How can ranked be fun???

[Kruzenstern]

I just went back into ranked because I need steel. And really, *what the doodle* kind of shitshow is this? People play fkn worse than in ops. I played nine battles now. I was #1 in 7 of them, by a large margin. One I tossed because I was pissed (and even in the toss I was 3rd in the end) and one my team won when I didn't even really try (also because pissed, and still 2nd place in the end). Now for the last four battles I started using the team monitor from shiptools, and I see I am constantly getting all red teams while the enemy is all yellow or better. Is this because I have good stats from ages past and thus am fucked by default? Or am I just constantly unlucky?

I am basically guaranteed 1st place when I play for real, but also guaranteed a loss and a waste of 15 mins of my lifetime. Seem to be much smarter to just take a fast DD and rush in, grab a cap, contest an enemy DD and die asap to try again and hope the team does it for me. Certainly less frustrating for me.

How can anyone enjoy this over PvE? I mean, the first thing every BB does is run for the hills because catching a little damage is a deadly disease or something. I paved the way for so many wins just to have defeat snatched from the jaws of victory because my surviving teammates were hugging a map border faaar away from enemies and cap circles. I could of course join the passive play, but that is as much fun as shooting myself in the foot, and I don't want a prolonged battle anymore anyway because in the end it will be lost whatever I do.

Edited December 5, 2024 by Kruzenstern

[Wolfswetpaws]

4 minutes ago, Kruzenstern said:

I just went back into ranked because I need steel. And really, *what the doodle* kind of shitshow is this? People play fkn worse than in ops. I played nine battles now. I was #1 in 7 of them, by a large margin. One I tossed because I was pissed (and even in the toss I was 3rd in the end) and one my team won when I didn't even really try (also because pissed, and still 2nd place in the end). Now for the last four battles I started using the team monitor from shiptools, and I see I am constantly getting all red teams while the enemy is all yellow or better. Is this because I have good stats from ages past and thus am fucked by default? Or am I just constantly unlucky?

I am basically guaranteed 1st place when I play for real, but also guaranteed a loss and a waste of 20 mins of my lifetime. Seem to be much smarter to just take a fast DD and rush in, grab a cap, contest an enemy DD and die asap to try again and hope the team does it for me. Certainly less frustrating for me.

How can anyone enjoy this over PvE? I mean, the first thing every BB does is run for the hills because catching a little damage is a deadly disease or something. I paved the way for so many wins just to have defeat snatched from the jaws of victory because my surviving teammates were hugging a map border faaar away from enemies and cap circles. I could of course join the passive play, but that is as much fun as shooting myself in the foot, and I don't want a prolonged battle anymore anyway because in the end it will be lost whatever I do.

Welcome to the risks and rewards and follies of clicking on the "BATTLE" button.  🙂 

[OldSchoolGaming_Youtube]

Short answer .... It isn't!

 

I gave up on Ranked about 5 years ago after trying to carry the lowest of the low skilled players in every match trying to make next rank. I went 1 step forward and 3 steps back watching my teammates sailing around like clueless headless chickens. The ones that didn't suicide in 2 min instead tried to sail thru the map border.

I am somewhat desperate for steel as well because I want to buy SVEA and im 8 K away, but nothing ...... NOTHING could make me play Ranked! At least in Randoms you sometimes get some half decent players. 

[a252]

I see ranked as a mean to collect steel and dub. The main goal is to finish off the target and move on. It doesn't matter whether I like it or not, if I want steel and dub other than BP, it is pretty much the only stable source.

It doesn't matter whether it is fun or not, I just set up a cut off line. When I reach my daily goal (1-2 win in bronze), I stop bother with it for the rest of the day.

[mashed68]

I have had the same experience as you with the current ranked season. Something about tier 8 it seems. Maybe the black friday ships let low tier people get a higher tier ship too soon for ranked? I dunno.

I'm tired of being top tier in a loss. I'm literally 1 win out of 10 trys. I cant even earn any steel. I normally play till the end of the doubloons to stay in bronze but not this season it seems. 

