Monthly Archives: May 2017

The Nature of Esports Coaching: Voices in my Head

By Jason Parker (Ragachak)

 This is the first part in a series on eSports coaching, created with the cooperation of Gamer Sensei.

 

I went into this with a fair amount of skepticism, but not for what you might think.

 

A bit of background:

Every game I play, I play in whatever competitive mode it offers. Every single one. I can’t help it. I feel like that’s [ideally] where I’ll find the best gameplay, people who want to get better, and compete with one another. Is this what actually happens? Of course not. It’s not so prevalent in games like Street Fighter, Tekken, but you do still get people who will “lame you out.” At the end of the day, there are answers for that style of gameplay, and if you don’t do it, it’s your fault. How do you get better, then? The ultimate goal is to play against people that are better than you, lose to them, and learn from those mistakes. That is a terrific way to get better. It’s the way to get better. But what about when you’re playing with, and against, toxic bags of sweaty assholes that only want to make you feel bad for taking your first breath of the day? Not to mention, these people either play poorly, or are willing to script [modify their game for unrealistic reactions] in order to win? Where do you turn to at that point?

Coaches, like any good sport. I’ve been familiar with the notion of esports coaching; one of the primary channels I follow, Cross Counter TV [ran primarily by Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez and Mike “Mike Ross” Ross] offers Fighting Game coaching on their website from a variety of some of the greatest players in the world. I’ve considered spending the money to do it as well, but never pulled the trigger. I’m grateful that I do know some semi-pro players, who are more than willing to put in time to help me get better [Shout out to Takanub and Hollywood2df who are amazing]. So when I found out we were going to work with Gamer Sensei on a piece about esports coaching, I had some questions, some concerns, and they had some for me as well. I worked with one of their best League tutors, Tutor [what an apropo name!] who was an incredibly kind and hard-working fellow who wanted to help me succeed. We worked on League of Legends, and I was admittedly a bit disappointed that they did not cover Smite or Paladins [the games I’m presently working on becoming better at], but I have played Ranked in LoL since Season 2. I never seem to crack past Gold, but it’s not for a lack of trying. I’m a support main, so I wanted some advice on improving my support game.

 

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League of Extraordinarily Noxious Gentlemen

We did a bit of talking before we got into the game proper, introducing ourselves, explaining what I’m looking for, my experience in online games in general. Since I’m in games journalism, and I’ve covered both League and Smite in great detail, I understand how strategy and tactics work, about how to be the better player and not let toxicity rule over my day/game. That and I love strategy games just in general, so I feel like support is the right role for me. I try to look at the game from the terms of win conditions, but there’s more to it than that. Without realizing it, Tutor approached the lesson in a way that appeals to me. Even from the first minion that hits the lane, the support can start analyzing the matchup, and what the suggested method/approach is. He touched on one of the major things I can do to improve games immeasurably, even if the team doesn’t necessarily listen to you [and probably won’t, this is solo/duo queue]. We spent a fair amount of time on the beginning of the game, as it is pretty important to how we approach the rest of the game at large. What my carry is, what I am, versus what the other side is. How is our effective HP versus theirs? That is to say, their HP after shields, heals, CC, buffs, debuffs. Who comes out with the edge here? Ideally, you’ll know this before the match even begins, with knowledge of who can do what. The next thing to consider for me is “Where is the ideal place for the wave?” and that will also ultimately vary. Do we want to let them have level 2, let them push? Or are we immeasurably stronger, and can just go whole hog? Or shall we keep things stuck right in the river, halting the lane so they can do nothing about it?

Esports Piece - First Match [watched]

But one of the things I do not do enough, is talk to the carry, or try to call shots. When is it time to tackle Dragon/Void? Should we call for a gank? Communicate that I want them to ward in a bush without saying “Hey, moron, use your stupid trinket!” and so forth. I do use the ping communications, because they’re important, but I often worry that I’m just going to get shouted down for trying to call shots. I’m not a pro, and I’m all too sure that I’ll hear stuff like that. But it was suggested to me to do just that, even if I get a negative reaction. That’s not always going to happen. This is a team game, and though I try to treat it like one, one of the things I was not doing enough of, was communicating my needs and suggestions to not just my carry, but to the team at large. I need to tell the ADC what I want them to do, and then just hope they do it. Of course, do it politely, but I’m always a polite teammate. I need to be aware of whose jungler is where, when they’re going to go in, and adjust my thinking accordingly. Will this affect our win conditions? There are lots of little ways I can improve my communications. Such as pinging when my enemy use their flash/heal/etc, and keep a timer for this. I can either memorize them, set timers on my PC, or something like that. But keeping our jungler aware of wasted flash in bot lane? That means kills. And you know, a lot of this stuff might sound dumb, or obvious. But it helps to have someone with more skilled than you point it out.

