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       #Post#: 4572--------------------------------------------------
       Correlates of Skill
   DIR By: FaceOfMelinda
       Date: July 29, 2014, 4:20 pm
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       Which map (or mode) do you think correlates most strongly with
       skill?
       CTF / BD / ROTS etc
       It seems to me that BD is by far the biggest correlate of skill
       in Revo.
       In CTF I can’t beat stay_cool and dark_exodus (I really tried)
       whereas in BD I COMPLETELY dominate almost anyone despite not
       playing it actively. T
       his of course depends on the mode in BD – 2v2 and 6v6 are modes
       where skill is less rewarded. But in 4v2 BD – where skill REALLY
       shines – people just get DESTROYED by me.
       Anyone agree/disagree? Is 4sheep vs 2wolves in BD the best
       correlate of skill in Revo and perhaps the best metric of skill
       we have overall?
       I really think scores in 4v2 BD is the best way to objectively
       and quantitatively measure skill in the game. Or at least
       categorize tiers.
       #Post#: 4573--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Correlates of Skill
   DIR By: Nmcdo
       Date: July 30, 2014, 11:00 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       ROTS - Out of the question.
       CTF - I've played this game possible more than any other (from
       what I know). CTF HIGHLY requires a strong knowledge of its
       items and farms / tricks in order to play at a high degree, and
       EVEN THEN it can be difficult because of the many different
       things your opponent could do. Thus a lot of whether the wolf
       kills the sheep or the sheep gets past the wolf is based on
       there reaction to these moments.
       Thus the game requires you to have A STRONG reaction time AND
       KNOWLEDGE to succeed. Atleast against a wolf who knows what hes
       doing.
       Many people see it as luck but there is also a lot of skill
       involved if played properly.
       Bulldog - Without having these items movements - the game mainly
       correlates to control of the map and how well you can control
       your wolf. If the wolf is very good the sheep will have trouble
       getting by. Therefor as sheep it more requires you to know where
       the wolf is going to block and attack, and using these moments
       to break through your current mass and continuing down the map
       however it may be. As there is usually less space to work with
       in BD sheeping isn't as runtag based as it is mass based. 4 V 2
       (katma?) would be more of how good a sheep is at tricking and
       movement building then how good a wolf is at guarding and
       preventing with CONTROL of mirror and main wolf - enough said.
       Which has more skill? Depends on how you look at it. (Nothing
       against either even though both can be boring at times).
       Knowledge - CTF
       Micro control - Bulldog for wolf : CTF for sheep.
       Reaction time - CTF.
       Movement: Bulldog (importance).
       Tricking (of either wolf tricking sheep for kill or sheep to get
       by) - CTF.
       There may be some things I've missed but this should shine some
       light on the matter, I do not claim all this to be perfectly
       thought out so it may have flaws.
       Agree / Disagree with what I've said?
       #Post#: 4578--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Correlates of Skill
   DIR By: drewisfat
       Date: July 30, 2014, 11:29 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       /agree
       CTF - I've only played this a couple times, but the fact that
       people who aren't very good at all in ST (Wrda?) are considered
       top players makes me think that CTF isn't really much of ST game
       at all.  I don't have enough experience to really judge the game
       for its own merits, but I all the spells/items detract from the
       core element of ST, this is why skill in the game seems to have
       no correlation (maybe even a negative correlation?) to skill in
       revo.  Instead it's based on who mastered the new things, which
       have almost completely eroded classic ST dynamics.
       I think the most glaring problem with CTF is that massing (aka
       trying) is discouraged, and leads to a more boring/broken game.
       Any game where trying too hard is ruinous and so you have to
       start imposing arbitrary limits = BIG sign that you have a real
       problem.
       BD on the other hand seems more of a condensed form of the
       skill/intelligence in ST revo.  There is less to it, but this
       doesn't mean there's less skill / less to master, because
       instead there are fewer boring parts and more constant
       wolf/sheep interactions.  You're always near a wolf pressuring
       them -- or else you're on a break away to scoring.  Revo you can
       go several minutes without seeing a wolf sometimes.
