Nick: ddk
Name: Daniel Dominic Kapadia
Clan: Team Dignitas
Location: Dorset, UK


ESR: Tell us about your gaming background.

ddk: I started online gaming with diablo2 in 1999 \o/ and I played q3demo, q3, wc3, everquest, tfc and cs as well :)

I have played for the following clans: PsY (q3tdm), 2k (q3tdm), fear.uk and DC (ctf/tdm - for the later stages of their life), clan stealth (q3tdm), UK nations (q3tdm), jizz (cpma tdm), levitation (ra3), coconut (cs:s) and now, dignitas.

ESR: What hardware do you use?

ddk: CPU - Athlon AMD64 3500+ (Venice) 90nm (Socket 939)
When I researched into upgrades late summer, I found this cpu to be the best for the money. It benchmarked close to most other AMD cpu's which were far more expensive, and it was a lot better value than anything I could get from Intel.

Motherboard - Abit AV8 3RD Eye VIA K8T800 Pro (Socket 939)
I was just looking for a decent motherboard at the time, and I read some good reviews on this one.

RAM - 1024MB PC3200 Elixir DDR SDRAM
Fairly cheap ram (50quid) which would do the job.

Graphics - XFX GeForce 6800 GT
I needed a graphics card for as little cash as I could find which could handle the game and this was it.

Monitor - Iiyama Vision Master 1403 17"
Fairly cheap CRT, but Iiyama all the same.

Mouse - Razer Diamondback
I like the small shape, it enables me to hold/use it in more ways than an "ergonomically superior" mouse. But the downside of that is the god damn drivers and whatever comes with using Razer mice.

Mousepad - Icemat 2nd Edition
It's cold, noisy, the majority of feet are missing, but damn I love my icemat, smoothness unlike any other!

Headphones - Sennheiser HD590
£60 on e-bay was an unpassable offer for these. Audiophile headphones which really perform great.

Soundcard - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS Edition
Required for that OpenAL smoothness! This soundcard is amazing, it has three modes, one designed for games, one for entertainment like movies/music and one for sound creation. When you switch on the entertainment mode, the sound is just overwhelming.

ESR: How do you think you'll do in the VIA ESi tournament?

ddk: I'm shooting for top5, dreaming for 1st. My practise regime hasn't been exactly strict lately, and i've got AS re-sits plus A2 coursework deadlines to complete so this isn't the best time for going fatal1ty stylee with practise. I try to fit between 5 to 10 duels a day if I can.

ESR: Who are you most wary about in the VIA ESi tournament?

ddk: This is a hard question because there's a lot of players I've not seen play. There's a lot of talent, experience and potential but I think I'm going to go with either HELL or blunt. I'm not gonna choose Jay because I know I won't be able to beat him with so little practise and experience with competition/LAN. But HELL I know has a lot of talent and likewise with blunt, and I've not seen HELL play but I imagine he must be quite good.

ESR: Quake 4 has been out for a few months now, what do you think of the game and do you think it has a future in Esports?

ddk: Quake 4 has it's charms with crouch-sliding and rockets the size of tankjr's mom. I think whether people like it or not, the game has a future now thanks to the CPL and a lot of other tournaments hosting LANs for this game. The CPL for example I'm sure are used to games not quite up to the condition they should be. But duel is another thing, I'm hoping to see a nice amount of 4v4 and CTF LANs.

ESR: How would you describe your Quake 4 playing style?

ddk: Dumb-aggressive probably sums it up nicely. I'm trying to turn that into 'smart-aggressive' but we'll see ;). I usually try to use movement to my advantage which can sometimes be creative, other times it seals my fate.

ESR: Who do you think will dominate Quake 4 in 2006, and why?

ddk: I think Cooller will dominate the Quake 4 scene as he did the Quake 3 scene, it's hard to place what it is about his seemingly cunning demeanour in-game. But he seems pretty unstoppable at any rate, I don't actually see anyone beating him in the events he attends, possibly czm but he has a lot of catching up to do if I'm right in saying he hasn't been playing very much.

Quickfire Round!

Favourite Q4 Weapon: Frankly rox shaft 2v1 m8e

Favourite Q4 Map: I don't really have one atm!

Favourite Q4 Player: k9-boo ö

Favourite Game: Quake 3

Favourite Country (to visit): Southern France

Favourite Colour: Blue

Favourite Food: Carbonara

Favourite Drink: The magic potion (water)

Favourite Car: skips' nissan sunny

Favourite Sport: Basketball

Favourite Band/Group/Singer: In Flames

Favourite Film: Batman Begins

Your best pickup line: Sorry, I don't need pickup lines.