Respawn locations

[Drakona]

My DCL match against bahamut was in Ugh. It wasn't the first time I'd ever played Ugh in a ladder match, but . . . definitely the first time I'd done so against someone who knew what they were doing. I remember having a conversation like this with Lotharbot afterwards:

Drak: He spawn killed me a lot. Like, a *lot!*
Lothar: You weren't expecting that?
Drak: I guess I hadn't thought about it.
Lothar: Clearly you don't know how to play Ugh!

Indeed I didn't. It took me half the match to start figuring out the tactics involved. But now I know them, and I figure battling over spawn timing is part of what you're asking for when you go to play Ugh. Otherwise you'd play Purple, which is the same level except better in every possible way.

[roncli]

Or the old version of Ono that didn't have the flashing energy centers.

[bahamut]

BOO HOO. you had a bad spawn, that's it - This game isn't fair, If it were why would we have bronze, silver and gold tier?
*EDIT* And purple doesn't compare at all to ugh :- )

[Entropy]

Currently my conclusion is to simply play more games and gather some evidence that I can use to lend some weight behind my suggestion. However a conversation with Lothar has prompted me to clarify my position a little bit.

What I am NOT suggesting:
-Always spawn as far away as possible
-Spawn points influence the outcomes of games 100% of the time
-It is not meaningful to the overall game for spawns to be close
-I'm just an angsty bronze-level player who's only reasoned as far as my anger has risen and am defiant towards the knowledge and experiences of pilots better than myself (I didn't think this needs to be said but just in case )

What I AM suggesting:
-Bad spawns can have an impact in the outcome of a game
-Maybe the outcome of a game gets affected a little bit more than one might realize
-Plausibly a new option could be added to address this fact


Let me put it like this:
Overall, the RNG factors in this game don't contribute overmuch to the outcome of a game. I'm not going to blame bad spawns when I lose to Jediluke or Mark. This game has skill, and quite a lot of it. Even in games where I play an opponent who is close to or below my skill level, I have generally observed that RNG in this game does not contribute to the outcome of the game. HOWEVER, I -have- noticed, that IN THE GAMES WHERE RNG DOES INDEED HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE OUTCOME OF THE GAME, it is USUALLY because of multiple spawns too close to the enemy.

THEREFORE, my SUGGESTION is to add a feature where the frequency of spawns close to your opponent is reduced. The intention of this suggestion is to see if this prevents/reduces SITUATIONS WHERE RNG AFFECTS THE OUTCOME OF A GAME.

The reason WHY RNG affecting a game outcome is a bad thing, is another discussion entirely. And honestly it is one I was trying to avoid. However if it is absolutely vital to go through it then I might be willing (read: stop being as lazy) to address that in more depth.

[LotharBot]

[roncli]

For reference, here is the LotharBot/Jinx Flea match at the point in time where the insta-death occurs.

[Mark392]

There are many times that I pray I will respawn close to my opponent because I know I'm playing someone who goes for the spew right away, is low on shields and wants the orb, and I know I can tag them with l1's and conc splash while I run the opposite direction to get the plasma cannon I remember planting on the other side of the level away from my spew that I didn't pick up because I knew they had a plas and I'm low on shields and will want a weapon. I get a kill most likely, a plas, know where both spews are to ambush it, and can strategically leave/plant weapons around the level for my next death.

[Sirius]

That tunnel in Flea is an interesting place to spawn; it's kind of a trap and tricky to get out of, but the missiles very frequently spawn there too. So you've got some tools to work with - the question is, how well can you use them?
None of that has anything to do with the RNG aspects, though... it gets a little more hectic if the other player happens to be in that same tunnel (though that said, tunnels are a perfect place to make your level 1s and concs count; it's really easy to play defensive in them because the attacker will have a tough time getting around your shots), but most of the issues are there no matter where they are in the level.

There is a place I can think of where randomness matters: the bottom floor spawn in Nysa. It actually does annoy me when I keep getting sent there, because against certain players (Mark392?) that spot is a death-trap. The distance to the opponent matters, if in a roundabout way; your best chance is if they don't know you're there, or they can't get to you before you get out, which means it's easiest to deal with if your opponent is on the other side of the level. It's also okay if the door is shut and they can't hear that you just spawned there, though only if you didn't die right outside, because otherwise your opponent might be camping there, waiting for you to show up. It's also okay if they're really close but you have surprise and smart missiles on your side and can rush them with a hail of green balls. (Unless they're Mark, in which case you can try to flood the area with smarts in an effort to merely displace him enough to get enough time to get out, and it's maybe 50/50 that it'll work.)

That considered, that would be the most obvious case where a change to the spawning algorithm would make it easier to respawn; but I tend to think of it as part of the level. Nysa is just unforgiving; if I don't want that, I have the option to pick something like Athena instead.

Should there be an option? I don't know, maybe if there's enough demand. Most of the things people complain about can be mitigated by the Rangers' 2-second invuln anyway - it's why we have that rule there.