Poll: Hello darkness my old friend...

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Title is probably a bit misleading, but I just listened to the cover a bit ago so it was in my head.

Anyways, one of my big games I've been playing this past year is rocket league, and being a soccer player my whole life, I had a bit of an edge and thrill to play the game, so it's stuck with me and I've been playing it weekly if not daily since I picked it up.

*fast forward 8 months and 300 hours of gametime later*

(I usually sit around the shooting star/all star rank, which to those who don't play the game, is the top ~30% of players give or take) After being at a peak of glory, averaging 4-5 goals per game personally, this past week I've been in an absolute slump, normally I'm carrying the shit out of my team and then some (I play with friends on my team usually, they aren't bad, but aren't anywhere near my level), but lately I can't do shit to save my life, and it's driving me insane. I've done everything from take a day or two off, to switching cars, to training, to playing different modes, and I just cannot do anything right. I swear I've never been so frustrated with myself before, I'm tempted to

Spoiler: do this

I think I'm just gonna stop playing the game competitively for a while, if my friends want to play, I might oblige, but otherwise I think I just need a couple weeks off...[HEADING=2]anyone else have any similar stories of games they were (or felt like) amazing at, but randomly one day couldn't do better than a one armed blind man?[/HEADING]

 

[MysticSlayer]

That happened to me in CoD4. I just kept playing and, eventually, everything started coming together again. I may have stopped caring about how bad I was doing, but I honestly don't remember my thought process. I do remember getting ready to have a bad game (we were getting ready for my worst map), so I just went all-out crazy (i.e. what is the easiest way to cause as much damage as possible as quickly as possible for as long as possible) on my class build. Somehow, I came away with possibly the best TDM game I ever had in CoD4.

 

[Hero of Lime]

I took a break from Splatoon for a bit after being crazy about it for a while. I've now put in about 500 hours into the game by now, and got to the highest rank. For anyone who does not know, when you play rank battles, you win points towards raising your rank, but if you lose, you actually lose points, which can result in ranking down. So getting to the highest rank of S+ took lots of time and dedication. Needless to say, I was dedicated to being really competitive at Splatoon.

But, once I took a substantial break from the game, only playing maybe once a week, or even less, my skill level dropped. After that happened, I lost a lot of motivation since it felt bad to go from such heights to mediocre play. However, I got back into it recently, and my skills have mostly returned, but I doubt I'll ever be as good as I used to be. But, I'm okay with that. I still have so much fun with it, and I'm trying out new weapons and sets with lots of success.

So, I recommend that you don't force yourself to play for a while. Try to play other games, and come back fresh. Just don't expect to be as great as you used to be right away.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Snip

Sounds very similiar to my experiences. I played with people where I had to carry pretty hard, which often meant taking up goal-keeping duty persistently and trying to pounce on whatever loose balls I could safely pounce on to make some goals. We were forever playing on the counter-attack like that (out of necessity), soaking up pressure, letting the opposition take twice as many shots and still managing to win some games.

The problem comes when you get matched with players who are too good for this to work against. They make it extremely difficult to stop their shots when their passes are so on point and when they're smart enough to take extra touches to keep you guessing... And then because you've been playing hesitantly this whole time, you lack the inclination and confidence to really be aggressive. You (meaning me) end up 2nd guessing and being too late to the ball, or too late to leave the ground.

Personally, I did stop playing for a week or so and then went back to it with a fresh brain. It's fun again now.

 

[Daymo]

Sometimes you just have off days and makes the game feel like a chore. I've put 1200 hours or so into team fortress over PS3 and PC (haven't touched in years though) and sometimes things just don't break your way, just take some time off and when you come back just play for fun for a bit, play with friends and pub stomp, that kind of thing. If you still aren't enjoying it, maybe you've just got over the game.

 

[The Enquirer]

normally I'm carrying the shit out of my team and then some (I play with friends on my team usually, they aren't bad, but aren't anywhere near my level), but lately I can't do shit to save my life, and it's driving me insane. I've done everything from take a day or two off, to switching cars, to training, to playing different modes, and I just cannot do anything right.

I wouldn't necessarily ditch my friends, but I would actually have two separate crowds of people to play with (sometimes there's an overlap). I'd have my friends who I've known for years that only would play the game casually, and the people who play more seriously. Obviously for the former I'd have to carry a lot and for the latter it would be more of a joint effort. Both were fun but I had to go in looking for different experiences, if not I'd find myself getting frustrated and deciding to take a break to calm down what with it only being a game and all that.

Depending on the game I've got a rule: "after x number of losses in a row, you're done for the night". It'll vary depending on the game and my overall mood after the first loss. Keeps gaming fun for me as opposed to work or a chore.

Also as a word of advice OP, if you're at the point where you're constantly carrying your teammates it might be worth trying to find some other people to play with because you're clearly much better than where you're ranked and being held back by teammates. I really can't answer the poll given this is my suggestion.

 

[The White Hunter]

I used to be literally unstoppable in Bad Company 2, minimimum of 20.0 k/d most matches, I could no-scop with any sniper rifle from at least 100 metres, I could potshot a guy dead in 2 shots with the revolver at 400, I was nigh untouchable once I got in a helicopter or tank, I was "that guy" the one that was always behind you with a knife, ready to gut you like a fish. I once managed to jump off a cliff with a quadbike and smack the pilot and co-pilot out of an attack chopper like a fucking BOSS (WHERE WAS MY BUILT IN DVR THEN DAMN IT).

I can't play Battlefield for shit these days D:

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Snip

Sounds very similiar to my experiences. I played with people where I had to carry pretty hard, which often meant taking up goal-keeping duty persistently and trying to pounce on whatever loose balls I could safely pounce on to make some goals. We were forever playing on the counter-attack like that (out of necessity), soaking up pressure, letting the opposition take twice as many shots and still managing to win some games.

this is pretty much me 100%, doing 360 matrix flip barrel rolls in the air to counter a shot from near the ceiling while trying to do an aggressive counter attack is a normal progression of the game when playing with my friends. I'm not sure if it's server lag, but it seems like lately loose 50/50 balls I've gotten worse at predicting (I'll jump to counter him hitting it over me, and the ball will go right through me?) and they'll get an easy goal since I was goalie and my friends are slow on rotating. Regardless, I know your pain...it's exhilerating and stressful at the same time, since you know if you miss a block or a 50/50 ball deflects off you perfectly, the other team has a 99% chance of scoring.

The problem comes when you get matched with players who are too good for this to work against. They make it extremely difficult to stop their shots when their passes are so on point and when they're smart enough to take extra touches to keep you guessing... And then because you've been playing hesitantly this whole time, you lack the inclination and confidence to really be aggressive. You (meaning me) end up 2nd guessing and being too late to the ball, or too late to leave the ground.

Personally, I did stop playing for a week or so and then went back to it with a fresh brain. It's fun again now.

Ugh this, this is what I love and hate about the game..in 3's, the game is so damn chemistry dependent, if your speed of play is amazing due to chemistry, it doesn't matter how *good* one person is in goal, they will get beat. as you mentioned with extra touches, the amount of times recently I've gotten scored on from 2-3 people redirecting it in the air (like...WHAT? STAHP HAVING JEDI LIKE FORESIGHT) is ridiculous, it accounts for probably 65% of the goals scored on me. It's definitely taken a hit on my confidence on coming out (as you know, you fucking have to if the other team has a good dribbler, it's impossible to cover backpost if they flick it up just right with momentum).



as a side note, what car do you use/most comfortable with? I tried switching but I feel out of sync if I'm not using the back to the future car (I feel like I have the best aerial's with it, which is important for me when clearing it for a counter attack).

snip snip

Also as a word of advice OP, if you're at the point where you're constantly carrying your teammates it might be worth trying to find some other people to play with because you're clearly much better than where you're ranked and being held back by teammates. I really can't answer the poll given this is my suggestion.

Eh it depends on which friends I'm playing with, I have 2 of my brothers and 3 different close friends who play it with me, and they are all varying skills/chemistry, so it's a crapshoot day to day. I'm not looking to go pro in the game by any means, nor am I mad about losing sometimes (sometimes the matches are just *that fucking close/spectacular* that I don't even care if we win or lose), I'm more mad at myself these past 4-5 days of being in a slump after being fucking perfection. I do occasionally play solo ( random matchmaking basically, if you don't play the game) but about 50% of the time even then I get stuck with lone wolf assholes, and that pisses me off more than losing with my friends who aren't that great at the game.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

as a side note, what car do you use/most comfortable with? I tried switching but I feel out of sync if I'm not using the back to the future car (I feel like I have the best aerial's with it, which is important for me when clearing it for a counter attack).

I've only ever really used Backfire and Dominus, to be honest. I always assumed it didn't matter, though I know that many insist there are some kind of stats.

 

[Nathaniel Grey]

I actually had this exact same experience with rocket league about a month ago. I kept beating my head against a wall trying to figure out what changed. I took a minute and then decided to do a series of test. I played games and didn't try to win as much as I tried to see where exactly my skill was lacking. I first checked my scoring capability, whether or not I could hit the ball into the goal when the time arose. I was still able to do that well (Though I still went in to training mode and did some pushups) so I checked my ball handling. Handles were good, so I finally checked my team skills and that is where I found my problem. Depending on who I was with I either meshed really well or we simply didn't click. I had to learn how adapt to anyone and everyone. Bear in mind that I almost solely play 2 vs.2. Sometimes it's just important to practice the basics once again.

 

[Sassafrass]

Yeah, sounds like my experience with Rocket League as well, but just put me down as mildly decent. I'm not amazing or a carrier but I could do shit reliably enough to know I'd have your back 95% of the time (Hit aerials, get good crosses in, track back and make a save/attempt at a save) but then one day, it just went to shit. Couldn't hit the ball on the ground, couldn't block, let in the weakest of goal attempts and was just generally a rookie playing with a "legend" tag. It's like I'd hit my skill ceiling and then fallen off the ladder.

Now I'm back to how I was, hitting aerials (Wiffing the odd ones but I've never been good at dealing the long hang time balls and I've never been all that great at them to begin with), making the odd save and scoring some decent goals. And all I did was stop taking it so seriously. They score? Eh, shit happens. We score. Nice, good job. Team-mate fucking up? Eh, whatever, unless it's multiple fuck ups in quick succession. Like...miss an easy clearance, chase it back, punt it at our goal or coming flying out of goal for an aerial and don't even make it anywhere near the ball kinda fuck ups, the last of which is incredibly popular in non-comp.).

I literally just lean back and just chill out when I play now. But if that doesn't work, just pick a car you know well (Me, it's the Breakout. Love that fucking car, closely followed by the DeLorean.) and stick at it. Shit started clicking with me again after I went back to the Breakout and DeLorean.

[sup]I'm also 100% certain I've played you a coupla times in RL in the past but as you're US and I'm EU, I don't see how. [/sup]

 

[Ryallen]

I've had the opposite problem, really. I've found that, whenever I leave a game alone for a while, I apparently am so calm about what's going on in the game that I just rock shit. For instance, I used to be really bad at Monster Hunter. The Royal Ludroth in Monster Hunter Tri regularly kicked my ass, so I put the game down for about two weeks and went back. First try, on the first life, I beat him with 5 potions to spare.

Now, as for answering the question, I've never been good enough to lose any sort of noticeable skill in a game. Shooters, Fighters, none of them have held my attention for long enough to become really good at it, then drop off and lose a lot of skill.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

as a side note, what car do you use/most comfortable with? I tried switching but I feel out of sync if I'm not using the back to the future car (I feel like I have the best aerial's with it, which is important for me when clearing it for a counter attack).

I've only ever really used Backfire and Dominus, to be honest. I always assumed it didn't matter, though I know that many insist there are some kind of stats.

don't have it on hand, but there is an in-depth excel sheet out there (probably on the rocket league sub-reddit, fun place if you haven't been there) that shows the differences between the vehicles, it mostly has to do with turn/powerslide speed and hitbox (some cars are better at punching the ball while some are better at playing keeper with due to size vs depth of vehicle)

I switched from delorean to dominus and it just felt so slow in turning, like I had an extra 30 sandbags in the trunk or something, might try it again in freeplay to see if I can get used to it again.

Now I'm back to how I was, hitting aerials (Wiffing the odd ones but I've never been good at dealing the long hang time balls and I've never been all that great at them to begin with), making the odd save and scoring some decent goals. And all I did was stop taking it so seriously. They score? Eh, shit happens. We score. Nice, good job. Team-mate fucking up? Eh, whatever, unless it's multiple fuck ups in quick succession. Like...miss an easy clearance, chase it back, punt it at our goal or coming flying out of goal for an aerial and don't even make it anywhere near the ball kinda fuck ups, the last of which is incredibly popular in non-comp.).

I literally just lean back and just chill out when I play now. But if that doesn't work, just pick a car you know well (Me, it's the Breakout. Love that fucking car, closely followed by the DeLorean.) and stick at it. Shit started clicking with me again after I went back to the Breakout and DeLorean.

most of the time if the other team aren't being bad sports, I really don't mind and tend to chill out... I just feel like the RL community is slowly turning into the moba community (constant salt and over-competitiveness everywhere, if you aren't better than a terminator then you need to uninstall and stop playing) and I'm constantly playing against non-stop dicks (the people who spend 90% of the match sideswiping your car or just demo-ing and sucking up all the 100% boosts), so I think that's just piling on the bitterness of me doing terribly personally. I do love playing with my friends for this reason though, if one of us misses an open goal (you'd be surprised how often it happens) we bust out laughing on the skype group chat and spam "nice shot!" "wow!" just to take the piss on it.

[sup]I'm also 100% certain I've played you a coupla times in RL in the past but as you're US and I'm EU, I don't see how. [/sup]

1v1 u m8, fukn rek u casul.

(I'm starting my new job come monday so I've had a week off and my old job had odd hours, and a couple of my friends play at odd hours with me, so while the EU players are the ones populating the servers I think the matchmaking just places us with them for the quickest/best games, so it's very possible. Hopefully I wasn't being a dick...I try to be nice )

 

[Drathnoxis]

I've never been in a situation like that because I get bored of playing games long before I can ever get good at them. I think around 60-100 hours my max for a single game. After that I need to take a break from it for a year or two, even if I really like it.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

I've never been really uber-amazayn at vidya gamez, but I guess the closest experience I can give is with Battlefront.

In the beta, I managed to get a 4 KD, something truly impressive when I consider a match good when I can get above a negative KD.

When I actually got the full game, I just sucked ass. 0.5 KDs were common, I fucked up the easiest of kills, everything. I think it was a combo of me turning off aim assist, and the fact that only the hard core, addicted, shitbucket Japanese guys are still playing the game.

 

[Jatixa]

When you do something 1000 times, it becomes easy.
Do it 1000 more times, and it becomes difficult.
Do it another 1000 times, and it becomes natural.
-Ancient proverb from somewhere.

 

[FalloutJack]

I'm gonna go with...no. The problems I have in a video game were due to the unexpected, not from a lack of skill on my part. My skills grow, my muscle menory increases, my knowledge and understanding expands. The reason I got a rocket to the face in Fallout 4 was because I simply didn't expect to be rocketed in the face. These things happen. They're irritating, but they're not the player's fault. Hell, enemies will point-blank a Fatman...

 

[Potjeslatinist]

This doesn't happen to me. My power keeps growing. Soon I will be unstoppable. I will swallow all.

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

Like many here I'm sure, I was once quite good at GoldenEye. At least in comparison to my small group of friends. I got good enough to turn off aim assist and nail headshots across the Temple with the kf7 Soviet.

But after so many years in between them and now, and so many more advanced shooters, I am now absolutely terrible at the game. It's partly the fact that the n64 controller now feels extremely awkward, but I can barely get around the levels and shoot at the same time. It's kinda depressing.