DarthPeanut, on 07 December 2015 - 04:30 PM, said:
No offense I do not think it is a surprise because of the size of mercstar (MS) but well done. Clearly organized a lot of players to participate.
None taken, but just pulling together a large unit isn't enough to do what we did. Both SWOL and SRoT (and maybe a couple of others) are actually bigger units than -MS-. Laying it all out there, here's what it takes to dominate CW/Tukkayid:
1. Gather a large number of players (not as easy as it sounds)
2. Get those players to actually participate on a regular basis (also not as easy as it sounds)
3. Have those players have enough skill to win the vast majority of their matches (obviously not easy)
If you have a longer attention span, here's a little more detail on each.
1. Keeping a large group together isn't easy, especially if many of the players are above-average in skill. Good players can have big ego's and don't always like going along with the consensus of the group. Other larger, more competitive units have fractured over time in MWO. So far -MS- has held it together. I credit Tony and the other sub-unit leaders for keeping it interesting and fun w/o a lot of internal drama.
2. The grind is real. We saw a big drop off in CW participation over the course of Beta 2. Fortunately, many people came back for Tukkayid. Building a culture where dropping in on the TS is always a good time helps. I doubt -MS- has any advantage on that front, though. I'm sure most units are fun to participate in or they wouldn't exist.
3. This one gets interesting. I see -MS- consistently painted with two very broad (and off-target) brushes. We're either all seal-clubbing psycopathic tryhards, or we're completely unskilled scrubs who only win because we're in a group. The truth is more complex.
Contrary to some perceptions, -MS- is not a "casual" unit. We do have standards of performance we want our members to achieve. However, unlike a lot of other competitive units, we are willing to give almost anyone a chance to make the cut. Ask to join -MS- and we'll at least let you on the TS, put you in a group and see how you do. We'll also be getting to know you, because toxic personalities have a way of causing discord and ultimately fracturing of the group if allowed to persist (see #1).
However, our standards aren't crazy difficult to meet. We're not SJR or EmP and we're not trying to be. We understand the combination of factors that lead to CW success, so we try to be open to new members. We're willing to work with people to get them up to snuff, but if they won't listen to advice, won't try to improve their skills, or are a toxic presence in the room, their time with us will be somewhat brief. I would say that 30+% of the players in MWO have the raw skills to make it in -MS- if they wanted to put in the effort. That's totally pulled from my nether regions, but it's probably not that far off.
Also, we do, in fact, have some top-notch players in here. I'm no scrub, but I struggle to consistently perform in the top 20% - 30% of -MS- when we get into tryhard mode. There's at least 70 - 100 people in here that will absolutely ruin your day if you meet them in solo queue.
So, success in CW isn't just about assembling a mass of bodies. A unit does need to have a reputation for performing well and attract people who want to improve their game in addition to hanging out with friends (which is still the chief reason we get together). That's the challenging part. Not just growing a roster to 400+.
If you want to knock us down a peg in CW, take the above to heart and go build your unit. We look forward to seeing you out there.
Edited by Khereg, 08 December 2015 - 09:56 AM.
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