Alright, I've been playing a while now, been trying various strategies laid out in these forums and just can't get a win to save my life. Before I quit altogether I figured I'd reach out for help to see if someone could maybe look at what I'm doing and give me some pointers?
My favorite game so far has been World 2.1, unlimited, flat rate, standard, automatic, sequential, 8 players. Should I just stop playing this particular game? I really do enjoy it and figured I should try to master one game first.
In my opinion, mastering a smaller map first is much easier. try classic for example, or really any small map with simple bonuses. Also, maybe find a player you trust and play some team games. You can grow and learn together, learning a map twice as fast as long as you communicate
Go play some 1v1 games. Try chained and no spoils and sunny. = few surprises, you see whats going on and isn't so drop dependent for reinf advantages. Gets rid of the luck of the card draw too.
Try Cyprus - Portugal - Macedonia - classic. Very basic smaller maps.
As iamkooler suggested find an experienced partner.
As far as what you have been playing they are not high % games.
This post was made by jefjef who should be on your ignore list.
drunkmonkey wrote:I'm filing a C&A report right now. Its nice because they have a drop-down for "jefjef".
Check out the training grounds. We have several volunteers who have been in the same position as you (myself included) before joining up and figuring things out. We teach the basics of escalating spoils, and once you have these principles down, you can play any map, any setting.
dhallmeyer wrote:Check out the training grounds. We have several volunteers who have been in the same position as you (myself included) before joining up and figuring things out. We teach the basics of escalating spoils, and once you have these principles down, you can play any map, any setting.
yah, I've improved a lot once I joined the training grounds.
also, I started out mastering AO2 fog, no spoils. That seems to be a rather easy one.
I'm not sure I agree with those players who suggest you should play 1v1 or team games. Those are simply completely different game styles, and learning them won't significantly help you get better at flat rate 8 man games, which seems to be what you enjoy.
The problem with the society of cooks is that they mainly teach escalating, which doesn't help much when learning flat rate.
Still, I agree that 8 man flat rate on world 2.1 is a rather difficult game to get into. I would suggest that if it's flat rate you enjoy and want to get good at, you start practicing flat rate by playing multiplayer games with fewer players (4-6 still gives roughly the same experience) on midsize rather then large maps (classic, africa, australia or the USA series spring to mind). That way, the gameplay remains comparable to what you seem to be enjoying, but because the game is simpler and there are less opponents winning should be easier.
sigh...i'm feeling rather generous today. Here, pm me and i will show you how to play 8 man (doubles), non-escalating, flatrate, freestyle. Just create a game with these settings
Waterloo Map Freestyle Automatic deployment Unlimited fortification No fog Doubles Flatrate Public Length (casual)
and reserve me as your partner.
Even if we don't win, i'm sure u'll learn loads. Also read the guide of how to become a colonel in 100 games by xiangwang.
jefjef wrote:Stay away from Flat rate + unlimited.
Go play some 1v1 games. Try chained and no spoils and sunny. = few surprises, you see whats going on and isn't so drop dependent for reinf advantages. Gets rid of the luck of the card draw too.
Try Cyprus - Portugal - Macedonia - classic. Very basic smaller maps.
As iamkooler suggested find an experienced partner.
As far as what you have been playing they are not high % games.
I don't agree with what I highlighted in blue. Comments should be made taking into consideration the profile of those asking for the advice. This guy is a cook with 8% winning percentage.
If you're naturally good and wins more than you lose (or at least 12.5% more in 8-player games), then you should pick settings that diminish the luck factor as much as possible.
However, that doesn't appear to be the case. If you're having trouble winning, odds are you are below average (at least for now, you can always improve your game). If you're below average, you should pick settings that augment the luck factor as much as possible. Granted, you're most likely going to lose when luck is against you (and, let's be frank, you'd probably lose that game anyway if there was no luck involved), but you're considerably improving your odds of winning when luck is on your good side.
In 1v1: Do not go for bonuses. They are NOT worth the troops that you put in. Instead, focus on ONE point of attack. You never want to put yourself in a position where your opponent can attack you from two directions (or more...). Try playing with flat rate spoils; you might get lucky with a red-blue-green set every other game and get a quick win that way.
In multiplayer games, stack your troops and go for the easy bonuses. Wait until the spoils (if escalating) are worth 25 or more, and target the weakest player if possible to get their spoils. You can trade their spoils then to target the next weakest player, and so forth.
Try smaller maps like Luxembourg and Madagascar; they're great for practicing 1v1.
WorldCup4James wrote:In 1v1: Do not go for bonuses. They are NOT worth the troops that you put in. Instead, focus on ONE point of attack. You never want to put yourself in a position where your opponent can attack you from two directions (or more...). Try playing with flat rate spoils; you might get lucky with a red-blue-green set every other game and get a quick win that way.
