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.

Is there a way to change Selection Deprioritizer with regards to bomber selection? I often run into the issue of wanting to select all bombers, but when I have some T1 bombers in the mix, none of the T3 bombers get selected. It would be great if it didn't interfere with the bomber selection. I really like this mod by the way, thanks for making it.

Hi all,

Would it be possible in Matchmaker to set spawn locations so that the best players on each team face each other? I often see 3v3 with the top player on team A facing off against a weak player on team B, and vice versa. While the teams are still balanced, it makes the game less fun for the weaker players.

EDIT added March 2: I think the issue is specifically on mapgen.

One day the children will ask you, “is it true that you played FAF back when most of the players were un-upgraded humans?” You’ll lean back in your rocking chair and say “Why yes indeed. Let me tell you a story…” What are your favorite FAF moments and anecdotes?

I’ll go first. It was a game cast by Gyle a few years ago, I believe a 4v4. Team North was down one player already and is generally behind. One guy in Team South sees an enemy ACU in a transport fly close to his own ACU. Clearly a quick thinker, he decides to self-destruct and thereby killing the other ACU, so as to increase the advantage from 4v3 players to 3v2 players.

Except, it turns out it was not an opponent ACU but his teammate with a similar color, and now instead of 4v3, it’s 2v3 Gyle actually got frustrated because he missed what happened and couldn’t make sense of how Team South lost two ACUs out of the blue without any sign of enemy action. Priceless…

For Cybran SACUs: short-distance area teleport?

May or may not be a good idea, but what’s more Cybran than 4 Bricks and a SACU suddenly appearing next to your air grid because you didn’t spot them activating the teleport ability.

Wait so what explains the Chinese text? Just curious.

Awesome, great job guys.

Is it just me, or has there been a change that now one can't see the whole map reveal itself once the game is over?

Perhaps one of my mods? Normally, you'd see also the opponent's base, but not anymore for me.I also noticed a weird message recorded in the replay. When checking the chat of the replays (for example #22108577), it says for both players:

Is trying to change armyocus from 2 to -1 via SetFocusArmy!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Some thoughts to @BlackYps ' point:

Could one option be the map title? As in, have it start with "R' for rotated symmetry and "M" for mirror or something like that?

Another option: perhaps making it create slight color variations in the terrain? Like in "Adaptive Moon" and "Moonlight Pass" where some of the ground is slightly darker. I guess it would have to be just in one area (mirror) or two areas (rotational) though; if it creates lots of areas like that it would just make it confusing.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell where your opponents spawned. If the map requires early drops for expansion, it becomes critical to read the style of symmetry correctly. Could mapgen create some kind of visual cue so it’s clear when it’s a rotational symmetry map?

In more detail: in my view, on some maps, “transport first” early expansion is extremely make-or-break: if I read the map correctly, I seize 50-60% of my “lane” early on (and stomp my weaker opponent as fast as my weakest teammate gets stomped on the other side). But, if I misread the symmetry, my drop is in walking distance of an opposing ACU and the drop ends in disaster.

Yes, I can try to scout better. But if I can easily tell what symmetry we have, the first three minutes become less stressful and swing the game less often. As a result, people have more satisfying TMM experiences, therefore lead more fulfilled lives, and thus world peace becomes more likely thanks to mapgen.