What was the last Quake 3 tournament you participated in, and what have you been up to since?

SK-Rapha: The last quake3 tournament I took place in was Warfactory located in St. Louis. And since then I decided to take some time off from quake and just focus on some other things, and now I'm back playing quake again ;).

SK-Rapha: Outside of gaming I like to play basketball when I get the chance and I enjoy running although it's really cold out this time of year :(. Other than that maybe watching some movies.

Are you a fan of any team in particular?

SK-Rapha: I watch more football than basketball but my favorite team is the Celtics, last year was fantastic. Hopefully they can keep up the team chemistry and win back to back :D
 
What are your hopes for Quake 3/QL in 2009?

SK-Rapha: Obviously I'm hoping for the best in 09 but as of right now there are no guaranteed tournaments other than Quakecon 09 and the ESWC Finals. Hopefully some other events pop up and I'll have yet another busy year of traveling :)
 
Do you think Quake is dying? - Why would someone say otherwise?

SK-Rapha: Q3 itself is definitely dying out which is sad to see but the game is like 10 years old, the fact that there were any tournaments this past year for a game so old is a miracle in itself.

SK-Rapha: But on the other hand, the fact that q3 has still produced new talent over the past year and players who've pushed past and beyond some of the old school players shows there's still life in the game.

SK-Rapha: Quake Live is currently being worked on and the beta scene is decently active, seeing how many people will play it when it's released will be mind blowing compared to the way the q3 community has been the past few years.
 
Interesting, so In Your Opinion, would you say the sky is still the limit for Q3/QL? What if that means waiting another year to release it?

SK-Rapha: Yes as long as they take their time and get it done right. I know I'd rather do something right than just good enough. If you do it right the first time, it'll last a lot longer.

SK-Rapha: They have good ideas for the game so hopefully that keeps up and it'll draw in new players.

SK-Rapha: This is why it's very important for Quake Live to be ready upon release.

SK-Rapha: I think ID will release it when it's ready; they aren't in a huge hurry.
 
What are your feelings on CQ3 being the chosen game play over VQ3? How will this affect your performance in the tournament?

SK-Rapha: There are a few changes to the play style, not too drastic but there is one annoying factor I'm not going to go into at the moment :P

SK-Rapha: other than the 1 or 2 dislikes

In comparison to vq3?

SK-Rapha: it's pretty good, I'd personally still like vq3 over cq3 but it's not like I'm not going to enjoy this tournament just because it's cq3

SK-Rapha: the plasma does feel better; I like how it feels in cq3.

SK-Rapha: Can't really explain how it's better just feels smoother I guess
 
You've trained and are friends with many other North American professionals, why go with Destrukt as your teammate?

SK-Rapha: Zero4 is very busy at this time and couldn't play so I went and looked at my other options and I had found out around the same time when someone asked me to play with them that DKT needed a teammate.

SK-Rapha: and I was pretty much going to flip a coin to determine which to play with hehe :P
 
It's been a while since there has been a sizeable TDM tournament online for NA Q3, how will you and your partner be preparing for the tournament and what are your expectations?

SK-Rapha: I expect us to play well but there are a few other teams that are looking really strong so it's going to be no walk in the park.

SK-Rapha: I think we just need to work on our chemistry together and we'll play really well.

Destrukt seems to be under the impression that anything less than a win will be a disappointment, do you share those feelings?

SK-Rapha: I feel we can win it but as I said there are a few teams that are going to be really tough to beat. It's going to have to be earned; it won't be given by any means.
 
How do you feel about ospdm6? Do you have a good idea of how your team will play the map or are you going with whatever works?

SK-Rapha: I know how I like to play ospdm6, it'll just come down to Brian and me developing chemistry and getting to learn the flow that we need to play with on that map. I like the map and it's going to be interesting to see how other teams decide to play it. Can be approached in a few ways.
 
In your opinion, what is the weakest part of your game? Anything from your experiences in practice that comes to mind?

SK-Rapha: My aim sometimes isn't as consistent as others but that can be made up for most of the time with smart play.

SK-Rapha: Forgetting the timing of a key item every once in awhile I'd say is my weak point, forces you to have to start from scratch all over again at times :/
 
As the match's progress and as the competition heats up, what do you think will be a consistent advantage for your team throughout the tournament?

SK-Rapha: Experience, and for me the fact I'm not going to give up on a game, anything can happen in a tourney game. Amazing comebacks ;) and huge letdowns can happen. This is why I like to focus 100% until the buzzer sounds.
 
What two players do you look forward to facing off against? Why?

SK-Rapha: Such a difficult question, because there's 2 teams I'm looking forward to playing. I don't know which one to choose :S
You may say two teams, both with equal anticipation :)

SK-Rapha: Ok, I'm looking forward to play kgb/walter and carnage/relic, Imo are the 2 toughest teams for us in this tournament. Both teams have outstanding aim and the style with which they're going to play with will be enjoyable to see if we can beat them :)

Lastly, why wouldn't being a strong 1v1 player necessarily make someone a strong team player? – Do you feel that your team play with your partner is affected by any of this?

SK-Rapha: Some players do better when they only have to rely on themselves and the decision they have to make. Others can properly balance themselves and having their teammates to fall back on when they slip and make a mistake.

SK-Rapha: There's a lot of responsibility in 1v1 as well as 2v2, I wouldn't say one has more than the other just that they're both very difficult and very different.
Very wise and very true.

SK-Rapha: Brian's played on teams before and knows how to play as a team player. I'm not worried about us having any huge problems with that.
 
Thanks for the Interview Shane we'll be seeing you soon!
SK-Rapha: You're welcome, and thank you :)
 
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