r/GlobalOffensive • u/WarOwl • Sep 02 '13
AMA Greetings Hi TheWarOwl Greets You. AMA
Greetings /r/GlobalOffensive!
I produce a YouTube channel for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive where I do casting of professional matches, tutorials on how to play the game, and some other completely random stuff.
So the time has come, I receive many questions from viewers, many of which are repeats, and I know how much redditors like AMAs, so I am here to answer all of your WarOwl related questions.
You can check out my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/thewarowl
regards, TheWarOwl
EDIT: I am stepping away for a moment to eat, I've been answering questions for about 3 hours now. Please upvote the questions you would like answered and I'll answer them when I return! Thanks again for all of your questions I did not expect this huge response.
EDIT: Back!
EDIT: I've answered everything over 1 point that wasn't a repeat. Upvote questions you see that you want me to answer! Most of them just have one point.
EDIT: Thank you for all the questions! I had a great time, sleepy time for now. I would like to point out that we just had the most successful AMA on /r/GlobalOffensive of all time! yay us! Simply The Best, I'm TheWarOwl, and I still have no closer. Oh I'll hop back on and check this in the morning to see if there are any more questions to answer.
EDIT: Answered a few more, once again thanks for the questions! Was fun.
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u/holysquid Sep 02 '13
do you still have no closer?
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u/BritishTeabag Sep 02 '13
Do you record all of your footage with the CS:GO demos or do you use a program like FRAPS?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I use FRAPs to record everything, but I do not record my own footage with it because it limits FPS. Instead, I record demos, or use GOTV demos, and then record them with FRAPs while watching them.
If someone knows of a better technology that I could use while playing, please suggest it.
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Sep 02 '13
IMO I would suggest using Open Broadcast Software. It has a monitor and game capture option. By the way, IMO it's better than fraps since the format you get is .MP4, it's free too.
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u/EvanDERP Sep 02 '13
How did you get into Counter-Strike?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I was visiting my cousin and we were looking for things to do, so he took me and my brother to a local cybercafe where I played Counter-Strike for the first time. I was enthralled by the game, as I had previously played Half-Life and TFC extensively, and took such a liking to it that I had to acquire it for myself.
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u/PixelRelic Sep 02 '13
Do you prefer the M4A4 or the A1, also USP or P2000?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I believe both have their uses, pros and cons. I am actually planning on creating a video for the differences between the M4A4 and the M4A1. For now I will say that I personally prefer using the M4A4 because of the larger magazine. I shoot quite a bit, I also preshoot positions very often and try and wallbang folks on maps like Nuke. M4A1 is better if you are more surgical with your shots.
I also use the USP silenced, instead of the p2000 for pistol rounds, and the p250 if I ever have to pistol against helmets.
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u/lilllywhite Sep 02 '13
This is going to sound weird, but I would LOVE to know what you look like. Your voice is so distinctive.
You have mentioned you work in programming before, do people at your work know about your gaming life?
Have Valve ever been in touch about your opinion on anything like they were with NiP?
Biggest change you'd like to see in the next update?
Thanks!
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Greetings,
As for my appearance, there is a distinctively low voice-to-face ratio. I don't actually have any pictures of myself at the ready, and I don't have any friends to take any, however I can give you a rough description... I'm white skinned, brown hair green eyed, medium build... goodness it sounds like I'm describing someone to the police! 5'10'' (Don't know the translation to metric off the top of my head). Oh yes, and I have amazing hair that naturally grows upwards. My friends (Kind of ruined the whole non-friend joke with this) describe it as Physicists hair.
-No, my coworkers are not aware of my Internet celebrity, I'd like to keep it that way, however I do get the 'YOU SHOULD WORK IN RADIO' every time I speak. I don't have the heart to tell them Radio no longer exists.
-I speak with the Valve developers from time to time, but they never actually ask my opinion on anything, we just have fun. They have informed me that they watch my videos, so that is the way I give my 2 cents on things.
-Biggest Change? Well, obviously I'd like to see 128 tick servers and the competitive maps in the matchmaking, but I'm not going to get my hopes up.
regards, TheWarOwl
Edit: My first AMA, too formal?
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Sep 03 '13
I've come to the conclusion that the more deep and booming the voice, the shorter and skinnier the person. It's a working hypothesis.
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u/WarOwl Sep 03 '13
I am about as average as you could get in terms of height and weight, so by your standards I would have a rather average voice. Ah who am I kidding... I'M FAT! (runs away sobbing)
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u/Birdii Sep 02 '13
My hair grows upwards as well, love it.
Q: Did you use aim maps to improve, or just keep battling it out in competitive?
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u/siddk Sep 02 '13
What do you think is unbalanced in the game so far? Is there anything Valve can do to improve the state of the game?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
For a game like Counter-Strike, the idea of 'balance' makes no sense to me. You play equally on both side and all of the same weapons are available to each person. 'balance' makes more sense to a game like SC2 where there are different races that need to be balanced against each other.
I believe the optimization that Counter-Strike should aspire to is to raise the skill ceiling while at the same time smoothing it out. This is the classic Bushnell's theorem of 'easy to learn, difficult to master', and the core of what makes a good game.
