In the second set of interviews this week we are immensely proud to present the legendary: Leungbok, TarquinFarqhuar and JJPAP enjoy!

Interview with Leungbok!

Oryx_crake: Hello thank you for joining me!

Leungbok: Hello Oryx ! Thank you for inviting me ^^

Oryx_crake: So how do you think the tournament is going so far?

Leungbok: It’s awesome to see so many wipeout pilots, past and present involved in that cup. I’m happy also for Kanar, biggest wipeout HD fan in my opinion, lol.

Oryx_crake: Now are you having fun?

Leungbok: I’ve much more fun in 1 vs 1 online races than full 8 players rooms, that’s sure !

Oryx_crake: Now yeldar2097, Javariko and Woopzilla sort of picked Dp89 to win what do you think?

Leungbok: It can also be another challenger there’s a lot of fast pilots in the cup like Wotan or Luna, in my opinion the most motivated and the best tactician will win !

Oryx_crake: Well you are regarded as a bit of a legend in the community with a lot of world records to your name and obviously people expect you to go far, but how have you prepared for this tournament? Are you feeling a pressure to perform?

Leungbok: Lol, I hope that people don’t expect too much from me because i don’t myself ! But as i decided to film my matches I’ll try to do at least clean races, except if I’m trapped into a zone battle stuff, lol. To prepare my rounds, i do some races against elite AI with weapons on/off !

Oryx_crake: Thank you for participating, see you on the grid!

Leungbok: My pleasure, see ya !

Interview with TarquinFarqhuar!

Oryx_crake: And finally when we have raced each other online before it has mostly been in flash, though I know your also very fast in all other speed classes, but which one is your favourite?TarquinFarqhuar: it has to be Phantom. that’s where I started, straight in at the deep end. I’ll race all speed classes though. a lot of my friends won’t race Phantom.. so it’s nice to race with them at Venom, Flash or Rapier

TarquinFarqhuar: Thanks dude, race you soon

Interview with JJPAP!

Oryx_crake: Hello thank you for joining me!

JJPAP: You´re welcome! And a great idea, my friend!

Oryx_crake: So how do you think the tournament is going so far?

JJPAP: I think it´s going really well. There´s been occasionally hick-ups in the 1st Round (people going MIA for all kinds of reasons, communication-problems, etc.), but that is what to be expected, when trying to gather more than 200 people from all over the world for an event like this.
And I´m quite confident that the rounds to come will run even more smoothly.

Oryx_crake: Now are you having fun?

JJPAP: Yes, I’m having a lot of fun trying to help out Olivier with the WOHDC as best as I can – otherwise I simply wouldn´t do it.
But I don´t exactly have the time to do what I´d really like to do.
Not even enough time to actually play WipEout as I used to do … At the moment I play more or less only on Sunday nights with you and the other freaks from Team Nordic … LOL.

Oryx_crake: Are you nervous about your next match?

JJPAP: A little nervous, yes, but most of all: Very excited. I’m really looking forward to the match versus Feisar31! Not at all because I’m confident that I´ll pass through to the next round, but because I view these kind of matches as kind of a ”party”: A gathering of virtual friends having a great time. And I’m not afraid of loosing! It sounds contradictory, but a match where you end up loosing, can be even greater than winning a match. (My 1st Round loss versus Tarquin in The Avalon Cup is a prime example of that – I was having a great time and will happily remember that fight for a long time!)
Don´t get me wrong: I´ll do everything possible (well almost) to beat Feisar31! But I’m convinced – no matter the outcome – that it´ll be a great match: 7 races at Phantom Speed, while listening to the tunes made by my opponent. Sure sounds great to me!

Oryx_crake: Now yeldar2097, Javariko and Woopzilla sort of picked Dp89 to win what do you think?

JJPAP: Well, DP for sure is one of the favourites and has the talent and speed to win the tourney. But one slightly bad day and you´re out. And that goes for a bunch of other extremely fast wipers. That´s the concept of the cup-system and it makes it really hard to predict anything.
I also hope we´re in for some pleasant surprises. Looking specifically at the division, which I´m a part of, The Hawks Division, I really expect Klocki, Haydn and SpeedKAng to do something extra-ordinary.

Oryx_crake: Now you did an amazing job on the trailer, but how do you think the video content from the cup has been handled so far?

JJPAP: Thanks! But not only I did it! I was merely a video-DJ sampling a lot of great stuff made available by others from The WipEout Community. Thinking of this makes me very happy: A lot of people – only virtually knowing each other – collaborating to make an event like this happen. That is indeed great stuff!!!
Regarding the video contend from The WOHDC: A lot of videos have already been uploaded from the participants. I’m trying to keep track of all of them – (and I’m very happy that there´s no limit on the amount of data I can download!!!)
It´s is bloody amazing to think of all the people around the world, sitting in their living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms … where ever … recording their matches with camcorders, phones, high-end equipment … What ever is at hand … That´s dedication and indeed helps open the windows of the tourney to ”the outside world”!
At the moment I’m ”collecting” all these videos, trying to organize them a bit and plan to make a dvd with all the highlights from the WOHDC available for all, when the show is over.
But time, time, time … We´ll see.
Right now I’m doing it kind of the opposite way – I’m working at the ending of the dvd, because I already know who the winner will be: Every single participant and every single one who over the years has been intrigued by the spirit of the WO-universe.

