It's been a bit of a journey.
- The first couple of months of learning that suiciding no way to go about your business;
- The next couple of months of beating seas of newbies in 8-player World 2.1 games;
- The disaster of discovering Doodle Assassin that dropped me right back to private;
- Another couple of months of winning 1v1 tournament games;
- The disaster of Map Blaster II, where I played 80 games against people who actually knew what they were doing, dropping me to private once again;
- And finally discovering the fine art of patience (this can't be stressed enough), the styles and maps at which I excel at, and sitting tantalizingly close to the threshold, until there it was. A win, a sigh of satisfaction, and the realization that I've got the Lieutenant pip next to my name.
So what's been discovered in the last year?
- Your dice don't get better at higher ranks, but people treat you a thousand times better.
- Like any other online game, people can get very arrogant, fly off the handle, and generally act in ways that would never, ever be acceptable in real life.
- Nobody ever wants to play unpopular maps in Speed games. Maybe it's the lack of experience, maybe it's the wariness that they're stepping into a trap, but there's not much of a spirit of adventure.
- Everything is more fun when your friends play with you. Whether they're freebies or not, getting a private game together with a buddy - maybe even your girlfriend, because the couple that plays together stays together! - means you can play a little looser and stop worrying about being so precise.
- Tournaments are a great way to learn about different strategies, and then learn why they do or don't work.
- This community, warts and all, has so many creative minds, from the mapmakers to the tournament directors to the average cat just looking for a litterbox. =)
For all the bellyaching we do about this and that, about Double Rainbow Coalitions or Super Clickable Maps or that new guy who goes charging into that wall you'd set up, it's still one of the most fun and ultimately relaxing ways to keep your brain sharp and your day just a little more enjoyable. Like the front page says, you can wake up, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and decide who's continent you feel like ruining that morning. Or you can download all the plugins and run to the PC the moment you hear that PINNNNNNNNNG.
So yeah. From the jerks to the saints, from the conquerers to the cooks...thanks for the game. I think I might even have a clue what I'm doing now. =)
