OK, sign up Kree

EDIT: It won't let me double-post, so please also sign up Mr. Kree as Daelin! (He can't log into forums while I am logged in from same IP)

Edit2: Also we have to be on same team since we are in same room

no u

I sent you a friend request - I'm KreeJaffaKree

Kree checking in - sign me up

ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD

I shall call you: Hěn nán fānyì

A Redditor? Studying computer science? UNHEARD OF

Welcome! ;D

Cast was very good quality, but I thought there was some misunderstanding of basic game mechanics on the part of Dr Zealot. (Shout and Doom both go through BKB, so acting like not getting a fast BKB was a "that's why we're here, to learn!" mistake was pretty misinformed, at best.)

Edit: Not to be a complete grump, some of the cast was interesting / insightful

I might be out of town for the date you picked, but I TOTALLY WANT TO DO THIS. So another date, maybe...


SLAPNUT SALLIES WILL RISE AGAIN

DON'T TELL ME HOW TO FEEL, BEAR! DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME HOW TO FEEL!!!!!!!


Also hi, welcome! BRING ON THE LADY DOOBS. With 1100 games, you're more experienced than most of us! Don't worry about that win rate, we'll work to bring it down.

Self-Designated Official Lady-Doob Welcoming Committee reporting in! Hop on the TS and say hello!

Your... your teeth...

Please no, teeth, stahp, TEETH

Here is a haiku I wrote just 4 u:

Your teeth are scary
Please do not bite me, Mister
Welcome to doobs, wow

---

I highly respect your body of wirk, sir, and am gratified to see you playing dota with us, Mr Busey

As a Brit, will you

A) Be playing Dark Seer
or
B) Be playing Nature's Prophet

???

Though unfair, Brits get a +5 bonus to their Perceived Level of Competence and Charm attributes due to the authoritative accent, so it's ok if you are bad!!!



Also,



Welcome!

Is there a way we can set up some MM lobbies like the Inhouse lobbies?

It can be very frustrating if you are someone with ~50 wins who is new to the genre and you are grouping up with people who have ~400 wins. I am not saying all of the lobbies should be this way, but it would be a nice option for someone who is coming on here looking for other people of a similar skill level and find themselves in a group and a game where they are so outmatched that it ceases to be a learning experience and is just too punishing for newer players.

Maybe some channels like:
MM, Low Skill
MM, Medium Skill
MM, High Skill
MM, Misc
MM, Misc
MM, Misc

So that there is at least an option for people looking for relative skill-level games.

For example, I would say I am about medium skill. If no one I know is on, I might want to jump into the medium skill lobby. If I were to jump in a group where everyone was having fun, but a low skill group, the way MM works would pull them up to "my level," potentially ruining the fun of the people in that group. Conversely, if I jumped into a high skill group, I'd drag the rest of the team down - something maybe my friends put up with (I hope ), but not something a bunch of people I've just met may want to put up with!

Concerns are, of course, that this could kind of "stratify" us. My counterargument might be that we are chasing away cool people who may be too intimidated or otherwise just not having fun playing with people who call themselves "noobs," but are actually quite skilled at the game. It seems we've grown a lot, so it may be harder for a lot of the newer people to benefit from, say, some of the hand-holding that I got and definitely benefited from just because there are so many people coming in and getting lost in the mix, or the veterans are just tired / want a break from being Dota Teacher all the time. I don't know, it's kind of rambly - I wouldn't want to pull the ladder up behind me, so to speak, either.

Does anyone have any ideas / input / etc?

Bandit, I definitely had you in mind when I made the post, as our discussion is kind of what got this idea percolating in the first place. It is interesting to hear both your and Fallen's perspective on this, since at different points I agree with both of you. I also have Mr. Kree in mind in this post. We both started playing at the same time, but I've had waaaaaay more time to play than he has, so we are now in two different skill sets at the moment. He doesn't have tons of time to play, so when he does I like it to be a positive experience for him - one in which he has a chance to do well and be the Badass on his team on occasion. I know he'd be much more open to jumping on Teamspeak without me around if he didn't feel like he was completely out of his element. I am not saying different skill-level lobbies have to be officially enforced, but I think the option would make a lot of people more comfortable.


Don't get me wrong, I also love playing with everyone, but I, too, have found myself solo-queueing for the same reasons Bandit has. Sometimes it feels like everyone is frustrated with me because I'm not at their level, or even when the game is going well, it is because they are 4 v. 5ing. Other times, I have been in a 1 or 2 position, but I am getting 4 or 5 position farm because I think, subconsciously if not consciously, the people I am playing with don't think I'm up to the task - so I never get the chance. I, too, like to be the one melting faces, occasionally, or at least not be assumed to be the worst on the team.


I absolutely love playing with the people I am playing with 80% of the time and I'm glad they put up with me, but I'd like to have a chance to play some games where I'm not just being "put up with" occasionally, and I'm not the only one. I am also very thankful for being able to play with better players because it really has improved my gameplay a ton - it would just be nice if the structure created an environment that didn't require solo-queues to get into MMing on my level. (EDIT: What I mean here is that if there were the option for skill-level groups where we are going into the group with that intent. If you just create groups with the intent to keep it to a similar skill level without the structure to back it up, if someone were to come who wanted a spot, but wasn't in that skill level it could feel to them like they are being excluded. If there were channels, it would send a signal that we are going into the group with X skill level in mind and that that is the point. The majority of the MM channels could still be skill level neutral.)


There has also been the unfortunate thing I've seen happening where someone brand new comes on and they're playing in a group that is full, but then another higher skill and more known player comes on and one person leave the previously full group to break into squadrons, which is fine, but then the whole group reforms minus the new person. This has happened a few times and I think it would happen less if there were a "skill bracket" option.


I am not saying we'll fall apart if this doesn't happen, but I'd hope for a bit more debate before shelving the idea.

It's not urgent! Just wanted to get the idea out there.

Sounds good, though I would like to suggest just writing out "Less than 150 wins" and "Greater than 150 wins" so there isn't any confusion about the symbol. Also, thank you, Bandit, for continuing to explain the situation more eloquently than I have been able to.

Welcome! Also, I'm always highly amused by Europeans apologizing for their English, when it's better than 90% of native speakers' English.

Welcome! Also, I think most of our members are European, but that impression may just be based on when I play.

Welcome! I <3 Lifestealer... so relaxing...