Today's Player Focus is with the current English number 1 (much much much better than Lordy, like a shark vs a goldfish). England would still easily lose to Scotland so it's all good - not just at Red Alert, but at football and rugby too. K0bra lad: [answers in bold]
1.a Tell us a little about yourself
I’m 35 from Leeds (Leeds Leeds!) England, UK. Played RA on and off for 20+ years. Every time I take a break, usually years, I always end up coming back. I’ve finished Top 20 WW ladder, top 20 cases ladder (both MPlayer and GameSpy) and of course CnCNet Ladder, however I don’t enjoy 1v1s like I used to.
Previous clans; BBMFIC, ORA, Team-UK, DK, HR, C, TA and [A] clan.
1.b Which year did you start playing RA?
I played C&C on MS Dos back in the day, then moved to Red Alert played a few skirmishes before playing online on Westwood online and MPlayer. So the very early days of RA!
2. Why do you like RA so much?
For me I have muscle memory engraved into me for all the years playing it, for me its like riding a bike. It’s simple, yet there is quite a bit of tactics sometimes involved.
3. Which games do you play apart from RA? or any interesting other hobbies?
RA of course until MPlayer died I played CS 1.6 competitively with lynxx. (online leagues, LAN tournaments around the UK etc). Still play a bit of CS:GO every now and then. Along with RA Remaster, AoE2 and a bit of C&C Rivals.
4. Who do you consider to be your biggest rival(s) in your time playing?
I’m not really the type of person to have rivalries, I let the super pros battle those out. Although on MPlayer myself and ORA-lynxx had many good 2v2s vs Neutralman and I forget his partners name, where we would just talk smack and play lots of super hyped up games from all the sh1t talk.
5. What is your most memorable game?
The most memorable game would be P4 (original 4v4 version) tournament on MPlayer. Myself, lynxx, Neutralman and Maddux got to the final vs Ashej, pr1ze, doja and fallenangels. We ended up losing as Ashej light tanked some trucks and didn’t notice until 0 credits, super annoying. But this was a HUGE 4v4 tournament with all the best clans entering multiple teams; one of the largest tournaments MPlayer had from memory on sheer volume of players.
6. Who is your favourite RA youtuber/streamer?
Got to be Beast. He can tank, build, jew (term for base trade), SGQ, play all maps so it's good to pick up improvements and add to your own game.
7. What is the single best tip you would give to other players?
Watch some pr0 streams and games. Practice Q nubenators, make sure you use at least 2/3 book marks and learn how to build. RA is simple that the more you play, the better you will get. Also trying different maps is a must. Standards will give you pro ore management whilst P4 will give you the chance to practice v2 spam and tesla shifting.
8. Are there any major changes you would make to Red Alert?
I think leave it as similar to the original as possible (with bug fixes). If I were to change anything, I would make the A bomb more powerful. Also change E so it does not select trucks as that is quite annoying when shifting.
Additionally, Tournaments run by CnCNet would be good. MPlayer had tournaments (monthly) ran by moderators / admins. They were always super hyped up and felt OFFICAL (not just random challenge tourneys); you would get a crown next to your name in the lobby so everyone knew you were the true PwNZeR!. Next month its all up for grabs again.
9. What is your favourite map and why?
This is quite a hard one. My favourite standard was always A Path Beyond.
Northern Hatu for Gems. (right now T Dawg is fun)
I always liked unlimited ore open maps such as Wideopen by Farmir, but Goldrush Open is quite enjoyable in the current map pool.
10. Any final comments?
“Keep calm and on tank”
Thanks for Reading! I have several of these interviews lined up so there will be more content in the coming days! Don't forget to follow!