58 replies to this topic

[Boiled Peanut Dealer]

Anyone else (tier 4/5 types) seeing a LOT more obvious smurf accounts?

Used to be able to clear 1k damage a few times a night, kept getting bounced between tier 3 and 4. Now I can barely get 500 damage and half the time is just a wipe by guys that are obviously running smurf accounts.

Yeah, I know "get better". . Yeah, some of us play for fun and don't have time for that.

[Vxheous]

Boiled Peanut Dealer, on 26 June 2024 - 05:15 PM, said:

Yeah, I know "get better". . Yeah, some of us play for fun and don't have time for that.

Playing for fun and getting better aren't mutually exclusive

[crazytimes]

Knowing that you could be playing better and deliberately not because playing worse is "more fun" is questionable behaviour at best. It's a fine line between that, and deliberately playing poorly to troll your team.

There are people- or specifically a single person- that repeatedly make new accounts to troll low tiers, but outside of that person, it's not as big an issue as some people try and make out. If they're actually any good, they'll only stay tier 5 for a handful of matches. If they're not any good, then multiple accounts doesn't affect low tier game play.

[martian]

Boiled Peanut Dealer, on 26 June 2024 - 05:15 PM, said:

Anyone else (tier 4/5 types) seeing a LOT more obvious smurf accounts?

Used to be able to clear 1k damage a few times a night, kept getting bounced between tier 3 and 4. Now I can barely get 500 damage and half the time is just a wipe by guys that are obviously running smurf accounts.

Yeah, I know "get better". . Yeah, some of us play for fun and don't have time for that.

So those smurf accounts play a ton of games per month, rank highly in their games, dish out a lot of damage, usually win their games ... and yet they are staying in T5?

This would be pretty strange because my experience shows that such smurf account would rise quickly to higher Tiers (T1 included), getting green arrow game after game. Such smurf account would leave your T5 after a few games.

[Meep Meep]

If you have any skill you won't be in the low tiers long. I typically was near or into t3 around the end of the cadet phase and never taking more than 50ish games. I think it might be more a t1 lancing up with low tiers as that will drag the t1 into a lower tier lobby. I did see that a fair few times when running an alt up.

[Bud Crue]

OP,

Bear with me...As others have mentioned, when the tier system was reset a few years ago (for the pendants: I don't recall and I don't have time at the moment to get the precise time frame), the system became much more performance based than the prior system which was more of an experience/time-in based set-up. In the old system, even I was T1 (after a couple years playing).

Now then, more recently there was an argument in these here forums where folks started off complaining about smurfs and the tier system, but then devolved into the usual donnybrook about good mechs/builds vs bad and which play style's were viable, etc.; the usual brown sea blather that we come here for.

As part of that particular debate some of us experimented with a smurf account to see how long it would take to get out of T5, or what have you. Personally, as a mediocre at best player (I fell to T2 after the reset and have been solidly positioned there since), I took 18 games to get to T4, and 70-something to get to T3, and 160-somnething games to get to T2 all while driving a 6-MPL, 1-SRM4 Grasshopper 5J (because at the time it was said that brawling was "dead" and the 5J is near and dear to my heart).

But I digress, my point of all this recollection is to let you know that unless all your other nightly games result in you getting literally blanked, your "few times a night" matches with "1k damage" or even "barely getting 500" damage, will push you into at least T2 pretty quickly. The land of those nasty smurfs will soon be behind you. The land of perpetual mediocrity awaits!

[Gasboy]

Boiled Peanut Dealer, on 26 June 2024 - 05:15 PM, said:

Anyone else (tier 4/5 types) seeing a LOT more obvious smurf accounts?

No.

Quote

Used to be able to clear 1k damage a few times a night, kept getting bounced between tier 3 and 4. Now I can barely get 500 damage and half the time is just a wipe by guys that are obviously running smurf accounts.

So things change and it's everyone else's fault, and no one can be better than you so it's "obviously" smurf accounts...

Quote

Yeah, I know "get better". . Yeah, some of us play for fun and don't have time for that.

I am quite confident that those who get better at the game are having fun. Fun and good are not mutually exclusive.

