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John "ZeRo4 "Hill Interview

Author: Roger LaMarca Published: 2002-07-29	(Post a Comment)

ZeRo4 (John Hill) is considered by many the best Quake3 player in the world. He is reigning World Cyber Games Q3 Champion and reigning QuakeCon Champion. He will be competing at this year's QuakeConevent. Download ZeRo4's config here.

PlanetQuake3:How did you get into gaming in the first place?
ZeRo4: My dad bought my family a 486 when I was around 10-11. There I somehow got a hold of the DOOM shareware and eventually the full version. I played that a ton and then quake1 came out. I didn't get into it that much until I moved in which case I didn't really know anybody. My dad suggested playing quake1 online so I tried and loved it. Also I loved playing Diablo and War2 online during the same time.

PlanetQuake3: Are you happy with the choice of maps for the QuakeCon Q3 tourney?
ZeRo4: I'm very happy with pro-q3tourney4, pro-q3dm6, and ztn3tourney1. Those are by far the most popular maps played today and tournaments should reflect what is played by the gamers. I could agree and disagree with osp8, but it will defiantly add some spice to the tourney. It seems like a 1v1 compatible map so in the end I think QuakeCon did an excellent job picking these maps.

PlanetQuake3: Do you think you will win the QuakeCon Q3 Tourney?
ZeRo4: I'm not too sure what Europeans are coming, but if few or many come it is going to be a difficult tournament. Anybody has a chance on beating any other person on a given day so I don't know. I'll prepare hard for the tournament just like I always do though.

PlanetQuake3: What is the average day of ZeRo4 like?
ZeRo4: Well during the school year it's wakeup, shower, school, lift, homework, computer. It's been similar to that this summer since I've been taking classes so I can take AP's this upcoming year. I hang out with friends, go to movies, and do the normal teenage stuff I guess. I also LAN before big tourneys like QuakeCon.

PlanetQuake3: Who do you play against the most?
ZeRo4: I play against Sector the most because he is a very good player. He beats me around if I'm slacking and always keeps me thinking. He's a really cool guy and we always play and LAN with each other before big tourneys.

PlanetQuake3: What are some of your favorite Quake3 maps and mods?
ZeRo4: My favorite maps are pro-q3dm6, pro-q3tourney4, ztn3tourney1, and tourney2. All four of those maps show a different quality of skill and are fun to play on. I'm playing in the CPMA tourney put on by DK and it is a fun mod. It's a mix between QuakeWorld and Quake3 with its own unique characteristics. I like how you can rail a spawn and kill them like Quake2 which was my first competitive game. I used to enjoy playing RocketArena3 until all the cheats came out and people are constantly running and hiding.

PlanetQuake3: On your new site ZeRo4.com you have a stock ticker which shows some of the most important companies to the gaming community. What is your opinion on the recent collapse of companies like WorldCom and in general also do you think more gamers should be concerned with the state of companies that are vital to the success of the gaming community.
ZeRo4: I think the individuals that committed fraud should go to jail. I feel sorry for the investors that were lied to. I also feel sorry for the people that are going to lose their jobs because of such an incident. I do think though that the press is taking the confidence away from the stock market and that is why it has been falling lately. And no for the 2nd question.

PlanetQuake3: Do you ever watch demos of yourself playing and analyze them for mistakes you might have made to get better?
ZeRo4: I don't because whenever I lose a game I know exactly what I did wrong. If I watch demos of myself losing and see the mistake I knew I did I just want to shoot myself in the foot.

PlanetQuake3: When playing in a match, are you ever nervous, or are you so used to it now?
ZeRo4: I used to get really nervous when I first started entering huge tourneys. Now I get a thrill in playing in tourneys. For anybody who does get nervous it will go away once you've had enough experience.

PlanetQuake3: How do you prepare yourself for a big match?
ZeRo4: Well I know my friend sector has had problems with food, but until I get food poisoning I'll just eat normally whatever sounds good. I tend to listen to music before big matches, it pumps me up, focuses myself, and almost gives the feeling I'm playing from home.

PlanetQuake3: How many hours a day do you practice?
ZeRo4: I practice a lot less than most people think. Usually it's 0-2 hours a day depending on what I'm doing and/or how much homework I have. Before big tournament events I'll usually LAN 2-3 times within a 2 month period.

PlanetQuake3: Over all the tournaments you have played in, what types of prizes have you won?
ZeRo4: In most tournaments I've won cash prizes. Other goodies include mice, mouse pads, keyboards, new computers, speakers, various hardware components, and bawls!

PlanetQuake3: From what you've seen about Doom3 so far, what are your thoughts about it?
ZeRo4: I defiantly plan on playing it. Like all id games I'd assume it will have a really good and fun platform for multiplayer. The only thing I'm worried about from what I saw at E3 was player movement. It seemed a little slow but Fredo (Fred Nilsson, id Software employee) said they might increase that for multiplayer. It's in such an early stage that anything could change from now so we just have to see.

PlanetQuake3: Do you go to many LAN parties or play Quake3 online on public servers?
ZeRo4: There aren't that many people we play q3 in San Diego. I do though LAN with Juggalo and Sector once in a while, but I mainly play on public servers like jade and spkz.

PlanetQuake3: How did you come up with your name "ZeRo4"?
ZeRo4: I came up with ZeRo4 when I was signing up for www.zone.com to play war2 online. Zero was my favorite song back then by the Smashing Pumpkins but it was taken so I put a 4 at the end because the song is on the 4th track. The name has stuck ever since, except I do have a different alias like every day when I play on public servers.

PlanetQuake3: Who is your biggest supporter?
ZeRo4: Defiantly my dad. He has supported me from the start even thought I didn't start off too well.

ZeRo4's PC Specs:
CPU: Pentium 4 1.8 ghrz
Video Card: Geforce4 4600 128 DDR RAM
Mouse: Microsoft Intellimouse PS/2 with the ball
Mouse pad: allsop mouse pad
Monitor: Iiyama Vision master pro 450
Internet Connection: Road Runner Cable

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