20 replies to this topic

[Fnord Asteroid]

I don't have much of a life. Long story. As a result, I have spent a lot of time and money playing this game. It used to be fun.

Something changed, I don't know what. All of the sudden I can't hit the broad side of a barn, and my foes are always sniper class shots with dual ppc and large lasers. At first I thought it was the new matching system, so I stopped using anything but my most powerful mechs. Then I realized its probably just that I suck, as I watch the only measurements i have, (w/l and KD) slowly sink back into the toilet. Sure, maybe I suck, maybe I'm not mr. crackshot mcgee, but isn't there supposed to be some ranking system where I am stuck with the other slow kids? Never happened.

Just one beating after another, punctuated with battles my team would have won anyway.


Screw this, Can't take it any more. Not mad, just sad.

[DaZur]

No offense OP but it sounds like you have bigger issues outside of this game you need to attend to, namely depression...

Remember... This is just a game.

By your albeit brief recount of your situation it sounds as if, as a result of some personal turmoil, have been using MW:O as a diversion from your present lot in life... As a result of possibly 100 potential catalysts the game is now reached a difficulty level that is causing emotional stress on your greater that the emotional stress presented by your real-world hurdles.

Read this, turn your PC off and go fix what ever situation has you in this funk...

[Fnord Asteroid]

Noted. You are half right. Thanks for your post tho, very kind of you.

Edited by ChromeDaedalus, 13 July 2014 - 08:04 AM.

[DaZur]

ChromeDaedalus, on 13 July 2014 - 07:59 AM, said:

Noted. You are half right. Thanks for your post tho, very kind of you.

I've been there done that and have a t-shirt to prove it...

Using computer stress to battle real-world stress is like banging your head against the wall to fix a stubbed toe.

[Fnord Asteroid]

You were being nice, now you are just being presumptuous.

You assume my 'situation' can be fixed, and that I am simply out of sorts. Wrong and no, Dr. Phil.

I am not just some angsty gamer with a crappy outlook.

Still, thank you for the kind words.

[Redshift2k5]

Sorry bro, sounds like your Elo is climbing and it's putting you into the deep end. Obviously there is a difference between where you feel comfortable and where the cryptic mathematics of Elo and matchmaking wants to put you.

Are you just playing solo? sounds like grouping up may be the solution.

Best of luck in your endevours, whether you decide to give MWO another chance or not.

[HammerMaster]

Walk away for a bit man. Come back after a break. Also watch your times you play. I found when I worked nights, and came home to destress with a causal match, the EU Elites were on in force and made a challenging gameplay happen. Also, try the new pug queue. It seems to me a bit more relaxed. Though running with your solid buds in a 4 man feels great. Best of luck either way.

[Naduk]

measuring your performance with KD/WL ratios is going to give you nothing other than heartache in this game
this is not battlefield or cod or Unreal
kills in this game do not matter

sure kills are nice and your cbill wallet sure likes them, but they are not the measure of success

lets examine KD
you spend 5 mins in an Orion fighting an Atlas and your slowly winning as your using your superior skill and marksmanship to take him down and right before your killing blow a single LRM5 from a raven 990m away takes the kill
you know that you earned the kill, you have the wounds to prove it, your now out of ammo and armour and likely have little in the way of functional weapons, but you got "nothing" for it because the raven snaked your kill
its not a real measure of power is it !

lets examine Win/Loss
you click launch, your really keen for this battle, you have just spent 2 hours in mechlab creating an absolute monster
oh yeah someone is going to cop it tonight and your the one serving up
as the game loads, reactor online, sensors online, weapons ...... the cat jumps on the desk and spills your coffee across the desk, your mum screams at your from down stairs to take the garbage out this second or suffer death by brussle sprouts, your wife gets home in tears from having a really bad day at work, your net drops, the game crashes to desktop
what ever happens your not at the keyboard, your mech just stands there
a jenner on your team pokes you with a few medium lasers to get you moving, it dosnt work so he runs off
the team goes on the give the enemy a 12-0 pants down spanking
.......... you werent even there, they didnt need you, you didnt help
if this can happen, Win Loss is NOT a measure of power

so how do you measure power in MWO ?
well for the most part there are two key stats that will show your progression
damage and assists
these stats never lie
these stats are the best measure of success we warriors can have

assists mean a great deal in MWO
it means you were there, helping, the higher the number the more battles you were at
this does not mean you should punish your self for getting low assists as you cannot be everywhere at once
and sometimes its better to remain hidden and not do damage (LRM spotter for instance)
the more help you have been doing, the better your teams odds are of winning
so do not separate kills and assists, treat them as the same number
thus assists measure your teamwork, the most powerful weapon in MWO is teamwork

damage
this is the measure of your own RAW power
however many people make the mistake of measuring the damage stat against other peoples damage stat
this is a false reading and will likely just make you feel like your not doing anything
because sure enough someone will have had a crazy game and get some stupidly high score
to measure your growth in this area you need to only compare to your own past games
as your builds and play styles change, as your skills increase your damage rates go up
the more damage you did the longer you were alive for each match
the more damage you did the more help you gave your team
it is for these reasons that you must only assess your damage vs your own damage
if your a raven pilot it is very unlikely that you will ever attain the damage rates of a Cataphract pilot
to compare the two is silly, when compare either of them to themselves the numbers make sense
most new players i have introduced to this game will literally celebrate when they get their first 150 damage
how low is that 150, that means you did very little vs someone in a assault doing 950 damage
but to the new player that 150 might as well be 1,000,000 damage because thats how much progress they are making in this incredibly hard game, after 150 they will strive for their next milestone perhaps 200 or maybe 155 it dosnt mater what it is because they can see their progress

after a while of measuring your stats vs yourself
you can even see when you performed well during a really bad game
it does not matter that you lost 12-0 when you did your very best and can see your progress in your stats

virtually any stat makes for a better measure than KD/WL
one of my pilots uses his average cbills per match and while i believe its not quite as good as damage/assists it is still leagues better than KD/WL

so dont be so hard on your self
this game is hard enough

[DaZur]

