Thoughts on your development as a player

[The_Inflictor]

My UT experience can be split into two periods:

1. When I was at uni playing online instead of doing my Finals: I had a very nice broadband connection and was doing well in the ngStats thingy-ma-jig (I think I reached the top 95th percentile in April). However, my skills weren't that special due to the 50 ping that I had...

2. When I moved back home and downgraded to 56k: I struggled tremendously for about a month or so. In that time I played Cobra 1v1 on Malevolence and got beaten by some stupid score (30-2 springs to mind . It was a scarey experience because I would respawn and be dead in a matter of seconds, but seeing that he could do It with a 56k connection meant that I could as well with a lot of practice.

Since then, I've definitley got better, although I know that I am far from an elite player. A couple of things have helped me out:

a) moving (eg jumping, dodging, strafing) in unpredictable ways,
b) my knowledge of certain maps has improved. Learning the "control points", where players tend to go, etc...

There's a demo of Voyd vs Cobra floating around, watch this to learn some tricks on Deck16

c) being able to shock combo on the move. I don't how I developed this, but 50% of the time I can dodge, jump and pull off a combo (a real life saver ,
d) there's almost definitly more, but I can't think of them

I've hit this plateau everyone is talking about, but I expect it. I know that during my cricket or football season, I will hit troughs but I'll also hit peaks as well. I'm also having a crappy problems with my connection which doesn't help also (packet loss is the bain of my life at the moment ).


I hope to enter a third period when I move back to uni. This is when I hopefully manage to get ADSL. From there, I hope to translate some of the skills developed whilst being a HPB to LPB-land.

BTW Sel, those 5 min periods really do suck. I still suffer from those

 

[-[BHS]-Redfrost]

I think that one of the most important things to do to improve is as Snowdog and Cleaner said earlier, to watch demos of top players in their prime, and learn from them.

To give an example, I recently downloaded the demo of MMSS vs DFB in Orbital. Although I'm not a CTF player by clan choice, I do occasionally play it. And I have to honestly say, that I learned more about flag running watching that demo than I ever could have taught myself by trial and error. Everything from weapon selection, to routes to take, to jump boot usage in certain areas to throw off the pursuers were tactics that I improved upon just from watching this one match.

Also, if you're a lpb, play on some insta-gib servers. Your accuracy is always something you can improve!

 

[DividedSky]

Redfrost: Any idea where I can find that demo?

Thanks.

 

[DividedSky]

Never mind ... I found it at cached.net

http://www.c-sports.net/q3/q3demos/download.php3?dl=ut/mmssvsDFB-ogl1.zip&title=mmssvsDFB-ogl1.zip

 

[Krypton|BuF]

Good point Inf, to compare UT with sports.

I had this "not improving anymore" - feeling too, both in sports and in UT.
In sports, I reached a level where i din't get better anymore, not even a little. I completely changed the style of my training, the points i focussed on, and (by now) even the team i'm playing with. And it helped me a lot. Got new trainers, mates, who help me/show me things i never thought of before.
In UT, it's exactly the same. Not that i'm a good player, no. But i downloaded tons of demos, just to see how the really good players fight. This was very impressive for me. It helps you as you see some tricks/predicting skillz and a lot more, things which bots (of course also the godlike ones) don't / can't do.

(But there is still much work for me to do in UT (NOT in sports, hehe. There's at least one thing i am very good at...). And, as the others posting here, i can't get rid of all the days/periods in the game where i really suck and can't even hit the floor with a redeemer...)

 

[~Cobra~]

i also think that... as watchdog or someone has mentioned.. that it's a matter of perception as well... you might be improving just that everyone else is improving around you...

 

[hal]

Man, I've never seen a thread more near and dear to my heart! DividedSky, I feel your pain.

All of this advice is absolutely dead on. Cleaner hit some of the high points in nice short bullet points. Everyone else expanded on it.

But when it gets down to it...practice time is at the top of the list. You have to have the ability to leap, turn and shoot with absolute precision. You have to know the levels inside and out... and those things take massive amounts of time. The best players practice the most, because when you're out there doing it, you're always learning new tricks and improving in some area.

How do I know this? Because I'm living it. When UT came out, I was able to spend hours a day playing it. I was already familiar with the weapons because I was an Unreal junkie. I could spend all my time learning the maps and the subtleties of the new game types. I improved on a weekly basis. Believe it or not, until earlier this year I was ranked Quarterly in the top 100 with a 99 percentile.

...and then it happened.

Real Life hit home, my job caused me to travel a lot and I was able to only play an hour or so a week. The mouse and keyboard that had become my alter-ego began to feel awkward and clumsy in my hands. I began to do worse in pick-up matches than I ever had. Think that's bad?

It got worse. My job required me to move from my home state to a new area that doesn't have cable or dsl like I was used to using. That has just compounded the problem.

