Top 50 players who were willing to rise to a challenge

[TrafalgarLaw01]

On my own map I would take that.
But 1v1 Flat rate seems to me the worst kind of settings, the most luck based one. So I passed.
I do play some 1v1 and almost every setting, but it seemed a not fun one.

[Nut Shot Scott]

On my own map I would take that.
But 1v1 Flat rate seems to me the worst kind of settings, the most luck based one. So I passed.
I do play some 1v1 and almost every setting, but it seemed a not fun one.

100%

[Dukasaur]

Okay, so the Top 50 players on the site were invited to play me, on map and settings with 50/50 outcome likely. Those who have invites disabled got a wall post inviting them to communicate with me.

(Note: actual number of players in this series was 51, as one player dropped off the scoreboard and another was promoted during the process.)

Four rose to the Challenge.

Top 50 heroes
Ark_Angel_NZ current score 3927
rcfritz current score 3556
jleonnn current score 3528
Donelladan current score 3406

Honourable Mention
Extreme Ways current score refused my map of choice but did grant a make-up game on random map.

Cant believe youre getting bites. I once went after the top 100 offering to play them on their own map. I only had about 4 or 5 takers.

I was on track to only get one or two bites before I started this forum thread. I wonder if it helped some of the later takers make up their mind to join.

[Dukasaur]

Lol, I can't even count.

I said "Top 50" but it was actually only the Top 40.

Rectifying that now and sending invites to #s 41 to 50.

[josko.ri]

I am medal hunting for freestyle, speed freestyle and zombie medals. If you want to mosify to these settings I am in.

[Dukasaur]

I am medal hunting for freestyle, speed freestyle and zombie medals. If you want to mosify to these settings I am in.

Lol, no.

[josko.ri]

I am medal hunting for freestyle, speed freestyle and zombie medals. If you want to mosify to these settings I am in.

Lol, no.

When you can earn 40 points but lose 10 points, you shouldnot be so selective in settings, and then calling out the ones who do not accept your settings for such huge point gain/lose ratio. I almost never play trench and have no fun in playing it.

[SoN!c]

On general rank you will loose 50 to 100 points to a "leftenant" while drop and first go decides 80%.. it is like a major playing a cook (if the cook has a basic understanding..). Dont go there if you like points.. You should only play this for fun liking the map so much, not to make a statement..and certainly not for any small points (major winning from a cook is 8 points won but losing is 60 points gone...). So you need to win 7 to 8 just to compensate one loss.. while again most is decided on drop and going first)

[Donelladan]

I was on track to only get one or two bites before I started this forum thread. I wonder if it helped some of the later takers make up their mind to join.

It did. I don't know if I'd have accepted otherwise, it depends, sometimes I do take random invite sometimes not.
But you made the thread before sending me the invite and I did read it, so I wasn't neutral when I clicked accept.

[SoN!c]

I was on track to only get one or two bites before I started this forum thread. I wonder if it helped some of the later takers make up their mind to join.

It did. I don't know if I'd have accepted otherwise, it depends, sometimes I do take random invite sometimes not.
But you made the thread before sending me the invite and I did read it, so I wasn't neutral when I clicked accept.

This is why Don is a great guy! And a real frenchman

[Nut Shot Scott]

I am medal hunting for freestyle, speed freestyle and zombie medals. If you want to mosify to these settings I am in.

Lol, no.

Not sure how you can "lol no" when your own requirements are just as rigid and silly.

[xroads]

I wonder how many invites are blowing up their inboxes now.

[Dukasaur]

I was on track to only get one or two bites before I started this forum thread. I wonder if it helped some of the later takers make up their mind to join.

It did. I don't know if I'd have accepted otherwise, it depends, sometimes I do take random invite sometimes not.
But you made the thread before sending me the invite and I did read it, so I wasn't neutral when I clicked accept.

This is why Don is a great guy! And a real frenchman

+1

He's definitely a gentleman.

