SeymourGore
Flatulent Cherub
Chasing, when it comes to skiing, is the hardest position you can choose*. As LO you usually want the quickest way from base to base. That doesn't change, it's always the same. A Routecapper's target (the flag) is always at (or around) the stand. You have your set amount of routes, and you're done (and as a Chaser, you have to know all those routes too - after all you want to prevent them). As Chaser, your target (your flag in the hands of a Capper) is a moving one. Usually you can only guess which route the Capper intends to take home, especially when OD gets used. Additionaly, you start your chase at a much lower speed than that pesky Capper. So yes, you have to know the terrain. Better than anyone else. You have to be able to improvise, have to know as much combinations of viable hills and slopes as possible. Drifting around inconsistently won't bring you anywhere. Good Chasers are, first and foremost, good skiers. Shooting comes later, after you've got that down.
Edit, for clarification: A Capper usually has a well thought out return route, and an initial speed advantage. How can a Chaser expect to catch up to him without knowing the terrain? That's simply impossible. And I'm not really talking about Gorge here. That's a general point. As a Chaser, you have to memorize the terrain to be able to catch up to a Capper who memorized the terrain (of his route) himself.
On the note of chasing:
Most chases are only successful if the enemy overdrives out or is partially slowed by the HOF. If they get out with a grab at 200, odds are knowing the terrain will not allow you to catch the capper. Chasing involves trying to stop the enemy carrier before they grab (body block/shots), or to stop them midfield before they get back to their spawn, at all cost. This is usually done with rocket jumps so that the chaser can get from 0 speed to a speed that they can overtake the capper. With two rocket jumps and maybe one down slope most players can cover a map. Chasing doesn't mean "memorizing" the terrain, it means you're smart enough to find the shortest path to the capper so that you can kill them. The idea that you need to memorize a map to chase some one down is preposterous. To be honest the best chasers I see in game are good because they can improvise intercept paths. You don't memorize down slopes, you find them. I'm disappointed that you have such absurd beliefs about how chasing is done, Gheist.
I dunno, to Seymour it sounds like you guys are describing similar skill sets. And, it seems to Seymour, that having a knowledge of the terrain would be an asset to any position. Maybe not a deal breaker for more experienced players (who know what to look for in terrain), but it's certainly an asset nonetheless.
Also, no need for the anger, lets keep the topic civil!