Most noobs under-value raiders in 1v1. They don't understand the value of the map control they give you and tend towards units counters instead. There are not many top-50 1v1ers who don't use raiders, but you'll be hard pressed to find someone below 1400 who does use them extensively. Raider use represent a milestone in the development of skill in ZK, and I'd like to demonstrate this with your help.
I don't know how much interest there will be in this, so it may fall a little flat. I wouldn't want to have never tried though.
Rules[Spoiler]
Pro Roster:
Only allowed to use ground raiders, mex, solars, wind, radar, and workers. Commanders too (obv.) but only unupgraded support coms. You are limited to the one fac type, though you can build multiples of the same fac if you find the inclination. Need to be 200 elo above anyone they go against in this challenge.
Pros can use terraforming to restore only.
Pros are also allowed to use tac-nuke silo (and all tac-nuke types) to allow the breaking of stalemates.
For the purpose of this challenge raiders include
- glaive
- bandit
- duck
- puppy
- pyro
- flea
- dart
- scorcher
- kodachi
- dagger
- panther
Other raiders exist in the game, but don't serve the purposes of this challenge.
Noob Roster:
Allowed to use any structure or ground unit they like (athena is allowed for noob players, even though it flies). Are allowed to choose map from this list:
- Onyx Cauldron
- Titan Duel
- Bandit Plains
- Eye of Horus
- Ravaged
- Apophis
- Hide and Seek
- Into Battle
- IceLand
- Fairyland (added recently)
All games are set to no-elo unless both players opt for elo to be turned on (since the chances of the pro winning are artificially reduced but the elo transfer is not).
Pro player needs to use raiders to attain the map and thus resource advantage, then use these extra resources to make up for the inefficiency of raiders in finishing off their opponent. A pro using any units/structures not mentioned above is no longer able to count that game even if they beat the noob player.
Scoring[Spoiler]
Noob score will be tallied from the skulls of our enemies the total elo of opponents you beat in this way, minus ((currentelo+200)*wins). If there is interest I will tally the scores when that interest dies down and announce a winner.
Pro roster score will be tallied from the total noob elo of those you vanquish, minus (1000+elodifference) per win.
Scoring may change when someone more able at maths reprimands me shortly, but shouldn't be altered so drastically as to change your goal as a participant.
To enter, tell me which roster(s) you're entering and your current elo. Yes you can enter both, but this option is going to be organically limited to those of middling elo. Only games that happen up to a day before signing up count (so you can play some games then enter and they will be counted), but entering does not represent any extensive commitment - you can
stop at any time. Replays will need to be provided by the winner via this thread or they will not be counted.
I will sign up all of
LOBSC, so feel free to harass them for games. They may decline, but I figure that by joining the clan they've already tacitly agreed to at least be on the mailing list for all the challenges I think up :)
Intended Outcomes[Spoiler]
This exercise is designed in order to demonstrate how raiders, eco, and territory control are vitally important at the start of the game. While yes there is an elo difference which curbs the impact of results, the limitation of finisher should demonstrate the enormous impact of obtaining these resources. Under normal conditions anyone who takes the map can then use those resources to make any finisher they wish - thus taking the map using raiders beats even the riots that are designed to counter them. By not partaking in the raider game, a newer player is opting to take a disadvantageous position relative to their opponent.
For pro players this represents an opportunity to sharpen the fine control of raiders to a knife edge. At a certain point a solid player needs to focus on their core game in order to improve, and this is exactly that. If this gains any momentum, all partaking noobs also represent an opportunity for meaningfully challenging your skills. Considering the greatest bottleneck to improvement in 1v1 is the scarcity of viable opposition, this could be of great benefit.
I will be updating rules as they are refined due to inevitable onslaught of nitpickers XD
Edits:
- Radar is now allowed
- Air is no longer allowed by either player
- Tac nuke silo is now allowed for pro player
- Got rid of storage nonsense
- Defined raiders
- Allowed athena for noob player
- Allowed building multiples of the same fac, but not facswitching.
- Changed consequences of using unspecified units so as not to inflate results on noob ladder with unearned wins
