Weekly Pickup Games

For the upcoming pickup, you'd rather play:


  • Total voters
    23
  • Poll closed .

Xtreme

shaska's bff
Lately, most pickups are not fun and rather boring. I turn to pickups in the hope of compensating for my rage resulting from playing pubs. I look forward to playing a few fun games with people who actually know what they’re doing. Instead, what I get is limited (or no) fun but highly competitive gameplay. I think it’s safe to say that competitive gameplay should be left for scrims, where the outcome (and not the enjoyment) actually matters. Pickups should be focused more on creating a fun experience for both new and old players alike.

So here’s the thing. I though this out and what I came up with is to have a weekly pickup, every Sunday or so at 20 CET, where people will have to sign up just as they used to. There will be captains as usual, however they will have to sign up as captains and their only responsibility will be to assign positions to players.

The games will either be 6v6 or 8v8, small maps for the former and bigger maps for the latter. Every week, I will post a poll on the forums with a choice of 6v6 or 8v8, each having a choice of two maps (so a total of four possibilities). Players will have the entire week to vote and on Saturdays, I will set the topic on the #legions.pickup channel in IRC so that people can start signing up for the upcoming game.

I’m suggesting that we do this so that the map and game size are determined by all the players who wish to play and not just one person (the captain) as per usual. I am aware that there will be people posting complaints here, saying that the way the current pickup system works is just fine. That is why I’ve said that this will only be happening once a week (probably Fridays, but you decide) and not everyday. Basically what I’m aiming for here is a fun game, where people actually work together but also enjoy doing so.

I’ve already posted a poll for the first game, which is to take place this coming Sunday, June 26th.
 

Application-1

test bester
Or we just let the captain pick the map, not in such a way that only your preference comes out. If you want a certain map be captain.
If you want to have a amount of fun and you think you can only achieve that by having some kind of control, be captain.

My vote is no, the system works as it is, but if people like this more then go ahead.
 

WildFire

Warrior of Linux
I'm not sure. Good games only happen when the captains are experienced, and the games happen to be close - that's where the most fun happens. The system that you're suggesting here would leave people out, and actually add more 'military' style, which we all know is less fun. Pickups are always going to be competitive, you have two captains on either side trying to win.
 

Synista

Member
The system that you're suggesting here would leave people out, and actually add more 'military' style, which we all know is less fun.
Speak for yourself. Use I instead of we.
Lately, most pickups are not fun and rather boring. I turn to pickups in the hope of compensating for my rage resulting from playing pubs. I look forward to playing a few fun games with people who actually know what they’re doing. Instead, what I get is limited (or no) fun but highly competitive gameplay. I think it’s safe to say that competitive gameplay should be left for scrims, where the outcome (and not the enjoyment) actually matters.
I agree, it's only fun when people start pissing about. The most recent fun PuG I had was on Fallout, where App-1, Elder and pullute was battling for points lol we was screaming and having jokes and we had a laugh, which is good in PuGs.
I’ve already posted a poll for the first game, which is to take place this coming Sunday, June 26th.
Let's hope this works, bro ;)
 

Synista

Member
I lost by 3 points :(
Awwww..
Bow_down.gif

You're still No. 1 Anti-Euro!
 

Sharp

Private Tester
Is this really the best poll? The only viable option is 8v8 Fallout... And Sunday night? That's like the busiest Euro night and you want to set up just a 6v6 or 8v8? Seems like all this is an effort to avoid captains, and 1 person picking a bad map. It seems an awful lot of effort for little gain, when you could just change the pickup standard and have captains more aware of what people want (that's how I do it anyway; I usually don't care what map it is, so long as it fits the numbers and it's not a repeat of the last).
 

Battelstar

Member
I like the idea that there is one day in every week on which the ppl have to sign up (#legions.eu) to get picked.

But I have to agree with App-1 that the captains should decide which map will be played.
 

Xtreme

shaska's bff
Is this really the best poll? The only viable option is 8v8 Fallout... And Sunday night? That's like the busiest Euro night and you want to set up just a 6v6 or 8v8? Seems like all this is an effort to avoid captains, and 1 person picking a bad map. It seems an awful lot of effort for little gain, when you could just change the pickup standard and have captains more aware of what people want (that's how I do it anyway; I usually don't care what map it is, so long as it fits the numbers and it's not a repeat of the last).

Yes, this is really the best poll I've come up with. This is exactly what I'm talking about - all of you want Frost or Fallout because you know those maps like the back of your hand. If you don't like it, simply don't participate and play a regular pickup game (i.e. you can populate the other pickup channel in teamspeak). I realize Sunday is the busiest Euro night but the fact that I've decided to have a fun pickup once a week doesn't mean that regular pickups should not take place. Maybe this is an effort to avoid captains and people picking a bad map, but if that's what it takes to have some fun games, then what the hell - I'm all in for it.
 

Ucantry2run

Private Tester
Yes, this is really the best poll I've come up with. This is exactly what I'm talking about - all of you want Frost or Fallout because you know those maps like the back of your hand. If you don't like it, simply don't participate and play a regular pickup game (i.e. you can populate the other pickup channel in teamspeak). I realize Sunday is the busiest Euro night but the fact that I've decided to have a fun pickup once a week doesn't mean that regular pickups should not take place. Maybe this is an effort to avoid captains and people picking a bad map, but if that's what it takes to have some fun games, then what the hell - I'm all in for it.
No, he doesn't want just Frost or Fallout. He's actually the most fair captain that we have. Don't make assumptions kthx
I only play Euro pickups once and a while, but I think that this idea needs more thought first. At the moment, an aware pickup seems better than this.
 

