oh man this is not going to end well.

In rebellion, shit, like this ends.

Right?

like., that is one of the big selling points i think?

cant w8.

lol quar you are a funny man.

It doesn't matter in the long run.  More people have made connections now.

Frankly, smurfs aren't in for the game--just the attention.  That's 90% of what the OP was for.

Just don't give them any.  Then they'll get bored, sabotage a few games, leave a dramatic "Why-I-Am-Leaving-Forever"  and "The-Game-Sucks-Now" forum post and then go play the latest new game hoping they can become top gun there and get noticed again.

They only like a game when the public perception is that it's "their" game.  When it isn't they get mad, act up and then eventually leave.

But the other 10% of this is it's actually nice to see players--including Qu4r--having fun.  Cool.

Right...cause us awful players smurf only to avoid too much shame and humiliation being on the same account's stats...

This isn't Modern Warfare matchmaking...so what if all the other team are level 9 prestige class?  The game will be over in 10 minutes anyway, and the odds of you playing any of those people in the next match are unlikely unless you choose to stay with them...

But Sins is different...for one, you can easily burn 20 minutes simply waiting to get enough people...then, the game itself is likely to last an hour or so...and because player counts are low, once your game finishes you either have to wait another 20-30 minutes for another large game to end, or you're stuck playing with more or less the same people you just played with....

That is a huge time investment with very little variety over who you'll be going up against...the least that could be done is to have somewhat balanced teams so you can at least enjoy the hour of mayhem you already waited patiently for...

Perfectly balanced teams is nigh impossible especially since you can't control starting positions...but you can at least get close...whether you are skilled or not, there is nothing worse than stacked teams (except maybe atrocious lag)...even for people who aren't caught up in winning, it is difficult to enjoy a game that dooms you to losing from the very beginning...

Smurfs make it difficult to balance teams, plain and simple...that isn't so much a problem for a game with 10 minute matches , but it is a problem for hour-long strategy games...

If the community was so large that everyone was an unknown quantity, then smurfing really wouldn't matter and balancing teams would be a lost cause...but many of the players on ICO are known quantities, making team balancing viable...

Removing smurfs (if that's even possible) is not going to solve all our problems...but for a small online community, the anonymity and wildcard skill-level of smurfs most certainly has immense influence of the quality of one's experience on ICO...

I think part of the reason coaching doesn't happen is the game speed...I personally have a hard time managing everything on faster speed...granted, I don't use the empire tree or the keyboard but still, I would imagine even a pro player isn't going to feel like they have the time to teach or help...and hell will freeze over before they'll be willing to play on normal speed...

You wil be so suprised......

The smurf club already investigated an issue and made preparation to bring smurfing into  higher level in rebellion

As a chairman I personaly supervised that.

"Life is unfair" (quote from Auqia). Get use to it or stop sucking

Sure you can. Thats what replays are fore. But you are too lazy to watch.......

the real reason is  you dont listen and know better.

another reason is , u wont play another game after getting spanked with same person , and thats haw you learn.

Whan i was at your skill level, JJ was constantly  kicking my ass ,  every day for 2-3 months fewga mes per day.

It was frustrating, it was painfull but it made me skilled. I could ask him about everything , he used all his trick on me, and u know what? after the period suddenly i started to be good. I even joined DT.

I'm not even on ICO but I've watched so many replays of various ICO players and i continue to be one of the bigest trolls of each week because of my learning routine- but worldstrider seems to be taking this weeks troll crown--

Lan is good 4 me so I qualify for a smurf license.

I apologize for what you about to read but its true, and deep inside you know its true:

I've finally come to the conclusion that Seleuceia is not good at gaming. After being in these forums for some time now i have found out alot about people i use to think were good but in actual fact are total fakes when it comes to gameplay and they will always rush to tell you your strategy and methodology is wrong when they can't stand up- let alone craw in sins. 

If he can't even respect replays, macro to building caps, military/eco logistics start and trade ports to locational awareness then to micro of fleets and strike craft which is all in the replay then wow im not surprised you are against replays. Your too idiotic to understand them. "players thought process? what are you retarded? his thoughts are translated to the game and his choices, the timing of his choices and movements.

