MTW online has become un bloody bearable.

[Robin Locksly]

I've been playing MTW online since the day it was released and a few weeks ago this game has become unbearable to play online.

I've noticed a flood of new guys recently and they are fucknig this game up as we speak, I dont know why there has been a sudden flood of new players but I do know that MTW has become a piece of crap becuase of them, now I don't give a flying shite about them being new or give them a chance, ect cos all I want is to play MTW smoothly, laglessly and without stupid new players with no experiance that waste your time.

I remember MTW having a small ammount of players (about 100) that played all the time, you ALWAYS knew that you were not going to get a newbie n00b that hasent got a clue but now, this game is just full of these little timewasting fools with crappy comps that time-out all the bloody time.

Has anyone else noticed this sudden flood of new players that are fucknig this game up?

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/angry.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/angry.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/angry.gif

[Gregoshi]

Though I can understand your frustration Robin, please ease up on the profanity.

This is one of those two-edged sword deals. I'm sure you know what both edges are.

[Fanty]

The battlecollection just came out.

Maybe its that? ;)

[ichi]

Put a password on your games, or better yet, find the new guys and gals that want to learn the ropes and teach them.

We need new blood to keep this community thriving, IMHO.

ichi

[mercian billman]

By the sounds of it you were never a newbie yourself http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Gregoshi]

ichi, is there no bottom to the depths of your wisdom? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-thumbsup.gif

[Crazed Rabbit]

Remember, we were all newbies once. The best thing to do is to help drag them out of that dank, dark pit of newbieness. If noone helps them, they will never get better, but if you show their pitiful, wretched souls kindness, they will be able to fight ably alongside you and educate newbies themselves.

This reminds me of when I was playing natural selection v1.0 4 days after it came out, and one person playing it called another a newbie. Then one guy said Aren't we all newbies at this? (Not saying that your a newbie, Robin, but this just reminded me of that.)

Crazed Rabbit

[Magic Window]

It's exactly Robin's selfish attitude that makes new players like myself scared to join any co-op games, for fear of ruining everyone's fun because I'm crap. I appreciate that you can achieve a certain standard by playing the computer a fair bit first, but that's not the point. This kind of attitude, it doesn't do anyone any favours in the long run.

[Robin Locksly]

Well u must understand that the games I have played/hosted over these alste few weeks have either had time-outs or i've had a teammate/opponent that has either a uber crap army or hasent a clue what he's doing.

TBH and if your honest with yourselves, can u really be arsed to put up with this flock of newbies that waste your damm time, I cant cos all I want is to play the game properly where everyone knows what there doing and not having some dumbass newbie on the other team or on your team that hasent a clue wot he's doing, thus wasting your time which could be spent playing a battle with players who actually know what there doing and wont waste your time on crappy battles.

I wouldent be botherd if it was a few nebies, but ffs there has been at least 35 new guys over these past few weeks.

I hope they learn fast cos I really pissed off.

[Gregoshi]

Robin, are these n00bs rude? Have you tried to help them?

You can look at it 2 ways. The first way is what your are doing now, they are a pain-in-the-butt waste of time. The other way is to look at it as an opportunity to cultivate new opponents. If you are willing to lose some game time now, it could payoff later. It need not be every game you play, but maybe take one game from your session and invite new players for some training. However, if you are expressing yourself in the foyer the way you are expressing yourself here, chances are you are driving people away. The last I checked, this community isn't that big. Yesterday I popped on GameSpy twice and there were 80-90 people on MTW and 8-9 on VI. Hardly overwhelming.

Regardless, if you are that annoyed by it. Then stop complaining and do something about it. If you wish to avoid the frustration, only play with people you know. By now you should know who those people are. If there are only n00bs available in the foyer, then you have a choice: play them and risk further frustration or come back some other time. At this point, if you opt to play them, who is to blame for your frustration? Certainly not them.

Funny thought: your user id is Robin Locksly - Robinhood Steals from the rich and gives to the poor. In this particular case, the rich are the veterans and the poor are the new players. Wanna gather the Merry Men Robin? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif Sorry, just trying to inspire you. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/pat.gif

[Fanty]

Hehehe

1. Isnt there a rating system? (havnt played it online yet. maybe soon)

2. Why on earth is there ONLY 100 players???????????????

W O R L D W I D E

I mean, back those days when I played AOK/TC online....
it was like this:

AOK+TC = 4500 players
AOK without TC = 2500 players
AOE (wich was stoneold at that time) still 1300 players

Also, every player could look at other players statistics.
How many games they played ever. How many of them they lost and how many of them they won. Plus, a ratingsystem in points and a rankingsystem from 1 (best player on Earth) til over 100.000

Now I hear... there is about 100 ...errrrr....
and uhm... 35 new If you tell me there is 5000 and recently came 2000 new, then its ok.