Yes, I know I'm whining. I don't do it much, so sorry if it is too annoying. I really do love to play UT and other team games. I will find a way to do so. But for now, take it from me...quality practice/playing time (along with all of the other suggestions) is what counts.

BTW, having played you before, I can say that you are a very good player. Don't be so down on yourself. It could be worse.....

 

[Ineffectual]

Yeah, I feel like I've hit a plateau too... I only feel like I'm improving when I play heartless CTF matches with DA or someone else of higher caliber.. I know there are some things I need to work on (dodge springs to mind instantly), but I never really take the time to do it and that's probably what hurts me the most.. (Oh, BTW, this is a question that I've been meaning to ask, is there a latency period between dodges? ie: you dodge once and you have to wait 5 secs til you can dodge again in ANY direction?)



'Fect

 

[lunchblaze]

i don't want to sound like i'm ass kissing here, but Cobra's first post in this thread is just about the most poignant thing i've read since i've been reading these forums.

Cobra, for some reason, i got the impression somewhere that you were fairly young (could be wrong about this), if so, your insight is all the more impressive.



out.

 

[Alpo5]

I know exactly how you feel. I've been playing since
December and have progressed very little since May.
I'm playing at the adept level and that seems to be
as far as I'll get and win consistently offline. I can't
seem to get the hang of dodging. Ever run into some of the
UE clan guys? Forget dodging,
or anything else they literally run circles around most.

Online play did improve for me however after I upgraded
my processor, optimized my connection, and changed my
server. The largest increase came from upgrading my processor.
After upgrading, my kill ratio doubled from
an average of 4 per game to 8 per game. I didn't always
lose those close encounters, IE coming around a corner,
Flak Cannon verses Rocket Launcher. (BG) I went from a 500
PIII Secc II to a FC PGA 700 coppermine. Vast improvement
for the money. I've got it midly overclocked, and it was a
worthwhile investment. So if you are awesome offline, might
want to consider some of these improvements.

On the other hand, I don't take the game too seriously.
Some of those clan guys and girls are just bloody unreal.
The level of skill that they enjoy is a true spectacle to
behold, even if the results are you end up in a million
gibs all over the map. Not to mention some of the other more
colourful individual players.

The best I can offer you is to practice and watch what the
Dominating and Godlike players do. How they manage to run
circles with the minigun like they do, I'll never know.

I've had my butt kicked by you,(and everyone else) and you
are definitely heading in the right direction.

 

[darklite]

Also, if you're a lpb, play on some insta-gib servers

even if you're a hpw.. play on instagib servers. my average ping on the servers I play on are pretty near to unplayable for me (270-325), but I still have a blast most of the time.
just cuz I'm bored, I'll post some ig ctf servers for the nth time:
dogz - almost my "home" ut server, but is usually somewhat empty.. although it was pretty full today
shreve - I've been playing here more than any place else.. gamemode is set to turbo. - both of those servers are prone to lag pretty often.. just a word of warning
fat's - this is probably the place to go if you want to get better with your aim. I, pardon the term, own most of the time on shreve and dogz but I'm constantly reminded on fat's that I'm no where near the best.. I probably should play on there more.. but oh well

Oh, BTW, this is a question that I've been meaning to ask, is there a latency period between dodges?

yup; you also aren't able to dodge right after you land from a jump.

UE clan guys? Forget dodging, or anything else they literally run circles around most.

as in the unreal engine clan? heh, I was in a clan with someone that supposedly joined that clan; I saw him today with a UE nick. if these guys are as good as you say they are, I really don't know how this guy got in because I can whup his arse any day of the week weird thing is, this guy was from an IG CTF clan and I only knew him by playing IG CTF.. and by what I can gather from their webpage, they're a normal weapons TDM clan?.. oh well

 

[Watchdog]

i know there are things that i can improve upon in my game, but my interest is starting to wane for UT. Red Alert 2 is looking more and more appealing (i think i need to get away from FPS for a bit).

 

[[MUTTS]ImagoX]

Mental Game...

What a great thread... It's for reasons like this that I keep coming back again and again to this community. There are some really great insights here.

I think the whole idea of the mental game cannot be stressed enough. I recently was camped firmly on the plateau that everyone is describing, and I was really frustrated. I'd go into an open server (CTF, DM, Team DM, it didn't matter), and score in the dead middle most games. No matter what I did, I could not break the mid-point barrier.

Then someone posted a great link to an article on these boards about three months ago, detailing what makes a great brain surgeon- the ability to think ahead and perceive time in chunks, just like athletes do. The idea was compelling to me, in a formless way, but it did not bear fruit until a few days later...

Later that week, I was fragging in Hyperblast, and it was weird, but I suddenly started wondering what the OTHER guy that was shooting at me would think about what I was doing, and it was like a light went on in my head- I knew what *I* would do, and where *I* would go if I were him, and based on that I started lobbing flak secondary grenades into ramps and corners. It was freaky- I'd shoot, and BAM, someone would step more often than not right into my shot. It was nearly telepathic, that wonderful "groove". Since then, I've managed to slip into that groove more and more easily, and find myself fighting the controls less, and fragging better. Not always, but more, and that's fun.

