The Godfather Speaks June 17, 2006 - We're two days into the first World Series of Video Games event and most of the Halo 2 players are sitting on benches outside the tournament area waiting for the next round to start. This is a common sight at MLG events but rarely occurs during traditional PC tournaments. While most expected the console crowd to lay awestruck after their first exposure to a major cross-platform circuit, there are some serious issues that require immediate attention in order to retain the interest of Halo 2 players. We sat down with Vincent, better known to his legion of fans as 'The Godfather' of the MoB Gaming Family, who weighed in on his teams' experiences at the event thus far.

Before I approached Vincent this morning, I observed multiple Halo 2 teams complaining to tournament administrator Nick Shellhaas about the lack of playtime made available on tournament computers. The issue of warmup time has long been disputed by players, regardless of event, and each organization offers its own unique solution to the issue. The WSVG has adopted the stance shared by the CPL and Quakecon:


Other events tend to be more lenient and provide players a chance to practice before and after their rounds, such as WCG which has a separate practice area for teams to utilize during scheduled times. While the rule makes sense for PC competitors, Xbox players are required to each bring an Xbox and a controller with them to the event. As the Xbox tournament area sat vacant for hours at a time, Vincent was notably frustrated. "Look at all those machines collecting dust. If our matches start at 1:00, there should be free play until 12:50!"

The issue of warmup time is regulated across all of the games currently being played at LANWAR, but the Xbox gamers aren't used to making accomodations to new tournament settings, having played on MLG machines and TV's for years. The monitors are similar to the MLG configuration, but "MLG uses 20" monitors and here they've got 17's. It's not a big deal but my guys can't get adjusted," The Godfather explained.  Similarly, a number of players have made complaints about the loudspeaker that is positioned directly above the tournament area, making it difficult to hear each other talk, much less the delicate in-game sounds that can make or break a game. The ambience took its toll on the Halo 2 players as well in the form of an announcer for the Xbox 360 booth which is situated five feet from the first row of televisions. When I brought up this popular controversy, Vincent merely shook his head and commented, "The gameplay here reminds me of a gaming center, not a profesisonal circuit," citing the blaring microphone as a major issue. Environment and hardware adjustment has been a problem for PC gamers for years, with frigid temperatures and random chair heights at CPL events making the top of players' lists.

Finally, the manager of the #4 seeded team brought up the issue of tournament placement, as their bracket contained XiT Woundz at the #1 seed. The WSVG utilized a weighted seed setup, with players split into two pools and then randomly assigned. This resulted in a very difficult placement for a number of teams across all of the games at the event, but the WSVG staff ensured me that the next event will draw off of the LANWAR and DreamHack competition data.

While there were a number of understandable criticisms for such a new event, The Godfather offered high praises for the production level and layout of the event. Specifically, the ability to play at scheduled times alleviates the usually hectic process found at MLG, where "you have to sit around all day waiting for your match to be called and if you have to go to the bathroom, you could come back and forfeit your match," Vincent added.

The MobDeep.net team is still fighting their way through the tournament, with a tough matchup against #4 seed XiT Woundz coming up.

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