WEBSITE:
http://www.snipersteve.com/mainline/


mL vs l1t @ STA Season 3 vod
http://www.enemyterritory.tv/media.php?t=featurednohighs&v=61

TUF vs Kompaniet @ Quakecon '08 vod
http://www.enemyterritory.tv/media.php?t=featurednohighs&v=32




SniperSteve and L4nce are one of the few brothers playing competitive Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. They have been part of mainLine/TUF since Season One. Currently, mainLine sits at the top of the STA League. In this interview, you will discover the young ages of our headshot assassins, the keys to having a successful clan, their Quakecon experience, and why they got a current clan full of animal names.



TreeFrog: Hi guys, always nice to see you two around. Tell me your real name, age, and how did you get into ETQW?
SniperSteve: My name is Steve Elmendorf, I'm 20, and I first heard about ET:QW through a friend who showed me the first published screenshot of ET:QW. I knew from then on I was hooked.
L4nce: I'm Nate, 16 years of age. I wanted to get really into an FPS awhile before QW came out.. It looked pretty awesome, and I had the chance to ring for TUF a few times which really got me into competition.


TreeFrog: Why are you called SniperSteve when I have NEVER seen you pick up a sniper rifle/railgun? Can’t believe it took me two years to ask you this.
SniperSteve: I chose the name SniperSteve before I ever played an FPS because it sounded cool, and I have used it in all of the games I have played since, regardless of the weapon selection.


TreeFrog: Was Quake Wars your guys' first competitive game?
L4nce: Yes
SniperSteve: I had played Battlefield 2 competitively for a short period of time and managed some of the team’s strats, but the team was very casual, and didn't win too often.


TreeFrog: So you guys played for TUF first, then mainLine? Tell me the history.
SniperSteve: The whole TUF/mainLine thing started when I came across a recruitment post for TUF by Uncle_Joe. I was the first person to join up, so naturally we went about recruiting some of our original players like rigged, apexcreature, and a few others. We hit a roadblock with the clan’s minimum age rule, which disallowed L4nce and Raptor from joining. Since we couldn’t pull together a team, we disbanded before CAL Season One. Meanwhile, rigged, L4nce, Raptor, Desolator, Oncoming, and Burnzy got sponsored by mainLine gaming at the onset of CAL Season One.
SniperSteve: mainLine, with the addition of TreeFrog, then went on to win CAL Season One. We were then sponsored by TUF, who kindly dropped the minimum age rule for L4nce and Raptor. TUF went to Quakecon and become inactive shortly after. A few months later, Hollywood started up a new team with L4nce, Redbaron, Raptor, and a few other players like Dommafia and racoon. They decided to call themselves mainLine. and that is where it stands today.


TreeFrog: Describe your playing style.
SniperSteve: I play very objective oriented and aggressive.
L4nce: I have a few different playing styles, depending on the map. I normally prefer to be a technician in the midst of the action and like racking up the kills. Some other times I'll play very passive and just defend the objective and hardly kill anyone. I’m also not very vehicle oriented. I’m mostly an infantry player.
TreeFrog: I have to mention, L4nce is one of the fastest people I have ever seen in an icarus.


TreeFrog: You guys have competed since Season One and also at Quakecon. What has been your most enjoyable experience?
SniperSteve: Playing on the main stage at Quakecon has been the most memorable and exciting moment in my ET:QW experience.
L4nce: I’d have to say at Quakecon the first night playing vs Kompaniet. With no vent or in game VoIP, it was hard to communicate and we were yelling like crazy. (Which helped Kompaniet because they spoke our language, while we didn’t understand their’s)


TreeFrog: Any plans to return to Quakecon? That was your first time, right?
SniperSteve: Yes, that was my first time. Myself, Raptor and L4nce want to go this year as well, but we still need to work some things out.
L4nce: Most of mL plans to attend Quakecon this year and do some competition.


TreeFrog: As a former CAL champion, any added pressure after a few seasons off?
L4nce: We were as you said the Season One champs, so yes it does add some pressure.
L4nce: Although I have faith in my team and I’m pretty sure we can pull off another championship.


TreeFrog: What is the key to a successful clan?
L4nce: First of course you need good players; some players just don’t have the skill in them. Most of all though you need to use teamwork, communicate EVERYTHING, and practice practice practice
L4nce: Desolator's favorite three words
SniperSteve: A successful clan is the one that works together as a tight knit team. Having good players really helps, but without teamwork, your clan will not succeed. Having the same 6 guys on every night and playing together every night really helps cement the teams communication and coordination. Substituting different players can really cause confusion.