The mental game applies to other situations as well. I recently did some 1-1 matches with some of my fellow team mates, some of which have near Jedi-like reflexes. When trying to match them in their own game, their younger twitch-reflexs beat my old-man skillz hands down. BUT, when I started doing things to change the rules (running, retreating, chipping away at him bit-by-bit, dodging), then it was a whole new game. I ended up loosing in the end, true, but the score was MUCH MUCH closer, and I had a great deal more fun.

Hope that helps someone.

 

[lunchblaze]

just like chess.
play the opponent, not the game.


out.

 

[HuFlungzeDung]

RE: dodge time restriction: don't dodge, use manual strafe left and right, there is no time restriction
Anybody who has a config like WASD is handicapping themselves, IMO, because you can only get 3 fingers on those 4 keys handily, and you probably won't be ready for instant forward and reverse. Just a thought.

 

[The_Inflictor]

Anybody who has a config like WASD is handicapping themselves, IMO, because you can only get 3 fingers on those 4 keys handily, and you probably won't be ready for instant forward and reverse

Point taken and I think everyone would agree completely, but seeing that you have a solution, what is it?

(Please don't say PantherXL )

 

[DividedSky]

W00t! Thanks for everyone's replies ... it appears I'm not alone in my plateau-ness. I think the thing I could really improve on is dodging in a firefight. It doesn't come naturally, I have to think about it, and when I do I forget to fire my weapon I think "Okay, I'm gonna dodge now" but unfortunately I don't possess the mental capacity to actually shoot while thinking that. I've learned that not shooting isn't a good way to stay alive

 

[soyrico]

Hi DS,

Boy, another one of these threads. Good stuff. I have a solution to the wasd dilema. I'm a mouse runner, soooo;

right mouse is forward.
spacebar is back
f is strafe right
d is strafe left

I always hold the right mouse down. To stop, I hit space.(forward+back = stop). At that point I can move in any direction not by pressing a key, but by releasing a key. Ever so slightly quicker. It may only work for me.

Now on to the thread topic. I feel your pain DS, well honestly I don't. It's difficult for me to feel the pain of a player that is better than me who has plateaued. Just kidding .... as far as you know. Step back from this just a touch.

When you started you needed to learn the game (weapons, movement, maps etc). That's a lot. When you started you needed to develope the "hand eye" thing. That's a lot. But when you started you knew something that you may have forgotten. And that was the "point". In a melee the "point" is the frag, not the dance. Keep it simple. If you can get a frag while standing stock still, essentially an execution, then that is ideal. If you are dancing with your opponent, then something didnt work and your opponent is fighting back. The point is not to demonstrate your dancing skills. It is the frag. If you focus on all the skills you have learned to this point you WILL end up in a dance.

What's the difference? Thought. IMO, the better players dont dance (although they can). They quickly pick the right weapon, either manouver to the right location or manouver you to the right location, and then kill you.

In my opinion, having played you, you are at a place where simple demonstrations of your "dancing" abilities are out of place. You can dance. The next level for you involves a little more simplicity. Size up the situation quicker. Make decisions that will setup the killing shot without setting up your opponents killing shot. And kill them.

On orbital once I was playing {318}Foo! (and others). I saw him and attacked. He quickly ran. Ahh, I'm thinking he must be hurt. I persued. Right into a combo in the kisser. I was the Foo!, not him. He recognized that I had the advantage and quickly changed that and killed me; no dancing.

What you need now are not skills really. You have those. You need good decisions.

BTW, I have seen the better players avoid complex movements. They have the right weapon, manouver only as needed and AIM the shot to kill. Simple and deadly if executed well. When I see someone hopping and straffing like mad, it is usually someone that just developed that ability. How can you accurately aim the killing shot while doing all that. That type of movement seems defensive to me, and THAT means you have just given your opponent the advantage. Kill in one or two shots or empty your weapon at your opponent dancing with him. You choose.

I'm going to define several things (as proposals)

Level 1 - learn physical coordination, weapons maps etc.

Level 2 - learn to make good DECISIONS that allow you to apply the skills learned in level 1.

DS, you are already at level 2 and may not realize it. I don't think focusing on level 1 skills will help you. You need to focus on level 2 skills, although level 1 skills will probably continue to impove anyway. You need to change "what" you do not specifically "how" you do it.

And finally, thank you sooo much for the server. My ping isnt great, but it is at least smooth. That's good for me. I plan to play there much more often.

Thanks

Jim
bodkins@prologic.com

 

[Temporary Account]

Wow...now THAT's some good advice. Damn.

 

[Watchdog]

yeah ive noticed that too--great players make it look easy.