• Welcome to Smashboards, the world's largest Super Smash Brothers community! Over 250,000 Smash Bros. fans from around the world have come to discuss these great games in over 19 million posts!

    You are currently viewing our boards as a visitor. Click here to sign up right now and start on your path in the Smash community!

MBR Application Process is Closed

DoH

meleeitonme.tumblr.com
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Messages
7,618
Location
Washington, DC
Smashboards Username: DoH
Region: Texas
Primary Character(s): Peach
Secondary Character(s): Sheik, Fox, Zelda

REQUIRED

1. Q. How long have you been playing competitive melee?
A. 7 years this summer, since June of 2004

2. Q. How often do you attend tournaments? How familiar are you with your local scene? Your regional scene? The national/international scene?
A. Tournaments usually about once a month or two months, as they are rather sparse. Practice with darkrain and Wobbles regularly. I'm a leader in the Texas scene, I travel the most and help run most of the tournaments. I keep tabs on the European scene and keep up with the current US scene, usually make it to a few nationals per year.

3. Q. How would you classify yourself as a player relative to the current metagame? (beginner, average, high level, pro, etc.)
A. High level I suppose.

4. Q. Do you think the other individuals in your region would support you being a member of the MBR? Why?
A. Yes, because I'm articulate and have been a reliable voice for Texas in the past.

5. Q. Do you consider yourself a discussion leader? Why?
A. I wouldn't consider myself a discussion leader per se, but I do have fairly strong opinions that I like to debate. If it's something that's been rehashed without any new development, I'm likely to sit out unless something unique piques my interest. If the Peach boards discuss something other than their favorite dress color I'll gladly chime in with my perspective.

6. Q. Are you an active Tournament Organizer? If Yes, what are some recent tournaments you have hosted? If No, what are some ways you feel you contribute to your local scene despite not being a TO?
A. Despite not being a "tournament organizer" Dallas usually ends up running all the tournaments in Texas; I usually bring my laptop and run brackets, darkrain yells, and Wobbles does things. I'm currently working on getting a Texas circuit going between Austin-Dallas-Houston, which would involve me running and hosting my own stop. Despite not being the official TO, I travel to all the tournaments that I can and usually bring hype (dark/wobbles) with me.

7. Q. Do you feel that the current tier list is accurate? Why?
A. I feel like there should be some minor tweaks; Marth should be lower in my opinion. But it has somewhat deviated from its "based on tournament results" to a "hypothetical which character will do best" format. But as far as it being shaped by the opinions of the group that created it as to which of those characters would hypothetically do the best, it's better than what we have had.

8. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended stage list is fair? Why?
A. I have a couple of issues with it; banning stages like Corneria and Mute while allowing DK and Rainbow are the main ones. There's not really a consistent standard for what constitutes a banned stage, it's more or less whether a majority of the Falcon players like it or not that determines whether it gets to stay. Most of the players who have voted to ban stages in the past have never actually took the time to play on those stages so of course they are taken by surprise when they get car combo'd. I'm more of a fan of a liberal stage selection because I like the strategy that it incorporates, but I am fond of the "neutrals only" trend that has been fairly recent; my only complaint is that it gets somewhat boring after 3 days of tournament.

9. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended rule set is fair? Why?
A. I suppose we can always add more detail, but I don't see anything that is inherently unfair about it, except if it bans Mewtwo's Soul Stunner. That should always be legal. I'm on the fence about Wobbling; I feel it makes me play better that if I get grabbed I die, but at the same time I like that when it is banned Wobbles is forced to do his more impressive tricks. You will probably die anyhow, so the point is probably moot.

10. Q. What is more important to you: Tech Skill or Strategy? Why?
A. Strategy; tech skill is only important up to a certain point, and this new wave of players has put most of their experience points into that technical side that when you touch them you can usually take their stock.

11. Q. What is more important to you: Maximizing Punishments (Combos) or Initiating Punishments (First Hits)? Why?
A. First hits, for without them combos don't happen. If you get the right first hit, you can execute that 0-death combo, and your opponent can't combo you. Cactuar really demonstrated the effectiveness of this a few years ago in his set vs darkrain.

12. Q. Does SSBM have a limited lifespan as a competitive community due to its age or any other factor? Why or why not?
A. I think the only limit right now is apathy. The metagame is continuing to evolve and inspire, and its only if people don't care to get better or to travel that it will die.

13. Q. What do you think could be done to expand our community?
A. I think we need to make ourselves known more in our local communities; colleges, towns, etc and expand from a grassroots movement. Having a visible face and front for the community as a whole would help.

14. Q. What do you think the MBR could do to stimulate the community?
A. I think we could pool resources and to help each other benefit our local communities. Perhaps we could oversee the establishment of regional circuits like we had post-MLG.

15. Q. How do you think the MBR would benefit from your input?
A. I feel like I bring a wealth of experience from my own region as well as all the places I have traveled to, and the character I play. I'm rather articulate and am passionate about the topics I believe in, but always remain respectful towards my colleagues. I bring a diversity of opinion to the MBR, which is one of the things that help keep it from stagnating. Additionally, I feel like I have a talent for teams play, which people tend to undervalue in comparison to singles, but I feel its an important part of Melee. Also I'm hilarious and my baking skills are legen -wait for it, and I hope you're not lactose intolerant because this last word is - dary!


OPTIONAL

1. Please provide up to 5 examples of contributions you have made to the melee community. Links to exceptional, informative posts are highly valued here.

1. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4COWe9ILFog
i. Description: This is a tutorial for Peach players on how to integrate powershield to downsmash into their game as a response to predictable aerials, like Falco's dair. I started working on this in 2009, and it has slowly spread; even Armada is doing it!

2. Link: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=295263
i. Description: My attempt at reviving Melee here in Texas. We've got our first circuit tournament coming up in a few weeks.

3. Link: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=211243 http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=205270
http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=254891
i. Description: These are several threads of me being an organizer in the Texas community, encouraging travel, etc.

4. Link: http://www.smashboards.com/showpost.php?p=11255083&postcount=21
http://www.smashboards.com/showpost.php?p=11312421&postcount=31
i. Description: Discussion about the Peach/falcon matchup and what to avoid

5. Link: http://www.smashboards.com/showpost.php?p=11301988&postcount=72
i. Description: This is from the debate hall, showing how I argue my point.


2. List up to three players you feel demonstrate good discussion ability or have outstanding contributions to the community and explain why you think they are a good example.
1. Player: Armada
i. Reason: He revolutionized the Peach metagame, and even with a language barrier he consistently helps people out and offers his input.
2. Player: KishPrime/KishSquared
i. Reason: They set the gold standard for community run tournaments with their FC series, and even though it seems Squared has moved on to babies and real life, Prime has stayed around to regale us with stories from the past and to offer his wisdom and comments.
3. Player: DrPeePee
i. Reason: His dedication to getting better is nothing short of inspiring, and he retains humility and willingness to help people even now that he's a superstar.