 

 

Methodology

So, what exactly did we do? The first game [of two] involved me Skype screen-sharing the game as I was playing. He’d ask me questions while I did, talking about the various strategies in the early game, itemization changes/updates [since I missed a patch], things I was doing well, things I missed [like Leona’s E not hitting because it was too far out]. However, this game was picture perfect. Everything basically happened as it should. I didn’t die once in game, and we stomped the entire game. Everyone on my team functioned as they should; we worked as a unit. After that, I sent him the file, and we watched it, and he critiqued my work. The things that weren’t working, and items I could’ve built. This is where we talked about my issues with communication. It’s a big deal, because I kind of have shell shock from lots of negativity in games. I asked Tutor what he thought of toxicity in League, and what the answer should be. This was his response:

 

“Sure! In general… people are going to be pieces of shit in LoL. My experience with this question is kind of figuring out what area of toxicity bothers the person.

It’s sad it comes down to this due to the community but generally certain types of toxicity bothers people while others don’t.

As an example, using myself… Someone can tell me to drink bleach, call me out on a mistake that I know I did. Sure. However, the MOMENT someone blames me for something that I had no control over. That irks me.

So based on that answer, it’s easier to offer certain types of advice. Since my area is super circumstantial, my answer to myself would be just mute the person instantly and don’t type to them haha.”

Esports Piece - Second Match [with Tutor playing]

The “tl;dr” of this was “Silence the Source.” If people are typing, they aren’t playing. So you stop them from typing, by silencing them. But please, please, please stop telling them you’re going to mute them. Just do it and keep playing. All that does is make the negative people far more toxic. They’ll find new ways to upset you, like throwing the game. I’ve played games where we had pushed every tower, every objective, had an unstoppable win coming. However… we made someone on our team mad; he threw a fight and stopped helping. We lost a 5v4 because he wasn’t being listened to. That aside, next we played as a duo, in ranked [both matches were ranked]. We were in a call, so we could communicate, but I watched as he put his words into action. He communicated effectively, politely, didn’t rise to bait from either team. I communicated in game and out of game, and we won again. This was another basically picturesque game, where everything happened just as they should. Apparently I just have to have someone watching me play and I win. He has some notes that he gave me post lesson, and I do intend on having another session, at least one. We’re trying to set up a match with myself and KingsDecree, where we can see what happens.

 

 

What’s the Verdict?

This was a very positive and uplifting experience for me. I’ve sort of fallen off of League of Legends, though I do try to play one or two ranked matches a week to keep fresh, and keep abreast of what’s going on in the Rift. I think the positive nature is what helped me the most. Tutor was honest about what he thought my skill level was. In the notes he said he thinks I play and think at a level higher than Silver V [where I’m at right now] and I have the potential to climb if I pay attention, play smart, and work hard. I have things to work on, but I always knew that. You know why I think this is so important? Someone who plays better than me, is smarter about the game than me, sat down with me, and told me some things I needed to hear. Not to mention some things I wanted to hear! He didn’t bullshit me, lie to me, or tell me “Sure, you can go pro ezpz!” and instead was honest with me. That is what I need.

League of Legends is a very toxic, hateful environment where people only care about themselves. This is not how you get better at a competitive team game. I think anyone who wants to get better should consider esports coaching. At least one session, but likely more than that. Repeated visits I think will net results, if the player actively works at it, and wants to get better. I think simply asking someone who is Diamond, or Platinum, or even Challenger is enough. The person who was coaching me has an education background and is at least a Diamond player in League. He is a positive, forward thinking person who simply wants to help others get better. We win and lose as a team – people don’t seem to realize this. They think only they matter, only they can carry the game. But they aren’t. And even those smurfs, those diamond level smurfs could learn something from an esports coach. They could learn something their parents or loved ones should have taught them: To not be a barrel full of steamed, chocolate covered douchebags. That being good to your team, being positive, communicating without racial slurs can do a lot more than simply being rotten.

 

If you’re interested in learning more about esports coaching and want to give it a try, be sure to check out Tutor’s page at Gamesensei.

Is “Mobile” A Four Letter Word?

Power Rangers Editorial 5

Well, of course, it isn’t. Mobile’s six letters. But you know what I mean, I should hope. People, myself included tend to balk or shrink back from titles that are only on mobile devices. But why? Are these games not as good, or as worthy of our time and attention? Was hard work not poured into them, with an attempt to bring a quality product, as well as make a living? Now, unfortunately, there is a proverbial mountain of garbage mobile titles, games piggybacking off something else’s’ success, heartless cash grabs. I’ve played so many damn mobile games that make me sad to have downloaded them. But does that make all mobile titles awful? Of course not! Do you know how many shit games there are on PC? PS4? Xbox One? NES? Spoiler Warning:  There’s a whole damn lot. So let’s not judge a whole platform on the merits of a few awful human beings who just want money, and not to make a product worth playing. This isn’t to say that I love mobile games, because I actually seldom find myself playing them. But that is mostly due to me spending most of my day at my computer, working or streaming. Not to mention that most mobile games devour battery life and data.

