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The Alabama Power Rankings: Image=protier

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ragnarock

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You just have to stay consistant(doing well) as much as possible. Sometimes you might do bad it you have a hard bracket. Example, I fight Kismet go to losers then big lou. Ima get last place so sh&t does happen.
 

Aloha

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1.reflex
2.elev8
3.billy
4.geo
5.rag
6.kola
7.janitor
8magh
9 cheap
10. Slam
honorable mentions aloha , cam ,met fair enough at least in my eyes!
 

*Cam*

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I think anyone who got at least one vote by the panel but didn't get on the list should be honorable mention. That's the only really fair way to do it. That would include you Aloha, but I'm not sure who else.
 

TheReflexWonder

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If I'm not mistaken, Aloha, Cam, and Twinster were those who received votes but didn't make the cut.

That being said, I don't see why an "honorable mentions" list should be made. Sort of defeats the purpose of a ten-spot PR if we say, "Oh, and these people are pretty good, too." It adds nothing of value to the list itself.

I'd be more receptive to it if (for some reason) we were voting on superlatives, and only one person filled each specific superlative, because it wouldn't be a ranking, so much as who is the very best; showing the people nominated would make sense there. Thing is, this is just supposed to highlight the top ten players, and nothing more. Adding an honorable mention just seems to make the people who didn't make the cut feel a little better about themselves.
 

*Cam*

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If I'm not mistaken, Aloha, Cam, and Twinster were those who received votes but didn't make the cut.

That being said, I don't see why an "honorable mentions" list should be made. Sort of defeats the purpose of a ten-spot PR if we say, "Oh, and these people are pretty good, too." It adds nothing of value to the list itself.

I'd be more receptive to it if (for some reason) we were voting on superlatives, and only one person filled each specific superlative, because it wouldn't be a ranking, so much as who is the very best; showing the people nominated would make sense there. Thing is, this is just supposed to highlight the top ten players, and nothing more. Adding an honorable mention just seems to make the people who didn't make the cut feel a little better about themselves.
I honestly don't care either way. To be honest, I think the PR itself is virtually meaningless, so we can do whatever we want with it. If we want to have an honorable mention list, there's really no reason not to. If we for some reason don't want one, then we don't have to have one. Thing is, I don't think anyone really cares about this list besides us, so why not do what we want and not worry about how it looks to others?

I'd be in favor of expanding the list, but I'd also be in favor of doing away with it entirely. I'll support whatever results in the least amount of bickering. I know this may sound stupid, but has anyone ever considered just getting rid of the PR and instead having a nice looking list of all the active players in the state? I understand it's rather ambiguous the way I described it, but it could be more detailed and more interesting than that. I mean more than just the list that Moogle has at the beginning of the Alabama thread.

EDIT: I'm considering doing something like this myself, but maybe on another type of website, not sure yet. I don't want to spam smashboards.
 

theONEjanitor

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WELL i like telling people that i'm "officially" a top ten player in the state.

i just bragged about it on facebook lol

nah but for real, lists like these are interesting, I like to look at pr lists from other states, I like to know "who's who", so thats appeal of lists like this. also it motivates our state to get better.
 

*Cam*

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WELL i like telling people that i'm "officially" a top ten player in the state.

i just bragged about it on facebook lol

nah but for real, lists like these are interesting, I like to look at pr lists from other states, I like to know "who's who", so thats appeal of lists like this. also it motivates our state to get better.
I don't know that it necessarily motivates our state to get better as much as it motivates people to argue that whatever tournament placements they are currently getting are good enough for PR placement. It's kind of pessimistic, but I think it's also kind of true.


On a completely unrelated note, I just tallied up both my crews. I guess I was just thinking of all the crews in AL when I made these two pictures, wondering what they would all look like if they all had their own group picture. But I digress...

The Auburn brawl crew has 8 people at best.



The Madison brawl crew has 19. Isn't that outrageous? All of these people actually play brawl with us; they just don't go to tournaments. How's that for matchup experience?



EDIT: I obviously didn't DRAW the pictures, I just put them together, just so we're clear.
 

theONEjanitor

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i think only certain people see it that way...and its usually people vying for like spot 9 or 10 on the list, because those are generally the most contested areas, and its often a toss up. it's not really a surprise that the people who don't make the list would feel left out because generally they are just as qualified for the last spot as the person who got it. I think its a special case in Alabama because we dont have a large number of really great players, like i'm guessing that people who place second to last in Florida tournaments aren't complaining about not making the list. the reason that aloha and slam and mahg all think they should be on the list is because they know their skill is comparable to people that are on the list. its not like they're noobs that are just running their mouths with no basis. its not so much they think their placing is good enough, its that they've played against all of us, they know how good we are, and they know they're just as good.

I think that ultimately this makes you sit down at a tournament and say, ive got to do better. It makes you question, well I know that I'm just as good as these guys, well why don't i do as well in tournaments, or I beat this guy in tournaments whenever i face him, yet he still seems to outplace me. i feel like it makes you think about how to do better. eventually.


For players with a solid spot on the list, it definitely motivates them to get better. Once you solidify a spot on the list, you find that its not really satisfying. Then all you have is either trying to move up, or trying to do better in tournaments. (which generally coincide)
 

TheReflexWonder

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I don't know that it necessarily motivates our state to get better as much as it motivates people to argue that whatever tournament placements they are currently getting are good enough for PR placement. It's kind of pessimistic, but I think it's also kind of true.
If people are unhappy with their ranking (or lack thereof), then they should step it up. If they feel they they're good enough to be higher, they should start doing better in tournaments and against individual players. There's a slight about of subjectivity going into it, as well. If someone is definitely good enough to be on the PR, then there wouldn't be a question of who should have their spot. I'm not trying to talk them down--It's just, rules are rules, and the four people who voted seem to think that those people that made it are a little better overall. That doesn't mean that the people who were nominated are really on a level lower than #10.

That's all. Sorry about earlier; I was in a really bad mood. As for the pictures, it's neat; creates camaraderie.
 

shaSLAM

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yeah i look at all the state PR's.
im sure other people do too.

if youre honarable mention then you still arent top ten and people know that so i personally dont have a problem with it. buti do see reflex's point and it is a valid one. all his points are lol
 

*Cam*

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i think only certain people see it that way...and its usually people vying for like spot 9 or 10 on the list, because those are generally the most contested areas, and its often a toss up. it's not really a surprise that the people who don't make the list would feel left out because generally they are just as qualified for the last spot as the person who got it. I think its a special case in Alabama because we dont have a large number of really great players, like i'm guessing that people who place second to last in Florida tournaments aren't complaining about not making the list. the reason that aloha and slam and mahg all think they should be on the list is because they know their skill is comparable to people that are on the list. its not like they're noobs that are just running their mouths with no basis. its not so much they think their placing is good enough, its that they've played against all of us, they know how good we are, and they know they're just as good.
This attitude has already led to a kind of Participation PR, which defeats the purpose of having bragging rights about being in the top ten. What's the point of a top ten when there are only like 15-20 active players in the state?

Also, to be frank, every time I see someone running their mouth about how good they are, I think about how they have NOT played everyone and how their perspective is completely biased towards themselves and possibly their friends. People justify their losses at tournament in every way imaginable except for one: the other player was better. They don't see other players that are vying for the same spots as having equal or better skill. The other guys just get lucky sometimes, obviously. I almost beat him, so I'm pretty much better than him. This is the attitude that has become my pet peeve in the brawl community.

EDIT: It's happened to me too, admittedly, but I try to avoid doing it. When I said 2 weeks ago that I should have beaten JMIX, I was wrong. JMIX is a fantastic player and was definitely better than me at AUSOM 2. I should have said "I should have beaten JMIX in order to be worth placement on the PR."