3. Have you read Sirlin's theories regarding "Play to Win"? Do you agree or disagree? Why? How do you think these theories affect and apply to the Melee community?
1. Answer: I was trying to find a way of saying "Play to win, but don't be a douche" but I feel like Cactuar summed it up fairly perfectly. I had a fairly traumatic experience at pound where every space animal I encountered platform camped. I seriously considered retiring after that. Hopefully the GFs show you can play the game as a fighting game rather than a campfest.



ADDITIONAL COMMENTS/FINAL WORDS:

I know I'm fairly old school now, and haven't really been posting in the MBR recently, but I feel like the new proposed projects are something I'd like to take part in, instead of having another stage debate where peoples arguments are "I just don't like that stage but I can't warrant as to why it should be banned but ban it." I'm fresh from a month off of playing and I feel inspired to get better again.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Marc

Relic of the Past
BRoomer
Joined
Sep 14, 2002
Messages
16,284
Location
The Netherlands
Smashboards Username: Marc
Region: The Netherlands, Europe
Primary Character(s): Sheik, Peach, Fox, Marth
Secondary Character(s): Falco, Dr. Mario, Luigi

1. Q. How long have you been playing competitive melee?A. I entered my first Melee tournament in November 2002, so it’s been more than 8 years. I did take several breaks that were at least six months and am not as competitive anymore as I used to be. I got signed up for at least two small/midsize tournaments in the upcoming months without any effort or consent on my part, so I guess there’s that. :p

2. Q. How often do you attend tournaments? How familiar are you with your local scene? Your regional scene? The national/international scene?
A. My attendance kind of depends on the number of events available to me in the first place (not as many as there used to be) and the amount of time I’m willing to devote to smash, provided I have said time in the first place. I attended smash tournaments in France, Sweden, Germany, Spain, The UK and The US, so I’d say I’m familiar with more than just my own country.

3. Q. How would you classify yourself as a player relative to the current metagame? (beginner, average, high level, pro, etc.)
A. Still a high level player, but not a “pro”, a pro being someone who consistently places in money. I have some ambitions to get better, but that will for a large part depend on if I’m going to APEX 2012. My own scene I feel has become rather stale, so right now any improvement I’m doing is just for me.

4. Q. Do you think the other individuals in your region would support you being a member of the MBR? Why?A.
Yes. I’ve always been a large contributor to the online and offline aspects of my scene.

5. Q. Do you consider yourself a discussion leader? Why?
A. Yes. I’ve lead several projects in the BBR (among which tier lists and a matchup chart) as well as supervising the creation of two PAL tier lists pretty much independently from Smashboards.

6. Q. Are you an active Tournament Organizer? If Yes, what are some recent tournaments you have hosted? If No, what are some ways you feel you contribute to your local scene despite not being a TO?
A. Yes, although I have to say that it’s more of a group effort (Utto, Exalador and me) and we only host like 2-3 major tournaments a year. Our most recent two tournaments were a Brawl tournament in September and a Melee tournament in August, with tentative plans for the upcoming April/May/June.

7. Q. Do you feel that the current tier list is accurate? Why?
A. Assuming the NTSC tier list, I think it’s fairly accurate. The problem with tier lists the way we’re doing it is that you have to internally weigh several factors (potential, tournament results, representation etc.) to come to one opiniated list. These things make me change my mind from time to time at least when it comes to the order of characters.

Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended stage list is fair? Why?
A. In most of Europe we don’t have Brinstar, Kongo Jungle and Rainbow Cruise legal (anymore) and in my country Pokémon Stadium rather than Yoshi’s Story is a starter stage. This suits my region better, but I wouldn’t necessarily say the MBR stage list is unfair. I obviously have some qualms with the aforementioned three stages that we banned a long time ago, but I don’t think those arguments are particularly new.

9. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended rule set is fair? Why?
A. We could see if we could make it more thorough for even the rarest of circumstances, but all in all it seems fair and complete.

10. Q. What is more important to you: Tech Skill or Strategy? Why?
A. Strategy. My tech skill has always been lagging behind, even though it’s adequate by now. I just never really liked practicing tech skill, although I probably will have to if I want to get past my current plateau.

Q. What is more important to you: Maximizing Punishments (Combos) or Initiating Punishments (First Hits)? Why?
A. I’m guessing first hits. Not even so much as a conscious choice, but in comparison to the top players I need to get more of them to finish off my opponent, whereas players like Armada, Dr. PP and M2K can often finish the job on one or two initial reads.

12. Q. Does SSBM have a limited lifespan as a competitive community due to its age or any other factor? Why or why not?
A. As long as people keep playing, the Melee scene can exist. The problem is that more people leave than join and as time progresses it will become a small hardcore scene like those for older Street Fighter games. This is already the case in several regions (like my own country), but because smash has always been huge I’m not too concerned about Melee dying any time soon on a global scale. Competitively it’s still relatively healthy and the best fighting game in my book.

13. Q. What do you think could be done to expand our community?
A. Competitive play is rather daunting for new players because we’ve been at it for years and years now and there’s a high technical ceiling. I’ve seen that even for people who quit only a few years ago, getting back into it and catching up with the metagame is difficult because it still progresses. Aside from advertising tournaments, the collective knowledge our scene has needs to be presented in a way that makes it easy to internalize for newer players, or at least as easy as it can be. There’s a lot of info in Smashboards if you know where to look, but actively teaching and improving (new) players doesn’t seem a high priority. Another problem is that the smash scene is under a lot of scrutiny right now for all the drama and incidents involving money. We should be thinking about how to improve our image.

14. Q. What do you think the MBR could do to stimulate the community?
A. Information compiling and organizing seems like a good start. It’s also a good platform to just think about the scene and where it’s going from here. Ultimately the game is played at tournaments and that’s where the focus of the community will always be, but the online aspect serves to draw in new members and organize our collective knowledge. Not many people take responsibility for this and there is a role for the MBR there.

15. Q. How do you think the MBR would benefit from your input?
A. I’ve been around for a long time and have attended and (helped) host tournaments as well as being heavily involved with the online and theoretical aspects of the scene. Besides that I’ve already proven I can get things done when it comes to publishing content and, for what it’s worth, am able to offer a rare non-American perspective. I also slept with Cactuar.

Optional stuff:

2. List up to three players you feel demonstrate good discussion ability or have outstanding contributions to the community and explain why you think they are a good example.
1. Player: Slhoka
i. Reason: He’s done a lot of work on statistics for several projects I headed up and is an excellent leader for the French scene. One of few people I always felt I could rely on to get things done and someone who is overall trustworthy.

3. Have you read Sirlin's theories regarding "Play to Win"? Do you agree or disagree? Why? How do you think these theories affect and apply to the Melee community?
1. Answer:
I wrote a short column about Sirlin on the Dutch smash website several years ago. The gist of my opinion on him is that his articles do a good job in forming a competitive attitude, but that people are too eager to relate everything Sirlin says to smash. Smash is a very unique fighting game and especially his theories about what you should and shouldn’t ban don’t really apply to us, as those statements were made with Street Fighter in mind. We have to shape our game a lot more for it to be competitively viable than he ever had to. What’s more, he would advocate playing with items and couldn’t properly balance a game he designed himself, so his status as an authority on balance is questionable. The “Play to Win” articles are a fairly essential read to new players and most definitely his best work, but I’ve never really bought into all the meat riding.
 

