As a stream viewer, obviously just the amount of downtime was annoying, but as mentioned, the filler was the bit that made it worse.
I know that's been said, but I actually had what I thought was a cool idea. With how much the community loved some of the old NASL application videos, why not ask the 'pro' players (ie. qualified for groups) to create a short video introducing themselves (cause some of them, like moman's, were hilarious) that you can play between sets.
Help sell the personalities of the SEA scene to the audience (that's the kind of thing that makes HSC so popular). I was actually a huge fan of how many pro players came through the casting lounge at Brisbane. I think you could have used a few more though, rather than guys like Paz, Chad etc. I mean no disrespect as I actually enjoyed most of their casting, but if it could have been an opportunity to put another player up there instead that might have been better in terms of selling that player as more than a faceless/nameless ID.
Just to add my 2c to groups stages -> brackets changes that are being brought up, to be completely honest I don't think the current set up really needs changing. the champ bracket should be incredibly difficult to get into, good players should occasionally miss out on it, and when a new player makes it for the first time (eg: NXZ this tournament), it should turn-heads and make people stand up and recognize a new player is making his way up into the high tiers of the scene (if people hadn't noticed alrdy!). Allowing more people into the champ bracket somewhat cheapens the achievements of the people in it, and cheapens the group stage as a whole...
However, if changes are to be made, I feel like going straight into single elim is very harsh, it means a player can potentially be knocked out of the tournament from 1 loss (If you smash your group 5-0, then lose in the Ro8 for example), which in a game like sc2 I don't think is fair at all compared to the current system...
If you want to change it to a 3 go through system I think something like this, which is somewhat similar to old MLG bracket system works much more fairly compared to the ESL system.
Brackets may make absolutely no sense since I just made them in ms paint without a reference
This system:
- Ensures a player would have to lose at least 2 games since the start of the group stages to have been eliminated from the tournament
- Gives a larger incentive to top your group compared to original double elim bracket system.
- Still allows three people to go through each group (meaning 'groups of death' are not as brutal)
- Exact same number of rounds as the current system, meaning time issues should be non existent.
Only negative I can see is that it potentially gives too much of an advantage to the people who top their groups compared to those who don't... But then again I'm not even sure that's a particularly bad thing.
I really like Pinder suggestion, but I think the IEM 3 player bracket works better - with the 1st from each group seeded a round ahead.. so its a Ro12 with 4 seeded forward... Still like Double Elim tho. A way to work them both in?
The new schedule system used at Brisbane got things finished up really early, even then - I think there was some dawdling in the tournament too. With that in mind.. a top 3 with dbl elim could be possible...?
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