[foamyesque]

Meep Meep, on 26 June 2024 - 10:47 PM, said:

If you have any skill you won't be in the low tiers long. I typically was near or into t3 around the end of the cadet phase and never taking more than 50ish games. I think it might be more a t1 lancing up with low tiers as that will drag the t1 into a lower tier lobby. I did see that a fair few times when running an alt up.

I find it funny that people are responding to the OP's complaint about seeing a lot of smurf accounts with "well, when I run my smurf accounts, they levelled out quickly", as if that disproves anything instead of being a confession of the problem.

[LordNothing]

the problem isnt smurff acounts, the problem is that there are so few players that everyone is getting lumped into the same match reguardless of tier. especially common if playing off peak. somewhere someone will say "upper tiers cant drop with lower tiers", but that's naive. there are releif valves that open up so you dont spend north of 10 minutes looking for a match. you also got groups that are not constrained by tier (eg t1 mechdads dropping with their t5 children).

a t1 smurff will last all but 2 drops in lower tiers before they bubble up and there are not enough new player accounts on jarls global stats to account for that. because presumably you need a new smurff account every time your old one bubbles up, and you might end up with 10 or so accounts a day being created. it may happen in a limited basis (eg the what mech challenge awhile back). but not enough to significantly impact the game.

Edited by LordNothing, 27 June 2024 - 11:08 AM.

[Boiled Peanut Dealer]

Ah, ok LordNothing, and Meep Meep have likely identified the bulk of the issue, I did not know that better tier players get "dragged down" in groups or that we can get lumped out of tier in off hours. Thank you both for actually answering the question with knowledge. I knew that events worked that way, and why I don't play them as often.

For the "get gud" commenters admitting to doing it. . . thank you for confirming also SMH.

A lot of folks making assumptions. "Deliberately" really? Getting better at ANYTHING takes time. Already told ya'll I don't have the time to invest. If you enjoy dunking on folks that admit they aren't good at a VIDEO GAME. . you may be compensating for some issues in real life if you need wins that bad.

[Boiled Peanut Dealer]

One last thing. . most of you "get gud" had WORSE first six seasons than me. . .

Vxheous is the ONLY one of you that has the stats to talk trash.

[martian]

Boiled Peanut Dealer, on 27 June 2024 - 11:40 AM, said:

Ah, ok LordNothing, and Meep Meep have likely identified the bulk of the issue, I did not know that better tier players get "dragged down" in groups or that we can get lumped out of tier in off hours. Thank you both for actually answering the question with knowledge. I knew that events worked that way, and why I don't play them as often.

For the "get gud" commenters admitting to doing it. . . thank you for confirming also SMH.

A lot of folks making assumptions. "Deliberately" really? Getting better at ANYTHING takes time. Already told ya'll I don't have the time to invest. If you enjoy dunking on folks that admit they aren't good at a VIDEO GAME. . you may be compensating for some issues in real life if you need wins that bad.

Well, if you keep losing as you mentioned in your first post ... What about adjusting your tactics, loadouts or maybe using different 'Mechs?

[Serial Number]

foamyesque, on 27 June 2024 - 10:24 AM, said:

I find it funny that people are responding to the OP's complaint about seeing a lot of smurf accounts with "well, when I run my smurf accounts, they levelled out quickly", as if that disproves anything instead of being a confession of the problem.

Meep meep has like 30 alt accounts at this point cuz he enjoys farming T5/4s. Ofc he'll answer like this to the OP.

[Boiled Peanut Dealer]

Yes. . it's so eMoTiONAl. .

To observe you are playing against better players than before and ask a question. You know, literally the first half of the 'scientifc process' . .

Just ran an experiment to see if what LordNothing and MeepMeep are in fact correct. I did 3 quick matchs and in those there were 6 tier one players. I am making the assumption that they are tier 1 based on public tier one folks on here and their position regarding stats. To clarify those in the match have better ranking than all the tier 1 in this discussion, except Vxheous. This CONFIRMS LordNothing and MeepMeep.

There were also two players with Ace of Spade that have only been playing two seasons. . sus, but not proof of anything.

