Seeing all the gripes about spawncamping one particular player has been making lately inspired me to write up something about the overall game. In here, I hope to identify the different areas of the game. It doesn't have much practical use beyond making you aware of the various phases. You need to have strategies that are set up for all 3 phases, not just the midgame where so many people focus. Opening Some players act like this doesn't even exist. Ignoring the opening phase of the game is a sure way to invite a terrible position during the midgame. The opening is basically right as the game begins as both sides begin to stake out their first positions. Opening positions are very specific to your class and stage. Make sure you have a plan and possibly a backup surprise to start the opening. For example, you could try to dominate the center of Spunky by controlling the walkway, or start working toward the opponent's corner arches. A popular opening of Ammo Mule is to get a firebase or two set in the central dome so as to control the use of the Annihilator and juice machines. The opening lasts beyond simply the first exchange, though. It's an accumulation of money so that all players can get their classes' skills up to their ideal levels (not maxed-out, just enough that you can function well). - Gambits are rather rare here. I can't think of very many you could do in the overall game, let alone the opening. All that comes to mind is the Assassin spawning gremlins to either disrupt the grounded opponents and/or go after potentially unprotected rockets. Midgame Everybody knows what this is. This is the main part of the game where (ideally) both sides push back at each other. The action will primarily be within the middle of the arena, but it will often involve some plays near one side's base. One player getting in to the opponent's base doesn't necessarily constitute an endgame. Endgame At this point, one team has established a fairly secure lock on the other. There are a couple forms of endgame, though (not counting Overtime). Spawncamping is one form of the endgame, where you've established so much control over your opponents that they're not even able to go much further than their own spawn doors. Players farming for kills will maintain this game state for as long as possible, whereas players actively trying to win the game will only devote some of their team to locking down the spawn area. The others will be either attacking the moneyball directly and/or eliminate bots so their own bots hit it. The other endgame looks far more natural. Simply have the moneyball down at about 1/3 or 1/4 health. At this point, it doesn't matter how many players have gotten into the base, because just one player can realistically take it out. Even if you kill one player, the next guy can resume this and it only takes enough continuous pecks to crack that egg. The ball doesn't even have to be down for an endgame to occur; it could be at low enough health that one simple bot push can take it out despite the shields.
Most games I play these days with a full squad and such don't even have all this. It's just all rush forward with at least 3 supports healing, a gunner noming everything in his path, and then spawn rape with firebases. Maybe an assassin over by the bot wave spawns not letting any past to let ours push. Spawn killing isn't so ignorant of the objective, it stops enemy pros getting out and healing/pushing out bots out. Through all this usually 2-3 people leave and then it's over.
I was about to post a reply about how: A) Pretty well written points for new/returning players. B) Depending on strategies/outcomes of the early game, the mid game can be skipped entirely as you get/receive a rush. Seriously, if you and all allied pros lose to the initialpush in the opening game, a rushing team can usually push directly into the base. Then Amaze pointed out how to create a solid rush tactic and boom, proved my post before I could post it.
Sure, I'll absolutely admit that an early aggressive game can force the endgame to happen really quickly, practically bypassing the midgame entirely.
Although it would be nice if all games had this layout. I recently had one, I posted in a thread. Basically all of the above, no one using juice like 20 times, and it was way more fun and hard.
Huh, never thought I would hear of sirlin again... Anyway, this is pretty well-thought out. Thumbs up for that.
