Hello everybody! This time we have a French dirt driver who has been really active in the dirt scene for years. Say hello to Deejay! More information about the project here.
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1. Could you tell us something about yourself?
My name is Julien, I'm 21 and I live in a French city near to Reims (capital of the famous Champagne!) I was until now studying business and electronic but I join the French military police this summer, so if you recognize me on the roads, say me that you come from TrackMania ahah! About my hobbies, I really like eSport, I like soccer (supporting the French team "Olympique Lyonnais"), I also like riding mountain-bike (XC).
2. How and when did you find Trackmania?
I played Counter-Strike Source during 4 or 5 years maybe, but I wanted to focus on a (more quiet) game cause I was quite aggressive with my family and my school results were bad. For example I was playing CSS until 2 or 3am every day and I was only 12 or 13 yo. Then I started to play TrackMania in 2010, thanks to an IRL friend.
3. Since I have known you in the game you have played dirt. What did make you play that style?
As everyone, I started on the high-list servers with lol maps, short maps, FS maps and so on. But maybe 2 or 3 weeks after starting the game, I randomly connected myself to the server "Xeres Cross" and it was over, I felt in love with the style. Since I'm a child I like dirt racing sports IRL (MX, WRC, ...) and be able to ride and jump with an F1 on the mud, that was an evidence to like TM Dirt "environment".
4. Let’s ask these musts first: who is the best dirt driver(s) to you
a) During TMNF era?
Well, during TMNF era it's quite complicated to spotlight a single driver. I mean, there are over the years several players who really putted their footprint in the competitions palmaris and in the dedimanias. If I had to give five names, it would be 'Gswe81', 'Florent', 'Mc.Joey', 'Fool' and maybe 'Kitos'. I wasn't here during all the era but it's the players which impressed me the most during my TMNF years.
b) In TM2S right now?
For TM2S the choice is really easier, without any hesitation it’s 'Bepino'. There's just a gap between him and the others. I mean, if he hunt a map as hell, I'm pretty sure every Top2 could be +0.3s or more over. Although despite this supremacy, I think some other names like 'Speed U Need', 'Fire', 'Vennike' or 'BossWanted' are really great Dirt players and could beat anyone too.
5. Dirt community was probably the quickest gang who left TMNF for TM2S back then. Dirt also has a bit difference in physics between the games. How well did the people adapt the new game?
Yeah the switch was really fast. The first non-nadeo server created few mins after the release was a Dirt server lol. In fact, if Dirt community was waiting TM2S that much, it's because we had a lot of expectations: new blocks, no bugs, ranking, free to play, and so on. And even if the "new" game was quite far to offer us all that stuff, we logically did the switch in the first days. For example the 24H of Dirt race which was supposed to be played on TMNF 2 weeks after was moved on TM2S.. for the same date! But when the free to play period ended a lot of players came-back on TMNF, and as the competitions moved all on TM2S, they just didn't made the effort to pay 10€ for "the same game" and stopped to play. We lost a lot of active and great players at this period, and the development of Dirt, which was really growing up, unfortunately stopped.
6. What is the state of the dirt community to you now?
About the competitions, we still active with 3 or 4 major team cups a year, some funny solo cups and of course the several LAN events. About the player base, we start to have serious problems. The first attack was common to the whole TM community: beginning of FreeZone system. But after some hard months we survived to that and get back as strong as we were. Then TM2S came and as I said in the previous question, the second attack was really critical. I think we lost more than the half of our competitive scene players between the start of TM2S and now. If I have to give a number, I think we are more or less only 200 active players in competitions, but we are losing players weeks after weeks, and not only small players, we lost a lot of known players too. We also have in my opinion problems with the clans, some teams are able to register 3 or more LU in a comp when some others can't reg only 1 LU properly at the same time... The only thing which is going in the good way for Dirt Community atm is the LANs, we got more and more players travelling to attend Gamers-Assembly, Virtual-LAN, and the other less known ones.
7. You have been very active in dirt community. What kind of things have you worked with in the past and what are you doing now besides driving?
Oh god, a book is coming for me lol! Seriously, I did a lot and various things since I play TM. I am member of TEAM-FOX and build maps since 2010. I started to cast some matches and joined TmLive.eu in 2012. I also started to write articles and joined Mania-Actu.com at the same period. And no, it wasn't enough for me: I started to search some LANs which would be ok to host a Dirt tournament. The LAN admin adventure began with Virtual-Lan #10 in 2013. 4 editions later, I continue to admin this LAN. But my best achievment was to bring Dirt to Gamers-Assembly in 2014. 2 editions after, I continue to admin this LAN and hope to be there for an other edition if it's possible in 2016! Lastly, I joined the famous french news website Team-aAa.com to write some Dirt shits, and I became captain of the french Dirt team, with an NDC world title at the end in 2014. Across the years I also participated to the organization of some cups like DPS, NDC, ROC, 4H of Dirt...
8. As you said it, french dirt scene has also got some LAN events. How fine have those been?
With the main Dirt community actors, we talked a lot of time about the positive impact offline events putted on the community and its competitive scene. Then I contacted few known LANs in France, and after some months of research, the Virtual-Lan (2 editions a year) accepted to host a Dirt tournament to test it. It was a success! Then 6 months later community was back with more people again! Taking care of the presence of Drakonia during this VL#11, right after I integrated this association and managed to convince them to ask Gamers-Assembly to host a Dirt cup on GA 2014: and we did it! 4 VL and 2 GA editions later, Dirt community has never been more motivated than now to go in LAN. About my experience, I really love meet, hangout and laugh with people from the game IRL, that's really a great experience and satisfaction for me. My only hope now is too see more international players come, but without sponsors and big teams like you got in Tech, it's quite complicated.
