Why GGG doesnt want 2WEEK race to be SSF?

Welp it seems this upcoming 2 week League wont be SSF baring a last minute GGG surprise (unlikely)... but SSF players made a loud noise in the polls (38%) so maybe in the near future there will be a SSF option.

I saw a lot of people posting 'If you want to SSF then why can't you just play that way yourself? Why force everyone to play SSF as well?'. The answer - at least from my perspective - is COMPETITION. If the league restricts players from trading/partying then the ladder/ competition is fair (currently SSF players make a gentleman's agreement to NOT cheat), worthwhile because you know no one has an unfair advantage and competitive (especially if it's Hardcore where ladders can change dramatically). As for us wanting to FORCE SSF on other players... I wouldn't want to do that personally. I want players to share new league experiences together and enjoy it their way (whether via party play / becoming lords of the trade / or SSF competitive play). I'd actually prefer if GGG had an option for players to pick SSF when they make an exile for a new league - which'd mean we could all play the same league together and tussle for the League prizes... only we'd do so with seperate ladders.

SSF would be a great competitive tool for GGG to pursue because it's fair, it's challenging, players are interested in it (but don't want to be forced to do it) and because the state of party play and how it can affect game performance means SOLO play is a widely preferable choice anyway (at least in the interim).
I hope to see it get some love in the future. I'd also like to see SSF + HC + Slay all the Map Bosses to appear on the ladder.

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WARPAINTER wrote:

worthwhile because you know no one has an unfair advantage and competitive

What are you talking about? SSF is the single most RNG-dependent game mode you can think of and you're telling us it's fair...

lol

It's actually the most unfair one and perhaps the only one I can think of where an inferior player can do better than a superior one simply because of RNG swings. This won't affect the best players, of course, they will use optimized builds and fast clear speed to bruteforce the game, but it will affect the middle tier.


And all this talking about RMT, 'bitchboys' and so on is so funny. Really makes the salty wannabe 'elite' players stand out. Are there rotten apples in PoE? Undoubtedly. But there also are players who are simply skilled, knowledgeable and dedicated. All the paranoids imagining botters and dirty business everywhere probably haven't watched a top streamer play and accomplish in a few days more than they do in a few weeks.

^
What bars just wrote lol.

SSF is about limiting your build options and stretching RNG in your favor, but that's about the extend of where "skill" will bring you in such a game-state.

Let me predict how a ladder would have looked like in a SSF 2 week race.

1) flameblast
2) flameblast
3) pizzablast
4) flameblast
etc etc...

That's just how a SSF race is, get the strongest non-gear dependent set-up and roll as fast as possible.
Then put in the time to have a shot at the ladder positions.

The current game-state/balance doesn't allow a multitude of divergence from the core SSF builds and as such is very predictable and boring if you desire to compete.

To put this in some perspective, i played a tornado shot ranger in the solo event to enter the beta last time and i put in roughly 3x the hours of regular flameblast players.

In the top 100 i was the only "attack" based build playing. The top 30 where all flameblast.(probably top 75 to be honest but i didn't bother checking beyond top 30)

And that's normal if you consider the parameters your competing in.

Peace,

-Boem-

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Bars wrote:

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WARPAINTER wrote:

worthwhile because you know no one has an unfair advantage and competitive

What are you talking about? SSF is the single most RNG-dependent game mode you can think of and you're telling us it's fair...

lol

Yes. We can agree to disagree. I much prefer a league decided by skill + RNG (cos at least skill can substitute bad RNG to a degree) VS a league with skill + RMT + I'm your biggest fanboy have these maps + let's 6 of us share these RED maps and power ahead of the pack/level our masters the fastest and you can wear the bonus EXP gear and do fuk all and be no.1.

@Boem

I get what you're saying Boem and it's a point well taken given the results of the previous SSF League. But with Ascendancy power creep out now, prizes on offer to each top ascendancy class, perandus in play + other options GGG could utilize to force some diversity I would really like to see at least a SSF option in the future... if not dedicated league then at least the option for separate ladder as maybe things have changed. Maybe not too.