Give me tier 7 ranked back. Those were the days....

Edited December 5, 2024 by mashed68

[Ensign Cthulhu]

1 hour ago, Kruzenstern said:

How can anyone enjoy this over PvE?

As a mostly co-op player, that's the question I ask myself every time I dip my toes into Ranked because some mission or other is actually easier to do there (which is rare). And the answer is, I can't. If I go into Ranked, it's to do one particular thing (usually get achievements, either a first blood or a Confederate/High Caliber, which is easier in Ranked since the team HP is lower) and get out once it's done.

If someone tells me they think Ranked is just the best thing ever I'll tell them fine, you do you, I just can't do this thing full-time. About the only way I could make myself endure it is if I just wanted the Bronze ranked dub/steel rewards, since that doesn't care how many times you lose, either because you f***ed up and you know it or because your team dragged you kicking and screaming into the jaws of defeat.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who just play it for those rewards and don't even care how well they do, just so long as their teams eventually drag them to enough wins to get the steel and the dubs. But when I'm there, I play to win. 

Edited December 5, 2024 by Ensign Cthulhu

[Pugilistic]

And those who carry them. 

[Ensign Cthulhu]

10 minutes ago, mashed68 said:

Something about tier 8 it seems.

The Expedition to the North event means that there's a whole bunch of people who are fresh to the game, not even out of protected MM, who just got a shiny new T8 ship dropped in their laps. T8 anything is going to be particularly bad this year, until the newbies who should still be in the kiddie pool either quit from frustration or realize that the best thing to do is tie their new ship up at the dock and work at actually becoming skilled and competent. 

[Wolfswetpaws]

2 minutes ago, Pugilistic said:

And those who carry them. 

I don't need to be a "bad player", to go into ranked battles to get steel, do I?  😉 

[Ensign Cthulhu]

2 minutes ago, Pugilistic said:

And those who carry them. 

Ranked is not entirely made up of those people, but yes, there's a lot of truth to this. 

 

[Pugilistic]

1 minute ago, Wolfswetpaws said:

I don't need to be a "bad player", to go into ranked battles to get steel, do I?  😉 

Of course not. 

[Pugilistic]

1 minute ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

Ranked is not entirely made up of those people, but yes, there's a lot of truth to this. 

 

I see abysmally bad players who have ranked out of Silver, and wonder how much misery they inflicted to get carried. This seems to have proliferated, so i gave up on it long ago. At least the old system (a single progression to Rank 1) dissuaded all but the the most dedicated button bashers, and they still tended to stall out between Rank three to six. 

And this is an aesthetic distaste, not elitism; I'm barely above average. 

[Utt_Bugglier]

2 hours ago, Kruzenstern said:

I just went back into ranked because I need steel. And really, *what the doodle* kind of shitshow is this? People play fkn worse than in ops.

…

How can anyone enjoy this over PvE?

…

You haven’t learned the cycles of a Ranked season, nor how to read the Ranked tea leaves.

The cycle:

Sprint 1, Week 1 in particular - bad, average, and even “merely good” players are at the mercy of the MM, as lots of really good players are in Bronze, and outcomes are driven by the performance of those top players. By week 2 this thins out some, but a “merely good” player will have trouble carrying consistently. If you reach R1 and get into quals, it’s back to outcomes dominated by the best players.

Sprint 2 - This is when the “merely good” player has the most carry potential. Most of the dominant players have moved up, but enough competent/supportive players remain that a good player can lead a team to victory. Get into Silver NOW, because…

Sprint 3 and later - advancement and even consistent winning is hard in Bronze now. Teams are now dominated by AWFUL players, and carrying is hard.

Ranked - “Reading The Tea Leaves”:

First, you gotta know what you’re good at. Honest assessment time.

Second, make sure the problem isn’t really yourself. If it isn’t, …

Then, if you’re really being betrayed by poor team play, determine what is characteristically the problem. Is it poor DD play, for example? If you’re better than the DD play you’re getting on your teams, THEN BECOME THE DD PLAYER.

