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Active: 605 users

How exactly does FFA work?

Forum Index > SC2 General
Post a Reply
Alvas
Profile Joined August 2010
United States309 Posts
November 25 2010 01:25 GMT
#1
So, I have been playing SC2 for a few months now, and I have played ranked games, custom games, the main campaign, but never tried FFA. Basically, ranked games are a little stressful for me to play tons of, just because I hate that there are ALWAYS points riding on the game. I want a little less stress involved, so I can play more SC2 per day. So I am just wondering how FFA works? Is it like a Battle Royale between 3 or more people, is it 1v1 unranked, do I get to choose how many people...? If anyone could shed some light on this, I would appreciate it, thanks. And for those of you who are wondering why I don't just try it, I am currently incapable of playing, so I thought I would ask instead.
Every bullet counts...
FrostOtter
Profile Joined September 2010
United States537 Posts
November 25 2010 01:26 GMT
#2
It is a Battle Royale between 3 or more people and is unranked (although there some achievements that go with it)
MisterFred
Profile Joined October 2010
United States2033 Posts
November 25 2010 01:29 GMT
#3
It's always 4 people. Unlike most SC1 FFAs, you can't share vision, ally, whatever. It's just plain 1v1v1v1.
"The victor? Not the highest scoring, nor the best strategist, nor the best tactitian. The victor was he that was closest to the Tao of FFA." -.Praetor
omnic
Profile Joined July 2010
United States188 Posts
November 25 2010 01:29 GMT
#4
its exactly like a battle royale between 3 or more people. you can only really choose if you play a custom game generally its a big eco game because its unlikely that you'll win in the long run if you do early aggression. its fun just try one.

Its great to try out crazy strats like pure banelings and nothing else. Just go crazy
FrostOtter
Profile Joined September 2010
United States537 Posts
November 25 2010 01:29 GMT
#5
On November 25 2010 10:29 MisterFred wrote:
It's always 4 people. Unlike most SC1 FFAs, you can't share vision, ally, whatever. It's just plain 1v1v1v1.

Oh, they got rid of like 8 person FFA?

I didn't realize. I used to love those in BW
Alvas
Profile Joined August 2010
United States309 Posts
November 25 2010 01:31 GMT
#6
sounds interesting... I might enjoy it... I guess I'd have to try it and see
Every bullet counts...
Fecaphobia
Profile Joined October 2010
26 Posts
November 25 2010 01:55 GMT
#7
I find 1v1 to be a little too stressful for me for the most part and find myself playing FFAs pretty much all the time. They are incredibly fun with a lot of possibilities every game. The only thing that bothers me about them is the fact that every game is always 4 players, never 6 or 8. Still very fun and carefree since its unranked.
thordan
Profile Joined April 2010
Sweden65 Posts
November 25 2010 02:24 GMT
#8
They need to implement ally and shared vision options. Backstabbing and getting backstabbed adds an extra element of surprise and tension. It simply makes it more fun.
Ultima ratio regum
FuRong
Profile Joined April 2010
New Zealand3089 Posts
November 25 2010 02:36 GMT
#9
On November 25 2010 11:24 thordan wrote:
They need to implement ally and shared vision options. Backstabbing and getting backstabbed adds an extra element of surprise and tension. It simply makes it more fun.


No it doesn't, this would completely ruin the game. Even if FFA in SC2 is not supposed to be competitive, I'm sure there are already heaps of people searching FFA games with their friends for the sole purpose of preteaming. Battling preteamers on the FFA ladder in WC3 was already hard enough, even without these kind of options =/ If you want to ally with someone in a game then there's nothing stopping you, but there is no way in hell you should ever be able to arrange it so that your units won't attack another player's units or so that you can see what he sees.

Also, I'm not sure if there is a way to send a private message to only one player ingame, but there shouldn't be. All teaming and allying arranged by chat should be done in full view of all players in the game imo.
Don't hate the player, hate the game
FunnelC4kes
Profile Joined July 2010
Ireland462 Posts
November 25 2010 02:42 GMT
#10
Basically, what you want to do is treat it like a 1v3.

You just attack your opponents by alphabetical order.