Xtreme

shaska's bff
No, he doesn't want just Frost or Fallout. He's actually the most fair captain that we have. Don't make assumptions kthx
I only play Euro pickups once and a while, but I think that this idea needs more thought first. At the moment, an aware pickup seems better than this.

Why is everyone so stuck up? I realize Sharp is one of the more experienced players here. But you can't come in here and say that he doesn't want just Frost or Fallout because he said that the only viable choices from those I've given is Fallout, meaning that he doesn't see it fit if we played another, relatively unpopular map like Mirage. And besides that, it's not like we have a plethora of maps to choose from. If it's not the four I've suggested, it's moonshine, gorge, stygian and core. And I'm sure most people would vote for core, which people have rarely played but for some reason think that they are good enough and familiar enough with it so as to have a fun game on it.

So let me say something so that we avoid arguments and misunderstandings in the future: whoever doesn't like this idea for whatever reason, just abstain from commenting or participating. It's very simple. Also, there is no such thing as an "aware" pickup. Every time we try to do something like that, the outcome is the same because most people actually playing them are stuck-up, competitive bastards who think they are much better than what they actually are.

Stop shitting all over this idea before we actually give it a try.
 

Ucantry2run

Private Tester
mk, I'll just leave you with this.

1. I'm pretty sure sharp would have agreed with Fallout, Frost, Zenith, Core, and Elegiac. He actually likes every map, but you assume he's elitist like "everyone else." :p
2. Ideas need criticism. Its not just "Let me post a thread setting the time for a game and not want people to oppose."
3. Everyone who plays pickups are not stuck-up competitive bastards who think they are better than they are, you just assume so.
4. It has been tried before.

kbye
 

WildFire

Warrior of Linux
We'll give it a try, sure, but I bet it won't work very well. Personally, I like the sound of PUB+ more, less effort for basically the same amount of gain for fun.

To be honest, I feel that newer players would be left out of these games because they decide not to go on IRC and why should they when they should just be able to jump on teamspeak? It seems like you're going out of your way to exclude some people, and make pickups the way 'you' want them to be. Although its only for one night, I feel like this idea won't actually make pickup games more 'fun'. Pickups games by their nature are competitive.
 

Fixious

Test Lead
Lately, most pickups are not fun and rather boring. I turn to pickups in the hope of compensating for my rage resulting from playing pubs. I look forward to playing a few fun games with people who actually know what they’re doing. Instead, what I get is limited (or no) fun but highly competitive gameplay. I think it’s safe to say that competitive gameplay should be left for scrims, where the outcome (and not the enjoyment) actually matters. Pickups should be focused more on creating a fun experience for both new and old players alike.

Then I'd suggest changing this to a weekly PUB+, not PUG. PUGs will always be competitive like that.

edit: Apparently Fireblasto beat me to it. You will now be banned.
 

Sharp

Private Tester
I'm all for new ideas, but to shut down discussion of how they could be run better seems counter-productive. The reason that I noted that Fallout was the only viable option is because 6v6 (from my limited 3.5 month experience) generally is unbalanced and relative to a 7v7, is not that fun. It allows either for 3o-3d, or 4o-2d; with hofs, it just gets dumb. Elegiac is also in my opinion not a map for small numbers because it is so incredibly easy to chase. There is a reason Scarabrae was not played in competitive Tribes; there is a reason Mirage is not played in pickup Legions. I realize the numbers thing isn't something to really be concerned about since if there are extra people, one can always start a different pickup. Then again, you also have to take into consideration that you have 19 votes right now, so obviously some of them cannot play, and/or will not get to play the map that they voted for. Then you also have to take into consideration that this only solves map 1, and there is no blueprint to solving the next map; it appears to me like putting a band-aid on the problem. And then you have to have people vote every week, which if analogous real-world democracy is any indication, is a hard feat to pull off (much less in a video game). And then you have the problems that arise mid-game, when one team is getting absolutely hammered because of garbage initial positions that allow no flexibility in-game, and infighting results.

I love when people play new maps. If anything, it evens the stage for newer players, since the older players have played Frostbyte, Nivosus, Moonshine, and Zenith for god knows how many hours. Same thing in T1- I can actually run routes blind on some maps. It's one more stumbling block for newer players to get to the level of older players.

If the problems is captains and maps, I think a couple fixes could be set in place.
1. People should listen and understand how experienced captains make decisions on players and positions; even if they don't agree, they can understand.
2. Captains should be sensitive to the mood of the pug, not adopt a "Well, I'm captain, *dance* you all, we're playing gorge" attitude. This is not necessarily an explicit vote (these tend to take forever). Same with people who just join the pug after it's been going on for a while.
3. Potential/new captains should read Blitz's and Jack's posts in Darklord's captaining thread, and shouldn't be afraid to ask for advice.
4. Captains should be relatively equivalent skill-level or picking wise, and if they aren't, safeguards ought to be in place in giving them first pick and side, etc. Depending on the two captains, assess whether this is one of the friendly pickups or down-to-the-bone competitive ones; if it's the former, attempt to match the picking style of the other captain.
5. Also, get people to join servers instantly and establish the captains of the next game immediately after the game finishes.

Also, 5v5s, no sents, no snipes, should be more common.

voilà. ggs.
 
Top