CQC Arena Power Up's

[Wolfzx12r]

I have reached rank 50 on the first ranking system and I'm finding Arena quite a bit of fun especially when I was out exploring in the main game, I'm struggling to see why any Cmdr above rank 50 needs the likes of weapon and shield power ups. I think once a certain rank (of 50+ on first stage) is reached the ability to use weapon and shield power ups should be removed giving the new Cmdr's half a chance.

You can sit and watch experienced Cmdr's fight and it's "Kill, power up, kill, power up" just giving lesser ranked cmdr's a chance. If you have reached rank 50+ you have already proven yourself a good fighter I seldom use them because even though they are there to use I still think they are there for pilots who think they are good but aren't.

 

[SushiCW]

You don't need them against *new* CMDRs... but you certainly need them against those other prestige-level players!

 

[Wolfzx12r]

You don't need them against *new* CMDRs... but you certainly need them against those other prestige-level players!

You don't really though do you if all rank 50+ don't have them, they all would be still equal showing better flight skill and power management, I know for me playing on a laptop with an xbox controller I have no real chance against flight sticks, it's all about the dog fight not how many power ups I can tag to take down as many cmdrs as I can to give me a nice shinny rank. Dog fighting and having fun is what it's all about

 

[Lenny.V]

I have reached rank 50 on the first ranking system and I'm finding Arena quite a bit of fun especially when I was out exploring in the main game, I'm struggling to see why any Cmdr above rank 50 needs the likes of weapon and shield power ups. I think once a certain rank (of 50+ on first stage) is reached the ability to use weapon and shield power ups should be removed giving the new Cmdr's half a chance.

You can sit and watch experienced Cmdr's fight and it's "Kill, power up, kill, power up" just giving lesser ranked cmdr's a chance. If you have reached rank 50+ you have already proven yourself a good fighter I seldom use them because even though they are there to use I still think they are there for pilots who think they are good but aren't.

Why are all newbies talking about nerf something... Why? You gotta learn to play, it's easier way instead of waiting for nerfing something what works quite good... Anyway, i saw you reached rank 50 long time before, you should get prestige because your next experiences are useless...

 

[Wolfzx12r]

Why are all newbies talking about nerf something... Why? You gotta learn to play, it's easier way instead of waiting for nerfing something what works quite good... Anyway, i saw you reached rank 50 long time before, you should get prestige because your next experiences are useless...

I'm not a noob AlikCZ only been playing since 1984 I'm not pulling the game in anyway, like you, you have reached a rank well above rank 50 do you really need the power ups to fight? I have been in matches where all the new plays have dropped out of the match because they don't even get time to deploy their weapons against experienced players, 3 hit's with a power up and they go pop, they don't stand a chance, so an experienced fighter with all the modules and ships available to them don't really need power up, you and me have both fought tonight face to face in the same ship "quite a few times IMA" I lost each time and that isn't a problem all part of the game but I don't carry power ups! the skill is in the fight of movability, power management and aiming the weapons.

 

[Ubernostrom]

Managing the power ups is an incredibly important skill to have when you're playing against skilled pilots. I don't grab them very often when there's nobody worth using them against in the game, but when another good player drops in all bets are off. Between two equally skilled pilots, effective power-up management is the difference between winning and losing. They could use some tweaks, as has been discussed extensively, but making them unavailable to anyone with a rank over 50 is just silly and hurts players who might not be so good, but have persevered and made it to prestige(of which there are many, and the number grows every day).

 

[Ian Doncaster]

I know for me playing on a laptop with an xbox controller I have no real chance against flight sticks

Flight sticks are nice but I think the advantage they give is overstated. I fly keyboard only and still get plenty of kills including against stick users (hitting anything smaller than an Eagle when it runs silent is tricky, and there are the occasional "run out of hands" moments, but Frontier have generally done a really good job of the keyboard controls)

As far as power-ups go, I think it would be interesting to have a map or two without them next time Frontier add some - Cluster Compound certainly plays very differently for not having the full set - but they add a lot of situational awareness requirements and make map knowledge more useful, as well as allowing a chase of a dying ship to end in something other than its inevitable defeat.

