[TAA]

Originally Posted by Sirisian

A squad is 10 people. If one person could gun down a whole squad you're essentially at the lowest possible TTK where spray and pray would be effective. This is outside of the area I would say that teamwork is necessary. In fact staying as far away from your squad-mates so you don't get killed moving in a group would be better. A low TTK where a single player is killing more than say 2 people without reloading is detrimental to any form of teamwork. With a high TTK as you mentioned the expected behavior of teamwork is two players are guarding a door (as in the example on my site) and they would easily kill a player running into the room. However, with a high TTK that player could retreat with some damage and throw a grenade inside. If he had skill he could damage both players and go in for the kill. Or throw a smoke grenade in, turn on his thermal vision, and get the kills. Basically as you said requiring an extra level of skill. A low TTK is a very difficult gameplay mechanic to argue for when you want both individual skill and teamwork. You get both with a relatively high TTK.

I think we have very different opinions on the matter. You see, I dont consider focus-firing to be the pinnacle of teamwork. Look at your very own example:

• Two guys guarding a room.
• One enemy attempts to walk in through the door.
• In a low TTK game: the enemy gets killed by either defendant. You say this means there is no skill involved.
• In a high TTK game: the enemy gets shot, doesnt die, and has time to retreat back out of the room. The only ways for a defendant to kill that enemy are: (a) get a headshot, or (b) focus fire him with his buddy.
• Given these two possibilities you suggest that it is obvious that games are better with a high TTK. It promotes both skill and teamwork.

I maintain that you are coming from a very limited perspective of what teamwork is. Focus firing is by far the most basic method of teamwork. It is simple maths: in a 2vs2 fight, if 2 people gang up on one of their 2 opponents the match will quickly become 2vs1. Put another way:

1. Imagine a 2vs2 fight. Players a+b vs players c+d.
2. If each player has 100 health, and each player can output 10 damage per second, then it takes one player 10 seconds to kill one other player.
3. If players a/b focus fire on player c before killing player d, then they will win the fight. Why? Read on.
4. Lets say both pairs of players start firing simultaneously. Players a/b fire at player c only. Player c will die in 5 seconds, then player d will die after the next 5 seconds.
5. On the other side lets say that player c fires only at player a, and player d fires only at player b. After five seconds player a is on 50 health, player b is on 50 health, and player c is dead (killed by the focus fire).
6. In the next five seconds player d (the only one left on the second team) can only deal out 50 damage. He can only kill either a or b (both are on 50 health), but he cannot kill both. Players a/b will ALWAYS win the fight if they focus fire.

Every tank driver who is worth anything knows how to do this. You dont even have to communicate. You just fire at whoever your buddy is firing. I dont even dignify this with the label teamwork as its just such a basic principle in any game.


Take the video below: If low TTK removes the need for teamwork, then why are these guys here even bothering? Shouldnt they just be charging at the enemy?




Let me reiterate what my point of view is.

• I think that both high and low TTK are matters of preference, but that if the TTK is either too low or too high that the game becomes a less satisfying experience for beginning players.
• I believe that both high and low TTK games reward skill and teamwork, and that a player is rewarded for using skill or teamwork to slightly different extents in each.
• I believe that the higher the TTK, the more individual skill is favored in that headshots or hitting weak points becomes more necessary.
• I believe that the lower the TTK, the more that working together as a team becomes necessary. Not because they will prevent you from dying, but because you will die and because you cant win alone.
• I believe that if you find a happy medium not only is the game great for beginning players, but that both skill and teamwork requirements are balanced.