Monday, May 30, 2011

Ghostayame Lessons


    The reason I wrote this blog was to explain what my lessons have to offer. I have been getting a lot of questions concerning the content of my lessons, so I figured it was finally time to compile a solid synopsis about them.  I actually have a certain structure to my lessons; since I offer both individual and team lessons, each one differs dramatically. On top of that, I change each lesson plan depending on the previous knowledge of my student(s) because of the large learning curve in Halo:Reach.  However, both individual and team lessons start out with a thorough presentation on the entire Halo:Reach spawn system and how it works.

   Once the students learn the inner workings of the game on each map, we move into the second stage of lessons. If it’s an individual lesson plan, then we normally move onto film review. I normally request the student to save films where they play individually well, but end up losing the game. That way, I can best assess their strategy and choices throughout each game.  Once we go through a few films, I begin to build a relationship with the student. I can start to tell what strengths and weaknesses they possess, and how to work on each.  I also pick out the little problems that they have in-game, so it's really crucial that we go over multiple films to determine where the student most needs help.

   When the student feels like they have a detailed understanding of the game and good personal study habits, we can move onto the teamwork side of lessons where I go over strategy, setups, starting spawns, and also communication/teamwork. Since teammates change constantly, it's always good to start out with a base individual structure rather than spending money on people that might leave the team in a week. On top of that, you'll have better knowledge about the game than any teammate you'll come across in the future, so you're seen as an asset to any team out there. 

   Now, if you’re ready for team lessons instead, we’ll move right into communication, strategy, setups, and a ton of teamwork techniques.  I’ll first cover what my team uses in regards to strategic thinking, and then the student team can offer their input and questions as to why or why not it will work in-game.  I also offer a more structured lesson plan in team lessons which can be seen on my YouTube Channel.  I give lessons to eight players from the group, Ancient Warriors.  You can also view my gameplay reviews and individual lessons there. So make sure to check that out if you want a first-hand look at a Ghostayame Lesson. 

   After each lesson, I send my student a Post-Lesson Teacher Evaluation Form so I can learn from my lessons, too.  Here’s an example of one I received from Luis (RosyCrazyman) :

UoR Ghostayame Post-Lesson Survey and Evaluation

Students, just like my lessons, please be as critical as you can, whether it's positive or negative. The more strengths and flaws you point out, the better my lessons will be in the future. I carefully read each and every one of your answers, so please fill them out legibly, completely, and honestly. If you don’t have an answer, just leave the response blank. Thank you.

1. What did you like about the lesson?
 I like the fact that your practice is one on one with your students. I also like that you’re flexible with your Students’ schedules.

2. What didn't you like about the lesson?
 To be honest, I liked everything about each lesson.

3. Was I clear and thorough throughout my entire lesson?
 Yes, you were.

4. What did I do most effectively?
 The way you just break every film down and the spawn points ‘cause before your lessons, I didn’t understand them.

5. What problems arose during the lesson and did I solve them?
There was never a problem.

6. How could I have made the lesson more interesting?
If you could be at your students house while you’re giving the lesson maybe lol

7. Did I complete the objectives you were looking to obtain?
Yes, you did.

8. What did I do that was not effective in reaching your objectives?
You’re doing your part, it’s just I need to step it up and play smarter.

9. What other strategies could I have used to attain the objectives?
I just need to apply what I learn from the films we go over.

10. Did I pace the lesson appropriately? Did I use the entire period effectively?
Yes, you did.

Lastly, please leave any extra comments, concerns or questions you have regarding my lessons. Once again, thank you for your time and input, and I look forward to working again with you in the future. 
Just keep doing what you’re doing, you opened my eyes on a new way to play halo, and I’m sure that your students will keep coming back for more lessons

   I hope you, the reader, are interested in being one of my students. I really look forward to teaching each and every one of my clients to the best of my ability.  It’s pretty amazing to see the results after a couple weeks. I’ve seen all of my students get noticeably better over the course of their lesson plan. They start making great decisions on top of having punctual positioning. Every student demonstrates eye-opening determination and progress that really reminds me of myself when I was first starting up. I still remember what Walshy told me at my first local event in NYC, “Bring ball down low from library instead of playing it.”  I listened to each and every word of advice that any pro was kindly enough to give. If you’re the same way, then these lessons are definitely for you.

