XJ Weekly #2

It is Friday again and therefore time for something to read. This weekly has two main topics; first of all, we interviewed Bibika and found out he actually does not love to bhop. Secondly, we analyzed the current mapcheck system and looked ahead to what is coming.

And of course you will find typical components you are used to.

Interview with Bibika

Cypek: Hello Bibika. Who are you?.

Bibika: Hello, my name is Vlad. I'm 17 years old and I currently live in Moscow, Russia.
I study programming at university. In spare time I like to play football, hang out with friends and of course record some kz records.

Cypek: When did you start playing? How did you encounter the kreedz world and what was your first map?

Bibika: I got into kreedz in 2007. I accidently joined some random kz server with j2s_westbl0ck.
At first, I didn't understand what to do, but I realized that you probably need to reach the top of the map as fast as possible.

I spend a lot of time trying to finish this map, but it was almost impossible for me. Though I managed to do it in around 10 minutes time.

Cypek: Did you have anyone, who helped you?

Bibika: No, none helped me; because I didn't want anyone to help maybe.
It was interesting to learn everything by myself.

Cypek: When and where did you start recording? Was it hard to get your first world record?

Bibika: I started recording demos in 2010 for kzru.net. All those records weren't hard for me to be honest.

Then I got interested in recording something special for XJ.
I enjoyed playing on kzlt_arabhop a lot, but I couldn't even imagine beating the world record on it. Surprisingly I have beaten it pretty easily.

Actually, it took me nearly 2 hours to do it and I was really happy about it.

Cypek: Now you already have a lot more records. Have you got a certain goal?

Bibika: I record demos only for fun. I watch different demos and if I like a map, I try to record it, besides some exceptions. I obviously want to reach top5 someday, but I think my skill isn't enough yet.

Cypek: Any favorite jumper?

Bibika: I enjoyed brian's demos the most back then. His style seemed perfect for me. When I watched his demos I thought that I would never be able to do something similar myself. Nowadays I like koukouz the most for obvious reasons.

Cypek: What type of maps do you enjoy the most? People think of you as a bhopper.

Bibika: I like playing on climb maps more than bhop maps actually, but recording bhop maps is easier for me.

I mostly play bhops only on public servers.

Cypek: Do you have anything that helps you recording?

Bibika: Yes, sometimes I record while listening to music, but I do that only on climb map, because sound on bhop maps is too important for me.
If I can't manage to beat a record for a long time there is nothing better than a cigarette, a nice way to relax, at least for me.

Cypek: What are your thoughts about the scene at the moment?

Bibika: I think that XJ reached perfection. I didn't expect kreedz to become as popular as it is.

Sadly, a lot of oldschool players retired, but on the other hand there are a lot of newcomers that continue to make the XJ active.

The recording scene isn't as active as it used to be, but I hope there will be more and more records from new players.

Cypek: Could you write your PC details?

Bibika: Operating system Windows 7,AMD Phenom 9500 Quad-Core 3.2 Ghz. 4Gb RAM, 32-bit system

Cypek: Top5 jumpers all the time.

Bibika: koukouz , brian , shnz , hel , novice

Cypek: Top5 maps

Bibika: kz_kzdk_droughthop, kz_kzdk_delianshop , kz_sandblock2, j2s_westbl0ck , kzsca_cityblock

Cypek: pepsi or cola?

Bibika: cola

Cypek: hamburger or hot dog?

Bibika: hamburger

Cypek: vodka or beer?

Bibika: vodka

Cypek: smoking or drinking?

Bibika: smoking

Cypek: inteligent girl or beautiful girl?

Bibika: beautiful girl

Cypek: favourite footbal club

Bibika: Manchester United

Cypek: messi or c.ronaldo?

Bibika: messi

Cypek: Who is gonna win Euro 2012?

Bibika: i don't know

Cypek: Alright, thank you very much for this interview. I wish you all the best! Any greetings?

Bibika: First of all I would like to thank Cypek for this interview. Shootouts to Shock, RoN`, Playmate, WarOO7 and the whole team of kz.random.


