RIT, also known as the Rochester Institute of Technology, played their first match in a LAN setting, inviting their opponents over to play with them. Ben, who was responsible for setting this up, gave some comments on how it went, how he thinks the team is doing, and what the CCL season may look like for his team.
Who did you play, and how did the match go?
We invited FLCC to RIT to play their first match of their season against us in a LAN setting. I have done similar setups like this before, but you would not believe the amount of technical difficulties we ran into. Our match ended up being delayed 2 hours because of them.
How do you think it went? Is your team performing well?
As for our team, we definitely have something really good going. Last season was rough. We had two teams that weren't all there and it was just a mess. This year we have one team filled, all 8 players, and we really have a strong team bond. Because of that we manage to practice a lot with each other. Our typical schedule is as follows, Friday's we meet in person to discuss plans for the semester and scheduling, we meet Sunday's at our esport practice room and go over VODs or strats for our next matches. These meetings in person are key to keeping the team invested and working together. And as you can tell by our record, 3-1, the practice has been paying off. Last year we had 2 wins I think? Maybe it was just 1 actual win between BOTH teams!
How did you set up the team at the LAN for their match?
For the LAN we set the RIT students up on the RIT Esport "computer" setups and they used their own headphones, controllers, and PS4s. Luckily last semester the RIT Esport club bought us 5 PS4s so we set up those with monitors provided by EGS (Electronic Gaming Society) another gaming club at RIT. FLCC brought their own headphones and controllers as well.
Some note for setting up LANs, make sure everyone who's playing can actually play the game. A couple FLCC members used discs at home, but didnt bring them. We installed digital copies on the RIT Esport's PS4s so we had to use an account from our previous manager so an FLCC member could play. Also, make sure the games are updated! That was my bad, but I forgot to update them the day before so we had to wait 30mins to an hour for the updates.
Do you think it paid off? Was it exciting or did it help your team?
The LAN definitely paid off. Not only for my team but for FLCC as well. Especially for them. They have only scrimmed once before, they said they have no idea what the CCL culture and experience is really like, so the fact that our LAN was their first real experience was amazing. We all had a really fun time and everyone enjoyed it, even though we beat them 3-0 we all were smiling and having a good time.
How do you feel your university's season will go this year?
For our season I think we have a real chance finishing top 6 in our division. We have a lot of good teams like Humber and Penn State Blue and White, but with how much improvement we have already made since starting to practice in the fall, I think we stand a real chance giving everyone (in our division), but Humber a run for their money.