VirtualVoid

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Dec 25, 2005
Messages
333
Location
Israel
Stupid question:

When I see my application listed as "Accepted" on the first page, how do I actually get access to the forum? :p
 

Beat!

Smash Master
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Messages
3,214
Location
Uppsala, Sweden
As soon as you are accepted you should be given access automatically.

I might be completely wrong, but anything else sounds weird.
 

Zankoku

Never Knows Best
Administrator
BRoomer
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
22,906
Location
Milpitas, CA
NNID
SSBM_PLAYER
Theoretically, you would apply for group membership here, and once Cactuar adds you you'll gain viewing access to the MBR. However, as far as I can tell, everyone's still on the tentative list, including Cactuar.
 

Dark Hart

Rejected by Azua
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Messages
11,251
Location
Death Row, North Carolina
My Real Application...

Smashboards Username: Dark Hart
Region: Atl South
Primary Character(s):None
Secondary Character(s): Fox, Falco, Zelda, Marth, Peach, Falcon, Sheik, Jiggz? maybe Jiggz too...

REQUIRED

1. Q. How long have you been playing competitive melee?
A. A little over 3 years now, my first tournament was in January of 2008.

2. Q. How often do you attend tournaments? How familiar are you with your local scene? Your regional scene? The national/international scene?
A. I attend probably at least 75% of the tournaments in NC, and am very familiar with the Melee scene as a whole, knowing of players such as Amsah, Armada, Calle W, and EK before I even joined smashboards. I really like to follow other scenes around the country and world.

3. Q. How would you classify yourself as a player relative to the current metagame? (beginner, average, high level, pro, etc.)
A.ehh… I guess somewhere between average and high level, I still have a few 'lack of consistency' problems I’m working on, but I’m getting there.

4. Q. Do you think the other individuals in your region would support you being a member of the MBR? Why?
A.To be perfectly honest, I really don’t think most people would care either way. I’d get a few ‘good ****’’s and that’s about it. I don’t think anyone would condemn the idea of me being in the MBR though.

5. Q. Do you consider yourself a discussion leader? Why?
A.If I know something I’ll post about it, not much a leader though

6. Q. Are you an active Tournament Organizer? If Yes, what are some recent tournaments you have hosted? If No, what are some ways you feel you contribute to your local scene despite not being a TO?
A. I’ve helped host tournaments before. The last Jubilee (old NC tourney series) I was a TO, and I was basically a TO for HERB2 since I kinda ended up running it… but most of the time I help out where I can if I can. I’ve been wanted to host my own tournaments and I’m confident in my ability to do so, I just haven’t had the time yet.

7. Q. Do you feel that the current tier list is accurate? Why?
A. Mostly, there are a few mid/low tier things I’d like to change around, but nothing to major.

8. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended stage list is fair? Why?
A. I’m actually in love the current stage list lol though I can see why people argue to get rid of RC, Brinstar, ect.,

9. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended rule set is fair? Why?
A. IMO yes it is. I really like stage striking…

10. Q. What is more important to you: Tech Skill or Strategy? Why?
A. I find them to be equally important since you really can’t use one without the other and expect good results. In one respect, tech skill is important because making a technical error can result in bad things for you. At the same time, without strategy, you’re just pressing buttons and hoping it all works out

11. Q. What is more important to you: Maximizing Punishments (Combos) or Initiating Punishments (First Hits)? Why?
A. Once again I find that both of these are equally important, but what’s more important than either of these is the transition from that/those first hit(s) into the full punishment/combo. Being able to react to those situations imo is the most important aspect of this game in terms of punishment.

12. Q. Does SSBM have a limited lifespan as a competitive community due to its age or any other factor? Why or why not?
A.Melee’s been around for what… 10 years? And this community is the largest it’s even been. While the lifespan is limited, I can personally see myself reminiscing in 10-15 years or so about this community, and then going online to see that it’s still around.

13. Q. What do you think could be done to expand our community?
A. A lot… Smash as a whole really needs to get its name out there as more than a party game, since most of the people I meet seriously doubt that there’s even a competitive scene for this game. Like they seriously think I’m lying to them lol. I think a really good thing we could do would be to, as a community, get better at organizing tournaments, MLGish, but not

14. Q. What do you think the MBR could do to stimulate the community?
A. Become visible to the rest of the community: It’s really daunting to see and know that the backrooms are sealed off from the public’s eye. I’m sure the MBR’s discussions could be of great help and provide a looooooot of insight and wisdom to the rest of the community

15. Q. How do you think the MBR would benefit from your input?
A. Originally, around 2006, I came from Melee’s 1P community (much like Nintendude), so I have a very unique sense of how the physics of the game work. I tried basically everything in the 1P community: HRC, BtT, 10MM, Cruel Melee, Event Mode, even High Scores for Classic/Adventure/AllStar. (I believe I still hold 2 WRs for Classic Mode lol) Basically I have completely different smash background than a large majority of smashers, and I feel that that different perspective is something the MBR could use.


OPTIONAL

1. Please provide up to 5 examples of contributions you have made to the melee community. Links to exceptional, informative posts are highly valued here.
1. Link: So I actually had one in mind, where I explain the Zelda vs Mario/Doc match-ups (and why I think it’s even/possibly in Zelda’s favor)… but I can’t find the thread…
i. Description:
2. Link:
i. Description:
3. Link:
i. Description:
4. Link:
i. Description:
5. Link:
i. Description:

2. List up to three players you feel demonstrate good discussion ability or have outstanding contributions to the community and explain why you think they are a good example.
1. Player:
i. Reason:
2. Player:
i. Reason:
3. Player:
i. Reason:

3. Have you read Sirlin's theories regarding "Play to Win"? Do you agree or disagree? Why? How do you think these theories affect and apply to the Melee community?
1. Answer: I think Wobbling should be legal, I hope that answers this question lol



ADDITIONAL COMMENTS/FINAL WORDS: I know a lot of the time I seem like a troll or something, but boredom get’s the best of me a lot + side effects of being in NC threads most of my time on this site. At the same time, I do believe I’m very knowledgeable about Melee and would interject a unique light on the game we know and love
 

Redd

thataintfalco.com
BRoomer
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
4,102
Location
Richmond, Virginia
Smashboards Username: Redd
Region: MD/VA
Primary Character(s): Fox, Falco
Secondary Character(s): Marth, Sheik

REQUIRED

1. Q. How long have you been playing competitive melee?
A. Since the Summer of 2005! Which I guess it makes it just shy of six years.

2. Q. How often do you attend tournaments? How familiar are you with your local scene? Your regional scene? The national/international scene?
A. I go, on average, to two tournaments a month I'd say. I am very familiar with the MD/VA scene and knowledgeable of the regional scene as well, though I don't travel out of region all that often. (yet)

3. Q. How would you classify yourself as a player relative to the current metagame? (beginner, average, high level, pro, etc.)
A. I hate classifying, but I'd say high level. That makes the most sense.

