Absent Legend: Interview with Natteke



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List of Natteke's 100fav+ Maps

Natteke, unexaggeratedly speaking, is one of the most influential innovators of mapping. Players, mappers, administrators, whosoever, are somehow affected by him as his active participation and contribution to all the respects of this game is of great cruciality to the evolution of osu!. In addition to all the objectivities, he is a convivial, obliging, lovely and loyal friend. However, he has been inactive since few months ago. We all miss him with a wish for his triumphant return. Today, I had the privilege to meet and interview Natteke in London, investigating the reason of his exit and his voice to the community.O: nold_1702; N: NattekeO: What are the reasons why you put osu! aside?N: I was a student back then, having a lot of spare time. Now, I am working, so I do not have enough time to spend on games!O: Which of your creations give you most satisfaction and pride?N: Definitely ‘Ama no Jaku’, it is not entirely my work of course, it has a lot of guest difficulties. The song is really cool and I had the most amount of fun mapping it out of any other maps I made.O: Who are the most influential mappers to you?N: It would be a long list for different eras. Let’s see. For 2009-2012, tieff, alace, lesjuh, happy30 for sure. After that, Skystar, fanzhen, NOLD, Patchouli.O: I am flattered that I influenced you.N: I used to have a long list of like 30 mappers that influenced me and I borrowed small thing from everyone, yeahyeahyeahhh was my mentor!O: Who do you think share the most similarities with you in terms of mapping?N: At the moment? No one really, but used to be Reiji-Rj, La Cataline, EvilElvis, Vass_Bass, Damnae. But they all evolved their own styles now. Oh, also James influenced me a lot.O: Indeed, James, he has influenced almost everyone.O: If you were to acquire a chance to travel to the time where you just started mapping, what suggestions would you give to yourself back that time?N: ‘Start copying other mappers sooner’O: It sounds interesting!N: By trying to emulate other mappers, you actually end up coming with your own stuff. It is like genetic evolution, organisms replicate with small differences and it creates diversity in the long run. Same applies to mapping.O: Then, would you consider your style as solely ‘repetition of others’, or do you think you have a peculiar mapping style which is only belongs to you? Though, your style constitutes unique perfection to many mappers, me, for instance!N: I cannot really judge my own mapping. It’s best to be left to others, I’d like to think that I added some things to the patterns that I borrowed. In my mapping, I carry a legacy of the mappers that I love.We lost an apt innovator, but instead of feeling shame about the fact, we should be happy with him. His revolutionary creations and effort to the community will not cease to exist as his leaving!Back to real life, his hospitality has made me feel the warmth of England in winter. We went to a pub to ‘buy drunk’, after having dinner we two drunk guys started this interview (yes, the conversation is drunk). We took selfies to end the amazing evening. Whilst taking the train back to my city, he asked me whether I knew the way. Natteke is a really friendly man! We will miss you Natteke!Here are the selfies: