Theory about Epicenter

[SunkCostFallacy]

Ok - before we start, let's be clear what this thread is about.
 
I KNOW that some of you hate epicenter with a deep abiding passion. I don't want this thread to devolve into an argument between those who like it and those who don't, so please try to focus on the question at hand.
 
I liked Epicenter and was a bit thrown when it was removed. It wasn't until a discussion here on Devstrike (Hallowed be thy name) that I developed the theory that most of the people who disliked Epicenter were PVP mains, whereas the PVE mains were more likely to have a positive or neutral opinion of it.
 
Now I see that Epicenter is making a return in Mode Shuffle, which ironically is a PVP mode.
 
I suspect I could have addressed this with a survey, but it requires asking two questions and I don't know if you can do that. Even if you can ... see my signature ... more words is my thing
 
So the 'survey' is ... Do you like Epicenter AND what's your preferred choice, Randoms or COOP?
 
Obviously I'm having to focus on Randoms vs COOP because I don't believe that Epicenter appeared in any of the other modes, but I could be wrong. I think that responses to the first question would tend to be Yes, No, or Neutral.
 
Here's my responses:
 
Did you like Epicenter: Yes
Preferred mode: COOP
 
Naturally bacon is always an option for those whose carnivorous impulses rein supreme.

[Daniel_Allan_Clark]

Don't like epicenter

Prefers randoms

(I do like Arms Race...)

[Mono_De_Mantequilla]

Epicenter was my least favorite of the 3 Random battle types we had back in the day, but I do not like Arms Race as its replacement.  Arms Race is fine, in my opinion, as a special type battle that you know you are getting into, but less so as a surprise.  I don’t know about going back to Epicenter now, especially with subs in the game.

[ArIskandir]

Does it even matter the game mode in Coop? ... isn't always the same dynamic regardless of mode?

I think even in PvP you'll find diverging opinions, for DD players it is probably the most hated mode... for BB players and island huggers probably the opinion is more positive.

I don't like Epicenter (upgrade to hate if playing DD). PvP main.

[CRJmech]

To a certain point, I got tired of epicenter in randoms as it didn't feel like it fit the overall playstyle (at the time).  Since it's replacement by arms race, and with more Co-op time in, I think Epicenter should have remained as a co-op mode as it seems, to me, to fit the co-op style better than arms race.

[Daniel_Allan_Clark]

I didn't like epicenter because the game devolved into getting ships into certain static positions and then hull down sniping at each other trusting in RNG to win.

Exceptionally boring. World of Tanks on water.

Nothing at all like naval warfare.

[oldblackdog]

1) I like Epicenter, and I'm glad to see it back.

 

2) As I am a co-op main, I wish they would include it for the PVE crowd. Heck, they could even make a PVE version of mode shuffle if they wanted to spice things up.

[SureBridge]

Epicenter was always a challenge in PvP, but made co-op more fun (since the bots didn't wander off to one side or the other of the map). I like the idea of Epicenter as a PvP mode WHERE YOU ARE EXPECTING IT. I think that I'll enjoy "mode shuffle" since all three of these modes are fun and brawly, although Kitakami is great in the blimp mode, and... not so much in the others.

I miss epicenter in "2 brothers" (3v3 at T7 brawl was the only mode that featured this) since it was hilarioulsly fun forcing folks to run the channel. 

It's been long enough that I think that it will be fun figuring out how to play the mode again. "Neighbors" is gong to be interesting in that mode, as are some of the maps usually used for clan battles.

Oh yeah - BACON!

[Andrewbassg]

Epicenter is fun. At low tiers. Epicenter gets increasingly  dreadful as the tiers go up. And what Wedgie does? Ofc makes it part of a  mode which is restricted to high tiers.

Edited August 30, 2024 by Andrewbassg

[Itwastuesday]

Never play coop, hate every mode that isn't domination. 

