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I often have epiphanies after I have gone for extended periods without
sleep. For instance, I once realized that one should not eat beef that
hasn't been refrigerated properly after a night spent in meditation at the
Porcelain alter. I have also discovered the importance of relevant
navigation aides (i.e. a map of the correct state) after driving through
the beautiful midwest for an entire night. Well, last night I played Myth
straight through the night, and I realized something that may not be
profound, but it is a useful tool for understanding bungie.net and having
more fun while there. That truth, stated simply, is this. There are two
distinct bungie.nets that exist simultaneously, and the key to enjoying
yourself is to understand that this is the case, and to make decisions
with this in mind. Allow me to elaborate. (Note: I am going to try very
hard not to make any value judgments on which world is better, though I
clearly have a bias because I fit squarely in one of them. It may, at
times, sound like I am criticizing certain practices, but I am actually
just trying to understand them.)
The first world is that of the Squatters, Mars. Martians play team games
almost exclusively, and they usually have one or two maps that they
specialize in. They mostly play BC or Last Man, because those two games
are the style of games that they like to play. Most Martian games follow
a pattern in which a group of people that have played together on the same
map and game for some time will host another group that have also played
together extensively. These two groups are often, but not always,
orders. The hosting group will have picked a map that they know well, and
will also have a set game that they play regularly. Occasionally, both
groups will have practiced on the same map, and the game can commence
immediately, but if they have not, the visiting order will try to get the
hosts to change the game. This rarely works for the first game, but if a
rematch is played, often the game will switch to the visitor's preference.
Typical squatter games are BC on Trow or Desert, or Last Man on some
smaller map, with only two teams. Basically, the goals of the game are
used to pick the place in the center where the two teams will come and
fight. I must admit, I have always been baffled why anyone would play a
game like Last Man on Mudpit with only two teams, a map and game which is
clearly designed for a FFA, but these games emphasize battlefield tactics,
almost to the point where more general strategies are ignored. For
instance, I once asked my captain during a game of BC Trow if he ever
flanked by sending units around to the opponents sides. This person is a
very good player, and a very cool guy, but he said that he had tried it
once and hadn't liked it. I, of course, could not fathom this reply, but
that is because it was from such a completely different perspective.
Anyway, these games allow the squatter to concentrate on his bread and
butter, battlefield tactics, and _that_ is what the squatter enjoys about
Myth.
This type of player was very prominent on 1.0, where they had a completely
different set of values, unspoken rules and codes of honor then were
developed in 1.1, and that it is the key to understanding them. You see,
to a squatter, squatting is not bad, it isn't a way of cheating newbies
out of points, it is acceptable because everyone agrees to it ahead of
time. It allows them to focus almost exclusively on tactical elements,
and allows them to get quite good at that specific thing. I have watched
some very intense battles on the center bridge in BC Trow (which I have
been playing a lot of lately, for research purposes.) Sometimes I am
amazed at the level of complexity and counter moves that have been
developed between dwarves, trow and fetch. To some players, the center
bridge on Trow _is_ Myth, and they are very, very good at it. So good, in
fact, that they have unbelievable damage ratios, or an insane amount of
wins, without cheating, without dropping, without even picking on newbies.
So, what does this mean? First, it means that I owe some people some
apologies. You see, I am the polar opposite of the squatters, and I have
been very vocal in criticizing them. When I see people that only play one
game, and have ridiculously high win ratios, I get angry at them. I think
that it is unfair for them to get points for playing rabble on a map that
they specialize on, and it would be, if that is what they intended to do.
The fact of the matter is, though, that they aren't doing it to exploit
the scoring system, that is just how they play Myth. I have been playing
a lot of games with them lately, and I am happy to say that many of them
(some of them currently or recently celestials) are very cool guys and we
have fun. Once in a while, however, they will say something so
completely...different, that I am again reminded how fundamental the
difference is.
I will now turn to the other bungie.net, that of the campers. Venetians
typically play everything except for BC on Trow or Desert or games with
two teams on small maps. Instead of concentrating on battlefield tactics,
they prefer the grand strategies required to win FFA Terries. They see
someone that focuses on one map, and they call them squatters because that
way of playing is so foreign to them. On the other hand, a squatter sees
someone hanging back from the fray in a FFA Last Man game, and sees a
camper. Since squatters want to prove their tactical prowess, someone
that concentrates on avoiding battle and winning by strategy seems
cowardly. The squatters, however, are wrong. Just as the squatters have
agreed to allow a focused tactical contest determine who wins, campers
have agreed that the outcome should be determined by strategy, so avoiding
battle is an acceptable, even admirable action. Again, the incredible
difference in perspectives leads to intolerance and to the name-calling
and nearly incoherent debate that we see on b.net and in the forums.