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However recently I found that Verizon offers unlimited data. That means I can actually play mobile games again with peace of mind! That’s what stopped me from playing Pokemon Go. I spent too much time in places with either 1. Awful Wifi or 2. No Wifi. And I live int he middle of nowhere, far away from any Pokestops. They’re a few miles away at least. So now I can go out and catch Pokemon, now that people aren’t really talking about it anymore. But that’s fine! It is what was motivating me to get out and exercise more, and I’m glad to do so yet again. But there are other mobile games that I do enjoy, that are good! For example, I adore the Sailormoon Puzzle Game. I do feel like it tries kind of hard to get you to spend money on it… but that’s the nature of free games. They have to make a living somehow, yeah? Microtransactions are certainly a way to do that. But beyond that, it’s a fantastic puzzle game, it’s adorable, and it’s a solid use of the Sailormoon franchise. The items make it a lot easier, and being put into positions where you might need them is more than a little vexing. However, there are games like Dragonball: Dokkan Battle, where they practically spoonfeed you useful items! Every event is packed with items to help you summon powerful characters. I think I actually have too many UR [Ultra Rare] characters right now! I had to start over and lost my account that was well over level 100, so I could put almost anyone on board…However, this is another one that I can’t play on my PC without putting in some work. Not to mention, it’s not an “official” app and the data doesn’t transfer across from PC to mobile. You have to use a code and swap it back and forth. Tedious.

Brave Frontier's Raid Battle & 7-Star Starter Units Update Now LIve

But you know what? Not all mobile games are guilty of this! Brave Frontier is a fantastic example because so many games have copied its successful, team-based RPG style. But they have an official Windows App! That’s right, I can play it on my computer anytime I want, and I think the only thing that doesn’t transfer across are Crystals [used to summon]. But I can play it at my desk, I can stream it if I want. I might do that sometime! Another game that’s good for this is Shadowverse, the wonderful card game. You can link your account from PC to mobile and play whenever you want, and that’s a great thing. I’m not crazy about mobile card games myself, I’d rather play them at my desk [like most things]. So what am I getting at here? I think more mobile games should offer the option to play them on the computer in some manner. I think that might be a great way to expand their market, get more people spending money. Some of these PC ports are awful, but for the most part, they seem to be pretty good, as long as people go in knowing that it’s a port of a mobile game. Most of the Final Fantasy mobile to PC ports… not gonna lie… not so hot. Not a fan of the V or VI mobile ports, and putting them on PC just made me sad. Some mobile games I truly enjoy playing, I don’t mind spending my time or money on. Some I play for just a little bit, like Fire Emblem. Some I play once or twice a day, like Power Rangers, Dokkan Battle, or Dynasty Warriors. No, Mobile isn’t a four-letter word. I think people have poor perceptions of what a mobile game is, because of other titles that are shameless ripoffs, soulless cash grabs, or just.. bland and boring. But there are wonderful titles out there for your phone. Maybe I should spend some more time highlighting them.

What about you guys? What are you playing on mobile? Do you love mobile games? Hate them? Let me know!

Deadly Premonition Returns – In an Unexpected Way

I’m in shock like a weasel in an electric chair. After all this time, we have news of a new Deadly Premonition game . . . board game, that is. Yes, Deadly Premonition: The Board Game has taken off on Kickstarter and is set to fully fund within 24 hours of its launch.

Deadly Premonition The Board Game

It’s no surprise, to me, that this unlikely concoction is taking off. Deadly Premonition, like its clear inspiration Twin Peaks, is a cult-classic of horror video games. Wonderfully bizarre, psychological and psychadelic, Deadly Premonition was a wonderfully creative video game. Despite some glaring combat issues with its original launch, it managed to capture the hearts and minds of many. It was a gateway drug to Twin Peaks for video gamers, just as many Twin Peaks fans found themselves trying Deadly Premonition in turn.

But for all fans have wanted a new Deadly Premonition game, expanding upon the world’s lore or (in our dreams) officially working with David Lynch on a true Twin Peaks video game, a board game was not expected. The project is designed as a murder mystery, in which players act as detectives to figure out the true identity of the Rain Coat Killer – one of whom is a player themselves. Players can engage in “evidence battles” and manipulate the game by using weather cards. Although it supports two to four players, I’m not quite sure how two players will get around the obvious “Aha, we know which one of us is the killer” moment at the start of the game – it seems like something fun enough to play on a rainy night with friends.