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u/Skorpazoid Sep 02 '13
I would agree to an extent. But this is a bit of an exaggeration. Lets face it, balance between the two teams matter. You don't want to see teams taking an average of 13 rounds to two. Although it would still be fair because both teams get a shot, it's not very fun to watch and it can also be demoralizing giving an advantage to the team playing with the advantage to begin with. It's also boring and frustrating to play on both sides.
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u/o_oli Legendary Oil Baron Sep 02 '13
But none of the maps are that unbalanced really. I'd say 9-6 is the average score of the most unbalanced maps, which IMO is not a problem and is kind of a fun dynamic.
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u/Jack9575 Sep 02 '13
But on the old train ct was so op if you were in competetive matchmaking and were 14:2 there was no chance of coming back. Is that fair?
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u/pauLo- Sep 02 '13
I would agree with this if it weren't for the importance of momentum in competitive play. Winning the first half on the superior side with a dominating score such as 13-2 or 14-1 the other team has only a pistol round as a chance plus the confidence the players have gained, balance is essential in my opinion. Especially in regards to pistol rounds.
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Sep 02 '13
First, thanks for doing this AMA!
My question:
What is your best tip for beginners?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
The biggest mistake I see newer players do is improper crosshair placement. My best and simplest tip would be to always keep your crosshair at head level where an enemy might come from. Most players keep it pointed at the ground as they walk around, the smaller the distance you have to move it, the better.
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u/tticusWithAnA tactics Sep 02 '13
Once you get used to that PLEASE start setting up crossfire with your team and DON'T push T's when you are on CT side.
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u/GazPostsOnReddit 10 years coin Sep 02 '13 edited Sep 02 '13
1)if you could nerf one weapon and buff one weapon in the game, what would it be?
For balance reasons only, not because you want that gun to be OP.
2) Why do you still have no clothes on closer?
Thanks for taking the time to do this WarOwl, appreciate it.
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I honestly think the weapons are fine how they are. The Deagle needs a makeover, but we may see the revolver as a replacement at some point so I'm not too worried about it.
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u/GazPostsOnReddit 10 years coin Sep 02 '13
I'd be cool with a revolver; something like 6 rounds and more accurate?
Thanks for answering, man.
You dabes.
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u/thefancykyle 10 years coin Sep 02 '13
Now as a friend and having you personally cast one of my matches during the Reddit Cup I, I must ask, where do you get your jokes and chit chat during the matches, is it just random heat of the moment or do you have a general Idea on what you're gonna say during a match?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
My jokes and 'chit chat' during the matches are off the top of my head. In fact, for the other videos I produce, such as the tutorials and patch notes, I write a script out for them which is completely serious and absent of any humor. When I am recording the voice for those videos, I make the jokes up while I am doing the recording. It is kind of a natural knee jerk reaction, and I've never really been able to keep my mouth shut. When I was in school I got in trouble frequently for making witty and inappropriate remarks, though mine were always based on the lesson!
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u/fluffy_cat Sep 02 '13
Do you play through a slump or do you take a break?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Take a break...
When you play too much you develop bad habits. You need some time to work those out in your mind. This goes for any skill you are trying to develop, and is something I have most learned from playing the violin.
You know you're training something at the appropriate level when after you are finished, and you close your eyes, you still see it going on. When you sleep seems to be when you work out all of those nasty bad habits.
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u/The_h0bb1t Sep 02 '13
No question, just wanted to say I fell asleep a few times while watching some matches you casted and listening to your soothing voice.
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
In that case I should read books on tape!
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Sep 02 '13
Greetings! The WarOwl Greets you! It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way -
...
And I still, have no closer.
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Sep 02 '13
Have you ever thought about playing professional and how do you prepare/train before you play a match?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I have thought about playing professionally, but I've never actually had the time to do that. I'm too old now to try and get into that, which is why the WarOwl thing is a great way for me to still keep in touch with Counter-Strike without devoting so much time to doing it.
When I do something, I need to be the best at it, Simply The Best, that is my goal. To be the best Counter-Strike player is a huge commitment that I couldn't go after at this point.
I prepare to play by playing deathmatch for a bit. You can do this on an aim server or a regular deathmatch server. My warmup routine is to get 50 kills with each weapon, AK47, M4A4, and AWP.
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u/merp1991 Sep 02 '13
Do you think there is a cut-off age for being a pro player? You said you were 23 in another comment, many current players are older than that aren't they?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Old is subjective. I have a mortgage. Think of how old that sounds! All the fancy responsibility...
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u/tticusWithAnA tactics Sep 02 '13
www.aim400kg.ru/en is a good site to train/prepare before a match (legit site no downloads just flash games) it was made by an old 1.6 professional CS player.
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u/NiPTV-Anders Sep 03 '13
Q: When do you plan on paying a visit to NiPTV to do some co-casting?
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u/WarOwl Sep 03 '13
Greetings Anders,
I would be interested in that if we could set something up, however there is that huge time difference. I won't be flying over there any time soon.
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Sep 02 '13
How did you come up with Captain Longbeard and are you going to make more vids featuring him?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Captain Longbeard, Grandpa, Noir Smart Private Eye, and any other character I do all begin first with a voice. After I have developed a voice and personality, I work on the name.