 

[Wolfzx12r]

Managing the power ups is an incredibly important skill to have when you're playing against skilled pilots. I don't grab them very often when there's nobody worth using them against in the game, but when another good player drops in all bets are off. Between two equally skilled pilots, effective power-up management is the difference between winning and losing. They could use some tweaks, as has been discussed extensively, but making them unavailable to anyone with a rank over 50 is just silly and hurts players who might not be so good, but have persevered and made it to prestige(of which there are many, and the number grows every day).

Why are all bets off? once you have reached the rank of 50+ you have already proven your skill as a pilot with power ups, and as everyone says lower ranks are easy targets, making and equal platform for 50+ ranked cmdrs brings out more of the Dog Fighting skill not running off to get a power up to make easy kills. The actual game is great fun and sneaking up behind two ships fighting and taking out the one that has lost it's shields to take half a kill then taking out the other ship great fun but with power ups making "quick kills! just takes the fun out of it.

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Flight sticks are nice but I think the advantage they give is overstated. I fly keyboard only and still get plenty of kills including against stick users (hitting anything smaller than an Eagle when it runs silent is tricky, and there are the occasional "run out of hands" moments, but Frontier have generally done a really good job of the keyboard controls)

As far as power-ups go, I think it would be interesting to have a map or two without them next time Frontier add some - Cluster Compound certainly plays very differently for not having the full set - but they add a lot of situational awareness requirements and make map knowledge more useful, as well as allowing a chase of a dying ship to end in something other than its inevitable defeat.

And that is a great idea Ian, I think I've lost against you lot's of times too lol but yes bring in maps without I say and have a choice to which one you play put everyone on the same field of play

 

[SushiCW]

I'm up for more variation in how powerups are scattered around the map. Both new maps with different powerup placements and availability, and mixing up the powerup distribution on existing maps.

The thing is, though, the powerups make the game more fun. They're not just crutches for noobs or noob-domination tools for vets. The fact that the right powerup at the right time can completely reverse a battle or a match is awesome at all levels of play, and CQC would be much poorer without it.

I'd be game for trying a mode or map with no powerups, but I strongly suspect it wouldn't be very much fun (outside of very tightly controlled 1v1s or Super Serious team matches).

 

[Wolfzx12r]

I'm up for more variation in how powerups are scattered around the map. Both new maps with different powerup placements and availability, and mixing up the powerup distribution on existing maps.

The thing is, though, the powerups make the game more fun. They're not just crutches for noobs or noob-domination tools for vets. The fact that the right powerup at the right time can completely reverse a battle or a match is awesome at all levels of play, and CQC would be much poorer without it.



I'd be game for trying a mode or map with no powerups, but I strongly suspect it wouldn't be very much fun (outside of very tightly controlled 1v1s or Super Serious team matches).

Randomly generated to be in different hoops each time you mean?
I think it would you have choice run and save your ship or die trying and the skill would be in your hands not as a power up, I wouldn't remove them all just weapons and shields for 50+ ranked

 

[Ubernostrom]

Why are all bets off? once you have reached the rank of 50+ you have already proven your skill as a pilot with power ups, and as everyone says lower ranks are easy targets, making and equal platform for 50+ ranked cmdrs brings out more of the Dog Fighting skill not running off to get a power up to make easy kills. The actual game is great fun and sneaking up behind two ships fighting and taking out the one that has lost it's shields to take half a kill then taking out the other ship great fun but with power ups making "quick kills! just takes the fun out of it.

The ranks are not a good indicator of skills, not even kind of. They, at best, indicate how much time and patience a pilot has. I've seen at least 2 CMDRs who were prestige 2 but had K/D ratio's lower than 1. I was in a match yesterday with a CMDR What?!!, who was only rank 18 but was a far better pilot than any of higher rank pilots in the match(including one of the aforementioned prestiged players).