I think that ultimately this makes you sit down at a tournament and say, ive got to do better. It makes you question, well I know that I'm just as good as these guys, well why don't i do as well in tournaments, or I beat this guy in tournaments whenever i face him, yet he still seems to outplace me. i feel like it makes you think about how to do better. eventually.
I think the motivation to do those things is going to be there no matter what if you are already at the tournament.

For players with a solid spot on the list, it definitely motivates them to get better. Once you solidify a spot on the list, you find that its not really satisfying. Then all you have is either trying to move up, or trying to do better in tournaments. (which generally coincide)
The people that are in those positions are going to go to tournaments anyway, whether or not there's a power rankings. They are also going to try their hardest at tournaments either way. I don't think the PR motivates those people. I think it makes people want a place higher than they are getting, but at the same time, I don't suspect it makes them try any harder. It's a tournament; money's already on the line so what more motivation do you need? I've never seen Billy practicing and heard him say, "I'm practicing to get a better spot on the PR." I don't suspect top 4-5 cares much about the PR in reality. I think their motivation is just to beat the people they play all the time (for Billy, that is Luis, Calvin, and sometimes Raf), not necessarily to earn any specific top ten placement.

If people are unhappy with their ranking (or lack thereof), then they should step it up. If they feel they they're good enough to be higher, they should start doing better in tournaments and against individual players. There's a slight about of subjectivity going into it, as well. If someone is definitely good enough to be on the PR, then there wouldn't be a question of who should have their spot. I'm not trying to talk them down--It's just, rules are rules, and the four people who voted seem to think that those people that made it are a little better overall. That doesn't mean that the people who were nominated are really on a level lower than #10.

That's all. Sorry about earlier; I was in a really bad mood. As for the pictures, it's neat; creates camaraderie.
I don't disagree with you on that, but I think you were missing my point. My point was that the PR motivates people to argue, but I think it seldom has any impact on how well they play in tournament.

yeah i look at all the state PR's.
im sure other people do too.

if youre honarable mention then you still arent top ten and people know that so i personally dont have a problem with it. buti do see reflex's point and it is a valid one. all his points are lol
You look at all 50 state PRs? Does Arizona's PR matter to you? It doesn't matter to me. I mean, maybe adjacent states to us care somewhat, like we sometimes care about GA's PR, but I don't think most people do care.
 

TheReflexWonder

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This attitude has already led to a kind of Participation PR, which defeats the purpose of having bragging rights about being in the top ten. What's the point of a top ten when there are only like 15-20 active players in the state?

I think the motivation to do those things is going to be there no matter what if you are already at the tournament.

The people that are in those positions are going to go to tournaments anyway, whether or not there's a power rankings. They are also going to try their hardest at tournaments either way. I don't think the PR motivates those people. I think it makes people want a place higher than they are getting, but at the same time, I don't suspect it makes them try any harder. It's a tournament; money's already on the line so what more motivation do you need? I've never seen Billy practicing and heard him say, "I'm practicing to get a better spot on the PR." I don't suspect top 4-5 cares much about the PR in reality. I think their motivation is just to beat the people they play all the time (for Billy, that is Luis, Calvin, and sometimes Raf), not necessarily to earn any specific top ten placement.



I don't disagree with you on that, but I think you were missing my point. My point was that the PR motivates people to argue, but I think it seldom has any impact on how well they play in tournament.



You look at all 50 state PRs? Does Arizona's PR matter to you? It doesn't matter to me. I mean, maybe adjacent states to us care somewhat, like we sometimes care about GA's PR, but I don't think most people do care.
Something to note is that it doesn't have to be a primary interest. When I play friendlies, I practice to learn matchups and experiment to find new options and tactics, or simply to have fun. That said, I know I like officially being considered the best player in AL, and thus making my claim actually have worth, even if the community isn't very large. The PR serves as a means to make people want to get better overall, rather than a motivator in tournament (someone can -want- first place all you like, but that doesn't make a player any better at winning). It gives them reason to read up, learn matchups, and just become a better player in general.

