Whilst watching the CSS scene recently, I have been hearing various different opinions on the subject of friendships, managers, top teams and going pro. In this article I will be exploring friendships inside of teams and how to get motivation without upsetting your friends, and hopefully find some sort of formula or balance between friendship and strictness, to create the perfect team and to go pro.

First of all I will be tackling the subject of friendships, friendships in my opinion are a vital part of a team, if you can’t trust that your team mate will be covering your back, you will not be playing at your best, because instead of giving your position 100% concentration, you will be constantly looking over your shoulder and trying to cover yourself. On the other hand there has to be a limit, a line between being a soft touch, and being a dictator, a medium value that will create the perfect team, I for one, haven’t found it yet, but it is obviously out there, and someone must know more than I do on the subject.

"For us as a team, it's been very important for us to be friends with each other. Everyone has to be able to get along with each other or you won't be able to cope with each other while you are on bootcamp/LAN for a long time. It's essential that everyone respects each others opinions and that you are open-minded to ideas of your fellow players. Ingame we have a dictator, which is AirRaid, but he will listen to us as players to hear our input. Outside of the game we are all leaders, everyone arranges something every now and then and everyone has to agree before we make decisions (like which LANs to go to, if we fly/drive, etc).

"If you talk about organisations then that's another story. A big part of Fnatic is being a family, the management and teams are all friendly towards each other and that's really important if you want to be able to communicate with one and another. On the other hand it's important to keep a professional attitude towards your management as they are always looking for the best thing for their organisation (and after that for the individual teams).

"So what I'm trying to say is, see your management as your friends, until 'business decisions' have to be made. Then keep your foot down and try to achieve what is best for the team, as your management will do the same for the organisation." – Darky, Fnatic

"I feel a complete bond between you and your team mates is essential for being a good team. If you are good friends out of the game then it reflects through your teamwork ingame. As for management, keeping in close contact and getting to know them well really helps. If someone is a good mate of yours then they will go out their way to help you however they can." – Farley, Infused Gaming

"Finding a perfect team is difficult, and you rarely see it happen. You need to maintain a level of professionalism in game that is totally unrelated to your out of game relationship. However, on the same tone you will find it hard to be in a team with players you are not friends with as you have to trust them to a certain extent to be successful as a team." – Carrel, eSource

"Well, ideally a team leader needs to lay down the law whenever it needs to be done, but even so, should remain friendly, there's no point in alienating your players through constant beration and abuse. If they're doing something wrong, you should tell them, but if they're continually repeating the same mistake, well, they're an eejit and a quiet word on the side may be in order. But never should they rage at their team, or the player in question, it pisses people off and demoralises the team as a whole, thus doing a lot more damage than good. Secret formula? 2 dashes of friendliness with a twist of please don’t fuck up!" – Menegroth, Anomaly

"Well I think that when you are practicing, you should be practicing, and you should concentrate on it. On the other side, there should always be time to talk with your team-mates, have fun etc. It’s also good to spend a lot of time in real life with them, as friends, so you get to know each other better." – PhP, eSuba

"The formula depends on individuals... Some people require very little guidance in terms of behaviours and are quite intuitive at how they operate within a team. Others are completely oblivious to how their actions impact on others, and sometimes team mates don't feel comfortable saying anything about it. The key to effective management, much like the game itself is communication, for example, if someone's behaviour is negatively impacting on the rest of the team a good manager should really let them know in a way that is non-judgemental initially. It might be they genuinely aren't aware and change after it is highlighted.

"Of course if they are not willing to make changes for the good of the team then it has to be your decision to make other changes. It's not anything I enjoy, but sometimes you have to be able to address such conflicts head on and represent the teams best interests. This doesn't make you a dictator, merely a leader. I don't think the two should be confused. Finding the perfect balance is a different matter, you have to listen to how a team interacts during games, what they do in their down time. If they are naturally inclined to spend time together without arguing, bickering or anything else that indicates they may struggle to get along, you're on to a winner. I've been associated with teams in the past that have had this kind of tension and sadly it rarely works out." – Dr.Gonzo, xciteuk

There are plenty of unknown players who are good, and are 1 step below being pro, I’m going to find out what the unknowns think is holding them back and what they think the major differences are between the pro’s and the rest of us. A lot of players in this “middle section” have the ability to go far, but what is holding them back? Commitments to deadwood teams? Friendships with less skilled/ambitious players? How do players take the next step on the ladder to going pro? How do they make there dreams a reality?

"I play the game to enjoy it with friends so my opinion on the matter may be slightly irrelevant, although, to be considered "pro" imo, you have to get known by making some shock results against "pros" or join a recognised team. There's only so far you can go by simply playing online. I consider pros to be people who regularly attend big lans and commit alot of their time to the game. I guess the only reason why unknown players aren't pro yet is because they either don't want to make such a big commitment or are still building on their e-rep. Only thing holding me back is myself, people have different interests and goals to reach within the game. I personally don't like the attitudes of many "pros" and wouldn't really like to play on a team full of them. I find the game much more enjoyable with friends."
 – Termi, The Illuminati

"The difference between "pros" and non-pros is the fact that pros play at the higher level of the game, and as there is only a SMALL minority of people who are good enough to give them a game, the rest don’t get the chance. I think, because a lot of good players (not all), have huge egos and because they are good at the game, they think anyone who isn’t up to their standard, is bad, I think that the main problem today, is the unknown players don’t a chance to play and improve with pro’s, but everyone has to start somewhere and "deadwood clans" is just the beginning. A lot of people don’t care about being the best or playing the high tier of the game and they play for fun, because what is the point in playing something that takes a lot of your time if you don’t enjoy it? but I really do think the game would be a lot better if the higher skilled teams, helped the less skilled teams to progress and share some of their vast experience with them." – Shigeru, Tactical Chaos Team

Now, one thing is for sure and that is that you need to be friendly to your team mates/leader/manager, but always keep professionalism. But I’m still not convinced that this is all there is to it, there has to be more, surely CSS talent isn’t in your genes? What do the pro’s think separates the top teams from the rest??

"It's hard to generalise all "mid teams", but if you want to reach the top you need to play with players who have the same goals and who are at the same level as you. You're going to have plenty of chances to show everyone that you can play, in officials etc. The biggest difference between a top team and a mid team is that a top team has really developed to their full potential and a mid team probably has tactical flaws and skill differences." – Haz, Stockholm Magnetik

"I think one of the main problems of the talented players is their commitments with their current team/friends. They barely ever want to abandon them in the chance of getting into a team that could go to the top. Also when you don't have experience to rely on, you need to put in that extra bit of  work with a proper warm-up before the matches and/or watching demo's of other players on your positions to learn more and more. It's vital that you keep updated on how your opponents play or you'll get caught off guard. It's important to take the right step at the right time, if you see or get an offer for a better team try to have the 'courage' to take the step and put a lot of effort into it, if you don't do it then your team won't." – Darky, Fnatic

"CSS isn’t a talent you get in your genes for sure, my parents never played any kind of computer games, apart from my dad he played Aladdin on SEGA :] I think what separates the top from the rest is the amount of practise you put into the game, practising against bots and just playing a hell of a lot. I think what holds back alot of players is the fact that they don’t realise you have to practise a hell of a lot. Also what I learnt is to play with better players, you learn a lot from them and can put it into your game. Friendship with lower skilled/ambitious players shouldn't hold you back, if you aren't the same skill level, sure still play with them but look for other teams which are your skill level. You will never improve sticking in a dead end team. My experience from the CGS - which of course leads to players becoming professionals - has shown me that you need to really get on with the people in your team in and out of the game. Also to practise a lot (again), many people for the CGS, quit there jobs - that is commitment to reach the goals you dream of." – Pez, The Last Resort

