Sc2 takes Main Stage at MLG Anaheim

[Araneatrox]

It makes me happy.



The Stages
At the very front of the venue you�ll see the three Main Stages. There is one each for StarCraft 2, Halo: Reach, and Call of Duty: Black Ops. And here�s where the setup will differ somewhat from previous Pro Circuit events. Because of overwhelming popular demand, we have moved StarCraft 2 to the center Main Stage. This marks the first time a PC title has ever been featured in the center of the venue. And as to the burning question on all of your minds: yes, there will be more chairs. Lots of them.

http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/news/mlg-anaheim-spectators-get-your-game-faces-on

[Antidote]

Remember hearing about this on one of djWHEAT's shows after Columbus. Glad to see that they are doing what the crowd wants the most. So far the pros really enjoy the stage and sound booths that they have as well. They say it's probably their favorite place to play.

[DeeLuv]

Doesn't necessarily make me happy. I could care less about SC, but I respect the influx of new blood and energy into the MLG community. I sincerely hope that Halo doesn't get over-run by the SC folk. I remain hopeful the 343 title update will bring changes that improve Reach, and am ever more optimistic that new Bungie's mistakes in Reach will be rectified completely in Halo 4 since much of 343 is consisted of the Halo CE/Halo 2 ex Bungie people.

Even with Reach's flaws I am re-energized on the game again by the new and improved TLN stream page (yes, there are kinks but I have no doubt they will be worked out, and I love the return to the old model with HD stream and jTV chat interface), the amazing RedBull LAN center and the support they are throwing behind the Halo community.

BTW, please don't flame - I mean no disrespect to the SC community, I'm a fan of all things geek - maybe one of these days I'll pick the game up and get into it. :)

[rasha fasha]

disappointed that Halo has not gotten the treatment they deserve since it is what MLG grew up on.

[kimohsabe]

so halo's going to be one screen now instead of three big ones?

[Araneatrox]

so halo's going to be one screen now instead of three big ones?

Sounds like it yes.

[Hylian]

I saw this coming. Maybe we can convince them to switch it back if we're louder than the SC crowd this weekend!

[DeeLuv]

I saw this coming. Maybe we can convince them to switch it back if we're louder than the SC crowd this weekend!

That actually brings to mind something I wondered about. Some of the Halo pros are a little bitter at the red carpet treatment MLG is giving these Korean players that have come over here (there was a Twitter blowup between Sundance and some of the MLG Halo veterans, the barbs were quickly deleted but I did see some of them), and I also wonder if some of the Halo fans will get testy with the SC fans if it gets to that point. Halo has been the staple of MLG since day one, and if the SC community comes in and just starts over-running the place I could definitely see some bitterness evolving. I hope not.

[HavkinKnight]

this upsets me greatly... pro halo

[cF WiNGER]

I am very sad to hear this. I don't pay much attention to SC or COD, so I didn't know how the main stages differed. It's sad that a 1v1 game is taking over the main stage with multiple screen while a 4v4 event is going to be showed on just one? Did I read that right? Going to make Halo spectating less enjoyable. People with glasses I suggest you bring them LOL. I understand what a big deal it is for these Korean players coming over to MLG and the states, but don't just throw what got MLG to where it is today off to the dumpster. I didn't know about any problems between Sundance and Halo vets, but I doubt this will help in that matter at all. Let me ask a question, if the leagues over in Korea expanded to Halo and Halo pros went over to play and got a great response, you think they would put that over SC? No they'd stick with what got them there.

[Fearist]

The sc2 community are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. They are also a better community with better sportsmanship than the reach community. It's sucks but I'm sorry sc2>reach. It's the truth

[ImmuneEH]

I like both games and SC2 is new and more popular in MLG so I could care less.

[Brixxx]

Best man was talking about this last night in the stream chat. He didn't really sound mad or happy about it just kinda letting us know.

SC2 just has a much much much bigger following than halo does especially halo reach. It's where the money,sponsors and the viewers are at right now and MLG is a business. Some people might not like it but its the smart move to make.

