Player Competence in WoWS

[Aethervoxx]

 

I hope this will be instructive of what players think about WoWS on these particular questions and where it is, apparently, trending towards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hirohito]

The poll won't yield good data, because the questions exclude certain answers.
For question one, there is no option to answer "the competence is overall the same", and "no opinion/dont know".
For question two and three, the same applies - there is no way to answer "I don't think player skill changed a particular year", "I think the skill has declined gradually", or even "I think player skill has increased".

[JohnMac79]

As far as Q1, i said 2017, which coincides with the steam release.

 

For Q2, without a doubt the year of the CV rework...

[KillStealBoss]

5 hours ago, JohnMac79 said:

As far as Q1, i said 2017, which coincides with the steam release.

 

For Q2, without a doubt the year of the CV rework...

There was far more incompetent players after 2020 (first lockdowns) . The elderly population of the game doubled. At first they were playing randoms but they failed hardly, so they moved to play coop and operations. Which is a good thing imho. 

 

There was also back then in 2020 an influx of bad players that left the game 3-4 years before that and came back cause "they were bored at home". 

 

The commander rework made a lot of problems in the first months (dead eye) that made the camping meta an ultra camping one. Players needed weeks or even months to "re-adapt". 

 

Encouraging players to get into T10s faster with the super signal flags didn't help. Beach in the days you needed like 500 battles to get a T10. Playing good or at least decent. Now? I see people having a T10 with 250-300 battles on account with sub 45% WR on most of their ships. Doing pathetic amount of damage in them too. Such people back in the day also did exist but they needed 4x more battles to get a T10 in that way. And in the meantime maybe (yes, maybe) they would learn few more things than comparing to those having sub 300 battles. 

 

Also the Research Bureau was a fiasco for many players, especially putting legendary upgrades for research points instead of missions. 

 

And the most important for me : signal flags. If you need them - you have to pay credits. Before that they were given for achievements. And what was WG solution ? Signal containers once a week. Imho these containers should be given everyday. And still they would drop random flags that sometimes we don't need. Because if that those who don't have premium account can't afford the flags, we see more detonations, BBs getting farmed by fires to the death cause they had no healing flag nor fire time reduction, they even took out the flag for reducing the cost repairs sheet the battle. And now they're going to mess up with the economy .... Again. 

 

And the Missouri drama that was the last year that was a total embarrassment. 

[MadBadDave]

Things started to go down hill with the PR Fiasco and the Cv Rework, even today years on fighters are still nowhere near as effective as they were in rts mode.

 

The captain skills rework (another totally unnecessary  rework solely based on financial greed), also didn't help, as it enabled seasoned players to pit their 21 pointers against noobs who joined thanks to the pandemic with their sub 10 point captains, add in WG's greed by allowing noobs to get high tier ships and you have a recipe for disaster.

 

The player base ability has nose dived and WG have done nothing but encourage it.     

 

Say you've played the game for 5+ years and you have good ability and a high WR and the best ship of all time becomes available (for me that would be Laffey) , for £100, knowing how utter shite the player base is, is it better to buy a ship that sees itself in a team mainly comprising of total pond life or buy Red Dead and Call of duty or Forsa ?. 

 

That's why I play a fraction of the games I used to, that's why I haven't played a random since last year and why I have spent zero in 6 months with zero intention of spending until WG have got their heads out of their arses and resolved the problems they themselves have created !.  

 

 

[Shirakami_Kon]

Can't really answer since I don't particularly remember in which specific year a lot of stuff happened. Doesn't help either that sometimes I took long breaks from the game where I got disconnected from it and not finding out what happened and changed until I came back. What I can say however, as someone that at least started playing in late 2015 is that the game was way better back at the start. Sure, there was a lot to polish too, RTS Midway for those who remember, stealthfire (even though that's ironically back and in an even worse form with submarines)...

 

But besides stuff like that the simplicity of the original game was great and good. We had Yamato, and we were told that those were going to be the biggest guns in the game so with that only exception armor mattered. There wasn't gimmicks. No hidro (even tho I consider hidro to be ok), no radar, no reload booster or weird ammo types like SAP (or a combination of both on a ship that gets shat on because of the "potential" of that like Austin). No dutch airstrikes. Smoke seemed to be a DD only thing, but then we had RN cruisers and subsequent abominations like Smolensk making the entire map an obnoxius expanse of smoke everywhere where you couldn't move anywhere when those things released.

