10-18-2006, 06:08 AM
I've been thinking about this since I've been playing around with the AI for the upcoming tourney :tongue:. I guess the main thing I have in mind right now is that this limited part selection and useability in LR could actually be turned around and used to your advantage. Yes, the wonky part balance is there, but even with tunes you can't change much of that, because the game is still heavily tiered in nature. Tunes don't normally allow parts to ascend or drop one tier above or below them suddenly. So, what do you do? The idea I had in mind was the concept of limiting.
A thread on ACO gave me the idea. If you play with crappy parts, you're placing yourself in a handicap. Like for example, going up against an AC with an RL and running on FA legs with just an L74M's placing your stability thousands of points below the other guy. Naturally, once you get hit, it's going to be the beginning of the end of the match for you, especially in this particular game, where stun's made a big comeback and stability is one of the prime factors to consider (just in the same way that cooling was the big thing in Nexus).
But I believe there comes a point when even with low tier or mid tier parts you can begin to beat high end designs... it all actually comes down to your skills first, and the part synergy between those parts you equipped second. That point's different for everyone, for me it was like only after NB that I got to that point, by relentlessly trying to pound the bulldog/pitbull AI into oblivion :tongue:. Some people could attain it only be playing with other people, and not the AI: that's well and good also, since they're getting trained in real combat situations, devoid of any Pluses (on a side note, I find that some people are generally better at playing AC with other people from the get-go, but these same people get pwned by the AI; while on the other hand there are people who pwn the AI but have no clue as to what to do with real human players). By severely crippling your designs, you're forcing your skills to work overtime. Things like mobility, use of cover, use of acceleration/OB, heat management, energy management, judgment and patience with weapons, and most importantly instincts start to get shaped and developed because there's not much on your AC that will buff or make these tasks easier. It's left up to you, in other words. I realize there are some matchups where it is just impossible to win though, where even skill can only take one so far. Figuring out what these are needs an intricate knowledge of the part tiers in LR, of which admittedly I only have a vague but working idea of.
That's basically what I think handicapping yourself does, it enables your piloting skills to increase in depth and breadth, whereas using top tier parts all the time only limits them and keeps them stale. Skill in designing is easier to develop, it comes over time and can be done with enough reading of the proper material. Skill in piloting is harder, it's only developed through practice and more practice, and it's what really matters in crunchtime.
Considering all that, no wonder people who were the shiznit with Nexus are so good with LR. It's the same principle: they were exposed to the extremes, shall we say, of heat mechanics. They had to find a way around it, yes with the proper setup, but also with skill in managing their temperature when boosting. Now in LR, where heat's been toned down, they're like hounds that have been set loose, running and winning all over the place. :bigsmile:
Just another side of the coin.
A thread on ACO gave me the idea. If you play with crappy parts, you're placing yourself in a handicap. Like for example, going up against an AC with an RL and running on FA legs with just an L74M's placing your stability thousands of points below the other guy. Naturally, once you get hit, it's going to be the beginning of the end of the match for you, especially in this particular game, where stun's made a big comeback and stability is one of the prime factors to consider (just in the same way that cooling was the big thing in Nexus).
But I believe there comes a point when even with low tier or mid tier parts you can begin to beat high end designs... it all actually comes down to your skills first, and the part synergy between those parts you equipped second. That point's different for everyone, for me it was like only after NB that I got to that point, by relentlessly trying to pound the bulldog/pitbull AI into oblivion :tongue:. Some people could attain it only be playing with other people, and not the AI: that's well and good also, since they're getting trained in real combat situations, devoid of any Pluses (on a side note, I find that some people are generally better at playing AC with other people from the get-go, but these same people get pwned by the AI; while on the other hand there are people who pwn the AI but have no clue as to what to do with real human players). By severely crippling your designs, you're forcing your skills to work overtime. Things like mobility, use of cover, use of acceleration/OB, heat management, energy management, judgment and patience with weapons, and most importantly instincts start to get shaped and developed because there's not much on your AC that will buff or make these tasks easier. It's left up to you, in other words. I realize there are some matchups where it is just impossible to win though, where even skill can only take one so far. Figuring out what these are needs an intricate knowledge of the part tiers in LR, of which admittedly I only have a vague but working idea of.
That's basically what I think handicapping yourself does, it enables your piloting skills to increase in depth and breadth, whereas using top tier parts all the time only limits them and keeps them stale. Skill in designing is easier to develop, it comes over time and can be done with enough reading of the proper material. Skill in piloting is harder, it's only developed through practice and more practice, and it's what really matters in crunchtime.
Considering all that, no wonder people who were the shiznit with Nexus are so good with LR. It's the same principle: they were exposed to the extremes, shall we say, of heat mechanics. They had to find a way around it, yes with the proper setup, but also with skill in managing their temperature when boosting. Now in LR, where heat's been toned down, they're like hounds that have been set loose, running and winning all over the place. :bigsmile:
Just another side of the coin.
"Let's fight... like gentlemen." - Dudley, SF3
