What is skill? Regarding the mindset of the player...

[Roun Cole]

This is a thought thats been rolling through my mind, especially now that ive started playing again, when you play competitively the number one thing you hear is 'skill' how 'skill' is so important, well, I would like to ask the question, what is 'skill'?

 

When I talk to people about just about anything related to multiplayer people always come back to this at least once, and when I ask people always say that skill is who gets the best shows with marksmanship weapons, but I dont think its that simple.

 

If you were to stay in those terms the entire time you play, then its not dependent the individual for how good or bad you are, in the past I was really horrible with marksmanship weapons, but ive learned how to tweak my brain so I can shoot perfect, or nearly perfect shows so I can out shoot most people, which is how it works for most, if anything you can hardly find anyone who cant make good shots at least half of the time, more to the point, the vast majority of people can use a DMR pretty well, but if that was the whole game summed up, then skill is not an individual concept, its simply who can team up to take the other guys down faster, which is just the surface of what skill really is.

 

Skill cant be limited to anything, skill has to be left open to every prospect, marksmanship is good, but in my mind it is actually the least of the factors, the highest on my list I would say has to be team work, just anyone can be a lone wolf, but to have a working system where you and at least one other person can complement each other in everything you do without premeditation is considerably rare, especially from what ive seen recently on xboxlive.

 

Beyond team co-operation, down on the individual level where everyone lives, you have a few different factors to consider, at the top is behavior, this is more the sum of skill on the grander scale.

 

The vast majority of people at least to me seem to be preprogrammed zombies, where everyone runs the same map the same way over and over, every time you get into a situation you react the same way every single time.

This is the greatest flaw in the human race, never mind playing games...

 

The greatest example that I can think of without contest has to be Armor Abilities, its the saddest thing in the world to hear endless complaining about how people dont like this or that and insist that it be removed so its easier for them to win, how sad it is that the reasoning behind those complaints is that the thing they hate is destroying the preprogrammed behavior they have developed and so heavily rely upon.

 

Its not that the game is too hard, its simply that they are too lazy to find the way around the problem they keep having.

Personally, I say make all AA as powerful as possible without things getting out of control, everything needs to have a weakness, nothing can ever be perfect...

 

The way I see the AAs as they are is pretty good, but they need to be made a lot better, the jetpack shouldnt have a limit on how high it can fly, active camo is ridiculously weak, there shouldnt be any shutter or exposure unless your in full run, and so on.

The point is, when people get hung up on something they cant keep doing it all the same way every single time, which is actually the text book definition of insanity, preforming the same action over and over expecting a different result, armorlock for example, everyone just hates armorlock, me, I understand it, the rule is to never get close, if you get close, you die...

 

The secret is to let them sit in armorlock as long as they will, most of the time they stay in the full length of time because they dont have a clear option, when that happens take a moment to reload and figure out where they are going to try and run to, if you are not close enough to attack, the only choice they have is to run or die. When they come out hose them down, at full use there shields start to come back, but not by much, hose well and they die.

 

Thats the correct behavior, the problem is that the vast majority of people never stop and think, they dont want to think, and so they die, they rush in and flail wildly at the person in armorlock, just the other day when I was on someone rushed me with a sword, naturally I went into armorlock to hide from instant death, which is why its my favorite AA it offers you some forgiveness for mistakes and some balancing power if you are outmatched, he kept swinging wildly so focused on trying to get me that my teammate came up casually and beat him down, not even in a rush, just came over and tapped him twice, and he looks all manner of stupid.

 

It wasnt the fact that I used armorlock that caused him to die, it was that he didnt kill the other guy who walked right up to him, then wait for me to come out and get a double kill.

 

I can go on and on with examples from my own experience on how people always end up losing because they either dont know how, or simply dont care to change there behavior.

Even farther on top of it all, is premeditation, for most people its all automatic zombie motion, which is really sad, most of the time its just trial and error, you have to expect to get killed a few times before you know what your really up against, ignorance causes more death than anything else in the world, never mind playing games.

