As the audience both on-site and watching the livestream eagerly anticipated, the match finally commenced as scheduled. Two disc-shaped UFOs slowly appeared in the sky.
After the initial shock, the audience had become quite familiar with these UFOs. However, seeing them again still filled them with awe.
These UFOs were standard saucer-shaped craft, approximately 10 meters in diameter. Their appearance was largely consistent with UFOs in American blockbusters, with the addition of numerous mechanical details that lent them a sense of realism.
Of course, there were also elements that seemed less realistic. The circular wings of these UFOs were adorned with flashing, multi-colored lights. From the perspective of 2022, these lights might have seemed a bit gaudy.
But in 2006, they were purely dazzling and highly eye-catching.
The cockpits of these flying saucer UFOs, the circular cabins in the center, were where the two competing players were seated. The design of these cabins was equally stunning, as they were meticulously crafted to resemble standard fighter jet cockpits. Sitting inside gave one the feeling of being in a fighter jet’s cockpit, complete with all-enveloping racing seats.
During the design phase, these seats were engineered with even greater consideration for ergonomics, making them more comfortable than actual fighter jet seats and significantly more comfortable than the soon-to-be-popular gaming chairs.
However, where the steering wheel and fighter jet screens would normally be, there was a computer monitor, along with a mouse and keyboard. If one were to watch the livestream from outside, through the UFO’s windows, rather than via the cameras installed inside, it would truly feel as though the two individuals were piloting UFOs.
Naturally, this cockpit had its drawbacks. The active space was extremely cramped, and the seats could not be adjusted. A person was essentially fixed in that small area.
It was akin to being crammed into an internet cafe with an overwhelming number of computers, where the desks and chairs in front and behind were so close that you couldn't even move your own chair. You were simply squeezed into this tiny space, which would undoubtedly become unbearable after a while.
Fortunately, each match was typically kept within a 20-minute timeframe, with a 15-minute break in between. Players could then leave the UFO cockpits via a ladder to rest.
However, many players who had competed in these cockpits reported that the racing experience was so novel and cool that they could spend an infinite amount of time inside.
If the organizing committee didn't force them out, they would happily stay indefinitely.
In fact, since the entire competition venue only featured these two incredibly cool, large UFO cockpits suspended in the air by wires and capable of rotating continuously along a track, it wasn't just players from other events; even most players of the Warcraft III competition rarely had the chance to sit inside these UFOs.
Unless you were a star player and were tasked with the main stage broadcast, you might have the opportunity to compete inside a UFO during the preliminary rounds.
If you weren't a star player, then you would only get to sit in the UFO cockpit for competition once you reached the top 8. Therefore, in the eyes of professional players, this was not a form of torture at all, but rather the ultimate honor.
And now, inside these two UFOs were the two finalists, Guapi and Tiankong. Amidst thunderous cheers, the first battle between them officially began.
However, for this first battle, the organizing committee pulled off a stunt that surprised all the spectators, and even the commentators.
The host was in the process of introducing various information about the two players and predicting their tactics when a staff member approached with a piece of paper and handed it directly to one of the commentators in front of the live broadcast.
The commentator was stunned upon glancing at it. The other commentator, seeing this, curiously asked what had happened. The first commentator responded with immense excitement, "We've just received urgent information from the staff. With the consent of both players, Tiankong and Guapi, their first game will be played with randomly selected races."
"However, for the sake of fairness, neither of them will be allowed to use their primary races, meaning Guapi cannot use Orc, and Tiankong cannot use Human!"
As soon as this news was announced, all the spectators became incredibly excited.
It was common knowledge that in games like Warcraft, to maximize their win rate and proficiency, most players, with the exception of a select few, would stick to one fixed race for their matches.
Therefore, in previous matches, Guapi had consistently played Orc, and Tiankong had consistently played Human.
While it was true that professional players using their favored races could produce more exciting battles, it was also true that watching these same-race matchups repeatedly could become monotonous for many viewers.