4. Q. Do you think the other individuals in your region would support you being a member of the MBR? Why?
A. I definitely think (and would hope) so. I have been around longer than most and hopefully they see me as someone who is knowledgeable and knows a lot about the game itself.

5. Q. Do you consider yourself a discussion leader? Why?
A. I CAN be a discussion leader. I don't really consider myself to be one. I, however, am always willing to share my views/opinions, especially if they could help contribute to a greater cause.

6. Q. Are you an active Tournament Organizer? If Yes, what are some recent tournaments you have hosted? If No, what are some ways you feel you contribute to your local scene despite not being a TO?
A. I plan to do some TOing this Summer. It'll be a great way to give back to the community if it all works out. Other than that, I help my fellow MD/VA players and am willing to stay after tournaments if people need MU help/practice and things of that nature.

7. Q. Do you feel that the current tier list is accurate? Why?
A. I'd say it's accurate enough to get the job done. After all these years of changing, it SHOULD be somewhat accurate by now. Tons of great players/thinkers have come and gone through the MBR to work on this list. I mostly DO agree with the tier list.

8. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended stage list is fair? Why?
A. The current neutral stages are fair in my opinion. Fair enough that small changes to it wouldn't really change tournaments that much. I have minor issues with the counterpicks, but I also understand and respect the place of counterpicks in tournaments.

9. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended rule set is fair? Why?
A. Absolutely. The rules promote a fair standard of play, and the method of stage striking is, in my opinion, more fair than bans. I'm not sure what else could make it MORE fair.

10. Q. What is more important to you: Tech Skill or Strategy? Why?
A. Tech skill opens the world of strategy to players, and they see that more and more as they improve. What's more important to me now is strategy, because after a certain point, that is how you overcome other players. I enjoy discovering flaws in playstyles and working on methods to counter them.

11. Q. What is more important to you: Maximizing Punishments (Combos) or Initiating Punishments (First Hits)? Why?
A. I would definitely say first hits, as melee is an incredibly momentum-driven game. Many first hits in this game can lead to death, barring technical/input errors from the player. Eventually many combos can become muscle memory, and at that point we go back to strategy vs. tech skill.

12. Q. Does SSBM have a limited lifespan as a competitive community due to its age or any other factor? Why or why not?
A. I think at the rate things are going, yes. It's something that is going to need to addressed in the next few years. One of the main things is that GC/melee disks are slowly being phased out and harder to find, for starters. Also, the influx of new players is definitely less than those who leve the community. There will always be people playing melee, though. I'm sure of that.

13. Q. What do you think could be done to expand our community?
A. I would say the most important thing is keeping interest in our community. This means attracting new players, and helping them stay interested and playing. I have seen lots of new players who vanish after a month or two. Many people get discouraged.

14. Q. What do you think the MBR could do to stimulate the community?
A. Being someone who has always looked forward to what the MBR puts out, I would say just more releases of ANY kind from the MBR. People love hearing opinions/discussions by high level and respected players, and the MBR has never really dissapointed in that aspect.

15. Q. How do you think the MBR would benefit from your input?
A. I am a very level-headed and knowledgeable player, and I can talk about this game for hours on end. I have quite a bit of tournament experience and stories to share, and have a great memory of past tournaments/pros. I would love to be able to contribute.

OPTIONAL

1. Please provide up to 5 examples of contributions you have made to the melee community. Links to exceptional, informative posts are highly valued here.
1. Link: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=299149
i. Description: The MD/VA PR. I finally decided to tackle this touchy subject, and it has done wonders for motivation in our region thus far.

2. List up to three players you feel demonstrate good discussion ability or have outstanding contributions to the community and explain why you think they are a good example.
1. Player: Dr. PP
i. Reason: Knows the game VERY well and always gives easy to understand advice/comments.
2. Player: Magus
i. Reason: Has contributed SO much to this community. I don't even know where to start.

3. Have you read Sirlin's theories regarding "Play to Win"? Do you agree or disagree? Why? How do you think these theories affect and apply to the Melee community?
1. Answer: I have to agree. As frustrating as it can be, it's nothing short of acceptable to do everything in YOUR power to beat your opponent. This theory has been a constant in the community for years, and continues to be debated.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS/FINAL WORDS:

Thanks for your time!

<3
 

Zivilyn Bane

Smash Master
Joined
Nov 18, 2004
Messages
3,119
Location
Springfield, MO
Smashboards Username: Zivilyn Bane
Region: Midwest
Primary Character(s): Marth
Secondary Character(s): Falco, Samus, Doc, Fox, Ness

REQUIRED

1. Q. How long have you been playing competitive melee?
A. Since June 2005.

2. Q. How often do you attend tournaments? How familiar are you with your local scene? Your regional scene? The national/international scene?
A. Since moving to Springfield MO in January, I am able to and plan to attend a tournament at least once a month. I am very familiar with my local scene and was a key component in establishing it. I feel I am quite familiar with my regional scene as well. As far as national scene goes, I'm pretty adept, but weak when it comes to the East Coast. I have participated in smash tournaments in four different states and plan to play in many more as well. The international scene is a weakness for me aside from Canada.

3. Q. How would you classify yourself as a player relative to the current metagame? (beginner, average, high level, pro, etc.)
A. Slightly above average.

4. Q. Do you think the other individuals in your region would support you being a member of the MBR? Why?
A. Absolutely. I have a certain talent with words and have been involved in smash for a long time. People that know me see me as an organizer and motivator. They know I'm good at talking people in to playing more, traveling, learning, and know I am a great motivator.

5. Q. Do you consider yourself a discussion leader? Why?
A. Yes I do. This is because in my opinion, a leader isn't always the one with the highest post count, but one with the highest posts that count. I'm never one to post just to "QFT" or "THIS", but usually post when there is something productive to add, answer a question, or raise a question that needs answered. This, I feel makes me a discussion leader.

6. Q. Are you an active Tournament Organizer? If Yes, what are some recent tournaments you have hosted? If No, what are some ways you feel you contribute to your local scene despite not being a TO?
A. I'm not so much a tournament organizer as I am a tournament promoter. In short, the answer is no. However, if there is someone "running" a tournament and they need help getting players to attend, I am a great person to ask. I love to speak personally to smashers, find out why they "can't" go to a tournament, and help create a solution to get them there.

7. Q. Do you feel that the current tier list is accurate? Why?
A. I do feel the current tier list accurately represents today's metagame in which the characters can perform. Do I believe the current list is the end all of melee tier lists? No, because smash has a constantly evolving metagame and thus needs a constantly evolving tier list to depict accurate representation.

8. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended stage list is fair? Why?
A. For the most part, yes. The recommended stage list is something that will evolve with the metagame and with the tier list. For example, Pokemon Stadium was for a long time a neutral stage. Once the metagame evolved to the point that this stage was no longer considered one of the most balanced stages, it was removed as a neutral and instead used as a counter pick.

9. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended rule set is fair? Why?
A. Yes I do. The ruleset is something that doesn't change as much with the metagame like a tier list or stage list would. The ruleset is something that more helps shape the metagame. For example, if items were on, the metagame would be entirely different. The rule set is basically a set of tools used to balance game play, minimize the luck factor, and maximize the skill factor. At this point it seems as though the rules have been refined quite well to create a very balanced game. That's not to say that minor tweaks here and there won't be merited as time goes on though.

10. Q. What is more important to you: Tech Skill or Strategy? Why?
A. In my opinion they are equally important. Tech Skill and Strategy are two ingredients in the recipe of a good melee player, with equal parts representing. Other factors like experience, nerves, and the general will to play well are also important ingredients.

11. Q. What is more important to you: Maximizing Punishments (Combos) or Initiating Punishments (First Hits)? Why?
A. To me it is more important to initiate punishments. This is because if you can't initiate a punishment, you can't maximize one. However, you can initiate one without maximizing it.

12. Q. Does SSBM have a limited lifespan as a competitive community due to its age or any other factor? Why or why not?
A. In my opinion no, but only time will tell. I have always referred to Melee as the Chess of fighting games. It has the ability to withstand the test of time like chess, as long as there is a community to support it.

13. Q. What do you think could be done to expand our community?
A. I believe one of the major things that is holding melee back from expanding to a wider audience is the maturity of the community. I don't mean that the players are immature. What I mean is that the game itself is still like an infant compared to widely played games like chess, scrabble, boggle, cards, ect. I have several ideas on this topic that could be of tremendous value to community expansion and growth.

14. Q. What do you think the MBR could do to stimulate the community?
A. First and foremost: to be leaders in our community. I see the MBR as a group of driven individuals with a common goal, and it boils down to us not wanting to see melee die. As members of the back room we should take initiative every chance we get to help establish, promote, maintain, and grow melee as often as possible.

15. Q. How do you think the MBR would benefit from your input?
A. Although I have seen little success as an actual melee player, I understand the game and it's community on a higher level than most. I also have the benefit and experience of playing tournament chess for six years before getting into the melee scene, and I believe there is much to learn from a game like chess and its community. The knowledge I have obtained from six years of chess and six years of melee combined will no doubt be a great asset to the MBR.


OPTIONAL

3. Have you read Sirlin's theories regarding "Play to Win"? Do you agree or disagree? Why? How do you think these theories affect and apply to the Melee community?
1. Answer: In all honesty I have not read Sirlin's articles nor his book. I personally am not involved in any other fighting game community, and haven't heard of it through melee. I did however do a little research after reading this question and do plan on reading the book which apparently is available to read for free online on Sirlin's website.



ADDITIONAL COMMENTS/FINAL WORDS: I feel I have much potential to help the melee community grow and mature, and that I provide a much needed insight on how to accomplish these things. Being a member of the backroom will allow me to have a voice that will be heard and ultimately provide me with the tools I need to really make an impact. I've wanted to be a part of the backroom since it was formed, but only now believe I can make an impact, if only I am granted the opportunity.
 

Slhoka

Smash Lord
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Messages
1,710
Location
Kourou, French Guiana
Smash Username : Slhoka
Region : France / Europe
Primary Character : Sheik
Secondary Characters : Bowser, Fox

REQUIRED

  1. How long have you been playing competitive Melee?

    I’ve been a member of the French community since 2002, but I only attended my first tournament in late 2005. Ever since, I’ve been more and more active in the smash scene, be it in France or abroad.


    [*] How often do you attend tournaments ? How familiar are you with your local scene? Your regional scene ? Your national scene ?

    I don’t attend that many tournaments, simply because we don’t have that many tournaments near Paris, venues being extremely expensive. As an example, I only attended 8 tournaments in the last 12 months.
    I know my local scene by heart, and I believe I have met almost all the players of the French community. I also attended tournaments in Germany and UK and hosted quite a few international tournaments, so I’m very familiar with the European scene. I also attended Genesis, and my trip in the US allowed me to meet many smashers. I had already heard about most of them before, because I follow major tournaments happening in the US (or elsewhere).


    [*] How would you classify yourself as a player relative to the current metagame? (beginner, average, high level, pro, etc.)

    Definitely average. I’m far from being a good player, but I have enough experience to get a decent placing. At French nationals and European tournaments, I usually pass the pools before losing early in the bracket.


    [*] Do you think the other individuals in your region would support you being a member of the MBR? Why?

    Most of them would. Despite not being very good, I’m pretty influential in the French community, being a TO, the admin of the French boards and the president of our smash players association.


    [*] Do you consider yourself a discussion leader? Why?

    I wouldn’t go as far as «good», but I’m definitely not a bad discussion leader. I’m not that much of a contributor, partly because I think not being a good player makes it hard for me to discuss some topics (matchups, for instance), but I love to hear what people have ot say and I’ll often try to push the discussion further.


    [*] Are you an active Tournament Organizer? Yes, what are some recent tournaments you have hosted? If no, what are some ways you feel you contribute to your local scene despite not being a TO?

    Yes I am. I hosted one on the 20th of March, and I co-hosted one in early March. Otherwise, the last tournaments I hosted/co-hosted were DST15 in November, and ESA4 in June.


    [*] Do you feel that the current tier list is accurate? Why?

    I agree with the tiers in the NTSC list. As for the characters’ rank within the tiers, I think it depends a lot on the players so there is no right order.
    The PAL list is outdated.


    [*] Do you feel the current stage list is fair? Why?

    It is fair. At least, fair enough for me. But is it good ? I don’t think so. The current list is balanced and won’t advantage too much a class of characters, bu I see it as an extended list. Stages like Brinstar and Rainbow Ride give too much importance to stage counterpicks. I would reduce the list to 6 stages (BF/DL64/FD/FoD/PS/YS), and I would also get rid of the counterpick category to make a «starters only» list.


    [*] Do you feel that the current rule set is fair? Why?

    I’m fine with the current ruleset. The only thing I’d want to change is the length of sets : I think there should be more Bo5 set, as well as Bo7 sets for finals when time constraints allow it.


    [*] What is more important to you: Tech Skill or Strategy? Why?

    Both, of course ! You can only go so far with only one of them. However, when I teach the game to someone, I tend to stress the importance of the strategic aspects of the game. My reason for this is that I think it’s harder than tech skill which can be improved alone, and its utility is also less obvious as it isn’t as flashy as tech skill. This might also explain why my tech skill is abysmal.


    [*] What is more important to you: Combos or First Hits? Why?

    Without a doubt, I value first hits more than combos. I really like the importance of spacing in this game. However, because I’m quite slow (see above), my combo game is really limited and I’m quited biased on the matter.


    [*] Does SSBM have a limited lifespan as a competitive community due to its age or any other factor? Why or why not?

    As long a people will host tournaments, Melee will go on. The game is still attractive to new players. I don’t know if we are an exception, but in France, quite a few new players entered the scene in the last few monthes. And they are not only active, but they also travel!
    If we are able to host enough tournaments to make the old and new players active, Melee will be keep being active for a long time.


    [*] What do you think could be done to expand the community?