The PR also serves as a list of "who to beat" for out-of-state, as well as signifies that we have an active scene at all. New players see it and will say, "I want to be recognized," and will start practicing and going to tournaments. Out-of-state players will try to test their mettle, as well as can expect decent turn-outs at our tournaments if they see that there are people that actually play. We don't really pay attention to Mississippi Brawl, because they don't appear to have much of a scene, and a lack of power-ranked players is going to make other people not even bother making the drive to a MS tournament, due to perceived lack of interest.

I'm not sure if the Alabama Thread has an updated player directory, but that may be good to have on the side in the OP for this thread, to show that the scene is active.

It's happened to me too, admittedly, but I try to avoid doing it. When I said 2 weeks ago that I should have beaten JMIX, I was wrong. JMIX is a fantastic player and was definitely better than me at AUSOM 2. I should have said "I should have beaten JMIX in order to be worth placement on the PR."
I like this better. :)
 

shaSLAM

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You look at all 50 state PRs? Does Arizona's PR matter to you? It doesn't matter to me. I mean, maybe adjacent states to us care somewhat, like we sometimes care about GA's PR, but I don't think most people do care.
yeah it does. i just think its interesating. then i watch the players videos on youtube and like... just search them and stuff. idk believe me or not i think its pretty interesting. its like a way for me to check out smash scenes kinda. it doesnt do any good but i like doing it and i find it interesting to see what other states are doing.

ive looked at all the PR's on smashboards forreal... and ironically, i look at GA's the least because they are close to us and i see them occasionally so i dont feel the need to internet stalk them, but with other regions i like to internet stalk.

and also ALOT of them play wifi and when i see a person ive played on wifi on the PR's im like "hey dude lets play some more." serioulsly ay least 1 or 2 people from every state PR are wifi regulars. this has alot to do with it lol.
 

*Cam*

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Something to note is that it doesn't have to be a primary interest. When I play friendlies, I practice to learn matchups and experiment to find new options and tactics, or simply to have fun. That said, I know I like officially being considered the best player in AL, and thus making my claim actually have worth, even if the community isn't very large. The PR serves as a means to make people want to get better overall, rather than a motivator in tournament (someone can -want- first place all you like, but that doesn't make a player any better at winning). It gives them reason to read up, learn matchups, and just become a better player in general.

The PR also serves as a list of "who to beat" for out-of-state, as well as signifies that we have an active scene at all. New players see it and will say, "I want to be recognized," and will start practicing and going to tournaments. Out-of-state players will try to test their mettle, as well as can expect decent turn-outs at our tournaments if they see that there are people that actually play. We don't really pay attention to Mississippi Brawl, because they don't appear to have much of a scene, and a lack of power-ranked players is going to make other people not even bother making the drive to a MS tournament, due to perceived lack of interest.

I'm not sure if the Alabama Thread has an updated player directory, but that may be good to have on the side in the OP for this thread, to show that the scene is active.
Before I respond, I want to note that I'm not trying to hold up the update by having this discussion (by all means, update Kola). I know in the past Kola has refrained from updating b/c of stuff like this.

Janitor made a point that we don't have that many good players in the brawl scene in AL, and it's a point worth addressing. I think what we should be asking ourselves is this: Are we attracting new people at all? Although we get a few players here and there, I'd say overall the answer is no. What can we do to bring people in? What works to recruit new players and keep them coming? Having been a member of two crews, one very successful and the other moderately successful, I feel like I sort of have a handle on what attracts new players. I also play new and inexperienced players everyday in the game room at Auburn, and I've noticed what makes them come back and what doesn't. Although the PR may seem to encourage new players to get better, I would argue that it does not. You'll have to excuse my extreme arrogance here for a minute while I claim to know anything about bringing in new people.