I am medal hunting for freestyle, speed freestyle and zombie medals. If you want to mosify to these settings I am in.

Lol, no.

Not sure how you can "lol no" when your own requirements are just as rigid and silly.

My settings are 50/50 settings. In other words, generalist settings that anyone can play, and where the chances are roughly 50/50 for both players.

Freestyle is a specialist setting that maybe one person in a hundred can play well. And josko isn't just the one in a hundred that can play it well, he's probably the one in a thousand that has it truly mastered. So playing him on freestyle is pretty much the opposite of a 50/50 chance.

[iAmCaffeine]

My settings are 50/50 settings. In other words, generalist settings that anyone can play, and where the chances are roughly 50/50 for both players.

Freestyle is a specialist setting that maybe one person in a hundred can play well. And josko isn't just the one in a hundred that can play it well, he's probably the one in a thousand that has it truly mastered. So playing him on freestyle is pretty much the opposite of a 50/50 chance.

he said zombie too, not just freestyle

flat rate is the most luck based spoils type in the game and you're playing it on a small map

what you're doing is removing skill from the game (something most of these players have in abundance compared to you), and then "calling them out" for not accepting

you had a good point but your execution is laughable

[MichelSableheart]

[...]
My settings are 50/50 settings. In other words, generalist settings that anyone can play, and where the chances are roughly 50/50 for both players.

Freestyle is a specialist setting that maybe one person in a hundred can play well. And josko isn't just the one in a hundred that can play it well, he's probably the one in a thousand that has it truly mastered. So playing him on freestyle is pretty much the opposite of a 50/50 chance.

Though I agree with you that freestyle requires specialization, I don't think you should conflate generalist settings with a 50/50 chance to win, because there is a skill differential. Surely, an approachable map where skill matters should be considered generalist, but I would be shocked if a Lieutenant has a 50/50 chance against a general on such a map.

As a general rule of thumb, higher ranked players will be looking to express their skill, and will dislike maps that are entirely luck based.

[Extreme Ways]

[...]
My settings are 50/50 settings. In other words, generalist settings that anyone can play, and where the chances are roughly 50/50 for both players.

Freestyle is a specialist setting that maybe one person in a hundred can play well. And josko isn't just the one in a hundred that can play it well, he's probably the one in a thousand that has it truly mastered. So playing him on freestyle is pretty much the opposite of a 50/50 chance.

Though I agree with you that freestyle requires specialization, I don't think you should conflate generalist settings with a 50/50 chance to win, because there is a skill differential. Surely, an approachable map where skill matters should be considered generalist, but I would be shocked if a Lieutenant has a 50/50 chance against a general on such a map.

As a general rule of thumb, higher ranked players will be looking to express their skill, and will dislike maps that are entirely luck based.

100% agree with this. Sure, most top players love some specialised maps and they are amazing on it, but they didnt get to their current score by playing 50/50 settings and are unlikely to be interested in playing 50/50 settings. Those players would still be strong players on generalised settings, just with a lower score because there's slightly less room for skill expression. Sidenote: yes, private games among high-rankers exist but I honestly believe that is more to get a higher level game than to minimise potential point loss.

My counterproposal of any map new recruits would be able to play on any poly setting takes away a decent part of the luck setting while still being in essence a 50/50 map: no prior knowledge should be required to play it. You could still use flat rate spoils which can influence the game, but all the same there would be decent room for skill expression.

The invite I sent in response for random poly3 NS parachute fog trench is far less 50/50 - trench is not a 'natural' setting for new players and random gives an edge towards people with a big map pool. I was hoping the random map would offset the advantage I had in otherwise choosing parachute ns trench.

[Dukasaur]

My settings are 50/50 settings. In other words, generalist settings that anyone can play, and where the chances are roughly 50/50 for both players.

