HOG x FPSChallenge COD4 Zagreb LAN 2022 - Interview: choobie (giwu)

1. Hello choobie, first of all I’d like to thank you for taking part in this interview. I think every COD4 player knows you, you are an icon in the COD4 Community. Instead of asking you to introduce yourself, may I ask when and why did you decide to come back and play COD4 after such a long break? What or who motivated you to start playing actively again?

Thanks for inviting me to do this! I didn’t realize that COD4 still had a community of players until I saw a stream with Phantasy playing at the previous LAN. Ono and I joked that Phantasy might need us at the next LAN, so we ended up making a team together. I think we all had fond memories of the game and wanted to play for a bit of nostalgia. Coupled with the fact that it was midsummer and we were pretty bored, it seemed like it’d be fun to reinstall.

2. Currently you are playing for team giwu, could you tell us your story? How long has your team been playing together in this formation and how did you find each other?

I think we formed in mid July without a 4th or 5th, and settled on the current lineup by the end of August.

3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your team?

All the players in this team are more knowledgeable about the game than I would ever have imagined. It’s pretty cool to come back to COD4 and be taught (a lot) about a game I had played for 5-6 years. Unfortunately you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. 

I’d say our biggest weakness is that we’ve not played with each other enough, and we honestly haven’t played actively enough to be very competitive.

4. In the middle of the Summer it seemed like you’d play with Phantasy. Unfortunately we won't see him at your side on LAN. Can you explain what happened?

Between 4 of us, our combined work schedules would’ve allowed 10 days of practice together before the event. Phantasy decided his travel schedule was way too severe so he mentioned it’d be better for us if he stopped. Obviously, we were pretty bad too so I don’t blame him. I’m glad he’s still coming to the event as it’d be a lot of fun to see an old family friend!

5. Unfortunately the community could not see you on the last two international LANs this year (except uNzR and JEYZKAA), but now everyone pays special attention to you and your team. Are you excited about the LAN?

For sure, I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of familiar faces, as well as meeting people I never had the chance to meet. It’s rare to see a game have such a strong community after so many years, hopefully this won’t be the last major event the game sees.

6. We have seen some promising pictures from the LAN venue. How would you rate the HOG Esport Arena? Are you feeling hyped about the upcoming event?

SUNSPINX shared a few pictures with me the moment the event was announced. The venue looks great, and I heard there’s more than enough space for each player’s mouse+kb. I would assume venues in general are better than in the past. For example, hearing that COOKIEH can go to a LAN without a mouse pad is pretty much a signal that these venues have improved! 

I remember the days where LAN venues would have nails lodged into the surface of the table. I also remember CiC7 where some of us played the entire event with the keyboard on lap just to make space for teammates. Pepperidge farm remembers, you young folk have it easy…

7. You won two and lost four games in FPSChallenge Autumn League 2022 TIER 1. How would you rate your online preparation (practice) matches in the last two or three months? Are you happy with the current form of your team? Did your team practice enough days according to you?

Our online preparation has been tough if I’m honest. We still had issues with team scheduling because of work, travels and summer vacation. It is what it is. Regarding Autumn League performance, it’s a miracle we snuck into TIER 1 to begin with, so we’re just treating it as a bit of a chance to play against teams better than ourselves.

8. What are your expectations about your team’s performance on Zagreb LAN? What kind of final result would you be satisfied?

Like most teams would say, we’d be happy to get out of Groups. We have one and a half strats per map, so it’d probably be a headnod to our abilities if we move beyond the Group Stage.

9. 29 teams will participate at the upcoming LAN. Since 2013, no COD4 LAN with so many participants has been organized. What do you think about the teams in general?

First off, 29 teams is amazing. It’s also a feat that we have teams and players attending from beyond Europe. I think this might be the first time since 2010 where a team has traveled from another continent… Team Pandemic(?) and the South African team, unfortunately I can’t remember their name. I am sure our resident Croatians will be great hosts.

In terms of teams in general, it seems like the majority of them can beat one another, which will make for an interesting event. I think the general ability of individuals has improved as well. Compared to the teams of the past, I’ve yet to play against one which makes you feel dread and despair during any given round. A team like ANEXIS was exceptionally good at making you doubt yourself.

10. The Groups were revealed a few days ago. What do you think about the groups? Are they balanced? Which one is the strongest and which one is the easiest according to you?

They seem pretty balanced. There’s always difficulty in finding balance in groups, especially when new teams pop up just for a LAN event.

11. Which teams would you consider as the biggest threat (rival) for giwu?

The lower seeded teams in our groups are our biggest threats, one ‘upset’ could mean we get grouped.

12. What is your prediction about the top 3 of this LAN event?

I’ve not seen enough of the top seeded teams play, but it looks like a few of the teams that could challenge for top 3 include qwertz, DENIED, APES, AG. Outsiders with a shot probably include NFY, Unknown, ULTRA, and SK. I’m sure I’ve overlooked a few teams here…

13. What do you think, which team will surprise everyone? Who is your secret favorite that is underestimated by the other teams, but you know they will perform really well?

Powerhouse will have Phantasy and he’s still the best SMG in the game based on individual ability. Powerhouse might not win LAN, but they could be a dark horse with the players they have, and besides, we all love max! Another overlooked pick is AG. I’ve not played them but just judging by their Autumn League results, they’re not one to take lightly.

14. Thank you for taking part in the interview. Is there anything you'd like to add?

Thanks for the questions - all I’d like to say is be polite to the admins and organizers of this community please! The older we get, the more of a time investment these types of hobbies become. We should be very thankful that they’re committed to helping this community move in the right direction. Looking forward to meeting everyone again!