Or is it the other way around??

Have you ever noticed how somtimes you are just on it - i.e. Kicking major ass - and other times you just suck completely?

What's up with that? It's wierd that some games I feel super confident and the goals just pour in. Everything is just clicking. My armor seems thicker, my tank faster and more nimble, my spawns better and guns hotter. Other times I feel a step or two behind and can never seem to catch up to the action - much less even touch the precious scrum for more than a second!

I know luck plays a partial role in this. Nothing like a run of good spawns or a few lucky bounces to pump up the ol' endorphins, but I think my TT play is also effected by my mood. If I am warmed up, confident and feeling good, I play better than when I am feeling crushed, BMed to a pulp and demoralized.

I think this can effect a game's momentum too. A good player - or team - is able to stay confident and not give in to the dark feelings when they fall behind.

Are we all just blank canvases awaiting for the TT gods to assign us our moods?

-Reagent X

Last edited: Thursday, April 29, 2004 at 12:15:49 AM

I have noticed especially with Medulla mesa you get in "phase" with the game. Usually happens with about 6-8 people playing. You allways seem to be able to get at the right place at the right time.

FOr a few days I was out of phase and kept spawning farthest from the goal, and then yesturday I was always spawning near the goal and able to make some great intercepts. Also it is the timing of the scrum spawn and yours that add to it.

Personally, I am thinking a lot of has to do with luck. But in the end to avoid people intercepting you and making a good run, or a fight at the goal takes skill

@X

I've wondered the same thing myself many times. Does your state of mind dictate your level of play or vice versa?

We all agree that luck has a lot to do with scrum, but exactly how much luck is there? That old saying is true, "luck is the residue of invention".

Meaning, if you are a good player, then you will at the very least get yourself in a position where luck can find you. The difference between kicking major buttock and merely being another wanna-be contender is micro-thin in TT scrum. I've done extremely well one day and then with the same exact field of players do squat in the next! Why? I was on a roll and won the previous game easily...what happened???

Read MonkeeMan's excellent thread about the perplexing wonders of TT: http://supra.planetthinktanks2.com/archives/comm-thread.asp?thread=1679&forum=4

Good play takes much intuition. When I try to follow the flag I get lost. You know these games, especially on frantic, where all you do is try to catch on and go from one arrow to another? Guys are saying 'gdi I haven't touched the flag yet'.

I need to go where the flag will be when I get there .

Last edited: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 at 7:16:52 PM

If Hugo doesn't have the answer. There must not be a solution. You can do all the right things and not win. You can keep the ball in front of you. You can hit all the jump pads. You can out steer all opponents. What do you get? A 2nd highest score in Indi Scum with the number one has 10 goals and you have 3. Number 1 spawns at the goal with the ball and you at Siberia. You get BM'ed before getting to the ball carrier... You get the ball and all 9 opponents level you will bullets...

The only thing that I see consistent. Is effort.

Maps also make a difference...

KID is tough on Frantic. Bolo is tough on Frantic (this baffles me...? ) He jumps or gets killed, he has the ball and scores.

Reagent X can have good runs lately on all maps. DJ_Breaka plays well with 6 or 7 players. When it gets to 10, very few scores. Same with Burnsie. I think a lot, on the offense of end, is related to how much BMing and pre-wounding is going on. Taking you down.

Last edited: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 at 11:03:56 PM

I think it also depends on how well you did in the last game and how you react to it. I've had some pretty good games then I'll wade in and think I'm going to kick some booty when I end up having my shorts pulled up over my head. Othertimes when I'm just messing around I end up in a game where I'm making some really great shots and end with a nice score.

Attitude can affect you in many ways.

When I'm cranky I suck. Flat out suck. It feels like my tank goes slower, like I cant find air, like my bullets are ineffective. It's brutal. I've mentioned elsewhere I think.

Mood has an effect?

Absolutely.

I think im pretty good on all the maps. I used to have the same style all the time. Now I adapt my style to the map and to the opponents. I am getting better at accessing my team's weaknesses and doing the best to make up for them. Sometimes luck runs your way and sometimes it doesnt. Luck does tend to follow skill....

B

Mood affects my mouse. Bad mood=scared mouse; good mood=happy mouse.

I have to warm up for a while before I jump in with other players. My ego is too fragile and if I have a bad time during warmup I am sure to have a bad time later. I am with Tally, when my mood is bad, the whole game seems to gang up on me, bad spawns, I hit every tree, I always spin out over ridges, the arrow pads are never lined up, cant kill anyone, cant stay alive and cant get close to the flag. Within minutes I am pissed and in a bad mood.

