Hitting a Plateau

[Love_Ur_Cits]

What kind of advice or suggestions for players can you offer who have been playing for a few years or have about 1,500 to 2,000 battles under their belt?  For example, a player that has made gradual improvement in damage and win rate over that period of time but can't seem to get to the next level.

[BOBTHEBALL]

I had this problem, what I did was whenever I had a bad match I'd re-watch it and see what I did wrong. I see so many people blaming the team, other things when in reality it was THEM who caused their horrid game. Also playing ships you're comfortable with is a huge plus. If you're able to get unicum stats with a ship you enjoy then you can keep trying to play it to continue learning and improving. Which is what I'm doing at the moment with Leg Mod Petropavlovsk.

[torino2dc]

Pick one of the following in each category to focus on:

Early game: better initial positioning, catching vulnerable targets, capturing objectives. 

Mid game: better damage trading, better at anticipatory rotations, get better at deciding when to push/kite.

Late game: better anticipation of enemy late game, improving at 1 vs. 1 (at minimum trade, preferably stay alive), improving at 1 vs. x (as much multi-target damage as possible).   

I am currently working up my Spanish cruisers, so I am working on catching vulnerable targets early, better trading mid game (better aiming at long range), and improving 1 vs. x late game. The above is just one of many lenses through which to look at improving gameplay.  

 

[SinkShips_2021]

Thank you—some good advice.  I have found that watching my replays helps out a lot.  However, having a third set of eyes on my replays for things I might be missing would be nice.  There are a lot of map tactics, for example, that I just don't execute very well.

[BOBTHEBALL]

3 hours ago, SinkShips_2021 said:

Thank you—some good advice.  I have found that watching my replays helps out a lot.  However, having a third set of eyes on my replays for things I might be missing would be nice.  There are a lot of map tactics, for example, that I just don't execute very well.

If you'd like in my help forum I could create a place for people to dump replays so they can get analyzed. That might be a good start to see how you play and what you do wrong. Only if you're up for it however.

[GMMF]

Can try explore new things and step out of comfort zone. 

Like over the years I try various style and lines of DDs, learnt a bit on how to CV, tried hybrid BBs and etc. Now I have bought Colbert and Brisbane so I can learn how to play squishy light cruisers that doesn't have smoke. 

I was once only being comfort with a couple of premiums and regrinding certain tech lines but that became boring quickly. Playing various lines can help keep the enthusiasm and getting hands on experiences on ships is one of the ways to learn them and knowing how to counter them. Instead of only knowing them through videos and stats. In the end raising stats or even finding lines that one excels in.

[BOBTHEBALL]

This advice ^^^^^ is amazing really good!

[Admiral_Karasu]

The way how I, and possibly many others, do ship hopping when they are playing probably isn't helping much to improve their gameplay. Sometimes, when I have played just one ship in several battles I have managed to perform slightly better, overall. Of course, it still depends on a lot of other factors that change from one random battle to the next.

[Gnirf]

I have been around 55 % for ages. However as this is a level that I am reasonably satisfied with, and plays very much I have identified some reasons why I stay at this level.

A/ I play far too much. I mean really those 2-3 hours on weekdays and 5-8 hours on weekends. It is impossible to keep concentration. But it is a deliberate choice.

But I am thinking carefully about this when I play ranked. Those games I do not spam but plays maybe max 3-4 games in a row, even if I win. 

If it is on weekends I divide my ranked sessions and mix with other activities, food ofc but also walking outside or similar to relax. 

B/ I jump between ships. For variety and also first win bonus, I play both coop and random. Far more random/ranked during weekends proportionally.

So I grind all lines regardless if I like them or they are suited to my playstyle. Cvs and Subs I play very little, only if missions really makes it mandatory. But I have a few exceptions: Ark Royal, because I like to take a game with Swordfish.

C/I am probably better now than in the beginning ofc, which manifests itself in ranked. In the early days there were often ship guides on youtube but many creators have left the game.

D/ I try to be active on forums nonetheless.

E/ I have a rule that I do not accept more than 3 losses in a row. then i take a break. I have some ships that I always go to for confidence and I also change back to coop to get some wins, especially if the daily passes demands it.

[BOBTHEBALL]

 

23 hours ago, Gnirf said:

I have been around 55 % for ages. However as this is a level that I am reasonably satisfied with, and plays very much I have identified some reasons why I stay at this level.

A/ I play far too much. I mean really those 2-3 hours on weekdays and 5-8 hours on weekends. It is impossible to keep concentration. But it is a deliberate choice.

