I’ll let better-qualified people weigh in, but in the meantime just a big thank you to Brutus and all who are donating their free time to protect FAF from these imbeciles.

Thanks Crofis.
With discriminations like this, I’m starting to understand why the Seraphim loathe humankind.

Just wanted to say thanks to all involved in the Matchmaker development. I’m really excited for this.

Another anecdote, under the category self-awareness:

Setons 4v4, with everyone around 1000, except our mid who is 700. Barely seven minutes in, his ACU gets killed. I inherit his base, but my single-core brain gets overwhelmed trying to handle both my naval battle and the land onslaught in the middle. They break through and the game ends at like minute 20.

Says the 700-rated guy without a hint of irony: “damn why do I always end up in the shitty team”

Consistently top-notch troubleshooting advice from @MostLostNoob . I wish every game I play/software I use had someone giving such detailed guidance to fixing issues. Really nice to have volunteers like you (and many others) who make FAF a better experience for everyone.

I know what you mean. However, small maps help learning the basic build orders and concepts, which then make you better at larger maps.

There was a time when 20x20 maps were in the pool also for fairly low-rated players. At first it seemed nice because you had time to build up. Then after 8 minutes you would get swarmed and realize you actually never had a chance in the first place because of your poor eco game. The larger map just made you feel safer longer because you couldn't see how far you were behind.

An anecdote on my first encounter with toxic players:

I was a complete noobie and not accustomed to rude players when I played my fourth or so ladder game. It was on Seraphim Glaciers (4 islands). I managed to take both of the empty islands and felt pretty good. Then my opponent did a T2 comdrop on my main island, to my absolute surprise. Befuddled, I spammed T1 arty and walked my ACU into his to deal with his T2 PD creep. It ended with both ACUs blowing up in a draw.

Then my opponent started yelling at me and called me an idiot. Being new to FAF, was again very confused: had I violated some kind of taboo? Was this like the old Total Annihilation where it was frowned upon to kill an ACU with your ACU?

Later I realized: no, I hadn’t done anything wrong. It’s just that my opponent was Gmoney. He apparently frequently tried cheesy strategies against noobs, expecting to win easily, and then got very angry if a noob managed to counter him

To all noobs hesitating to try ladder: most other players were friendly and some even gave me tips so just try it.

First the bad news: compared to Astro/Dual Gap, 1v1 ladder will always require you to pay attention to more things at once, including micro. (Conversely, if you go from 1v1 ladder to Astro, it feels like playing soccer in a tight hallway.)

The good news: mastering the basics of the game can shut down these kinds of micro battles. Let me explain: I sometimes lose 1v1 games for the reasons you describe - unable to defend against getting stung in ten places at once. In those games, it feels my micro is inadequate, but here is what actually happens: I messed up my first two minutes (long power stall, or not enough factories, or slow to capture mexes). Now my opponent has 1. ten tanks more than me and can attack everywhere, and 2. I never got to push my opponent, so he can peacefully expand and focus his attention on attacking me. So: you’ll be surprised how much less micro you need once your macro is 25% better.

Now, if you still find the 1v1 experience too intense, try team matchmaker (TMM). Often the micro is a lot easier since you have only one or two lanes to fight in. I actually find the TMM macro much more demanding because, to play well, I feel I have to check what everyone else is doing and whether I should push my opponent or help allies defend instead. But I think most TMM players just do their thing and find it easier than 1v1.

If I was you, I’d just submit one of your 1v1 games to the FAF Discord channel “replays” and ask what two things you could do better. Lots of great players will give you clear, simple advice that will get you a long way.

You fool, what have you done? Now that you’ve brought these units into the real world, it’s only a matter of time until ISIS gets its hands on a Megalith.

Good example of what happens when FAF players don’t play the campaign first and don’t learn the lessons Dr. Brackman had to offer.

Ah, that’s great, thank you. You’d think I would have checked the Mods tab before asking

I’ll let better-qualified people weigh in, but in the meantime just a big thank you to Brutus and all who are donating their free time to protect FAF from these imbeciles.

Thanks Crofis.
With discriminations like this, I’m starting to understand why the Seraphim loathe humankind.

Is there a reason a Seraphim t1 transport won't drop engies on the middle plateau of Broken Vows? The unload location was empty, but the transport twice dropped beside the plateau instead.

Replay: #24356247
Time: 6:15 and again 7:10

If I remember correctly:

1. Select a factory and create a queue with what you want in the template.
2. Click that little icon (one of those in the factory UI, above the queue) that I believe has a small “+” in it. You won’t get any sign that it is saved, but it will be saved under the templates.
3. You may or may not need to restart the game.
4. Select the factory (use same faction). In that icon row, there is one for the templates. Clicking on it should show you an icon (or several) of a unit. Click on it and your factory will build the saved queue.
5. Note that there is a hot key to tell the factory to build what’s in the template queue.

Thanks! I’ll give it a try.

As the title says. I’d be curious to look at a replay and see how everyone’s APM compared. Are there existing tools like this?

Maybe someone else has the solution, but here’s a potential workaround: there’s a mod “ZeP minimap” or something similar that I’d recommend. It shows the minimap, but only when you’re zoomed in.

Ah, that’s great, thank you. You’d think I would have checked the Mods tab before asking

One (cumbersome) way to turn on an installed mod is to create a custom game and turn on the mod in that menu. Is there a better way though?

Ah, duh Thank you. I figured all the hotkey options under Target Priorities were legacy options from the other mod I used.