[cF WiNGER]

Noone said they were jerks lol. The problem is, MLG has now put their faith into SC2 to drag on the pro circuit. SC2, as it sounds, is the new main title for MLG. What happens if all these Korean pros stop coming to MLG? Does MLG then say oh sorry Halo pros, we need you back to help us stay in business. I have a big thing with loyalty, and what happened here doesn't show that. Halo has been THE game and these MLG Pro vets have been MLG for a long time now, the Koreans come over for what 2-3 events and they take over. It's the chance to see the Korean's play live that attracts all the fans. If they didn't come over I don't think it would have the same impact on MLG than it has now. Not trying to bash SC2 or any of it's players, just stinks that Halo gets bumped aside after it has helped MLG rise to the top.

Interesting Thought (of course no merit to this at all lol): What if the Halo Pros and Semipros did take offence to this and all leave for NGL. Having all the Pros move over could help NGL grow to a point it can compete with MLG. Not to mention it could be a Halo only event where the spotlight is only on the Halo players.

[itwuzmagik]

this is extremely saddening i'm actually pretty mad about this!!!!!

[SocksWthSandals]

the argument about "they should stay with what got them there" is getting really old. should ford just stick with the model T since thats what got them there? why would you not want something different and new thats more popular around the entire world to be the main attraction? or we can just have halo the only thing going on at mlg events... day, after day, after day, just halo. and it wont get boring... ever.

[Brixxx]

Halo 1 2 and 3 helped MLG rise to the top. Reach has only brought it down, just stating facts, not hating. Maybe if 343 makes an amazing TU people will return to caring more about Reach or when they make Halo 4 but right now SC2 is the mecca of eSports.

[everreal15]

I am very sad to hear this. I don't pay much attention to SC or COD, so I didn't know how the main stages differed. It's sad that a 1v1 game is taking over the main stage with multiple screen while a 4v4 event is going to be showed on just one? Did I read that right? Going to make Halo spectating less enjoyable. People with glasses I suggest you bring them LOL. I understand what a big deal it is for these Korean players coming over to MLG and the states, but don't just throw what got MLG to where it is today off to the dumpster. I didn't know about any problems between Sundance and Halo vets, but I doubt this will help in that matter at all. Let me ask a question, if the leagues over in Korea expanded to Halo and Halo pros went over to play and got a great response, you think they would put that over SC? No they'd stick with what got them there.

They wouldn't switch to Halo because its not as good of a game as SC2 is, especially for their audience in Korea. SC2 is big time over there, and MLG is responding to the demand for it now that it is growing in the US. The last event had a crazy turn out and with SC2 on all 3 stages and a fully packed house for it, it was epic.

And don't think I am hating on Halo, because I love the game and that's what got me into MLG and competitive gaming, however Reach isn't generating the same experience as H2 and H3 did, when MLG really picked up momentum. Granted it is still the first season but there has been a lot of talk in the community about how good Reach really is. And to me I think Reach is a much better game then H3 was, I think most of the community knows that, but the support for it being competitive and to evolve and be balanced by the developer (Bungie) is almost non existent. Blizzard on the other hand supports their game in the competitive scene and continues to update and create a more polished and balanced game for the competitive community.

If Bungie was behind Halo like Blizzard is with SC2 in the competitive scene it would be a much better game and it wouldn't be losing ground to SC2. Im not particularly happy with the move MLG made, but I understand it. SC2 is a great game and should be welcomed, for MLG it will only bring more sponsors because of its already huge following in and outside of the US.

[cF WiNGER]

