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New to FPSes, and increasingly stressed over the game


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#1 clearblu3

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Posted July 21 2014 - 05:26 PM

I apologise if this post is a little long, but I'm new to online FPS games (usually a RPG gamer) and I've been finding the KDR value really stressful. So I wanted to ask: how important is it_
Originally I really liked the concept of the Predator, but found myself not contributing to the team (because I am fuzzy bunny in it). Then I swapped over to the technician and it's been amazing. I love playing it, and the it's created some really fun moments. Defending the AA with a C-class, for one, or providing the healing and damage increase (from the redox) to just keep my teammate alive through a fight he/she was originally losing.

The "problem" is that while on the pred my kdr was positive, now it's below one and still dropping. Maybe it's the RPG mindset where the player is "expected" to beat the game, but I'm actually pretty stressed about it. I've increasingly been making just plain stupid plays in an attempt to get at least one or two kills to "balance out" deaths.

So yeah - I'm new to the game and FPSes in general, and thanks to anyone who took the time to read this ^^

#2 bkcat1

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Posted July 21 2014 - 06:21 PM

I know the numbers can be stressful when you watch them drop, but as a new HAWKEN player (and a new FPS player), I would do my best to ignore them for now. Just play the mechs that you like and have fun. (Although, the predator is one of the hardest mechs to use, and the technician is not built for getting kills...).

If you really want to improve your KDR, then you should probably play other mechs tailored for raw killing power, like the Assault, Berserker, or Vanguard. Though, with enough practice, you can be a monster in any mech! :P

#3 nokari

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Posted July 21 2014 - 06:35 PM

KDR is not really important. In time and with practice, the KDR difference of matches on your first day and your 100th day will be completely different. Of course you should be trying to kill more than you die, but you're starting out completely new, so dying more than killing is to be expected. You just need more practice and in time you'll see consistent improvement.

I'd suggest you make some friends and play with them for awhile to get the hang of good strategies and tactics. Also search the forums for guides.

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#4 Silverfire

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Posted July 21 2014 - 06:49 PM

First off, welcome to the game!

I don't find KDR particularly stressful. I don't care about it much at all. As a matter of fact, if how you play is positively impacting the team no matter if you're healing, flanking, laying traps, front line pusher, etc., I personally don't care what your KDR is. It differs for different mechs too.

Just play the game and play for fun, not for some meaningless statistic. As you get better, your KDR may improve but why worry_ At least you're having fun (I hope!), regardless if it improves or not.

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#5 caduceus26

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Posted July 21 2014 - 06:55 PM

View Postclearblu3, on July 21 2014 - 05:26 PM, said:

snip...

So yeah - I'm new to the game and FPSes in general, and thanks to anyone who took the time to read this ^^

I understand where you are coming from.  I was not an experienced FPS player either when I started.  I also made enough beginner errors that my KDR on my original account has never recovered.

Beyond being a source of pride or one of slight embarrassment when someone on your friends list views your profile no one else besides you knows or cares.  What it does help you with is understanding how effective you are with respect to aim, positioning, situational awareness, mech mastery, etc.  If you are dying a lot more than you are destroying enemies you ought to assess what you need to do to improve your performance in that area. Maybe you need to play a little less aggressively. Maybe you're overextending, or not using your radar effectively, or maybe the teamwork isn't good, or you're just being outplayed.

As has been mentioned, find the mech you are most comfortable and effective with and work with that for awhile.  This includes your choices in primary weapon, internals, and items.  After that, experiment with other mechs.  Some will work better than others for you.  Make those your "go to" mechs when you find yourself getting in trouble in a game.

Whatever the issue--you will improve, and as you do your KDR will also. Until then, relax into the game. enjoy yourself, and have fun on the journey.

Edited by caduceus26, July 22 2014 - 04:24 AM.

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#6 Mawnkey

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Posted July 21 2014 - 07:11 PM

KDR only matters in TDM and DM, and doesn't matter on Technician really. You want a low number of deaths in any mech, but you just aren't expected to get kills in a Tech really. Focus on staying alive and worry about getting kills later. (That being said, these days I can routinely get a KDR of 5:1 in a Tech so it's not impossible)

#7 Leonhardt

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Posted July 21 2014 - 07:28 PM

My best matches are when I don't look at the scoreboard. To be completely honest I have stopped paying attention to it in every game I play. In some ways that can be foolish because it can give you a lot of knowledge about the other team and depending on the game type the position you are in, but I find more often then not players are over thinking the game.

