Why is it CC brings out the worst in some players

[HighlanderAttack]

Why is it CC brings out the worst in some players--especially me. I could go over a list of the bad luck I have had over the last sixth months but really no one cares and the list would be too long. CC used to be really fun for me and I enjoyed making new friends. Now it is more of a chore and a lot of the time I bitch and complain. This has brought me to the conclusion I need to quit CC or figure out a way to make it fun again. I am mostly positive in real life so I don't know why I get so negative on this site. I don't understand losing 7v1 attacks or dice changing so dramatically that you go from winning to losing or that you can lose 9of10 finals or that you can lose a bunch of semi finals and finals in a row with amazing bad luck. I hate when a player says gg to me and comes back and wins--so much that I immediately foe them. Multi player games have so many players that just go for bonuses or attack big stacks for no reason I almost always end up with a foe or two at the end. How is it you can have ten games in a final where you get one start ( no way to win that) I always expect to win, yet I really do not have control over 70% of this game.

I would love to hear how some of you positive players handle really bad luck and bad players--I used to just tell myself I have no control over the random numbers or what players do so just do not make a mistake and hope for the best. It worked a lot better than my current way of thinking.

If I was not so addicted to this game I would have quit for sure. This is one of my hobbies and entertainment at night, but I really do not enjoy it anymore and it is time to find a way to enjoy it or just walk away.

HELP

[Dukasaur]

Why is it CC brings out the worst in some players--especially me. I could go over a list of the bad luck I have had over the last sixth months but really no one cares and the list would be too long. CC used to be really fun for me and I enjoyed making new friends. Now it is more of a chore and a lot of the time I bitch and complain.

I've been at the receiving end of a few of your tantrums and I must say they make great memories... When your luck goes bad it goes really bad; I can attest to that. But obviously your luck balances out in the end, because you always bounce back to Major, and playing 1v1 games in tourneys with PFCs in them that's not easy!

All I can say is that there are times when I've felt that CC was more work than play, and whenever I have, it's always because my game load is too high. Right now I'm feeling that I'd rather go back to bed than take the rest of my turns, but I know there will be more waiting when I wake up, so I'd better get these cleared. What makes a good game load obviously varies from person to person and with the type of game you play, but for me when I get up over 50 games the enjoyment just goes out of it for me. And it's so easy in the tournament world to end up with 50 games without even noticing. A week ago I had it down below 50, but then a bunch of TOs did updates all on the same day and with new invites I ended up in 73 games by Sunday morning...

Anyway, why am I talking about me, when this thread is supposed to be about you? Well, I just think that you're probably like me in a lot of ways, you want to accomplish everything there is to accomplish, and it just can't be done. You're an overachiever, and overachievers burn out. It would be an exxageration to say we're friends, but I've had a lot of positive contact with you, playing in your tourneys, interviewing you for the newsletter, kicking your ass on Arms Race ( ) so I think I know you better than the average person. I like you, but the honest truth is: You're doing way too f*cking much!!!

Your 200th tourney is still underway and already you're getting close to 300? That sounds so impressive, but meanwhile, you're getting sloppy. I've been waiting for my next game in HA Celebrates a New Job for three weeks now. (Not saying that to complain, I honestly don't care if it's three months before the next round; but I'm just putting that up to support my thesis that you're stretched too thin.)

You've done amazing things on CC, and you're a HUGE asset to the tournament world, so a lot of us would be devastated if you would quit. Just start trimming around the edges; get yourself to the point where it's fun again. It's all about pace; make your hobby into a hobby again, instead of working at it like a second job!

And stay with us...

[HighlanderAttack]

You mentioned I am getting sloppy--so very true--my updates on tourneys has slacked so bad I should be getting warning soon. I just have not had the mental energy to update some of them. When I was really enjoying CC I would update daily--but with me barely wanting to take my turns of late--I definitely have no time to update tourneys. Dukasaur is one of the most positive players on CC for sure--I would like to model myself after players like you. Like I said--95% of my real life is positive. "WHY SO NEGATIVE" could be my new slogan

[AAFitz]

I assume its just because its a pretty easy place to vent, since the thing you are venting about are some bad dice on a pretty unimportant game. In the end the argument is really as make believe as the game itself.

The problem is, venting is a misnomer, because the more you act out anger, the more angry you become. If ones goal is to actually be better tempered in other areas of life, it is not better to get mad here and vent, but to learn to become more positive, and you will likely be more positive in real life.

[KoolBak]

Highlander.....very eloquently stated my friend - you took the words right out of my mouth.....lol. This is my ONLY on-line problem (and has been since a month after Lack started this damn place....damn you Lack!! lol). I have broken 2 mice....found myself screeching at my kids because they wanted a drink Yelling at the dog......and bitching mercilessly about the dice.