Keep monitoring the meta, win or lose, and don’t be afraid to pivot again.

That’s what I’ve been doing - I’m not so good that I can come in and carry just on brilliant play - I have to adapt to what team compositions and deficiencies are characteristic on a given day, and try to be part of the solution.

Edited December 5, 2024 by Utt_Bugglier

[Ensign Cthulhu]

56 minutes ago, Pugilistic said:

I see abysmally bad players who have ranked out of Silver, and wonder how much misery they inflicted to get carried.

I can only assume they somehow saved their star enough times between irrevocable ranks not to slide straight down to the bottom again. 

Most of my Ranked experience is from early 2018, when I got into Tier 8 for the first time. There were prizes of various kinds at every tier, but my dim recollection is that the irrevocable ranks were well toward the bottom and it was a very long haul from the highest irrevocable rank to the top. You also started the current season depending on where you finished last time. Some people still made it, though; I recall that there were one or two almost notorious "beautiful losers" who were renowned for the number of times they'd ranked out with some absurdly stupid number of games. Like... A THOUSAND.

[Kruzenstern]

2 hours ago, Utt_Bugglier said:

Then, if you’re really being betrayed by poor team play, determine what is characteristically the problem. Is it poor DD play, for example? If you’re better than the DD play you’re getting on your teams, THEN BECOME THE DD PLAYER.

I have tried exactly that. When I take a DD, the BBs fk it all up, usually by going way too far away from the action.

When I take a BB, the DDs throw themselves away at the earliest convenience. Not going to take cruisers, CVs or subs because I know I am terrible at those.

I think I will from now on just charge in a DD, try to do as much damage as possible and then do the next battle asap. Seems more likely to give me a few wins for the steel than really trying. If I do get a decent team, I can always adapt and play for real.

[Itwastuesday]

It's not fun. I can barely bother to grind out the steel rewards in bronze because 7v7 with 3 battleships per side is SO BORING. And it has every other problem too. 

[Admiral_Karasu]

1 minute ago, Itwastuesday said:

It's not fun. I can barely bother to grind out the steel rewards in bronze because 7v7 with 3 battleships per side is SO BORING. And it has every other problem too. 

Too many BB's, too few?

[Itwastuesday]

44 minutes ago, Admiral_Karasu said:

Too many BB's, too few?

both

[Utt_Bugglier]

55 minutes ago, Kruzenstern said:

I have tried exactly that. When I take a DD, the BBs fk it all up, usually by going way too far away from the action.

When I take a BB, the DDs throw themselves away at the earliest convenience. Not going to take cruisers, CVs or subs because I know I am terrible at those.

I think I will from now on just charge in a DD, try to do as much damage as possible and then do the next battle asap. Seems more likely to give me a few wins for the steel than really trying. If I do get a decent team, I can always adapt and play for real.

You have the misfortune of returning to ranked in Week 2 of Sprint 3, wherein many Bronze players have drawn the short end of the bus…I mean short end of the stick.

[Asym]

5 hours ago, Kruzenstern said:

How can anyone enjoy this over PvE?

Well, I usually play "one" Ranked match each season they show up.  One match:  not three or four or do I even really take it seriously.  Just to say I tried.

To answer your question:  I simply can't.

[Admiral_Karasu]

5 minutes ago, Asym said:

Well, I usually play "one" Ranked match each season they show up.  One match:  not three or four or do I even really take it seriously.  Just to say I tried.

To answer your question:  I simply can't.

That reminds me of what Larry Hagman said about directing Dallas. As long as he got something shot for the episode the first day, the producer seemed to calm down, or words to that effect it's been like... no, I don't actually even want to think about that.

