Conquer Club

I achieved what I set out to do when I first started playing CC: that of making the first page. I know I can rise higher through careful game selection and probably make 3,000 over time.

But the question is what's the point? What does it prove?

I played a speed four man classic flat rate a few days ago (and won from Europe ). That game was the most fun I've had on CC for months.
It is unfortunate that my favourite game style is inhabited by a varied collection of CC degenerates (suiciders, cheating accusers, deadbeats) and that maintaining colonel will be pretty much impossible under those conditions. But these are the games I love most so I've decided to abandon status in favour of having a bit of fun.

Have I finally seen the light or am I cowardly running away from a challenge?

Having fun is in

maintaining rank is out

has been for a while now

Yea, when it comes to online games, I tend to think that having fun is more important than score. Winning is always fun, but not everything.

lt.pie wrote:Having fun is in

maintaining rank is out

has been for a while now

Yup. Play what makes you happiest.

lt.pie wrote:Having fun is in

maintaining rank is out

has been for a while now

True, but look how much further you got before making that decision!

Even now, I feel like I'm betraying some 'status-conscious code'. I'm the type of player who actually works out that MedeFe is the highest ranked player from within my general field. "Just 200 or so more points!!!" I thought to myself but a week ago. Scholtz is another I measure myself against (and in this case I know it is mutual). There is a drive within me to bully on for six more months until my ability, no, my ascendency (?) is absolutely unquestioned. That drive is strong within me ("You have the force, Mr C").

But then I think I've proved enough and just want to play. Maybe I'll be a better player for it in the end?

Mr Changsha wrote:

lt.pie wrote:Having fun is in

maintaining rank is out

has been for a while now

True, but look how much further you got before making that decision!

Even now, I feel like I'm betraying some 'status-conscious code'. I'm the type of player who actually works out that MedeFe is the highest ranked player from within my general field. "Just 200 or so more points!!!" I thought to myself but a week ago. Scholtz is another I measure myself against (and in this case I know it is mutual). There is a drive within me to bully on for six more months until my ability, no, my ascendency (?) is absolutely unquestioned. That drive is strong within me ("You have the force, Mr C").

But then I think I've proved enough and just want to play. Maybe I'll be a better player for it in the end?

I used to be a lt. but got addicted to DE speed assassins and DE in general. Now it's pretty much all I play unless I'm invited to a game. Just do whatever makes you happy, but still be competitive.

Mr Changsha wrote:I achieved what I set out to do when I first started playing CC: that of making the first page. I know I can rise higher through careful game selection and probably make 3,000 over time.

But the question is what's the point? What does it prove?

I played a speed four man classic flat rate a few days ago (and won from Europe ). That game was the most fun I've had on CC for months.
It is unfortunate that my favourite game style is inhabited by a varied collection of CC degenerates (suiciders, cheating accusers, deadbeats) and that maintaining colonel will be pretty much impossible under those conditions. But these are the games I love most so I've decided to abandon status in favour of having a bit of fun.

Have I finally seen the light or am I cowardly running away from a challenge?

You have absolutely finally seen the light.

take the challenge. 3000 is a very round number. first page is arbitrary. in 3 months, first page might be 4500

Maintaining a high rank is very challenging and an extremely hard thing to do. If you thinks its hard to maintain colonel wait til you get to general or field marshal. Wait til you spend all week to accumulate 100 points only to lose them in one game.

It's no surprise that people give up, its not for the weak minded. I have almost given up many times but I always persevere.

Having "fun" is an excuse for those that cant handle the pressure at the top.

demonfork wrote:Maintaining a high rank is very challenging and an extremely hard thing to do. If you thinks its hard to maintain colonel wait til you get to general or field marshal. Wait til you spend all week to accumulate 100 points only to lose them in one game.

It's no surprise that people give up, its not for the weak minded. I have almost given up many times but I always persevere.

Having "fun" is an excuse for those that cant handle the pressure at the top.

Ah screw it. I'm gonna strut my stuff at the game I enjoy most.

Map rank tells me I'm +379 10/24 (42%) serial killer equalitiarian (0.898) at speed flat rate/no cards. I'd have played a hundred of these by now if I hadn't taken the decision to maximise point gain from games played. Of course, that equalitarian tag is going to go down the toilet as my average opponent is sure to be a corporal. Ah, to noob farming without even the benefit of making points...

