Ultimate Insight 20 : Flex
1) You achieved the incredible milestone of making PR for 15 consecutive seasons over two games. How did you manage to reach such a high level of consistency?
> Ever since I found out about smash tourneys like 6 years ago now, my main goal was to become a top player. And I feel like I was really driven to try and achieve that for the most part. Beyond that I wanted to enter the upper echelon somewhere in the top 3. I was always the bridesmaid and never the bride in that regard as I was never able to break into the top 3. I think that has been my main motivator to try and keep up with the talent in QLD. Another thing that has helped my consistency I feel is I really tried to stick to one character at a time for the most part. I’ve always preached this as one of the reasons for my success as it helped develop my fundamentals as a player and made me seek different options and play as tight as possible in difficult matchups. Nowadays that I’m not as competitive I find that I will dabble in a number of characters to keep the game interesting.
2) You've had a long history of being a Tournament Organiser for Ranbats and also was part of the team that ran the QLD major Sunny Side Up. What was the most stressful experience you had as a TO and what are some of the most fulfilling moments you had in this role?
> Nearly all of Sunny Side Up was stressful to run. But one moment in particular stands out, the transition from top 64 to top 8 on Sunday. Having to move all of our gear upstairs including the entire stream setup as well as all the setups. And then the stream completely dying while everyone was eagerly waiting for top 8 complaining why it hasn’t started yet. There was just this utter feeling of despair, disappointment and guilt that broke me as a TO in that moment, which I think is ultimately what has led me to taking a lesser role within organising in QLD. But TOing as a whole has been a fulfilling experience watching the scene grow and revive during the dark ages of smash 4. Fight for Flight in particular would have had to be my most fulfilling experience. Organising that event series with Ben, Lachlan and Daniel there was a strong feeling of hope that ultimately drove us to try our best to keep the scene alive and thriving. I look back on it fondly.
3) You're one of the most prominent speed runners in QLD. What is it is about speedrunning that appeals to you so much?
> Speedrunning has quickly become a fond interest of mine. I read a tweet which summed it up perfectly recently. “The joy of Speedrunning comes from learning a new skill in a game you love”. Being able to go back to games that I loved playing as a kid and being able to add a competitive element is really compelling. I’ve gained a bit of a backlog of games that I plan to speedrun in the future which is more or less just all of the games I played in my childhood.
4) Speed runs can often fall apart when you least expect it. What advice do you have for others around dealing with failure and keeping focussed on your goals?
> I think the best mentality to have in speed games from what I’ve heard from experienced runners is to not get attached to runs. The moment you feel attached to a particular run because it’s going really well or you’re on really good pace after a big dry run the moment you become too attached to the run the harder it is to stay composed and to not make mistakes. But more or less you just have to keep getting back up and trying again until you hit your goals.
5) If someone was interested in starting speed running for the first time, what would be a good place to start?
> I definitely think Super Mario 64 is a good place to start. It has a thriving community, a tonne of resources and lots of interesting skills. It is definitely one of the more technical and difficult speedruns but you can set your own difficulty with the route you choose. I think it really helps develop the mentality that you need to approach other speed games that have less resources and smaller communities.
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You can find Flex frequently pushing games to their absolute limits at Twitch.tv/FlexVonSexPecs. The current project is conquering the classic game Simpsons Hit and Run so go chuck him a follow
> Ever since I found out about smash tourneys like 6 years ago now, my main goal was to become a top player. And I feel like I was really driven to try and achieve that for the most part. Beyond that I wanted to enter the upper echelon somewhere in the top 3. I was always the bridesmaid and never the bride in that regard as I was never able to break into the top 3. I think that has been my main motivator to try and keep up with the talent in QLD. Another thing that has helped my consistency I feel is I really tried to stick to one character at a time for the most part. I’ve always preached this as one of the reasons for my success as it helped develop my fundamentals as a player and made me seek different options and play as tight as possible in difficult matchups. Nowadays that I’m not as competitive I find that I will dabble in a number of characters to keep the game interesting.
2) You've had a long history of being a Tournament Organiser for Ranbats and also was part of the team that ran the QLD major Sunny Side Up. What was the most stressful experience you had as a TO and what are some of the most fulfilling moments you had in this role?
> Nearly all of Sunny Side Up was stressful to run. But one moment in particular stands out, the transition from top 64 to top 8 on Sunday. Having to move all of our gear upstairs including the entire stream setup as well as all the setups. And then the stream completely dying while everyone was eagerly waiting for top 8 complaining why it hasn’t started yet. There was just this utter feeling of despair, disappointment and guilt that broke me as a TO in that moment, which I think is ultimately what has led me to taking a lesser role within organising in QLD. But TOing as a whole has been a fulfilling experience watching the scene grow and revive during the dark ages of smash 4. Fight for Flight in particular would have had to be my most fulfilling experience. Organising that event series with Ben, Lachlan and Daniel there was a strong feeling of hope that ultimately drove us to try our best to keep the scene alive and thriving. I look back on it fondly.
3) You're one of the most prominent speed runners in QLD. What is it is about speedrunning that appeals to you so much?
> Speedrunning has quickly become a fond interest of mine. I read a tweet which summed it up perfectly recently. “The joy of Speedrunning comes from learning a new skill in a game you love”. Being able to go back to games that I loved playing as a kid and being able to add a competitive element is really compelling. I’ve gained a bit of a backlog of games that I plan to speedrun in the future which is more or less just all of the games I played in my childhood.
4) Speed runs can often fall apart when you least expect it. What advice do you have for others around dealing with failure and keeping focussed on your goals?
> I think the best mentality to have in speed games from what I’ve heard from experienced runners is to not get attached to runs. The moment you feel attached to a particular run because it’s going really well or you’re on really good pace after a big dry run the moment you become too attached to the run the harder it is to stay composed and to not make mistakes. But more or less you just have to keep getting back up and trying again until you hit your goals.
5) If someone was interested in starting speed running for the first time, what would be a good place to start?
> I definitely think Super Mario 64 is a good place to start. It has a thriving community, a tonne of resources and lots of interesting skills. It is definitely one of the more technical and difficult speedruns but you can set your own difficulty with the route you choose. I think it really helps develop the mentality that you need to approach other speed games that have less resources and smaller communities.
===
You can find Flex frequently pushing games to their absolute limits at Twitch.tv/FlexVonSexPecs. The current project is conquering the classic game Simpsons Hit and Run so go chuck him a follow
by Mittens 04/07/2021 00:00:00
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