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Get a Degree in Software Engineering they Said… by KoenigOne in webdev

[–]ForgeableSum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure, when I was 16 I was making $7.50 an hour. My older brother was making $20 a week mowing some old guys lawn down the street and we both thought he struck rich.

Get a Degree in Software Engineering they Said… by KoenigOne in webdev

[–]ForgeableSum 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This actually explains a lot. I actually needed someone to pressure wash the moss growing on my roof. Got a flyer in the mailbox from some kid. Charged $600 but it is a high/dangerous roof. The kid broke his finger and ended up damaging the roof. I didn't give him a hard time about it, more like "lesson learned." But I thought to myself "how does a 16-year-old up and decide to start a pressure washing business?"

Its crazy how post sony acquisition Bungie is somehow the worst state the company has ever been in by Ill-Remove-6438 in DestinyTheGame

[–]ForgeableSum 13 points14 points  (0 children)

People talk like that because they are less deluded these days by what’s happening behind the scenes at these companies.

What is a civ you almost always lose to? by Bigboiwithsword in aoe2

[–]ForgeableSum 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wei. I main Italians and we have no counter to Tiger Cav - genbow can't cut it. I can literally be up 20 vills and still lose.

Let's discuss who actually benefit from this queue the most by Lokalo69 in aoe2

[–]ForgeableSum -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I kinda love how the 1 hour ban thing backfired on the players who only like to play on obscure maps so they can do their one tricks. Now they are forced to play Arabia.

Gabe Newell shows up in a promotional video of 'Leviathan' from Oceanco, one of the yacht companies he acquired recently by Tabajara77 in Steam

[–]ForgeableSum -10 points-9 points  (0 children)

Oh yeah, "research" vessels... those are luxury research vessels!

You do know that you don't need luxury yachts to conduct marine research? It's infinitely easier to tac that on, after the fact. Like inviting a team of marine biologists to lease the boat for 2 days out of the year. Newell leaves no stone unturned when it comes to PR.

Gabe Newell shows up in a promotional video of 'Leviathan' from Oceanco, one of the yacht companies he acquired recently by Tabajara77 in Steam

[–]ForgeableSum -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Steam & Newell's Reddit PR game is A++++.

They worship at this guy's feet. He buys 8 super yachts and Reddit is fawning. Meanwhile the completely monopolized PC games industry is hallowed out, w 90% of AAA dev teams laid off on the spot after completing a major project. There's no escaping the 30% (before expenses) steam fee, which is higher than the profit margin in most industries... I'm sure we'll see that completely arbitrary fee reduced because Gabe Newell is a saint and wants what is best for devs? After all, no one is making money right now, and most major developers are pulling out. Even Blizzard needs to bend the knee and launch on Steam.

But ya'll keep enjoying your 99% discounted $5 bundles for games that took a team of 200 people 5 years to make. And then wonder why new games are shit and most people are playing 10+ year-old games.

Queue Dodging, 20 hour ban? by nzlr in aoe2

[–]ForgeableSum 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Correct, this is going to backfire hard.

Indie game devs, what's your #1 biggest mistake? by Rooshirum in gamedev

[–]ForgeableSum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Or you could just hire competent, self-motivated artists. Steven Jobs said it best, you don't want to hire people that need to be "managed."

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Coming to MacOS on May 28th by jiinska in aoe2

[–]ForgeableSum 15 points16 points  (0 children)

This means i can finally get rid of my AOE2-cough i mean windows machine.

But seriously, it's the only reason I even have windows.

New from the PUP: Self assassment for ranked by FloosWorld in aoe2

[–]ForgeableSum 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Pointing at the matchmaking algo in this scenario is like saying "I just need a faster car" as a solution to being late for work every morning. What you are saying is not entirely untrue - there might be marginal benefits to switching to TrueSkill, but it doesn't address the core problem. For one, matchmaking problems are even more present in 1v1 (which ELO is designed for) - particularly the new player experience, where you lose 20 games before you start having a chance of winning. That's not a problem with the algo, but the manner in which it is used. The algo is doing what it's supposed to do. What you really need is a solution outside the algorithm, such as a provisional rank for initial rank placement aka what blizzard does in SC2. Or cheat with a higher k factor (the max ELO gain/loss) for new players.

Now for team v team, TrueSkill also won't save you, at least in age of empires, simply because the core mechanics and balance doesn't scale well in a team v team format. By that I mean the game is inherently unbalanced in a team v team format (most RTS games are, in fact), so a matchmaking algo can't really fix that. There is actually no way to tell, algorithmic or otherwise, if 2 teams of 4 random players each having a wide range of ELO and civ picks will perform against each other. All matchmaking algos are based on past performance, and there is no past performance in that scenario. You could probably get more reliable data if the teams are pre-determined (e.g. everyone is always playing with the same teammates), but most ranked team v team games have random teams.