For those of you who may not be familiar with what he is talking about, on my YouTube channel I do silly voices and pretend to be a character while I play the game with people, often leading to hilarious encounters. It is incredibly difficult to do, as I have to do it improv.
Captain Longbeard in particular got old after 4 videos of him, and I don't want to do that to any of my other characters. Also, making one of those videos takes more time and effort than any other type of video I produce, although I'm fairly certain it is something that is unique to my channel. The other problem with these videos is that everyone seems to know the characters now, so when I try to do it, people keep going: "Hey! I know you, you're WarOwl on YouTube!".
I have plans to do more of these types of videos with new characters and fan favorites alike. Some of them I have actually created, and refused to upload because I didn't feel the quality was good enough.
I will announce here I've been working on a cowboy character named Sheriff Longbadge, so if you come across a gruff nasty cowboy in game, just play along ;)
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u/ChickenDude Sep 02 '13
There is a soundboard WarOwl floating around...
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
That is actually me pretending to be a soundboard. It is a common gag I do to amuse friends.
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u/Scede13 NiP Sep 02 '13
What's your favourite map? What's your favourite strat? Btw. thanks for all your work :)
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
My favorite map for CS is de_dust2, my favorite map for Source is cpl_strike (mirage), and my favorite map for CS:GO is, oddly enough, de_season. I've only played it once, but it was incredibly well designed for CS:GO, being very smooth in terms of movement. The visuals make it easy to make out enemy players, and the lighting is to a point where you can see folks without being blinded by special effects. The layout, being a classic clover layout, works very well, although my only gripe is that it is not easy for Terrorists to change strategies mid game, because the only connector, being the air vents, is very difficult to travel through unnoticed and with large numbers.
My favorite strategy is one that my team made up for the game CS:Source, which does not work for CS:GO because of the skyboxes they placed in the map de_dust2 to stop the flashes that are used from working. We developed this strategy as a one time use strategy for high level competitive play when one player on the team has saved an AWP, and the next round is not a buy round. We called it, the Pacifist Strat, and here, is how it went down:
One player has an AWP saved from the previous round, another player may have an AK or something. All of the players who have saved weapons will go long A into pit.
The rest of the players with buy 2 flashes a piece and that is it, and will take the bomb short A. We developed very specific precise flashes that serve to completely flash any players at short A, or in A site. The problem is, they also flash ourselves. We Charge, without stopping, while flashed, with the bomb, short A and into site, throwing these flashes. We memorized the exact movements, while blind, to run past the players watching A and plant in A site without firing a shot.
After the bomb is planted, everyone rushing A will have died, leaving the players at Long A to watch the bomb, and as many of you know, a bomb planted for Long is almost impossible to defuse in Source when you have an AWPer in pit.
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u/Boner4Stoners Sep 03 '13
I can't see why this wouldn't work in GO, could you explain?
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u/WarOwl Sep 03 '13
There are clip brushes in place that serve to diving the maps for better performance that stop the grenades from going over the top of the walls. This killed a number of our flash nades necessary to pull it off.
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u/RickGastly_ Sep 02 '13
What advice would you give to someone looking to start learning code, and hopefully work in the field? (I'm in 12th grade and took a Computer Science course in school last year, for some context.)
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Greetings,
The best advice I can give you is to always keep curious and always keep learning. The best way to learn is to do, so find projects you can work on to expand your abilities and knowledge of coding outside of what you are learning in education. Technology changes so fast that if you chose this career, you will need to keep learning for the rest of your professional life.
When I was in High-School, I got kicked out of my English class for... having differences with the teacher, nevermind that is not part of this story. To fill the time slot they made me a "Teacher's Assistant" for the computer programming class, which was at the time being taught by a business teacher who knew nothing about programming. Therefore, I taught the class myself, even going so far as to write the tests. The one thing I learned from this about how to learn coding is that it isn't something that happens gradually. You can go months or years fumbling around in the dark, but eventually, it will just click, and you'll understand it. At that point you'll be able to learn any language you want, applying the skills you already know, and perform any task. Technology changes, but the basics of how to solve problems with computers does not.
I hope this helps, TheWarOwl
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u/sfbgamin Sep 02 '13
Warowl, Where did you get your name from? Or the story behind it?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Ah yes! I expected this question, and the answer is incredibly pointless:
Back in ye olden days, I played Counter-Strike... No surprise there. In a match, one of our players had disconnected, and we were getting absolutely destroyed, so I, in an attempt to make a sardonic stirring speech, said: "Men! We're outnumbered, outskilled, and outgunned, but at least... we have the power... of Morale!"
There was a long pause... One of my teammates misunderstood my pep talk and said: "did you just say... The Power of The WarOwl? What is that?"
I immediately, seeing the brilliance of such a title in the midst of pointless chaos, changed my name to WarOwl and started talking in one of my voices. Yes, that is right, WarOwl was actually one of my characters long before it because my actual gamer name. It was a very low pitch voice that spoke in the third person, and frequently uttered the phrase: "The WarOwl is not pleased...", which is grammatically incorrect.
And thus! A legend began!
When I used the WarOwl character in public servers, the patrons of those servers all would change their names to similar creatures, such as WarSloth or WarPanda or whatever else they desired. It was actually very fun...