Well I've proved enough now. Rank does give a player more 'gravitas' on CC (for better or worse) but I'll stick within the major ranks. That's good enough for me.

Yes Woodruff, I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT!!!!!

Keep going, don't go the way of the hand wringers. I am amazed to be even reading this thread by you Mr C.

I don't think it's as clear cut as "rank = no fun". Some people enjoy trying to beat their score. Personally, I've found that the games I'm the best at (team-games) are actually the games I enjoy the most. I don't think I'd have very much fun playing doodle earths, and I don't like speed games. I've started playing a bit more standard games, though (and paying for it ).

It's fun to see how high you can climb the scoreboards. Making this a goal of itself is a fine thing, and then after you achieve your personal goals or think you can climb no higher without making the game a complete chore, then it is time to step back and just enjoy the game even if it means dropping rank. A player like Sjnap for example has accomplished virtually everything there is to accomplish at this game and one day he finally decided he would just play to play. He is still the excellent player he always was, he's just taken a fancy to doodle assassin.

Fruitcake wrote:Keep going, don't go the way of the hand wringers. I am amazed to be even reading this thread by you Mr C.

I'd happily admit that when I first started playing I held the striper rank not with pride, but with disgust. I absolutely hated that striper rank, for it suggested a lack of ability at a game I knew I was very, very good at before I had even completed my first game on CC. From that point on I felt the need to prove I was at the top of what I do on CC.

But how does one define the 'top?' Maybe it is Medefe at around 2,700? Ok, give me a few months and I'll get there. But then what? Off to Brig. no doubt. Give me six months then. But then what? Then I'd have to find the highest ranked sequential player on the scoreboard (probably you Fc at least for no cards) and then chase him down for god knows how long. But what would be the point of that?

Why do we push so obsessively? I believe it is because of a desire to prove our ascendency over our competitors. That's what makes us so competitive in games and what pushes us up the scoreboard. But even if I did push to within a couple of hundred points of you Fc, would it really make you believe I am better player than you currently now think I am? Or just a player with more mental grit?

I admit that I pushed so hard because of a desire for validation, a need for others to see me as I see myself. But I think I've reached a point whereby any player on CC who's played against me (or checks my record) must know I'm very good at this game. I don't believe I'd get that much more validation from spending the next twelve months driving myself into the top 100.

So I've been weighing fun against validation all this time. When I was a striper, validation won. Also when I was a lieutenant, a captain and even a major validation won. But now I feel validated and am (at least for a good long while) bowing out of the race.

Confessions of a (reformed) CC rank addict

do what you like Chang.. heheh the fact that you are asking publicly for our opinion is probably part of the same thing . .. 'hey i am a lieutenant but i'm going for medals!' .. 'yeah i may only be a captain but i'm having fun' .. ' yeah yeah i only play tourneys against all comers, of course my score is lower!' etc etc

it's all about our ego and the fact that rank is a flawed but accepted means to measure intellect and skill.

The pursuit of points has its own very real reward .. heheh well of course the points but the vested interest in the game. The acute desire to win and not to lose is heightened when success is internally measured and implicit to the target.. a constant reminder of our comparative worth focuses all our cogitation.

It's why we see so much genuinely ratty dialogue in high-rank Escalator games ..."Why did you take Irkutsk, you leave me kill-able.. it was my only stack in that zone, now red can kill me with a cash!!" (insert naughty words as desired)

Of course the hang-over of this mentality remains and a stupid play is still that but the vested interest and the passion becomes somewhat diminished without the point whoring.

For me, the relief of not caring past the game is splendid... heh for too long after the game at least .. oh shit i am still in fact annoyed about a game i blew 3 nights ago due to it being 4am and a 2 and half hour speed game.. (ego made me tell you i was tired!) .. but not with the same acute sting to my psyche!

Of course when i play decent players my pride makes me make as few mistakes as possible .. but the self imposed pressure to assess every implication of a move is not as great.

It means i will win less but it also means i will have the safety that i did not quite apply the same degree of effort, i was not playing to the fullest of my capability.
To temper this, i have chosen to only play speed games and in this format the potential to perfection of play is not as close. In a 24 hour Esc game no one should really make mistakes and if all players invest time into evaluating every possibility, then mistakes will not be made. In speed there is not always the time to assess everyones kill possibilities and certainly not time to vocalise and get everyone to assist in blocks.

