Ruben 'ryb' Ljungdahl answers YOUR questions

In the latest feature of our Ask series, we look to legendary TF2 Demoman Ruben 'ryb' Ljungdahl, one of the most feared and respected players in the European scene. A crucial element to Team Dignitas, ryb has enjoyed huge success with the team, including most recently at the Winter Assembly 2010 and Dreamhack 09.

Now he sits down to answer some of your questions, ranging from telling us some of the highlights of his gaming career to questions about his set up and favourite maps. Enjoy!

What do you like most about TF2? (Waster)

I like not having to wait more than one minute to spawn again and the heavy focus on teamplay. It’s fast paced and who doesn’t love projectiles? :D

How would you describe ODEE in one word! (mark)

Mister

Why is Finland better at TF2 than Sweden? (Moose-)

If by better you mean just having more experienced and skilled players playing TF2 then I guess that is the reason. There’s also something fishy about the finnish language that is hard to grasp. Must be something with the speed of how the point they are trying to make comes across.

Who is, in your opinion, the best Demoman in the scene? (Amonsilas)

It is really hard to tell since it is not only skill and aim that counts, but also intelligence and anticipation ;)

I mean, TF2 really is a team game, as its name implies. Therefore, I would say that Byte might just be the best one, since he’s basically the main caller for his team. Calling while playing Demoman would make me very confused and unfocused.

How do you stay on top form playing TF2? Do you practice 24/7 before LANs until you dominate kids online or are you chilled? (duffer)

I’m pretty chilled about it. The practice that matters the most is with the team, because just being good individually hardly works most of the time, you have to play together with your team to be successful.

So generally we step up the amount of practice matches when getting closer to a LAN.

How would you like to see TF2 improved? (Sturmis)

Ideally I would like all classes to be equally viable all the time in every map, but that would probably be quite hard to do without removing the uniqueness of each class. Another thing that I would like would be to minimize the gap between public and competitive matches, like removing random crits and random spread from public.

Otherwise I appreciate the effort Valve is putting into these free content updates to the game.

What does Dignitas do better than other Division 1 teams? (F2dk)

Being the best? :D

No, I think it’s our decisiveness and self-confidence that helps us a lot with winning. The routine and teamplay between our skilled players really helps too. We simply know how to play the game against our opponents I’d say.

What has been the most fun incarnation of Dignitas/4Kings to play with? (seraph)

It has always been fun playing with Mick, Teok and Abomination, because of their antagonistic behaviour towards each other. Darn though… what can I say? I bet you’ve all seen our video blogs (vlogs?) and Darn.

Of course, the current lineup is the one I’ve been most comfortable in, and we’re really stable and it’s fun to win a lot. So yes, it’s fun to win!

What would you change in your team at the moment? (r6ks)

I would change our cockiness and solo efforts so that we would play together as a team even more most of the time. Sometimes we just lose our focus and start playing badly and not as a team, which makes us lose!

What other eSports do you like to spectate? Do you implement any tactics or strategies from those games into TF2? (Appe)

I like to spectate Starcraft and Q3 but I can’t say we implement any of strategies or tactics from those games other than basic shooting to kill and flanking. Medpack spawns are pretty important in TF2 so I guess I have an internal timer just like Q3 players do, when waiting for it to spawn.

What is your competitive gaming history and how did you get into it? Is TF2 the only game you've had big success in or are there others? (LokoX)

I started playing Counter-Strike at the age of 10 in the year 1999. The version then was beta 3.1, oh I miss those good old days… I didn’t get very serious with the clans I were in back then, but it was there it started. After that I moved on to Natural Selection and played that for quite a bit until my clan there decided to pack it up and move on. After a few years TF2 got released and I got together with my old NS clan, IDAC, and started going strong in ETF2L Division 1! I’ve always been a good player but I’ve had the most success in TF2.

What's your favourite 6v6 map and favourite public map? (agron)

Steel of course! :D

I think Gravel Pit is my favourite map because of it’s uniqueness and time pressure compared to the other maps, although Granary and Badlands are both close runner-ups. In public I enjoy Badlands the most because of all the fun jumps and angles there are to mess around with.

Overhealed team and dead Medic, or low health team and alive Medic? (Appe)

It really depends on the situation. If the team is far away from the enemy, then it’s usually better to have a low health team with a living medic. However, if the team is close to the enemy it’s better to have a overhealed team with a dead medic. It also depends if the Medic(s) has übercharge ready or not, cause then the health of the team doesn’t matter as much.

In most cases it’s best to have the Medic alive though since it can make for a good comeback.

What do you think of the famous "TF2 IS DEAD" sentence? Do you think that TF2 is dead? (hykleri)

I think it’s a funny sentence and it makes me think of Evil. It’s obviously not dead, seeing how we’ve had a couple of LANs with cash prizes and it’s being played by loads of people in public. It’s also getting regular updates from Valve.

What's your favourite HoN hero except Magebane? (Appe)

Zephyr!

Why did you choose to play Demoman, and how would you describe your own play-style? (Waster)

It was actually LD, a member of IDAC, who told me to play Demoman and here I am. I’d like to think of my playstyle as movement-based because when I get my movement right, I can stay alive and dish out the damage I’m known for. My movement is also the thing that needs the least practice so when I get my aim in shape I’m quite deadly I suppose. I like to stick with the team but I can also go on solo strolls and end up victorious in some cases, depending on the situation and my reoccurring luck. I guess I’m defensive/offensive when I need to be.