Community News

You might have asked yourself why ZippoW did not handle this weekly. It is because he flies to Mallorca today, to enjoy his holidays. Well, despite our envy, we wish you all the best and relax from your hard work as a geek and staff member.

As a compensation for this temporal lost, two members are on their way to join the staff of XJ. Until now, the admins agree to get prad back, who could help with weeklies or contests in the near future. The votes about
NeW are alike; he would join as a cup admin and maybe takes care of tournaments later as well, if I manage to convince him.

Another interesting discussion started by ndR takes place in the admin forum at the moment. We talk about adding alternative routes to some maps like risk_compound to make them playable in the intended way again. This would not only bring back some activity and fun, it would also acknowledge the work of all these mappers, who pretty much lost a map, you could say. Except for two admins, everyone seems to agree to this perspective and it looks like this discussion will end very soon.

We would be very thankful about a little response from all readers. Write a comment and let us know what you think or suggest about this topic in particular!

Soon a new and longer tournament will be started. At the moment the reformation of the mapcheck system needed too much time and attention, but as soon as you see the news about it, expect a new tournament, too.

You all know the fantastic maps of Cobrex. He recently began a project and claims it will be the best map of him ever released. Furthermore, he also claims that kz_amnesia will be the scariest and creepiest kz map you have played. Amnesia Dark Descent, Cobrex’ favorite horror game, has amazed him so much, that he started to rebuild parts of the castle from it. He wants his kz map to look exactly like the game and for that reason, he even uses original textures and sounds. There will be blood.

Like in the original game you will start in a small room without having the chance to go back. You reach the hallway with some bhops, a strange hallway… later you will make your way through a prison, through a water park and through big rooms with buttons, that make objects move. He promises to use things none in the kz scene used before. The difficulty will be easy-average and you’ll jump with speed through that nightmare. Since he mainly wants to scare you, he will focus on design and atmosphere. As a little backup, SmK1337 will probably help him with sounds and ideas. Unfortunately, he just started and only like 5% is done yet. To create some pressure, I would suggest: spam him!


Demo Reviews

1. prochallenge_bhop done in 01:46.56 by buh: I'm not sure I'm the right person to review this one. This is my all-times favorite bhop map, and therefore I always think it is awesome when someone beats it. Nevertheless, buh increases the surprise by beating it by almost four full seconds. His style, as compared to the usual extreme bhopper style, is another very strong point for this week's best demo.

2. kz_j2s_summercliff_ez done in 02:00.21 by KeltA: When one sees such a map in XJ's records list, he'd usually think: "There we go. Another map that's going to be beaten by the milliseconds". No, no, no. We're not talking about someone who is interested in beating a world record. We're talking about someone interested in achieving an unbeatable time. With over three seconds under the previous record, held by ShoCk, KeltA amazes us once again.

3.kzblt_zigzaghop done in 02:34.45 by Bibika: A must-see of this week, Bibika's bhopping and his noticeable doubt between almost falling and the need to keep going to beat pizza is the reason this demo is so thrilling to watch.

4. qsk_qube done in 05:05.78 by ANger: I know many of you hate when such maps are accepted by our staff, but I just can't see why a map that uses pure technique and skill can possibly be left out of both our maps list and our weekly's list of the best demos. You really should watch this and try looking at the map with another perspective.

5. cg_brick done in 02:39.71 by Bibika: This is it. This is the kind of map that makes me break my self-made rule of not featuring long demos beaten by so few milliseconds be forgotten. One of my favorite maps, due to it's high level of technique and design, cg_brick is just incredible.

6. kz_rambo_xen done in 00:31.13 by koukouz: Another of those maps we think will take a long time to be beaten, kz_rambo_xen has its world record improved again by its own previous master, koukouz.