Recruiting has to take place locally, not on the state level, which is why crews are extremely important in my opinion. You can't shout at a dozen villages from the top of a mountain and expect anyone to hear you. You have to be in those villages to get anyone's attention. If we had a good set of 6 or 7 crews in AL, all of them having 10-15 people, we would only be one step away from getting fantastic tournament attendance. It doesn't take living in a large city to get a good crew, you can do it in a small town, which is why the idea of 6 to 7 crews isn't outrageous at all. Madison is a relatively small town, and we have a crew of 20. I assume it's the biggest in the state, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. With a little effort, I could probably get half of them to tournaments. Right now though, I don't think they are interested in being a part of the state brawl community.

But how can we get new people locally? I can only tell you what worked for us, as it is certainly not the only way. We recruited in Madison by constantly inviting new people that we barely new to come and play. A lot of people actually know the basics of how to play brawl (i.e.- the controls) and have played it before with their friends. We made a point of not comparing the players to each other ("Jimmy, you are so much better than Johnny"). It turns people off to do so, and it makes them not want to come back. We just constantly gave them encouragement AND we would step out if we won a bunch in a row. We let the inexperienced players play each other a lot, so they wouldn't just get frustrated against us and never brawl with our group again. We made sure to tell them what they were doing well along with what they could do better, while trying not to sound arrogant or take the game too seriously.

Another thing we have going for us is that we don't always play brawl. We have other things going on while some people are playing. People bring their laptops and play Starcraft and Minecraft. Someone introduced Magic the Gathering to the group at one point and some people will play that. So, when someone gets worked up about losing at brawl, they can go do something else and chill out instead of brooding about their losing streak. I think in general when it's brawl brawl brawl brawl brawl all the time, people can get tired of it. We try to mix it up by having diversions from brawl to keep things interesting. We're more than just brawl friends, and that makes us want to hang out more, which leads to more brawl.

The final thing I think we really did right was communication. We have a facebook group where we just post that we are hosting brawl, and it is understood that everyone in the facebook group is invited to come. Out of courtesy, most of the time we will call people too to let them know, but the facebook group was a really easy way to let everyone know at once.

How can this translate statewide? As cheesy as this sounds, I think we need to be friendlier with each other and build each other up. The PR thread could be about how great so-and-so's been doing this season, and sometimes it is. But usually, it's just us bickering about who's better than who and who is entitled to a PR spot even if they haven't earned it. It's like we can't admit that someone else is good because that might jeopardize our own PR placement. When you're not trying to argue your way onto the PR, I think it's a lot easier to tell people how good you think they are. Like, Aloha, I've only played you twice, but I think you are a fantastic player believe it or not. You are one of the better Olimar players I have played in my life. You are probably as good as Dan was when he quit Olimar. I had gotten complacent in that matchup after Dan quit and Zap stopped playing brawl, and you showed me that I still have more to work on, especially when it comes to stage control. Or Janitor, I don't think I beat you because I'm a better player. I think I beat you because I have more matchup experience. The few times I've seen you play, I found you to be rather innovative, and I already expect to be in trouble next time I play you.

At tournaments, we border on this friendliness that I described, but I think we can do better. I actually think Rag and Elev8 are the perfect examples of this. They both always have something nice to say, and they never really get extremely angry at a loss. They also don't come across as arrogant or condescending as if they expected to win the whole time. Now that I think about it, JMIX was that way too. If everyone acted like them, our tournament atmosphere would be so much better. I think it would make people want to come to more tournaments.

Maybe we could even lower the singles entrance fee to $5 so more people can enter more tournaments. I understand some will argue that pro players will be less enthused to come to a tournament with less prize money, but we could nullify that if we increased attendance significantly. Maybe for someone's first tournament, we should encourage them to come and play friendlies instead of entering. Eventually, they would start actually entering the tournaments when they are more enthused about competitive brawl.