How do you keep the game fresh? Are there periods when you don't play, or do you never get tired of playing the same maps with the same strats? (NerdZone)

There are certainly periods when I don’t play. The thing that keeps me going back is the excitement of 6v6 games. The strats do change, especially when other teams come up with ways to counter us, we have to counter them. I do wish that more maps would be played competitively, but the pacing of Gravel Pit/Badlands/Granary is almost perfect. I sort of love playing video games so I don’t play TF2 all the time. It would be nice if the new Demoman and soldier unlocks would be allowed next season, cause that would make it a bit more fresh.

Whats the most memorable moment in your TF2 career? (Waster)

In-game that would have to be my annihilation of the opposing team on Granary in the initial middle fight. I think it was a game against plan-B.

Each and every LAN has been a good experience and it’s always fun to meet up with your team and opponents in real life.

What's your honest opinion about CS:S? (Tumpel)

My honest opinion is that it’s fun if you like dying in a split second! :D

As I’ve never played CS:S competitively I don’t really know a lot about it in that regard.

Which major LAN tournament would you like to attend as a TF2 player? Which country would you like that tournament to be in? (Appe)

Any major LAN situated in the US would be fun to attend since then we could play some fair games against the Americans and see how we compare.

What's the secret sauce behind Dignitas' success? How have you managed to stay together for so long, and continue to win, when other teams have lost and folded when they have arguably as skilled players? (dave)

The players in the Dignitas squad have not always been the same. A few people have been switched out along the way. I do not really know how we manage to win all the time and a part of me hopes that this will change soon, as I do like competition and reasons to improve. The chemistry between the players in Dignitas is really good too, as we never get too angry at each other and I suspect that is the reason for some teams splitting up. Our love for the game is a big factor as well, we simply like how the game is played!

How long did it take to perfect your jumps on Badlands and Granary? (Waster)

I think the jumps have seen quite a few iterations. They get better and better as I and other Demomen come up with strategies on how to get to the middle faster and faster. But actually learning the current jumps I use didn’t take me very long. Maybe 100 tries?

Why do you think despite an extremely dedicated community, we are yet to see TF2 hit any big name tournaments? Is it due to the small size of the community? (germaine)

I think it is mainly because of the graphics in TF2, which look humorous and not very “serious”. I mean, compare the graphics to CS and CoD, who have gone for a more realistic look. Another thing that has hurt a bit is the difference between public mechanics and 6v6 mechanics. Other than that, I don’t know and I really hope we’ll see some big name tournaments with TF2 shortly.

If you had to play a different class, due to team balancing issues, what would your preference be? (felix)

Probably Medic since that is one of the most important classes in the game. Just staying alive makes a difference. It is also quite an experience to know that the other team is out to get you, to be the number one target of them…

What does competitive TF2 need? New unlocks, new interesting maps or better teams? (Waster)

New good maps and more good enough teams would probably do the trick. More competition and more diversity, yay!

Why do you think there are so few players capable of playing in the highest level of TF2? (Appe)

I think some people get frustrated when they realize it’s almost impossible to kill the whole enemy team on your own, whereas in other games you can do that. Maybe many players don’t like the importance of teamplay and the übercharge dynamic that dictates a lot of the game. Maybe they don’t like projectiles in a team-based shooter? I do not really know the reason. Maybe the best players in TF2 are just so good at it? :D

What's your setup? There's been a large growth in the number of custom HUDs and configs, especially after the release of m0re's HUD – do you use one of them, or do you have your own? (dave)

I really play with almost the most default settings there are. I only change a few of the keybindings and I’m done!

Which unlock do you like the most and which do you hate the most? (Waster)

I must say that I’ve never had so much fun as I’ve had with the sword and board (Eyelander and Targe) and I hate the Bonk drink the most! Stupid Scouts drinking it and hugging me only to finish me off when it has run out :((

Best LAN hotel; appe with yoghurt, double bed, personal chauffeur and a kitten, or agron with hard bread, a mattress on floor, tram and cockroaches? (Appe)

The Jönköping one! I have a soft spot for cute kittens like Sam. Although the Gamlas tactical headquarters isn’t that bad I guess.

Do you feel that Valve has taken a particular interest in developing the competitive side of TF2 and if so, how? And if not, what changes would you like to see in terms of game play, bug fixes, community controlled patches, etc.? (theshepherd)

Valve have certainly tried to make the competitive TF2 as good as possible, with the addition of tournament mode and no-crits etc. However, I would like them to listen a bit more to the suggestions the competitive players come up with, which I know they listen to already, as a lot of them are quite good.

There are some voices at the top that want to play vanilla only. Whats your opinion about on vanilla TF2? (Waster)

If by vanilla you mean only Medic unlocks I say it’s a bad thing. It’s nice to have as many options as possible although I guess the Sandman unlock is a bit silly…

Competitive TF2 game mechanics are largely centred around the Medic and Demoman. Would you like to see a more radical program of rebalance where all classes are "equal" or is that a lost cause? (Admirable)

Sure those classes are important but many times I've seen team able to win without a Medic or without a Demoman. But yes, that is also why there is a limit of one Medic one Demoman per team. All is not lost without the Demoman or Medic, it might just be a lot harder. I think the current balance is fine. A Soldier can kill two or three people, a Scout can do the same. The Demoman also lacks any hitscan weapon, which is a pain sometimes. The Soldiers have more health and that instant rocket jump that's quite handy to have and the Scouts have their speed, double jumps and double capping point speed! All in all I think it's quite balanced.

What do you see in the future for TF2? (Waster)

Guts and glory, lads!

I hope it will continue in a positive direction and I hope that we will see more LANs in the near future. I would really like it if people gave TF2 a chance even if it looks cartoonish at first glance.

What would you be doing if you weren't playing TF2? (Tumpel)

I would probably be playing another game or play the trumpet to exceed Exoronic’s trumpet skills!

Maybe I would play another game competitively, who knows.