Ghostayame Lesson Testimonials:

Andrew (USELESSxSNIPER) wrote, “watching films caused me to realize what my flaws are, big and small. I forgot to tell you, but your first lesson actually allowed me to be placed on an NGL team as a coach since I understand and study the spawns now. Great lesson.  Anyone who wants aid in gameplay and game knowledge should definitely look into your lessons.”

Danny (dsolisDOOM) said, “These lessons are top notch.  There's no better place to get this kind of insight into Halo.  The lessons are packed with information on everything from map control and opening strategies to practice philosophy and work ethic.  Ghost breaks down complex game concepts in an easy-to-understand fashion.  The direct interaction with an MLG pro of this caliber is invaluable when it comes to improving your game play.  Ghost gives you honest and direct feedback on every aspect of your play.  Whether you're a casual or hardcore gamer, there's definitely something for everyone in these sessions.  I highly recommend a lesson from Ghostayame.”

Mike (airfalcon2) said, “I’m writing this letter of review from lessons given to the group “Ancient Warriors”. Our group are all over 30 years of age with some being in there 50’s and 60’s. I’m retired from the U.S. Military and have attended many training classes. In the classes Eric instructed our group posted 8 players for his instruction.  Eric has conducted 4 classes for our group in an effort to improve our knowledge of MLG game play. Eric’s unique ability to demonstrate advanced tactics, weapons usage and strategies was excellent. He conducted himself in a professional manner beyond his years. His willingness to insure all members understood all information was well received. In closing, I would highly recommend Eric to anyone looking to improve their Halo game play. He is an excellent instructor who has strived to improve our game.”

Len Bose (BC490 Miltiades) wrote, “As an older gamer, there is a certain amount of professionalism I require too obtain my consideration and repeat business. Those items are: respond to my inquiries in a timely manner, show up on time, have a prepared lesson plan, present a large knowledge base of the topic, then adjust the presentation to the ability of the students.

Ghost does all this in an effortless manner; in fact, he takes it three steps further. I like to call this ‘Going the extra mile for your clients.’ Our group of players will have purchased 8 lessons from Ghost and after each lesson, each one of us lean back in our chairs and just say ‘WOW, I did not know you can do that.‘ We take another half hour just to debrief after each lesson.

Eric has earned an extraordinary large amount of trust from me and after a very short time I consider him a friend. Should you wish any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.”

 I hope that all of this answers any questions you have about my lessons. However, if it doesn't, please feel free to contact me at gh057ayame@gmail.com. You can also contact me through that email if you're interested in purchasing lessons or any other services.

Prices:

$30/hour Individual Lessons
$40/hour Team Lessons

Buy three lessons, get one free!


Contact Information/Websites:

Ghostayame.com
YouTube
Justin.tv
Twitter
Email at GH057ayame@gmail.com

Monday, April 11, 2011

Our Match versus Status Quo on Friday Night MLG Dallas 2011 Explained

It seems that this is still a heated topic, so I'm going to clear it up for you guys.  Keep in mind that it's over and we're over it.  This is just an explanation from my point of view.

So it's Friday night of the Season Opener at Dallas 2011.  There's a new bracket system put into play this season that includes pool play to determine where you're placed in the Winners or Losers bracket of the tournament.  You can check out all the rules and settings at Major League Gaming's website if you'd like.  Anyways, we had to play Second Nature first (Goatsi, Trigga, FeaR, Entry). We 3-0'ed them. Next, we played UoR Invictus (Watch, Calm, Swift Kill, Ninja). We 3-1'ed them. Our last match of the night was against Status Quo.  Going into this match, we know we only needed to win two games in order to win our pool (as long as we took care of the Amateur team the next day).  Well, game one was Element CTF.  It was back and forth all game, but we eventually lost 5-4.  Game two was a TS game, don't remember which map, but we ended up winning 50-36 I believe.  Game three was Sanctuary Assault. We outslayed them the entire game, but just couldn't get the bomb armed.  Props to them for securing a quick plant to allow them to win 1-0 though.  That's always tough to manage.