Oryx_crake: Thank you for participating, see you on the grid!

Look forward to next weeks interviews, until next time!

This weeks batch of interviews stars the eminent SaturnReturn, the super fast Oranje Boven yeldar2097 and the up and coming Woopzilla enjoy!

Interview with SaturnReturn!

Oryx_crake: Hello thank you for joining me!

SaturnReturn: My pleasure, as long as I’m not joining you in Holy matrimony. That would be weird.

Oryx_crake: So how do you think the tournament is going so far?

SaturnReturn: It’s going well. There have been a couple of surprising eliminations, which is always good for generating excitement and keeping people’s interest, which will be important for a long competition like this. Some lost interest before the first round, but that was bound to happen, and hopefully that’s all over with now and the remaining rounds will happen smoothly.

Oryx_crake: Now are you having fun?

SaturnReturn: My first match was fun. I was playing someone I’d never raced before and he was a really good sport.

Oryx_crake: Are you nervous about your next match?

SaturnReturn: Not yet. I always get a bit nervous in any competition like this, but it’s still so early in the day. If I get into later rounds then I will get very nervous because that’s when I will probably start to take things a bit more seriously. It’s when you start thinking you have a chance that the nerves come.

Oryx_crake: Now yeldar2097, Javariko and Woopzilla sort of picked Dp89 to win what do you think?

SaturnReturn: I think if it was Phantom only then they could well be right. But I expect to see a lot of the big names get knocked out. There is so much flexibility in the race settings that someone has to be a real all-rounder. So I think the ultimate victor will be someone good at Phantom, but also good at Venom/Flash and Zone Battle. I think Javariko has a great chance. Perhaps not one of the most well known names, but he’s really impressed me in the Speed Lap Challenge competition and is also great at Zone mode. Then there’s yeldar2097 whose all-round skills everyone is aware of, and Luxoflux who won the Avalon Cup. They’re all fellow Flying Dutchmen, as it happens, which is purely coincidence, of course.

Oryx_crake: As a moderator of the wipeoutzone forum you must have talked to most of the participants once or twice, how many new players do you think this cup has roped into the community? I mean besides me?

SaturnReturn: It’s difficult to tell. A lot of the names I didn’t initially recognise are still just names. Some have dropped out. I’ve met a few new people though and everyone is in good spirits. If I had to guess I’d say around there could easily be 15% of participants who are completely new to this forum, if not more.

Oryx_crake: Thank you for participating, see you on the grid!

SaturnReturn: Well that’s unlikely, because I expect to be knocked out next round. Not much spare time for a humble old moderator (with world-domination as a side-project) to practise these days.

Interview with yeldar2097!

Oryx_crake: Hello thank you for joining me!
yeldar2097: Hi Oryx ^_^

Oryx_crake: So how do you think the tournament is going so far?
yeldar2097: I think the tournament has been a great success. Kanar did a fantastic job motivating pilots for it, including a significant proportion the ‘old guard’ who had all but left the game. Considering the game is getting older and the community dwindling somewhat, I think a 256 player turnout is a pretty stellar achievement. Obviously there have been a few setbacks here and there; people not turning up for matches or pulling out at the last minute, but nothing big enough to spoil the otherwise great atmosphere surrounding the cup. I think the defining aspect of this cup is the WOZone community. Without it I wouldn’t even be competing: In November after about 13 weeks away from my PS3 I was busy de-rusting with Elois-13 when I suffered the dreaded YLOD. A forum member and fellow pilot ‘haiku’ heard about it an insisted that he send me his PS3 from all the way across the Atlantic just so that I could take part in the cup o_O
It’s things like this that set this community apart from the rest, and certainly a contributing factor as to why the Cup has been such a success

Oryx_crake: Now are you having fun so far?
yeldar2097: I am having fun so far yes, albeit a little frustrated at times, but that’s all part of the game I guess. Still in the early stages yet but I had great fun during my first two matches, both Kundox1 and Frailavi were fun to race against and fun to chat with outside of races. There’s definitely still a lot of work to do if I want to be at my best for any upcoming matches.