[Lady Anesjka]

8 hours ago, Kruzenstern said:

I just went back into ranked because I need steel. And really, *what the doodle* kind of shitshow is this? People play fkn worse than in ops. I played nine battles now. I was #1 in 7 of them, by a large margin. One I tossed because I was pissed (and even in the toss I was 3rd in the end) and one my team won when I didn't even really try (also because pissed, and still 2nd place in the end). Now for the last four battles I started using the team monitor from shiptools, and I see I am constantly getting all red teams while the enemy is all yellow or better. Is this because I have good stats from ages past and thus am fucked by default? Or am I just constantly unlucky?

I am basically guaranteed 1st place when I play for real, but also guaranteed a loss and a waste of 15 mins of my lifetime. Seem to be much smarter to just take a fast DD and rush in, grab a cap, contest an enemy DD and die asap to try again and hope the team does it for me. Certainly less frustrating for me.

How can anyone enjoy this over PvE? I mean, the first thing every BB does is run for the hills because catching a little damage is a deadly disease or something. I paved the way for so many wins just to have defeat snatched from the jaws of victory because my surviving teammates were hugging a map border faaar away from enemies and cap circles. I could of course join the passive play, but that is as much fun as shooting myself in the foot, and I don't want a prolonged battle anymore anyway because in the end it will be lost whatever I do.

Ranked is where you find 99.9 % of the 35 - 40 % players

[WildWind84]

In first days of the first sprint I try to survive and win in the bronze, collect steel and dubs and go to qualificatinos for silver. When I enter in silver - then gets little better. Then I stay in silver, collect steel and dubs and try to enjoy. Don't care about first rank or whatever, just give my best and try to enjoy. But honestly, there are times when nothing can help you - these days with those teams - I just stop play ranked for day or two. Reason: constant loosing isn't fun. Also - if every second battle I have 1 or two AFK players (yes, in some of the days they are somehow "constant" in silver ranked)  - then also stop play for day or two. 

EDIT: BTW. Also I noticed that steel you can get for reward in star trek battle type (I can't play this round so...).

Edited December 6, 2024 by WildWind84

[WildWind84]

8 hours ago, Utt_Bugglier said:

First, you gotta know what you’re good at. Honest assessment time.

Second, make sure the problem isn’t really yourself. If it isn’t, …

THIS. I think about year or more ago someone write me this on WG forum... I was try that. After that - in ranked I go only and only in that ships in which I can play hard and full for win and do it very good or great. Any other ships will not go in ranked with me. 

Edited December 6, 2024 by WildWind84

[MnemonScarlet]

10 hours ago, Kruzenstern said:

I just went back into ranked because I need steel. And really, *what the doodle* kind of shitshow is this? People play fkn worse than in ops. I played nine battles now. I was #1 in 7 of them, by a large margin. One I tossed because I was pissed (and even in the toss I was 3rd in the end) and one my team won when I didn't even really try (also because pissed, and still 2nd place in the end). Now for the last four battles I started using the team monitor from shiptools, and I see I am constantly getting all red teams while the enemy is all yellow or better. Is this because I have good stats from ages past and thus am fucked by default? Or am I just constantly unlucky?

I am basically guaranteed 1st place when I play for real, but also guaranteed a loss and a waste of 15 mins of my lifetime. Seem to be much smarter to just take a fast DD and rush in, grab a cap, contest an enemy DD and die asap to try again and hope the team does it for me. Certainly less frustrating for me.

How can anyone enjoy this over PvE? I mean, the first thing every BB does is run for the hills because catching a little damage is a deadly disease or something. I paved the way for so many wins just to have defeat snatched from the jaws of victory because my surviving teammates were hugging a map border faaar away from enemies and cap circles. I could of course join the passive play, but that is as much fun as shooting myself in the foot, and I don't want a prolonged battle anymore anyway because in the end it will be lost whatever I do.

It's cause of steel. Once the real creatures that lurk at the bottom of the MM figured out you could steadily get steel for rare ships, that was it for ranked. It was always kinda that way, but the switch to the perma sprint system ensured that the joy of small comp games was going to die out. Nowadays I barely bother with it, randoms feel a lot better.