    Among others, share. Many people are knowledgeable in this community. Let’s gather all this information and make it public.
    One of the main obstacles to the growth of our community is the gap between beginners and average players (not to mention good ones): there is so much to learn to improve that it can be discouraging. By providing an easy-to-reach knowledge database, we’ll expand the community.


    [*] What do you think the MBR could do to stimulate the community?

    There are many things to do, but something that seems important to me is to let people know about what’s going on it the smash scene(s). Knowing what’s up in the world of smash is a massive hype generator and can strongly improve the community’s activity.


    [*] How do you think the MBR would benefit from your input?

    The most unique thing I can bring to the MBR is content management. I like to provide informative and easy-to-understand information, and I think it can be useful with the current/future MBR projets. I also think I can share my experience as a T.O. and an European player.


OPTIONAL

Please provide 5 examples of contributions you have made to the Melee community. Links to exceptional, informative posts are highly valued here.

Link: PAL Tier List | NTSC Tier List | BBR Matchup chart
Description: Those a three similar examples of me gathering data from the back rooms to produce something a fairly good publication.


2. I didn’t go through all my posts, but I don’t think I have that many exceptional contributions here on Smashboards. On the French boards, however, I’ve made dozens of useful contributions, be it in order to help new players, expend the scene or improve tournament hosting quality. I don’t feel it’s necessary to link them here considering how few people will be able to understand it, but I’ll post it if the MBR leaders (lol, that’s me !)request it.


List up three players you feel demonstrate good discussion ability or have outstanding contributions to the community and explain why you think they are a good example.

Player: Marc
Reason: I hate to say that in public, but he’s really good. He's an excellent debater, but more importantly, he get things done, and in a community where many people are lazy procrastinators, that's an amazing quality.

Player: The King
Reason: Instead of mentioning someone who’s been mentioned many time, I’ll go for someone else. King doesn’t post that much, but I really like when he does. He always gives a clear and very informative point of view, backed up with an excellent logic.


Have you read Sirlin’s theories regarding «Play to Win»? Do you agree or disagree? Why? How do you think these theories affect and apply to the Melee community?


No, but the few things I’ve read about it did not seem interesting.

 

VirtualVoid

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Dec 25, 2005
Messages
333
Location
Israel
Theoretically, you would apply for group membership here, and once Cactuar adds you you'll gain viewing access to the MBR. However, as far as I can tell, everyone's still on the tentative list, including Cactuar.
Well I applied... I guess I just wait now? :p
 

Hazygoose

Smash Lord
Joined
Nov 5, 2005
Messages
1,999
Location
straight outta Locash
Smashboards Username: Hazygoose
Region: South(west)/Northeast (New England)
Primary Character(s): Samus, Sheik
Secondary Character(s): Falco, Marth, Ness, Kirby

REQUIRED

1. Q. How long have you been playing competitive melee?
A. Over 5 years

2. Q. How often do you attend tournaments? How familiar are you with your local scene? Your regional scene? The national/international scene?
A. In 2010 I only attended 5 tournaments, definitely trying to step it up this year. I am very involved both in my local scene at home (OK) and school (CT). Regionally...well the Southwest probably doesn't really qualify as having a regional scene atm, but I watch videos, talk to players, and read results and regional threads from as many places as I can, including regions I've never played at such as the west coast and various other nations.

3. Q. How would you classify yourself as a player relative to the current metagame? (beginner, average, high level, pro, etc.)
A. I guess I consider myself high level since I've profited from the last few tournies I've been to.

4. Q. Do you think the other individuals in your region would support you being a member of the MBR? Why?
A. In my home state I am both the best player in skill and the most vocal smash theorist. I've ran tournaments, scheduled 1v1 training sessions with players trying to get better, and am friends with almost all of the scene, so I think I would be fully supported by both my local scene and greater region. We also haven't had a voice in anything since KOS-MOS left the bbr.

5. Q. Do you consider yourself a discussion leader? Why?
A. On smashboards I am much less of a discussion leader than someone who posts when something is relevant to me. I often don't find it worth my time or productive to create or keep up with statistical threads or game debates that have no real consequence one way or the other, but if I were to be an MBR member, I would be more involved with the backroom because of the density of threads with more substance as well as the higher possibility for those subjects to have consequences on the scene.

6. Q. Are you an active Tournament Organizer? If Yes, what are some recent tournaments you have hosted? If No, what are some ways you feel you contribute to your local scene despite not being a TO?
A. Yes, I helped start Oklahoma's first tournament series, O.H.S.N.A.P., as well as single-handedly ran the second one (7th one currently in planning with other TOs), and my own recent tournment series, Intimikill, has had 2 installments in the past 15 months and is planning for a last one this summer.

7. Q. Do you feel that the current tier list is accurate? Why?
A. While I understand many of the complaints about the tier list being seemingly exclusively composed of player opinion, I think that the amount that the tier list could be improved using tournament data is relatively small. My opinion is a little complex but a short answer and example could be link vs fox. There are few link players, but many of them are in a high percentile when considering the skill of all competitive players. In contrast there are tons of scrub foxes, and multiple links out there like skler and germ probably have winning records against foxes. How do we incorporate our tournament data of this without contradicting everything we know about smash theory?

While there is much more to be learned from tournament results than that example, one concept was solidified in me from questioning examples like the above: tournament data is an extremely hard tool to implement as a way to interpret character skill because player skill is volatile, ranges, and is a much larger dictator for results. Obviously a good link thwomping a scrub fox is not data we specifically want to interpret and use, but how do we differentiate its legitimacy or importance from great foxes beating the best links? It would be silly to assume that the best players of each character stack up to each other, as opposed to realizing there are at least 3 or 4 foxes but 0 links in the top 26 players in the world. I know that each character considers 24 other matchups before being ranked, but I think my point still stands and the conclusion is apparent. For these reasons I do think the tier list could be improved with tournament results, but the degree of improvement is largely exaggerated by most proponents of it. The base of the tier list must largely be from experience and opinion of players, since quantifiable results are impossible to use exactly how we want to.

8. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended stage list is fair? Why?
A. I use a custom stage list for my tournament series, but i do think that the MBR stage list is definitely fair. Like a third of the stages in the game are straight up removed from tournament play primarily because of fox but peaches and jigglypuffs get salty about mute city not being on the counterpick list...that seems ridiculous to me. IMO it is actually more fair than creating an controlled environment where the stage lists are 'balanced' almost arbitrarily.

9. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended rule set is fair? Why?
A. I agree with the list completely both in what it includes and excludes.

10. Q. What is more important to you: Tech Skill or Strategy? Why?
A. A few years ago when I played PC at a Connecticut tournament I joked about how my tech skill sucked and how bad of a player I was comparatively. Chris chuckled, though, and said "Don't worry, in this game you don't need waveshine, you just need half a brain." He then talked about playing worse people and 4-stocking mid-to-low level players after only 2- or 3-stocking their friends, crewmates, citymates(?), etc., who he thought were worse. He said he felt bad about it sometimes in case it hurt someone's motivation, and felt like explaining that better players with poorer tech skill sometimes don't perform as well against some others. I think in general tech skill, while important, has a primary purpose of emulating successful strategies in an easier and summarized way (to perform, in the sense that muscle memory is faster than thinking). You can focus on tech skill if your primary purpose is to avoid 4-stocks or embarrass nubs, and while I do have tons of funs styling on randoms in pretty much any game, if your primary purpose is becoming the, or at least your best (which, if you're a competitive gamer really should be), strategy should be your focus.