Freestyle is a specialist setting that maybe one person in a hundred can play well. And josko isn't just the one in a hundred that can play it well, he's probably the one in a thousand that has it truly mastered. So playing him on freestyle is pretty much the opposite of a 50/50 chance.

he said zombie too, not just freestyle

flat rate is the most luck based spoils type in the game and you're playing it on a small map

what you're doing is removing skill from the game (something most of these players have in abundance compared to you), and then "calling them out" for not accepting

you had a good point but your execution is laughable

What would you have sent?

My counterproposal of any map new recruits would be able to play on any poly setting takes away a decent part of the luck setting while still being in essence a 50/50 map

Except new recruits cannot play Beta maps and the primary purpose of this exercise was to find new unique kills for chasing the Beta medal.

[iAmCaffeine]

geographic map on default settings or no spoils chained fog. prob poly 2.

[Dukasaur]

geographic map on default settings or no spoils chained fog. prob poly 2.

The whole point of the exercise is to find new unique kills for the Beta medal, so it has to be a Beta map. Slovakia is a geographic map, the only one in Beta, so you confirmed my judgment there.

I would play no spoils, although it is depressing. On no spoils there's no way to compensate for a bad drop; most 1v1s in No Spoils are over after turn 1. At least with cards you have hope that a lucky card will reverse a bad drop for you. But all that being said, if someone insisted on No Spoils I would not refuse.

Poly 2 I would play also if someone insisted, although it does tend to take more thought and I'm already well over my target game load. Keep in mind, though, that a great many people on the list are freemies and could not play Poly anyway.

[iAmCaffeine]

On no spoils there's no way to compensate for a bad drop;

lol

[mdhill]

The premise of this thread--that high-ranked players who don't accept an invite out of the blue for a 1v1 game on a beta map are chicken--is absurd.

I'll tell you my reaction when I saw the invite:

What is this map? Why is dukusaur inviting me? Did I sign up for something? I've heard of him, but I'm not sure why he'd think this map/setting interested me. Oh, it's a beta map. Oh, and he seems to be playing it a lot. OK, cool. He's farming and inviting high ranks to poach points. Decline.

For context, if I'm inviting someone I don't play regularly with to a game, there's usually a reason (e.g., trying to learn a new map, working on a team for a clan map, playing with a potential clan addition), and the person I almost always choose to invite is someone who knows the map well and is likely to beat me or at least give me a good challenge. And I accompany the invite with a PM, explaining why I'm sending the invite (with perhaps some obfuscation if the reason relates to clan recruiting). I would never send a blind invite on a beta map to someone I don't know, and I certainly wouldn't think less of the person if they blew it off.

What's been said here about there being good reasons that people avoid maps where skill has negligible effect on outcome need not be repeated but further confirms the terrible premise of this thread.

[Dukasaur]

Moving on with the next batch of 10. From 51 to 60.

At this point the list is too much in flux to try to keep track of who moves in or out in a day. Currently this batch begins with Zock at 51 and ends with Downfall at 60.

Of particular note is bigWham at 56.

[Shannon Apple]

The premise of this thread--that high-ranked players who don't accept an invite out of the blue for a 1v1 game on a beta map are chicken--is absurd.

Yep!

I am medal hunting for freestyle, speed freestyle and zombie medals. If you want to mosify to these settings I am in.

Lol, no.

I find it a bit sad that you're being this rigid, and then publicly calling people out for not accepting your invites. You didn't even negotiate with using zombie spoils (for his zombie medal, nevermind freestyle) and some other combination of settings.

I do play trench, but I won't be accepting an invite when it gets that far. I don't agree with the tone of this thread. Sorry Duke.

[Nut Shot Scott]

So basically by your own admission, you're not good enough to play anything other than 1 v 1 on a map with settings that you've determined to be a coin flip? Why would anyone want to do that? If it's 50/50, then it's purely a lucked based game you'd like highly skilled players to accept an invite to? And if they don't, then they are somehow expected to be ashamed or something? What is this?

[Nut Shot Scott]

Fairness is posting.

I do really like what you're sort of doing - we need more things in this vein. Just the execution and vibe is awful though.