I am likely incorrect about smurf accounts, I have changed the time I play and it is likely "off peak" putting me against more players from the better tiers. Thank you for the folks that helped figure this out and explained how some aspects of the game work.

While Martians attempt to help are appreciated, it is off topic. It isn't "logic nor reason" . . not sure you would identify that if it smacked you in the face.

Gasboy, what I was talking about earlier "first six seasons" yeah, you sucked the worst of anyone in this discussion. In fact you STILL suck worse than me. . . don't waste everyone's time trolling.

Edited by Boiled Peanut Dealer, 27 June 2024 - 03:39 PM.

[Rondoe]

Dumb question here, but why are Alt. Accounts called "Smurfs"

Just out of curiosity is all!

(only been playing since 2021)

[KursedVixen]

Rondoe, on 27 June 2024 - 03:24 PM, said:

Dumb question here, but why are Alt. Accounts called "Smurfs"

Just out of curiosity is all!

(only been playing since 2021)

gaming history, from what i'm able to dig up on it from reddit anyway

It's because two of the earliest famous smurfs in Warcraft II had their alt accounts named as "PapaSmurf" and "Smurfette". So people called it "smurfing" and the term has stuck ever since.

I know most people would say something like Google it but, honestly i grew up before that was a thing and why would you ask if you wanted to waste your time to 'google it'... so yeah

https://www.reddit.c..._smurf_account/

^link to what i found, if your interested

Edited by KursedVixen, 27 June 2024 - 03:37 PM.

[Rosarius]

Everything being fair, a T4 player can match with anyone EXCEPT T1. A T3 player can match with anyone full stop. Bear in mind that the lower tiers have the bulk of the player population so while you can match with higher tier players, balance of probability says you are more likely to match with lower tier players

Aside from that, ToS / CoC specifically states that alts are allowed so it is what it is. Not everyone runs alts to pwn noobs on, I've got an alt that's purely for meme builds. 114kph Zeus go brrrrrr

[Rondoe]

KursedVixen, on 27 June 2024 - 03:33 PM, said:

gaming history, from what i'm able to dig up on it from reddit anyway

It's because two of the earliest famous smurfs in Warcraft II had their alt accounts named as "PapaSmurf" and "Smurfette". So people called it "smurfing" and the term has stuck ever since.

I know most people would say something like Google it but, honestly i grew up before that was a thing and why would you ask if you wanted to waste your time to 'google it'... so yeah

https://www.reddit.c..._smurf_account/

^link to what i found, if your interested

Thanks for the explanation and the link. This is the first game I've heard the term used for Alt. Accounts
I have mainly played MMO's (Asheron's Call and LotRO) Never touched WarCrack lol!
Yeah I guess I could have googled it but thought I get a better answer from those using the term!

[Gasboy]

Boiled Peanut Dealer, on 27 June 2024 - 03:14 PM, said:

Gasboy, what I was talking about earlier "first six seasons" yeah, you sucked the worst of anyone in this discussion. In fact you STILL suck worse than me. . . don't waste everyone's time trolling.

You prove my point. Ad hominem attacks are purely emotional.

Rosarius, on 27 June 2024 - 04:23 PM, said:

Everything being fair, a T4 player can match with anyone EXCEPT T1. A T3 player can match with anyone full stop. Bear in mind that the lower tiers have the bulk of the player population so while you can match with higher tier players, balance of probability says you are more likely to match with lower tier players

Aside from that, ToS / CoC specifically states that alts are allowed so it is what it is. Not everyone runs alts to pwn noobs on, I've got an alt that's purely for meme builds. 114kph Zeus go brrrrrr

If the population gets low enough, even T5s will see T1s on occasion.

[KursedVixen]

Rondoe, on 27 June 2024 - 04:56 PM, said:

Thanks for the explanation and the link. This is the first game I've heard the term used for Alt. Accounts
I have mainly played MMO's (Asheron's Call and LotRO) Never touched WarCrack lol!
Yeah I guess I could have googled it but thought I get a better answer from those using the term!

you'd be surprized how many times I was told "Google it" by those people who were using a term or something like that.