I'm just kidding, of course. I ran across a new scrummer named Jak Lee who was mopping up the floor with several vets and I couldn't believe my eyes. I was wondering if it was another vet with a new funny name, but he didn't seem to be. Then Burnsie showed up and Jak Lee started boasting, "You All Suck! I am the best!" and I warned the kid (he seemed young in his tone and language) to watch what he said cause Burnsie was one of the best ever. He then left the game as Burnsie and I and all the rest scratched our heads and figured he chickened out. Well, after a few minutes, he showed up again and made another bold statement, "Ok, that's enough of a headstart for Burnsie"! (Burnsie did get a score so he had a goal lead on Jak).

I played but mostly I laid back and watched these two go at it as I fully expected the great Burnsie to pummell the loud mouthed newbie, but I was stunned by the turn of events. Jak Lee actually wound up winning 5 to 4 over Burnsie and everyone else! He immediately shoved it in our faces and started saying "Burnsie is the Queen of scrum".

Important note: I have to say that several of Jak's goals were from what appeared to be camping. I can't say that I saw him camping but it sure smelled like it and a couple of others called him on it, so they must have witnessed it. Even so, if he did score some goals from camping, does that negate the fact that he beat Burnsie? I've seen him and other elites still burn campers like marshmellows on an open fire, so I don't think it should matter. What do you think?

Side note: We played another game and Mr. Lee couldn't score and quit half way thru the game. I wound up winning that game 4 to 3 over Burnsie, minnow and some others. I got lucky with several great runs. I still believe Burnsie is one of the best (up there with Bolo, TG and Jangles).

Mr. Lee is a...a...well...

He plays under several names. The ones I've played are Dark-2345, fandango, and stink-something. Battlemoding, trash talk, and the sort of camping that means sitting on the hill just within striking distance of the goal, are all the trademarks of how he plays. Of course, he does very very well, since he also has substantial scrum skill. Of course, he's a pain in the butt to play, since he must be a kid.

By the way, what exactly is the big deal with Burnsie?

Last edited: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 at 12:58:45 PM

Thanks for the info Ben. I didn't know that. As for Burnsie, are you saying you don't consider him one of the elites?

Maybe I've not been around as long as you and some others, but every time I've seen him play, he has always been right at the top, much like yourself, Bolo, TG and Jangles. I've heard a lot about other great scrummers (hanksta, fp, etc) but I've never witnessed their stuff as I have with the players I mentioned. Sorry for not mentioning you in my short list. I know there are some others I've forgotten as well, such as 44 and Tally Ho.

By the way, best newcomers with potential are LilAlien...whom I feel is really 44 for some reason. Their games are so similar.

Other great rookies are Rook$ of course and kentuckykillblly.

@ paisano...This was probably anon, one of the best scrummers.

@ ben...there is no big deal with burnsie.

B

Burnsie uses his copyrighted Long-Range-Scrum-Magnet. The LRSM seems to enable him to magically acquire the scrum no matter how many people are bumping into each other in a scrum-pile. You'll be running with the scrum, you'll hit a jump pad as others approach you, then suddenly you are scrumless and you see Burnsie halfway across the map running to the goal with it. I never see what happenedhe just sucks the scrum through a worm-hole and scores with it. No camping or "hostile-escort" tactics required. Granted, he isn't as hard to gun down as Tally and Bolo (he mostly travels in a straight line), but it amazes me how he can travel the map and pick up the scrum.

- BombJames Bomb

I would love to see a solo scrum battle royale with the following!

Bolo

TG

Sizicus (Ben)

Tally Ho

Burnsie

Jangles

Hanksta

44

8 seems to be great, 10 can be too many and involves more luck than skill as the crowd becomes a jumbled mess at the goal.

Oops! I forgot all about JB! He's the hottest rookie!!!

Sorry James....out of site(sight), out of mind buddy.

:)

I knew that Burnsie could shoot, and that yes, he and the scrum occasionally seem like one being. That's about all I noticed, though.

Plus, I coulda sworn that KKB wasn't a rookie. Didn't he just change his name from KentuckyHillbilly?

Edit: Damn you type fast, pai. I started to write this thread, took me about a minute, and you had both yours up already.