"The gap between being mid skilled and pro is not as big as many people think. Most players who are medium skill, have already found their style to play, which is very important in my eyes. The biggest difference between medium skilled and pro is that most pro teams don’t have any weak players, unlike mid skilled team who often have 1 or 2 players who are not playing at the same level as the rest of the team. Another difference is the advantage that most TOP teams can usually always pick TOP players from other teams to become the best team, whereas  unknown medium skilled teams don’t have the opportunity  to pick other special key players who could help the team to become better because they can’t offer as much as the pro teams. The third and final point is, in my eyes, one of the most important points, most top players have played for a long time, longer than other players. They’ve got more experience, sometimes better aim and they just know what to do in most situations. This is one of the biggest advantages for them because they often know what their opponent is doing. This is what most medium skilled players do not know, they don’t know how their enemies react." – LitchBlade, mTw

"There was once a team in Czech, called defiance. They were in real life friends, total newbs, they didn’t know how to buy a gun or anything. But they had dream. They practiced everyday, they knew they weren’t very good but it didn’t matter for them. They just enjoyed the game, did their best, talked everything etc. They placed last at every LAN they attended. After one and a half years they were one of top3 teams in Czech Republic. So, do not let anyone take you your dream. I think the biggest problem is that people cant accept the loss. They just change roster over and over again. Always try your best, be friendly, don’t be arrogant to those who are worse than you and don’t flame those better than you. Practice, and have fun!" – PhP, eSuba

"Firstly, the UK scene is pretty tight in terms of networking and contacts. While it isn't always the case, getting that lucky break and meeting, playing and then subsequently getting along with a good set of players once can carry you far in terms of "trials" and opportunities. This is especially true as long as the UK maintains its "merry go round" approach to teams. It'd be unprofessional to name names but there are a number of players who are currently playing for teams based on either personal relationships or past reputations that shouldn't be, carried by better players. This will, of course, change as the game becomes more focused on professionalism and competitiveness. CGS won't be paying carried players their wages for too long as it is not viable.

"Secondly, a lot of players out there seem to think they deserve rewards but ultimately put in no work. A good player will train all the time, will work on areas he's weak, look to be the all round player. They will watch demos, ask around for tips from better players, try and play in as many competitions as possible against the best opposition available. Too many UK teams and players duck out of doing this, especially online, and it shows when we come to compete at LAN. A good player knows he learns more from his defeats than he does from his victories, but too many won't even watch a demo of when they've had a bad game. Watching yourself  play and imagining it's someone else is the biggest eye opener I'd recommend. When you see all your mistakes laid bare the next logical step is to correct them. A combination of hard work and involvement in the community will bring the rewards to the players who are hungry enough. At the moment there are too many part-time gamers who want full-time rewards and that simply will not wash anymore." – Dr.Gonzo, xciteuk

In conclusion, it is quite apparent that we need to practice lots, get a team of friends who are all at the same skill level and have the same ambitions as us. We then need to make sure that the team knows when to have fun and when to listen. From there, it depends entirely on the team and its members and management. Good managers need to be able to adapt to working with all different types of members, as this is the internet, and there is such a wide range of personalities around. Good players need to be able to find there flaws and work on them until all the creases are ironed out. There is no book or guide on how to create the perfect team, you’ve just got to follow your instincts, train lots, and follow your dream through until the end. One things for certain and that is the amount of folding that goes on, teams don’t stay together long enough to become really good friends and to develop as a team. There is only so much you can do as an individual, but it’s what you do as a team that defines the best from the rest, look for example at arguably the best team in the UK, London Mint, they’ve had a solid roster for quite a while now and have achieved things that most teams could only dream of. Take a look at Fnatic, ranked number 1 in Europe according to Cadred, they have had a solid lineup for a year or so now. So, with all this evidence suggesting that good teams will come from sticking together through thick and thin, why do teams keep folding? We need it to stop so that the UK scene can advance, time after time I’ve read articles saying this exact same thing, especially after i30, but still, 2 i-series on and it seems people still haven’t got the message. Instead of people putting each other down, why can’t the UK scene support each other? Instead of calling people bad and flaming them, why don’t you we give each other backing and praise? On the verge of i32, it will be interesting to see what happens, and hopefully a UK team can win.