In multiplayer games, stack your troops and go for the easy bonuses. Wait until the spoils (if escalating) are worth 25 or more, and target the weakest player if possible to get their spoils. You can trade their spoils then to target the next weakest player, and so forth.
Try smaller maps like Luxembourg and Madagascar; they're great for practicing 1v1.
I believe that this is entirely circumstantial and depends on what map you're playing and the drop. Securing a small bonus is by far one of the most beneficial things you can do.
Not a lot of people have mentioned how to play the map you mentioned (most just urged you to play different maps), but I really like World 2.1. In an 8-player map, it is important, as some people have said, to gain a small bonus.
Here's what I've noticed a lot of inexperienced players doing that I would consider reckless or irrational:
- a lot of players tend to get pick fights in the beginning with anyone who may happen to be nearby, simply trying to expand instead of trying to play the balance of powers (and balance of powers is mostly what that kind of game is about). So try and find some place out of the way, take a little bonus or two and start to build up. Don't fight back against another player who's going for the same bonus as you if there are other options - really, only do that if you are stronger than they are.
- some players worry about the balance of powers too much and take it as their personal mission to make sure that the other players don't rise too far above the surface. On the one hand, it is okay for someone to be a little bit ahead, as long as it is not too far. On the other hand, it is not always your job to take them down a notch. If you are not the next strongest player on the board, then wait for one of the others to do something about it. That doesn't mean keep fighting other players, but if you're one of the weaker powers, it is not your job to take on the top dog. When the leader gets too strong, the other strong powers will get nervous and take him down. If you are one of the stronger players, then do your part, but make sure the others are on board. Some people snap earlier, get really nervous before it's really time, and they throw themselves at the lead player, while the others look on. It always changes the dynamic of the game for the rest of the players, but it is usually disaster for the nervous player.
- That's another point about inexperienced players: nervousness. Some players just get jumpy. If you are nervous about another player coming after you, make sure you watch for the signs first. I played 2.1 game, where I had taken Europe, and the player who was in the us and canada stacked all his troops right up against my border. He was nervous about me coming against him, but what he ended up doing was provoking me. I was forced to do something about it because he would have attacked me otherwise. Sometimes you can match troops at someone's borders, maybe tell them you're not planning on attacking, but usually just matching without making a move, and send the message that you wish for neutrality. Usually this takes one or more other players on that player's other borders, but that's where the balance of powers come in. Of course, I did this with one player, and he attacked me anyway, but that was an example of someone being jumpy. He ended up weakening both of us, and neither of us ever recovered, because other players were too far ahead already. I got swallowed up, and he never did anything significant.
So anyway, those are just a few things. You can't always help it if another player thinks you're in his way.
Don't forget, sometimes, the smart move is to retreat. As long as you're expending your resources against an aggressive player, other players might think they don't have to. You don't always have to retaliate or fight back. Just pay more attention to the dynamic of the game. Sometimes it works. Sometimes not. Those are my thoughts.
Onefistjel wrote:Not a lot of people have mentioned how to play the map you mentioned (most just urged you to play different maps), but I really like World 2.1. In an 8-player map, it is important, as some people have said, to gain a small bonus.
Here's what I've noticed a lot of inexperienced players doing that I would consider reckless or irrational:
- a lot of players tend to get pick fights in the beginning with anyone who may happen to be nearby, simply trying to expand instead of trying to play the balance of powers (and balance of powers is mostly what that kind of game is about). So try and find some place out of the way, take a little bonus or two and start to build up. Don't fight back against another player who's going for the same bonus as you if there are other options - really, only do that if you are stronger than they are.
- some players worry about the balance of powers too much and take it as their personal mission to make sure that the other players don't rise too far above the surface. On the one hand, it is okay for someone to be a little bit ahead, as long as it is not too far. On the other hand, it is not always your job to take them down a notch. If you are not the next strongest player on the board, then wait for one of the others to do something about it. That doesn't mean keep fighting other players, but if you're one of the weaker powers, it is not your job to take on the top dog. When the leader gets too strong, the other strong powers will get nervous and take him down. If you are one of the stronger players, then do your part, but make sure the others are on board. Some people snap earlier, get really nervous before it's really time, and they throw themselves at the lead player, while the others look on. It always changes the dynamic of the game for the rest of the players, but it is usually disaster for the nervous player.