 

All in all if you didn't get a CV in your match that started devstriking your team one by one in a single pass you could play the game. No hidro required more awareness around DDs and dodging their torpedos, which made the japanese DD line, and specially Shimakaze a scary monster of a ship, imagine that compared to nowadays standards. Sure, you always had some idiot in the back sniping, you'll always have, but I remember going in in a BB and brawling stuff being a thing. Even the norm at some points. I still to this day remember a match being able to charge in in a Yamato, brawl half enemy team at 10 km distance, tank 8 million potential damage and survive. In a Yamato of all freaking BBs to brawl in.

 

So, would I say player competence is worse nowadays that it used to be? Sure, ofc it is, but the player of today has to try to cope with 50 types of BS gimmicks that no one needed at the same time that has degraded the game health and quality into camp, camp, and camp a bit more until we see which team and flank starts collapsing first to it's demise and maybe then the winning team can start playing the actual game which at it's core, now buried deep, very deep down below all this crap gimmicks no one needed or asked for was awesome, way more simple and player friendly besides some exceptions mentioned in the first paragraph above, and really enjoyable and an absolute blast to play.

[Sunleader]

Yeah it wont provide any Data.

Only Result in a Flame/Whine Topic.

 

 

The Poll already has a Foregone Conclusion that the Playerbase became more Stupid and that WG was Responsible for it.

There is no Option that the Playerbase has always been Incompetent. Or that the Fluctuation is not WGs Fault etc.

Thus already removing any Chance for this Poll to really provide any Data that can be taken Seriously.

And since its also a Controversal Topic on where you dont have an Agreement. This Foregone Conclusion not only effectively Removes a Large Part of the Community from Providing any actual Data as they dont Agree with that Conclusion.

It also Guarantees that your Topic will Result in a Looping Flamewar between the different Sides.

 

 

 

 

[KillStealBoss]

33 minutes ago, Sunleader said:

Yeah it wont provide any Data.

Only Result in a Flame/Whine Topic.

 

 

The Poll already has a Foregone Conclusion that the Playerbase became more Stupid and that WG was Responsible for it.

There is no Option that the Playerbase has always been Incompetent. Or that the Fluctuation is not WGs Fault etc.

Thus already removing any Chance for this Poll to really provide any Data that can be taken Seriously.

 

 

 

 

 

The community Bach in the day was more passionate about the game. Also the have was simpler than today. WG has a lot of fault, especially providing the super signal flags for cash in different occasions, we see a 250 account battles 43% on his Yama. Getting new ships giving you 200% exp mission so it'll encourage you to exchange it to free exp for more money to WG. And then the guy after pouring not small amount of cash getting rely and has no idea what's happening cause he skipped the T9 and didn't play enough the T8... Flaming on WG in chat. Lol. Too many times seen that. 

[Sunleader]

1 hour ago, MacArthur92 said:

The community Bach in the day was more passionate about the game. Also the have was simpler than today. WG has a lot of fault, especially providing the super signal flags for cash in different occasions, we see a 250 account battles 43% on his Yama. Getting new ships giving you 200% exp mission so it'll encourage you to exchange it to free exp for more money to WG. And then the guy after pouring not small amount of cash getting rely and has no idea what's happening cause he skipped the T9 and didn't play enough the T8... Flaming on WG in chat. Lol. Too many times seen that. 

 

It wasnt.

Even when I first Played this Game 10 Years ago. The Vast Majority of Players was utterly Incompetent.

And even back then barely any of them Understood most of the Game Mechanics.

 

For 10 Years Now. I have been watching Cruisers and BBs Drive Forward and give Broadside to Enemies.

For 10 Years. I have been watching BBs Shooting HE at Broadsiding Enemies.

For 10 Years. People have Yoloed in Cruisers to Drop Torps at the Enemy which would never reach the Target and for which they needed to basicly Expose their Broadside to Focus Fire.

And for 10 Years. I have seen Battleships using Damage Control the Second someone Set a Fire on them.

 

For 10 Years.... Literally nothing has Changed in that Regard.

 

(And Yes. I know its just 7 Years Actually. But 10 Years Sounds Cooler)

 

 

I am not sure where you See Passion.

There have always been Tryhards that actually Learned to Play the Game and thus Peformed extremely well.

And the vast Majority of Players has always been Casuals which just kept Dying their Way up the Grind because they didnt learn anything about the Game and effectively just wanted to Drive Forward and Shoot at whoever they See First.

 

 

 

You see Players that got 250 Battles on their Account with a 43% Winrate ?

Well. Thats Nice.

I just for Fun took the GK. A T10 BB and Sorted it by most Battles Played.

And guess what. Its a Guy with 14.000 Battles on their Account with a 43% Winrate.

 

And just so you know.

Nothing has Changed there in the last 10 Years either.

Right when WG started Selling Premium Ships. People which literally never Played the Game before. Bought them and Played in T8.

 

 

 

 

Let me tell you a Fun Fact.

