KOTH Update: We Are Doing It Wrong!
Fellow Pilots,
In previous posts on this blog and for Pixonic, we expounded ad nauseam about how to play King Of The Hill. Unfortunately, we were wrong!
Well, wrong might be a little harsh. We underemphasized an important strategic consideration, beacon timing, and we missed entirely on an insight into the game mechanics. After playing "King Of The Hill" hundreds of times, we have noticed that successful teams often stay out of the circle surrounding the active beacon. In some instances, they will even leave an easily captured beacon alone.
To understand why this occurs, let's revisit the timing scheme first described by Professor Werdna: "Each beacon offers 200 points. They fall to zero in just over 3 minutes if they remain neutral. Once a beacon is captured, it will take 1 minute 35 seconds to drain. If additional robots on the team in possession enter the capture area, those pilots receive points as well, and the transfer speeds up [emphasis added]."
You have surely noticed that it is hard to reach subsequent beacons before they become active. Smart players have learned to control the pace of the game by speeding and slowing beacon "drain." When the team needs time to position itself, the beacon cappers stay out of the circle. When they want to accelerate the game, they enter.
Because gold, keys, and rating points are awarded to the pilots who score the most individual capture points, the incentives run counter to the strategy we've described. You might need to put the team first! And this is where the insight we did NOT have comes in: the team in possession of the active beacon scores points toward winning regardless of whether any pilots remain in the capture zone and score individual capture points. If you make that beacon blue, it's good for the whole team. If you camp there, however, it's only good for you. And it might cause your team to lose when they can't reach the next marker.
I learned this lesson the hard way. Facing a strong squad on Yamantau, my team controlled the center beacon and got a reasonably good lead with about five minutes left. When one of the far-flung beacons in enemy territory became active, the red team ignored it and advanced toward us. This provided them three minutes with the beacon bar frozen - just enough time to destroy us and win by elimination.
It all reminds me of the unforgettable "teamwork" speech given be Robert DeNiro (as Al Capone) in "The Untouchables." Don't watch if you are faint of heart:
Don't forget the basic premise: decide whether to contest the active beacon. If the answer is no, get in position to contest the next one or intercept and harass the enemy as they move. The First Commandment of KOTH is, thus, "Know thy order of beacons!" When you understand how the mode works, you are going to win more, enjoy it more, and sometimes be more frustrated that others do crazy things!
Credit for the insight goes to 2PAC from clan Ancient Warriors, who strenuously objected when a pilot on our squad didn't notice that we needed to get position on the next beacon. Hopefully, you will be able to convince your mates to put the team first!
Your humble servant and fellow win-seeker,
Doc Yat
Faculty Notes
In previous posts on this blog and for Pixonic, we expounded ad nauseam about how to play King Of The Hill. Unfortunately, we were wrong!
Well, wrong might be a little harsh. We underemphasized an important strategic consideration, beacon timing, and we missed entirely on an insight into the game mechanics. After playing "King Of The Hill" hundreds of times, we have noticed that successful teams often stay out of the circle surrounding the active beacon. In some instances, they will even leave an easily captured beacon alone.
To understand why this occurs, let's revisit the timing scheme first described by Professor Werdna: "Each beacon offers 200 points. They fall to zero in just over 3 minutes if they remain neutral. Once a beacon is captured, it will take 1 minute 35 seconds to drain. If additional robots on the team in possession enter the capture area, those pilots receive points as well, and the transfer speeds up [emphasis added]."
You have surely noticed that it is hard to reach subsequent beacons before they become active. Smart players have learned to control the pace of the game by speeding and slowing beacon "drain." When the team needs time to position itself, the beacon cappers stay out of the circle. When they want to accelerate the game, they enter.
Because gold, keys, and rating points are awarded to the pilots who score the most individual capture points, the incentives run counter to the strategy we've described. You might need to put the team first! And this is where the insight we did NOT have comes in: the team in possession of the active beacon scores points toward winning regardless of whether any pilots remain in the capture zone and score individual capture points. If you make that beacon blue, it's good for the whole team. If you camp there, however, it's only good for you. And it might cause your team to lose when they can't reach the next marker.
I learned this lesson the hard way. Facing a strong squad on Yamantau, my team controlled the center beacon and got a reasonably good lead with about five minutes left. When one of the far-flung beacons in enemy territory became active, the red team ignored it and advanced toward us. This provided them three minutes with the beacon bar frozen - just enough time to destroy us and win by elimination.
It all reminds me of the unforgettable "teamwork" speech given be Robert DeNiro (as Al Capone) in "The Untouchables." Don't watch if you are faint of heart:
In the results, successful teams will often see one player (or no players) with a bunch of capture points. As we said above, these don't cause the win - they are correlated with it. Like the other territory control modes, it's the capture and the subsequent control that make the team win.
Credit for the insight goes to 2PAC from clan Ancient Warriors, who strenuously objected when a pilot on our squad didn't notice that we needed to get position on the next beacon. Hopefully, you will be able to convince your mates to put the team first!
Your humble servant and fellow win-seeker,
Doc Yat
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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