 

Go out, get yourself killed a few times if need be, look at what the other guy is doing, then mentally fly around and look at it until you find something you can expose and get under his skin.

 

It could be something as simple as how aggressive you are, most people are preprogrammed to bumrush charge every single time, I love taking advantage of that weakness, when people bumrush you its usually best to fall back, know the map good enough in your mind that you can run backwards, backwards around corners if need be, let them run headlong into something very ugly.

 

A prime example is why I love the map countdown so much, so many rooms and hallways to move around through, but my favorite are all the doors that are half closed, where its a small wall on the other side, when I know the other guy is going to charge though the door in moments, I toss a grenade against the inside of the door, they dont see you throw it, and dont know its there until it goes off, then you hose and kill them easily.

I mean I could write a book on this stuff, not just about playing halo, but the way people think and how there reasoning works, or doesnt work, but ill stop here and get to the point of it all.

 

The point is, when you say skill, people always think of who shoots the straightest, which is no where near the top of the list, its all about how you think, the way you act, change the way you think and act, dont expect the game, or anyone else to change for you.

I cant stress enough how irritated I get when I hear people complain about everything, especially when im forced to play 'pro' as its called, 'pro' right, such a joke, its as the point I made early on, skill cant possibly be limited to who shoots first/last and gets the kill at that point outnumbering someone is ‘skill’, they take all the armor abilities out, save sprint, but they neglect to take out power weapons.

 

How sad, really? How sad is it to take everything else away but forget to do anything about power weapons, then to call it pro... Wow...

 

Ever seen someone sprint with the sword? Is that skill?

They have there place in different situations, especially if both sides have fair access to them, but power weapons really just come down to free kills, maybe with the exception of the sniper rifle, which is completely dependent on the individual, I personally cant snipe to save my life 90% of the time, if I try really hard without being shot at I can, but its just not my skillset.

 

If you ask me, ‘pro’ is setting up an arena style game where everyone gets to choose whatever they want, no limiting the game to one train of thought, let them choose what weapons and AAs they want at any given time, with the exception of power weapons, let the players decide what they want at any given time, open the floodgates of creativity and have tactical planning at the center of the game. Each game would have maybe three to five rounds, each round the winning team gets a reward, some credit system with values assigned to power weapons and let that team decide how they want to spend it, or have each round escalate where both teams are given equal power weapons that each team decides how to use.

 

With this concept, whither it’s a 1v1, 2v2, or 8v8, the rules stay the same, its all about how the players act, behavior, premeditation, the true measure of skill, may the best man win.

 

Before I was reluctant to say it, but now I dont care, I love AAs I especially love armorlock, because it gives me all kinds of options for difficult situations, whither its power weapon nurfing such as sword or rockets, or being out numbered or drawing the whole enemy teams attention so your sneaky weasel of a teammate can satisfy his assassination fetish.

 

Whatever reason I use it for, I use it because it gets me under peoples skin more than anything else, and believe it when I say a lot of people end up kicking my ass when I use it, because they understand and have correct behavior, if not armorlock then evade and jetpack in that order.

 

With that being said, I know the cry babies are throwing a fit…

 

My final conclusion is that most people really dont what ‘skill’ is, if you limit ‘skill’ to shooting straight, of which just about everyone can do, then you might as well limit football to long passes, imagine football without linemen, without play choices, just everyone running around passing and intercepting all day long, does that sound like football to you?

 

Skill cant be limited to anything, if people dont have the common sense to realize that then its no ones fault but theres.

Frankly it seems to me like halo is turning into CoD, the boil down of CoD is sprinting around lobbing grenades hoping to get the kill shot first, oh wait, I just described halo… woops…..

 

Adding in gadgets to halo3 really helped to mix everything up, adding armor abilities put that concept on steroids. I want point to just be honest with me, when you look at stuff like ‘pro’ or MLG, it all really just looks like CoD, how much difference actually exists between the two?