But if I warm up for a few games, I am usually pretty much on it.

My problem is I don't have enough experience losing to be good at it. :)

Last edited: Thursday, April 29, 2004 at 11:48:57 AM

When I'm having a bad scrum day, I usually go into assist mode and just concentrate on blocking and protecting my team's main scrum carrier. Seeing someone else score because of a killer block I threw at an opponent lifts my spirits. I usually get into the game after that, and, if a little luck falls my way my game picks up.

When I'm having a bad battlemode day, I go into defensive mode and try to stake out an area of the map and snipe away.

But when I'm having a bad day in either game, I crave powerups like women crave chocolate. When an area-effect powerup falls into my hands it gets the adrenaline and the endorphins going.

LC₅₀

I must say, that after participating in the scrum league, my game has been kicked up a notch... I am actually winning games now... People know -Rook$-... I mean to the point where someone saw me usin "-Rooks-" instead of "-Rook$-", and wanted to know if I was an imposter... With that said, I dont have good days or bad days... My good or bad play is on a game to game basis. I may get on a roll for a couple games, and then end up not scoring at all in the next one. I think the amount of players and lag effect my games, but then again, I have played in games with the worst lag, n still competed well. Sometimes I get in games n have more fun chatting than playing, so I end up not scoring, and sometimes, I seem to be able to chat and score at the same time. I think the game itself has a lot to say about how much of a factor I will within that game. But it does seem that if I am optomistic, my overall play can improve mid game a lot of times.

With teams, I am scoring more lately, but I like being a blocker the most so I can have a good game that way even if im not having a good scoring day... But, whether I am playing team or indie scrum (and bolo can back me up on this), I have arguably, the worst spawn record in TT history, which makes for a tough TT day every time.

Its called being in the zone, and is described as a mental state where actions and decisions are effortless and easy. You're calm and confident with no self-criticism. You're not thinking about it, you're just doing it. Sport psychology has picked up on this and have only been researching for a short while what atheletes have known for years. This state can only be acheived after lots of practice and the act of controlling your tank, turret, and gun is engrained on your muscle memory. There is very little brain activity except for the area in right brain associated with sight, or your "silent eye". But any type of mental distraction in other parts of the brain can override what your muscles and reactions have learned to do naturally. Your reactions slow down as they are mis-directed as your brain tries to "reason" with the input instead of acting.

Personally I discovered the zone on the Frantic maps. The rythem of the air time really helped me to relax and "go with the flow".

All together now, "Ooooommmmmm"

read more

Yes. That's it! The "zone"! I find it fascinating to try and understand what conditions need to be in place to enter the Zone. And to stay there!

Of course you can be all primed, ready for action, thinking you are in the zone - and then get promptly knocked on your butt. It seems that this relates to how tough and experienced of a competitor you are - not necessarily on whether you are skilled or warmed up or not.

It's interesting to explore the psychological factors of the game, as opposed to the things we already know affect the game.

So let's define some game factors:

Zone₀ = your state of mind before you start playing

Zone(t) = your ability to stay in the zone during the game

Skill = your innate skill level at driving and shooting

Strategy = you ability to intuit the flow of the game

Luck = spawning locations of you, the scrum and other players

Lag = how much lag you are experiencing

And if we had to propose a formula for having fun and winning (or being effective) in TT it would be:

Anything else? And which are the most important?

If I had to take a stab at it I would say that one's skill and strategy are fairly constant and improve steadily and gradually the more you play. Luck, on the other hand is highly variable, and can have a huge impact on the equation. Lag can be variable too, but can usually be addressed by a technical fix. So that leaves us with the Zone factors which are highly dependent on the individual player's psychological makeup and stabilty over time. Does that mean I need therapy?

Last edited: Thursday, April 29, 2004 at 8:03:34 PM

We all need therapy now after that trip!

Good stuff though!

Rooks is one of the best players out there. He knows all the tricks and gets better all the time. He does have the worst spawns in history...even worse than me...either way he is great to have on your team and a pain to have on the other. Watch out for him!!

Lately spawns seem to really help me or really screw me...no in between...when spawns go against me I can usually stay above average in scoring and in TS still be an immense help to my team. When spawns go my way I cannot be stopped.

B

Ascendence is marked by spawn blindness.

TT_fun = Player Combination + Witty Rhetoric.

@56K: very true indeed!

