Free Your Mind
Fellow Pilots,
Have a GREAT holiday break. We return to our studies on January 2nd. I hope Santa fills your stocking with HeyCheese and Orkans ...
Because you NEED them these days to fight all the whales. Or do you?
Maybe you don't. According to research conducted at War Robots University, it is possible to win 65-70% of your battles - regardless of the gear you possess or the matches you get. How? Free your mind. Recognize that your ideas and desires may be getting in the way. Let them go, and proceed toward the goals - capturing territory and destroying the enemy!
THE BEGINNER’S MIND
There is a concept in Zen Buddhism called shoshin, and it translates to “empty mind” or “beginner’s mind.” In other words, keep your original attitude even after performing the same task thousands of times. It’s a deceptively simple idea. Shunryu Suzuki wrote, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.” Don’t become an “expert.” Don’t worry over damage per second, or how to get three maxed-out Scourges on your maxed-out Haechi. Instead, be open to the possibilities the game gives you, moment by moment.
A great example is Shaolin Rogue’s “The Way of the Carnage.” Be everywhere, be nowhere – find targets of opportunity, then slip away like water through hands.
SMALL BALL
In baseball, “small ball” means winning by sacrifice - doing the little things. These incremental steps add up, of course. In our game, you might utilize a Gareth or Stalker late in a game to get to a far-off beacon. You might keep a Thunder Carnage behind a corner, simply to take Ancile shields down for your teammates.
When playing small, you might experience a drop in your rating even while winning more frequently. This occurs because you will be low in the damage statistics. When you win, you don’t go up much; when you lose, you drop a lot. It’s OK. Free your mind - a higher rating doesn’t defeat your opponents!
GORILLA BALL
The Louisiana State University baseball teams of the 1990’s didn’t sweat the little things. They were always swinging for the fences, because if they knocked the ball out of the park, they became very hard to beat. Opposing coaches derisively called this style “gorilla ball,” but Tiger fans liked it and quickly appropriated the term for their own use.
In War Robots, destroying an enemy robot is a “home run.” The more you knock the red team out of the park, the harder it is for them to win. Remember that home run hitters strike out more than those just trying to put the ball into play, so this can result in a lower win rate overall. Again, free your mind. Focus on the goals - destroy enemies AND get beacons. Your rating will increase, because you will be scoring at or near the top of the damage ranks each battle.
FREE YOUR MIND
With your new-found Zen approach to War Robots, you are no longer attached to meaningless statistics and artificial goals. Changes in the game that seemed capricious become new challenges. In each hangar displayed here, I used items ranging from level 9-12. This is a deliberate choice - instead of sticking with one group and leveling it all the way up, I have about 60 items at useful levels (usually 9 for max speed on robots and 10 for weapons). I like the variety for both entertainment and flexibility purposes.
Quick review, to see if your mind is free from an earlier concept - how long will this battle last? Hint: it's 3-2 in the beacons and has been that way for the first three minutes. If you guessed there are seven minutes left, please sit in the corner with the dunce cap (or better yet, read this!).
Enjoy the ride, and this very strange En Vogue video: Free your mind - the rest will follow.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or just enjoy your family and friends,
Professor W. Yat, phD
EPILOGUE
What not to do - Evrencag tends to stay in his super weapon too long. It's a powerful impulse, given all the time and money invested in that Butch ... but resist it. It leads to your TEAM LOSING SIX OF EVERY TEN.
Have a GREAT holiday break. We return to our studies on January 2nd. I hope Santa fills your stocking with HeyCheese and Orkans ...
Because you NEED them these days to fight all the whales. Or do you?
Maybe you don't. According to research conducted at War Robots University, it is possible to win 65-70% of your battles - regardless of the gear you possess or the matches you get. How? Free your mind. Recognize that your ideas and desires may be getting in the way. Let them go, and proceed toward the goals - capturing territory and destroying the enemy!