11. Q. What is more important to you: Maximizing Punishments (Combos) or Initiating Punishments (First Hits)? Why?
A. Initiating punishments is more important because it is directly related to battling as a whole more. Not only can you create more chances, which can not only end in combos but also gimps or stage control, but that same skill intrinsically holds the power to not receive a first hit as much.

12. Q. Does SSBM have a limited lifespan as a competitive community due to its age or any other factor? Why or why not?
A. I actually would have agreed with this when brawl launched. The scene resurfacing did not convince me otherwise as much as the consistent arrival of new young players. People playing games competitively that came out when they were under 10 is something I don't understand but fully encourage.

13. Q. What do you think could be done to expand our community?
A. More networking needs to be done. That is a vague term but there are definitely many ways in which networking could improve multiple components of the scene. First, sponsors could be networked, and national series' combined efforts could lead to many tournaments having tons of help. More networking efforts with other tournament series, other games, and even other interests (In OK the melee scene picked up like 5 people from the OU manga/anime club within the last couple years, as an example) could expand our community by number.

14. Q. What do you think the MBR could do to stimulate the community?
A. If there were a bigger importance attributed to the ongoings of the MBR, the community would improve. A lot of the projects listed in the OP sound very progressive and helpful, but in the past a group of good players releasing lists of what they think the tiers are or stage balance is hasn't directly impacted many community decisions at all really. If there were MBR sponsored or at least "certified" (not the best word choice but hopefully you get my drift) tournaments, and if the MBR could assert itself as a valid entity somehow while simultaneously opening itself up a bit more to the public (not the posts of course, but at least in schedule/intention), there would be a bigger purpose to the greater community for the MBR and as a result an MBR more involved directly with the community. With a static game that still has an evolving metagame, the MBR would be best put to use acting basically like a grassroots development team. This means that the MBR also needs to be more communicative, transparent, and even interdependent to TOs. New rule sets could be "beta tested" at participating tournaments before implemented based on theory, alternative rulesets would still easily be considered legitimate (so that the MBR wouldn't simply dictate the metagame's direction), and many many more ideas could be thrown around with a more clearly established MBR-TO-player triangle relation.

15. Q. How do you think the MBR would benefit from your input?
A. I have a lot of ideas about the community as a whole, as well as a unique perspective from both an underrepresented character and region.


OPTIONAL

1. Please provide up to 5 examples of contributions you have made to the melee community. Links to exceptional, informative posts are highly valued here.
1. Link:http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=257797 http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=275703
i. Description: Intimikill - revived tourney series in OK
2. Link: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=88806
i. Description: our first PR
3. Link: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=215731
i. Description: alex wondered if this could be used off the ledge. not really a adopted or largely beneficial tactic but scud, gravity, and i spend a lot of time thinking of unused tactics :X
-instead of putting up 5 arbitrary things I just posted what I'm genuinely proud I could do for the involved/interested community members in them-

2. List up to three players you feel demonstrate good discussion ability or have outstanding contributions to the community and explain why you think they are a good example.
1. Player: PP
i. Reason: How in the world could you not admire him? He's Rock Lee IRL, someone who worked hard to become as good as he is and is a crowd favorite for it. His recent thread about improvement is also very helpful
2. Player: the Kishes
i. Reason: FC standardized nationals and really started the blossoming of a global community
3. Player: homemadewaffles
i. Reason: He definitely got a lot of credit for what he's done but with a healthy scene I think people forget to bring up as often the fact that his channel and activity revived the everloving hell out of the melee scene. Wombo. Combo.

3. Have you read Sirlin's theories regarding "Play to Win"? Do you agree or disagree? Why? How do you think these theories affect and apply to the Melee community?
1. Answer: I've read his short article but not the book...From what I gather his general point is that the relation between losing and abusing tactics is closely related but not a complete dichotomy. Proper projectile use, chaingrabs, and edgehogging are advanced tactics that aren't looked down upon as much as laser spamming and running or tech chase grabbing until kill percent. While personally both tactics are valid I would definitely not prefer to play someone implementing those latter tactics. This is not a common problem in the smash melee community, however, and practitioners don't find an imbalanced amount of success with it, so I don't think it is a large concern in the community at the moment. For instance, the only example of this being a debated problem that comes to mind is wobbling.



ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
I take my bread butter-side up.

FINAL WORDS:
"Go on, get out. Last words are for fools who haven't said enough." - Karl Marx's final words
 

AlphaZealot

Former Smashboards Owner
Administrator
Premium
BRoomer
Joined
Jul 6, 2003
Messages
12,731
Location
Bellevue, Washington
Smashboards Username: AlphaZealot
Region: Midwest
Primary Character(s): Peach
Secondary Character(s): Dr. Mario, Samus, Falco

REQUIRED

1. Q. How long have you been playing competitive melee?
A. 8 years.

2. Q. How often do you attend tournaments? How familiar are you with your local scene? Your regional scene? The national/international scene?
A. Hardly ever, I think the last Melee tournament I entered was a year ago.

3. Q. How would you classify yourself as a player relative to the current metagame? (beginner, average, high level, pro, etc.)
A. Beginner to average - hard to keep those skills up.

4. Q. Do you think the other individuals in your region would support you being a member of the MBR? Why?
A. Some of them would and others wouldn't because of the other game out there.

5. Q. Do you consider yourself a discussion leader? Why?
A. Not anymore, but I feel I can add valuable insight on past experiences and the history of the community.

6. Q. Are you an active Tournament Organizer? If Yes, what are some recent tournaments you have hosted? If No, what are some ways you feel you contribute to your local scene despite not being a TO?
A. While they were not Melee events, I've hosted 5 national tournaments in the last year (between 140-250 players) with the MLG events and I've hosted 12 underground events in the last 18 months (with between 20-40 entrants). I also hosted the Ohio Circuit 2009. I have a lot of experience running events and knowing the problems with events.

7. Q. Do you feel that the current tier list is accurate? Why?
A. Yes. Because it is the current tier list.

8. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended stage list is fair? Why?
A. Yes. Because it is the current MBR recommended state list. Personally, I disagree with a narrower list, but it doesn't really matter in the scheme of things and the view point of the MBR list is more in line with what is currently happening with tournaments (or, well, was when it was created).

9. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended rule set is fair? Why?
A. Yes. Because it is the current MBR recommended ruleset. I probably wouldn't change anything.

10. Q. What is more important to you: Tech Skill or Strategy? Why?
A. Both. You need both to win.

11. Q. What is more important to you: Maximizing Punishments (Combos) or Initiating Punishments (First Hits)? Why?
A. Both are equally important, sometimes you can't get the initiation, which is when maximizing combos is important, and other times you can't maximize, so you need to initiate more often.