 

From what ive seen of halo4 I am hopeful in the future, that what really makes halo the game it is today will be preserved, assuming 343i stops capitulating to all the cry babies who want to play CoD but dont have the sense get off halo, God help us all…

[Snipeside]

This is a long read, and I am very interested in reading. I have yet to finish it all, but I'm saving it. Thanks for this.

[Vinyl Scratch]

This is a long read, and I am very interested in reading. I have yet to finish it all, but I'm saving it. Thanks for this.

Same here, gtg to bed now, but I'll finish it in the morning.

 

BTW, skill is nothing, who cares about video game skill? Play it to have fun with your friends. Save skill for reality.

[ThERavinGPixiE]

To me, skill goes beyond physical ability. I think that skill goes deeper than that. It goes straight to the heart. Without passion or love for something, there is no skill behind it. Heart is what drives a lot of people, I won't say most people because I have no way of proving that. It doesn't matter what it is that someone is skilled at. It can be a game, a job, talking to people, anything.

 

I also believe that skill can be earned, developed, or born with. We didn't come into this world knowing how to speak, and that is a skill in and of itself. While some people may have artistic talents, others don't. They may strive to learn how to do it and either succeed or fail, but that can be a skill that developed or born with. Being a leader is another prime example of skill and I think it can fall into all three categories. You can earn the skill to lead by proving yourself to others. You can develop the skill to lead by learning from others. And sometimes, people are just born to lead.

 

I see it everyday in the people around me and it amazes me every time. Some people take it for granted and never even reflect on the things they do, while others have the desire to brag and boast to everyone around them about what they have done. Then there are those few who quietly acknowledge a feat, smile, say thank you to someone who notices it, and move on through their lives impacting other people without even really trying.

[VivaLebowski]

@Roun Friendly advice, try to make your posts more focused. What you say about Skill was interesting but truthfully you ranted quite a bit in there about stuff which would probably be better off in a completely seperate topic, even if it was loosely related to your original point. Also, I'd suggest not centering your paragraphs like that and indenting it from the left as is the normal. Its simply hard for people to adjust to reading something which isn't in the normal paragraph form, espiecally when its this long.

 

BUT, with regards to what you said, I am not partularly good with precision weapons...I never EVER pick up the Sniper Rifle, and am just good enough with the DMR to live long enough to get in cover. Yet, I would not say I am bad at Halo, I'd say I'm probably slightly above the average in terms of skill, if we include casuals as well as expert players.

 

My "Skill" in Halo has never been using the weapons well...frankly, the only weapon I am really good with is the Sword, and, I'll admit it, thats cuz I know how to take advantage of the radar and stay hidden by crouching...and camp around corners. My skill has always been second to second tactical decisions...I decide to go down this hallway to get here...I do that to do that other thing.

 

Allot of people incorrectly conflate skill with the BR/DMR and Sniper with skill, and frankly, if that is what it took to win at Halo, I would lose 2 out of 3 times against decent players.

 

People should always limit their conception of skill to the end result, not the methods taken to get there. I am skilled at hiding, camping and using the mini map. Other people are skilled at using Precision weapons. But the true measure of skill is, simply put, who won. All that said, I do think there are things which are "unskillfull" like Armor Lock.

[Nitsua Asuka]

Wow Roun Cole I couldn't agree with you more. I use to be pretty bad at halo usually running the same route on every map and not really thinking about what I'm doing all that was on my mind was trying to get a kill but it didn't matter if I won or loose all that mattered was having fun and enjoying the game with the other people on the map.

 

But a few weeks ago I was getting annoyed and disheartened that I simply could not play the game well did I blame the game ? No I didn't I started to think what I was doing and watching what other people was doing either in game or in theatre mode and I started to get situational awareness and now 9/10 I can win in a duel with the guy shooting at me. My aiming is not perfect at all. I use what I can and know. I don't know how to get kills with the sniper at all so I leave it alone.

 

I wouldn't say I have skill I'd say I have awareness, and blaming everything on the game isn't fair, the game is pretty easy to play right out of the box you'll be able to use all the weapons and abilities well enough. I don't not agree with taking things out that adds new elements to a game so it's 'pro' or 'mlg' maybe the people complaining have to change their awareness and adapt ?