Movie Reviews

PROMINENCE

AnnaX steps up and delivers a refreshing, unforgettable movie experience starring the illustrious flemeqa. AnnaX has created quite a unique atmosphere for this movie with an edit that will keep you stimulated and discovering something new on each subsequent viewing. Such an intricate edit requires lots of hard work and dedication, and it shows in just how precise and smooth the two-and-a-half minutes journey is - even going so far as to hide players' names throughout the movie. The unique edit is accompanied with equally unique music, which can be described as a fusion of dubstep and trip-hop, and is synced exceptionally well to the film. The intro and outro are dominated by a unique blend of typography and eye-pleasing effects, solidifying the overall experience as a fresh and pleasant one that you're unlikely to forget.

FLP - JOURNEY

APE_O rocks the foundations of moviemaking with this incredibly atmospheric film. Dark, subtle colors are accompanied with skillfully directed campaths and editing, transforming FLP's trickjumps into something more - each one an individual statement, coming together to form the complete thought that encapsulates this exceptional film experience. Dark, minimal ambient is the music of choice, which completes the dark and subtley unsettling atmosphere, comparable to Silent Hill. FLP's fresh tricks are given life with outstanding sync, brought about by colors and timescale editing, completing the film and crafting a journey.


THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK: Realizing our Potential as a Community

Xtreme-Jumps, for many years, has been known as the official climbing community. Within it's history, lots of regulations, events and records have been made for the betterment for the players and the Kreedz experience. Kreedz has always been a largely community driven experience, existing entirely in the maps we create and the culture around them. In light of this, the question remains: how can we take what we've already created, and compound off of it? Lately, the Kreedz experience has been rather lackluster: XJ's primary attraction has always been the official world record demo releases, but even those have trickled off as records become harder to beat with each subsequent release. Competition is very important in the Kreedz community, so how do we foster that competition in a more accessible manner? Perhaps we should have individual record lists for a "season," much like in real professional sports, or organize a league in which players can compete over a series of events. One of the aspects of competition in Kreedz has always been the emphasis on top-level competition in the form of world records or "top 15" lists on servers - but even the Nub15 is dominated by high-level players doing checkpoint runs. Perhaps an amateur league in the manner described would bring new life into the Kreedz scene - life fabricated not in the way of demo releases or map releases, but by way of organized competition.


Mapcheck system is about to be changed

ZippoW: There have been a lot of discussions about the mapchecking at XJ lately. What is the precise problem?

chrizZo: The current system is not working. Mapreleases are very rare nowadays for various reasons and we all agree something has to change.

ZippoW: Why is it not working anymore?

chrizZo: I would point out three major issues:

• 1): The system is ineffective, complicated and unclear to most of the people
  
• 2): Inactivity of the mapcheck admins and communication problems
  
• 3): Quality standards and active mappers

About 1): At the moment members submit maps that are meant to get the kz tag and open forum threads about maps that are meant to get a custom tag. Basically, admins take care of kz maps and the community takes care of custom maps. If a custom map candidate gets enough yes votes, it will be accepted, that is the theory. But that word ‘enough’ is not defined, there is no given number when a map is considered. Plus, the forum itself is not well-build and confuses many members.

This might be some factors that caused the situation we face now. The forum is pretty much dead and threads rarely reach more than 10 yes votes. People somehow lost the interest in it. On the other hand, the admins are annoyed by the inactiveness of the community, who claim to want more maps, but do not bother to participate in the process. Moreover, it happens very often that mappers message all their friends to vote for their maps or that people didn’t even play them. Like that, the system is abused. There was a map with over 10 yes votes that did not even have a timer, so it clearly couldn’t be accepted like it is, but no member mentioned it.

The system, as it is now, needs an active community that checks maps. It is necessary for its success and the reason why it failed.

About 2): Mapchecking started with Kreedz himself and after so many years you probably need to accept that there is no person on this planet, who constantly enjoys mapchecking. I can’t think of one single person, who actively did this for years and since I personally wouldn’t like to do that job for one week, I can understand why. Since I don’t have that much of an insight into the current team, I don’t want to judge about the present situation.

Personally, I think there is no way to solve this problem once and for all. Mapcheck admins will always take breaks and stop with their work for a while and we should accept and understand that instead of writing offensive posts how lazy they are. Until now, these semi-active phases caused a slowdown in the mapchecking process in every system we had. A solution could be to think about a structural mechanism that compensates that.

As another solution, I want to present CyclopP’s point of view, even though I don’t like it. He thinks the most effective and fastest mapchecking process can be achieved by minimizing the mapcheck admin staff. With one or two admin(s) it would be easy to agree and make decisions. This solution is primarily based on experience, because the past taught us the more admins the longer the mapcheck process.

I think he is mostly right, but for me this is not only about functionality and effectiveness. Such a system is too unfair in my eyes, since only two people or one person decide(s) what maps get accepted and that is pure caprice. Also, these persons must be active all the time, else the system crashes immediately and my instinct tells me we wouldn’t find such a person. (By the way, this was not because I wanted to disprove CyclopP’s statement or anything alike. I think it is worth thinking about his point of view and it points out the problems we face pretty clearly.)

About 3): There are no guidelines or criteria written down anywhere, that show what the mapcheck admins demand. Obviously this deficit causes suspense and confusion. Many mappers don’t even try to get their maps released at XJ, they don’t submit their maps here and go the easy way with Cosy-Climbing. Furthermore, the standards for kz maps are most likely too high nowadays.

Something most of the people don’t take in consideration is, that the overall activity in our community is decreasing. Plus, particularly a lot of experienced mappers are inactive and don’t deliver new maps anymore; it is like with our world records. For example: just look at radon’s work and now he stopped. Maybe we just have to accept that high quality maps are less common as they have used to be.

ZippoW: Can you tell us a bit about the upcoming system?

chrizZo: The upcoming system will make the participation of the community possible, but not necessary. All checks will be done in a public forum thread (unless the mapper doesn’t want that); everyone can read what the admins are saying, suggesting, criticizing and comment as well. So the new system will be transparent and maps that go for kz or custom tags are checked in the same way. There are some more improvements, but for now you must be patient and wait for the newspost about it.

Our goal is to have more map releases in the near future. We think that a transparent system might enlighten all mappers how maps are checked and what mapcheck admins like and dislike. Besides that, we obviously count on the help of all members and their constructive input. If you want to improve this community, this will be a good way to start.

ZippoW: Alright, thanks for your wall of text, hopefully someone has the endurance to read it!


Drunken Thoughts of the Week

"Want to go to the liquor store?" opens window curtains, "Oh there's one right across the street."

So you might ask yourself; what is drunken thoughts of the week?
- Well it's simply me, myself, and I reflecting over things while cranking open a couple of beers.

Well to get things started, the last 7 or 8 years I've been involved in the kz community, there's been at least 10 players each year saying that 1.6/CS/KZ and all that, is dead?
I have a really hard time understanding this, since it's been going on for years and years. And to be honest KZ today is bigger than it ever was, when it was born back in -03 there was less people involved and playing than ever.

So you gotta ask yourself; is KZ/1.6 really dying? Or is it just you personally that's getting tired of it? Generally when you get tired of things you seem to make it bigger than it really is, you (yourself) getting tired of kz/1.6 isn't the death of the game mode itself.
There's still people out there, keeping their eyes on the prize to get that number one at the front-page.

And also the part where people whine on the newly added administrators to the site.
"Get him out he knows nothing about KZ!" is one thing I've read over the last months.

But you got to remember that these new people, is what keeps this community alive, their ideas, their motivation.
You give credit to other people(old school administrators, players etc.) like your life depended on it, but in reality, it’s the new players that keep this community with new ideas, and all in all a fresh "spark". Over and out, keep the spark up.

That was a nice last article, I would say. Thank you all for reading this and comments are welcome, especially if you think weeklies are worth the effort and should be posted regularly again.

‘Interview with Bibika’ was made by Cypek’, short news about the community were written by chrizZo, ‘Demo Reviews’ was made by Vee, ‘Movie Reviews’ and ‘Thought of the Week’ were made by Kangaroo, ‘Drunken Thoughts of the Week’ was made by Moxx, ‘Mapcheck system is about to be changed’ was made by ZippoW.