TreeFrog: The first mainLine team, you guys were really good friends in real life?
L4nce: It was sort of two groups of friends. Desolator knew Oncoming and Lok1 in real life, and myself, Raptor and Steve all knew each other.
SniperSteve: The first mainLine team consisted mainly of two groups of friends. Raptor, L4nce, and I, who lived in NY, and Oncoming, Desolator, and Lok1, who lived in NJ. The fact that we knew each other in real life really helped our moral as well.
L4nce: and sativa was with Desolater as well
TreeFrog: I totally forgot about Lok1
SniperSteve: Yeah, he decided the game wasn't for him after Hk beat us really bad in one of our early matches.
L4nce: oh
TreeFrog: That personal connection definitely makes a difference in forming a team.
SniperSteve: Yeah, it really does.


TreeFrog: If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
TreeFrog: Serious question
L4nce: Well, it all happened when Raptor and raccoon joined us. We all got names that started with R and ending with a period. I'm rabb1t, maybe because I’m fast in the icarus? I don’t really know, it’s just a great name.
SniperSteve: And I am banned from being an animal since I lost my cdkey at Quakecon and cannot make more accounts.
TreeFrog: I suppose I could be r1bbit.
L4nce: lol, well it’s not really an animal.. But it might not matter too much.


TreeFrog: Steve, why are you not playing?
SniperSteve: The main reason for me not playing much so-far this season has been my college work. Raptor actually convinced me to watch a match last week, and I have been playing almost every day since. I really want to get back into things more.


TreeFrog: L4nce, what is your opinion on the competition this STA season?
L4nce: The competition this season is quite poor. There really isn’t very many teams to scrim or even play. (As Hollywood just said in vent a few seconds ago, very monotone "Where is a scrim?...") I'm definitely glad we have another season to play, but my guess is many of the the QW teams will turn over to Wolf 2 when that comes out, and the competion scene will be more dead.


TreeFrog: You guys are one of the few brothers in the ETQW comp scene. Who would win in between you two and Wraith/theredbarron?
L4nce: If Barron was tanking and Steve was hogging, we'd get schooled.. Although shots wise, most likely me and Steve.
SniperSteve: L4nce would undoubtedly win against me in a 1v1 AR/Lacerator dual. I have gotten rusty. I think I could take him on on some other weapons/vehicles though.
TreeFrog: I think Barron vs Steve with an obliterator would be quite a battle
L4nce: Oh, I’m sorry, wrong question.
L4nce: You mean Barron vs Wraith and me vs Steve?
TreeFrog: You got it right, 2 v 2
SniperSteve: Ooh, my bad then
L4nce: Steve got it wrong, HAH WIN
TreeFrog: As far as i know, that's the only brother/brother gamers for ETQW, right?
SniperSteve: I don't know of any others.
L4nce: Dirtnap and Maxximus from Fate, I believe


TreeFrog: Steve, what's the key to using the Oblit/RL as well as you?
SniperSteve: There is of course some skill required to judge distance and timing, which has to be obtained with practice. Most of the time I am able to take the high ground with the Oblit/RL and make use of the splash damage. Even if I don't get a kill on them, I can still soften them up and communicate to the Medics/Techs who can finish them of and vice-versa.


TreeFrog: L4nce, I used to recall they sometimes call the Strogg weapon the "L4ncerator", right?
L4nce: I don’t think many do, maybe just me and sometimes Burnzy, but the "Lancerator" was definitely my favorite weapon BEFORE promod, (spread was less than AR i believe) although now, i like both quite equally.


L4nce: By the way, we have a scrim with l1t (finally).
TreeFrog: Let’s wrap this up, last words? Can I give a personal shoutout to Space and Sharp, who also played with mL/TUF in the past.
L4nce: Definitely shoutout to Virus and thanking him for getting us another season of QW.
SniperSteve: I want to shout-out to Greased and Matt at http://www.enemeyterritory.tv They do a great job brining the best of ET:QW to all of us and the public.
L4nce: And thanks to you for getting these interviews together, they are pretty awesome.
SniperSteve: And TREEEEFRONG AT ET.TV!!!

I convinced my brother to get the game months ago, he's too much of a newb to play comp though.

Crap, I had no idea L4nce and RaptoR were youngins, now each time mL destroys us (1shot) it stings just a little bit more.

@ L4nce speaking about this season of STA: two seasons ago, everyone said QW was done and there would be no CAL Season 3. Last season, everyone said QW was done and there would be no Season 4. This season there are more teams that scrim more often than last. Sure, very few teams can touch mL, but the community is still chugging along. I do agree with the Wolfenstein comment though.

Remember, Season One team was L4nce, Burnzy, and Raptor. haha, They were 14 at that time. At least L4nce didn't have a curfew like Burnzy, where he had to turn off his computer at 10 pm EST. If that wasn't motivation to win matches quick....

RIDDLE: Why do Treefrogs make good reporters?
ANSWER: Because they know how to ask ribbiting questions.
DUH: ribbiting = riveting + biting

Copyrighted 2009 by D-i-c-e-R