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[SC2] Why is this game Meta Meta Meta mode?

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Aleski
Profile Joined May 2010
United Kingdom46 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-26 14:35:12
April 26 2011 14:19 GMT
#1
Seriously. There must be a science to this. Why is it, that in any single tournament, any player can take sets and even Bo3/5s from any other player. Take the GSL. How many big names in this Code S so far (may 2011) have we seen take the long fall to Code A?

Poll: Why is this game getting so tight?

The game is so young (55)
 
79%

Complacency of higher ups (7)
 
10%

The skill ceiling is nearing the max (6)
 
9%

other (specify) (2)
 
3%

70 total votes

Your vote: Why is this game getting so tight?

(Vote): Complacency of higher ups
(Vote): The skill ceiling is nearing the max
(Vote): The game is so young
(Vote): other (specify)



Is this that the other players are just focused more and less complacent?

Is it that the skill ceiling has been hit and the difference between top players in Code S and the top players in Code A is like 2-3% increased skill?

It just feels, especially this season of GSL alone, that NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE can look at their group in GSL and say they are guaranteed to make it, let alone fight off the up and down matches.

Even in Code A. SlayerS_boxer won against a very good toss in the end, but how close was he to getting thrown into Code B? Personally this is my reasoning behind his "lack of form" lately. Its not him lacking, its others catching him, fast.

So whats everyone elses thoughts? I mean, this is insane for a viewership esport because it makes for some intense pressure in every single game.

Sidenote: Do you think blizzard specifically knew the game would be swings and roundabouts like this? Or do u think its just the insane theorycrafting/build testing from high skilled players thats forcing this insanely tight season of GSL?
So's your face.
Rabbitmaster
Profile Joined August 2010
1357 Posts
April 26 2011 14:24 GMT
#2
Voted other. Imo the game is still far to young to have the big difference in skill level that older games do. Give it like 5 years and i bet you the top players will be utterly dominant.
God is dead.
Aleski
Profile Joined May 2010
United Kingdom46 Posts
April 26 2011 14:24 GMT
#3
On April 26 2011 23:24 Rabbitmaster wrote:
Voted other. Imo the game is still far to young to have the big difference in skill level that older games do. Give it like 5 years and i bet you the top players will be utterly dominant.


tbh im going to add that as an option. Was completely over my head how young this game is.
So's your face.
Charger
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
United States2405 Posts
April 26 2011 14:25 GMT
#4
This game is so incredibly young and new and no one is anywhere close to the skill ceiling. Even the greatest players have a lot of weaknesses that can often times be countered hard by a 'no name' player doing something a little weird or strange that they haven't seen before. Also, 1 small mistake is often enough to cost a player the game they otherwise would have won. It will probably be this way for several more years before things start to settle as they did in BW.
It's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback.
TehForce
Profile Joined July 2010
1072 Posts
April 26 2011 14:26 GMT
#5
As long there are so many strategies viable that nobody has ever seen there will be many upsets.
NesTea <3
Aleski
Profile Joined May 2010
United Kingdom46 Posts
April 26 2011 14:27 GMT
#6
On April 26 2011 23:25 Charger wrote:
This game is so incredibly young and new and no one is anywhere close to the skill ceiling. Even the greatest players have a lot of weaknesses that can often times be countered hard by a 'no name' player doing something a little weird or strange that they haven't seen before. Also, 1 small mistake is often enough to cost a player the game they otherwise would have won. It will probably be this way for several more years before things start to settle as they did in BW.


yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I suppose until all the wierd and wonderful (seemingly) on the spot tactics are well worn, then we will see the wheat seperate itself from the chaff.
So's your face.
ZeraToss
Profile Joined January 2011
Germany1094 Posts
April 26 2011 14:28 GMT
#7
if the expansions are going up, new builds etc are going to join the game and more variety will be granted. I think with the release of expansions the true skills of the players will be determined (adabtability and so on)

voted for others , game too young + expansions are going to come
"Personality should be irrelevant. This is a computer game tournament, not a dating show." EGIdrA on "introduce yourself and say something about your personality" Idra <3
Aleski
Profile Joined May 2010
United Kingdom46 Posts
April 26 2011 14:30 GMT
#8
thats pretty interesting. I mean, should we take the game in its "as is" form, or is it EVENTUALLY going to be balanced at the end of its life (similar to BW)
So's your face.
Yaotzin
Profile Joined August 2010
South Africa4280 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-26 14:31:13
April 26 2011 14:30 GMT
#9

Seriously. There must be a science to this. Why is it, that in any single tournament, any player can take sets and even Bo3/5s from any other player.

I'm not really sure from where comes the idea that this shouldn't be happening. It's normal. Perhaps it seems like it's happening a lot simply because there are a ton of games being played these days. So it can seem like MC is getting upset a lot, even when he's winning tournaments at his normal pace, and maintaining his outstanding win %.