Sorry for the wall of text. I'm not trying to condescend, just trying to give ideas for expanding the community. If we had a larger community, I think the PR would mean more than it does now. Also, a points-based system would have less bickering with that new, more meaningful PR.
 

theONEjanitor

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we have a lot of players, just not many of them are good.

this is one of hte differences between the brawl and melee communities, for some reason the brawl community is full of "cliques" and people don't travel as much and people don't to tournaments as much, and people don't care as much about getting good at the game. i couldn't pinpoint the exact reason but i'm sure some of it has to do with the game itself in that it appeals to more "casual" players, because its easier to get in to. but this is something we as a community have to actively tackle, by helping people get into the game, and having more local tournaments. the problem with this community, especially new players is that we hate losing so much more than the melee comunnity. We've had like 30 member tournaments in tuscaloosa, where half the new people would leave after seeing how good some of us were, so we're down to like 12 ppl for singles. we have to figure out how to combat that.


also, obviously everyone is biased to themselves. that doesn't make them wrong. sometimes I'll lose to a person who I know is a bad player. I'm not wrong that he's a bad or mediocre player, and i'm not wrong that playing at my full potential I would have won. other people can't see this because they're not me, they don't know what i'm capable of. but what people don't realize is that all that matters is coming back and winning it next time, and talk is cheap. but eventually the more you play great players you come to learn that.

to counter your point about "well if you're at a tournament, you're going to try to do good anyway"
i disagree that everyone does this.
there was a time, and i'm sure a lot of people have done this, where I would look at who was at a tournament and determine my placement from that before the tournament even started. I'd see billy, geo, calvin, reflex, and elev8. and say, "welp i guess i'm getting 9th at this tournament". I would look at my bracket, and see that i'm running into reflex in second round, and go ahead and figure out who I would be facing in losers.
and i know lots of people do this.

but i've realized this is not the mindset to have. I'm ready to get better and pull of that upset. I'M COMING FOR YOU GUYS
 

*Cam*

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we have a lot of players, just not many of them are good.

this is one of hte differences between the brawl and melee communities, for some reason the brawl community is full of "cliques" and people don't travel as much and people don't to tournaments as much, and people don't care as much about getting good at the game. i couldn't pinpoint the exact reason but i'm sure some of it has to do with the game itself in that it appeals to more "casual" players, because its easier to get in to. but this is something we as a community have to actively tackle, by helping people get into the game, and having more local tournaments. the problem with this community, especially new players is that we hate losing so much more than the melee comunnity. We've had like 30 member tournaments in tuscaloosa, where half the new people would leave after seeing how good some of us were, so we're down to like 12 ppl for singles. we have to figure out how to combat that.
I don't think we do have a lot of players. If you think a crew is a clique, so be it, but it's better than people just not playing period. I still see being in a crew as one step away from going to tournaments. If one person in the crew goes to a tournament, chances are they can get several people to join them.

When it comes to hating losing, I also think crews is the real answer, as well as not entering singles if it's your first tournament. They need to go and play as many low-pressure friendlies as possible to get experience. Crews can help people get this practice even more so. Well organized, all-inclusive crews should be the gateways into the competitive community.

also, obviously everyone is biased to themselves. that doesn't make them wrong. sometimes I'll lose to a person who I know is a bad player. I'm not wrong that he's a bad or mediocre player, and i'm not wrong that playing at my full potential I would have won. other people can't see this because they're not me, they don't know what i'm capable of. but what people don't realize is that all that matters is coming back and winning it next time, and talk is cheap. but eventually the more you play great players you come to learn that.
I've noticed a lot of people completely underestimate each other. There's kind of this attitude that if they haven't played them and they are not on the PR, they must not be good. It's simply not true. I mean, the basis that you are judging the other player as "bad" might be the same basis that someone else might judge you as bad. Maybe they also haven't been playing to their full potential. That's why, like you said, talk is cheap unless you can back it up in tournament when the pressure's on.