Game four was Countdown CTF.  This was just like game one, it went back and forth the entire length of the match. It was finally tied up 4-4.  At a certain point in time, I was about three seconds into my death screen, Snipedown and Enable were bottom Tri-Lift, and another member of Status Quo was on our flag.  The rest of the team members were scattered across the map, or maybe even sQ had one down, I'm not sure.  But as Enable went up our tri-lift, Snipedown surprised him and followed him up our tri-lift.  At the same time, the sQ member pulled our flag and ran it Jetpack towards Evade/Snipe 2. By the time Snipedown got up the tri-lift, he had melee'ed Enable three times, leaving Enable dead and himself stuck at the top of it.  He couldn't move, and tried grenading himself out, but it was useless.  The second Enable died, he saw on his deathcam that Snipedown was stuck, so he told his team to keep running the flag 'cause he was motionless. 

I spawned our top balcony around five seconds into Snipedown being stuck. He had been yelling asking the referee to stop the game or something, but the unfamiliar referee just let it play on, which he rightfully should have at this point.  There's no rule in place yet for getting stuck in the lift. On top of that, it was now 2:00AM - he wanted to go to bed.  So I eventually 'naded Snipedown out of the lift, but by that time, sQ already had our flag at their dropdown area.  Our efforts were futile.  Now, if Snipedown didn't get stuck in the lift, was there a chance at a return? Most likely.  They were down a man and another was running the flag.  However, with our key player being stuck, it rendered him useless.  So they capped the last flag and won 5-4 Countdown CTF, and proceeded to win the series 3-1.

They came over, said the usual sQ, "Good games bro, good games brah." Daps, pounds. And then also said that they knew about that glitch since it happened at the LAN Network.  So, since there has yet to be a rule enforced regarding the lift glitch, Status Quo took advantage of it and secured the series win.  There's always going to be "What If's" after a tournament, but I don't care about that. I care to see that this glitch be addressed in the rules of MLG Reach Settings.  I have been apart of multiple rule situations in the past.  The first one was when Hysteria's box died and we were forced to replay the game.  The other was when Cloud took the Oddball into an illegal spot after they had already won by time, which should have been a forfeited game, but we knew they had already won fair and square, so we gave them the win.

So after Saturday morning matches, it came down to the series between UoR Invictus and Swagger Like Us to see who won our Pool.  sLu ended up 3-0'ing UoR Invictus, thus giving Status Quo the Head-To-Head win over us, UoR Dynasty.  Yes, it sucked it happened to us. It's sweet that it happened to Status Quo. But we know Status Quo didn't "make it happen." All those jokes are ridiculous. It'd be nice if in the future, there was extensive research, through YouTube or just gameplay, to see if there are any glitches that can truly affect the outcome of a game.  Ever since the Box Freeze incident, I always ask myself, what if that happened in the National Championship Finals? What would you do then?

Lastly, we have no issues with Status Quo, nor any specific member on the team. Quite the opposite. We're all pretty good friends and it was just the heat of the moment that night accompanied with an unfortunate series of events. Congrats to them for continually advancing in their bracket and eventually acquiring their first tournament win. Going through a year and a half of teaming to win the first tournament of a new game is quite the accomplishment. There's a lot of hard work, dedication, determination, and loyalty on that team and I truly respect that. Congrats again, you guys deserve it.

-Eric

P.S. - If I got any information wrong, please comment and I'll be sure to edit my post. Once again, it's from my point of view.

Wiz Khalifa

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