Fuck, arguing with SSF advocates is probably the only thing that can make me want a SSF league.

Oh, the looks on their faces when the same people end at the top and they are scraping the bottom...

How do I know? Simple, anyone with the experience and skill to do well in a SSF league wouldn't actually want one as they know what they have to do to compete in it. And what they have to do is a fucking boring playstyle.



...

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Bars wrote:

Fuck, arguing with SSF advocates is probably the only thing that can make me want a SSF league.

Oh, the looks on their faces when the same people end at the top and they are scraping the bottom...

How do I know? Simple, anyone with the experience and skill to do well in a SSF league wouldn't actually want one as they know what they have to do to compete in it. And what they have to do is a fucking boring playstyle.

You may be right... I may end up thinking SSF is boring as all hell, but like I said... I'd be happy if GGG considered for a future League event just trialing the option to make a League exile SSF - meaning they're on a different ladder and anything on top of that I'd see as a bonus. That would appeal to my competitive interest in PoE and would make me want to play Leagues.

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Sygnano wrote:

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Sexcalibure wrote:

"

Because if its SSF i no I for one will not be playing.

And many others agree.

http://www.strawpoll.me/10078567/r

posting a strawpoll in a [Removed by Support]

OH COME ON ALREADY ITS NOT OFFENSIVE GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER

posting a strawpoll in a vegan meeting doesn't make the whole world hate meat

HERE ARE YOU HAPPY

Mods around here follow the dogma of "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will completely destroy me".

I really hope they are actually unwillingly following some assbackwards laws that NZ may have (the 3 monkeys law I guess would be the name). otherwise its just sad

Lookin forward to this event! I am already tired of the SSF d3 league that just started and ready to get back where the real trading is!

"

Bars wrote:

"

WARPAINTER wrote:

worthwhile because you know no one has an unfair advantage and competitive

What are you talking about? SSF is the single most RNG-dependent game mode you can think of and you're telling us it's fair...

lol

It's actually the most unfair one and perhaps the only one I can think of where an inferior player can do better than a superior one simply because of RNG swings. This won't affect the best players, of course, they will use optimized builds and fast clear speed to bruteforce the game, but it will affect the middle tier.


And all this talking about RMT, 'bitchboys' and so on is so funny. Really makes the salty wannabe 'elite' players stand out. Are there rotten apples in PoE? Undoubtedly. But there also are players who are simply skilled, knowledgeable and dedicated. All the paranoids imagining botters and dirty business everywhere probably haven't watched a top streamer play and accomplish in a few days more than they do in a few weeks.

Although there's some truth to this, I actually think a little bit of "unfairness" via RNG in competition is a good thing. Consider chess; if someone's much better than you in that game, it's pretty difficult to enjoy oneself playing. In contrast, in a game like poker you've still got skill as the primary deciding factor, but especially on a single-hand level it's very possible for a horrible player to beat a great one.

Or in short, randomness makes games fun for non-tryhards. And despite the "no trade is hardcore" posturing - which is actually kinda true on a pure PvE level - I suspect some people want it for the PvP casualization aspect.

Frankly, I'm not against it. League's already going to be casual as fuck because Cadiro, who also makes it loads easier to enable build-around-me unique-item builds (which normally have issues under SSF conditions).

^the main point is that people complaining now, are still going to complain even under those rule-sets.

It's just another case of not knowing what they actually want, since if you follow their desired thought pattern you end up in a "most time played = win" scenario.

Is there skill in SSF? Some, you need to be able to deduce what will give you the most chances at victory.

But beyond that point, not really so it really just becomes a thought exercise.

Skill without SSF follows the same pattern though, it just has more layers to account for and more importantly it doesn't stop after the thought exercise.

Peace,

-Boem-

edit : typo