"Its a deeper analysis and on that note im in real need for the rewind button for replays!" 

Its no wonder there two separate communities:

Who wants to play with noobs that defend against howthe with a tec starbase instead of a fleet while howthe has scouted you ( KrdaxDrkrun). Yeah thats how detailed my knowledge is about u lot so make an effort instead of telling everyone replays won't help.

Did you even care to analyze how howthe overwhelmed that guy? I'm guessing no so its safe to assume hes gonna do the same to you because you haven't done your homework.

You best say: "oh look at me im in the distant star mod team and im against smurfs and replays but have no idea what im talking about but people might listen to me because im in the distant star mod team." You best start to smurf that identity.

Qu4r being one of the pros is right cos hes been there- done that. If you took the time to study replays before updates break them then you might find yourself in a very good position in competitive matches and enjoy the game more and when it comes to lan parties you could perform-like mwa.

I mean did u watch Auqia play against everyone. Study him. Its beautiful and a good learning experience-very good learning experience so don't deny that to everyone who wants to learn by telling them replays are hopeless. 

You can be both a gamer, have a good job, kids, wife and outdoor activities. Don't pretend you can't best something because your too busy to watch replays.

Wow i just proved opposite. When i smurf people are happy

Yes they do. u can see everything on replay from chat to micro. But the question is, can u comprehend?

Exactly my point. You just know better. You just write " I do not enjoy 5v5s, I do not enjoy playing on fast or faster game speed, and I have no interest in investing any effort whatsoever to ever be good at a gamemode I do not enjoy playing...I don't care that there are people significantly better than me nor do I blame anything or anyone but myself for that reality..." and  yet u still have your very important opinion about balance that affect us, skilled 5v5 player.

You are constantly talking and arguing about thing you have no idea about!!!

You even propose changes in balace, that you have no idea about

You are like a f...n european comity.

They too creat laws that affcet millions and yet they have no idea  what are they doing

You, and them, also deny reality even when that reality kick you in da ass.

All about controll. Let  go. If you really want ico to by fun place, let people do what they wanna do.

You talk like a child of " political correctness" who call shit a brown sculpture emitating smell. I hope i wont see the day people like you will start to rule.

Fun is freedom. And my freedom ends before your face.

( translation. ill do whatever i like excluding harming you)

I know arguing with you is pointless as you cant win argue with an idiot , he will bring you to his level and kill with expirience , but i simply couldnt ressist. I know u will flame another 2 pages of argumentless speach  and will assume you are moral victor.

Like Star sad, pen might be sharper then a sword, but sword is much more fun so ill stick with the sword.

If they watch the replays and are capable of learning, they will learn to make a decent attempt to survive after their first few games.

If they are terminally retarded though (of which there are unfortunately one or two on ICO), nothing can be done...

I disagree. Watching replays has taught me a TON of things, including how to micro and how to macro. Every command is done for a reason, usually; it isn't that hard to think "Hey, this pro told his ships to move there, how could that have given him an advantage?"

That said, replays alone are not enough - hands-on experience and practice with Faster speeds is essential - but the bulk of what I learn comes from watching replays.

You don't play competitively online. I don't think you have the credentials to be bashing other players (not that you should be doing that at all anyway).

Not that your points are wrong, but your hostility isn't necessary.

Nearly everyone who starts playing online and uses a dumb strategy like that will learn after their 2nd or 3rd game that starbases do not work. Give it a little time. Everyone was a noob (or unskilled) once, even you.

This is what I am getting it...I can watch a replay and easily see a pro player choosing to lead with two Halcyons, build seekers+disciples, and not even bother with mil labs...it may be pretty clear why they did that because this is a pretty general strategy....

But what if the pro-player starts with a prog?  Did he do it because he's a suicide player and wants to find a new HW near the center of the map, or did he do it because he thinks malice and shield regen will be useful?  You can guess, but you won't ever really know for sure, especially if the guy never has to go find a new HW or loses his cap before it matters....that is a valuable thought process you cannot get in a replay...