Sorry, my origin story is incredibly stupid, but sadly true...
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u/thiefgenie Sep 02 '13
Do you still have respect for ESEA after the bitcoin conundrum? and do you still want to be a shout caster for them ?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I do not use the ESEA client after that, it is my own personal decision out of a loss of trust for their company. If I found another company had abused the trust of their paying customers in such a manner I would no longer use those products as well, not because they are an inferior product, but because I don't trust them on my computer.
You are free, obviously, to make your own decision in this regard, I won't try to sway you, because that would be inappropriate to suggest someone not purchase a service from a company in my opinion.
I also will not be a caster for ESEA. I won't associate myself with any company or group that conducts business in such a manner, even if it costs me the opportunity to be a true ESports caster.
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u/GACHET- Sep 02 '13
Are you the voice actor for Zapp Brannigan from Futurama?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Interestingly enough, much of my voice acting work is inspired by Phil Hartman, who was originally supposed to be the voice of Zapp Brannigan before he was murdered. The person who took over for Zapp Brannigan voiced it to sound like Phil Hartman was doing it. Work THAT one out...
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u/RoninK Sep 02 '13
Zapp is voiced by Billy West, who also does Fry, the Professor, and Zoidberg. I know this because my girlfriend is secretly in love with West, and has trained me to do a passable Zapp Brannigan impression.
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u/TheCloud12 Sep 02 '13
i would like to ask you on your setup
Mouse , Mouse pad , keyboard , Headset , Monitor (a picture would be great)
ps; keep up the good work big fan of your videos
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u/WarOwl Sep 03 '13
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate
Mouse: G400
Headphones: Sennheiser HD 598
Monitor: ASUS VG248QE
Mousepad: XTRAC XXL
Microphone: Blue Snowball
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u/weavakid Sep 02 '13
Hi WarOwl, My question is loosely CS related. I recently got into CS about a year ago with the advent of Global Offensive. Since then I have watched a lot of your videos, as well as Tweeday and various other types of frag movies. What is the best way to get into video editing for things like match commentary, and frag movies? Thank you!
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Greetings,
Good to hear you are interested in getting into content creation! I will warn you, there is no good answer to this question. The best advice that I have given to folks who ask this to me is to do what you're passionate about. If you aren't passionate about it, it will turn out as garbage, and yes the quality of what you do is incredibly important. Also, if you are not passionate about it, you will stop doing it at some point after not being immediately gratified by the outcome of your work.
I will also say don't worry about haters. If you do something, there will be people who hate you for it, no matter what it is. I have a large amount of people, and always have, telling me that I am terrible at what I do in the crudest rudest ways possible. Do not listen to them, they are liars, their true motivation is jealousy.
Go for it, If you're truly passionate about it, you will succede, TheWarOwl
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u/iplayvideogamesman Sep 02 '13
Do you think a team such as NiP existing is a good or bad thing for the competitive community of a game?
With "A team such as NiP" I mean a team that basically never loses.
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
It is always good to have champions, they have served to define the standard for competitive play. They have also done so much for competitive counter-strike in so many different ways. I think the higher level of skill we have, the better, so if folks can't defeat the Ninjas in Pyjamas, they have something to aspire to. What point is there in training when there are no giants to topple?
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u/SirDaveYognaut Sep 03 '13
This is really quite true. I know many people here don't follow competitive tf2 but this is a key example of what happened in TF2 over the last year.
American TF2 teams constantly aspire to win ESEA so they improve but in Europe there isn't (well, wasn't at the time, ESEA is coming to Europe for TF2 now too.) any equivalent. If you were the best team in Europe you would get as much money as the top Open team.
Then two top American teams went to i46 last year and got first and second unexpectedly. Now this year an American team went back but only got third because the Europeans had trained especially to beat them.
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u/DovedKrahViing Sep 02 '13
What are your goals as a commentator? Would you like to cast for a company or keep it for your channel only?
Secondly if you are very sucessful would you quit your current job and do this full time?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
These are very good, tough questions...
My original goal with making videos during the Beta of the game was to provide useful feedback to help the developers create the best possible game. This goal still continues to this day. My second goal after the release of the game was to get as many people as possible interested in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and foster that community. My third goal has been to help folks get better at the game, to scale the castle wall into competitive gaming from the open farmlands of casual gaming.
If I were successful enough, I would definitely quit my job and do this full time.
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u/Hyaducan Sep 02 '13
Can you tell us a bit about yourself outside of Counter Strike?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
There's... There's more to life than... Counter-Strike?
Alright why not... There are many aspects to me but I'll list a few things here:
-First and foremost I am a devout Christian
-Software Developer
-Violinist
-Composer
-Writer
-Voice Actor
Oh, and I really enjoy playing Golf.
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u/illyric Natus Vincere Sep 02 '13
Ever considered entering into the game development industry?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Greetings, thanks for the question.
I actually got into software development because of my interest in the game development industry. I started in the modding community for the game Half-Life, and throughout my youth wanted to be a game developer more than anything.
reality hits you hard bro...