Last edited: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 at 1:20:22 PM

Yep, sounds like Anon to me. Everything you described in his playing style reeks of "Anon" That would be why he won against Burnsie or anyone else.

And yes Siz is right, KKB is NO rookie. Been around forever, just changed his moniker from KentuckyHillBilly to KentuckyKill bily.

OM

Ah... Thanks for the background on KKB.

How about those European boys? Bydand and Jinx? They belong to a European army of some sort and always play together.

How long they been around? They're both solid and consistent (JFDNY seems to hate Jinx for some reason...come to think of it, he seems to hate everyone, huh?)

@Ben,

Lol.. Yes...fast typer... Just wish I could be this fast in scrum!!!

For some reason JFDNY has turned out to be one of the morons in the game, most times, though he's at least not as vulgar with his comments as some others.

Those Euro guys are actually not in an army of sorts. I was told it was from the long past TT Olympics, where whole continents competed against each other. Heh. ;) So I believe they're a remnant of that historical moment in the history of ThinkTanks.

Here's a quick explanation from Jinx() about Team Europe. I think "Bob's Place" is his server in Germany.

And of course, the lengthy but fun GG thread for the 2003 TT Olympics.

BTW, love the logo -z-! Nice work!

Burnsie only shoots well in stealth mode, i.e., when you can't see him. He likes to make sure your rear armor is fully operational.

@KBC

Thanks for the info on the olympics! I enjoyed reading what happened, however, I was disappointed by the performance of Team USA.

Why all the no shows? How did Ben/Sizicus NOT compete for battlemode?!!! Jangles only got ONE goal for solo scrum and Hugo 10?!!!

@OM

Thanks for the info on Team Europe

Jak lee = hanksta

Are you certain TG?

Hiya OM,

I can't be certain about anything unless there is proof. (Hence the problem with religion eh?). Personally I think Hanky has been around a lot more than we know. He has a signature about his playing, as well as many different but cohesive signatures in his banter. His fragile EGO drives him to boast about himself endlessly, his Alter-Ego can be found in the way he insults others, or complains when he is outplayed. I think Hanky's Alter-Ego is now presented as a randomly named tank who is one of the "problem" players and wreaks havoc in the game.

For those that might not remember, early in the history of TT (a year ago) #1Tankster (a.k.a Hanksta) was despised by many/most (including myself). Not because he was a great player (he wasn't at the time) but because of the way he verbally abused, insulted, and degraded the players around him. He was a selfish team player and really scraped the bottom of the barrel with his language and attitude. At the same time though, you could tell he was an intelligent guy even while he was dishing out adolescent insults to everyone. He and FoulPlay were cut from the same cloth. Sharp witted, angry, and ultimately very fragile. Eventually, bowing to a glut of negative comments in the GG forum, Hanky apparently "cleaned up" his personna, but it wasn't too difficult to see the cracks in his facade. Again, a sharp guy with a distinctive sense of the absurd.

I see the same kind of behavior in this randomly named player that enters games, plays exceptionally well, beats the best of us, while trash talking those around him and boasting about himself. The same signature clever insults and boasts, the same type of game play.

Make of this what you will, possibly I have lost my mind, but there are too many similarities between hanky and the anonymous disruptor. The funny thing is, Hanky would probably respond that he treats us this way because of his love for the game and his belief that he exists to help us experience life by stirring things up. I have heard he and his wife justify his anti-social behavior this way many, many times.

Hanky still spends more time reading these forum posts than he wants us to believe, so I will not be surprised to hear from him.

K8

@paisano

Usually at night is when all the action

Takes place many games with most

Of the vets u mention play at nite loads

Of fun...

I've played a couple of games with burnsie

And if u watch how he/she plays u will see

Mid camps and bm's (soften u up). Not a

Very clean player, but does have skills...

If u ask burnsie y he/she is shooting u,

The repley is; tanks have guns its part

Of the game so get over it...

But does'nt like it very much when u do it back to him/her.

Last edited: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 at 6:55:15 PM

@TG

Awesome insight and solid analysis

@Vah

I agree with your assessment of Burnsie's game and personality.

I wonder how different his style is from Bolo's?

He's got a heavy trigger finger too. Is that a bad thing?

@TG: imp/jak lee/DARK-2345/fandango isn't good enough to be HankstaTanksta. Nuh uh, no way.