Unexpectedly, the organizing committee decided to spice things up by turning the first match of their duel into a random race mode, and furthermore, they were forbidden from using their preferred races. It was obvious that the skill level of the battle would likely decrease, but the entertainment value would skyrocket, and the odds of victory for each side would be significantly altered.
After all, in the eyes of the spectators, the ultimate champion was still Tiankong, given his unbroken winning streak without a single loss.
Consequently, some viewers believed this was the organizing committee giving Guapi a chance to win, as Guapi would have no opportunity to win if Tiankong always played Human.
Regardless, with the announcement of this random race format, the spectators' enthusiasm was immediately ignited. During the preparation phase, both players readily set their races to random.
However, a comical scene unfolded. After the random race selection and loading screen, Tiankong was randomly assigned Human, and Guapi was randomly assigned Orc. Both players had coincidentally been assigned their most proficient primary races. This forced the referee to declare a restart, leaving the two players inside the UFOs laughing uncontrollably.
Subsequently, the organizing committee's luck seemed to take a turn for the worse. Five consecutive restarts occurred, each time with one of the players being assigned their primary race. Since the game itself had no built-in random race restrictions, and the organizing committee couldn't modify the game’s code on the fly, this continuous comedic situation was unavoidable.
These five consecutive restarts became a famous, long-standing inside joke in esports history, repeatedly referenced by viewers in the future.
Fortunately, the sixth attempt finally yielded a satisfactory result, although it was still quite amusing. Tiankong was randomly assigned Orc, and Guapi was randomly assigned Human, resulting in an exchange of primary races. This elicited a huge roar from the entire stadium, and amidst the cheers, the match officially began.
Then, no one could have predicted that the organizing committee would deliver another massive surprise.
During the numerous restarts, the giant replica of the game map located below the UFO had remained in darkness, making it invisible to the spectators.
However, with everyone’s attention firmly fixed on the match on screen, no one paid much attention to the game map, which had previously been illuminated.
But as the match officially commenced, and especially when the Human and Orc bases appeared on screen, the previously dark, real-world map was instantly illuminated by countless lights. The livestream camera then switched to an overhead view, and a scene unfolded that stunned all the viewers, both on the livestream and in person.
At the respective starting positions of both bases on the real-world map, appeared models of a Human and an Orc main base.
These structures were built to a 1:1 scale with the game’s units and human figures, making their size exceptionally conspicuous. The highest points almost touched the exhibition hall’s ceiling, and each structure was about half the size of a basketball court.
These main base structures were also equipped with lights that pulsed rhythmically, leaving everyone mesmerized.
Even more absurdly, around these bases, five cosplayers dressed as farmers or Orc grunts were positioned. As the lights activated, they immediately rushed towards the gold mine in front of the main base, simulating the act of mining.
That wasn't all. When the players dispatched two farmers to chop wood, it only slightly delayed the cosplayers, who received instructions via their Bluetooth headsets. They then proceeded to the nearby tree models to begin their simulated logging.
Following this, the door of the main base model suddenly opened, and a new farmer cosplayer emerged, joining the mining farmers. At this precise moment, the player had also produced their first farmer.
But that wasn't the end. The second farmer produced immediately rushed to a specific location and began tapping and hitting the ground. As they worked, a real Altar of Kings slowly descended from the sky, eventually settling firmly on the open ground within the real-world map.
The timing perfectly matched the in-game construction of buildings.
Subsequently, as more farmers tapped and hit the ground, farms, lumber mills, and other buildings descended from the sky. Spectators watching the livestream were astonished to discover that the positions of these structures were identical to the placement of the buildings by the competing players, virtually replicating every detail of their in-game layouts.
"This is… this is just… too much…" Whether they were fans or critics, viewers from both home and abroad found themselves utterly speechless, struggling to articulate their profound shock. They were left in stunned silence, unable to find words, but deeply impacted.
They realized then that the organizing committee of the Jiangnan Cup intended to recreate a real Warcraft III battle directly in reality, using various props and actors to synchronize with the players' actions.
For the audience, such a spectacle was more than just astonishing; it was the establishment of a faith.
It was akin to the current adage, "Anything produced by Blizzard is a masterpiece."