But I am thinking carefully about this when I play ranked. Those games I do not spam but plays maybe max 3-4 games in a row, even if I win. 

If it is on weekends I divide my ranked sessions and mix with other activities, food ofc but also walking outside or similar to relax. 

B/ I jump between ships. For variety and also first win bonus, I play both coop and random. Far more random/ranked during weekends proportionally.

So I grind all lines regardless if I like them or they are suited to my playstyle. Cvs and Subs I play very little, only if missions really makes it mandatory. But I have a few exceptions: Ark Royal, because I like to take a game with Swordfish.

C/I am probably better now than in the beginning ofc, which manifests itself in ranked. In the early days there were often ship guides on youtube but many creators have left the game.

D/ I try to be active on forums nonetheless.

E/ I have a rule that I do not accept more than 3 losses in a row. then i take a break. I have some ships that I always go to for confidence and I also change back to coop to get some wins, especially if the daily passes demands it.

A/ everyone has their own specified playtimes

B/ I am constantly trying to improve my stats, that involves "correcting" certain ship stats. At the moment I am "correcting' Petro so it'll mostly likely consist of me playing lots of Petro games and then when I get tired/frustrated I have a ship from each class that I fall back on. For BBs it's Yamato/Montana (Two amazing BBs still), for DDs it's Grozovoi or Daring, the other cruiser I'll play is Moskva and my CV choice is Immelman. For me that's how I do best and improve the most effectively.

C/ There are really no new good ship guides. Besides PQs aiming guide everything else from him is not recommended at all, just go back and watch old Flamu and iChase videos.

D/ The forums can be good and bad, I see some helpful people but I do see lots of unhelpful and horrible advice, so be careful.

E/ That's a good rule, for me if it's not if I lose but more like if I played like an ape during the battle, if the result was good I'll keep going but if I'm acting like a bot with both hands tied behind my back and a blindfold on I'm not continuing.

[BOBTHEBALL]

On 10/28/2023 at 10:04 PM, Admiral_Karasu said:

The way how I, and possibly many others, do ship hopping when they are playing probably isn't helping much to improve their gameplay. Sometimes, when I have played just one ship in several battles I have managed to perform slightly better, overall. Of course, it still depends on a lot of other factors that change from one random battle to the next.

I think it could possibly work, that's if you keep it within the same class. I don't think jumping from CV to BB to DD is a good idea to try and improve. I have certain times where I am just playing 1-2 ships which let me get into the zone the easiest and absolutely smash everyone while bending them over.

[Admiral_Karasu]

1 hour ago, BOBTHEBALL said:

I think it could possibly work, that's if you keep it within the same class. I don't think jumping from CV to BB to DD is a good idea to try and improve. I have certain times where I am just playing 1-2 ships which let me get into the zone the easiest and absolutely smash everyone while bending them over.

The problem is when you trying to grind multiple ships, you want to make use of the first bonus win, if possible. So that's one reason for ship hopping, I think. Another might have to do with variety, trying to squeeze as much of it into your allotted game play slot of the day. Then there's... frustration, and finally just that you might have several 'favorites' that you want to play on.

This used to be a lot easier to manage when we only had two nations, the original tech tree lines, and not too many ships in port...

[HogHammer]

1 hour ago, BOBTHEBALL said:

C/ There are really no new good ship guides. Besides PQs aiming guide everything else from him is not recommended at all, just go back and watch old Flamu and iChase videos.

@iChasehas an excellent series of "How to Get Good at World of Warships." There are no less than 21 different tutorial-style videos that are excellent for new and those who want to improve their skills.  I highly recommend these for players interested in the fundamentals of the game.

Hopefully, as DevStrike! grows, our guide section can offer players of all levels "go-to guides, tutorials, and provide links" for anyone willing to put in the time and effort to become a better player of the game.  The ultimate goal is to become a one-stop location so you don't have to search the internet to seek answers to your questions.

There are also individuals here who can offer analysis of your battles, such as @BOBTHEBALL and @Lord_Zath, with the primary goal of helping players improve their skills.  @Lord_Zathdoes this routinely on this Twitch stream Lord_Zath - Twitch.  Even if these are not your replays, his analysis and suggestions are valid to anyone who desires improved skills.

[SleepySalmon]

Does the tier matter? I've been struggling Tier 5 trying to bring my win rate up before going to Tier 6. Should I switch to a ship I have a good win rate with?

