Alliedassault - View Single Post - Shotguns, Snipers, Rocketeers, Camping, and Cheating

Hannover · 01-03-2002, 06:56 AM

Hi Siggi,

I enjoyed your post. You brought to light some interesting observations.

I would, however, like to respectfully disagree with a couple of your points. =)

First, what is wrong with the supposition that someone can be good at a game like this? What about Thresh? While I do not know if Thresh plays MOHAA, he most certainly played the various Quake games. By virtue of playing Quake, Thresh had to excel within its limitations. But those limitations did not flatten his play to where it closely resembled the average player's skill. No, Thresh was light years ahead of almost everyone else he played. In short, he was really good at playing Quake. (This is not meant to imply I am the Thresh of MOHAA!)

Yes, you are very correct, sir, when you say that "EVERYONE, to a greater or lesser degree, reaches a broadly similar level of ability in it." I'd buy that for a dollar! My only but (okay I've got another butt, but that's another story...) is that this average ability is just that - average. When people of similar skill play together for a long time, it can de disconcerting to see someone come along who does not fall in that mean - a "savant" or "genius" player, if you will. This person (not necessarily me) can make you feel like crap because they never seem to die and they always seem to get lucky. They seem like they must be cheating. But there are people that, whether through luck, skill, or l33t connection, consistently rise well above the average player.

And finally, you said that "on any given day, on any given server, it should not be possible for one player to rack up a 200/30 score against a variety of other players as they enter/leave the server."

Well guess what? It IS possible. I've done it four times now. I assume, though, that the parade of players I faced over the 2-hour period were of a "broadly similar level of ability." I didn't see too many good decisions being made, yet they had good connections, at least judging by their pings. The host was pinging zero, of course.

I guess this leaves us at only one possible conclusion: Since all connections seemed good, and because it is not possible to be appreciably better than others. I must have been cheating and not even realized it. =)

Hannover

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SS.SGW-Siggi:
Good post. Unfortunately it supposes that somebody can be 'good' at a game like this.

This game can't simulate real combat to any great depth. It mimics it in a very crude way and anyone playing it is constrained by that fact.
New players make easy targets to old hands, but after a while EVERYONE, to a greater or lesser degree, reaches a broadly similar level of ability in it.
Of course there are those who simply never improve. And there are those who get a real knack for it. But on any given day, on any given server, it should not be possible for one player to rack up a 200/30 score against a variety of other players as they enter/leave the server. Unless that player is cheating or something is amiss with the server/connection.

To put it another way, player abilities average out and so do scores. In real life a person can reach a special level of ability, because real life offers an almost limitless number of parameters. A game does not. It offers only those parameters that are coded into the program.

To use an analogy...a game is like a test. If you give a test containing five simple questions to a group of grads, it would be fair to say 99% of them would score at least 95%. No one of them would out-score any other by any appreciable margin.

Conclusion: If you find yourself with a score of 200/31, assume something is fucked in Denmark (connection, server, whatever)...unless you know different, ie that you are employing 'special powers'. What everyone else calls cheating.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[This message has been edited by Hannover (edited January 03, 2002).]

	(#11)
Hannover is Offline Junior Member Posts: 26 Join Date: Jan 2002	01-03-2002, 06:56 AM Hi Siggi, I enjoyed your post. You brought to light some interesting observations. I would, however, like to respectfully disagree with a couple of your points. =) First, what is wrong with the supposition that someone can be good at a game like this? What about Thresh? While I do not know if Thresh plays MOHAA, he most certainly played the various Quake games. By virtue of playing Quake, Thresh had to excel within its limitations. But those limitations did not flatten his play to where it closely resembled the average player's skill. No, Thresh was light years ahead of almost everyone else he played. In short, he was really good at playing Quake. (This is not meant to imply I am the Thresh of MOHAA!) Yes, you are very correct, sir, when you say that "EVERYONE, to a greater or lesser degree, reaches a broadly similar level of ability in it." I'd buy that for a dollar! My only but (okay I've got another butt, but that's another story...) is that this average ability is just that - average. When people of similar skill play together for a long time, it can de disconcerting to see someone come along who does not fall in that mean - a "savant" or "genius" player, if you will. This person (not necessarily me) can make you feel like crap because they never seem to die and they always seem to get lucky. They seem like they must be cheating. But there are people that, whether through luck, skill, or l33t connection, consistently rise well above the average player. And finally, you said that "on any given day, on any given server, it should not be possible for one player to rack up a 200/30 score against a variety of other players as they enter/leave the server." Well guess what? It IS possible. I've done it four times now. I assume, though, that the parade of players I faced over the 2-hour period were of a "broadly similar level of ability." I didn't see too many good decisions being made, yet they had good connections, at least judging by their pings. The host was pinging zero, of course. I guess this leaves us at only one possible conclusion: Since all connections seemed good, and because it is not possible to be appreciably better than others. I must have been cheating and not even realized it. =) Hannover <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SS.SGW-Siggi: Good post. Unfortunately it supposes that somebody can be 'good' at a game like this. This game can't simulate real combat to any great depth. It mimics it in a very crude way and anyone playing it is constrained by that fact. New players make easy targets to old hands, but after a while EVERYONE, to a greater or lesser degree, reaches a broadly similar level of ability in it. Of course there are those who simply never improve. And there are those who get a real knack for it. But on any given day, on any given server, it should not be possible for one player to rack up a 200/30 score against a variety of other players as they enter/leave the server. Unless that player is cheating or something is amiss with the server/connection. To put it another way, player abilities average out and so do scores. In real life a person can reach a special level of ability, because real life offers an almost limitless number of parameters. A game does not. It offers only those parameters that are coded into the program. To use an analogy...a game is like a test. If you give a test containing five simple questions to a group of grads, it would be fair to say 99% of them would score at least 95%. No one of them would out-score any other by any appreciable margin. Conclusion: If you find yourself with a score of 200/31, assume something is fucked in Denmark (connection, server, whatever)...unless you know different, ie that you are employing 'special powers'. What everyone else calls cheating. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> [This message has been edited by Hannover (edited January 03, 2002).]