Choosing Your Main
Choosing Your Main
I watched an interesting and pretty philosophical take on choosing your main in Super Smash Bros Melee, by Rishi. It's here:
What I expected was a rundown of the different traits and styles of each character, which is similar to how AoE3 guides often describe different civs-- for instance, saying that Russia is a rush/timing civ, Spain China focus on fast fortresses and tech advantages, Brits and Ports boom, USA turtles, etc.
But what I got from this video was a completely different take on the philosophy of choosing a main, and it made me rethink how I have decided what civ to play. Instead of thinking about main characters or civs as having inherent traits which determine how you play, Rishi argues the opposite-- that what you first need to establish the content of what you want to accomplish in game, and then consider which medium is best for expressing and achieving that content in the most appropriate way possible. It makes a lot of sense in the context of Smash, but I've been thinking about how it might apply to AoE3. When going into a multiplayer environment, before I even pick my civ, I need to think-- what do I want to achieve? What actions do I want to take? An aggressive rush that puts my opponent on the back foot? An economic timing? A tech advantage? Then, how does the content of what I want to achieve change as the game progresses, and what do I need to do to adapt? The civ I pick will determine the medium in which I can express this content.
The quote that stands out: "The mark of a strong player is one who formulates ideas of strong substance, and puts themselves in a position to implement those ideas effectively in the game. To do so, you need to be playing a character whose tools line up with your intentions". This perspective means thinking past simplistic categories like "spain is FF civ, aztec is rush civ".
Anyway, maybe I'm not totally capturing Rishi's argument here or applying it well to AoE3, but the video is worth a watch anyway, if you're interested in thinking strategically about competitive multiplayer games with multiple character or civ options.
What I expected was a rundown of the different traits and styles of each character, which is similar to how AoE3 guides often describe different civs-- for instance, saying that Russia is a rush/timing civ, Spain China focus on fast fortresses and tech advantages, Brits and Ports boom, USA turtles, etc.
But what I got from this video was a completely different take on the philosophy of choosing a main, and it made me rethink how I have decided what civ to play. Instead of thinking about main characters or civs as having inherent traits which determine how you play, Rishi argues the opposite-- that what you first need to establish the content of what you want to accomplish in game, and then consider which medium is best for expressing and achieving that content in the most appropriate way possible. It makes a lot of sense in the context of Smash, but I've been thinking about how it might apply to AoE3. When going into a multiplayer environment, before I even pick my civ, I need to think-- what do I want to achieve? What actions do I want to take? An aggressive rush that puts my opponent on the back foot? An economic timing? A tech advantage? Then, how does the content of what I want to achieve change as the game progresses, and what do I need to do to adapt? The civ I pick will determine the medium in which I can express this content.
The quote that stands out: "The mark of a strong player is one who formulates ideas of strong substance, and puts themselves in a position to implement those ideas effectively in the game. To do so, you need to be playing a character whose tools line up with your intentions". This perspective means thinking past simplistic categories like "spain is FF civ, aztec is rush civ".
Anyway, maybe I'm not totally capturing Rishi's argument here or applying it well to AoE3, but the video is worth a watch anyway, if you're interested in thinking strategically about competitive multiplayer games with multiple character or civ options.
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- Musketeer
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Sep 1, 2021
Re: Choosing Your Main
Great and very thoughtful post, but I will continue to Botto FF relentlessly
Re: Choosing Your Main
yea, I think this perspective can help you get insight into what the botto ff does and how it fits into the game. If your intention is to 1. aggressively attack and 2. gain a tech advantage, then botto FF works pretty well as a medium for these actions. Is that your intention going into each game, or are you just comfortable with botto ff because you've played it a lot?abeisfriend wrote: ↑22 Mar 2022, 19:18Great and very thoughtful post, but I will continue to Botto FF relentlessly
Other civs can also become a medium for these actions as well, whether or not you're talking about a FF. idk, just trying to think through how this theory might apply to aoe3
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- Howdah
- Posts: 1676
- Joined: May 6, 2021
- ESO: esuck
Re: Choosing Your Main
I haven't watched the vide0 but I think intenti0ns are m0re dynamical in an rts than a fighting game, esbecially a0e3 with strategy branches fr0m card c0mbinati0ns/b0ssibiltiies.
If I were a petal
And plucked, or moth, plucked
From flowers or pollen froth
To wither on a young child’s
Display. Fetch
Me a ribbon, they, all dead
Things scream.
And plucked, or moth, plucked
From flowers or pollen froth
To wither on a young child’s
Display. Fetch
Me a ribbon, they, all dead
Things scream.
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- Howdah
- Posts: 1149
- Joined: Oct 16, 2019
- ESO: LeHussardsurletoit
Re: Choosing Your Main
Well Aizamk has been pike rushing with Ports and doing FIs with Russia and nats rush with dutch for years so...Squamiger wrote: ↑22 Mar 2022, 19:22yea, I think this perspective can help you get insight into what the botto ff does and how it fits into the game. If your intention is to 1. aggressively attack and 2. gain a tech advantage, then botto FF works pretty well as a medium for these actions. Is that your intention going into each game, or are you just comfortable with botto ff because you've played it a lot?abeisfriend wrote: ↑22 Mar 2022, 19:18Great and very thoughtful post, but I will continue to Botto FF relentlessly
Other civs can also become a medium for these actions as well, whether or not you're talking about a FF. idk, just trying to think through how this theory might apply to aoe3
ESOC : came for the game, stayed for the drama.
Re: Choosing Your Main
Tbh it sounds like a lot of words to say something we all already know intuitively: Play a civ that does well at the playstyles you prefer.
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- Gendarme
- Posts: 5996
- Joined: Jun 4, 2019
Re: Choosing Your Main
There is an interesting bit in this statement: Should you choose the playstyle that you enjoy the most or the playstyle that you are best at? Usually those things are the same, but I know that for myself this is an almost perfect mismatch. I enjoy the playmaking style of character/civ/thing, but I have a very risk-averse personality that makes me awful at playmaking in any sense. I should be playing the reactionary strategic characters if I want to excell. So in that case, how should I choose my main?
Re: Choosing Your Main
Do you prefer more enjoyment or a higher ELO? Does a higher ELO directly cause you to enjoy the game more and to what degree? Etc. Personally I'd go with the thing I enjoy most and if that costs ELO so be it
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