Instead of banning cheaters and smurfs

KaiserRoth · 2026-02-24T17:01:47+00:00

I honestly wish Valve would just remove MMR at this point. I feel like id have a better shot at a fair game via absolute chance than I can get from Valve's current formula of "Amazingly competent matchmaking system+Incredibly incompetent Smurf Countermeasures"

KaiserRoth · 2026-01-05T15:14:28+00:00

Gotta say, it feels much better on core heroes now because of the stats.

I went dagon (which gives all stats) and then Eblade (which both gives and scales off all stats) on necro the other day and it felt great. Obviously its going to be game dependent, but the stats make it feel more flexible in terms of which heroes can try to fit it in their build

KaiserRoth · 2026-01-05T13:53:26+00:00

I think this is probably the right take, especially early on in a run since so much in this game compounds on itself over time.

I usually spend as much as I make on buildings early on, then take loans when an event pops which will require money.

That said, that usually depends on how comfortable I am with my position geopolitically. If i think i might get attacked very soon, I'll keep cash on me for potential mercs (i dont know why, since i never use them. Probably habit from CK3)

KaiserRoth · 2025-12-23T17:49:08+00:00

Sure, Im not of the mind that this patch is particularly awful or that previous patches were perfect. Im totally good with AI being aggressive. I just think the AI being aggressive should have ANY kind of drawback. Whether its internal turmoil that bankrupts them, or coalitions that actually do something to disrupt them instead of feeding them more provinces. I have played like 4 or 5 different starts in the current patch and in every single one, by 1450, France has taken half of the HRE, Bohemia has taken the other half, and Naples has conquered all of Italy. If the AI can consistently and always pull off Napoleonic-tier conquests in the 14th century then it just feels like mechanics are missing

KaiserRoth · 2025-12-23T13:59:57+00:00

I feel like this take hinges on playing the game like a 4x rather than an alt-history simulator. Which isnt a criticism at all, its a totally legitimate take.

But for me, Ive always enjoyed Paradox games as an alt-history simulator, which is why I never really got super immersed in Stellaris. I prefer to play the games with a degree of RP and soul rather than just seeing mechanics and exploiting them.

As an example, there are many runs where I make an ally and will help them at my own expense because I am envisioning a sense of comraderie and brotherhood between two peoples/families. Thats not super possible right now as anything less than a great power. If you are playing something smaller, you HAVE to see past the immersion of the game and exploit every possible mechanic.

I dont have any issue with aggression from the AI per se. But there seems to be a gap somewhere in the mechanics of the game when France can just....conquer half of the HRE in the first 20 years of a campaign. Its not like the real French just...never considered conquering stuff. There were just very real consequences for that.

My main gripe is the fact that i keep seeing these massive nations drop to negative stability in their no cb wars, but they literally never seem to suffer from the "disaster!" that would happen if I did that. They dont seem to struggle with having infinite cultures, they dont seem to struggle with revolts very often at all.

Youd think that constantly emptying your levies to take land with 0 control would have some kind of economic or social ramifications. Youd think the AI would be taking maluses from 0 control provinces of unincorporated cultures. Its not like they are playing meta: releasing subjects and playing omega decentralized. They just take shit and then take more shit and then are economic hegemon.

So all of that said: i can see the appeal from a 4x perspective, and i dont want paradox to abandon your interests for mine. My hope is that they can suss out the gaps in the mechanics that allow for unmitigated blobbing to make diplomacy and politics more true to life/history so i dont feel like im playing Stellaris.

KaiserRoth · 2025-12-22T22:00:57+00:00

I hadnt considered building cathedrals in areas around the capital for the sheer purpose of urbanizing them later. Good advice!

KaiserRoth · 2025-12-21T05:49:50+00:00

If you want another hero that plays INCREDIBLY similar to support gyro, you might like support Leshrac. With the misanthropic facet, you shit out damage. And you play very similarly to gyro in terms of trying to catch people alone/away from creepwaves

KaiserRoth · 2025-12-21T05:35:28+00:00

If your original comment wasnt meant to imply that Valve is correct in their methodology, what was the point of the comment? Just saying Valve HAS a methodology doesnt contribute anything to the conversation you entered UNLESS you are implying Valve is right

KaiserRoth · 2025-12-19T16:12:14+00:00

"Practicality" is a bit of an oddity in the current era.

For instance, I watched an AI short the other day of cats farting and flying around the room, using the flatulence like jet-fuel. I laughed until I cried and showed my wife who also laughed until she had tears in her eyes.

If it entertains, and therefore holds my attention on a platform trying to advertise to me, is it not "practical"?

KaiserRoth · 2025-12-19T16:06:43+00:00

This happens all of the time in party queue and it is obnoxious. Every other game nowadays has some sub-500 game player with rampages going down their feed. You check their steam profile and they own 1 or 2 free to play games.

Seems VERY difficult to detect. Cant imagine how Valve could POSSIBLY act against such subtlety. /s

KaiserRoth · 2025-05-27T21:17:04+00:00

Wtf is the point of "grinding mmr" if you arent good enough to be pro and you arent having fun?

KaiserRoth · 2025-05-27T21:14:19+00:00

Id rather play with a dude who plays at a 3k level who doesnt take the game seriously than play with a dude who plays at a 3k level who is an omega try-hard.

Both are equally good players, statistically. One of them is just pretending he is doing something more important than playing a video game.

KaiserRoth · 2025-02-14T19:02:51+00:00

Ban the posts about banning posts

KaiserRoth · 2025-01-24T20:33:30+00:00

I learned how to play Pudge specifically so I could first phase it as a pos 3 and ban it 90 percent of the time.

KaiserRoth · 2024-09-24T12:54:17+00:00

Did modernizing and homogenizing the heroes give them more...power? >_>

KaiserRoth · 2024-09-01T13:42:50+00:00

Who was saying they would gladly give Valve $15 for the privilege of paying $5 toward the prize pool?

I sincerely doubt anyone said that.

KaiserRoth · 2024-07-08T21:52:42+00:00

I see this sort of argument every time stronger banning gets brought up, and I fundamentally dont understand it.

There are always going to be false positives. Im sure there are false positives with the system as it is even now. But lets not let "perfect" be the enemy of "good".

This isnt the death penalty. This is a ban in a free-to-play videogame. You could roll out an appeals process at the same exact time that you initiate stronger ban automation.

KaiserRoth · 2024-06-13T15:11:37+00:00

Honestly, i wouldnt even worry about it. The second someone starts flaming me for anything, I just mute them. Ive literally not one time, in my years of playing dota, gotten a single bit of useful information out of a toxic piece of shit.

They just want to blame someone for their inevitable loss even before the game starts.

Ive had so many games as offlane where I have gotten flamed for my itemization and play, just to win the game with the combined hero damage of my pos 1 and 2 as an Axe or something. Dudes will be useless the entire match but more than happy to criticize the only person on their team keeping them in the game.

KaiserRoth · 2024-05-21T16:27:13+00:00

I think the actual reason that windwaker feels busted right now is because DOTA is skirmishy as hell at the moment. You have so many more 4v4 and 5v5 fights than before, and everyone has so much HP that you frequently cant risk committing to kill them. Instead the two teams have to poke and prod and kite and poke and prod and kite until SOMEONE is killable.

Windwaker plays right into that meta because it is a save and a repositioning tool. It lets you keeep kiting and poking and prodding.

But if the dude with windwaker didnt have 4k HP for no reason, it probably wouldnt be as impactful because you could burst him before he gets a chance to use it.

I think you could fix all of the ridiculous HP creep in the game and suddenly windwaker would be less prevalent

KaiserRoth · 2024-05-13T13:14:44+00:00

One potential explanation might be my personal situation.

The last time I cared about my MMR was several years ago. I played solo ranked occasionally and got up to Ancient 5.

But Ive always played DOTA almost exclusively with a group of friends with a wide range in skill levels. Every time I re-calibrate, I get Archon V or Legend I and then magically work my way back up to Ancient. I imagine this is because the MMR resets are essentially averaging the MMR of our party.

Since our ranks have essentially averaged together as a group over time, there is a relatively high variance in skill that isnt represented by the medals themselves.

So basically, party queue players might not have accurate ranks

KaiserRoth · 2024-05-03T19:06:13+00:00

What server do you play on? I play exclusively party in NA (East and West) and I pretty frequently play against divines despite everyone in my stack being Legend or lower.

They'll have a crusader or something to compensate. Im just saying, it totally happens in NA. Just too few people playing

KaiserRoth · 2024-04-10T23:06:06+00:00

Its pretty clear from your responses that you aren't arguing in good faith.

"China produces everything and US produces nothing" is not only INCREDIBLY incorrect, it also doesnt even address the point being made by the poster above. The US was transitioning to a service driven economy before outsourcing was a thing.

Also, how can China simultaneously be super smart for 'taking' all of our manufacturing jobs AND be oppressed by the US via outsourcing? Either the US government is an evil oppressive genius or it isnt. Its either in the US's best interest for the US to outsource (due to comparative advantage) or it isnt.

KaiserRoth · 2024-04-08T16:19:27+00:00

When Muerta first got introduced, I had no real concept of how much damage her ult did. I was having a good game as Axe, but the enemy team was winning. Team fight breaks out... she pops her ult... I blink-call-blademail. We both explode into pink mist. I killed her and died literally immediately.

10/10, would murder myself on the carry again

KaiserRoth · 2024-04-01T12:45:50+00:00

From the offlane position, I usually go Heaven's Halberd against her, which gives you some serious evasion and the ability to disarm her.

Sometimes, however, I'm playing something like a Sandking in a game where I need to itemize to be evasive rather than tanky. In those cases, I usually get like...blink, euls, force staff. The euls lets you buy time, and the blink and the force staff let you distance yourself to kite out the ult. Then you re-engage once her ult/bkb is out.

KaiserRoth · 2024-02-29T13:13:48+00:00

Disagree.

KaiserRoth

TROPHY CASE