Insider sits down with vVv Konvict

Well readers…..You have asked and you are receiving! We received a large amount of mail over the past few weeks asking for Gears of War interviews and I’m bringing you the first of many Gears of War articles! I sat down with Konvict from vVv Vision! He’s a great coach and a really nice guy, with a lot to say! That’s enough from me though, now onto him!

Apollo: Why not start off by introducing yourself

Konvict: Well my name is Kristopher Burger, I’m from Old Bridge Nj, and  currently coach one of the top GoW2 Teams in the nation. that team is vVv Vision formally known as Type-Z Vision during Orlando where the team took 2nd at the National Championships along with hefty prize of $20,000. We are also the newest professional team to be added to vVv-Gaming where the Vision saga first Started.

Apollo: So most everyone pretty much knows the roles of a Halo 3 Coach, but what does a Gears of War Coach do?

Konvict: Basically we have the same job as the Halo coaches just scaled down a little, We do basic weapon timing, call outs when they come in handy the most and also keeping the team in line and pumped up which is the most important part of being a coach. We also do other various tasks on counting shots left in power weapons and also keeping them informed with the time remaining in ink clouds etc.

Apollo: So what first got you involved in MLG?

Konvict: What first got me into MLG was Rainbow Six Vegas & Gears of War back in 07, I liked playing RB6, but I enjoyed watching the excitement in Gears.

Apollo: What first got me into MLG was Rainbow Six Vegas & Gears of War back in 07, I liked playing RB6, but I enjoyed watching the excitement in Gears.

Konvict: I never played them on the circuit, but I competed in online tournaments, local LAN’s and of course Gamebattles

Apollo: So what do you think about the rumor that they are going to remove Gears of War 2 off the circuit

Konvict: Personally, I don’t believe it will. It was a rumor that was started due too a lack of teams showing up. I believe if they keep decreasing the turnout at each event this season it will be removed. As for this year I believe it will stay on and this may be the final year we see this on the Pro Circuit, I believe it will do good though, there has been a drastic rise from the GoW community lately and that’s a good sign.

Apollo: So in Halo we have like Slayers, Support, Objective players, are equitant in Gears or how do you characterize players?

Konvict: Well in gears we have Host, which is usually the heart of the team since the Game revolves around host basically, but sometimes its not always true since on LAN settings the gameplay is quite different, that depends on a lot of factors though. We have power weapon players who their skill varies with our small slew of power weapons we have. We have our basic support and slayer players, but they are host most of the time they fit into that category.

Apollo: What are some of those factors?

Konvict: Well the game is very different when you transition from LAN to Online and vice versa, its a very host based game, and well who ever has the better connection usually wins. On LAN though the game is much smoother and you can actually play the game with the correct settings and not have to glitch your Xbox every time you have to play the game.( For most of you Halo players you may not know that Gears has had a lot of title updates from the original release causing it too have different smokes between LAN and online due too the update being server side).

Apollo: So, what is your most memorable moment from Orlando?

Konvict: My most memorable moment during the event was the feature station match against Legacy and My team playing for top 4, we were so hyped up and loud it was crazy especially when the games was down to the wire. It was one of the best matches at the event by far and I will always remember it.

Apollo: What was your feeling when you realized that you were in the top 2?

Konvict: From my perspective I was just like wow, I was excited and happy I had fun and even though I coached I was part of GoW history coming from the 13th seed in the event and placing second we had host over 1 team the whole event. This will be a memory I will never forget.

Apollo: So, if you could change 1 thing from Orlando what would it be?

Konvict: : What we did right before the championship match, there was a 30-10 minute intermission before the last match we decided to go outside and get a break, but we should’ve warmed up and got ready for the match like THE NSAN3Z were we wasted valuable time and I believe that cost us 1st place and the title of National Champions, we were on fire until we took that short break we lost our adrenaline and momentum.

Apollo: So, I know it has little to do with you, but what are your thoughts on the MLG Combines?

Konvict: My thoughts on the combines that they released this year are definitely a good idea it is a good start for Amateur teams trying to make a name for themselves along with good publicity for MLG, also a good way to get more people to experience a “mini-event” that’s close to home.

Apollo: Do you think there should be any changes to the Gears circuit in the 2010 season?

Konvict: I think there should be little tweaks that are fixable that would make the events a little more comfortable for us. Little things such as more seating, a better mainstage maybe more projectors, along with possibly some more content and coverage for Gears, we just want to be recognized nothing special.

Apollo: : You’ll defiantly be seeing a lot more Gears content on this site! I promise you that

Konvict: : Thanks, we hope to grow our community with you guys!