- That's another point about inexperienced players: nervousness. Some players just get jumpy. If you are nervous about another player coming after you, make sure you watch for the signs first. I played 2.1 game, where I had taken Europe, and the player who was in the us and canada stacked all his troops right up against my border. He was nervous about me coming against him, but what he ended up doing was provoking me. I was forced to do something about it because he would have attacked me otherwise. Sometimes you can match troops at someone's borders, maybe tell them you're not planning on attacking, but usually just matching without making a move, and send the message that you wish for neutrality. Usually this takes one or more other players on that player's other borders, but that's where the balance of powers come in. Of course, I did this with one player, and he attacked me anyway, but that was an example of someone being jumpy. He ended up weakening both of us, and neither of us ever recovered, because other players were too far ahead already. I got swallowed up, and he never did anything significant.
So anyway, those are just a few things. You can't always help it if another player thinks you're in his way.
Don't forget, sometimes, the smart move is to retreat. As long as you're expending your resources against an aggressive player, other players might think they don't have to. You don't always have to retaliate or fight back. Just pay more attention to the dynamic of the game. Sometimes it works. Sometimes not. Those are my thoughts.
how do you have the attention span to type all of that?
16:00:18 ‹Pixar› Valentines Day the one day in they year that the V and the D come together
Onefistjel wrote:Not a lot of people have mentioned how to play the map you mentioned (most just urged you to play different maps), but I really like World 2.1. In an 8-player map, it is important, as some people have said, to gain a small bonus.
Here's what I've noticed a lot of inexperienced players doing that I would consider reckless or irrational:
- a lot of players tend to get pick fights in the beginning with anyone who may happen to be nearby, simply trying to expand instead of trying to play the balance of powers (and balance of powers is mostly what that kind of game is about). So try and find some place out of the way, take a little bonus or two and start to build up. Don't fight back against another player who's going for the same bonus as you if there are other options - really, only do that if you are stronger than they are.
- some players worry about the balance of powers too much and take it as their personal mission to make sure that the other players don't rise too far above the surface. On the one hand, it is okay for someone to be a little bit ahead, as long as it is not too far. On the other hand, it is not always your job to take them down a notch. If you are not the next strongest player on the board, then wait for one of the others to do something about it. That doesn't mean keep fighting other players, but if you're one of the weaker powers, it is not your job to take on the top dog. When the leader gets too strong, the other strong powers will get nervous and take him down. If you are one of the stronger players, then do your part, but make sure the others are on board. Some people snap earlier, get really nervous before it's really time, and they throw themselves at the lead player, while the others look on. It always changes the dynamic of the game for the rest of the players, but it is usually disaster for the nervous player.
- That's another point about inexperienced players: nervousness. Some players just get jumpy. If you are nervous about another player coming after you, make sure you watch for the signs first. I played 2.1 game, where I had taken Europe, and the player who was in the us and canada stacked all his troops right up against my border. He was nervous about me coming against him, but what he ended up doing was provoking me. I was forced to do something about it because he would have attacked me otherwise. Sometimes you can match troops at someone's borders, maybe tell them you're not planning on attacking, but usually just matching without making a move, and send the message that you wish for neutrality. Usually this takes one or more other players on that player's other borders, but that's where the balance of powers come in. Of course, I did this with one player, and he attacked me anyway, but that was an example of someone being jumpy. He ended up weakening both of us, and neither of us ever recovered, because other players were too far ahead already. I got swallowed up, and he never did anything significant.
So anyway, those are just a few things. You can't always help it if another player thinks you're in his way.
Don't forget, sometimes, the smart move is to retreat. As long as you're expending your resources against an aggressive player, other players might think they don't have to. You don't always have to retaliate or fight back. Just pay more attention to the dynamic of the game. Sometimes it works. Sometimes not. Those are my thoughts.
how do you have the attention span to type all of that?
I didn't have the attention span to read all that.
Quint wrote:Alright, I've been playing a while now, been trying various strategies laid out in these forums and just can't get a win to save my life. Before I quit altogether I figured I'd reach out for help to see if someone could maybe look at what I'm doing and give me some pointers?
My favorite game so far has been World 2.1, unlimited, flat rate, standard, automatic, sequential, 8 players. Should I just stop playing this particular game? I really do enjoy it and figured I should try to master one game first.
Thoughts?
I see you are playing the Classic map now a little. The Classic map is the one used in the training classes of the Society of Cooks. I see the SoC has been mentioned before in this thread, that you still have not joined and that you are still a cook. You did say that you would try the suggestions left here so, I suggest that you sign up for the next SoC class, continue to play the World 2.1 map that you love so much but also jump into some of the training class games and post your moves. I do believe this will help you to not "suck" so much anyway.
I just wanted to update you guys. Do to all the support from you all I finally figured out a way to win a few games and have climbed out of the chef gutter and made it to sergeant.
