Squad games: long time predictions

[Zruty]

How squad game events will go in the rest of 2010 and throughout 2011?

The following is my view only, feel free to write your own.

TL;DR: by 2012: 4 top squads playing each other every week, and 5 three-active-people squads that are essentially 'wings'.

The 2010 league tried to de-jure settle what was de-facto true for long: there are 'top' squads (lots of pilots, good teamwork, good individual skills), and the 'second division' ones, that lack all of the above.

Yet, in 2010 we had what was quite new to the squadgame department: forfeits.
We had 4 forfeits in 2010 league (and one more non-played game ACE v GB, so make it 5 forfeits).
2010 tourney features 5 forfeits (out of 12 games so far), it's more than 40%.

If the squad league goes on in the same format, I suspect a lot of cross-division games will be forfeit.
To me, there's no 'logical' sense in playing GB v SysX, because the game will just be an embarassing massacre, which will last for as long as Spidey desires.
The only reason I will show up for this game is the 'squad honor'. But the tendency is that forfeit is 'not so bad', and not a big tarnish on the honor.

The inter-division2 games are in danger too, because the D2 squads are often strained on pilots, and meeting the 10 requirement isn't easy for them.

What shall we have? D1 squads will play competitive games between themselves, and essentially get 'byes' when the play a D2 team.
D2 squads will have even fewer competitive games, and with no standard to aspire to, the game quality will decline.
The good pilots who want their skills improve (and who pursue fun of course) and will continue to drift to top squads' rosters, as already did Notjarvis, Dorjan, Adept, Phalanxe, Fwiffo, Clay_Pigeon, TheCorsair, Spyball (in no particular order, and I could mistake there, so don't bash me please).
The vicious circle continues, and eventually D2 squads cease to exist as a squadgame-playing entities.

However, a lot of people are so addicted to their squadmates that they won't move out of their squads.

That's what we'll have by 2012: 4 top squads playing each other every week, and 5 three-active-people squads that are essentially 'wings'.

[notjarvis]

QUOTE (Zruty @ Oct 4 2010, 11:36 AM) The good pilots ...... Notjarvis

That made me laugh to be honest.

But you are sort of correct.

To be honest what allegiance needs is more players overall. More to join and stay - more for the lower squads to pick from. If theres a greater pool of players, you only need a couple of gems to join the lower squads for their results to pick up and improve.

The old argument about "Too many players at once will kill allegiance" should be dead and buried.

We want as many players as possible to try it out (marketing) and stay (training/the wiki/ the help). This will improve the game for everyone.

[Dorjan]

All of the pilots you listed have one thing in common: Burnout.

We try hard and eventually burnout, and either A) quit the game or change squad.

Some of the div2 squads don't want to be competitive or just can't. Sometimes it is a real life event or even both. What it comes down too though is that some squads either don't have the right attitude people in it or right skill or even both.

You can't fix that. People are drawn to people who either better suit their desires in their recreation or quit. Developing people who don't want to be developed to a standard you want them to be takes a lot out of you and sometimes you get to the point where you think "this should be fun" and that's where the decision happens. Double that with real life (kids, wives and jobs) and you get people who switch from ultra active to casual and might result in a squad jump.

I hope that makes sense.

[Zruty]

Hehe, NJ, i think you and me are approximately the same skill level, so by classifying you as good pilot I also praisy myself
The argument still stays: if you want to improve, you better join the top squad.

P.S. Hey, Dorjan, I'm not blaming anyone, and you don't need to apologize. It's entirely normal to seek fun in online games, don't worry. I only extrapolated this tendency to form my prognosis.

[Drizzo]

Casual vs. Serious, all that needs to be said.

[Dorjan]

QUOTE (Zruty @ Oct 4 2010, 11:46 AM) P.S. Hey, Dorjan, I'm not blaming anyone, and you don't need to apologize. It's entirely normal to seek fun in online games, don't worry. I only extrapolated this tendency to form my prognosis.

Yeah I know, I still feel bad about "jumping ship" you see but there is always a reason. However, as NJ said there isn't enough players to sustain the casual squads anymore.

[Zruty]

Actually guys, I'd rather expect your opinion in the form:

a) You seem to be right about the flow of events, Zruty.
b) You are wrong because of <insert your arguments>.
c) Here's my own view of the future: <insert your own wall of text>

[Adept]

I can understand being reluctant to face top squads. Losing all the time is discouraging and not everybody in our quarrelsome family are gracious winners.

I wish the people in less competitive squads would realise that even games are fun, even if you're not at the top. It shocks me to see SRM and BS struggling to field 10 people in a game vs. each other. No matter what some of the haters say those games are just as exciting to the players and coms as are games among top squads. I was happy to see a good turnout for the ACE vs. GB game just now. That is exactly how it should be.

The way to get better at SGs is to play SGs. Play roughly equal opponents most of the time, and book games vs those who you see as the better squad to beat when you're feeling confident. Play games and have fun.

And ignore the people who say you can only get better by being repeatedly stomped by a top squad. They are talking out of their arses. That sort of attitude leads to the burnout Dorjan pointed at above.

I enjoy working with a lot of people from the "lesser" squads in PuGs, and I know there is a lot of talent there. Keep playing, keep learning and have fun.

[Broodwich]

what a crock of @#(!. for the 10millionth time sysx was a middlish squad when i joined and people like myself and other new recruits made vast improvements by antistacking in pugs and actually being useful, unlike most current people who like to pretend they are antistackers but actually dont do jack and make it worse. You learn more by being beaten than by winning, but pretty much everyone has a totally defeatist attitude and just throws their hands up and says OH WELL THEY STACK HURRR instead of evaluating why they lost and trying to counter what beat them

[Dorjan]

QUOTE (Broodwich @ Oct 4 2010, 11:53 AM) what a crock of @#(!. for the 10millionth time sysx was a middlish squad when i joined and people like myself and other new recruits made vast improvements by antistacking in pugs and actually being useful, unlike most current people who like to pretend they are antistackers but actually dont do jack and make it worse. You learn more by being beaten than by winning, but pretty much everyone has a totally defeatist attitude and just throws their hands up and says OH WELL THEY STACK HURRR instead of evaluating why they lost and trying to counter what beat them

Yes, but you also have to have more than 1 or two pilots who are willing to try. If you brood, were the onyl one doing as you said above and sysx were still losing two years later, would you still be in SysX telling them the same story every squadgame getting stomped and stomped?

Didn't think so.

You're lucky that there are people like you in sysx who wanted to try and got their @#(! together with you at the same time. In the div2 squads generally most of the pilots are casual and so the one of two hard-workers suffer burnout of feeling their hitting their heads against a brick wall