9. You have also built your own maps over the years. Which one is your favorite and why?
Yeah indeed, more than 30 maps selected in comps and more than 50 in overall with some pretty nice duo/trio/more experiences. Mapping was one of my main activity over the years and about my favorite own map, I will say « GA 2015 - The Outbreak » for several reasons : Firstly, have a map selected for the most important LAN event, watch it played on the main stage in front of hundreds of people is really a nice feeling. Secondly it's one of my most accomplished one looking the originality, and thirdly it may be my last one.
10. Which maps are your favorites ever?
Don't really get it, I played and trained so much maps to give an answer. I think I would just give a piece of answer by giving my best mapper names. I really loved to play on the maps from the gone pantseri, Master94ga, kybermato (aka wormi ahah!), Samuel... mappers. The active ones list would be filled by Dulf, Rocket, Marvin, Chuck, Nix, Alex, Mwett, ...
11. What elements a good dirt track needs?
For me a good Dirt track is a mix of fluidity, flow, and sense of gears. I also really appreciate to see a mapper having his own style. That's why I can like a map composed by 90% of Dirt and another map with more transitions focused on the originality and research of new spots.
12. Your top 3 websites, games, songs and movies.
Websites:
1. Twitter, I'm pretty any free time checking this social network, looking for some funny vines, foodporn pictures and videogames/soccer stuff!
2. Facebook, well I don't really like this social network, but I have to admit that it's the smartest one to communicate with people!
3. Deezer, it's a streaming music website, and as I'm always listening music, this website is part of me.
Games:
1. TrackMania, of course, best game ever ahah!
2. Counter-Strike GO, long history with counter-strike, I often play CSGO.
3. Forza Motorsport 5, my favorite simulation racing game, on Xbox One.
Songs:
I can't give a top music list, quite impossible for me! But I mainly listen electronic music (EDM, Trap, Dubstep, Drum'n'bass...). About some artists, I can quote Diplo, Skrillex, Madeon, Uppermost, Victetone... And I also sometimes listen some metal, RATM, Slipknot, SOAD, ...
Movies:
In fact I don't watch a lot of movies, I prefer use this time to watch TV series. My ranking would be this one :
1. Dexter
2. Game of Thrones
3. The Walking Dead
13. Describe yourself with four words.
Respect, Sport, Food, Partying
14. You were the team captain on TeaM-Fox, but left the job when your military began. When was the team born and what is your history with it?
I started the game in June of 2010, and joined TEAM-FOX in October of the same year. At this moment the team was only known on the French Tech scene but they wanted to create a Dirt squad as well. Then I joined the few players which were there but some weeks after they almost all left the boat for other better dirt teams. So the Fox leader at this moment made me Captain of the Dirt squad in 2011 to build a competitive line-up. One year and a half later, after several good recruitments TEAM-FOX won it's first major tournament (SLIP V). At the same time I became team-leader in 2012. The dirt squad is today one of the best Dirt LU, and we try to develop a new Tech squad too, even if it's quite complicated looking TM activity. This team is like "my baby" for me, I spent unquantifiable hours for it, searching international skilled players with a funny behavior.
15. Many old dirt players and mappers have become more or less inactive over the years. If you could pick one guy to return in the game, who would it be and why?
Without any hesitation, I would like to see comeback the most famous dirt mapper pantseri. This player isn't a simple mapper, it's an icon for the Dirt community. When I started to create good maps, and receiving his feedback, it was an honor for me! Today I step back and laugh about that, but at this time it was clearly THE reference in mapping. And even if today some players and mappers are watching me as his "spiritual son", I would never be able to equal him.
16. ESL decided not to use the new competition title pack with the previous dirt tournament that ended a while ago. Why?
I'm not ESL admin so I can't give an official answer, but what I heard was some fear about asking to the players to install a new title-pack. You know, today, the players are kings and are lazy as hell. Seeing that this new DPS season wouldn't be a success as expected (a lot of teams closed their doors this last year), I think admins didn't took a risk. But my opinion about the subject still the same: That's just a no-way to have to install a title-pack to play ESL or any comps. In fact the new blocks and stuff since it's an official tournament would have to be in the TM Stadium classic editor or something like that. It's again an occasion to divide the players between the games and the title packs.
17. What are your future plans with TrackMania?
My TM future is clearly blurred atm. Since I integrate the military police I have a first 3 months long school step, until the end of September. During this period I will be totally absent on TrackMania. After this period, the second step will when I'll integrate my unit. I should have more freetime, and I hope have enough time and motivation to continue some stuff: Admin LANs, and at least continue to manage my team. For the rest we will see...
18. If you have something else to say, please write it here.
Firstly I would thank you for that interview, and say that you're also an important person of the community, thanks for your work! Secondly, I hope some people will have the time and the motivation to hold on Dirt as I did it since a couple of years, and lastly, I hope to see you on the upcoming offline events, I will try to join Virtual-Lan, ESWC and Gamers-Assembly if the army let me go lol ! Cya my friends.
Thanks to you Deejay for nice words and interesting answers! Cya next time indeed! 
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