Improving game knowledge

[Riotcoke]

I would like to try to improve my game knowledge so i can adapt better to certain matchups, is there any way to quickly better game knowledge or is it something that just comes with playtime?

[[Armag] diarouga]

Play and try to understand the MUs.

[gamevideo113]

I think it depends. To get a general sense of what you should do in a team game, you probably can gain experience by playing. In 1v1 i feel like you really need to study the match ups or at least the builds and then try to see what works and what not. 1v1 imo is mostly a matter of reading guides, watching pros and recs.

[jesus3]

For me, as I don't look at any stats or data, it came with just playing more and becoming familiar with matchups

[Challenger_Marco]

How many hours does pro players have? Curious to know !!right now I have 717 hours on aoe3 since last year where I bought aoe3 but I used to play pirated version so that must add like 1-1.5k hours more.

[Challenger_Marco]

CS GO pros have 5-10k hours atleast......is that same for aoe3 as well?

[[Armag] diarouga]

Yes.

[Challenger_Marco]

Yes.

What do you suggest...like pick a civ....play like 1 hour daily with that civ (recorded)...watch the recorded game....analyse the mu....write down mistakes......watch how pros play the same mu.....repeat?

[Riotcoke]

I've played 300 hours since i got the game on steam 7 years ago, however i've had it since release playing single player, so maybe add another 200 for that. Maybe my lack of hours is why my game knowledge is so piss poor.

[Challenger_Marco]

I have wasted so much time on nilla ,so the time which really counts for me is 717 hours from last year where i started playing tad.....some hours where comp stomps....noob bashing...team games...less 1v1 overall...yeah probably we need to spend more hours on 1v1 to improve.

[[Armag] diarouga]

Yes.

What do you suggest...like pick a civ....play like 1 hour daily with that civ (recorded)...watch the recorded game....analyse the mu....write down mistakes......watch how pros play the same mu.....repeat?

Yea.
That's what I do too by the way. I pick a MU I want to practice because I think it's fun to play or useful for tourneys.
First I watch a lot of recorded games, to see how and why the meta evolved, and how people play it. Then I try to figure out what's the best way to play it from both sides, I play it with practice partners and I conclude whether this is a good or a bad MU.
It helps a lot because :
1) You're going to understand whether a MU is bad or good for you. Thus, you're going to take good MUs more often
2) After you've watched 10 recs and played it 10-20 times, you're going to have a very good understanding of this match-up.

Of course, it takes a lot of time, and you can't do that for every single MU, so I guess you should do that with only one civ (14 MUs) to master it unless you're a top player. Watching the game from your POV will also help as you will see your mistakes.

Step 1 : Watch pro recorded game and try to understand the MU (my strategy guide might help to understand the evolution of the meta)
Step 2 : Play this MU a lot
Step 3 : Watch your recorded games when you lose and try to understand why you lost.

[Mitoe]

Ryan always told me that he never bothered rewatching games from his own perspective. He always watched his opponent’s POV to see how it felt for them.

[[Armag] diarouga]

Ryan always told me that he never bothered rewatching games from his own perspective. He always watched his opponent’s POV to see how it felt for them.

Players who are pr35- often do a lot of macro mistakes (so does ryan btw haha). That's something you can see when watching your POV.

[Mitoe]

I’m not disputing that, and Ryan has always said that macro is his biggest weakness.

Personally I seldom rewatched my recs, and don’t feel I got much out of it whenever I did—usually I felt like I already knew what I’d done wrong during the games. I got some stuff out of commentary on my games though cause that gave me a second perspective.

I think trying to improve is a complicated process that can’t necessarily be simplified into a routine, and everyone is different. If you’ve been trying to improve for a while but don’t feel you’ve gotten any better just experiment with different methods whether it be criticizing your own recs, getting new practice partners, etc.

[deleted_user]

...or bashing some 1st lts on smurfs

[Snuden]

Do the opposite of me.

[deleted_user]

Do the opposite of me.

This is actually good advice.

Because knowing "what to do" can be overwhelming and unhelpful for novices, it's more beneficial to learn first "what not to do."

[Snuden]

And one of those things is: Do NOT herd 4 hunts in colonial. Just because herding is good, does not mean that herding 4 hunts is 4 times as good.

[Challenger_Marco]

And one of those things is: Do NOT herd 4 hunts in colonial. Just because herding is good, does not mean that herding 4 hunts is 4 times as good.

Only x666 members do that mistake as they r blessed with high negativity?

[SoldieR]

I feel like I've been stuck forever. Mostly I dont know a ton of MUs, or at least I maybe just always forget.

That's the tough thing about this game. For the most part you need to know the correct build, you cant always just make units and outplay based off that. You need to have the right units at the right times.

[[Armag] diarouga]

Yea, you usually go for random stuffs and get a strat disadvantage :)

[Mitoe]

> know what your civ is capable of & what it struggles against
> know what your opponent’s civ is capable of & what it struggles against

(Can change depending on map)

> scout what your opponent is doing and adapt your civs capabilities to cover your weaknesses against what he is doing or to pressure his civ’s weaknesses


It sounds so simple when you write it out yet it really isn’t

[bepsi]

CS GO pros have 5-10k hours atleast......is that same for aoe3 as well?

Knowing this to be true, it never ceases to amaze how very little supremacy xp most pro players have accumulated on their accounts. Like if I create a smurf and play 100 games or so/make a few home cities I basically have accumulated the same supremacy xp as, say, _H2O which simply beggars belief. I now this is entirely irrelevant but I simply find it annoying. What am I missing?

[[Armag] diarouga]

I don't know but it is irrelevant as you said.
Anyway, all the aoe3 top players have played at least 5k 1v1 games, and some have probably played more than 20k.

[macacoalbino]

@Riotcoke Check out the video below. They discuss stuff about improving and practicing etc. It's all about SC2, but I think a lot of it applies to aoe3 as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDkj9kDurUY

Btw, the video is really long I know, but the content is really nice