However.....I belong to xigames....one of the first groups here and one that began over 10 years ago to play risk at the MSN zone. We are friends that play fairly and have fun together....we are over 100 strong and I have made many lifelong friendships thru this silly group on this silly site.....and I enjoy our banter in our games and try not to be too concerned over my disgustingly diving score

Theres my answer

[natty dread]

The problem is, venting is a misnomer, because the more you act out anger, the more angry you become.

This is true. Getting angry actually gives you an "adrenaline fix" and when you enjoy getting angry you're conditioning yourself to get angry more often.

That's also why debates on the internet never go anywhere. Everyone is too buzzed up from their own anger juices so they stop listening to others and keep mashing the keyboard in an extatic rage.

[Serbia]

I would love to hear how some of you positive players handle really bad luck and bad players

I use vodka.

[IcePack]

I would love to hear how some of you positive players handle really bad luck and bad players

I use vodka.

This.

[Robinette]

I would love to hear how some of you positive players handle really bad luck and bad players

i consider those to be lost games from that moment on...
and THEN i work my little ass off to turn the game around and win!
when you win, it is glorious... if u lose it's no biggie cause it's what you expected anyway.

so imagine all this bad luck really is out to get you,
then embrace it, flirt with it, and challenge it...
and sometimes you'll even prevail

[shoop76]

You guys are lucky, you just have to read about it in the thread. I have to listen to him bitch on the phone every day. I agree with almost everything you say except the part about you always being positive in RL.

I also understand your frustration about your recent tournaments and in our 200 game battle where I have gotten at least 60% of the starts. I also think that if you stick with it your luck will change, everything does balance out over the long run especially for someone of your caliber.

Sure hope you stick with it. I would surely miss getting cussed out in almost all games I win against you.

[Army of GOD]

I never lose.

[BigBallinStalin]

I ignore the dice. If I win, I win; if not, oh well. Focusing on your attack dice v. their defense dice will make you go insane like jefjef, qwert, and others.


In the long-run, good strategy on maps, which aren't heavily influenced by small bits of lucky dice/cards, will lead to more warm and fuzzies for you.


As for angry, irrational people, I don't take them seriously. Usually, you can frame the tone of the game chat anyway, so act before anyone else does. Or use words to steer it away from the negative. Or make fun of them while they're making an ass of themselves. Etc. etc.

[laughingcavalier]

I stick in my comfort zone of team games mostly against opponents who have been around a while and where there's usually less aggro.
I have a good line in passive aggressive, so I don't get in stand-up fights much.
Cutting back on games for a while helps, but I havent got the self-control to switch off as often as I should.
There is something in the de-personalised world of internet games, where our playmates and enemies appear to be bytes in the machine as much as they are human beings, that is emotionally dangerous.
A thing about burn-out, in CC or any other obsessive activity, is it doesn't build up slowly or come in half measures, it arrives overnight & suddenly everything that was a joy becomes a pain like you say.
If there's anyone who deserves a turn to take the selfish pill and stop putting in the time to make new tourneys and just enjoy some casual playing, it's you HA. A tough call when you have got so many big tourneys on the go though.

[Aradhus]

Bad players don't annoy me that much, probably because there's the possibility of recourse, either through ingame play or by flaming them in chat and/or forum.

The dice, on the other hand, how do you get back at them? You can't, which partly explains why I smashed my keyboard last week. Even though it is immensely strong, I have thus far resisted the impulse to put my fist through the monitor.

My meltdowns are legen... wait for it... dary.

[Qwert]

well i know that mine limit are major,and that dices only alove these rank, no more up.
Some people have biger luck and some dont-some people take advantage of inehperience player to drop down bad luck,and some dont use that.
Half people here know to play great,and know strategy,but can not progress up on scoreboard,because last word have dices,who can kill all and any good strategy here.
If alexander the great use dices,then he will not be undefeated,and hes great strategy will not work here in CC. Ofcoure he will use sword to deal with dice generator creator, but we only can use bad words for dices,nothing else.

[natty dread]

I freely admit that my strategy isn't that great. I would never get to conqueror or even brigadier with my strategy, and my dice are just fine.

[Krissan]

I hate when a player says gg to me and comes back and wins

Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't I made some remarks about you continuing to fight even after saying gg?

You have a special place in my heart HA, probably the only player on the entire site whom I don't look down on for throwing explicit and unwarranted tantrums in the chat. In fact, I still have a .txt from our speed game session a year back. Whenever I feel sad, I open it up and read (true story).

Anyhow, I'm taking that step that you're only contemplating. It was a feeling of great relief when I finally decided to call it quits and just play out the remainder of my tournaments (which now was 2 months ago and still has me at 60+ games). Perhaps it's something you should consider - take a reset by not joining anything until all tournaments and pick-up games are played out and you're staring at a list of 0 active games. Then you'll be able to make a clearer decision if this hobby is something you want to continue with, or if you're happy just to be rid of it.