Luck can increase your fun, lag can decrease, so I would propose the following

TT_fun = Luck( Zone0 + Zone(t) + Skill + Strategy) / Lag

Of course at 56K you need to really enjoy the comments of the players your with.

Last edited: Friday, April 30, 2004 at 2:41:30 PM

Mood has major effect on my game play.

Also fatigue factor.

I tend to live life very sleep deprived given my work and family demands. On those rare occasions that I play well rested I usually play much better.

I need a few games to get my shooting/aim/timing in sync, can't just jump in and clear the field.

I tend to defer too much to playing the "assist" role in TS.

Humor helps my game, loosens me up. When I play with those who make me laugh - Mars, 56K, Az, Stinky amongst others, I tend to play better. Or at least have more fun.

Reagent your formula ROCKS.

If I may add...

Last edited: Friday, April 30, 2004 at 4:23:10 PM

If I might add to the formula:

TTfun = (Zone0 + Zone(t) + Skill + Strategy + Luck + Lag) x (Hugobaaarain is coming back to play morestarting tonight) ÷ (? X woot2) x total rocks and trees run into/goals stolen by camping

Last edited: Friday, April 30, 2004 at 4:21:58 PM

TTfun(Bolo) = at least 3 scrum regulars + sluggy + hugo (need some funny guys) + luck - lag - assholes

B

I take this TEST before logging in to TT, to know what I can expect. XD

8

@ 8-ball

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH !!!!!! LOL

I have an extra disadvantage for achieving the zone as I have an affliction which gives me variable brain function hour to hour. It sure is fun when I'm there though.

There's a book called Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz that is relevant to this topic. He was a plastic surgeon who noticed that some of his patients had a significant psychological transformation after surgery and attempted to understand why. I'll try and summarize some of his theories from memory.

There are automatic functionings of your brain that you can exploit. What you keep in your "mind's eye" is what controls these automatic functions. If you keep positive goal-oriented expectations in your attitude, your automatic brain functions will seek to acheive them.

An example of this in TT would be: if you look at or have a tree in your mind's eye, you will probably hit it. If you are focused on the path that goes around the tree you have a much better chance of actually travelling that path.

I learned this before I read Psycho-Cybernetics while playing Pole Position, a driving video game. If you look where you want to go, instead of where you are, the game is much easier.

Another pertinent book is A Twist Of The Wrist by Keith Code, a motorcycle riding/racing guide. He promotes taking a "wide view" and says "Narrowed attention locks you into one particular line and that's trouble". An example of a wide view is when you try to walk on a railroad track rail. If you look two feet in front of you it's difficult. If you look as far down the rail as possible it's easier. The wide view also allows you to be aware of many things simultaneously that may effect your path, such as the train coming at you. :S

I had an extreme example of the zone while bowling once. I had almost been hit by lightning while trying to outrun a desert wind storm on a racing motorcycle. This put me into a heightened state of conciousness. I sought refuge in a bowling alley and played for an hour. I'm a 150 avg bowler and can't spin the ball. I did slightly above my average until the last 10 min of my paid hour. In order to get the most out of my remaining 10 min I started a new game by grabbing the ball and throwing it as soon as it popped out of the return. I was only pausing for a split second to set up for my throw and I let go while the pins were covered and the gate was down. The gate was lifting as the ball rolled underneath it. I didn't have to see the pins because I was imagining them, and the spot I needed to hit, in my mind's eye. I got all strikes except for a spare and a couple leaves. I wasn't focusing on anything in particular and was using the wide view of being aware of everything at once, all the while keeping the target in my mind's eye.

It's difficult for me to discern whether it's the game/computer/connection or the mental part that is the key at any given time. I just enjoy the hell out of it when I'm "on". XD

Last edited: Saturday, May 01, 2004 at 5:37:50 PM

BC - that's very interesting, and having just tried both ways, you're right - stare at the rock that's worrying you and you'll hit it every time.

But I've just realised that it's the state of your connection rather than your mind that counts most, having played a few games on Jinx's server in Germany, which seems to have a fantastically good connection to the UK.

With a good connection you can skim rocks and trees by millimetres rather than metres, and make steals that would simply never come off with a slower line. Hold down the button and a whole clip of shells emerges in a perfect parabola - I'd never seen that before!

Playing transatlantic, I think we suffer from a sort of subliminal microlag all the time, enough of those UDP packets are getting through to give an illusion of a smooth game, but enough are being dropped to reduce the accuracy of everything we see and do.

Just a theory, and also a great excuse for any lame rock work. Damn microlag got in my way!