Again this diminishes the need for perfection in play as luck and bad play from others in the game will likely have more of an impact and this, in itself, frees you from the responsibility and culpability in the final assessment.

As i say, the hang-over of pride still persists ; ) but there are games, particularly Public games where you enter with few expectations, in which the dull thud of defeat is utterly ephemeral; the joy of the game superceding any such ache.

Now that's nice!

Since joining this site which Mr C introduced to me, I have enjoyed moving up in rank. The only difference is that I play all varieties with the choices we have and this is the most fun. Some of the tournaments have been exciting, I'm yet to win one but have come close. Team play is also so much fun and now being a part of a clan with reliable players is making it even more enjoyable.

Here's to having fun and if your rank is sergeant 1st class after 100 games or higher playing on all sorts of maps with all sorts of settings, you have my respect.
Regards,
Agent 86

Mr Changsha wrote:I achieved what I set out to do when I first started playing CC: that of making the first page. I know I can rise higher through careful game selection and probably make 3,000 over time.

But the question is what's the point? What does it prove?

I played a speed four man classic flat rate a few days ago (and won from Europe ). That game was the most fun I've had on CC for months.
It is unfortunate that my favourite game style is inhabited by a varied collection of CC degenerates (suiciders, cheating accusers, deadbeats) and that maintaining colonel will be pretty much impossible under those conditions. But these are the games I love most so I've decided to abandon status in favour of having a bit of fun.

Have I finally seen the light or am I cowardly running away from a challenge?

You beat my top score of 2546. Bastard.

i had the same goal and achieved it but the only way to maintain the rank is to manipulate the point system by cherry picking your games.

now, im trying to win some tournaments, learn every map, become good at every type of setting, beat good opponents, all the while maintaining at least a major rank

i dont think there's any real difference in ability between the 1st ranked player and the 800th.

i never achive this high score,one day when dices become better for me,then i will have chance for higher rank.

Well Mr chanangra, Most have come to find that the less points you have, the more fun the game is.

I myself have been up at 3k several times, but always get bored with it, and drop back down, usually quickly...as I have most recently. I do admit I wish I grabbed the star last time I dropped down since I was 110 points away from it...but still, I would rather have fun, and play some variety, than focus on every little point all of the time.

The score is obviously to some degree a measure of skill, because you do need some skill to attain high points, but mostly, it is in fact an indicator of what kinds of games you play, and always will be.

That isnt to say that it isnt fun, to set a goal, and go for it...but if you are doing it to impress others, thats silly. If youre doing it to just make the game more interesting and fun...well, then thats your answer as to why you may want to achieve it.

This is a fun game, and there are many ways to have fun on it...but in the end, to all the other players, your just an asian icon with a name that sounds like a james bond villain... so who really cares what we think? Have your fun.

gannable wrote:i had the same goal and achieved it but the only way to maintain the rank is to manipulate the point system by cherry picking your games.

now, im trying to win some tournaments, learn every map, become good at every type of setting, beat good opponents, all the while maintaining at least a major rank

i dont think there's any real difference in ability between the 1st ranked player and the 800th.

Ah ha! NEW high score of 2566 due to the fact that I WON the crazy 'no officer go there' game.



That's two in a row...

How am I supposed to make a glorious statement if the score keeps going up? Kind of defeats the purpose all together if you think about it.

Game 5322303 In this one green deadbeats after a while (had to pick up his wife you see), yellow played oceana so badly it hurt and blue quite blatantly handed me the game by throwing all over the board, leaving me an easy break and then writing 'gg' and sodding off too!

I can't express how much I've missed these games. I'm like a pig in the proverbial shit.

I agree to a great extent with gannable's point. Certainly for the top 500 the difference is about game selection as much as ability. But it is hard to quantify exactly. There are certainly some players in the top 100 who are unusually good at this game...but there are a few on page 2 too!

Oh and quert, believing this game is only about dice is the preserve of the 1on1 seq. player, because in their case it is to a great extent true. But for most players overall, skill wins out over dice in the end.