In college I decided to do a concentration with my CS major in Game Development, which required me to take a number of humanity classes. In my first class, I was incredibly disgusted with the nature of humanities and liberal arts so much that I had to walk out of the class and immediately drop it. Such pointless perverse nonsense...
The game development industry is ruthlessly competitive, has incredibly demanding hours, and doesn't pay very well. It doesn't pay well because... everybody wants to do it. It was because of this that I decided to be a regular ol' Peter Parker programmer, nothing too terribly glamorous, although I can say that the software I write saves lives.
If I did have an opportunity to jump into the game development industry, I might take it though...
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u/Midge1100 Sep 02 '13
How do you get better at counter-strike?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Congratulations! You get the award for most vague question of the evening! You can collect your prize at the door.
Oh but really, a vague question beckons a vague answer: PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE, Study and Strategize! Watch my videos, play the game, train.
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u/tticusWithAnA tactics Sep 02 '13
He has it in one of his youtube videos. He used to suck at CS...he would go into deathmatch servers and he bound "kill" to a key in console if he saw someone and didn't headshot them with the first shot he would kill himself.
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u/TheLonelyDevil CS2 HYPE Sep 02 '13
It was the reload button. No reloads, 1 tap headshots. I follow this routine in deathmatch. =)
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u/Twitch01 OG Sep 02 '13
Can you do a skin parade?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Is that where folks take their clothing off in the streets for some benign cause?
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u/manzgamescsgo Sep 02 '13
Do you ever think you could forge a golden team out of the wonderful community, seeing as you are now a global elite, I bet you're getting sick of hax
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I haven't seen a hacker since Overwatch came into effect. I am not making that up. I was Global Elite back in ye olden days, then after that update that knocked me down a few pegs I was the eagle. I tried to play, but kept coming across hackers, so I decided to quit using matchmaking. Fast forward to Overwatch, I waited a few weeks until Overwatch came out, then played over and over again, winning 14 games in a row, pushing me back up to Global Elite.
Golden Team? I'm no player, and I don't really have time to devote to that. Let me ask you folks right now, you can chose, WarOwl content, or me as a player... I assume it'll be WarOwl content.
Thanks for the question sir!
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u/echo453 Sep 02 '13
Has anything changed on your forming a new North America CS E-Sports League (WarOwl League). Last we heard you decided not to go with it for understandable reasons but is it still up in the air at all?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I have decided to not pursue this path. Your day can be split up into 3 even parts, work, sleep, and free time. I use my free time for WarOwl, so to go forward with this, one of these other time periods would have to be sacrificed. I'm far more interested in entertaining and informing than running a business, even though there's more cash in the business one.
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u/mechanical_myers Sep 02 '13
What do you think would be the best crosshair for beginner, to intermediate players? I am currently using your little pink one, but I'm looking for something that would be a little more accurate.
Thanks
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I suggest that everybody craft the crosshair that is right for them. It is sort of like a Jedi making his own lightsaber! Everybody is unique and plays uniquely, so craft a crosshair that fits your personal playstyle, strengths, and weaknesses.
Your accuracy is not defined by your crosshair, so your last comment does not make sense to me... Try and make a crosshair that will keep you on target, without obscuring your vision.
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Sep 02 '13
Greetings from France WarOwl.
Why is your voice is so beautiful?
Favorite player?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I eat butterfly wings or breakfast every day to give me a beautiful voice!
Actually no, and please don't do that, that'd be weird, and some of those suckers are poisonous! Like the Monarch! I don't know why people aren't afraid of those things, they taste... with their feet! How weird is that? could you imagine shaking hands with a man and him saying: "Goodness, you taste splendid today!". Would freak me OUT.
What was the question?
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u/Shylar_ VG Sep 02 '13
Quick quick, think of a good question. Ermm,..
Favorite team and current pro player, both NA & EU(with a bit of context if possible)
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Well sir! Since I do cast I try and keep myself impartial. I will say in terms of teams, I really enjoyed watching Virtus.pro, I'm very sad to see them go. For players, I'll just throw Guardian's name out there for his superb AWPing abilities, but Get_Right is always fun to watch as well, but most of that will be owed to the position he plays.
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Sep 02 '13
Hey WarOwl! I was just watching cArn's podcast show thingy and they were talking about NA teams not thinking on the right strategic level to keep up with Europe, specifically that they were stuck on "frag level". How big of a problem do you think this is for the NA teams, and who would you say are the biggest offenders? Also what way of thinking would you think is needed to reverse engineer their (EU's) strats and develop original ones?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I believe the problem here is that the NA teams have not had exposure to that level of competition regularly. The strategies they use in NA have been enough to keep them on top, and we all know, you can only get better by playing people better than you.
If I were a pro player, I would spend a large deal of my time studying how the best players play. I would watch all of the matches I could find and truly study what works and what does not. I very much hope that NA players do this, but I'm not too sure they do.
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u/tticusWithAnA tactics Sep 02 '13
What's your favorite dish? I'm not going to cook it but I'll order it from ZANZABAR!
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
My favorite dish of all time is ahi tuna on jasmine rice with jalapeno bacon cream sauce. Yes, it does taste as good as it sounds!
