![shaftwhores only by [EXE]dann](/files/avatars/2007/51852-shaftwhore.gif "shaftwhores only by [EXE]dann"){kind=small}
this thread is about two sorts of handicaps:
1) the sort that plays ca and complains when their teammates don't go <here> at the beginning of round, callvote kicks people who don't play up to their personal standards, is brash and obnoxious, using sheer energy and repetition to bludgeon others into hopeless quietude, has tantrums and breakdowns two rounds into the game when shuffling hasn't resulted in a match that sees a draw every other round (and callvotes to shuffle 4 rounds in), and general drags the quality of the game experience down for everybody involved.
2) the handicap cvar. i've used this a few times against lower skilled players and found that we both enjoyed the game a lot more. what i've learned so far, though, is that unless you want people to get upset, you should set the value silently. one guy complained that his ping was too high to play me, so i offered to set handicap to even things out, to which he responded: i am not afraid of you!!! stop being condescending!!! then promptly disconnected.
i get the sense that a majority of players aren't just trying to win, they're vehemently against losing, and even avoid putting themselves into situations where the risk of losing increases beyond whatever intuited median they expect.
my experience using handicap against lower skilled players so far has forced me to slow my game down and exercise more thoughtful approaches and responses to their plays. against a higher skilled player, even when i'm timing (and remembering times decently), i feel as though i don't ever see the opportunities to get items, because i'm so pressured and harried by my opponent. i imagine it's the same for any of my opponents who are significantly less skilled than myself. handicap seems to actually balance things fairly well, and my personal experience is that the challenge of fighting with an inherently smaller health/armor ceiling is much more rewarding than the tendency to crush somebody who doesn't know how to respond to anything i do.
1) the sort that plays ca and complains when their teammates don't go <here> at the beginning of round, callvote kicks people who don't play up to their personal standards, is brash and obnoxious, using sheer energy and repetition to bludgeon others into hopeless quietude, has tantrums and breakdowns two rounds into the game when shuffling hasn't resulted in a match that sees a draw every other round (and callvotes to shuffle 4 rounds in), and general drags the quality of the game experience down for everybody involved.
2) the handicap cvar. i've used this a few times against lower skilled players and found that we both enjoyed the game a lot more. what i've learned so far, though, is that unless you want people to get upset, you should set the value silently. one guy complained that his ping was too high to play me, so i offered to set handicap to even things out, to which he responded: i am not afraid of you!!! stop being condescending!!! then promptly disconnected.
i get the sense that a majority of players aren't just trying to win, they're vehemently against losing, and even avoid putting themselves into situations where the risk of losing increases beyond whatever intuited median they expect.
my experience using handicap against lower skilled players so far has forced me to slow my game down and exercise more thoughtful approaches and responses to their plays. against a higher skilled player, even when i'm timing (and remembering times decently), i feel as though i don't ever see the opportunities to get items, because i'm so pressured and harried by my opponent. i imagine it's the same for any of my opponents who are significantly less skilled than myself. handicap seems to actually balance things fairly well, and my personal experience is that the challenge of fighting with an inherently smaller health/armor ceiling is much more rewarding than the tendency to crush somebody who doesn't know how to respond to anything i do.
Edited by brandan at 14:39 GMT, 14 November 2013 - 9702 Hits