But HUH 100 and 35 new? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

100 players. Hmm.
If its like usualy, then thats 40 players from Northern America. 40 from Europe and 20 from the rest of the world.

[Robin Locksly]

Well the most players ive ever seen on MTW at the same time is around 190 but that was about 3:30am in the morning.

TBH, I couldent care less about how many players there are and I also don't care if my estimates were incorrect or correct.

All I know and care about is that there has been a large batch of new guys and they are messing this game up.

[Duke John]

First of all, I would much rather play with a new player then a player who tells others that they are newbies or even worse n00bs.

Secondly I think that you're just having bad luck. Or since you're always the one who is hosting perhaps your computer is to blame for any time-outs.
Next time you might better join games instead of hosting them. Pick the ones with a low ping, and certainly do not pick the ones with 15+ florins, since these are the games that most new players pick.
After that it all depends on your attitude. Yes, new players can be your worst ally, but it is up to you to either curse them to hell, or help them grow in skill. If I have the time I usually give tips; pavs are best in 2 ranks, pick a balanced army with 3 pav, 4 knights and fill with infantry. Sometimes they say thanks and want to play another game with you. Other times they remain silent, then tell them that y is teamtalk. And in the worst times they tell you to shut up, and those players are IMO the only ones that are legimate to hate.

And I am glad that there are only 100-200 players around. The ingame chat is already impossible to follow without #ignoring all spammers.

Happy gaming,
Duke John

[Cazbol]

What a sad load of the-world-doesn't-dance-to-my-tune-crap. The game is no less for the newbies than the veterans. They paid the same price for the game so your extra privileges for being a seasoned veteran are exactly 0. If you don't want to play the newbies, host your own games and call them Veterans only, No newbies, plz or something to that effect. Should be a heck of a lot easier than bitching about it.

[Kropazz]

IMO easiest way to help a newbie is to tell them a link to totalwar.org Lots of handy stuff http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cheers.gif

[Fanty]

Zitat[/b] ]And I am glad that there are only 100-200 players around. The ingame chat is already impossible to follow without #ignoring all spammers.

Hmm. If I remember right that problem was solved in the zone by making several rooms with a max of 200 (or so?) players each.

Plus, there had been rooms with different topics.
beginners had their own room for example.

Somehow I liked the way the Microsoft zone handled things better than gamespy does.

[ShadesWolf]

From a player that has played online since the game first came out, and has been known to come home from work on a Friday and go to bed to allow himself the ability to play from midnight to 6am.

I must say the online game has lost somethink, Ive been playing these games since shogun first came out and I havent been online since way before Christmas.

I cant tell you why this is, all I can say is I no longer feel the enjoyment of playing online. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mecry.gif

This also goes for the entire clan SHADES, We only have three members that play MTW. All the others

Vild
Brown
Lord
etc

are all still in the clan but no longer play Total war games.

[Fanty]

I yesterday played MTW for the first time online (playing against AI since 3 or 4 weeks..)

I must say, i am very nervous. ;)
My greatest fear is, to be the one who causes a group to lose. SCREAM ;)

Did only 2 games yesterday.
Both 3v3 at 30k florins
first one a victory, second a defeat.

the teammates had been very friendly and gave lots tips. :)

[Duke John]

Quote[/b] ]My greatest fear is, to be the one who causes a group to lose
I think most of us thought that way when they started. If you are afraid that they get dirty on you if it's clear you are a new player, then I advise the following (assuming that you're my ally):
- Tell them that you're a new player during deployment. I can then take this in account and watch your back. I might send some cav to guard your flank or some pavs if you're short of those.
- Never attack without saying so It is extremely irritating if a player suddenly surges forward without warning the others. Usually this results in the opponents allies sending cav to flank your force. You'll need the backup of others.
- Never camp on a hill If I were your opponent and I saw you sitting on a hill, I would leave you alone and doubleteam your allies.
- Don't defend a steppe game. Your progress will be very slow when playing these games. It helps to get your army movement under control, but maps with features offer much more tactical options.
- Thank your allies afterwards if they played nice and offered you advice/directions. Even if you did make some mistakes, I would play with you again if you accepted your loss with honour and showed the motivation to learn.

Cheers, Duke John

[mcveigh]

I have been playing MTW a couple of months now and want to start playing online. But i havent got a clue how. can anyone direct my to a threat about the subject.

Been searching the forum but cant find anything.
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-computer.gif

[Red Yak]

Ok, just for Your Robin I'll stay away from the Multiplayer game for fear of upsetting you. I'll also tell my friends that have just bought MTW/VI on my recommendation that they won't be welcome playing multiplayer either. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-no.gif

From my experience most people online have been crying out for more people to join the games. I've only been playing online a couple of months and although I've had a few frustrating experiences with people dropping out half way through a game (to have their dinner ) or playing inappropriately, the majority of players have been welcomed/welcoming. Yes, there are a few people with bad attitudes (there always are - currently looking at you Robin), but come on If you've been playing since the beginning then surely you have some 'friends' that you can arrange to play with (if you really don't want to risk playing newbies) or players that you recognise as a challenge. And if you wait a while then hopefully those newbies (myself included) will have improved enough to make good allies/opponents.