FPS games are really all about action and reaction. The scoreboard is a barrier to quick, decisive and concentrated actions be they the first, second, or last. It creates a mental block for some people as they try to constantly measure their performance without giving their full concentration to the game in front of them.

Now that being said if you are playing the tech which is the only hard core support role in the game you should expect to have a whole lot of assists few kills and a few (hopefully 0) deaths. If you want kills I suggest playing a different class more suited to the role of chasing down kills and/or dueling.


Edited by Leonhardt, July 21 2014 - 07:30 PM.

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#8 Hell_Diguner

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Posted July 21 2014 - 08:25 PM

As others have said, you're not just new to Hawken, you're new to FPS's. Don't stress over the stats, you have a whole new skill set you need to learn.

Hawken is a rather unusual FPS game; maybe not the best as an introduction to the genre. If it doesn't work out for you, don't get discouraged from trying other FPS games ;)

#9 EM1O

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Posted July 21 2014 - 08:28 PM

Here's my personal stress remover, for eliminating worry about kdr and it's combined effect on your MMR:  click PLAY, click Co-op, then click Co-op Team Deathmatch. You'll play a team of humans, or humans+bots against a team of AI bots 6vs6. you'll get to practice your skills, rack up rank and HC/XP, and it has zero effect on your MMR scoring. When you feel lethal and confident you are a force rather than a fuzzybunny, jump into a regular TDM, MA or Siege and sharpen up further.
You'll notice that familiarity with your mech, and getting used to playing in a relaxed mindset will carry over into regular match play.
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#10 Infyrno

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Posted July 21 2014 - 08:36 PM

Welcome, kdr is not at all what matters. What really matters is your score, score increases mmr and puts you in to harder matches testing your skill.  Kdr means nothing especially if you play tech a lot.  Same with the damage ratio, unimportant, unless you're playing tdm or dm.

Only reason i care about it is because it motivates me to get better letting me in to matches with season veterans that COMMUNICATE rather than those useless guys in siege that stand there doing absolutely... Nothing... Aside from that, i play this game for fun.  But it's not fun when you're the only guy on the team that has any idea of what to do... Thus why most players on the forums hate pub games and prefer organized matches with other people.

#11 clearblu3

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Posted July 21 2014 - 10:43 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome :)  I think for me it really is the sort of shift from RPG/single player games, where numbers and levels are pretty much the main indicator of performance. I enjoy the game (you get to blow up giant mechs as other giant mechs - quite impossible not to love it, really) and I like being able to support the team as a Technician. I'll keep trying to improve, and the comments here have really encouraged me.

Also, any community that references starship troopers is clearly objectively amazing.

#12 SatelliteJack

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Posted July 21 2014 - 11:07 PM

Many exciting announcements in this one! Welcome aboard, Pilot! To HAWKEN, to FPSes, and to the forums! :D Now, some quick things about your question. For being new to FPSes, you sure did manage to pick some n00b unfriendly stuff. xD Pred is stupidly difficult to play, and Tech is equally difficult to get kills with. What I recommend you do is go back to your good ol' TV-headed friend Fred, and start with the basics. Nail down movement, heat management, aim (both bullets and projectiles), and just lay down a solid foundation. From there, you can see new axes in a different light, and have those basic skills transfer over, making you more effective overall. And for your KD, balls to it. I don't even know how to check mine (not true, found out by accident), and I don't really care. All I care about is having fun, and (ideally) killing the dudes before they kill me. If you're getting stressed over it, you're doin' it wrong.

TL;DR, Practice the basics in Fred, play to have fun, don't get greedy for kills, and don't sweat the numbers. Good luck, have fun, and catch ya on the battlefield! :D

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#13 LoC_TR

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Posted July 21 2014 - 11:12 PM

View Postclearblu3, on July 21 2014 - 10:43 PM, said:

Thanks for the warm welcome :)  I think for me it really is the sort of shift from RPG/single player games, where numbers and levels are pretty much the main indicator of performance. I enjoy the game (you get to blow up giant mechs as other giant mechs - quite impossible not to love it, really) and I like being able to support the team as a Technician. I'll keep trying to improve, and the comments here have really encouraged me.

Also, any community that references starship troopers is clearly objectively amazing.

