Sulla scia dell'eccezione della scorsa settimana, è con grande piacere e grande onore che oggi, sulle pagine di SwosIT, ospitiamo il giocatore di Sensible World of Soccer più famoso del mondo.
Non ha bisogno di presentazioni, basta il nickname con cui è conosciuto on-line: Playaveli!
P.s. L'intervista è in inglese.
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Hot on the trail of last week's exception (Nestoroide), it is with great pleasure and great honour that we publish today on SwosIT an interview with the most recognizable Sensible World of Soccer player worldwide.
No need to introduce him, his nickname speaks for itself: Playaveli!
1. To break the ice, please tell us something about you
My real name is Philipp, I am 32 years old and I am from Germany. My profession is primary school teacher. Currently I live in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and work at the German International School over there.
2. How and when did you know about Swos?
In 1991 I spent many days at my best friend’s house. He had an Amiga 500 and we played a lot of Kick Off. In the end of 1992 we got hold of Sensible Soccer v. 1.1, and surely, we fell in love with it. Of course, it was a highly dealt object in school back then. The possibility to edit player names, shirts etc. was just so cool.
In 1993 his Amiga got broken and we stopped for a while with computer games. In 1995, at the age of 14 I got my first own PC, and guess what, the first game I bought was SWOS 1.0! In autumn of 1996 I went to England for half a year to visit school there. And I kept playing SWOS, got the next PC versions, ECE and last but not least 96/97. Since then I have been playing this game on the PC, but never on Amiga.
When I came back from England in early 1998 me and my best friend kept playing SWOS 96/97 on PC vs each other on a weekly basis (Italy vs. Brazil, 10 min. matches!).
3. Since when have you been playing Swos on-line?
I joined SensibleSoccer.de in 2003 as its 205th member, so very early in the day. Between 2003 and summer of 2004 we just played Sega Sensi on-line. By the end of 2004 Redhair was putting together a package of Amiga SWOS 96/97 with Winuaexp+Kaillera (my first time ever to play the Amiga version of SWOS), easy to download and install, and it was the start of a saga. So, I have been playing SWOS online from Day one.
4. How has your playing style changed in the course of time, especially after discovering you could play Swos on-line?
That’s a very interesting question. What I think I could do really good right from back in the day was curled passing and finishing. To be sort of a killer. That has stayed, I think (luckily… ;-) ). But what has changed due to on-line play was surely the capability to perform high headers, and even header combinations. And, of course, with more and more people joining the on-line games from so many nations, I learned more about sweet spots, dribble goals ("jigga") and also schemed actions (straight combos from goal kicks, for instance). I adore any player who brought in something new on both ends, effectivity (even one-way moves) and creativity.
5. Do you think you could still improve or have you reached your maximum potential?
I think I got it as far as I can. There is just little room for improvement or precision here and there, especially for an old man like me… ;-)
6. Do you admire a swosser's gamestyle in particular? What would you like to steal from him if you could?
Another interesting question. I really like it. So let’s make a little list about this. Needless to say, players on this list, I absolutely admire. Random order…
- Coolio: the uber-master of player activation (being in control of the right player in the exact precise moment, to keep the action going). You tend to think he plays with 15 players on pitch;
- Lucaa83: the dribble master and somehow inventor of middle-high straight lobs over the keeper;
- ALI: the learn-master: to see what others do, and replicate or do it better! Headers from Coolio, jigga goals, long shots, tacklings, timing, whatever. He watches, learns and masters it, and adds his own signature. That has made him a World Champion.
- Lobo: Cold blooded machine!
- Sanek: A passing machine. The Tiki-Taka man of SWOS;
- Rasmus: Never thought ATTACK tactic could be so great against human opposition;
- Marin Parushev: The hardest fighter out there! He will hunt you down;
- djowGer: He can make the most complicated game situation seem so easy. That’s a unique sort of skill. Finding a hole or solution when there is none. That counts for both, defending and attacking;
- Redhair: A wall & bulldozer!
I could continue this list, but I guess it would take too much time and space! :-)
There are certain aspects in these guys' style of playing SWOS, of course I took something from it (or at least tried it).