@Vash: I've had some spirited battlemode scrum games with Burnsie. Just like you said, he hates it when you do it to him.

Finally, @pai: Bolo weakens you, Burnsie kills you. Or is that the other way round.

Uh ohI can already see this thread sliding into the debate about the sportsmanship of being a heavy shooter in scrum games. Personally, I'd rather be killed then left wounded so I can play fragile UPS delivery man. Yah, it stinks when you get shot down before you even get to the scrum, but then we might as well complain about having the scrum stolen. The idea is that you don't want that guy behind you when you grab the scrum. Kind of a boring kill, though, so I usually avoid it.

Each player has his style. Camping is bad for it takes advantage of what I see as a critical flaw in the game (goal is the same size as a tank). Shooting is just a style, so deal with it (usually by shooting back!)

Interesting thought of Hanksta floating around with a mask. I could see where he might return under a different title just so he can start a new rep from the beginning. Boasters are not uncommon, though, so I reserve judgment. He does sound too good to be a newb.

Thx for the comment of me as hottest rookie, paisano. I fear that my time spent at my new job, new house, and new son are starting to eat into my TT skills, though. Heh, I guess I'm still a rookie compared to all these 1-year TT Gods. You guys feel you got your $20 worth yet?

Yah, Burnsie gets louder when you start gunning him down, but that's how you stop him. I haven't witnessed an attitude problem from him, yet.

TG, what are you doing going to bed before 1AM, dammit? Seems I can't get online until 10PST these days.

Andthat's about it for my rambling.

- BombJames Bomb

@TG... The anonymous player, plays a lot more like FoulPlay than tanky. Tanky cleans out the tail pipe. This character does not latch on. He BM's and camps and once he gets you out of your game, attacks the weaker players bringing it to the goal. Tanky was known more for Indi-scum. He also would not play more than 3 games in a row, as I recall. In team games, he would play until his team would win a game. I would think you could recognise him TG; what ever name he uses. Agree with Vash'es assesment for Burnsie. Wound the comp. & mid-camp. He has skillz. He will leave mid-game if he sees he can't win.

Tanky and Burnsie are more win at all cost. They have not learned to play in team games and just have fun. Ignore your score and help your team win, is much more fun...

Last edited: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 at 9:14:10 PM

I'm a little disappointed that the "gum Chewer" hasn't gotten any props from the peeps. Guess I'll have to play more often...

I had the same IP address come to my cornfield in Iowa server recently, first as zoon and then as cadc. An experienced player had him tagged as anon.

Burnsie vs Bolo:

Burnsie has always done the softening up thing when I played him. Bolo adapts to those playing and will play a finesse game if everyone else is.

I have found I don't care for games with a lot of softening up simply because I end up traversing the map more and dancing near the scrum less. The score is just one measure of how the game is going.

I don't buy that hanky is anon. Anon is nowhere near as skilled a scrummer as hanky....i've hammered anon before, but I've never beaten hanksta....outscored him in indy games with other scrummers, but never in games where I was fortunate/unfortunate to be the only living competitor...anon's m.o. Is different: camp and bm. His wins reflect more luck than skill. Hanksta is definitely more skillful.

Besides, there is more than one anon....

Stinky

Jak Lee's game is not so stellar. He relies on teamwork in individual games.

@ paisano

Bolo, hanksta, jangles, burnsie, vash, anon, aca, dj, sizicus and lc are all well known for being trigger happy...we like to use our guns to improve our game...it works....

In that solo game hanksta would usually win

I carry the flag as much as anyone. I am usually right on the flag carrier's ass. When I get a spawn close to the goal I will shoot and intercept midway..if the flag is close to the goal I will camp...thats called defense. I dont soften up other players in indie like Mr burnsie. I play fair. In a straight bm fight burnsie is a noob.

@vash

Hit the nail on the head

@TG

I doubt hanky and anon are the same. I have seen them both at the same time. Hanky does come on as aliases from time to time but so does everyone else...hanky is much better....nobody is unbeatable....

Already been done...he left

B

Last edited: Thursday, May 06, 2004 at 7:06:46 AM

1. ANON IS NOT TANKY . Period. If Hanky is Anon, he's got more hands than the rest of us, or one was impostored (before there was "the" impostor)

2. [ deleted ]