Multiplayer : do you hold back ?

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krazykidd

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Mar 22, 2008
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So easy question . In online multiplayer , do you hold back when playing against people less skilled than you? Or do you go all out all the time?

I recently realized that i do hold back if i assume that my opponent(s) are less skilled that me . I take the battle less seriously and relax a lot more than if i am playing someone equally or more skilled . Sometimes i do give them free shots or punish them less for their mistakes all the while not trying to purposely lose . It has bit me in the ass sometimes where i lost when i shouldn't have . But it's a natural reaction i find i have . When i realized this though i feel bad for not taking them seriously , it's almost like a slap in the face and dishonorable. But i also don't want to purposely make a new player quit because i was spanking them too hard .
 

JaceArveduin

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Mar 14, 2011
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Depends on the people and circumstances. If it's against a friend, I will. Also, if the teams are really lopsided, I'll generally just do pistol only or otherwise gimp myself. Past those? Nope, you're all gonna die tbh.
 

tippy2k2

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Mar 15, 2008
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Depends on the game. Any game that is not a sports game, I will not hold back (unless it's someone I know in real life of course). Most games are not time-based so holding back is only prolonging the suffering.

FIFA (soccer): I'll go up by 3 and then take it back a notch. As stated by Anthraxus, it's no fun to just blow them out in sports. However, what I do may just be worse...

When you're down 3, most players will push their line up, giving easy through balls that turn into breakaways. I will generally take the breakaway, do the quick-pass to a friendly when the goalie comes out, and then walk it to the goal, turning just at the last second (so I don't actually score but I sure as hell make sure they know I could have :)

One condition though: They don't slide tackle my players. If they start slide tackling my guys and making dangerous plays, I will make that score look like we're playing football (the American version that is). Not only will I not hold back, I will push MY line forward and really grind your nose into the dirt, maybe make you eat a piece or two in order to humor me...
 

black_knight1337

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Mar 1, 2011
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Yeah, I rarely give everything I've got in a game. I mostly play multi player for fun anyway and I find that really laying into your opponents isn't really that fun. I did do competitive play for a while and of course I was giving everything at that but I was playing against people who were experienced and expected and gave me the exact same treatment. If I find I'm playing against a really new player then while I still try to win I usually slow it down a bit. So instead of winning by 50+ points i would tone it down to around 10. enough to show that I was the dominant player but not so much that they will be overly discouraged.
 

StriderShinryu

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Dec 8, 2009
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I will on occasion, but I find that very quickly leads to the game just not being fun to play for either me or the person I'm playing against. I'm not enjoying myself because I'm not really testing what I can do and my opponent just feels patronized by me because they know I'm better than what I'm showing. If I'm going to be playing with someone I know I'm much better than, I'll just pick a different game to play where the skill level is more even or one where the play is cooperative instead of competitive.
 

Riki Darnell

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Dec 23, 2011
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krazykidd said:
So easy question . In online multiplayer , do you hold back when playing against people less skilled than you? Or do you go all out all the time?

I recently realized that i do hold back if i assume that my opponent(s) are less skilled that me . I take the battle less seriously and relax a lot more than if i am playing someone equally or more skilled . Sometimes i do give them free shots or punish them less for their mistakes all the while not trying to purposely lose . It has bit me in the ass sometimes where i lost when i shouldn't have . But it's a natural reaction i find i have . When i realized this though i feel bad for not taking them seriously , it's almost like a slap in the face and dishonorable. But i also don't want to purposely make a new player quit because i was spanking them too hard .
Ah see the reason I quit playing fighting games online is because of people who would just own me within 10 seconds. I like fighters but I'm not very good at them, and it seems like any other online game you get a wide range of skilled people. But when it comes to fighters, it feels like only people who can play well go online. It's nice to see that you at least take into account someone's skill level. I'm not looking for a free win, but getting killed off before I can even land a hit is aggravating.
 

Acier

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Nov 5, 2009
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Not really, when I get behind a minigun in TF2 I can't help but do really well. I usually find another person racking up a ton of points on my own team drives me to better more than the other team doing well. Though that's because I'm a bit spoiled and dislike not being MVP and hate not being in the top 3.
 

Voulan

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Jul 18, 2011
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Never. I'm always the less skilled player, at least. Everyone online is always miles better than I am, so there's no real reason to hold back. I always get killed in the end regardless of my efforts. :p
 

cbrick

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Apr 9, 2012
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I used to play a lot of multiplayer games from swayback and would always have to play against people who were less skilled than me. I mean, it would be obvious for you to think that there should be some level of handicap you should give them, but that is just not the case if you ask me.

You are going competitive with it and that is how you are supposed to keep it moving. I don't see why you should hold back in their favor.
 

TorqueConverter

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Nov 2, 2011
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krazykidd said:
So easy question . In online multiplayer , do you hold back when playing against people less skilled than you? Or do you go all out all the time?

I recently realized that i do hold back if i assume that my opponent(s) are less skilled that me . I take the battle less seriously and relax a lot more than if i am playing someone equally or more skilled . Sometimes i do give them free shots or punish them less for their mistakes all the while not trying to purposely lose . It has bit me in the ass sometimes where i lost when i shouldn't have . But it's a natural reaction i find i have . When i realized this though i feel bad for not taking them seriously , it's almost like a slap in the face and dishonorable. But i also don't want to purposely make a new player quit because i was spanking them too hard .
Kudos to you. It's always nice to give new players a fighting chance. The last thing a multiplayer game needs is to have it's future in jeopardy because the some veterans are beating up on the new players.
 

Smooth Operator

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Oct 5, 2010
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Well it hasto be an ongoing game before I can judge at what level the others play and then I'll surely adjust, the point for me is to keep the game going with everyone not just me sitting at the top.

Usually I'll just limit myself to weaker equipment so I can still go all out but not that effectively.
I remember LAN parties where I would just roll as an Impact Hammer ninja through all UT matches, it was crazy fun.
 
Sep 14, 2009
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depends on the game honestly and the overall "tone" of the match.

if i notice someone is getting smashed to bits with me using a specific build/class, i'll generally switch so it becomes more even, or if i'm playing against friends/brothers and i KNOW that i'm about to smash on them, i'll usually tone it down either through use of weaker weapons/characters, or by just trying to change up my strategy in a more "creative" way.
 

NeutralDrow

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Mar 23, 2009
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I rarely if ever play online games, but that is more-or-less what I do in person. Oftentimes, it even lets me use certain playstyles that are awesome-looking, but impractical to use against more skilled opponents.

Of course, if I start getting trash-talked, I show no mercy.
 

Zorpheus

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Aug 19, 2009
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I usually give everything I have in any online competitive game. In fighting games, however, I have been known to not choose my best fighter if the player is low-ranked, though that's more to give myself a chance to have a bit of extra fun with a less-frequently-chosen character.

I take both wins and losses in stride, though, and tend to troll people who whine about the game or go too far with their trash-talking. To me, it's a game, and no one should take it too seriously. If I judge someone IS taking it too seriously, I like knocking them down a couple pegs.
 

krazykidd

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Mar 22, 2008
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TorqueConverter said:
krazykidd said:
So easy question . In online multiplayer , do you hold back when playing against people less skilled than you? Or do you go all out all the time?

I recently realized that i do hold back if i assume that my opponent(s) are less skilled that me . I take the battle less seriously and relax a lot more than if i am playing someone equally or more skilled . Sometimes i do give them free shots or punish them less for their mistakes all the while not trying to purposely lose . It has bit me in the ass sometimes where i lost when i shouldn't have . But it's a natural reaction i find i have . When i realized this though i feel bad for not taking them seriously , it's almost like a slap in the face and dishonorable. But i also don't want to purposely make a new player quit because i was spanking them too hard .
Kudos to you. It's always nice to give new players a fighting chance. The last thing a multiplayer game needs is to have it's future in jeopardy because the some veterans are beating up on the new players.
Yeah, it is hard on new players, especially when they join in late to the party . I remember when i first started playing UMVC3 online( having not played MVC3) , i used to get steamrolled by everyone it is frustrating. But on the flip side , it is patronizing when you realise when your opponent isn't taking you seriously . That's why i'm a little conflicted about doing that .

I guess it all depends on the individual , and there's no way for me to know that .
 

Hiname

Songstress of Ar Ciel
Mar 23, 2011
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Objects in the mirror are losing.

My friends came to learn, and respect, that if you play against me, you will have to show your best. Im not pulling punches, Im not holding back, I don't give happy endings.

After all, it is an insult your opponent to show less then your very best.
 

Trippy Turtle

Elite Member
May 10, 2010
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I don't hold back but I don't resort to tactics that make the game less fun for everyone. Like spawn camping or using blatantly overpowered things.