[Smokin Shadowz]

I finished chapter 1 lol

 

I shall read the rest tomorrow.

[SatanicBagels]

Skill to me is the ability for the player to put themselves in a position where they can't lose and only can win.

 

But I believe that twilight said it perfectly in an earlier post.

[Baby Boo]

This was a very long read, and much too time consuming in my opinion. Please just narrow down your point next time. I think I have my own summarized explanation of "Skill" myself:

 

What is skill? Skill, for example in a game, is the level of achievement you have achieved within it. For a game like halo, it can be these key points: Is your aim straight? Do you have the button layout best suited to you? Do you have a look sensitivity that is best suited to you? Can you use your environment to your advantage? Can you use equipment to their full extent? Do you know which weapon is best suited for any scenario, and how to use it accordingly? These are all major factors in becoming a "skilled" player in this particular game.

 

 

Skill is also using company and teammates to your advantage. Do you communicate? This is a big responsibility as a team to be skillful and successful. A co-operating team is a skilled team. The team that does this has a great advantage, as they know where their teammates are, where they plan to attack, and who will be rushing what, and also who will be playing offensively or defensively. So all in all, skill is the ability to do something well. If you do something well, that is what you are skilled at.

[Guest Thee Dogg]

I finished only 2 paragraphs lol but yes about skill I agree with you.

[Count Quacula]

As my father used to say, brevity is the key to wit. Please try to keep your posts a bit shorter and much more to the point.

 

I don't know what compelled you to share with us your definition of skill or what you tried to prove, but I would have to disagree with you about armor abilities. Particularly armor lock, but I think the idea of AAs in general is a bad idea, even though this has been argued over and over again, I'd just like to add my two cents.

 

A huge part of being successful in Halo is knowing what to do in certain situations. If someone has rockets, you distance yourself from them because they aren't a long range weapon and the person carrying them is unable to use them at a distance. If you push someone with rockets, you die. Armor lock lets you make mistakes and get away scot-free. It's a crutch. If someone is beating you in a gunfight, you can sprint away one shot. Without armor abilities people are punished for their mistakes, as they should be. They cater to lower level players, and maybe that's a good thing in social, but don't ever try to tell me that they add "skill." Just because something makes you change your line of thinking doesn't necessarily mean it makes you grow from it.

[Baby Boo]

 

 

 

 

Yeah, summerizing is good, but the way you did it kind of marginalized the point I was trying to make, I was being pointed in the reasoning and intentionally beat people over the head with examples, because if I were to use straight to the point reasoning like yours, then all the fools who dont think on the same level as we do will just say something like... "your stupid noob, get owned *****!" if you get detailed on the point and drill it into there brains, then it tends to stick more than being short and sweet...

 

 

People, most people, do think at our level... If I can, anyone can. They just need to understand more in-depth. My point being, you can summarize and still make the context understandable. You don't necessarily need to "dumb it down" like that, just making it longer. Bringing me to my second point, a long explanatory post is good, but one like your original, is it really necessary?

[Sikslik7]

Very interesting. My thoughts:

It is a good thing to be able to play a video game well, but it is best to be able play life better.

[Heartless Spartan]

To me a player's skill is their determination to improve, love for the game, and overall the mental capacity to tolerate. If you speak on competative terms, then I say that a players tolerance is the key factor. Tolerance is keeping your cool in stressful and chaotic situations. If you are thinking differently than every other player, then you have the advantage, and you have the ability to out think them.

 

Keeping your tolerance balanced manages your abilities to seek an alternative to situations that would regularly make players rage. Staying calm allows you to process information much faster and far more clearly than a player who is blood churning insults and running into bullets in a blind rage because their only goal is to end the player ending them. It most certainly doesn't work this way, losing your cool gets you killed over and over again.

 

Remember everyone, and follow the best advice Halo 3 ODST has given us "Please Remain Calm!"