ChromeDaedalus, on 13 July 2014 - 02:30 PM, said:

You were being nice, now you are just being presumptuous.

You lead your opening post with the inference that something was awry in your life... Without context, all I have is presumptions.

That said, your point is duly noted.

[Bigbacon]

take a break and come back.

I had like a 2 week period where I was just playing horribly...i mean really bad even in the mechs I was normally really good with.

took like a week off, came back and all was well.

[Hex Pallett]

DaZur, on 13 July 2014 - 08:08 AM, said:

Using computer stress to battle real-world stress is like banging your head against the wall to fix a stubbed toe.

Wisest fxxking thing I've heard in a long fxxking time.

[Fnord Asteroid]

Thank you all for the advisement. Very cool and wholly unexpected.

[CeeKay Boques]

DaZur, on 13 July 2014 - 08:08 AM, said:

Using computer stress to battle real-world stress is like banging your head against the wall to fix a stubbed toe.

Depends on stress level

Machinarium/Game where you just continually win (Diablo) = Good
The game that is partially attached to your emotional level/Ego where people expect things of you = Bad

[DaZur]

Technoviking, on 14 July 2014 - 10:22 AM, said:

Depends on stress level

Machinarium/Game where you just continually win (Diablo) = Good
The game that is partially attached to your emotional level/Ego where people expect things of you = Bad

Very true...

There is a big difference between playing Chutes & Ladders and The Game of Life.

[Henchman 24]

I have to agree with the previous thought that you might have actually upped your game enough for ELO to move you into a new bracket, which would be tougher, and possibly further populated by the serious try-hards.

In this case, you could take a break, maybe find something external to inspire you with some positivity...and come back fresh.

After a break, what seems insurmountable now could just feel like a fun challenge with a different mindset. Even pro athletes get sick of swinging a bat all day everyday, and feel discouraged, it happens.

In any case, I'm sure we've all hit that plateau where we can't seem to buy a break, and everyone has a different way of pushing past it. Good luck sir!

[Girth Fillmore]

I don't know if you use teamspeak at all, but getting in with a good group of guys and girls can do wonders with respect to making the game more fun, and less stressful; even in those situations where we come up against teams that are totally meta (and very good at it!), we can always joke around and create situations that are positive, even in the face of a negative result.

Plus, if validation or reinforcement is craved, being the last one in your group alive and having your teammates speccing you while on comms, yelling and cheering when you make that tough shot feels really good.

Edited by Girth Fillmore, 15 July 2014 - 09:21 AM.

[Domoneky]

Dropping with friends is always good. That's one of the best things about the MechWarrior community in general. 90% of players and fans are 25 and up and a good degree of them are former military. This is a much more mature community (Most of the time) than games like Call of Duty or Halo. Trust me, I've avoided doing multiplayer only games like it was the plague until I started doing MWO. Also you'd be surprised at what people in this community will do to help a fellow pilot/gamer. Example was when PGI held a charity for Children with cancer (I think) where if you donated ten bucks you got a Jenner. A lot of people donated. Also we did a charity for kids with autism a while back and made $16,000 in donations.

Bottom line is take a break, drop with friends, and know that no matter how bad things may seem you got Mech(Warrior)Support

[BoomerZ]

Don't quit fight to make it right...there still is more "fixing" to do in the game, that will stop unfair play. Take the jump jet fix for "pop tarter's" (hope your not one ) there will be more balanced changes coming soon. Keep your chin up and destroy some mech's .

[Nova Latios Storm]

It is a mad world...sometimes i feel like that but it is still a fun game when you get over all the ****...just the saying "If you can't beat them, join them" comes to mind.

Be a sniper give it a go...find something that works well with you. Have fun and don't hate...there is always a brighter side and it could be much worse...

[Fnord Asteroid]

Thanks to the very good comments left here (and the fact that it beats staring at a wall), I gave this game another go-round. Well, I figured out what changed, for me at least.

Its the solo queue. I play pug (I'm not up for 'meeting new people') and when the groups and pugs played together I could compliment the groups, more often than not, no matter what mech I piloted. Good Army Scout training finally paying off for something.

Now that it's all pug, all the time... I suppose my Elo ranking is too high now? I'm just along for the ride. If MM decides we lose...we lose. If a win is decreed, we win. All regardless of my presence. Maybe one in ten games is an actual fight, where the victor isn't clear in the first three minutes. Thanks to the loss of a coordinated core group, what i bring to the table gets lost in a wash of... i don't know what to call it... Lost in the 'dog pile' i guess.

Knowing this at least allows me to continue to play.

Thanks again for the words of encouragement. You all rock.

-edited for typos

Edited by ChromeDaedalus, 23 July 2014 - 09:18 AM.