storeylf Fleet Captain
Joined: 24 Jul 2008 Posts: 1897
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 2:58 am Post subject: Tourney handicap |
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After a game with ncrcalamine tonight we had a brief discussion about the handicap of orions, and something that was said made me think more about something I have already been wondering about to some extent.
The current online tourney is using a handicap system for each empire. But in practise are we applying a handicap just because of a few specific ships that can be taken. Are we going to end up handicapping empires in order to stop a particular squadron that happens to be rather too good, and end up finding that at that point there may not be anything that is good enough that can be taken, or that there is only one squadron that can be taken that has any chance of winning.
By nature it is likely we are already to a large extent choosing based on perceived underpointing of ships (more bang for buck) and are handicapping based on how they play rather than the empire as a whole. But that in turn just means the ships that were not so under pointed and are not taken seem ever increasingingly unlikely to be taken.
Whilst there are not enough players (and the handicapping as applied is probably to rough) for a quick conclusion to the handicapping systm I feel that ultimately all that will happen is that one or 2 'stock' squadrons will be the ultimate result for any empire at a competitve level (or maybe that there is no squadron that is decent because the only ones are too good and so handicapped out).
I know the likes of Paul Scott (anyone know whether he is OK by the way, he seems to have suddenly disappeared after being a regular poster?) and Patrick were looking at just going straight for stock squadrons. Whilst I'd be interested in seeing what they came up with, and even testing them, I'm not sure I'd like to play tourneys with them. Stock squadrons would quickly feel a bit stale to me, same matchups time after time. I have to admit I'm not a fan of tourney play anyway, I only really enter to play against players outside the local group in matchups that I might not otherwise see. I'm not sure how much I'd be inclined to play when that second bit is removed.
I've got no suggestions or anything, but was just posting to see if anyone else had any thoughts on the subject. |
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