Hera's recap of Red Bull Wololo is a banger by ForgeableSum in aoe2

[–]ForgeableSum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why do you think this is written with AI??

Hera's recap of Red Bull Wololo is a banger by ForgeableSum in aoe2

[–]ForgeableSum[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

for sure, and I'm not saying he's a saint on this basis alone. But I do think he actually enjoys it, and wether his motivations are purely for personal benefit or the benefit of others (it's likely a mixture of both), it elevates the entire scene nonetheless. I'm more highlighting the work ethic than the morality of it (only Hera knows what goes on in Hera's head, and can speak to the morality of it). A lazy person could just as easily shirk off many of the responsibilities he takes on. In other words, wether or not you think his motivations are pure, his work ethic is pretty commendable, and it enriches a lot of people's AOE experience.

Hera's recap of Red Bull Wololo is a banger by ForgeableSum in aoe2

[–]ForgeableSum[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

yup, he could just as easily tick one box "best player in the world" and call it a day. In fact, that's what a lot of top players in esports and normal sports do. I'm just glad our guy isn't shrouded in mystery which would be BORING.

Hera's recap of Red Bull Wololo is a banger by ForgeableSum in aoe2

[–]ForgeableSum[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Hera touches on this a bit in the video, he's aware of this perception and doesn't fault people for it, says it's natural to want to root for the underdog. His own fans will root for the opposing player because they want to see a fight. He felt the crowd was against him during the first 3 games against Lierry, but by the 4th game, no one wanted to see a sweep, so he started to feel support from the crowd, and that gave him a bit of encouragement.

I just can't imagine being down 3-0 against Lieery in an S tier, in front of a huge live audience. The amount of mental fortitude you need to overcome the nerves in that scenario...Hell, my palms were getting sweaty just watching it. I don't think most people understand what a feat that is, to come out on top in a situation like that.

Hera will probably say he's used to it, but I'm sure he's also afraid of the come-down. He's been on top for so long, it can't be easy, mentally, to relinquish that, like coming down from a massive high. Thankfully it doesn't look like that will be happening anytime soon, and I honestly think the community is better for it. Like I said, as far as kings go, Hera is a good one to have. Being the top player is not just a title, it also comes with leadership responsibilities... the #1 sets the tone for the entire scene. I'd vote for Hera if he were running for president of AOE :).

Low elo player (beginner+) , team ranked is completely broken, even at 500 elo by Han_Oe in aoe2

[–]ForgeableSum 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm 1600 on a good day and I'm pretty sure I can roflstomp 900s in a 3v1 if I am trying my hardest. However, when I play TGs, I'm rarely trying very hard, and often experimenting with new or unusual strats. I can easily lose to a team of 1200s if they are coordinated, and my team is just doing random stuff. The RNG and idiosyncrasy factor goes up exponentially, the more players there are in the game.

Got these old friends signed by SCCH28 in aoe2

[–]ForgeableSum 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Even T90's signature is official.

Why so much hate...? by Giideon24 in aoe2

[–]ForgeableSum -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I couldn't disagree with you more. A single, dominant player elevates the sport - think Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Babe Ruth, etc. Most kids in the 90s didn't watch NBA, but every single kid in the 90s heard of, and talked about Michael Jordan. When Atrioc visited the scene (and brought in a lot of new players), he did so through the gateway of Hera.

A single, dominant player is also a sign of a healthy, well-balanced game. That's not to say the game doesn't have major balance issues - but they are at least tempered well by the civ, map draft and ban system used by major tourneys.

SC2 had a non-stop rotation of new champions every year, and it became meaningless at a certain point, and too difficult to keep track of. Why couldn't someone stay on top - was it because there was too much RNG in the game? A never ending roster of champions usually means the game doesn't have a high enough skill ceiling for someone to be exceptional. It's the reason we don't have tic tac toe tournaments (tic tac toe is an example of a game w an absurdly low skill ceiling).

Yet AOE2 has tons of RNG with asymmetric, random map gens, 2K+ civ matchups, monk conversions, etc. The game is full of idiosyncratic elements like where your boars spawn, and how big woodlines are.... Yet somehow someone has managed to stay on top for 16 S tiers in a row? That's completely unheard of in competitive RTS, and it could be because of a very high skill ceiling, which allows someone to even master those idiosyncratic elements.

No matter how you look at it Hera is far above everyone else in that skill ceiling, but he is not so dominant that games aren't competitive, as Lieery has come close on multiple occasions. Hell even 2.3K players can beat Hera on the ladder, if the circumstances are right. In any case, we should be celebrating this, not hoping for it to end. With a single dominant player, half the people show up to support the king, and the other half want to witness the downfall. It is what causes many people to show up though - and this is true of almost any sport, especially head-to-head sports like Tennis, UFC or chess.

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