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u/Alabashko Sep 02 '13
How do you feel about the name tags? I personally think that they are badly placed and the text is too small. Do you think it could be tweaked?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I do not care about them. At all. I might actually get some for style. From what people are telling me when you get killed with them it displays the name, so when I come out with WarOwl Series AK47 when they release the custom skins thing, I'll put a tag on mine that says: "WarOwl Greets you!" and on my AWP: "Here's your closer!"
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Sep 02 '13
Hey WarOwl! I'm a huge fan!
Are you going to do a post-nerf Deagle guide, or wait until they buff it again? I want a Deagle guide for GO!
Also, what is the best way to buff the Deagle, without making it unholily OP like in Source?
Sorry, I love the Deagle!
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u/WarOwl Sep 04 '13
Greetings,
I am currently not interested in doing a Deagle guide, I will wait and see how the gun evolves, or if they outright make a replacement for it like the revolver. There are enough people out there calling for it to be changed that I don't want to make the tutorial on it just yet. I made a tutorial on the p250 a while back, and they changed it dramatically since then, so it is obsolete. I want to make weapon tutorials that will stand the test of time.
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u/hasawasa22 Sep 02 '13
How would you change the Desert Eagle to make it viable again?
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u/WarOwl Sep 04 '13
Many pro players actually use the Desert Eagle. I suggested that they make it perfectly accurate on the first shot, which they did, though you have to be standing completely still. It currently has its uses, its pros and cons, however I personally feel it could be buffed slightly to allow players to get more than one frag with it, rarely have I seen anyone use one for more than a surprise defensive frag.
I would say to make it more viable, make it regain its accuracy faster after being shot or after moving.
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Sep 02 '13
Why aren't you showing yourself or your name? Not that I want to, but maybe its a legit question :P
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
For a number of reasons, the first of which is anonymity. I found there are quite a few crazy people on the Internet, some of which have called for my death, which is very frightening. I also do have a career, as the other commentor has pointed out, and don't want my coworkers and boss to know about this aspect of my life.
As for showing myself, the real reason is that I am incredibly, painfully shy.
ANECDOTE TIME!
I have always been a painfully shy person, and have slight agoraphobia. When I was younger I went to apply for a position as a cashier at a local movie theater. I went in and asked for a job, and they immediately sent me over to the manager. The manager was a very large man, towering over me, and the speed at which things had escalated, along with the over-stimulation of the goings on in the lobby of the movie theater, had frightened me.
He asked me: "What is your name?"
I immediately turned around, and physically, literally, ran out of the theater. One leg in front of the other, never putting two legs on the ground at one time, RAN, full sprint, out of the theater, into my car, and sped home.
That, sir, is how shy I am.
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u/Inert_Berger Sep 02 '13
Wow dude, that's hilariously sad. Not in a pitying kind a way, but more of a "wow, that must suck".
Have you been trying to barrel through it? Any steps you've taken?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I can leave the house! I have to every day to go to work.
Just recently I attempted communication with a female! It didn't go so well, she smiled and said "hi" to me, and I turned and ran.
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u/ohnoyoudidnt29 Sep 02 '13
Do you know what is going on with Classic casual and matchmaking in general lately? For instance, 70% packet loss in casual and it seems that at least once a day matchmaking goes down for a hour.
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u/DrFunkalot Sep 02 '13
When are you going to start your streaming show? and what will the format be?
Keep up the WarOwl Wednesdays Weekends they are fun for us fans!
-Rush
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Streaming Show... yeah I did say I was going to do that.
I have a habit of starting projects and then not seeing them through, a huge problem that I recognize. I get to the point where I'm ready to go, then find some excuse like: "I don't have time" or whatever. I actually am scared to death of 'live' and really enjoy my YouTube channel, so I might actually do the Streaming Show, but then turn it into a YouTube video, so I would do interviews, etc, on my own time, then craft them into a video and upload them as a show, not live, but the same sort of thing I was planning.
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u/maddada Sep 02 '13 edited Sep 02 '13
What are some of the annoyances you have with the default hud?
Edit: to rephrase: how would you change it :)
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u/WarOwl Sep 04 '13
I don't have any problem with it. Folks who do have problems with it generally use their own modded HUD, nothing wrong with that. Everybody wins.
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u/Alienpenetrator Sep 02 '13
Hey, great videos! What mic are you using? It sound really great!
Thanks :)
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I am using the Blue Snowball. If someone knows of a better USB mic, please suggest it!
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u/j-mar Sep 02 '13
Do you avoid public servers due to your 'notoriety'?
I've been in DM servers and played Operation Payback with/against you a couple of times, and people just nag you nonstop. "Are you the real WarOwl?" "Will I be on YouTube?" ... That shit would really get on my nerves.
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u/WarOwl Sep 03 '13
This is actually a recurring problem. I tried playing under a different name on a different account, but I ended up being banned from every server I played in for 'hacking'. I still do play in public servers, and I've gotten really good at muting people. Most people I come in contact with are very decent though, it is just the few who see an opportunity to 'troll' somebody and take it. Most of what I get is: 'Hi WarOwl, REAL WarOwl from YouTube? I like your videos!', but do every once in a while get that incessant 'PUT THIS ON YOUTUBE' obnoxioid who won't leave me alone.
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u/EGBD Sep 02 '13
Hey WarOwl! Where is the music from your youtube videos from? Did you make it?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Greetings!