I think people complaining about Halo Reach being broken or dragging down Halo is nonsense. Comparing Halo to Ford is also nonsense LOL. Again, if the Koreans didn't come over for MLG we wouldn't be having this discussion today. As for Reach itself, people just need to shut up already. Enough with the complaints. I think people got so used to the spray shot with the BR that the fact good players get outshot sometimes because of the bloom they just can't handle it. It's a new game. New features. New settings. Get used to it. Everyone thinks 343 will do that much better? If there was a rank for MLG would people still complain? I don't know what anyone else has seen, but I see the pros have gotten used to the game and bloom and have had some very great games. SC2 is new to the MLG circuit + the Korean pros, that is why it has gotten so much attention. If you have a chance to watch a Korean pro LIVE or watch a Halo game, which most have seen countless times already, what are you going to choose? As for audience noise, lets not forget Halo has 8 players screens to watch. Unless everyone is watching the same player, if something happens you are rarely going to have everyone noticing and cheering. Who knows maybe this is why they are moving Halo to less screens for viewing. When looking back to the Reach events already, I've seen amazingly close games go down to the wire, blow outs where one team showed its dominance, back and forth games, over kill exterms, frenzys and riot's, sick no scopes, clutch flag/bomb stops. Maybe they need to ease back on the technicals and let the players trash talk each other some more. I don't think Halo has gotten any worse for MLG, but that SC2 is a breath of fresh air with a wave of new faces.

[DeeLuv]

Best man was talking about this last night in the stream chat. He didn't really sound mad or happy about it just kinda letting us know.

SC2 just has a much much much bigger following than halo does especially halo reach. It's where the money,sponsors and the viewers are at right now and MLG is a business. Some people might not like it but its the smart move to make.
I'm sure there is a lot of towing the company line right now with whatever is said publicly. As I mentioned before some of the Halo vets went to Twitter and really vented once news came out that MLG was paying the Korean player's way here, as it seemed that MLG was really going out of their way to cater and suck up to them as a means to get them over here. Meanwhile all the Halo pros who have been here for years were still paying their own airfare, finding hotel rooms, etc. The SC players were definitely getting the red carpet treatment and it ruffled some feathers. Sundance fired back about taking the bitching public, and after a few testy exchanges it all got deleted.

One thing MLG needs to keep in mind, the last time I checked on the MLG forums there was a lot more activity in the Halo Reach forum section than there was in the Starcraft 2 forums. That tells me that while SC brings in more new viewers, etc. from overseas, the hardcore MLG fans who take to the forums are still focused on Halo for the most part.

I think of Halo/SC like this - Halo is our football. Big here, not really anywhere else. Starcraft is soccer. Kinda big here, but HUGE overseas.

[redhat4]

exactly. this is not a good business decision. but then again mlg has never been a good business. forgetting about their overwhelming majority in their community is not a good idea. mlg will see a huge backlash after halo takes a backseat to SC this event. so stupid. The US is a console gaming country, end of story. MLG is just searching for ways to grow and failing to realize that a video game league will never be an incredibly successful business, THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH MONEY IN IT.

[everreal15]

I agree with you Winger that there have been some great games played for Reach. I think last tournament, even though Instinct ran away with it almost untouched, was one of the best in a while. I don't think Reach is broken, I personally think there have been a lack of good maps, and the ones that were good they took out too soon (Warlock). And also so many gametype switches, and again its the first season, its going to take some time to get everything settled.

The change shouldn't call into fact whether MLG is loyal or not to Halo, I highly doubt Sundance takes for granted all the hard work the Halo Pros have put in over the years to support MLG and help get it to where it is at. But like others have said, at the end of the day its a business and SC2 is bringing a whole new audience base and a bigger one at that because even though Halo has been "Our" game for all this time Starcraft has been huge outside of the US and has had fans in the US but never the opportunity to have the competitive stage like in Korea. MLG is now giving them that opportunity.

One thing that I can think of is before last even I was watching an SC2 stream and people in the chat were talking about the upcoming MLG event that weekend, not many of them new anything about MLG, but they were all excited to finally watch a major US tournament. For me it was pretty cool to see the fan base grow and bring in new viewers.

[SocksWthSandals]

exactly. this is not a good business decision. but then again mlg has never been a good business. forgetting about their overwhelming majority in their community is not a good idea. mlg will see a huge backlash after halo takes a backseat to SC this event. so stupid. The US is a console gaming country, end of story. MLG is just searching for ways to grow and failing to realize that a video game league will never be an incredibly successful business, THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH MONEY IN IT.
how is taking a game thats bigger world wide and making in the main feature not a good business decision?

[D Moralize]

The only reason the forums seem stacked in halos favor is because MLG is the biggest competitive reach forum. Sc already has a million sites like teamliquid.