Roster Swap…..again

*Sigh* Alright, after the musical rosters of the aftermath of Orlando we are once again going through more roster changes. Our sources have confirmed that Ghostayme has left Haven and Earth to join Carbon. Now you are asking. If Ghost is there, who’s off Carbon? And the answer my friends, is Strongside. Strongside is now looking for a team.

Carbon is not the only team that has gone through roster changes. Triggers Down has kicked Hysteria, and he is now also looking for a team.

The New Rosters-
Carbon: Ghost, Walshy, Defy, Bestman
HaE: Drew, Karma, Anarchy, ??
TD: SK, Neighbor, Pistola, ??

Will these teams last? Will we see another roster change soon? Only time will tell..Though i don’t think this will be the last move before April’s Orlando event.

Original XBL Time of Death

Yes that’s right. The Original Xbox Live Service has officially been given a time of death. Sad to see and even write, but it is time to recognize this is the last few months to enjoy ORIGINAL XBL. Now, what people need to realize is that this does not only mean no more XBL on my good old Xbox. This means that even the original Xbox titles your have on disks, burned on your hard drive, or downloaded from the XBL Marketplace will not work on XBL anymore.

This is a sad but true fact. So, for all of you that loved the game that blew up MLG into the giant it is today, get your fix of Halo 2 on XBL now until the official time of death for the original XBL service, April 15^th 2010. Play now, because everyone knows back in those days it was LIVE over LAN for most of the community today. Everyone knows that this service will be missed… I for one am sad to see it gone. In just a few short months on April 15^th 2010, the original XBL service that started it all will be gone…

The reality behind MLG’s Combine

Well recently Major League Gaming announced their first Doritos combine, a lot of people have been looking forward to these combines and more information on what these Combines are going to be about. Well now we know a good majority of information. The real question is, what is this going to mean for you? The players that wish to compete view this as their “big chance” to go pro. They announced this with only a month and 22 days away, think that is enough time? Well i am not to sure.

Now we get to the real meat of the situation, what these combines mean to you. First lets start off with what we do know.

DATE: March 26-28, 2010

What it means- Like i said before They announced this with only a month and 22 days away, teams with sponsors are rushing to get their sponsors the information so they can get to the events. Which means sponsors are scrambling to get funds together in a time where our economy is struggling as it is.

VENUE: The Gaylord Opryland Resort
2800 Opryland Drive
Nashville, TN, 37214

What it means to you -Nice venue, so at least it is going to be a nice.

WHO CAN COMPETE: The Combine is an amateur-only competition that is all about putting the spotlight on upcoming talent. No pro players are eligible to compete in the Combine.

What it means to you–Now this is the most interesting part of the whole thing. MLG has stated that “The Combine offers what so many of you have been asking for: a clear way for amateur players to shine and prove that they have what it takes to make it to the MLG Main Stage. ” Therefore, who can compete is a contradictory statement. They want amateur players, which means non-professional players. Yes any teams outside the top 16 are considered amateur. But what about those teams that have placed top 16 before, or those teams that place consistently top 20 or even 32. Which makes teams like, Ambush, Take Respect, North of 49 able to compete in the Combine who are not at an amateur level. Which pretty much means that they will start with the amateur players with no points, and with no one to stop them, will run the bracket and take home an easy spot. Which will be the complete opposite about what they are trying to accomplish with them.

COMPETITION FORMAT: Halo 3 4v4 (256 team bracket) and Halo 3 FFA (1,280 player bracket). 4v4 Team Passes include automatic entry to the FFA.

What it means to you – Yeah, same deal as the normal events, but the FFA will be interesting. With every player of the 256 teams able to enter, it will allow players from top teams as i stated before to run the events.

HOW IT WORKS: Fight your way to the top of the heap in an all-amateur tournament. Winners will get awesome prizes, including some cash, free travel and accommodations, as well as a reserved Team Pass for the following Pro Circuit Live Competition. Any competitor that stands out has the chance to be personally evaluated by an MLG Pro.

What it means to you — Perhaps MLG forgets that we have teams like Ambush, North of 49 and Take Respect who are and have teams that are top 16 caliber but lack the points that it takes to be considered a “pro team” therefore, this will not be an amateur tournament.

REGISTRATION DATES: February 23 for Halo 3 4v4; February 24 for Halo 3 FFA.

What it means to you– Registration is closing in and hardly gives teams enough time to scramble for money to get to the events.

Well, MLG says they will have more information coming so we’ll have to see what they will do with the combine.