Snipecenter sucked. Got a destroyer ill suited for knifefights? TOO BAD, off to the center of the map you go or the game is autoloss. 

Still, I like arms race even less. 

[AdmiralThunder]

I personally liked Epicenter and was sad it was removed.

I am a Co-op main but I do play Randoms and played Epicenter in Randoms. I liked it in both modes. One of my best Random matches was an Epicenter battle that a DD and I swung around for a win with less than 10 sec to go. I will always remember that game.

[GandalfTehGray]

Didn't like epicenter, coop main. The matches would end on points before all the bots could be sunk. 

[Charley Nasca]

I like epicenter

PVP main

I don't like Arms Race

[torino2dc]

Gritted my teeth through epicenter, PVP main. 

You could win a lot of epicenter matches by doggedly holding the mid cap, but boy was it not fun. 

[Admiral_Karasu]

If I remember correctly, epicenter successfully merged all the worst aspects of capping with the worst aspects of tactical game play. Trying to play well probably meant you would lose which actually covers just about all the modes in WoWS, epicenter just drops all pretense. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out if I would prefer it to some of the other modes or not.

Did I like Epicenter: No

Preferred mode: Ops (probably not applicable so... read that as:) Randoms

 

[Wulf_Ace]

I like epicenter but I dont like the playerbase playing the epicenter, playrbase have no idea how to play the objective

[Admiral_Karasu]

4 minutes ago, Wulf_Ace said:

I like epicenter but I dont like the playerbase playing the epicenter, playrbase have no idea how to play the objective

[UnrepentantSinner]

I like Epicenter and i'm glad it's coming back, great fun in Coop and much better than Arms Race.

[Wulf_Ace]

30 minutes ago, Admiral_Karasu said:

IF only they play in the center

playerbase is like: avoid epicenter at all cost

[palestreamer]

I liked epicenter. Will be nice to see it again for a change of scenery.

[Admiral_Karasu]

1 hour ago, Wulf_Ace said:

IF only they play in the center

playerbase is like: avoid epicenter at all cost

It's almost like there's a reason for it.

1 hour ago, torino2dc said:

Gritted my teeth through epicenter, PVP main. 

You could win a lot of epicenter matches by doggedly holding the mid cap, but boy was it not fun. 

 

[Paladin1954]

I hated epicenter. Arms Race is much better imo. Coop player with Asymetric when available.

[Colonel Potter]

12 hours ago, ArIskandir said:

Does it even matter the game mode in Coop? ... isn't always the same dynamic regardless of mode?

I think even in PvP you'll find diverging opinions, for DD players it is probably the most hated mode... for BB players and island huggers probably the opinion is more positive.

I don't like Epicenter (upgrade to hate if playing DD). PvP main.

Game mode matters in co-op when you need to do defend/capture ribbons for missions, lol. You're screwed if you get Arms Race.

Edit: Was thinking about those ribbons in Arms Race. I think they should include picking up boosts ribbons in those missions if you get Arms Race. Still wouldn't get as many as defended/capture ribbons, but at least it'd be something.

Edited August 30, 2024 by Colonel Potter

[Verblonde]

I dislike Epicentre intensely, and I used to mainly play PvP. My main objection to Epicentre wasn't particularly original: it's the usual thing about the whole thing being entirely dependent on getting team-mates who know how to play it.

If the mode turns up in Coop, I really don't care though, as (per a comment earlier) in that mode which game type you get is usually largely academic.

[Estaca_de_Bares]

Randoms player, my attitude towards Epicenter depended on the map and the ship I was using. In retrospective, I would even dare to say I liked its second iteration in Tears of the Desert, in particular for Ranked, although more due to the changes to the map (current SW-NE spawns instead of NW-SE, chains of islands not making a blatant biconvex lens with plenty of open space between them -see file history for its image on the wiki-) than the mode itself. The Ranked caveat is important, for it denotes the same complain others have mentioned: knowledgeable team-mates.

Salute.