 also managed to crack the top 8, despite playing like it was a 1996 Netquake tournament. Fiend was the only regular North American player on the list who managed to crack the top 8.
In the couple months before the tournament I spent many hours playing against all the Q3 ringers, and it was painfully obvious how flawed their games were at the time, despite their very solid fundamentals in aim and armor running. Fatality, Zero4, and CZM would frequently get beaten by regular North American players, who in turn would stand no chance against halfway decent Europeans. I chalk it up to prior tournament experience that the "pro" gamers were able to do so well with so little modern QW experience. Still, having only one "real" NA player in the top 8 was a pretty stark indictment of the skill of the NA QW scene.
It is also problematic - due to the weird Clan AG situation at the time - to pick the best players based on tournament wins. AG was a sort of Dream Team that would soak up the best, most active players and then beat up on all the remnants come tournament time. That wasn't a good thing for the QW scene at the time; it also makes it hard to distinguish between all the AG talent that never had to face a challenging match against another good team.
With all that said! In the end, if I had to pick players from my era that should be on an all-time NA top 10 list of some sort, I could probably only pick two.
Def and ZZJohnZZ.
Def because, though I think he was overrated due to being the big fish in a small pond, he was always a very solid dueler and team player. He deserves his due.
ZZJohnZZ, on the other hand, hated duels, but in my opinion he was the most well-rounded 4on4 player in America.
Notable mentions:
Sniperman (for being perhaps the first American to play with a fully European - and incredibly smooth - style).
Mugwump (one hell of a dueler).
Fiend (for being a solid player that could challenge anyone in a duel or in teamplay, and gave our scene its best placing at the CPL tournament).
TK (another very solid TP'er).
Kovak (who is apparently a great player, but I think he may have improved more after I departed).
I'm sure there are some great players I'm forgetting about, but it's been a decade and it's hard to remember everyone from those thousands of pickup games that all blend together now.
News