Post by oblivia9999 on Aug 6, 2018 13:58:05 GMT
Everyone's been there before: That one (or two.. or three.... or four..........) teammate(s) who doesn't know how to play their role, let alone play effectively. When you come across these players, there are a few options you may consider:
1. Don't say anything. - Sometimes you're just exhausted or not really into the game, so this is totally understandable. If no one else will speak up, though, these inexperienced players may not necessarily learn from their mistakes (e.g. Attacking, hitting constant 0s).
2. Rage at the player(s) or indirectly. - There are a couple of ways of going about this. One way is to provide no means of assistance to the player(s) and just bash them with insults (e.g. "Are you f***ing kidding me"), or to just vent frustration (e.g. thinking "I'm done with these guys; I don't care anymore").
3. Leave early. - Whether your time is valuable or you lack the patience to explain things to players, it's easy enough to head up the ladder/reset wave, or log out. It's not fun for players who do want to play through the waves, and everyone's back to square one.
4. Try to help them out. - This is the most helpful thing to do for your teammate(s). It can be difficult to convey constructive info, which is what this post will focus on.
It's most efficient to provide constructive criticism to a player in the least amount of words, since people understand less, better. However, you shouldn't do it in such a way that conveys frustration/negativity; otherwise, they'll not grasp what you're trying to tell them/ have them understand.
For instance, it's easy, though not helpful, to say "Caallllllllllllllll" to the player; you may have temporarily solved the problem, but it's easier for them to fall back into the habit of not calling fast.
The following lists certain situations or cases which call for a response, if you wish to help the player learn from their mistakes. If you have any of your own, feel free to reply with those comments!
Calling fast (applies to all roles)
"Do you see the text in the top right corner? Every time that text turns white, you should call that style as soon as you can." - When saying 'every time that text turns white...' you give the player something to keep an eye on, and it's easier for them to retain the habit of calling efficiently. In my experience, this works nearly every time; it would only not work if the player was trolling or didn't care.
Using cannon when call changes (applies to all roles, though often collector)
An inexperienced collector/defender may most often spam the cannon. When the call changes and they continue using it, their call is either delayed or even forgotten about. Again: "Make sure you prioritize calling when the style changes; call before using cannon, as the cannon delays your call."
Staying safe when low hp (applies to all except healer)
Players may frantically run around when their hp is low (which makes it troublesome to click on them!), or may just not even do anything, saying "Medic!" and remaining in the danger zone. "If your hp gets below half / 1/3, run to cannon for safety."
Avoiding mis-hits / 0s (applies to attacker)
"You should only attack when you know, and have switched to, the correct style." (this may/may not get the message across, in which case:) "When you see the text in top right turn white, you should get off the enemy, call for the collector, and wait until you know the style before attacking again." - This gives the player a simple step-by-step method to follow, and if they're trying to play through the game, they'll get the hang of it soon enough. You can even tell them, at this point, to try and have them anticipate the call change before it happens, to ensure no mis-hits.
Running northwest of west cannon at wave start (applies to collector/attacker)
The way of saying this is already clear. The player may sometimes ask why, or may even think it without saying it. This is where you can explain: "Running this way prevents the Penance Healers from aggroing toward you at start, and gives our healer and defender an easier time." - Again, this is to help them understand why you're making a suggestion for them, and if it makes sense to them, they'll likely agree.
Minimum food required to poison healers (applies to healer)
I personally see a lot of players spam food on one healer at a time, as if they didn't understand how poison works. They also leave other healers roaming around towards the end of wave because of their unawareness. You can tell them: "Try to poison each healer at least once, and (for waves 6-10) use a 2nd food when they take 3 or less poison damage. This is always enough to kill. If you know it's the last one, feel free to spam." Feel free to remind them that healers spawn in the northeast corner, so they know where to go if they're expecting another to spawn. Also, feel free to remind them of how many healers spawn each wave, and when they spawn (e.g. Wave 8: "5 spawn, then next 2 when 2 die").
Restoring run energy (applies to healer)
When you see a healer or defender walking around, chasing their targets: "Healing at the pool/healing other people restores your/their run energy."
Luring a runner south of trap (applies to defender)
"If you drop the *incorrect* food for a runner south of trap, it'll push them far north. Try to use this to lure them back to the traps/cannon range." - Trying to emphasize 'incorrect' here, because a beginner defender may only be inclined to use the correct food, which makes it much more difficult if the runners are near the cave exit.
The above lists cases that apply for general role responsibilities. Regarding the Queen wave and "one-egging," I leave it to your discretion to decide whether or not you want to explain that method to them. It's not really necessary to play the game, and it's easy enough to play the game correctly without resorting to this technique.
Finally, the last tip to offer is to try and engage with the player. I like to follow the player and call their name via "Hey @username." If they respond, depending on the case and their tendency to follow a bad habit, I approach them accordingly. (e.g. if they're attacking, and never get off an enemy + always hit 0s, I say "Is this your first time playing BA?" If I'm right, I take a little more time to explain what they should be doing, following the above examples #1 and #4. If they claim to have played in the past, I go straight to the constructive criticism.)
Hope this helps anyone who wants to try to be friendly to the BA newcomer, and if you have any suggestions, share them!
