Malefactor wrote on 02/09/17 at 01:47:39:
Besides that, did you miss the part where he's one of over a hundred?
Did you miss the part where I said "While I'm sure that a very large portion of them have a negative opinion of TM 2012, extremely few would represent your views that they wouldn't want to see a new entry in the series."? Nobody here is contesting that the majority of players who were active on TMA were disappointed by the game. That has never been a subject on contention. But I hold that the majority of TMA would both
want, and
believe in a future TM done properly. Or for that matter, just an online vehicle combat game done properly that a larger playerbase can get behind, even if it's just an indie project.
Malefactor wrote on 02/09/17 at 01:47:39:
You need to get to a point where you at least accept when you've been given powerful evidence against your case.
I recognize any points you make, and either accept or refute them. In the meantime, you completely ignore the substance of my posts in favour of going off topic by making redundant claims (which in most cases aren't even relevant to the actual discussion) and insulting others to provoke a response to ensure the topic is guided that way. You twisted this thread from a discussion of the game's pace into a forum to vent why you think the game sucks.
Malefactor wrote on 02/10/17 at 00:14:41:
they probably did that out of sheer frustration. They liked using Sweetbot and Talon? Whatever . . . I hated Talon but the damn vehicle is in the fucking game.
I'm pretty sure that Mort wouldn't be making music videos of tactics which would frustrate him, let alone hundreds of them. At least if they were meant to be parody, you'd expect him to be choosing songs like Yakety Sax and not game/rock songs. I'm sorry, but I don't believe Mort and Mosh would invest such time in the game and still play in such a manner out of frustration... they did because they found it fun. Choosing Talon for the sake of it being in the game is like choosing Spectre in TMBO and purposefully playing like a bitch with it. It's in the game and a tactic you can use, but is pointless since it's unfun to both play that way and fight against such a player and you could have much more fun playing in a skillful manner. The point of me mentioning them is simply because you're implying a double standard. If my taste in games is inferior, then Mort's (the one person you singled out of over a hundred others, presumably implying he has the most prestige) played in an even more tasteless manner. Again, I have nothing against Mort. He's a cool dude, and you just brought his name up in an ironic context.
I get your pain that the series hasn't produced a game to the quality we know it can. I'm still very willing to have them take another stab at it. It's not like Silent Hill which is still being milked with a biennial/triennial release, versus Twisted Metal which has only had two bad eggs since the turn of the century. It's also not like there are other similarly-theme survival games that have replaced Silent Hill in the modern generation. We have next to nothing to fill the void, and if there was a decent alternative to Twisted Metal on the market then I would be less impassioned about seeing the series rise from the ashes. But simply put, there isn't. Twisted Metal is all we got, and whether Sony invests in the series again or a third party ceases the opportunity to develop a new vehicle combat IP, it does the community no good to bask in negativity. You and I both know what the series is capable of, and I don't think our opinions of what would make a solid new TM wildly differ at the core, I do appreciate the more respectful tone of your last post towards me.
The Truth wrote on 02/09/17 at 22:47:35:
No one is going to torture their self just to prove it to you.
What's the point in even showing your face and challenging someone, and not being willing to follow through? It's like walking up to someone on the street and telling them you could beat them up if you felt like it, but would rather not risk chipping a nail. You're liable to get your ass whooped someday with that entitled attitude. You clearly got dispensable time and don't mind being tortured reading and involving yourself in rhetorical debates like this. If you've got a point to prove, quit being a pussy and let's brawl.
The Truth wrote on 02/09/17 at 22:47:35:
Just so we are clear, I'm not saying one of us could return and win every game by large margins raping every pro.
Win every game by large margins? Using terms like that makes me believe that you think playing competitive team-based TM is an individual effort. Let this be your first piece of advice. If your first concern is playing for the sake of your stats, you're likely going to fail. Since you're curious enough to question what it takes to be a "pro", here's the skills you would need in the most basic way I can present them.
1. Driving Skill and Map Navigation
2. Vehicle and Weapon Competence
3. CQC Execution
4. Situational Awareness
5. Map Control and Pacing
6. Team Synchronization
Driving skill is what you would expect, simply being able to pilot your vehicle efficiently while constantly using turbo, along with knowing the most effective weapon routes from any spawn/location and knowing how to make some of the trickier jumps into narrow chutes or jumping high ledges that don't leave much room for bad timing.
Vehicle and weapon competence is obvious too, simply knowing the capabilities of each vehicle with their stats, their specials, as well as how weapons work. It sounds simple of the surface, but this also ties a lot into knowing how different vehicles command different playstyles, and choosing a vehicle that is suitable with your teammate's choices. In small team matches it is critical to balance a lineup with both ruggedness and speed.
CQC execution is simply being able to fight in close quarters. Obviously, landing weapons and the skill-based pickups and specials is critical in this regard, along with knowing how to stagger/prepare combos, use energy effectively, fighting 1v1 versus group situations, but also maneuvering to be unpredictable to set up/avoid rams and dodge when you can to tie together both offence and defence. Just like any TM, it's awkward at first but eventually becomes instinct.
Situational awareness goes a long way, especially in team games. Being aware of when a player is developing a killstreak, and supporting the teammate/shutting down the opponent is a must. Not being isolated critical as well, especially when low on turbo or inventory. It may sound simple, but it is very easy to be ambushed. Same goes for defence at a long distance, dodging garbage inventory that may be fired on you afar, jumping shockwaves, not being frozen, etc..
Map control again ties into weapon routes, but also has a lot to do with positioning and commandeering areas of the map with the strongest resources, since you're never going to win in CQC spamming homers and garbage inventory. With both weapons and health being on a timer since when they're last acquired, pacing is huge to ensure survival, running weapon routes when most efficient and starving your opponent of resources.
Team synchronization is also huge with competitive TM being purely team-focused. There's a constant balance between ensuring your team covers a large footprint of the map and controls the resources, but also doesn't get isolated or outnumbered in a fight. Certain players and vehicles can play more aggressively than others, and it's important to strike that perfect balance.
I would imagine you'd agree that a lot of what I outlined mirrors what is required to play a previous TMs effectively in a team setting. Obviously, there's a range of skill among veterans, but if you can tie together all six of those fundamentals you'll likely hold your own. On different nights there will be different ranges of skill depending on who logs in that night, and some nights (depends on who's hosting mostly) we're willing to let infrequent players who have decently high skill ratings join in, and just balance the strong players around them. What I wouldn't expect is to have to not balance the teams with strong players being partnered with someone having little experience playing and still having a fair match. Basically if you play on the opposing team, put up a strong performance and come out with a win for your team without being carried or farmed for easy kills, I would concede.