I use to get stressed out with every dodge! I'd realized I was holding my breath a lot on certain shots, it would cause me to twitch my mouse or press a wrong key. I learned to do deep breathing exercises to relax myself while playing. If you starting getting even a little angry then its usually time to take a break. Playing happy is much more fun and you'll play better as a result. K/D has never been a focus for me, just helping my team survive. If you have the time, read this, It may give you an idea of the roles a player can play BESIDES being a killing machine.

Edited by LoC_TR, July 21 2014 - 11:14 PM.

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#14 Meraple

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Posted July 22 2014 - 12:08 AM

View Postclearblu3, on July 21 2014 - 05:26 PM, said:

pred

https://community.pl...predator-guide/

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#15 obliviondoll

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Posted July 22 2014 - 01:23 AM

If you're playing as a Technician, and using it in a primarily support role, you SHOULDN'T be getting a lot of kills.

Yeah, that "KDR" value is important to a lot of people, but those people aren't (or shouldn't be) medics.

You can build a more combat-oriented Technician that only has healing as a secondary role, but it's generally more practical to stick with healing at first. If your team is surviving better when you're around, you're doing your job well. If you go 0-5 but save your teammates from death 6+ times, you went positive.

#16 clearblu3

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Posted July 22 2014 - 02:14 AM

View Postobliviondoll, on July 22 2014 - 01:23 AM, said:

If you go 0-5 but save your teammates from death 6+ times, you went positive.

Hm. I don't actually "want" kills (in that I don't need to blow stuff up to have fun), but I was worried that I was being a burden on the team by dying and not "making it up" with kills. Also had a vague impression that FPS games were all about the KDR. This line makes a lot of sense, though, and makes me much more comfortable in the role of a Tech.

#17 VenomousWoe

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Posted July 22 2014 - 05:33 AM

I would like to add something to the discussion. I agree that KDR is not the end-all-be-all of FPS gaming, and that it serves largely to bolster one's ego more than anything else. There's nothing wrong with just playing for fun, and indeed, fun should be the primary reason we play in the first place.

HOWEVER

If you want to improve your KDR, you can make it a goal for yourself. I did. I once had a miserably bad KDR of .82. Now, after months of practice and play time, it's now sitting at 1.08. The thing about games is that playing them well is a skill, and like all skills, they can be improved. It's largely up to you whether you consider it worth your time to improve this skill; my point is that if you want it, you can have it.

I find it helpful to improve my KDR in certain mechs. In the past, I've worked at playing a certain mech until I got it's KDR over 1. This not only gave me small targets to improve my skills, it also helped improve my overall KDR. Try that, if you so choose.
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#18 Hijinks_The_Turtle

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Posted July 22 2014 - 05:37 AM

Welcome to the game!  I'd say to follow the advice these peeps above me gave!  Overall, the only tip I'd give is to watch other players how they fight.  Also, try to stick with your team, being alone = weak.

Edited by Hijinks_The_Turtle, July 22 2014 - 05:37 AM.


#19 spo0n

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Posted July 22 2014 - 06:13 AM

As people said, don't obsess over numbers get mad or whatever, but...

There is some useful info that can be obtained from looking at everything together.
You can compare your deaths to damage taken, for example, if you die three times as a tech (~330 hp) but take 3000 damage in the match, you are taking around nine or ten times the damage it should take to kill you, which is very nice considering.  Depending on what you are healing, you can also look at the amount repaired, if you're healing a brawler primarily and repair her for 20k hp, you've saved her life a dozen times or more, which is also nice.

Likewise, if a your kdr is 4.0 but you only did 300 damage in a match, you are picking other people's kills, and while finishing off the other team is important, there is someone out there who did most of the damage and without them you wouldn't have been able to get those kills.

If you want to look at numbers go ahead, but look at all the numbers and see how they change or guess what they mean.

#20 BurnsHot

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Posted July 22 2014 - 06:23 AM

The stats are there for your own edification. You can use them to gage your performance or you can ignore them and just play and have fun with the game. In TDM, MA, and Siege the goal is to win the match as a team. I don't need the K/D ratio to get a sense of how well I played.  The match win tells me all I need to know.

Never stress out about the K/D ratio or any stat for that matter.  The more you play the better you will get at this game.  Its expected that you will not do well in the beginning so like others have said just ignore the stats for now.

Peek at them every so often for S H I T S and grins.  That's all they are good for.




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