Why is the pro TEC player building a bunch of cobalts early game?  Is it because they'd rather hold off on the investment of two mil labs in favor of fleet size/colonization?  Or is it because their neighbor is advent and they're afraid of that seeker swarm?  YOU CAN'T TELL...and it's unlikely the player is going to put in their chat box "I'M BUILDING COBALTS FOR REASON XYZ"...

What lesson should you take away from that?  Build a bunch of cobalts when you're near Advent?  Build a bunch of cobalts when you need to invest heavily in colonization?  Build a bunch of cobalts because, well, you're just that damn good and can get away with it??

Replays only educate you to a point...and once you reach that point, there isn't much you can learn from them...eventually it becomes less about learning new knowledge and more about execution...good players don't just know what to do, they know how to do it fast and efficiently....the difference between pro players and mediocre players is not so much their general understanding of the game, but how quickly and efficiently they execute their strategy...watching a replay is not going to improve your execution abilities in the slightest, only actual practice will (or hearing tips from the player themselves)...

I agree...I've faced Qu4r, and I've lost...I've faced Auqia, and I've lost...I've faced HowThe, and I've lost....and it doesn't bother me in the slightest...skilled players beating non-skilled players should happen on a regular basis...any game that doesn't happen might as well be bingo night...but smurfing is more than that...whether I know I'm facing off against a pro, or whether I face a smurf doesn't really change anything for me, but it does affect the team experience as a whole...

In a balanced team game, I'm just as likely to be wiped out as the other teams noob...but smurfs can make one team seriously screwed when it turns out their two "noobs" are actually experts, and when the game quickly digresses into a 3v5 that affects everyone independent of skill level...

No, I don't think you are sorry...and I have never once claimed to be an expert at this game...I have openly admitted multiple times I am not a pro, I don't frequent ICO, and I am not comfortable with fast game speeds...I even said all those things in this thread...

I think you are confusing me with KrdaxDrkrun...maybe KrdaxDrkrun did that strategy against HowThe but I most certainly never have...furthermore, KrdaxDrkrun hasn't even participated in this thread....you want to bash me?  Fine...yeah I make claims regarding strategy and have done work on supposed "balance" mods...and if that really bothers you well too bad...but there is no reason to go bashing a player who isn't even involved with this thread and has in no way tried to "fake" being an expert or whatever crime you think I've committed...

For your own enlightenment, I played against HowThe once...we were in a 5v5, with me and him next to each other...he rushed me with 2 skirantras and about 15 assailants...he was 3 jumps from my HW with the last jump taking him across a gas giant (I could not colonize towards him as my only colonizable planets were behind me or towards the center)...I had colonized my nearby asteroid and ice world before he even began rushing me, and I thought I could colonize a volcanic world (2 jumps from my HW, towards the center of the map) before he would reach my HW...

I did see his fleet coming because I had scouted, and I knew exactly what he had....but I severely overestimated how long it would take him to get to me, partly because it had been a long time since I'd played with faster ship speeds...when he arrived sooner than expected, my Sova was still coming back from the volcanic and I had only about a dozen LRMs plus some scouts, not nearly enough to take on his fleet...I wasn't completely unprepared because I had 2 factories elsewhere pouring in ships so losing my original frigate factory wasn't a problem...I even destroyed a fair amount of his kanraks with arcovas (though the kanraks were being constantly replaced) and caused one of his caps to retreat...but alas, it was not enough...

I didn't have my sova there in time, and I got LRMs just a little too late...in retrospect I should not have tried to get my fourth planet, and should have just focused on cranking LRMs as much as possible...I fully get what I did wrong and I don't blame anyone but myself...if I simply had summed all this up and said "I'm Seleuceia, and I'm an idiotic retard which is why I suck at all gaming 4ever and will never succeed in life," would it have made you feel any better, RiddleKing?

It was....interesting concept to think about, one might say it makes the ultimate case for moderation or the "middle path"...