While it’s not Deadly Premonition 2, it is supported by Swery in this odd little video! Go check out the project and give it your support here.

The Trail Mobile Review – Taking Innovation On the Road

By: Ojogo

 

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The Trail is a free-to-play simulation and crafting mobile game for the Android and iOS from Kongregrate by Fable creator Peter Molyneux himself.

The game follows the journey of a pioneer who sets out to reach Eden Falls, a frontier town where fellow pioneers gather and create a world of their own. Your adventurer is travelling through an actual trail to reach Eden Falls and would have to survive with what the land is offering by creating tools, clothes and food.

 

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Gameplay

To start things off. The Trail does away with the usual treatment of similar simulation/creation titles where you are left smack dab in the middle of a plot of land to do whatever. The Trail gives you a mission from the get go and provides you with the necessary info as you follow the trail to Eden Falls.

You earn crafting blueprints as you accomplish “quests” walking along the path to Eden Falls. You can create tools such as slingshots and axes to hunt animals and harvest trees. You can also create clothes and items that you can sell to other players too from the harvested materials. However, you can’t create these items while walking so you have to stop over at camps that you pass by along the way.

These camps allow you to acquire your rewards from quests, create items and interact (in a limited way) with players through trading, aside from throwing greetings as you pass them by along the way.

 

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Trading

Moving on to the game’s trading. The Trail brings in a unique quirky trading system where you have to put down created or harvested materials in a track. The track turns and crushes the items you put into it and comes back as chits for you to be able to purchase items other players put down in the track as well. Each item you put into the track will be priced according to the quality of the item. This means that harvested items are cheaper than those manufactured by players. This is also the game’s system, while on the trail, to net you needed items and even clothes or tools that you can’t create on your own.

I like the idea that trading time is time restricted so it gives yourself a bit more urgency when you do it. It puts a bit of excitement to the almost dull farming experience you’ll be getting into as you continue through the game. And with the way things are happening it’ll get dull fast.

 

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Crafting

While the game’s trading system is quirky and interesting. The Trail’s crafting system on the other hand is straightforward. The blueprints you gather as you level up in-game allows you to create items when you reach camps.

Crafted items also come with an ever increasing value system that you increase by continually doing the same thing over and over again. The value increases in price and durability (for clothes) as the item crafting level increase. And it’s really important too that you increase the values for the created items because the game makes it hard for you to keep the clothes your character wears for long.

Each crafted piece of clothing gets a distance value before it disintegrates from your character’s body. I could not stress enough the importance of clothes in-game. Clothing provides a lot of necessary stat increases such as an additional chunk of Stamina along with a decreased stamina depletion. Clothes also provide those extra pockets and hooks for your tools that you sorely need in-game.

 

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Once you reach Eden Falls

While the game starts off as a survival adventure during your journey, gameplay shifts drastically once you reach your destination. Instead of just simply trying to survive the trip, you now have to also improve the town you belong to.

The game turns into an actual community-like simulation game where you need to consider properly what town you’ll be joining. As part of the “community” you’ll need to also consider what kind of service/contribution you’ll be making since you have to cover some holes the town has.

I love that you have the freedom to not be part of the community and just be the curmudgeon old guy in town who just takes. It won’t make your life easier though, but at least you can still enjoy the game on your own terms.

 

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Critique

The Trail gives you the freedom simulation/creation titles have but none of the clueless where do I start feeling the other titles give you. The gameplay is solid, considering that you are just walking along a trail headed to a really far away place. Which the game makes you feel by 3/4s of the way. This is also a game that you can’t easily ignore the tutorials in like I did. There are tons of key features that you will miss if you do so. Like, the fact that you can go back to previous areas so you can farm materials for your quests and the like. I only figured that one out when I’m already around 5km away from Eden Falls.

I also like the small features that make you feel like an actual pioneer. With the letter sending to your virtual family that you left and the way that you can decide to put choice words in your reply… It surprisingly brings a novelty you won’t easily find in mobile games these days.

However, the game really takes a lot out of your phone. There will be times that the UI wouldn’t work the way you want it to. So there will be moments that you would miss those items because your phone is not powerful enough to be able to make you move the camera smoothly.

 

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Conclusion: Good

Overall though. The Trail is a welcome time sink for those looking to have a different take in the simulation/crafting genre. It provides enough tension and challenge for you to not turn off your brain while you play. It’s a game that you can enjoy in short bursts as you can stop on every camp and turn off the game. If you don’t have your crafting/simulation game yet, The Trail is a good intro to the genre. Heck, it’s innovative enough to be a solid time sink for those familiar with the genre. The game has enough unique features to make it worth your while.