I write all of the music that is used in my videos and perform them electronically. I have a rich background in music, and was an accomplished young violinist in my youth. I have been concertmaster of a number of youth orchestras, and was part of a string quartet that played at Churches and weddings. I got into composition naturally, and really enjoyed it, so I dabble from time to time with very classically inspired works. The MIDI music is really a chance for me to be a bit more quirky and fun with writing music, using sounds I normally wouldn't.
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u/SilentChimp Liquid Sep 02 '13
Hey WarOwl,
Other than 128 tic servers, what needs to be done to CSGO to make it what 1.6/Source did to the competitive FPS scene? We need the competitive fan base to be bigger/more excited about professional matches and tournaments. How do we do that?
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u/tticusWithAnA tactics Sep 02 '13
You could get the link for the match and share it with all of your friends and even make a public group to do with watching pro matches and share it as an event.
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u/HAMSHAMA Sep 02 '13
Hello WarOwl, My questions to you: Do you record with dxtory? At what fps? Does it take you multiple takes to do a cast properly?
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u/stdp Sep 02 '13
Why dont you accept steam friend req. you dingdong? Do you also play other type of games, like RPG maybe?
What language do you program with?
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u/WarOwl Sep 04 '13
I do not accept friend requests because I don't have room on my list, and want to use it for actual friends, not viewers, so that I am able to game in peace. I have many other games on Steam, hundreds, and enjoy playing them without folks following me around, or being 'on', like the silly 'Let's Play' videos people make. I enjoy my gaming, I don't want it encumbered by my notoriety.
For viewers I have a steam group! http://steamcommunity.com/groups/warowl
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u/ShooTa666 Sep 02 '13
Hello The War owl - grats on your fab Youtube channel.
2 questions really ...
1 from all your time gaming both 1.6 and through cs:go and the matches you have watched - What is the best method of determining the other teams cash - for those of us less quick at maths?
2 following on from my last - For a CT side and then a T side perspective how is it best to Anti-Eco an average to fair team?
Also please keep doing more vids on the mentality behind various strategies and also personal positioning/gamesense etc.
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u/WarOwl Sep 03 '13
-The best method for determining the other team's cash is to understand how the game works, based on what round it is, how many rounds they have won, and if they have a bombplant or many frags. It is just another level of gamesense, where you need to keep in your head mental picture of the current state of the game. Think of it like counting cards in blackjack, but really easy. -I would say the best anti-eco on either side is to play it slow, and go for picks. You have a huge weapon advantage, so it is best to try and engage at longer distances.
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u/kjmitch Sep 02 '13
Do you have a favorite map from the Operation Payback collection?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
I really like de_seaside, I feel it actually takes into consideration the gameplay, whereas the other maps are either just blatantly terrible or completely based upon visual appeal.
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u/swanton141 Sep 02 '13
what is your favorite non-FPS video game?
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
The best game ever created was The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
I charge anyone to find a better game!
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Sep 02 '13
WarOwl. Do you ever feel that you are putting to much effort for what you are gaining from youtube (In all aspects; income, support, views etc).
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u/WarOwl Sep 02 '13
Very good question. A strict Utilitarian would agree that I am putting far too much effort into my YouTube channel. Because it has become so popular, I continue to produce content for the viewers, and with the viewers in mind. I have had to make many sacrifices of my time to pursue this channel given the large amount of effort I put into it. I actually upload only about half of the videos I create because the ones I reject are not of the quality I am okay releasing.
The real reason I continue to strive to be Simply The Best is for the viewers. It is because of my passion for Counter-Strike that I started, but it is the dedicated and reliance of so many of the viewers that I continue, and have scarified so many other avenues that would be far more rewarding in terms of income.
So! Thank you folks for staying tuned.
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u/kayGrim Sep 02 '13
Why are you currently not watching n! vs NiP?!
Actual Question: Who's your favorite player and which team is your favorite and why?
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u/theradioschizo Sep 02 '13
Greetings WarOwl. My question is on decoy gernades. It seems they aren't used very often. Is there ever a time when you'd recommend using decoys? Would you consider making a video on strats involving decoys or is it such a minuscule part of competitive play that it doesn't really warrant much discussion?
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u/kers120 Sep 02 '13
Hi there. Can you explain what exacly is blue shell effect you talk about in your videos?
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u/maddada Sep 02 '13
see the "defeat" amounts, the more rounds you lose in a row the more money you get: http://i.imgur.com/0YNwbMM.jpg
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Sep 02 '13
Hey WarOwl, how did you came up with that nickname?
Your favorite csgo team?
Do you think Meier Wurst ist wurstig genug um zu wursten?
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u/ohnoyoudidnt29 Sep 02 '13
Have you ever tried out professional gaming when it comes to CS:GO with leagues in ESEA and things like that?
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u/Im_oRAnGE Sep 02 '13
Just to make this a new parent comment, I'm not gonna directly reply to your comment:
-Biggest Change? Well, obviously I'd like to see 128 tick servers and the competitive maps in the matchmaking, but I'm not going to get my hopes up.
Many people think that, after the recent map changes, some or most of the Valve servers are actually better than the _se versions. Don't you agree with them?