As for the "all bets are off" statement, I will never, ever lose intentionally. I may screw around and let newbie pilots have fun, but I won't lose. As soon as someone I know is good joins the game then I get serious. I've had one too many losses while screwing around and having someone like Tannik or Artysu join the game halfway through and beat me.

The fact of the matter is, is that the good pilots will win a match regardless of whether or not the power-ups are available, because in addition to being able to manage them, they are also amazing pilots. Power-ups only add another layer of thinking, skill, and strategy that can be taken advantage of to win matches you might otherwise lose. Frankly, they just need to make it clearer for newbie pilots what the power-ups are and what they do. Too many times I have seen a newbie pilots fly right past the weapons or shield power-up when they really could have used it, letting me or someone else pick it up and finish them off.

 

[Fendalton]

LOL level 50 doesn't make you a good player, it just means you managed to get into more games than everyone else.

A level system that cannot go down is no indication of skill at all. A level 50 with a 0.1 K/D is a terrible player.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

I think it would you have choice run and save your ship or die trying and the skill would be in your hands not as a power up

I've had a lot of the good players here run, keep behind cover, and eventually make it to shields (or stealth) with a couple of percent of hull left to turn the tide. Occasionally I get that last hit in before they make it. I find having that extra urgency as the pursuer makes things more exciting, and resolves the fight one way or the other quicker than chasing someone round the map for a full minute while their shields recharge. Knowing when and how to break for a powerup is definitely a skill itself, and one that the top players are much better at than me.

 

[Weps]

The powerups are a mechanic originating from older arena games, but IIRC in those games, there would have been some visual (or even acoustic) indicator to notify that another player has picked up the power up. From what I know, this is missing in CQC (is it perhaps hidden in some HUD menu?), which results in an unfair fight, since not all the participants in that fight have access to the same information.

I propose some sort of hud element to inform a pilot that his target is currently using a powerup.

Otherwise, if you want to be realistic, remove powerups altogether.

 

[Wolfzx12r]

LOL level 50 doesn't make you a good player, it just means you managed to get into more games than everyone else.

A level system that cannot go down is no indication of skill at all. A level 50 with a 0.1 K/D is a terrible player.

I think my K/D is less that that lol, I'm no fighter pilot, Arena is great fun, you just have to have one more match.

 

[SushiCW]

The powerups are a mechanic originating from older arena games, but IIRC in those games, there would have been some visual (or even acoustic) indicator to notify that another player has picked up the power up. From what I know, this is missing in CQC (is it perhaps hidden in some HUD menu?), which results in an unfair fight, since not all the participants in that fight have access to the same information.

I propose some sort of hud element to inform a pilot that his target is currently using a powerup.

Otherwise, if you want to be realistic, remove powerups altogether.

Yep, Weapon Enhance specifically needs this. You can tell very easily when someone has shields (yellow) or stealth (not on radar) or speed boost (they just flew through it and it doesn't last long). There's no visual tell for Weapon Enhance, though, but there should be.

 

[Wolfzx12r]

I'm very much now playing with a xbox controller that is falling to bits, forward thrust switch is now sticking and reverse thrust spring has snapped, I will still be fighting just ordered a Razer Sabertooth I just don't get on with a stick so until Friday I will be limping around

 

[Bomba Luigi]

Yep, Weapon Enhance specifically needs this. You can tell very easily when someone has shields (yellow) or stealth (not on radar) or speed boost (they just flew through it and it doesn't last long). There's no visual tell for Weapon Enhance, though, but there should be.

With 2.1 we should get the ability to change the color of lasers, maybe that could be used for CQC to change the color of the laser when somebody has the Weapon Powerup.

 

[Mighty Dangerous]

Is this not just down to bad match making?

It's not the power ups, it's the match making.
I see players who can't even turn a ship and it's not fun destroying them, nor a challenge.
Some of those players I can tell don't even know about pips and they die quick.

They will die quick regardless of power ups cos the match making.


Might be better if more experienced players could move over to TDM but the pop is so low this is all very hard to organise or encourage.

 

[Fendalton]

To be honest the surviveability in Arena is very low, you can burst through anything in like 6 seconds and it's too fast imo.