descentchampions.org

Whenever I play, I feel like the first 20 of my shield goes down really fast, the next 50% is 'normal', and if I get caught on 30 shield or less, it lasts for ages.

I watched some other pilots (zero vs rethink) play in a observatory level and noticed that there was a different way they played based on my estimation of their shield. They were more skittish on low shield.
My reasoning for this is behaviour is as follows:
- When you're on high shield, you're happy to engage in dog-fights - high risk high reward. Maybe even take a few hits to get in a good volley of your own.
- When you're at mid-shield, you prefer hit/run to dogfighting as it is less risky.
- When you're on low shield, you tend to favour long-range snipe attacks with spread, vulcan, laser shots down empty hallways. Hopeing to catch the opponent unaware.

The other thing I notice is that when I'm on low shield my senses tune up to maximum and I can dodge spreadfire in a dogfight, or smarts in narrow hallways I'd normally consider impossible. I'm going to have to watch some demos to confirm this, but I think there's probably a 30-40% reduction in shots that hit me in a low-shield situation.

Do the experienced pilots also experience this? Or do they operate 'in the zone' all of the time? I know I can't maintain the intensity of thought that I use in low-shield-dogfights for extended periods of time.

A lot of pilots adjust based on where their shields are at, but not necessarily the way you'd expect. Some pilots, when they're low, will be more aggressive about using heavy weapons (smarts, fusion, quads) in close combat. The idea is, if I have 4 shields and you tag me in a fusion-v-fusion fight, you only got 4 of my shields -- but if I tag you I got 60. So that's a fight I'll take every day.

Also, I think one of the difference between gold and silver pilots is keeping up that intensity. I get around 2000 shields per match, and I want you to have to work for every single one of them. No easy hits, no easy kills.

I will admit I sometimes get lazy with dodging every last bullet. It does not help me against people who are better than I am, that's for sure.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is the primary factor separating Mark, Jedi, and maybe a couple others from the rest of us: they have the intensity and focus to play as if each of their 2000 shield points (thanks for the mathing, Lothar) is their last. Many of us occasionally have those games, I think, but it's not easy to sustain, and in my case I'm not even really sure what circumstances catalyze that level of play; sometimes I'm just in that zone, but I'm usually not. I would suggest that Jedi's (and kiln's, to an ostensibly lesser degree) tendency to play in constant anguish and loathing might be a necessary byproduct of that level of play, but Mark seems to be able to do it and maintain a light spirit. (Incidentally, Mark's success and attitude constitute one of the strongest pieces of evidence for the existence of God that I'm aware of. Might start praying again.)

Mark392 is clearly the Ned Flanders of Descent.

We've been over this. Mark392 is the of Descent.

In general, I try to do more damage than I take. With low shields, that can mean one of two things: I'll settle for low damage (because I don't have to do much to do more than I can lose) and just try to land some vulcan or spreadfire hits or a single homer, or I'll go for suicidal exchanges (because I can't lose that much), point blank quads, melee smarts, short range camping spots, that sort of thing. The lower my shields are, the more likely I am to try something crazy, something I've never done before, something that just might work, because what have I got to lose? On the other hand, if my shields get down to single digits, sometimes I like to just see how long I can stay alive, and spend every encounter escaping first, doing damage second. Sometimes that works out too.

There's another layer to it, though. On low shields, I'm vulnerable to Rethink Traps, like watching a door with vulcan cued up or something. Well, or vulcan traps in general. If my opponent knows I'm low on shields, they'll just set up to shoot me whenever I appear, since I can't live long enough to retaliate. Hence, I don't want them to know. If I think they already know, I just play cautiously. Or recklessly. If I don't think they know, I play normal so I don't give it away.

Except if I'm playing normal to make them think I have low shields. But it pretty much only ever gets to that level against Jeds.

One thing I try not to do is get out the vulcan. Because that invites the other player to do the same, and that's not a fight I want. If I can provoke a fusion fight, I go for that.

It used to be mentally and physically exhausting to maintain 'the zone' level of play....but eventually I got to a place where most everything I do is what I call 'auto pilot' and I can do that until my fingers fall off. Sometimes my 'auto pilot' isn't good enough during a game and I have to allow my intense h8 to turn me into the hulk and thus I enter into 'beast mode' (ask Drakona

If the way Mark plays is proof that God indeed does exist...then perhaps I'm the yang to his yin.

Wait... How did I become the dark side of this? Whoever came up with this yin and yang business is messed up...