Nick: astz!
Name: Paul McGarrity
Clan: Team Dignitas
Location: Edinburgh, UK


ESR: Tell us about your gaming background.

astz!: I first went online in late 2000 after getting a PC specifically for Unreal Tournament. I played for fun on and off for a few years through school until I picked up UT2003 in the January following its release. I started to play more competitively from then on, I went through UT2003, right into UT2004 and now after all this time in the UT series I've decided to give Quake a go.

LAN:
1st ESWC UK - 2003
1st WCG UK - 2004
1st Bloodlines UK - 2004
1st ESWC UK 2005
1st WCG Europe UK 2005 (invitation)
1st Microplay UK 2005
4th WCG Europe 2005
4th GGL Digital Life, New York 2005

Online:
1st GGL/Clanbase Digital Life European Qualifier
1st ESL 1on1 Premiership Season 1
1st ESL 1on1 cup
1st EthernaSports Western Europe Devision
1st EthernaSports Grand Final
1st d3lzy Open - Master Series
1st P-Clan Turnier
1st inUnreal.de 1on1 #9
1st inUnreal.de 1on1 Winter Season #1
2nd inUnreal.de 1on1 Winter Season #6
2nd inUnreal.de 1on1 Winter Season Finals
4th GigaLiga Grandslam V
4th rmzs invite 1
4th rmzs invite 2
6th GigaLiga Grandslam IV
+ more

ESR: What hardware do you use?

astz!: I'm currently using a P4 2.6ghz, Abit x800-guru and 1gb of Corsair pc3200 ram. I bought the CPU myself a few years ago but the graphics card was supplied by Abit, and I won the memory in a tournament a couple of months ago. It's not the most modern rig but it runs Q4 pretty well in duel, mainly due to the mods that have been released. I'm probally gonna upgrade at some point soon but this'll do for now.

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

astz!: I'd like to place top 6 but I'm not setting my sights too high, this is my first LAN in Quake4 and I haven't had that much time to prepare. I tried Quake4 when it first came out but I couldn't take the extremely shit FPS I was getting, so I stopped playing for about a month and a bit until somebody pointed out that I had should try using r_lightdetaillevel 9 on the FPS/TMP maps (doh!)... So after discovering this bloody fantastic command, I began to play again and since then I've been playing pretty casually, basically trying to learn the movement and the maps. I think I've improved really quickly but I'm not sure how I'll do at the tournament, could do with another month or two to really get to grips with the game - but all the same I'm looking forward to it!

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

astz!: The obvious guys to watch out for are TooGoood, blunt, deus, hell and jabb0r who have shown they can play a bit :D. But I know almost everyone in the tourney has put in quite a bit of practice, so it's going to be a really tough event. Jamerio should do a lot better than everyone is suggesting, he's improving all the time. I'm really impressed by how strong the UK scene is in Quake4 right now, none of the guys attending should be underestimated and you can bet that there are going to be some controversial results. Hopefully I'll gub some quakers!

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?

astz!: I haven't played anything except 1on1 and clan arena so far so I can't really comment on the team modes except from an 'observers' perspective (I read ESR etc!). But anybody could tell you that 2006 is shaping up to be all about Quake4 1on1. With the CPL and ESWC announcing tournaments, what else do you need? For me, WCG also picking it up would just put the icing on the cake but there is also a big part of me that would love to see UT2007 at WCG. Anyway, for the moment I'm really enjoying playing Quake, so I'm happy that it's being so widely supported and the fact that it's already guaranteed a year with lots of competition is reassuring to say the least. I'll just see how it goes from here.

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

astz!: I haven't been playing long enough to develop a strong, individual style yet. In UT2k4 I was definately more control/prediction orientated than I was aim orientated. I preferred the rocket launcher and shock combos to the hitscan weapons and as the majority of players in UT2k4 were very aim orientated this kind of set me apart and gave me my own style. But so far in Quake I haven't adopted any particular methods of playing. I'm still learning the game and am completely open to different approaches... Ok, I lied. I like to pwn nwbz wit teh nailgun!

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

astz!: The Swedes, cooller and fatal1ty are the obvious favourites at the moment, but I'm sure there are loads more that are looking to do extremely well. There are so many top players practising with serious intentions of making money that it's almost impossible to predict who will be the most succesful. It has to be the biggest year so far for professional fps gaming right? So, show me the money! "Your £2 a month could save this pro-gamer from starvation, buy new mouse skates and clothing" etc etc... :P

Quickfire Round!

Favourite Q4 Weapon: Pummel

Favourite Q4 Map: Like I'm gonna tell you right before the tourney...

Favourite Q4 Player: Cooller

Favourite Game: Monkey Island

Favourite Country (to visit): The USA so far

Favourite Colour: Blue/Green

Favourite Food: Haggis!

Favourite Drink: Cold beer!

Favourite Car: Batmobile

Favourite Sport: Scottish Football

Favourite Band/Group/Singer: Floggin Molly + 37848723462364 others.

Favourite Film: Braveheart + 78428379498723894 others.

Your best pickup line: It's not mine but it's the best I've heard. "Hi I'm rmzs and I hit 60% lg." (c) rmzs @ eswc 2005 to some russian girl.