THE BEGINNER’S MIND
There is a concept in Zen Buddhism called shoshin, and it translates to “empty mind” or “beginner’s mind.” In other words, keep your original attitude even after performing the same task thousands of times. It’s a deceptively simple idea. Shunryu Suzuki wrote, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.” Don’t become an “expert.” Don’t worry over damage per second, or how to get three maxed-out Scourges on your maxed-out Haechi. Instead, be open to the possibilities the game gives you, moment by moment.
A great example is Shaolin Rogue’s “The Way of the Carnage.” Be everywhere, be nowhere – find targets of opportunity, then slip away like water through hands.
SMALL BALL
In baseball, “small ball” means winning by sacrifice - doing the little things. These incremental steps add up, of course. In our game, you might utilize a Gareth or Stalker late in a game to get to a far-off beacon. You might keep a Thunder Carnage behind a corner, simply to take Ancile shields down for your teammates.
When playing small, you might experience a drop in your rating even while winning more frequently. This occurs because you will be low in the damage statistics. When you win, you don’t go up much; when you lose, you drop a lot. It’s OK. Free your mind - a higher rating doesn’t defeat your opponents!
Classic “small ball” hangar in Expert III, summer 2017. Lancelot and DB Griffin set up for brawling; two light bots for beacon running and camper harassment, plus a Thunder Carnage for Ancile takedowns and ambushes.
GORILLA BALL
The Louisiana State University baseball teams of the 1990’s didn’t sweat the little things. They were always swinging for the fences, because if they knocked the ball out of the park, they became very hard to beat. Opposing coaches derisively called this style “gorilla ball,” but Tiger fans liked it and quickly appropriated the term for their own use.
In War Robots, destroying an enemy robot is a “home run.” The more you knock the red team out of the park, the harder it is for them to win. Remember that home run hitters strike out more than those just trying to put the ball into play, so this can result in a lower win rate overall. Again, free your mind. Focus on the goals - destroy enemies AND get beacons. Your rating will increase, because you will be scoring at or near the top of the damage ranks each battle.
“Gorilla ball” setup in Master I, fall 2017. While I have normally have three level 12 Tridents on the Fury, I sometimes use Thunders (or now, Embers) as a particularly nasty surprise in beacon rush. Despite all the firepower, I still didn’t average a very high damage score due to a focus on winning the battle rather than scoring damage.
FREE YOUR MIND
With your new-found Zen approach to War Robots, you are no longer attached to meaningless statistics and artificial goals. Changes in the game that seemed capricious become new challenges. In each hangar displayed here, I used items ranging from level 9-12. This is a deliberate choice - instead of sticking with one group and leveling it all the way up, I have about 60 items at useful levels (usually 9 for max speed on robots and 10 for weapons). I like the variety for both entertainment and flexibility purposes.
Quick review, to see if your mind is free from an earlier concept - how long will this battle last? Hint: it's 3-2 in the beacons and has been that way for the first three minutes. If you guessed there are seven minutes left, please sit in the corner with the dunce cap (or better yet, read this!).
Red is making no effort to cap the center beacon. How much time is left? Hint: it's NOT five minutes. Note - I am NOT camping. I'm watching. ;-)
If you said this would be a SEVEN MINUTE battle, you get all next week off. Tell the boss your leave was approved by Professor Yat!
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or just enjoy your family and friends,
Professor W. Yat, phD
EPILOGUE
Damascus Steel’s Gorilla Ball hangar (above), complete with level 12MK2 Orkans and an Ember/Taran Inquisitor. He’s winning the majority of battles and averaging almost a million damage, but …
Beacons win battles. The Blue team coordinated to outrun and outlast the reds.
What not to do - Evrencag tends to stay in his super weapon too long. It's a powerful impulse, given all the time and money invested in that Butch ... but resist it. It leads to your TEAM LOSING SIX OF EVERY TEN.
Faculty Notes
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The U is not just a blog ... we are also iOS clans #48669, #141459, and #139479. We are always looking for champion-league pilots, and welcome skilled communicators from around the world.
The U is not just a blog ... we are also iOS clans #48669, #141459, and #139479. We are always looking for champion-league pilots, and welcome skilled communicators from around the world.
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