Oryx_crake: Are you nervous about your next match?
yeldar2097: I get nervous about every match, I even get nervous during non-competitive races against big names. I’ve had a look and I’ll be facing either Mad-Ice or Amorbis. Either way I’ll probably end up having some sort of panic attack before the races. They’re both veteran racers from back in the day when I struggled to survive even one lap without Pilot Assist, feels kinda like racing a teacher or mentor. I remember Mad was the reason I chose AG-Systems as my ship of choice when I started racing seriously. I’ll no doubt end up telling myself that I don’t expect to win, regardless of my opponent in this round, but at the same time I know I’ll be disappointed if go out. Time to start practising…

Oryx_crake: Now you sort of picked DP89 to win but a lot of people have also picked you to win do you feel the pressure to perform?
yeldar2097: Mm that’s right. I definitely think DP is the player to beat in this cup (he says, hoping DP will crack under the pressure xD). Of course, there are a great deal of awesome pilots out there, there’s no longer one or two people who stand out from the crowd, there’s a whole bunch of them, all of whom stand a chance of winning. I suppose I can see why some people would put my name forward, but from a personal point of view I can’t really see it happening. Honestly, in a 1v1 competition TT/SL records mean very little, just a measure of which modes you enjoy playing. First of all, many of the best online players rarely touch the offline aspect of the game, but if they did there’s no doubt they could score multiple Top 10′s and a few WRs here and there. Not only that but within the Top 10 or 20 records, the difference between players is so small that online it becomes almost negligible, especially if weapons come into play. I just realised that this sounds like a massive arse-covering exercise…. xD
I don’t really think I feel that much pressure to do well in the Cup, I won’t mind if I lose to a better opponent. The only thing that would annoy me would be losing as a result of racing badly. I can’t ever feel good about winning a race if I feel that I’ve had a poor race. I think I probably set myself quite high standards in terms of not making any mistakes with regards lines/BRs/tactics etc… hence all the shouting at the television during online races. As long as I don’t let myself down I’ll be happy to have been part of the Cup

Oryx_crake: Now from what I hear you didn’t participate in the avalon cup is this a bit of revenge for not being there for that?
yeldar2097: As a matter of fact I think I was on one of my ‘breaks’ from the game during the Avalon Cup. Of course, I came crawling back as per usual. I think the main reason was that during the Avalon Cup I was at university and wasn’t planning on bringing my PS3 with me. I’ve brought it with me now though so I’m A.OK for the WOHD Cup. Would be nice to win, but we all know it’s the taking part that counts ^_^

Oryx_crake: Thank you for participating, see you on the grid!
yeldar2097: :

Interview with Woopzilla!

Oryx_crake: Hello thank you for joining me!

Woopzilla: Hello and no problem.

Oryx_crake: So how do you think the tournament is going so far?

Woopzilla: Personally, my first two matches went very smoothly and both opponents (MrPhlanj & Temet79) were very organized. We had absolutely no problems scheduling our matches and agreeing on race choices. The Raptors are doing a great job of rounding up the stragglers, getting them to play their matches and sometimes bridging the language barrier gap. The whole event is very well organized.

Oryx_crake: Now are you having fun so far?

Woopzilla: I’ve had a lot of fun and managed to pull off two wins. Both Phlanj and Temet were very graceful in defeat and congratulated me for winning. They were very kind spirited and conversational which kept a pleasant mood despite being knocked out of the cup. I know I would take a defeat hard but they showed really good sportsmanship. So yes, I’ve not had any incident to put a damper on the good mood in this Cup.

Oryx_crake: Are you nervous about your next match?

Woopzilla: I’ve been nervous for all my matches. I’m not really a 1v1 kind of player. I have played many years in competitive clans for FPS games (playing 2 or 3 clan matches daily over several years), but those were team games. I’m much more relaxed when playing in competitions like England vs another nation. Having some buddies on the track helps the nerves… but on my own I get all jittery and do very silly mistakes. My next opponent will either be Nutcase or Wotan, and meeting either will surely bring about a very tough race.

Oryx_crake: Now you sort of picked Dp89 to win but there are of course alot of other great pilots around do you have a top 5?

Woopzilla: I’ve not really though about it that much. I’ve always been looking at what’s just infront of me. I suppose was imagining Unctuous getting very far, but it came as a shock to hear he was defeated so early. Besides DP and Unc, I would say (based on who’ve I’ve met regularly online and what I’ve seen video wise) Yeldar, Rezatron, Leungbok, Pirahpac, Fyue3, IDReaper, Ace3cube, Luna_Bgd are going to get far (unless some are about to meet each other ^^). I know that’s a few more than 5, but I don’t really want to dismiss anyone (people I haven’t mentioned included) as everyone’s putting in a lot of effort and things can go either way as I’m sure many people are just as nervous as me over their matches.

Oryx_crake: You have also been named as one of the contenders for the title, and I know you have improved a lot lately so what is your recipe? How have you managed to get so good in such a short time?

Woopzilla: I really don’t think I’m going to get anywhere near winning the title. I’ve not been putting much time into Wipeout, so I’ve become a little rusty. I uploaded quite a few videos of a recent online session and you can see me doing some very silly things (like making wide circles around speed pads ^^).

As for how I got good in the first place over the space of this year: it’s just putting in lots of practice. I used to be so glad to get into the top 100 ranks, but now I’m pushing my ranks into the top 30s. It’s all about just sticking through to the end no matter how annoyed you might sometimes get. I admit that I can get pretty depressed when things aren’t going my way while racing online… I get annoyed with myself for being ‘terrible’ and then run off to TT in an attempt to improve my skills before heading into the online battlefield again.

Oryx_crake: Thank you for participating, see you on the grid!

Woopzilla: No problem, cya!

That’s it for a little while but rest assured we will be back with more!