Does this mean that you won't be able to watch all 8 POV's for Halo now? I hope not because it seems more necissary to watch all 8 players than t have 3 camera's on one map in sc, even if there is alot going on.

[everreal15]

You obviously have no idea how big SC2 is in North America. And obviously stating that the US is a "console gaming country" is absolute ignorance.

This is a business decision, and a good one at that. I love Reach, and I love SC2 but I can tell you for a FACT, that Reach is no where near as popular in North America, as Starcraft 2 is. Not even close.

I have to agree with you there Gym, SC2 is huge here. It just has never really been seen live because there haven't been that many big live events for it. Like I said before, MLG is now bringing that, and all the fans are showing up to support it.

Just and example of how big SC2 is, on Justin.tv Day9 casts about 4/5 days a week and probably averages around 15k viewers. And he isn't even playing the game. He is just analyzing it and helping people get better. Tournaments throughout the week usually get 30k-50k viewers depending on the size, and these aren't even full tournaments, they are just a few select matches for a bigger tourney. So the demand is more then there in the US.

Again I am not trying to squash Halo, because thats still where I came from but I just wanted to show that there is a major demand for SC2 in the US.

[everreal15]

The only reason the forums seem stacked in halos favor is because MLG is the biggest competitive reach forum. Sc already has a million sites like teamliquid.

Does this mean that you won't be able to watch all 8 POV's for Halo now? I hope not because it seems more necissary to watch all 8 players than t have 3 camera's on one map in sc, even if there is alot going on.

I really hope that even though H3 is moved from the center stage that they wont only have one POV up either. To me its much more important to have multiple pov's for Reach than it is for SC2 because Reach has 8 players instead of 2.

[Kingdayame]

:( F**king Koreans.

[cF WiNGER]

The change shouldn't call into fact whether MLG is loyal or not to Halo, I highly doubt Sundance takes for granted all the hard work the Halo Pros have put in over the years to support MLG and help get it to where it is at.

From what I have seen about the SC2 players getting flown over and everything paid for, well maybe not everything but a good chunk of it, I'd be pissed as a Halo pro. How about flying the top Halo teams out to events. Or fully sponsoring them. Listen, I'm not trying to bash SC2. I think the 3 main stages is great! I just don't like how it seems SC2 is getting all this attention and perks already. Make them earn it. The current pool of Halo pros is slim, and they aren't getting any younger. If they were going to make such a big change why not wait until some of these Pros retire. Just bugs me, but again I have a big pet peeve on loyalty so this just fuels me LOL

[cF WiNGER]

:( F**king Koreans.

Totally unnecessary. I am not a fan of the changes being made, but no need to put it in terms like that. I know it's not racist, but some people may take it the wrong way. BTW I am Korean myself.

[Dhays9]

One thing MLG needs to keep in mind, the last time I checked on the MLG forums there was a lot more activity in the Halo Reach forum section than there was in the Starcraft 2 forums. That tells me that while SC brings in more new viewers, etc. from overseas, the hardcore MLG fans who take to the forums are still focused on Halo for the most part.



Not necessarily. Starcraft has a plethora of sites that are dedicated to it's growth and a popular. MLG's site focuses on one league, MLG, while Starcraft dedicated sites focus on everything Starcraft related (example, TeamLiquid.net). The Starcraft community has so many different players, tournaments, strategies, etc. everyday that it needs a site where everything can be conveyed, not a site just for one league. This is the opposite of what Halo: Reach has. From what I know (been watching MLG and Halo for about 4 years) MLG is the only real tournament and stable platform Halo has, therefore the forums will mostly be Halo players as they do not have anywhere else to go to.

Also, you need to look at it from a buisness standpoint. Do you want to market a game that is only popular in the USA or do you want to market a game that is popular internationally and is played by players all around the globe?

[DeeLuv]

There needs to be 3 main stages.

If Halo is only getting shown on one big screen, with 8 players, and SC2, with TWO players, is on the main stage with screen overkill there is going to be a shitstorm.