Serious Players that want to Win and which make the Effort to Learn the Game. Will Generally not even need 1000 Battles to Learn the Game.

Nor do they need to Start on T1 where they Learn absolutely Nothing about the Game.

They Learn the Game Mechanics not because they Play. They Learn the Mechanics because they Watch Guides. Inform themselves and then Improve themselves by Trying out what they Learned in High Tier Games because most of the Stuff they Learned that Way just doesnt Apply in Low Tiers anyways.

 

 

 

And thats not something Exclusive to WG.

I blame WG for alot. But certainly not for the Fact that the vast Majority of Players in Online Games are Casuals that want Instant Gratification and which are not Interested in giving even the least bit of Effort towards Improving themselves.

 

 

By the way.

Something else has been the Same for the last 20 Years in Online Gaming as well.

For the last 20 Years in Online Gaming. In every Single Multiplayer Game that included some sort of Competition. The Older a Game became. The more of the Older Players Started Whining that the Quality of the Playerbase would be Degrading because of the Game Developer was making Changes to the Game that makes it worse.

 

Its a Fairly Human effect as well.

Humans tends to Remember Good stuff over Bad stuff.

Thats why the older the memories of something become. The more People forget the annoying crab that happened. And only Remember the Nice and Fun stuff.

 

 

Here. Have a 6 Year old Video of Jingles Introducing the Tirpitz.

Jingles for a Video taking Potshots at Broadsiding Cruisers. In a Roflstomp Match where the Enemy Team was incredible useless. Going Lemming to one Side.

Then watching one of the actual Good Players basicly Rolfstomping Enemies which got no Idea how the Game works.

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah.

Pretty much nothing has Changed Mate.

 

The Playerbase is as Bad as it has always been.

And some People of that Time are this Bad up to this Day. Having 40-45% Winrates despite having over 10.000 Matches by now.

While other Players with not even 1000 Matches have 55% Winrates because they actually made an Effort to Learn what they are doing and why something happens.

[RidingMyWaifu]

It's all about being willing to learn and improve yourself. Hell, i'm one of those 2020 covid potatoes.

 

Took me 1000-2000 battles (while grinding several lines up to t8), to just learn the basics. Another 1000 to remember what i can bounce and overmatch. Which ships have radar etc. It's a lot.

I don't blame anyone for being unwilling to learn. In fact, no skill whales in general. Are necessary to keep the game alive.

 

Having more newbies is also sign, that the game is getting more popular. Which is good. But those players really NEED, actual ingame tutorials. Sure would have helped me out.

 

Now, are there more incompetent players then 2 years  ago? At tier 9-10, certainly.

Tier 9s you can buy in store. Early access lines you can cash into. How many high tier premium ships have you seen, sailing in a straight line, while showing broadside lately?

The days, when it was expected of players to actually have some skills at tier 8+, are dead and gone.

[Yedwy]

Game went in the grosly wrong direction with CV rework…

[RenamedUser_92906789]

isdis a troll thread to Pete's pool? 

[ghostbuster_]

everything began with CV rework. there is not a single possitive change/addition since then.

[KillStealBoss]

5 hours ago, Sunleader said:

wasnt.

Even when I first Played this Game 10 Years ago

And Yes. I know its just 7 Years Actually. But 10 Years Sounds Cooler

10 years? The Alpha began in 2013 if I remember correctly. And went on in 2014. And this screenshot is from an article 10 years ago actually  

 

[Karasu_Browarszky]

I've been incompetent since 2015, and still going as strong as ever. It's the other players and the deteriorating meta that cause the problems.

[Sunleader]

5 hours ago, MacArthur92 said:

10 years? The Alpha began in 2013 if I remember correctly. And went on in 2014. And this screenshot is from an article 10 years ago actually 

 

Mate. Read Properly ;)

You even Quoted the Relevant Part yourself.

 

10 hours ago, Sunleader said:

(And Yes. I know its just 7 Years Actually. But 10 Years Sounds Cooler)

 

 

[The_Chiv]

18 hours ago, Aethervoxx said:

 

I hope this will be instructive of what players think about WoWS on these particular questions and where it is, apparently, trending towards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So as your poll shows most think 2019 was the death nail for competency. To put it simply, THE CV REWORK WAS IN 2019.

 

Before the CV rework there were so many great players who were doing some amazing things to ensure victory. After the Rework they all got punished by WG and they left. So, the decline has everything to do with the skill pool shrinking due to WG's ABUSIVE, SHORT SIGHTED, LUST FOR MONEY.

[Karasu_Browarszky]

3 minutes ago, The_Chiv said:

So as your poll shows most think 2019 was the death nail for competency. To put it simply, THE CV REWORK WAS IN 2019.

 

Before the CV rework there were so many great players who were doing some amazing things to ensure victory. After the Rework they all got punished by WG and they left. So, the decline has everything to do with the skill pool shrinking due to WG's ABUSIVE, SHORT SIGHTED, LUST FOR MONEY.

 

Exactly. Though.. TBH, I'm not entirely sure how much of the game's decline really was down to one major mistake like the CV rework, and to what extent that's just become a community rallying point later on and that's why we get that 2019 because everybody knows what 2019 means. Arguably, the CV rework changed the meta considerably, and in my opinion to the worse. I'd still be inclined to believe that there are a number of factors and several other bad development decisions that all compound on each other. If it were possible to undo the CV rework, obviously I'd consider that a step in the right direction, but what I'm saying is that getting the game on the right track is more of a distance event than a sprint. Even if WG was interested, that is...

[KillStealBoss]

1 hour ago, Sunleader said:

 

Mate. Read Properly ;)

You even Quoted the Relevant Part yourself.

 

 

 

yes but the game is neither 10 nor 7 years. In practice it's 9 years since it was given to anybody besides WG to play in it.

[Aethervoxx]

2 hours ago, The_Chiv said:

So as your poll shows most think 2019 was the death nail for competency. To put it simply, THE CV REWORK WAS IN 2019.

 

Before the CV rework there were so many great players who were doing some amazing things to ensure victory. After the Rework they all got punished by WG and they left. So, the decline has everything to do with the skill pool shrinking due to WG's ABUSIVE, SHORT SIGHTED, LUST FOR MONEY.

Exactly. 

[Sunleader]

44 minutes ago, MacArthur92 said:

yes but the game is neither 10 nor 7 years. In practice it's 9 years since it was given to anybody besides WG to play in it.

 

And when did I claim that the Game is 10 or 7 Years Old ? :)

 

 

The Reason I said 10 Years. Is because I am too lazy to Check exactly when I started Playing. So I just used the Date which I registered for it. And 10 Years just was easy to use and Sounded Cool.

The Reason I corrected it to 7 Years. Is because thats when my Experience in Playing actually matters. Because thats when the Open Beta Started. And thus you could actually Start seeing the Quality of Teams.

 

10 Years ago. I Registered for World of Warships. Back then still Playing World of Tanks after Navyfield Sunk and was Hyped for a New Ship Game.

9 Years ago the Alpha Started. But thats hardly Appropriate for Checking Player Quality. Because at this Point only a very small Selected Number of Players got in.

All of which had to Exert quite a bit of Effort and Jump through Hoops to get in.

8 Years ago the Closed Beta stuff was there. Which was available either for very Short Times. Or again only for very few numbers of Players.

Again. All of which had to Exert quite a bit of Effort and Jump through Hoops to get in.

7 Years ago. the Open Beta Started. And this is frankly the First Time you will have any way of Judging the Average Playerbase. Because thats the First Time you actually have Average Players for the Game as its the first Time the Game is actually Available without first Expending massive Effort to get in ;)

 

 

 

 

 

[neDomce]

I think we all sometimes suck in this game. even the superplayer forumites. 

and we remember when someone f***s up, instead of steady reasonable play 

 

so i would say this is confirmation bias all over

[KillStealBoss]

5 minutes ago, neDomce said:

I think we all sometimes suck in this game. even the superplayer forumites. 

and we remember when someone f***s up, instead of steady reasonable play 

 

so i would say this is confirmation bias all over

There's a difference between sometimes screwing up and having 35% WR on account. Which also was in the past but how often did you see them? Once a week maybe? Nie it's a daily thing to see at least one such guy.... For these people they "sometimes" play ok. Nothing special, just ok. 

And if you don't believe me you can go check the scoreboard to see the amount of such players. 

[Karasu_Browarszky]

4 minutes ago, neDomce said:

I think we all sometimes suck in this game. even the superplayer forumites. 

and we remember when someone f***s up, instead of steady reasonable play 

 

so i would say this is confirmation bias all over

 

Or... enjoyment bias. We remember the game being more fun and the battles being more engaging back in time and if we connect that to playerbase skill it's a foregone conclusion what that will show. While there definitely is a connection between general gameplay and player skill, I don't think relative skill levels are the only thing that make the game enjoyable. It can easily be too easy or too hard, so much of what we think makes the game fun to play better come from something else as well.

[KratosTheUnforgiving]

It's just not player incompetence, WG beat the players by miles for that, it's also all the bad changes, WG ignorance, border line lawful decisions, ignorance, not learning from mistakes, their drive for money and being the #1 scumbag gambling company and don't even mention the legal investigations going on that aren't gaming related !