In the next interview of our series going into the Digital Youth Awards Finals in Singapore, Justin Loeb catches up with Tammy from PMS Girls before their flights.
Going into the tournament many would call your team an underdog, how do you feel about that?
I think we’re quite used to being the underdog. In a way there is less pressure as an underdog than as a defending champion, so we’re pretty cool with that.
How do you like Heroes of Newerth so far? Is there anything S2 should work on to improve the game?
I think that it is pretty sad that Asian servers are separate from the rest of the world. This way, we can’t really play with our international friends. Other than that, I love the reconnection system, it reduces the amount of games which are spoilt by unintentional disconnects.
What did it take to transition from DotA to Heroes of Newerth? How are the games similar and how are they different?
I think the main difference is the graphics. HoN graphics are more intense. Also, HoN seems to emphasize team play a lot more than DotA – in DotA, you can have one carry who can own the opponent, but in HoN you need five people who can work well together, and five heroes which complement each other. Basically, HoN seems to require a lot more teamwork.
What accomplishments did your team achieve in DotA? How long did you play together and what notable tournaments did you attend for that game?
This year has been great for my team. We’ve beaten all the female DotA teams that we’ve played – including our sister teams PMSki* (from Philippines), PMS.ADT (from Indonesia), as well as roccat.TRY and Axis.Giga.Ladies from Thailand.
We’ve been to events all over the world, including ESWC Masters of Paris, eSports Thailand Championships (at BiG festival), SGNDT (Malaysia), Iron.Lady and DYA in Shanghai.
Achievements:
2010 Iron.Lady Championship – 1st
2009 Electronic Sports Thailand Championship (ESTC) – top 16
2008 World Cyber Games (WCG) – top 32
2006 Compaq AMD Pro-Gaming League (CAPL), Premier Category – 4th
2006 Compaq AMD Pro-Gaming League (CAPL), Open Category – 8th
2006 World Games Tournament – top 16
2006 Avalon Tournament – top 16
2005 e-games – top 32
What would be the one team you are most worried about facing at DYA?
All of the teams I guess! We have no idea how the opponents play, and they have all been handpicked to join the competition. No game will be easy.
Do you think teams from different regions (North America, Europe, Aisa) have different play styles in Heroes of Newerth?
Yes, I think they do. Players from the United States seem to be very focused on teamplay whereas Europeans appear to prefer individual performance. We don’t have a real strategy to counter different play, we’re just going to try to perfect how we normally play.
How has your team been practicing for this event?
So far we have been trying to put in as many games as we can, in between training for DotA and our personal lives. We have also been watching the other teams games as well.
We don’t expect much, we just want to have fun!
Do you think Heroes of Newerth will continue to grow as an eSport? Where will the game head in the future?
We definitely hope that HoN has a future in the competitive esports scene. However, I think more has to be done to get the game recognized as a competitive sport by the gamers. Having more competitions, with good prize money will definitely put HoN down as one of THE games to play. HoN also has to differentiate itself from other similar games, like DotA and LoL. I believe HoN will face a greater challenge with DotA 2 on the roadmap.
How does your team decide what picks and bans to chose?
We have a commander and strategist who do most of the background research. If the rest of the team has any input, we normally talk it out as a team.
If there was a girl looking to get into the competitive scene what advice would you give her?
I’d tell her to play because she wants to play, because she’s interested in the game and gaming in general, and not because she’s keeping her boyfriend company. =p
Any final comments or shout-outs?
Big thanks for inviting us to participate in this event! Also, we’d like to thank our fans, other-half’s, and sponsors who have stuck with us all the way.