The Halo pros were IRATE. Now, whether or not Sundance got a hold of them individually and said "Hey, listen - I'm not forgetting you guys, heres the deal..." and said something that calmed everyone down....or gave a "Shut up or else" ultimatum I don't know. He seems like a real cool guy who is focused on gaming as much as business so I'm hopeful its the former.

I don't mind SC2 coming in and growing. GREAT! Just don't shrink Halo. All I'm saying :)

[DeeLuv]

:( F**king Koreans.

*sigh* I knew it was only a matter of time before it went here.

Not their fault, they love SC like we love Halo. I'm not against them at all, we all live in ONE world. :)

[everreal15]

From what I have seen about the SC2 players getting flown over and everything paid for, well maybe not everything but a good chunk of it, I'd be pissed as a Halo pro. How about flying the top Halo teams out to events. Or fully sponsoring them. Listen, I'm not trying to bash SC2. I think the 3 main stages is great! I just don't like how it seems SC2 is getting all this attention and perks already. Make them earn it. The current pool of Halo pros is slim, and they aren't getting any younger. If they were going to make such a big change why not wait until some of these Pros retire. Just bugs me, but again I have a big pet peeve on loyalty so this just fuels me LOL

HAHA, yeah I understand what your sayin. And I agree, for the past two seasons with the increase in sponsors, I have been expecting MLG to up the prize money for Halo or do more for their pro players like pay for their flights and things like that. But it has yet to really happen. Yeah they get a small stipends but that really doesn't cut it. I'm sure they have the reasons for not doing more, but it doesn't make sense to me. Not if you are trying to keep veteran Pro's around for an extended period of time.

With the Koreans getting the "Red Carpet" treatment, I can easily see how the Halo vets could get a little irritated. I Clutch made everyone clear on his feelings last event about the new game in town. lol. But I see it as MLG making more of an investment. There really wasnt much of an incentive for Korean players to come to the US and play in MLG tournaments, they make more money where they are at. However US fans want to see Korean GSL players because they are the cream of the crop. So for MLG to really generate revenue with fans in the US, it was smart for them to bring the best players that everyone wanted to see but otherwise wouldn't have come.

Again it can be seen as preferential treatment to the new guys in town. But I see it really as more of an investment for MLG to make sure that they were going to bring in the fans and really up the interest in their community for a new game.

Side note - If I was a Halo Pro I probably would be a little irritated too but its what happens when times change I guess.

[Dhays9]

If Halo is only getting shown on one big screen, with 8 players, and SC2, with TWO players, is on the main stage with screen overkill there is going to be a shitstorm.


So cater to a community that is smaller and not as popular as another community and hope to grow as a business. Seems like the right formula to me.........

[cF WiNGER]

I just hope it doesnt turn into the Halo Pros getting mad enough to stop coming to events. Think...lets just say the Halo Pros all said screw it. We 've been here so much longer and they get this treatment and stuff paid for them? Let's go somewhere else. MLG would crumble. Halo is a big part of MLG whether or not people like Reach. If you are going to give all these special perks to the players in the new game, then give it to your veterans as well. Some of these vets have been playing since 2004 or 2005! Come on MLG, give back to those who have been with you for that long first. It's like saying you are working for a job for so many years, helping the business grow, then when you think it is time for a promotion a new guy from another business comes in and takes it from you. It's like being stabbed in the back, well not that extreme but you get what I mean. Just show the same perks for the guys who helped get you to where you are now instead of catering new players just to get them to come play. If they require MLG pays their way and all, screw em. The day MLG says we won't pay for your flights is the day they stop coming to the States. Cater to the ones who have been loyal to you first.

[chris_cr33p]

i think that they should stick cod in a small corner. use 3 screens for halo but less seating, and keep sc2 on 1 screen but make a huge crowd of chairs

[everreal15]

i think that they should stick cod in a small corner. use 3 screens for halo but less seating, and keep sc2 on 1 screen but make a huge crowd of chairs

This is what I am hoping for in terms of the new setup. Well maybe a kinda small corner for COD, lol.

But MLG isnt catering to all the new SC2 players. Just the few Koreans that are playing this season. In turn GSL in Korea pays for the MLG SC2 players. Anyway, I gotta go home. It has been fun. lol.

[Araneatrox]

I just want to give you some figures.

Over the course of the 3 days of Columbus. 3 posts were made on Team-Liquid
Day 1 - Reply's 8009 Views 572078
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=229478

Day 2 - Reply's 18203 Views 1398400
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=229711

Day 3 - Reply's 28621 Views 2367644
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=230086

That is 4.3 million page views on the TL site about MLG Starcraft. I was unable to find a thread on the MLG forums that comes even close to that sort of numbers.

GOMTV have recently released numbers that over 50 million people have tuned into GOMtv GSL stream in the past 6 months. Sc2 is just bigger that is a fact. I for one find it amazing that MLG are embracing new games that are the future of eSports.

[Forbidd3n]

Every halo event this year the crowd is extremely quiet. If the following dies down then the next thing gets its shot. SC2 crowds have been crazy.

[Cheeky]

I feel dissappointed that Halo has been moved off to the side, but we still have the jerseys, we still are the only ones invited to the pro meeting in the lounge, and we still get better treatment. This is great for MLG, but might make Halo fans mad, we should embrace this because it will bring more viewers. Although I am kind of mad with how MLG did this, If 343 can ressurrect HALO from the crap shoot it has become, I think Halo will be able to contend with SC2.

What Halo needs that SC2 has:
- More in depth commentary (Commentators need to play more...C'mon guys :P)
SC2 commentators play the game non-stop and that's why the commentary is so good.
- Better viewer experience ( SC2 has the eagle eye view)
Hopefully 343 can add something in for spectators so they can fly around or view from different points
- More Fans attend the live Events
The reason why SC2 does so well with sponsors and keeps growing is the fans, more people fly out to see the SC2 pros than the other pros #Fact
- Less Team changing
Set in place rules for less team changing
- More streaming out of Pros
websites to view all 4 POV's at once when scrimming online
- Multiplayer Team at 343 Dedicated to making MLG Halo Competitive like Blizzard does
Killa-KC doesn't do a great job at this, 343 studios should have a department for this like Blizzard does (Creating Balance, Making it more competitive)
Better maps, more asthetically pleasing, more competitive weapons

SC2 is Chess x1000000000
Halo is Chess x1000

Hence why SC2 is more competitive than Halo

Another problem is once they took away the wrap around mainstage, the crowd died off with it.
Halo needs that Mainstage, SC2 does not


I have more just shooting a blank ATM.

[Antidote]

SC2 is just a bigger game. MLG knows that if they want to get in big with the rest of esports then they need to use the games that people love and follow, and more importantly, where the money is at.

Also winger I saw you address what happens if the Koreans stop showing up to events and people need the Halo pros back. Even if the Koreans left there are enough pros to fill the spots. The number of SC2 to Halo pros is like 1000-10. The SC2 pros are always split between events because there are so many tournaments going on. Then there is the Halo pros which only have one thing to go to and that's MLG.

Honestly anyone that's a esports fan should be happy about this change. It's going to let MLG grow in a huge way.

Also for the people who "hate" the change. It's just ignorant. Halo can't last forever, especially with Reach being as it is. Think of it like Quake (I know half of you reading this don't even know what the game is). Quake was a HUGE FPS competitive game. It's now basically died out because of better games being made by companies that care about esports. It doesn't mean you should hate on the other games and players just because you don't like and understand it. You should be happy the company is moving forward instead of living in the past and maybe, just maybe try to get into the game yourself.

As Gym said earlier in this thread. There may be a few people pissed off about Halo, but there is 100x that number that are happy with the change.

[Araneatrox]

Antidote! How dare you insinuate that Quake has died out!

Competitive quake and competitive CSS are the only FPS i watch anymore. And they are far better to watch than Halo reach IMO.

[Antidote]

Antidote! How dare you insinuate that Quake has died out!

Competitive quake and competitive CSS are the only FPS i watch anymore. And they are far better to watch than Halo reach IMO.

Go rant with Slasher you loon lol.

They are actually still fun to watch. Probably too fast pace though compared to Halo.

[cF WiNGER]

@Antidote...what I wanted to make note of with that is that people are excited and want to see the players from Korea and overseas live. Take that aspect away and I don't think it's as big as it has been so far. I could be completely wrong, but I think the Koreans coming over has a big impact on how SC2 has risen so quickly in MLG.

[DeeLuv]

Another reason I hope Halo regains its place of prominence.... Mr. P's latest thread.

If Halo doesn't go HAM, TLN probably goes away. I can't see this being a SC site as I don't think the P's have any real interest in the game. At least not enough to run a site/gaming house like this the same way they have done for Halo.

[Antidote]

@Antidote...what I wanted to make note of with that is that people are excited and want to see the players from Korea and overseas live. Take that aspect away and I don't think it's as big as it has been so far. I could be completely wrong, but I think the Koreans coming over has a big impact on how SC2 has risen so quickly in MLG.

Disagree. The reason Koreans came over is because it has risen so quickly. Koreans rarely go outside of GSL and such to compete. There is a reason it's a big deal for a foreigner to go compete over there. The fact that they came over to MLG is indeed huge. It's popular without that though. They wouldn't come compete if it wasn't worth it.

[cF WiNGER]

@Antidote...it's another chance for a pay check, not to mention when you aren't paying your way over. I'm not trying to put the game down, I just think the Koreans play a big part of SC2 rising in MLG so fast. Not the game itself. I am aware how big the game is. As someone else said, as long as Halo has the same screens to view on it will be fine. Problem is if it changes to one big screen or POV at a time, not only are the players going to be mad but the fans will as well. If worst case scenario ever happened and Halo was taken away from MLG not by choice, but because of people not coming anymore, MLG will fall. Or it will become GSL's little sister, which I'm sure wouldn't be liked by Sundance and Co. MLG needs Halo, whether it has SC2 or not, so it should cater to Halo as it has SC2 this season so far. Before people comment on how dumb I sound by what I just said, please read it carefully first and really understand what I am trying to say.

[kimohsabe]

well im upset..... but if you think about it the halo community sucks compare to sc2 community....halo never gets as loud as sc2, halo community never talks about what we want because the stage was fin for us. but all im saying is halo is extra quiet at events compared to sc2

[garymcbride]

This actually makes me warm inside.

[americanbash]

I am glad that MLG can give a great opportunity to SC2. I look forward to seeing what other titles may appear on the main stage in the future.

[Cantro]

As a fan of both games, I have moved to playing sc2 more then reach just cause of the learning curve and the fact that you really don't need a team.

With the deal MLG has with GSL, the fact that the koreans get special treatment doesnt surprise me cause you dont see any other league wanting Halo pros to come play in their league too. MLG is also giving the rep carpet treatment to players going over to the GSL cause code A or S are really hard to get into and the fact is if you can get into them through MLG you will being seeing more of them coming!

The fact is Starcraft 2 was going to get the main stage if not this season, next season. Dallas had no Koreans but still had a lot of people going to watch. But the amount of people coming to these events now is crazy and most are coming for starcraft.

Reach is still a good game but the people who are so called pro at it don't really work at the same way starcraft players work at their game. Like halo the teams start practicing a few weeks before the event. Sc2 players practice like 10 hours everyday. I'm sorry but i have to have a little more respect for someone who has to work that hard at something to be great at it.

Another thing about halo is all the team changes. It a little crazy to see a team of players break up after doing well at a event. Then you don't see them playing or doing anything with the game but they will send out free books... Like i feel players like T2 and Neighbor are trying to sell me stuff more then really showing me how to play halo...

[Panda]

I figured it would happen sooner or later. Doesn't really bother me all that much since I probably won't be attending any events soon. I will just continue to watch it online. If I went to events, I can understand as to why people are unhappy with it.

It was only a matter of time.