       BD is a much more vigorous testing of positioning and awareness,
       and intelligent players quickly rise to the top.  It's amazing
       how some people may be very good at revo, survival by
       themselves, but when placed in an atmosphere where they have to
       account for the positions of all their teammates and all the
       wolves they suddenly look extremely mediocre.  (CMK comes to
       mind here).
       BD also rewards technical micro skill as well, but in a much
       more purposeful way.  Small and dynamic jukes are the key to
       manipulating the wolves and gaining ground or making a
       breakaway.  Mediocre players tend to either do predictable set
       up trips (where they're basically hoping the wolf won't click on
       them after a jump), and repeat their same 2-3 go-to tricks every
       time.  Most damaging is that even when they pull off these
       tricks they're rarely good ideas in the present situation, and
       they end up getting past a wolf only to find themselves exposed
       and image blocked.
       In revo there are essentially four situations where you show off
       micro skill, and 3/4 of those situations = are "playing to have
       fun" and not "playing to win".  A game where those two have a
       huge disconnect is a poorly designed game.
       1. Zak Syndrome - where you are bored, in a safe position and
       you decide to try to mess with the wolf in the middle of a mass
       for very small gain.  80% of the time you look good, but 20% of
       the time you die for no reason.
       2. Switch tricks - or when you put on a RT show in the wide open
       arena.  The problem here is usually you're not trying to get
       back to your ally's farms, and you're not trying to maximize how
       long you survive (as this would involve just running to a corner
       and tanking).  Instead you're playing for fun and to show off --
       which is all well and good, but there's a disconnect where this
       doesn't match "winning" in the game.
       3. Unnecessary Risk - Where you are definitely under pressure
       and starting to be isolated, but you decide to make a move on
       your own 1v1 against a wolf.
       4. Necessary Risk - Same as #3, the difference being the
       situation.  Sometimes it's wiser to wait for allies or to bend
       the wolves out of position.  It's only smart "game-wise" to make
       a move on your own when there is no reason to think stalling
       would benefit you.
       In BD most of the time you can aggressively micro against
       wolves, and have it be the smart choice at the same time.  In
       revo the vast majority of the time, the right play is the boring
       one.
       The result is that people who look good aren't necessarily the
       most skilled players, but the ones who show off the most.
       #Post#: 4581--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Correlates of Skill
   DIR By: HaWkys
       Date: July 31, 2014, 5:32 am
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       rofl at "zak syndrome" funny shit xD
       #Post#: 4582--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Correlates of Skill
   DIR By: XXXandBEER
       Date: July 31, 2014, 7:52 am
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       2 complaints with BD
       First its 100% based off of the wolves reactions if the wolves
       play perfect the sheep wont win.
       Second there is no reason to try as wolf as you're just
       prolonging how much longer till you get sheep.
       I would love to see a BD vampish mode. Where it starts lets say
       6v2. First round whoever dies is wolf next round as well. So
       lets say 1 person dies rest make it. Those people get rewarded
       for making it and wolves get punished for not killing sheep and
       go again. This time its 5v3 round 2 and so on till you have 1
       winning sheep. This both gives incentive to wolf and justifies a
       clear winning sheep. Somebody make this gamemode *cough* chakra
       plssss
       As for CTF its fun but has as much correlation to revo as my
       post does to this thread.
       #Post#: 4585--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Correlates of Skill
   DIR By: Chiefhero[sks]
       Date: July 31, 2014, 10:17 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       fallacy = starting with the assumption that certain people are
       "gifted"(skilled, intelligent, whatever) while others are
       "ungifted", and looking at what gameplay best reflects this
       assumpion.
       seems impossible to say anything about skill correlation between
       games/gamemodes without some nasty assumptions. or unless you
       simplify "skill" to include basic shit only, like
       reflexes/speed/accuracy.
       assuming that borja is the king of runtag, drew is the king of
       massing, shoop is the king of wolfing = the actuall ranking of
       the 3 players (who wins the most) will depend on gamemode. what
       basis is there for saying that any of the gamemodes correlates
       more with skill than the others, without assuming the ranking of
       the 3 players to begin with? e.g. "shoop is the most gifted
       player, borja is the least gifted player".
       #Post#: 4597--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Correlates of Skill
   DIR By: drewisfat
       Date: August 2, 2014, 1:47 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       That's exactly the problem amir with revo.  "Best at revo"
       depends on what you find impressive.  Ideally I would assume
       something like best player to have in a 5v5 competitive game,
       but we've had so few of those it seems like a weird standard.
       Bulldog you don't have this problem, there's a closer tie
       between what people perceive as skillful and direct success in
       the game.
       Which tier people are in becomes extremely evident within an
       hour.  There are three tier 1 people (you know who they are, or
       at least they do ^^) And there's a handful of people in the
       second tier, who understand the game but aren't quite as
       skilled.  Then there's a giant drop off for tier 3 with people
       who don't understand the basic concept of the game.
       @sidey, I think 3v2 is better than 4v2.  Ultimately it depends
       on which map,  how much gold and the timer, but I think 3v2
       yields better results over more settings. What's interesting
       though is that there's a steep drop off in 2v2 from 3v2.  Once
       the sheep don't outnumber the wolves positioning / tactical
       understanding don't matter nearly as much, and verse good wolves
       it can come down to mostly lucky breaks.
       #Post#: 4608--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Correlates of Skill
   DIR By: RoguexRanger
       Date: August 4, 2014, 4:42 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       The problem with 4vs2 BD is the vast majority of players aren't
       skilled/patient enough to play that mode as wolf. Like Beer
       says, you're better off letting the round end quickly as
       possible so you can sheep. BD does require a higher level of
       skill but not when sheep outnumber wolves that much. It's
       similar to Revo in that regard because sheep might not see a
       wolf all round. @Sidey I still don't know why you proclaim
       yourself the best at BD in those situations when all you did was
       avoid the wolf.
       #Post#: 4609--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Correlates of Skill
   DIR By: Chakra
       Date: August 4, 2014, 5:16 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Arguments that you shouldn't bother trying as shepherd in BD are
       ridiculous. The same argument can be made to just AFK as wolf in
       ReVo (which was/still might be a common problem). Wolfing isn't
       that bad, and it is much better in BD. But this is an argument
       about the merit of the game alone, not about the skill. The
       obviously skillful thing to do is to try as shepherd, as giving
       free scores will not help you, even if you get to play sheep
       more.
       Even in 4v2, if the sheep doesn't see a wolf, you're playing too
       large of a level or playing was abominably bad wolves. That
       being said, 4v2 is a bit too stretched in the favor of the
       sheep: any competent sheep team would basically always win. I'd
       much rather play 3v3 if I'm playing with other competent
       players.
       I also think one of the important things was that this thread is
       about correlation to skill in ReVo. I don't see how using
       completely obscure farms or abilities that don't exist in ReVo
       can really correlate to ReVo skill. Skill is a factor in CTF,
       I'm sure, but the same skill set? Hardly. Everything in BD,
       however, can directly translate to ReVo.
       Arguing which game takes the most skill is another topic and a
       bit silly to argue, mainly because of how bias most players are.
       #Post#: 4610--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Correlates of Skill
   DIR By: FaceOfMelinda
       Date: August 4, 2014, 5:30 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       It's easy to imagine metrics such as pick-order versus BD scores
       to establish some sort of insight into this. Pick order is ofc
       emotional but good players generally are not picked last and
       toilet-players are generally not picked first.
       @Rogue you still don't seem to understand BD. Opposite to other
       sheep games, the skill cap doesn't hit wolves first - it hits
       SHEEP. BD ranking is primarily determined by your ability to
       play wolf.  Retarded 0 IQ horse-brains think BD is about making
       a cool trick and running to the end - NO - when you're sheep the
       goal is not to reach the end or make a cool trick - it's to draw
       as much attention to yourself as you possibly can at all times
       to unload your allies.
       That's why the runtag crew FAIL miserably at BD. It's not a
       runtag-trix game. It's a test of your wolfing ability (i.e.,
       micro, mini-map, tracking multiple sheep, map control, etc) and
       teamwork skills as sheep.
       [member=13]Chakra[/member] 4v2 on small maps vs average euro
       runtag kids = you get plenty of kills as wolf. (Modes ofc depend
       on the average skill of the players involved)
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