Easy as that.
Scholar. Shaman. Starcraft Enthusiast.
Fecaphobia
Profile Joined October 2010
26 Posts
November 25 2010 02:45 GMT
#11
a good tactic also is static defenses in proper places. Most people wont attack you if it will hurt them a lot, they will go attack someone who has more weaknesses since they wont want to have their army crippled. Then while they fight each other and stay weak, you mass up and end up being stronger then everyone who has been fighting
MisterFred
Profile Joined October 2010
United States2033 Posts
November 28 2010 04:43 GMT
#12

On November 25 2010 11:24 thordan wrote:
I'm sure there are already heaps of people searching FFA games with their friends for the sole purpose of preteaming.


No, there's not. I've played well over 100 games of FFA, and watched every replay. Exactly ONCE have I suspected there might be a pre-team.

It's not common at all.
"The victor? Not the highest scoring, nor the best strategist, nor the best tactitian. The victor was he that was closest to the Tao of FFA." -.Praetor
Blitzkrieg0
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States13132 Posts
November 28 2010 05:01 GMT
#13
I just wish there was some sort of ladder for the FFA league. There was a FFA league that got started for warcraft 3 played over Garena that had a lot of great players. It combines chess (being steps ahead of your opponent), manipulation through charisma, and the micro/macro that sc2 provides naturally. The ultimate tacticians dream! However, with no real benefit to attacking somebody (aka hero levels in wc3)killing somebody early does nothing but gimp your late game. It'd be really boring to watch a ladder full of turtle until people get bored.

Would be interesting to have some sort of ranking for such games though. There is a lot of tactical elements to FFA games that you just can't get in team or solo games that make them quite entertaining to watch.
I'll always be your shadow and veil your eyes from states of ain soph aur.
D10
Profile Blog Joined December 2007
Brazil3409 Posts
November 28 2010 05:05 GMT
#14
Allying and backstabing already happens in FFA lol even without the functions
" We are not humans having spiritual experiences. - We are spirits having human experiences." - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
TheGiftedApe
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
United States1243 Posts
November 28 2010 05:07 GMT
#15
it goes like this, player 1 rushes, player 2, player 2 loses, tells everyone what player1 is doing, player 3 than tries to kill player 1, but player1 defends, cause player 3 is newb who trusted player2. Mean while player 4 has been quietly expanding and has reached 200/200 army of pure void rays, player 4 wins..
xO-Gaming.com || [xO]TheGiftedApe.364 || xO-Gaming Manager.
Lmui
Profile Joined November 2010
Canada6213 Posts
November 28 2010 06:21 GMT
#16
Essentially:

1. It's a battle royale, 1v1v1v1
2. The person furthest away from you will turtle and get mass: Voids, Carriers, Mothership, Colossi, Battlecruiser, Ultras, Ghosts, Nukes. etc.

I've also had the case a few times where right off the bat, one person says "Everyone, lets attack top-right, so we have a better chance of winning" and then as top right I actually got killed.

3. FEing is 99% safe, since it doesn't matter, do it as terran, protoss or zerg. If they see cannons, bunkers or anything, they will retreat and attack someone else.

4. Play not to kill the other guy but such that you can't die. Your objective is to crush the guy nearest you and then turtle.

5. Every other game, one person will drop while loading.

That just about sums up FFA. FEing to the gold is rather safe since in the couple of FFAs I've played, it takes a LONG time before anyone scouts it.
safjx
Profile Joined September 2010
United Kingdom51 Posts
November 28 2010 14:14 GMT
#17
On November 25 2010 10:25 Alvas wrote:Basically, ranked games are a little stressful for me to play tons of, just because I hate that there are ALWAYS points riding on the game.


Unless you're in diamond I find that points are quite meaningless because that means you're still pretty bad. For me, points are the opposite, the more points I have, the more shame I feel for having been in my terrible terrible league for long enough to have gotten that many. :-D

(Just got into silver recently)

On November 25 2010 11:24 thordan wrote:
They need to implement ally and shared vision options. Backstabbing and getting backstabbed adds an extra element of surprise and tension. It simply makes it more fun.


Absolutely! :-D
safjx
Profile Joined September 2010
United Kingdom51 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-11-28 15:13:46
November 28 2010 14:16 GMT
#18
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