[BluePriiint]

Halo is going to be bad in MLG anaheim as well because V5 gametypes are not good or at least not as good as V4

[DeeLuv]

I want to say one more thing here. I love playing Halo Reach and can watch the pros play for hours on end. Eff it. I see the flaws in the game, mostly for me that would be bloom and the maps. But you know what? I still love playing it. Even bloom, I can get mad as hell at it - but if I calm myself enough to be patient and not spam the trigger, and wait for the bloom to collapse enough to pop that one last headshot, I find it not so annoying and it adds another element to out-dueling an opponent or getting those cross map shots to register.

Reach still takes plenty of skill, everything from what I just mentioned to throwing nades. One thing I have learned from watching the streams of all the pros like Ghostayame, Roybox, Snipedown, etc in addition to the LANS here, is all the different angles you can use to ricochet the nade off of structures to hit a specific location. By watching the pros I see shooting angles I've never thought about, routes to take to get to a given area of a map, stuff like that. Its fun to watch, and seeing a sick no-scope or quick scope headshot never gets old no matter what genre of Halo we are talking about.

I'm not that great of a player, but I am getting better because of a site like this as well as the streams, MLG. I'll be flat out honest, my k/d sucks. It sucks because I am sporadic at getting my time in on the game, and tended to simply get frustrated and quit for weeks at a time in the past. Now, since I've calmed down and stopped breaking controllers, and actually go over my gameplay to see why I play good/bad, I am starting to get a lot better. Before, if I had a game where I went +7 I thought I played GREAT. Now, not always. I had a game last night in Arena where I went +7 but was still really pissed because I just knew I didn't finish off a few battles that I know I should have, or got engaged when I shouldn't have and died as a result. My callouts are getting better and better, and again I get a lot of that from watching/listening to the streams. I keep working to get better, and go + MUCH more often than I go -. I actually considered starting a new gamertag to reflect the player I am now and build on what I strive to be, but decided not to. My k/d still sucks, will take time to overcome, but screw it. It doesn't reflect the player I am now, and when the game starts it doesn't matter at all. Last night in Arena I played 3-4 hours, got a decent squad partied together, and didn't lose a game the whole night. Ended the night with a ranking right at 1500, and it wasn't long ago that would have NEVER happened. One had one negative game the whole night and it wasn't that bad, -2.

I play Arena mostly right now, as I am trying to up my pure slaying skills, and haven't engaged in MLG playlist all that much yet. I am still fairly lost when it comes to objective games, the setups and all that (thats another area I'm JUST now starting to get familiar with, spawns and predicting them for potential spawn traps. I see what the pro teams are doing but still executing IRL is another story)

I guess this went from my defense of an admittedly flawed game like Reach still being very fun to play and enjoyable to watch when played at a high level to a self analysis of my game LOL. I just wanted to share why, even though I understand the criticisms of some of Reach, it - to me - is still a great game that I am enjoying watching and getting better at. I'm learning all the time and truly appreciate a GREAT place like TLN and what Mr. P and his family has done to contribute to the Halo community, and I hope it continues. I can't wait for Anaheim, and even though Halo won't be the definitive flagship game anymore, it will still get its time at center stage and should be a great tournament. There is lots of interesting plot lines to this weekend: Can Instinct be beat? How will the reunited old Str8 Rippin do? Can Dynasty recover from a sub-par LAN to be a force again? What team might come out of nowhere to surprise everyone? I can't wait to see. Anyway, sorry for the long post, and thanks for reading. :)

[Antidote]

For anyone who is wanting to read the post above mine but finds it too long. I got the portion of it out that has to do with the topic of the thread. You're welcome.

"even though I understand the criticisms of some of Reach, it - to me - is still a great game that I am enjoying watching and getting better at. I'm learning all the time and truly appreciate a GREAT place like TLN and what Mr. P and his family has done to contribute to the Halo community, and I hope it continues. I can't wait for Anaheim, and even though Halo won't be the definitive flagship game anymore, it will still get its time at center stage and should be a great tournament. There is lots of interesting plot lines to this weekend: Can Instinct be beat? How will the reunited old Str8 Rippin do? Can Dynasty recover from a sub-par LAN to be a force again? What team might come out of nowhere to surprise everyone? I can't wait to see."

[SmartzOvahShotz]

Lol@Anti - Totally what i did