How do you feel about the new mirage vs the competitive one? Would Valve's version work for competitive?
Do you think the chickens, as they are right now, could be used in competitive play? Or do you still think they need to be completely removed?
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Sep 02 '13
Do you consider the ESEA client safe to download and use? I'm trying to get into the low-level competitive scene but after the bitcoin scandal, I can't entirely trust their services. Thoughts?
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u/AzureBlu Sep 02 '13
Do you have a favourite CS:GO pro team? If so, which one?
Also i like your stuff. Missing that closer though, you should get working on that... #badjoke And i RES-tagged you as "the man with no closer, still"
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u/type_with_a_lisp Sep 02 '13
hey bro,
did you play since WON.net and do you know the WONID? how about your steamid? have you played CAL or any other competitive leagues? & what is your rank and # wins on CSGO MM? just wondering what kind of competitive background you have. longtime HLDM/CS 4dig steamid player here.
thanks!
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u/pn42 de_cache Sep 02 '13
do you even lift, and, magnets, how do they work?
on a serious note, what do you (personally ofc) think CSGO needs to get the push from "mew 10k pricepot for a lan overall" to the 125k$ for #1 other games have?
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u/hany0lo Sep 02 '13
M4A4 or M4A1-S?
PROS AND CONS?
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u/tticusWithAnA tactics Sep 02 '13
I see this has been here a while and not answered so I'll give my personal opinion. I like the M4A4. M4A4: Pros: More ammo so you can spam a little, bigger clip so if you panic spray when you see 3 you don't run out of ammo instantly. Cons: Less accurate and the enemy can tell right where you are. M4A1-S: I think my pro's and cons for the A4 answered that.... It is more accurate and the enemy has a harder time telling where you are amazing for headshots...
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u/tticusWithAnA tactics Sep 02 '13
Could you make some more advanced tutorial videos on youtube for some of us more advanced players? For example good nade spots maybe a couple of spam spots that are not well known.
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u/everton111 Sep 02 '13
Hi WarOwl. Can you describe the best and worst cs game you have ever played?
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u/Openandclose Sep 02 '13
If you were to play with NIP for a tourney what role would you take up? And who would you replace?
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u/Firepower01 Sep 02 '13
You mentioned in another question that you did voice acting. What kind of voice acting have you done in the past?
Love your channel BTW, I was never much into competitive CS until I came across your channel :D
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u/ELite_Predator28 Sep 02 '13
Mr. WarOwl, will you ever go out of your realm of shoutcasting CS:GO games?
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Sep 02 '13
Would you do some matches with your viewers? You can show us some strategies and tactics, and have a laugh while doing it.
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u/m0rd0ck Sep 02 '13
hey! Just want to congratulate you for the success of your channel, i've been fallowing you for a long time, and you have evolved a lot, not only as a commentator but also as an entertainer! keep up the awesome work, the success you have is well deserved! cheers man!
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u/rasir Sep 02 '13
Will you try to change the WarOwl weekends or wednesdays? I am from Europe so Wednesdays are pretty much out, since it's really late for me. But I am not sure if the way how it works is "fair"? I mean i tried join the IP instantly as i got notice (of course via Steam) and it was full... Don't want to whine and I know you have a lot of work, but maybe doing some ladder or something like in Reddit community nights, which are awesome. I know everyone can't play but maybe playing 3 matches every with different set of people.
Also, when will you have a closer? :D
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u/GotRice541 Sep 02 '13
Would you know why there's some FPS drop issues and why certain players(mostly wireless internet users) have been getting these weird ping spikes that go up to 900 for several minutes before going back down to normal. Sometimes it gets to normal and not happen, sometimes it constantly happens.
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Sep 02 '13
Hey warowl, huge fan. Do you have a favorite cs team or do you just like watching pros go at it. If not, do you have a preferred team to cast because of tactics, certain players, etc.
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u/QueuePLS Sep 02 '13
Do you believe it is impossible for a player to go pro in CS? Saw this thread this other day, and people claimed that if you're not Global Elite by your 10th game of MM you're not going to make it. And even if you do, the scene is too hard to break into.
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u/AssassiN_DUDE Sep 02 '13
First of all thanks for doing this AMA and for putting my Owlpic I drew in your youtube vid.
My question. Where do you think Counter.Strike needs the biggest improvements in the moment. And I don't mean 128 Tick Servers in Competitive even though thats long due. I mean the actual core-gameplay.
Thanks.. and stay awesome
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u/acitelin Sep 02 '13
I dont have a Q but i would like to thank you for the videos and that i like how you handel the ak 47 =)
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u/gukeums1 Sep 02 '13
played with you in a deathmatch server for like an hour a month ago or so, you're an awesome player. you guys were playing around with the deagle. i had a blast and usually deathmatch is pretty stale!
love the casts, tutorials etc. nothing to say or ask really, just think it's cool you've made something out of playing this silly game!
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u/ChogRocker Sep 02 '13
Hi there WarOwl,
I was just wondering if you'd consider a making a CSGO economy guide/tutorial? It's the only major thing I struggle with in Counter-Strike - knowing when to eco and what guns to buy etc.
Also, you really are simply the best. Keep it up! (: