Great game today. The view from my side can be seen here:
https://youtu.be/-yZRs_QpoFkJust a couple thoughts:
Hunt vs Chase - If you saw me leave a room, you'd chase me. After I figured this out, I could lead you into some traps. Have a look at 12:42. Hunting is the preferred method: prediction and anticipation. Try intercept the other player without your own actions being predictable.
Solution Space - The space a pilot will occupy in the future is what I call the 'solution space.' If you only fly forwards and turn with the mouse, you have a solution space of a small cone. When you're dogfighting and prepared, an experienced pilot can accelerate in 27 possible directions, and turn in three (=81 combinations!). The solution space for you seemed to be: forwards, left, right, forwards+left, forwards+right, forwards+down (and two turns). I never saw you strafe forwards+up, move backwards, or barrel roll during a fight. This isn't to say that you didn't, but if you did, it was seldom enough that the potential area you could occupy in the future was smaller than if could have been.
I don't have the full 27 directions, there are definitely directions my keyboard setup doesn't allow be to do (I'll never barrel-roll in the same direction as I strafe - unless I grow an extra finger), and some I simply haven't learned yet (backwards trichords).
Very often this comes down to controls - for instance using WSAD for strafes, QE for rolls, and RF for up/down vastly limits what you can do. No rolling while strafing up, no vertical strafes while moving right etc etc. It's better to shift the RF to space/shift.
Making yourself unpredictable - Have a look a from 9:15. At 9:21 I see your ship facing me. Because I have noticed you don't reverse much, I now know your exact path, and, well, the result is that there's some projectiles waiting for you. Increasing your solution space so you can shoot through that gap without moving through there (ie reversing) is one solution, another is to make sure that in an engagement, you don't enter a narrower section. Interestingly , this is why you started off scoring well but we ended up more equal: the more we played, the better I could predict your motion. Unfortunately, the gold level pilots say exactly the same about the silver level pilots.
Retreating - The other person will retreat for two reasons. One is because his shield is low, and the other is because he's trying to lead you into a trap. You've got this one figured out. At 12:23 you ambush me, so I run through a constriction and turn as fast as I can when I'm on the other side - hoping you'd follow. You didn't. Good job.
Massively Lead your smarts. You may notice I rarely shoot my smart missiles at you, they're shot a long way in your path to block off potential movement options. Have a look at me chasing you at 0:40. I chase you around a corner with a fusion shot (0:48) and then quickly move to place a smart in your path. (0:51). Unfortunately you decided to try figure out where the fusion shot came from, so you weren't there for the smart.... A more successful example is at around the 1:00 mark. I place a smart on your route back into the main room, so you either have to dodge it to get to the main room, or come closer to my plasma. And that's what missiles are for: limiting peoples options so you know where they are.
Favourite moment from the video? Has to be the dance at 0:30.
Your best shot in the video? The fusion at 2:40. I need to learn that you can only do something twice - you'll die the third time.
My worst moment? The mess with the proxies at the end.
Well, I hope you found that useful (and hopefully not demotivating). I look forwards to our next game.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 2:27 pm
No, you don't count. But I will play you. I'll look for you this weekend.
I'd love to get some games in with you, and should have some good chunks of time during the next few evenings.