Fortunately most people in this community have a fantastic attitude. I agree with Kropazz, the Org is the best place for new players to come if they want help to improve. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-yes.gif

As to the number of players online, I usually only ever find between 10 and 20 people on multiplayer (VI). Is this because I usually play around 9pm GMT (and there aren't as many players in the UK) or because there are less people using VI?
Am I right in thinking that installing Medmod (which I'm thinking of doing this week) won't affect the number of compatible multiplayer opponents?

Red.

[frogbeastegg]

One good topic for newbies like myself to look through is brainstorming MP beginner's guide (http://www.totalwar.org/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=18;t=5722), the guide itself was never finished but there is plenty in here. My other tip would be to find someone willing to teach you the ropes and stick with them until you find your feet, I have found this to really help both in terms of killing newbie nerves, and in picking up the wealth of new information. You can find someone by posting and asking for a tutor, I have also seen the occasional topic in the Jousting Fields where someone offers to arrange newbie training sessions.

[Bezalel]

The only way I got somewhat good sort-of quickly was by bothering players better than me, and learning from them, then learning to come up w/ my own strategies.

[crazyviking03]

I have played MTW since the day it first came out. But, I have only played mp very few times. I find my biggest problem as a relative noob is unit selection. I have learned some obvious things, like if you dont have pavs you will die, and you need alot more cav than you can get away with in sp. But as far is melee units go, I have no clue http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/rolleyes.gif The only games I have not lost were due to experienced team mates who were willing to help me.

[Louis de la Ferte Ste Colombe]

Unit selection is a small part of the problem... and the easiest; you can always copy other players army (look for logfiles, in the logfile directory)

Most of the time, Unit control is a bigger issue. It is important to get familiar with grouping, alt left click / alt right click, waypoint, etc...

Also important is battle awareness; being familiar with the morale system, being able to see weakness in ennemy line and taking advantage of it. Also, in the beginning, when used to SP game, the sheer amount of information to digest with a 4v4 can get mind buggling. Detect when a double or a rush is underway.

To get started, try to play 4v4 custom game, with no pause, and get yourself to use the interface to its full extent. It will make your transition to MP easier.

Louis,

[Chimpyang]

I was lucky in that when i first forayed online (in ecember) the people i met didn't mind that i was new and helped me to become a average player. I don't paticuarly like people shoutoing n00b (at all, to me it's just l33t speak that degrades new players) and newbie (in an offensive way). But Robin, i must agree with you that the number has just jumped massively (most i saw was 230+) and it could do with 2 seperate servers, one for people who just want friendly social games to improve their skill, and another for people who prefer more competitive and high risk games to prove their skill agianst others.

[Robin Locksly]

Yes 2 servers would be ideal.

I've had 4 games today and all of them were good.

I think there getting better now http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/bigthumb.gif

[Robin Locksly]

Quote[/b] (mercian billman @ Mar. 06 2004,22:58)]By the sounds of it you were never a newbie yourself http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Yes but were talking about a large flood of newbies, a few newbie's every so often like there used to be is fine but we are talking about a large ammount in one go.

[BobTheTerrible]

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-clown.gif

Ah yes. Unfortunately I am one of those players. I'm a n00b when it comes to unit selection, but not tactics (I've had the game since August)

My firewall screws up games and when I finally get it to accept games, my computer can randomly crash during games. On top of that my semi-crap 900 Mhz celeron can't fully handle 1vs1 battles, let alone 4vs4. I have only successfuly completed 2 multiplayer games, both of which were 1vs1 played with a kind veteran who was teaching me. Unfortunately, my game cashed during our 3rd battle. In all the other games I've joined, my computer has crashed randomly. I decided to do my outdated computer and the online community a favor by abstaining from further mulitplayer activity a few months ago. With MedMod installed, I can't anyway (you need to have the same startpos files to the person earlier who asked, so MM is incompatible to normal VI players.)

Anyway, sorry if that was a little OT but I really would love to even be able to play multiplayer in the first place, let alone multiplayer with a newbie.

And to Robin Locksly: If you don't want to be involved, just don't play multiplayer for a few weeks. By the time you return, the newb players should be at least semi-bearable by learning from their own mistakes.

/ http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-clown.gif

[Lord Rom]

My favorite way to improve...save the replay and watch. Unit selection is my favorite part of the game. Youn can count the little flags on each unit to see how much valor it has. Second best way to improve...hang out at the org. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif