Myth skills question

[Two Saks]

OK...we just played our 5000th official OoH game. I know many of us played unranked and ranked years ago, at least a few more hundred games for most of us. Countless hours of solo play...alot of myth for everyone who is reading this post.

SO...how many of you feel like you are getting better? Was there a point which you hit the plateau, or do you keep improving but at a slower rate? Do you feel like you are as good as you will ever be?

I personally think every now and then I figure something new out about the game that makes me a *little* bit better. But for the most part, I wonder if the TS of 2006 can beat the TS of 2001 or 2002 ??? I guess you need to break it down between regular myth and our amazingly fun and crazy myth mod skills. Still...I'm curious how others who have played this game for a good many years feel about their playing skills over time.

[Monstertool]

i've been playing myth 2 since late 98, and i was always an occasional player, i don't think i was ever active enough playing it to ever become an elite player. i think the people that get really good at it, are the one's that play a lot more reguarly than i do. i think i've hit my plateu of how good i am at myth. i don't think i'd get any better unless i start playing a lot more reguarly, and against people who are way better players than me but for me those guys are no fun to play myth with. I mean sure i've played over 2000 games with Ooh, and i do think during the 2000 games i've gotten better than i was, only because its made me more active at playing than i was before. I love playing with Ooh because our games are always really competative, and we all play at about the same skill level, well with a little bit of varying degree. so our games always are balanced and most of all fun.

[Frumius]

I definitely plateaued at about "solid," on a continuum from "Raw N00b" to "l337."

Elfoid generously says I'm "crap at Myth" over in the MWC06 forum, but he was kidding; and with the rest of what he said he was standing up for me and more than made up for it, and I forgive him

Periodically I learn something new and that makes me better than the Frum from 2002 or 2001 or mb even 2005, but by and large just playing for fun doesn't really do much to hone the killer skeelz.

Like MT said, playing against the elite guys would help us. Also playing ranked would probably help, since you really have to stick to the objective if you care about the rank. Personally, the game's objective is a secondary thing for me most the time for the lmoths and bacon games--my primary thing until up near the end is engaging the enemy and pounding on them! Mwahahahahaaaa! So the objective is sometimes waaay out of reach for me and my fun-depleted forces at the end of the game. Of course, I won't play that way in the tourney.

I just love skirmishes, and unless it's KOTH or FR, where you have to actively work on the objective from beginning to end, I'd rather use the time to seek out and engage ppl until it's time to check out the flag or whatever And I do not at all mind the double, triple or whatever! Bring it on! I really love having to fight in all directions at once against overwhelming odds. Ever seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? That's me there against the whole Bolivian army! I'd be bummed to get doubled if I cared about rank or if it happened in a tourney or whatever, but for just plain fun and action it is hard to beat.

[Monstertool]

in terms of where i think my mything skills are, on a scale from 1-10, i'd say i'm a 3.5 or 4. i think i play a "little below average" compared to the average playmyth player, and i think its only due to me not playing as many hours a week as probably the average myth player plays on playmyth.

[Two Saks]

Well said MT and Frum. I do think we put the premium on funky fun laden game playing over rote ridden playing skills. I for one get bored learning how to "figure out how to win" most solo type computer games, not leaving much wiggle room to explore and enjoy. I think there is an element of that in ranked myth multiplayer (learning how to play myth well is like practicing scales with the bloody piano...bahhh...but I play by ear and can jam/wander for hours which is much more *fun*, but skills are still necessary to be a good player and grow) , which is cool for those who like it. Still, I have no problem with the mindset of myth ranked competitive play, it's just not my cup of tea (at least for a computer game) and for that reason I will always pretty much s00k in the grand scheme of things, a below average 'skills" player, a solid 4-5 out of 10 on the best of nights (if I really try to play it straight), well below that most of the time. I think OoH is pretty much a group of true unranked h00rs Which has kept me playing for so long. Yeah, this game is amazing, the intense end game play with hilarious, heartbreaking, lucky, skilled, - you name it - finishes that win or lose but leave you thinking THAT WAS KEWL!! I was thinking of retiring but just talked myself out of it

Elfoid generously says I'm "crap at Myth" over in the MWC06 forum, but he was kidding; and with the rest of what he said he was standing up for me and more than made up for it, and I forgive him Smile

I'll have to check out the drama at MWC06 forums. Frum...are you causing trouble again??? I'm sure Elf was just kidding, you know that British sense of humor. I sure hope OoH plays TFS again...

[Frumius]

Oh, yes, I know he was kidding

Yes, I stir things up here and there, nothing major. It's fun.

[Baak]

Well said, all! Don't think there's much I can add to any of the above!

Funny, TS, I have thought of retiring more than once over the last few years - but I just keep coming back for more. If the OoH didn't exist, I think I would have retired long ago...


Oh and Frum: Welcome to the "1000 Club"! (See the # Games Played at the bottom of the OoH Official Stats) I've made the cutoffs at the 500's now. Amazing too: just recently there was a slight shift where VR just passed TS and MT just passed NKI - Q isn't too far behind either. Fun stuff!

[Frumius]

wow, was my 1000th game the 5000th game? That would be a sign. For sure. Of what, though, I wouldn't know.

[Baak]

I had to check... It was actually your 999th game!

Wow - if only you had joined one game earlier...

[vinylrake]

Interesting question baak, and interesting answers all.

Have to agree about the fun vs. seriousness of ranked play, the people in OoH are what have kept me playing so long. Ok, well that and my laziness - it would take way too long to learn a new game.... ;)

Also agree that playing against ranked or more serious "traditional" mythers would undoubtably increase our skills, but probably not our fun level. Or at least not mine, though there is a balance between fun and tradition, and I might start leaning back towards some more traditional games. [Right after I make that Nuclear Wight Bacon ball baak suggested to me last week....]

I'd have to agree with TS, I would say I am a solid 4-5 out of 10, maybe a 5-6 on a really good night, or even a 7-8 on an occassional (very rare) individual game when I am really focused and "on" and everything is moving in matrix bullet time as I whip the camera around micromanaging like a maniac, and somehow manage to time every bottle throw and arrow dodge just right.

That said though, I don't think that in _general_ I am better now than I was in say 2000-2001. I forget way too much to ever be a really good player, but as TS said (kind of) I love to improvise and Myth is a game where unless you are playing against methodical killing machines of much superior ability there is almost always a chance (however remote) for an improvisational win - the lone thrall who wanders right through a huge battle to tag the ball at 2 seconds remaining as a mistimed lock blast knocks the ball out of play, or a wounded ghol circuiting the map in the last couple minutes of a terries game tagging flags as the stronger remaining teams are focused on destroying each other.

I think what I am better at now than I was then, is realizing my strengths and weaknesses so I don't as readily enter into situations likely to produce a disastrous outcome as I would have "back in the day". [Stop laughing, I mean it!]

I think I know certain units better and how to more effectively use them then I did a few years ago, and I know which units I really DON'T use effectively (unfortunately the "Don't" list is a lot larger than the "do] but I think my larger team coordination skills have probably slipped a few notches. I definately don't manage a large team well when _I_ am the one controlling all the units, but I think I've gotten a lot better at playing as part of a team working toward the team goal, or (when I am focused) at managing a team of other players. (Stop sniggering Frum, my lone trow last night was outnumbered... and those souless have really sharp spears that hurt).