Whereas most of the chat in a squatter game takes place before the game,
when the two teams are trying to decide on a game to play, most of the
chat in a camper game takes place after the game, and it usually ranges
from cool wight explosions to what is on TV to politics to more...bizarre
topics. This brings us to another important difference between campers
and squatters, campers are they for the social aspects, the chatting, the
strategy of intimidation and mindgames, but the squatters are there for
the playing aspects, the troop control, the mechanics, and sharpening
their skills. If you see someone in a chatroom yelling at people to "Stop
talking and start playing" or jumping into a game and saying "GoGoGoGo"
you are seeing a squatter being frustrated by the campers' differences in
motivation. When you see a person complaining that the host started the
game before he even said hello, or shouting at a person for only playing
BC Trow, you are witnessing a camper misunderstanding of a squatter's
priorities. It is perfectly reasonable to start a game without saying
hello if you have a squatters attitude, and it is perfectly reasonable to
log on to bungie.net for a few hours and not play a single game if you
have a camper's attitude.
Campers tend to play a variety of different games because they are
interested in maximizing the strategic potential, whereas squatters focus
on one or two games so they can specialize in tactical coordination.
Campers tend to like FFA's because the strategic elements are complicated
by more players, whereas squatters play games with two sides so that the
fighting is not disturbed by contingent factors, such as getting attacked
by two people at once. Campers tend to base their orders on mutual trust
and social computability, whereas squatters tend to join with people who's
skill they respect or who play similarly. Campers like to joke around and
make fun of each other, whereas squatters are more serious and can take
insults very personally. The two groups are incredibly different, but
understanding these differences can help minimize friction between the two.
There are a few factors that make relations between these two groups more
tense and strained then they would otherwise be. First of all, the most
prominent cheaters and droppers are squatters. The ways that squatters
play lends itself to the methods of lamers, and muggings and droppings
_must_ take place in squatter-type games to be effective. It is almost
impossible to mug someone in a FFA, and it is easier to insure a win
against a group of newbies if you are playing with a partner or two.
However, do not make the mistake of thinking that all squatters are
cheaters. I did, and now I must apologize to people like scarface,
drakmad and much of abc. They play such a different game, it is easy to
mistake them for cheaters or lamers, but once I realized why they were
doing what they were doing, it made things clearer. Another problem is
that the real creeps on bungie.net are mostly squatters. People like that
have made many campers despise all squatters in general, but I have
learned that many squatters aren't evil, they're just really different.
Many problems are also caused by the campers. Campers tend to be social,
they tend to talk a lot. Sometimes they talk too much...sometimes to the
point of being blithering idiots. (Note that while I don't exclude myself
from this category, I rarely reach the heights that some campers
reach...heh) When I see someone screaming insults at a celestial just
because he doesn't want to play a FFA, or filling a forum with irrational
and argumentative anti-BC posts, it makes me cringe. Campers also tend to
be fanatical about their views. The tend to like things that are not
mainstream, and they are so used to having to defend themselves, sometimes
they over-react. They'll shout the virtues of OS 8 until, they'll mock
resource management games like TA, and they'll talk about how much better
FR is than BC for hours on end, even if nobody is disagreeing with them.
While independence and assertiveness is good, unprovoked retaliation is
not.
There are a few different solutions to this dichotomy. We can just agree
to be different and try to be civil. Once you understand what the
differences are, this becomes much easier. Just stick to games that suit
your style, don't get irritated because people have a different focus and
concentrate on what you like. Don't try to convert people, or bully them
into accepting your views. Be careful not to accidentally force people
into roles they don't accept and dismiss misunderstandings as...well,
misunderstandings. We could also try to integrate the two types of
players. You can do this by occasionally playing FFAês if you're a
squatter, or by trying out BC Trow every not and then if you are a
camper. We could also actively try to understand each other. If you are
a squatter, play a series of FFA's and try to appreciate the complex
strategies involved. Pay attention to the conversation and try to
contribute to it. Let down your guard and interact with people. You'll
be surprised at the amount of complexity involved in running three battles
at once in the final seconds of a 5 team terries game, just try not to get
frustrated when the post-game chat lasts longer than the game. If you are
a camper, join a squatter game and play under a captain that _really_
knows what he is doing. Enjoy learning the exact nuances of
dwarf/fetch/trow feints, attacks and retreats in a BC Trow game. You'd be
surprised what a squatter can teach you about winning infantry battles
with wide margins, just try not to get frustrated when the game restarts
and they want to play the exact same thing again...
-Case
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