Mr Changsha wrote:

gannable wrote:i had the same goal and achieved it but the only way to maintain the rank is to manipulate the point system by cherry picking your games.

now, im trying to win some tournaments, learn every map, become good at every type of setting, beat good opponents, all the while maintaining at least a major rank

i dont think there's any real difference in ability between the 1st ranked player and the 800th.

Ah ha! NEW high score of 2566 due to the fact that I WON the crazy 'no officer go there' game.



That's two in a row...

How am I supposed to make a glorious statement if the score keeps going up? Kind of defeats the purpose all together if you think about it.

Game 5322303 In this one green deadbeats after a while (had to pick up his wife you see), yellow played oceana so badly it hurt and blue quite blatantly handed me the game by throwing all over the board, leaving me an easy break and then writing 'gg' and sodding off too!

I can't express how much I've missed these games. I'm like a pig in the proverbial shit.

I agree to a great extent with gannable's point. Certainly for the top 500 the difference is about game selection as much as ability. But it is hard to quantify exactly. There are certainly some players in the top 100 who are unusually good at this game...but there are a few on page 2 too!

Oh and quert, believing this game is only about dice is the preserve of the 1on1 seq. player, because in their case it is to a great extent true. But for most players overall, skill wins out over dice in the end.

Well, we can set up a few games together... that should get your score going in the lower categories that you seem to wish.

Or... you could just play some doodle assassins like me... great for fun... not so much for the score though

AAFitz wrote:

Mr Changsha wrote:

gannable wrote:i had the same goal and achieved it but the only way to maintain the rank is to manipulate the point system by cherry picking your games.

now, im trying to win some tournaments, learn every map, become good at every type of setting, beat good opponents, all the while maintaining at least a major rank

i dont think there's any real difference in ability between the 1st ranked player and the 800th.

Ah ha! NEW high score of 2566 due to the fact that I WON the crazy 'no officer go there' game.



That's two in a row...

How am I supposed to make a glorious statement if the score keeps going up? Kind of defeats the purpose all together if you think about it.

Game 5322303 In this one green deadbeats after a while (had to pick up his wife you see), yellow played oceana so badly it hurt and blue quite blatantly handed me the game by throwing all over the board, leaving me an easy break and then writing 'gg' and sodding off too!

I can't express how much I've missed these games. I'm like a pig in the proverbial shit.

I agree to a great extent with gannable's point. Certainly for the top 500 the difference is about game selection as much as ability. But it is hard to quantify exactly. There are certainly some players in the top 100 who are unusually good at this game...but there are a few on page 2 too!

Oh and quert, believing this game is only about dice is the preserve of the 1on1 seq. player, because in their case it is to a great extent true. But for most players overall, skill wins out over dice in the end.

Well, we can set up a few games together... that should get your score going in the lower categories that you seem to wish.

Or... you could just play some doodle assassins like me... great for fun... not so much for the score though

Certainly no doodle! I'm not saying I want to throw away my points, I AM saying I want to play the games I most enjoy (see game link above) and do my best to win them. I just know my points will drop. However, I also said I intend to maintain the major rank. That doesn't mean I am purposefully trying to lose points. If I win 5 in a row I'll be a very happy man, believe me. But I know a couple of losses and will send me plummeting.

I'm admitting here that I've avoided playing the style of Risk I've ALWAYS ENJOYED MOST due to worrying about rank. I'm sure I can't be the only one in this position. I'm now saying sod it, I going to play the game I like the most and rank be damned (to the limited extent of not dropping below Major...which I wouldn't expect to do anyway).

Don't misinterpret this as some kind of 'rank be damned I can't take it anymore!!!!' kind of thread. It isn't that at all.

lt.pie wrote:Having fun is in

maintaining rank is out

has been for a while now

That's been pretty much my policy since I joined.

demonfork wrote:Having "fun" is an excuse for those that cant handle the pressure at the top.

Not necessarily. There are 2 games here at Conquerclub. The actual games themselves, and the meta-game of gaining, and maintaining points. Everyone has their own balance between these 2 things. Some people really enjoy playing the meta-game, and going for the top, while others thrive on the intense strategy of a large escalating game (or whatever other game they really enjoy). I don't think anyone is ever saying that going for the highest score you can get requires not enjoying yourself. Just that not everyone derives the same enjoyment from the same aspects of ConquerClub. Which is why I will stand by my statement of, "Play the games that make you the happiest." Whatever those may be.