12. Q. Does SSBM have a limited lifespan as a competitive community due to its age or any other factor? Why or why not?
A. No, though I would think 30 years might be a good run.

13. Q. What do you think could be done to expand our community?
A. More tournaments.

14. Q. What do you think the MBR could do to stimulate the community?
A. Guides, global rankings, communication between TOs, public relations. There are lots of things.

15. Q. How do you think the MBR would benefit from your input?
A. I have among the most experience running tournaments of anyone in the community.


OPTIONAL

1. Please provide up to 5 examples of contributions you have made to the melee community. Links to exceptional, informative posts are highly valued here.
1. Link: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=42749 (not sure if link still works)
i. Description: Official Terms and Techniques Thread -
2. Link: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=143600
i. Description: Smash in 2007: Year in Review
3. Link: http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/news/know-your-roots-ken-gets-carried
i. Description: Know Your Roots: Ken Gets Carried

2. List up to three players you feel demonstrate good discussion ability or have outstanding contributions to the community and explain why you think they are a good example.
1. Player: Hyuga
i. Reason: Dude is a genius, and old school.
2. Player: Cactuar
i. Reason: Old school player turned new school leader.
3. Player: Dr PP
i. Reason: Extremely mature handling of the Pound situation.

3. Have you read Sirlin's theories regarding "Play to Win"? Do you agree or disagree? Why? How do you think these theories affect and apply to the Melee community?
1. Answer: Yes I have read Sirlin. I think his theories barely apply. His book was never designed for a community that has a large number of diverse events and developed independently of any developer support. The game is what the players make of it. Also he failed hard with Akuma in HDR.
 

SleepyK

Banned via Administration
Joined
Mar 26, 2006
Messages
5,871
My application is neither accepted/tentative nor denied.

am i the only application in limbo?
 

LLDL

Smash Hero
Joined
Apr 27, 2007
Messages
7,128
This isn't a prank. However they may say something like "everyone denied", while everyone who was accepted gets a pm of acceptance or something lol.
 

Joanna Dark

Smash Ace
Joined
May 9, 2004
Messages
941
Location
South of France (Montpellier)
Smashboards Username: Joanna Dark
Region: France, Montpellier
Primary Character(s): Falco
Secondary Character(s): Marth, Sheik, Fox, Pichu

REQUIRED

1. Q. How long have you been playing competitive melee?
A. Since 2003. I actually won my first tournament, it was held in Toulouse, south of France, and I was very proud ! I made a little file about my tournaments that you can find here

2. Q. How often do you attend tournaments? How familiar are you with your local scene? Your regional scene? The national/international scene?
A. I attend tournaments as much as I can... as simple as this. I'm very familiar with the local scene and I organize tournaments as much as I can, aswell as smashfests from time to time. For instance, I have the number of almost all the players around my city... and many numbers from many players around the country. As for the international scene, I know the big names but not so much...

3. Q. How would you classify yourself as a player relative to the current metagame? (beginner, average, high level, pro, etc.)
A. I'd say high level in France, average in the USA.

4. Q. Do you think the other individuals in your region would support you being a member of the MBR? Why?
A. Yes I think so, because I've been in the community for a very long time and I feel like I can be of some help in the Back Room... I realize it feels a bit pretentious but that's how I feel about it !

5. Q. Do you consider yourself a discussion leader? Why?
A. Not really, but I can participate actively if the debate interests me. Basically, if things go my way, I'm not really interested in answering, but if things go the other way, I will actively answer and debate, but not trashtalk randomly of course.

6. Q. Are you an active Tournament Organizer? If Yes, what are some recent tournaments you have hosted? If No, what are some ways you feel you contribute to your local scene despite not being a TO?
A. Yes, I'm an active TO. Slhoka can tell, my next tournament in from April 22nd to 24th. I didn't post it on SB because I don't really want them to be international. The last tournament I hosted was in late November, and Slhoka did come to this one. The venue is pretty small and I really want to improve the community around my city (Montpellier). It's working alright so far, there are about a dozen active players around Montpellier.

7. Q. Do you feel that the current tier list is accurate? Why?
A. I don't really care about the Tier List... But if I have to answer, that would be... Yes. I trust the MBR's members for their insight on the matter.

8. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended stage list is fair? Why?
A. Don't know about it, I generally use only 5-6 stages in my tournaments. European style ! I feel like the other stages are either too random or too unknown to most players around here.

9. Q. Do you feel that the current MBR recommended rule set is fair? Why?
A. I don't know it but I trust the MBR's members for their insight, again.

10. Q. What is more important to you: Tech Skill or Strategy? Why?
A. Both. Simply because it has to be both.... I don't know how to explain that even in my own language... Let's say one has only mindgame, what can he do against someone whose techskill is far better? Not much really. In fact, now that I think about it, Techskill matters most because without it, mindgaming is limited...

11. Q. What is more important to you: Maximizing Punishments (Combos) or Initiating Punishments (First Hits)? Why?
A. First Hits ! Because after a first hit, you get to combo a lot if you are very technical (which I believe I'm not).

12. Q. Does SSBM have a limited lifespan as a competitive community due to its age or any other factor? Why or why not?
A. No, SSBM is a lifetime game.

13. Q. What do you think could be done to expand our community?
A. Get SSBM on TV !!!!!!!!

14. Q. What do you think the MBR could do to stimulate the community?
A. I really don't know what to answer to that question...

15. Q. How do you think the MBR would benefit from your input?
A. Frankly, I think I would benefit more than the MBR would from having me as a member. Does that make sense ? On the other hand, my TO experience plus my gaming experience could benefit the MBR. Plus I'm french, so I'm sexy and my English sounds sexy. NA !


OPTIONAL

2. List up to three players you feel demonstrate good discussion ability or have outstanding contributions to the community and explain why you think they are a good example.
1. Player: Dr PeePee
i. Reason: He answered one of my posts asking about advices for falco, this man is a good man, and I mean it.
2. Player: Armada
i. Reason: He showed me his falco during freeplay, I liked it... Again, this man is a good man, and I mean it.
3. Player: Mister_D
i. Reason: He taught me to never hit down against Peach....

3. Have you read Sirlin's theories regarding "Play to Win"? Do you agree or disagree? Why? How do you think these theories affect and apply to the Melee community?
1. Answer: I haven't read it, but from the title, I strongly agree with it.



ADDITIONAL COMMENTS/FINAL WORDS:
I've been a member of SmashBoards for a very long time now, and I'd really like to see what's going on in the MBR. Kthxbai :)
 

Metal Reeper

Smash Champion
Joined
Oct 20, 2006
Messages
2,285
Location
Abington PA
Yeah....These are hilarious now. I read mine and many others. We need to take screencaps and remember this lol. Have they ever done april fools stuff previous years?
 

Redact

Professional Nice Guy
Joined
Apr 21, 2007
Messages
3,811
Location
Amazing Land
Yeah, but I'm also delaying decisions because of it.

New selection due date is Monday, April 11th.
I'm guessing there's other motives behind the delay too if its a 10 day delay, I'm assuming the website will be fixed in a sorter time than that.

I'm not against you taking your time, just saying though.
 
Top Bottom