7. Since both things are at times strictly connected , my question is: what is your finest memory related to Swos and what is the best match you have ever played in your swosser's life?
Hm, that’s not so easy to reply to. In this case I’ll make a little ranking about both questions.
Finest memories:
No.1: by far: Double World Champion 2007. It’s still the most anticipated Sensible Days event ever, because it was the first big time tournament to unite the finest players from everywhere. The forum topic of it is still in the Top10 of all-time-views, with almost 50000 clicks. Winning both titles, Amiga and PC, was an incredible and surreal feeling and has been never achieved again by anyone else until present day. Yes, it really makes me proud;
No.2: The first matches of Amiga SWOS on-line in 2004, when Redhair invented the version which really worked. It was so exciting and an incredible feeling to play SWOS rather than Sega Sensi, on-line. It was kind of surreal in the beginning and we killed hours and hours with it;
No.3: Amiga World Champion 2009. Sensible Days held in Fulda, my hometown. What more can you wish for?
No 4: Winning the ISSA tournaments in Denmark, 2007! Especially prior to the spring edition, there has been a great rivalry between online and offline communities. It was a special feeling about it;
No.5: Meeting Jon Hare (game creator) in Berlin last year on the Sensible Days.
Best matches:
No.1: Amiga World Cup semifinal, 2009, first leg. I had to play against my friend Lobo. Result: 5-5. It had everything a thriller needs. Familiar background, significance, drama and more than one climax in crazy turn of events. We both played our absolute best in these moments. Of course, a highlight of it was that I scored a double standing header, in such a crucial match.
No.2+3: Both World Cup finals 2007. On PC (vs. MCT), I was 0-2 down after 15 minutes, and turned it around. On Amiga (vs. Lucaa83) I was 0-4 down after 30 minutes, and still came back to win in the end (both finals on Youtube);
No.4: World Cup quarterfinals, 2012. I had to play against Marin, and the results speak for themselves: 1-1, 2-2; Replay 3-3 after 90 mins, 4-3 after extra time (games on Youtube);
No.5: ISSA XVI final, in Copenhagen, versus Peter. Never had so many guys screaming against me. A great moment to win (link).
All of my opponents in this little chart have been great and fair, and all of the games ended not only in a handshake, but in a friendly hug between us. That means a lot to me, to this day.
8. You are a high-level player, but you must have experienced bitter disappointment yourself...
To be honest, I never feel real disappointment in any game, chess, memory, or board family games etc. As far as SWOS is concerned, it’s not different. Losing and winning belong to games, and you have to accept it with greatness if somebody else is better than you and give him credit for it. Games in general are a perfect school for character. So, if you ask me about bitter disappointment, I’ll have to change topics. For instance, the last official Sensi related releases from Codemasters (Sensi 2006, XBLA SWOS) have been truly disappointing.
9. What prompts you to keep on playing Swos and what - in your opinion - makes the game still attractive after more than 20 years from its first release?
Apart from the most obvious things about SWOS (the gameplay, the ball physics, being a football encyclopedia etc.) I think it’s the best cartoon or caricature about football, ever. It makes you smile, in so many on pitch situations, and off pitch as well. When players fall over a late tackle, rolling on the floor in pain, when referees go mad and throw around yellow and red cards for nothing, when keepers make stupid errors… It’s hilarious. Plus, while playing it, you have an instant feeling of the core essence of football. Emotion, drama, adrenaline, tension, blood and tears.
It has a sense of humor and deepness which transcends the barrier of being an actual computer game. Great to see it got the right reward for its greatness when it was taken into the Game Canon of the 10 most important games of all time. It’s a part of my life as one of my greatest and most important hobbies.
10. And finally, please give a suggestion to the new prospects who are about to debut in our online Swos competitions.
Keep the faith and fun, even if you lose the first 100 matches. It happened to the most of us.
Thanks a lot for this interview. It has been both, a pleasure and honor to answer your questions.
Commenti
Thanks for comments about me, i remember you so cutie pie also.
All the best, my friend!
Here was me reading this interview, thinking that with load of the winning titles, Playaveli must be so much older than me. It turned out that I'm much older than him!
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