Of course, there is also the fact that as the game is young, it is easy for a player to lose to some strange shit they've never seen. Look at MC's poor response to Thorzain on Crossfire. He clearly simply didn't know how to respond to that build. In a more "solved" game, this is unlikely to happen as he would know the correct response and the better player would win (not saying this is MC for sure).

The "everyones near the skill ceiling" option is a bit comical to be honest. The number of terribad mistakes in the GSL has been unbelievable. Pros amoving their infestors into the deathballs, Rain's game against Inca....
loveeholicce
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
Korea (South)785 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-26 14:35:21
April 26 2011 14:30 GMT
#10
The game's incredibly volatile. The pace is much faster than brood war (sped up by the macro mechanics), so it's pretty easy to lose games you shouldn't be losing. Errors are more costly now because of the increased pace; one mismicro can just outright kill you, as it has many times in ZvT where you mis control your banelings and whatnot. On top of that the game favors rush strategies more. Warpgate mechanic reduces rush distance, mules allow for a surge in income that can facilitate a timing push or all in or w/e u wanna call it, and spawn larva mechanic allows for a sudden and unexpected surge in units. The scouting in Sc2, however, isn't that much better and in Terran's case its actually more costly than it was. So while the game caters more to rushes than brood war did, it doesn't really give you better scouting options. Yes in brood war you got observers and overlord speed at roughly the same time you do now, but it's much harder to scout all ins because they can come so much earlier.

Also easier mechanics make it harder for a player to win from a disadvantage just by being better and outplaying the opponent. If you get caught of guard by a 2 fact push in PvT in brood war, the room to outmicro is so large the better player can still win a lot of the time. If you overdrone in Sc2, no fancy roach ling drone queen transfuse w/e micro is gonna save you from a 4 warpgating protoss clicking 1a and throwing some decent forcefields. Obviously these are exaggerated examples but the point still stands; its much harder for a better player to play from a disadvantage or build order loss and still come out on top.

I don't really get the whole "the game is young option". If anything its often the opposite. In brood war the earlier days had people who completely smashed everyone (boxer, yellow, garmito, kingdom, etc), and as the skill level gradually increased it was harder to set yourself apart from people. With the obvious exception of Flash, who is just godmode, its incredibly hard to stay at the top in brood war and players like Jaedong, Bisu, and Stork can still have an offday and lose to any1 (just 2 days ago Jaedong lost to great and Stork lost to a crappy Zerg, killer or princess i think)
상처받은 그대에 가슴에 사랑을 심어줄께요♥
theqat
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
United States2856 Posts
April 26 2011 14:31 GMT
#11
A few thoughts:

1) It's somewhat safe to say that the players who are truly "talented" at RTS (if there is such a thing) are still s-class BW progamers and that we can't really pass judgment on whether it's possible to dominate in SC2 until some of those people move over.

2) I voted for "complacency of higher-ups" because it's pretty obvious that the GSL winner goes into the RO32 thinking he's gonna walkover every season. They're coming in under-prepared and paying for it. MVP and MC both went out because of overly cocky builds/unforced errors (depot wall!).

3) Be patient! As game balance and maps get ironed out, players will almost certainly get more dominant. We've got two expansions to go before the game settles fully, anyway.
BigFan
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
TLADT24920 Posts
April 26 2011 14:32 GMT
#12
More time is needed and there are still weakness in some player's games so they can be exploited
Former BW EiC"Watch Bakemonogatari or I will kill you." -Toad, April 18th, 2017
Aleski
Profile Joined May 2010
United Kingdom46 Posts
April 26 2011 14:32 GMT
#13
On April 26 2011 23:30 Yaotzin wrote:
Show nested quote +

Seriously. There must be a science to this. Why is it, that in any single tournament, any player can take sets and even Bo3/5s from any other player.

I'm not really sure from where comes the idea that this shouldn't be happening. It's normal. Perhaps it seems like it's happening a lot simply because there are a ton of games being played these days. So it can seem like MC is getting upset a lot, even when he's winning tournaments at his normal pace, and maintaining his outstanding win %.

Of course, there is also the fact that as the game is young, it is easy for a player to lose to some strange shit they've never seen. Look at MC's poor response to Thorzain on Crossfire. He clearly simply didn't know how to respond to that build. In a more "solved" game, this is unlikely to happen as he would know the correct response and the better player would win (not saying this is MC for sure).

The "everyones near the skill ceiling" option is a bit comical to be honest. The number of terribad mistakes in the GSL has been unbelievable. Pros amoving their infestors into the deathballs, Rain's game against Inca....


dont get me wrong, its not my personal opinion, i can just see how someone probably COULD make a semi decent arguement to suggest that that is possible
So's your face.
NonY
Profile Blog Joined June 2007
8751 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-26 14:45:19
April 26 2011 14:33 GMT
#14
Some players don't really belong in Code S and others don't really belong in Code A so there will always be "upsets" going on.