--

On the main question - how to handle it? I've always considered myself a calm and positive player. There has been moments in my CC career when I had some RL troubles that transitioned into my mood here. My general recommendation is to focus on making the right decisions - lower your game count so you don't have to rush 50 turns just to be able to go to sleep without missing any. That way you don't have to open-move 1v1 games in 10 seconds by dropping all on one territory and autoing as far as you can. You are one of the best 1v1 players around when you don't rush it.

Also, I've noticed that you're prone to selective memory. Don't forget the huge amount of finals you've won. Make a text file and make a note every time you do something out of the ordinary, odds-wise. You're a smart person, and you know what the result will show.


2010-11-16 16:00:52 - HighlanderAttack: nice steal bitch - A year later and I still laugh at that sentence.

Cheers my friend.

[Gold Knight]

I stick in my comfort zone of team games mostly against opponents who have been around a while and where there's usually less aggro.

This, though I would never use the term "aggro".

Myself and the people I play with don't make it a major point about winning more than just having fun playing the game. I find the games much more enjoyable when the game chats contain absolutely no information about the game itself.

[AAFitz]

Highlander.....very eloquently stated my friend - you took the words right out of my mouth.....lol. This is my ONLY on-line problem (and has been since a month after Lack started this damn place....damn you Lack!! lol). I have broken 2 mice....found myself screeching at my kids because they wanted a drink Yelling at the dog......and bitching mercilessly about the dice.

However.....I belong to xigames....one of the first groups here and one that began over 10 years ago to play risk at the MSN zone. We are friends that play fairly and have fun together....we are over 100 strong and I have made many lifelong friendships thru this silly group on this silly site.....and I enjoy our banter in our games and try not to be too concerned over my disgustingly diving score

Theres my answer

well perhaps things have changed there now, but I bailed, xi when the drama there eclipsed the drama in cc

[lord of the frys]

Tequila Shot, or 2, or 3, or how ever many it takes..lol

[AndyDufresne]

Anyhow, I'm taking that step that you're only contemplating. It was a feeling of great relief when I finally decided to call it quits and just play out the remainder of my tournaments (which now was 2 months ago and still has me at 60+ games). Perhaps it's something you should consider - take a reset by not joining anything until all tournaments and pick-up games are played out and you're staring at a list of 0 active games. Then you'll be able to make a clearer decision if this hobby is something you want to continue with, or if you're happy just to be rid of it.

Though my game load never gets very high, I usually only start my own games if I really feel like playing, which isn't always that often. Sometimes I'll have a hankering for a half dozen 1vs1. Other times, I'll have 1 or 2 active games going for a month or so. I think I've let my active games fall because of busy-ness and the holiday season. I think it is a good thing too.


--Andy

[Robinette]

Though my game load never gets very high, I usually only start my own games if I really feel like playing, which isn't always that often. Sometimes I'll have a hankering for a half dozen 1vs1. Other times, I'll have 1 or 2 active games going for a month or so. I think I've let my active games fall because of busy-ness and the holiday season. I think it is a good thing too.


--Andy

pffft... clearly the real reason is that you are afraid to play me again...

*makes monkey heckling noises*

[AndyDufresne]

Though my game load never gets very high, I usually only start my own games if I really feel like playing, which isn't always that often. Sometimes I'll have a hankering for a half dozen 1vs1. Other times, I'll have 1 or 2 active games going for a month or so. I think I've let my active games fall because of busy-ness and the holiday season. I think it is a good thing too.


--Andy

pffft... clearly the real reason is that you are afraid to play me again...

*makes monkey heckling noises*

Ha, yes. I don't like committing to games during the holiday season, since there is a chance I'll be around less and miss turns. Want to give everyone my best effort in my games!


--Andy

[KoolBak]

What you talkin 'bout Willis? I don't recall your ever being xi, and under advanced search, I don't see any posts in our forum by you.....and we've never had any drama aside from little spats - certainly nothing like the religious / political BS that proliferates in the public forums

Clarification? Did you mean back at the msn site perhaps?

Highlander.....very eloquently stated my friend - you took the words right out of my mouth.....lol. This is my ONLY on-line problem (and has been since a month after Lack started this damn place....damn you Lack!! lol). I have broken 2 mice....found myself screeching at my kids because they wanted a drink Yelling at the dog......and bitching mercilessly about the dice.

However.....I belong to xigames....one of the first groups here and one that began over 10 years ago to play risk at the MSN zone. We are friends that play fairly and have fun together....we are over 100 strong and I have made many lifelong friendships thru this silly group on this silly site.....and I enjoy our banter in our games and try not to be too concerned over my disgustingly diving score

Theres my answer

well perhaps things have changed there now, but I bailed, xi when the drama there eclipsed the drama in cc

[oVo]

I would love to hear how some of you positive players handle really bad luck and bad players

There's always another game.