Fun fact: The name of this forum post is in reference to the quest Fairy Tale Pt. 1: Growing Pains
1. Don't say anything. - Sometimes you're just exhausted or not really into the game, so this is totally understandable. If no one else will speak up, though, these inexperienced players may not necessarily learn from their mistakes (e.g. Attacking, hitting constant 0s).
2. Rage at the player(s) or indirectly. - There are a couple of ways of going about this. One way is to provide no means of assistance to the player(s) and just bash them with insults (e.g. "Are you f***ing kidding me"), or to just vent frustration (e.g. thinking "I'm done with these guys; I don't care anymore").
3. Leave early. - Whether your time is valuable or you lack the patience to explain things to players, it's easy enough to head up the ladder/reset wave, or log out. It's not fun for players who do want to play through the waves, and everyone's back to square one.
4. Try to help them out. - This is the most helpful thing to do for your teammate(s). It can be difficult to convey constructive info, which is what this post will focus on.
It's most efficient to provide constructive criticism to a player in the least amount of words, since people understand less, better. However, you shouldn't do it in such a way that conveys frustration/negativity; otherwise, they'll not grasp what you're trying to tell them/ have them understand.
For instance, it's easy, though not helpful, to say "Caallllllllllllllll" to the player; you may have temporarily solved the problem, but it's easier for them to fall back into the habit of not calling fast.
The following lists certain situations or cases which call for a response, if you wish to help the player learn from their mistakes. If you have any of your own, feel free to reply with those comments!
Calling fast (applies to all roles)
"Do you see the text in the top right corner? Every time that text turns white, you should call that style as soon as you can." - When saying 'every time that text turns white...' you give the player something to keep an eye on, and it's easier for them to retain the habit of calling efficiently. In my experience, this works nearly every time; it would only not work if the player was trolling or didn't care.
Using cannon when call changes (applies to all roles, though often collector)
An inexperienced collector/defender may most often spam the cannon. When the call changes and they continue using it, their call is either delayed or even forgotten about. Again: "Make sure you prioritize calling when the style changes; call before using cannon, as the cannon delays your call."
Staying safe when low hp (applies to all except healer)
Players may frantically run around when their hp is low (which makes it troublesome to click on them!), or may just not even do anything, saying "Medic!" and remaining in the danger zone. "If your hp gets below half / 1/3, run to cannon for safety."
Avoiding mis-hits / 0s (applies to attacker)
"You should only attack when you know, and have switched to, the correct style." (this may/may not get the message across, in which case:) "When you see the text in top right turn white, you should get off the enemy, call for the collector, and wait until you know the style before attacking again." - This gives the player a simple step-by-step method to follow, and if they're trying to play through the game, they'll get the hang of it soon enough. You can even tell them, at this point, to try and have them anticipate the call change before it happens, to ensure no mis-hits.
Running northwest of west cannon at wave start (applies to collector/attacker)
The way of saying this is already clear. The player may sometimes ask why, or may even think it without saying it. This is where you can explain: "Running this way prevents the Penance Healers from aggroing toward you at start, and gives our healer and defender an easier time." - Again, this is to help them understand why you're making a suggestion for them, and if it makes sense to them, they'll likely agree.
Minimum food required to poison healers (applies to healer)
I personally see a lot of players spam food on one healer at a time, as if they didn't understand how poison works. They also leave other healers roaming around towards the end of wave because of their unawareness. You can tell them: "Try to poison each healer at least once, and (for waves 6-10) use a 2nd food when they take 3 or less poison damage. This is always enough to kill. If you know it's the last one, feel free to spam." Feel free to remind them that healers spawn in the northeast corner, so they know where to go if they're expecting another to spawn. Also, feel free to remind them of how many healers spawn each wave, and when they spawn (e.g. Wave 8: "5 spawn, then next 2 when 2 die").
Restoring run energy (applies to healer)
When you see a healer or defender walking around, chasing their targets: "Healing at the pool/healing other people restores your/their run energy."
Luring a runner south of trap (applies to defender)
"If you drop the *incorrect* food for a runner south of trap, it'll push them far north. Try to use this to lure them back to the traps/cannon range." - Trying to emphasize 'incorrect' here, because a beginner defender may only be inclined to use the correct food, which makes it much more difficult if the runners are near the cave exit.
The above lists cases that apply for general role responsibilities. Regarding the Queen wave and "one-egging," I leave it to your discretion to decide whether or not you want to explain that method to them. It's not really necessary to play the game, and it's easy enough to play the game correctly without resorting to this technique.
Finally, the last tip to offer is to try and engage with the player. I like to follow the player and call their name via "Hey @username." If they respond, depending on the case and their tendency to follow a bad habit, I approach them accordingly. (e.g. if they're attacking, and never get off an enemy + always hit 0s, I say "Is this your first time playing BA?" If I'm right, I take a little more time to explain what they should be doing, following the above examples #1 and #4. If they claim to have played in the past, I go straight to the constructive criticism.)
Hope this helps anyone who wants to try to be friendly to the BA newcomer, and if you have any suggestions, share them!
Fun fact: The name of this forum post is in reference to the quest Fairy Tale Pt. 1: Growing Pains
Thx for this!
):