Howdy folks!
I recently went back through all my posts on here. I was thinking of possibly bringing back and posting a new article from one of my old series from back when I was a CC before I stepped away for person/health reasons. Old series like "Misguided Guides", "Some Hard Facts", or "WOT History". I went back and skimmed, then re-read all of them looking for inspiration.
"Private_Public is a boomer! "
It brought back some fond memories. Especially the WOT History articles. I got a bit of a nostalgia kick as I read through discussions of old patches, what was added to or removed from the game, and general player reactions in regard to those patches. I even enjoyed reading my post on the history of the WOT Maps, which patches they were added, etc.
This game, and by extension – the player base – has really matured through the years. The player base has an in-depth insight of game mechanics that did not exist even 4-5 years ago when I was still publishing those articles on a regular basis. Some of those very folks that know game mechanics in and out, still post on here on the semi-regular. I remember the fun times platooning or doing competitive modes (tourneys, clanwars, advances) with them as well, for several years on end, and getting the chance to pick their brains so I could write well-informed articles. Folks like /u/Jak_atackka, u/Canteen_CA who are both still moderators here, as an example.
"So Private_Public. Have you tried not being old?"
I remember being part of the discussions for WN9 (which never ended up coming to fruition) as the original purpose behind WN8 – to not to be able to be farmed/manipulated like WN7- turns out it could be farmed/manipulated. Thus, WN9 was supposed to fix that. Having access to pools of talent/intelligence who can see things in ways you can't, helps a lot. I honestly think it is unfortunate WN9 never got fully realized, but issues with the API and what info it had or didn't have, or even how you would be able to store/maintain the huge database needed to make WN9 possible all ended up contributing to scuttling the project.
Anyway, we have some amazingly talented, intelligent, and dedicated folks in this community. They are able to take a look at what is coming down the pipe, apply it to the knowledge/ability they have, and see what will likely happen as a result. Majority of the time, they are correct. I have no reason to doubt these folks when they say a change to a tank, game mechanic, or skill will affect X in Y manner.
"Private_Public, where are you going with this?"
Well, I see something coming down the pipe. Yes, it involves patch 1.20.1. I do see crew 2.0 as an issue, but not in the way that many highly-competitive players do.
Will crew 2.0 make the upper echelons of competitive WoT even more about minutia, having hyper-skilled crews, etc.? Absolutely Yes. Having even a 0.5% mathematical advantage over an opponent who is as equally skilled as you can be the difference in a win or a loss. I have no doubt that for the competitive scene of WoT, that Crew 2.0 is a seismic shake-up. The players at the highest tiers of WoT, who compete day in and day out against the other best-of-the-best? For them, this is no doubt a huge worry, a huge shift, and a huge issue. I do not blame them for not being happy, as upcoming meta shifts can throw out current/working knowledge overnight.
How about for the rest of us? For folk like me who stepped away from competitive, or those who never were competitive in the first place? For the vast-unwashed masses who are the 95% who don't do more than play random matches, frontlines, and maybe the occasional Stronghold match for fun? What do I see coming down the pipe for us with crew 2.0?
"Private_Public, have you ever learned to shut up?"
Honestly? I don't see an amazing shift coming. Random matches will be random matches. Strange things, strange plays, strange RNG will happen. I look at a lot of these new skills and I think to myself "Wow, I like that. That will be powerful." Then I read the "must be within 50 meters" or "must do this". Requirements to activate those skills. Requirements on several skills that can/do/will happen, but in random matches – just randomly.
In competitive modes? I absolutely expect players/teams would do what they can to meet these exacting conditions. In random matches? It will happen randomly, despite best efforts. You know what I mean. Getting your random teammates to behave in the manner that helps you achieve something is like herding cats. Might happen. Might not. Probably just gonna get screeched at while they noisily lick their hind-quarters.
"Ok Private_Public. What do you want me to do about it so you will finally shut up?"
Nothing. Be patient. Try not to have knee-jerk reactions. Let's give the smartest and most capable in our community time really dig into what this can do to the competitive meta in ranked/cw/advances. Once they do, that knowledge can then trickle down to the rest of us to experiment with here and there to see if we can replicate the same tactics.
While I believe that yes, Crew 2.0 will indeed have an impact (and probably quite massive one) in competitive modes, I don't think regular random battles are going to see any difference. The hyper-skilled among us will still farm you and farm me as easily as they always have. I will still easily outplay those less skilled than me. Maybe 1 in 150 matches might it actually make a difference to my match where having 5% faster reload because i'm within 50 meters of someone to trigger a skill/perk is going to actually matter.
I"ll keep chugging along. I'll keep playing. I'll keep learning. I'll try to emulate those better at this game than me and fail like I normally do.
I hope to see the rest of you out there on the battlefield!
"Finally, he shut up. Go back to bed, gramps."