[BOBTHEBALL]

3 hours ago, SleepySalmon said:

Does the tier matter? I've been struggling Tier 5 trying to bring my win rate up before going to Tier 6. Should I switch to a ship I have a good win rate with?

Well it depends really, I find tier 5 too boring and slow for my gameplay. Choose a tier you enjoy the most, a ship you enjoy the most. That's what matters. I am playing ships I love to do well in to improve with. I have one for each class and I just enjoy my time playing some matches everyday with them. Slowly making the stats better and better until I'm happy with them.

If you want to try and improve your tier 5 statistics then by all means go ahead and do it. Try what you want and see what works for you.

[Lord_Zath]

On 10/29/2023 at 9:15 AM, HogHammer said:

@iChasehas an excellent series of "How to Get Good at World of Warships." There are no less than 21 different tutorial-style videos that are excellent for new and those who want to improve their skills.  I highly recommend these for players interested in the fundamentals of the game.

Hopefully, as DevStrike! grows, our guide section can offer players of all levels "go-to guides, tutorials, and provide links" for anyone willing to put in the time and effort to become a better player of the game.  The ultimate goal is to become a one-stop location so you don't have to search the internet to seek answers to your questions.

There are also individuals here who can offer analysis of your battles, such as @BOBTHEBALL and @Lord_Zath, with the primary goal of helping players improve their skills.  @Lord_Zathdoes this routinely on this Twitch stream Lord_Zath - Twitch.  Even if these are not your replays, his analysis and suggestions are valid to anyone who desires improved skills.

tyty!

 

[BOBTHEBALL]

10 hours ago, Lord_Zath said:

tyty!

 

These guides are really good, some other things you should put on your watchlist is the aiming guide from PQ and some really old Flamu videos. Otherwise I'd steer clear of those two these days. 

[thornzero]

On 10/29/2023 at 8:35 PM, SleepySalmon said:

Does the tier matter? I've been struggling Tier 5 trying to bring my win rate up before going to Tier 6. Should I switch to a ship I have a good win rate with?

I think the lower tiers, like 5 are okay for a lot of practice. This week's brawl is tier 5 and I have been doing quite well even though WG doesn't publish the stats. I used the brawls to level my captain on USS Hill [he is now at 2o] - so I can transfer that captain to USS Black when I have enough coal - maybe by January.

 

But I do play the higher tier brawls pretty consistently. These are really good practice without the pressure of stats. The rewards are quite good for newer players. It is my opinion that I am doing a little better in randoms on account of my brawl experiences. I play about 5o% or a little higher in brawls regardless of tier. Sometimes the mm is okay, sometimes not. But it is intense, a little higher risk, but a little lower pressure. 

In this 3v3 tier 5 brawl this week there are a lot of newer players and there is almost no trash talk, because the matches are so fast, so they are forgiving if you make some mistakes.

[BOBTHEBALL]

4 hours ago, thornzero said:

I think the lower tiers, like 5 are okay for a lot of practice. This week's brawl is tier 5 and I have been doing quite well even though WG doesn't publish the stats. I used the brawls to level my captain on USS Hill [he is now at 2o] - so I can transfer that captain to USS Black when I have enough coal - maybe by January.

 

But I do play the higher tier brawls pretty consistently. These are really good practice without the pressure of stats. The rewards are quite good for newer players. It is my opinion that I am doing a little better in randoms on account of my brawl experiences. I play about 5o% or a little higher in brawls regardless of tier. Sometimes the mm is okay, sometimes not. But it is intense, a little higher risk, but a little lower pressure. 

In this 3v3 tier 5 brawl this week there are a lot of newer players and there is almost no trash talk, because the matches are so fast, so they are forgiving if you make some mistakes.

Lower tiers are great for the basics however you will be missing out on how much damage output higher tier ships have. This is where mistakes are punished the hardest and good play is rewarded the most.

[thornzero]

1 hour ago, BOBTHEBALL said:

Lower tiers are great for the basics however you will be missing out on how much damage output higher tier ships have. This is where mistakes are punished the hardest and good play is rewarded the most.

I am not ready for the higher tiers; until I am more of an asset instead of a liability. I am getting better but I have a little ways to go yet.

[BOBTHEBALL]

31 minutes ago, thornzero said:

I am not ready for the higher tiers; until I am more of an asset instead of a liability. I am getting better but I have a little ways to go yet.

I'm very impressed to see how you actually care how your team will feel. There is no shame in practicing at different tiers and ships. In-fact I highly encourage people to go practice with whatever they're struggling with!