It's really the nature of a healthy competitive SC scene that anyone can beat anyone. Being significantly better than someone means you win ~60% of your games against them and dominating them means you win ~70% of your games against them. Single game matches and best of three games matches can easily go either way. And even if you're better than an opponent in general, you might be bad against the one thing they do best, so you have a tough time winning. Every match has the potential to be a roadblock.

It's the same for SC1. You can be the champion of MSL and fail to get through the offline qualifiers of OSL. It's incredibly rare for a player to be doing well in both leagues at once. You'd need to give your top 5 players outrageously high chances to win each game in order to get them to consistently be at the top of every league they play.

For people who aren't familiar with SC1 and OSL and MSL: Imagine that aside from GomTV's GSL, there was a 2nd league that was run in essentially the same manner, HomTV's HSL. Everyone plays in both leagues and tries equally hard in both of them. They each have rough equivalents to Code S, Code A, and Code B. Then what we saw in SC1 was that it's not uncommon for someone to be the champion, or top 4 or top 8 of Code S of GSL, while being unable to make it out of Code B of HSL. Of course, it wasn't always so extreme. But there's no magical barrier between players that GSL has somehow detected and drawn a line upon. Being #1 in the world doesn't mean you win 99% of the time against #50 in the world, especially not when #50 could possibly play you with any race and on any map and in any context.
"Fucking up is part of it. If you can't fail, you have to always win. And I don't think you can always win." Elliott Smith ---------- Yet no sudden rage darkened his face, and his eyes were calm as they studied her. Then he smiled. 'Witness.'
Aleski
Profile Joined May 2010
United Kingdom46 Posts
April 26 2011 14:34 GMT
#15
On April 26 2011 23:31 theqat wrote:
They're coming in under-prepared and paying for it. MVP and MC both went out because of overly cocky builds/unforced errors (depot wall!)


amen, nexus first is the safest build.... right?
So's your face.
Aleski
Profile Joined May 2010
United Kingdom46 Posts
April 26 2011 14:35 GMT
#16
just added a bold to the next talking point. Is it blizzards genious, or just the hilariously insane amount of players hammering this game our for like dozen's of hours a day?
So's your face.
theqat
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
United States2856 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-26 14:36:58
April 26 2011 14:36 GMT
#17
On April 26 2011 23:34 Aleski wrote:
Show nested quote +
On April 26 2011 23:31 theqat wrote:
They're coming in under-prepared and paying for it. MVP and MC both went out because of overly cocky builds/unforced errors (depot wall!)


amen, nexus first is the safest build.... right?


Exactly. it's not like the games with the latest champ are going to 200/200 and the champ is losing because his army was slightly out of position or he let the other guy get a unit combo of questionable balance. The champs are legitimately losing through faults of their own
Yaotzin
Profile Joined August 2010
South Africa4280 Posts
April 26 2011 14:36 GMT
#18
On April 26 2011 23:32 Aleski wrote:
Show nested quote +
On April 26 2011 23:30 Yaotzin wrote:

Seriously. There must be a science to this. Why is it, that in any single tournament, any player can take sets and even Bo3/5s from any other player.

I'm not really sure from where comes the idea that this shouldn't be happening. It's normal. Perhaps it seems like it's happening a lot simply because there are a ton of games being played these days. So it can seem like MC is getting upset a lot, even when he's winning tournaments at his normal pace, and maintaining his outstanding win %.

Of course, there is also the fact that as the game is young, it is easy for a player to lose to some strange shit they've never seen. Look at MC's poor response to Thorzain on Crossfire. He clearly simply didn't know how to respond to that build. In a more "solved" game, this is unlikely to happen as he would know the correct response and the better player would win (not saying this is MC for sure).

The "everyones near the skill ceiling" option is a bit comical to be honest. The number of terribad mistakes in the GSL has been unbelievable. Pros amoving their infestors into the deathballs, Rain's game against Inca....


dont get me wrong, its not my personal opinion, i can just see how someone probably COULD make a semi decent arguement to suggest that that is possible

Responding to the last point? I'm not sure how you could. If it was a case of the games skill ceiling being hit, everyone would be playing really well, with games decided by small things. Instead we have even the best players making a laundry list of errors - big and small - in every single game they play. It's nowhere near perfect play, and that's even with our still limited understanding of what perfect play in SC2 actually is.
NonY
Profile Blog Joined June 2007
8751 Posts
April 26 2011 14:37 GMT
#19
By the way, the fuck is "meta meta meta mode?"
"Fucking up is part of it. If you can't fail, you have to always win. And I don't think you can always win." Elliott Smith ---------- Yet no sudden rage darkened his face, and his eyes were calm as they studied her. Then he smiled. 'Witness.'
Guthix
Profile Joined April 2011
United States209 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-26 14:39:13
April 26 2011 14:38 GMT
#20
On April 26 2011 23:37 Liquid`Tyler wrote:
By the way, the fuck is "meta meta meta mode?"

volatile lol.
Naniwa fighting!
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