to counter your point about "well if you're at a tournament, you're going to try to do good anyway"
i disagree that everyone does this.
there was a time, and i'm sure a lot of people have done this, where I would look at who was at a tournament and determine my placement from that before the tournament even started. I'd see billy, geo, calvin, reflex, and elev8. and say, "welp i guess i'm getting 9th at this tournament". I would look at my bracket, and see that i'm running into reflex in second round, and go ahead and figure out who I would be facing in losers.
and i know lots of people do this.

but i've realized this is not the mindset to have. I'm ready to get better and pull of that upset. I'M COMING FOR YOU GUYS
Ironically, that just helps prove my point that the PR does not help motivate people to win. Someone with a PR placement is more intimidating to go up against in tourney. Also, people are willing to accept that 9th placement if they know 9th will get them on a PR list. If they have nothing to gain from getting 9th, then they wouldn't settle and might try harder to win.
 

Mahgnittoc

Smash Ace
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Zimbweabwea
The PR indirectly effects me. Like whenever I play George, I know I can win. I've done it before. But now the skill gap between me and him is larger and he knows how to play better than I do so my whole strategy revolves around the first stock. In my mind if I can pull off taking away the first stock I can control the rest of the match. Be 9/10 I'll lose the first stock to George
 

B_AWAL

Smash Master
Joined
Sep 4, 2007
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Tallahassee
I always pay attention to other regions PR's because the basically it helps me gauge my skill level of adjusting to other players. Ur used 2 ppl in ur region and the best players are the 1's that have the best strategies and the 1's that adjust to others strategies. I find it interestin that ppl I consider friends like Reflex, Billy & Rag are on yaw top 10.
 

Saki-

Reset Project
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I felt as if I just read an essay.
Okay Cam, I'll update. Though it is probably a bit late to point out this question I've had.

Did people really place Mahg not knowing his bracket progress? Theory based update ftw


New plans added to the second post. I'll be taking a bit of time to chop Cam's post into sections.
 

*Cam*

Smash Lord
Joined
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State College, PA
I felt as if I just read an essay.
Okay Cam, I'll update. Though it is probably a bit late to point out this question I've had.

Did people really place Mahg not knowing his bracket progress? Theory based update ftw


New plans added to the second post. I'll be taking a bit of time to chop Cam's post into sections.
Sorry. It was a pretty long rant.
 

TheReflexWonder

Wonderful!
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Did people really place Mahg not knowing his bracket progress? Theory based update ftw
People used the number results a fair deal, and at the tournaments he's been to, he's placed rather well, based on that.
 

Saki-

Reset Project
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In the past now.

Anyway, I'd like some help on on the newest project for getting new players. Whether it being proof reading my addition, adding more input...anything really lol. I find this a fun new project xD

What I have so far for all of you who don't look at the second post.

Current Projects!
  • Helping The Scene
  • Organizing Smashfests
  • Updated Player List
  • Alabama Character Critiques
  • OOS Tournament Plans?

Tournaments
Next Update: May

Helping the Scene and How To Do It!
[collapse="Recruiting and Organizing"]
Recruiting has to take place locally, not on the state level, which is why crews are extremely important in my opinion. You can't shout at a dozen villages from the top of a mountain and expect anyone to hear you. You have to be in those villages to get anyone's attention. If we had a good set of 6 or 7 crews in AL, all of them having 10-15 people, we would only be one step away from getting fantastic tournament attendance. It doesn't take living in a large city to get a good crew, you can do it in a small town, which is why the idea of 6 to 7 crews isn't outrageous at all.

But how can we get new people locally? I can only tell you what worked for us, as it is certainly not the only way. We recruited in Madison by constantly inviting new people that we barely new to come and play. A lot of people actually know the basics of how to play brawl (i.e.- the controls) and have played it before with their friends. We made a point of not comparing the players to each other ("Jimmy, you are so much better than Johnny"). It turns people off to do so, and it makes them not want to come back. We just constantly gave them encouragement AND we would step out if we won a bunch in a row. We let the inexperienced players play each other a lot, so they wouldn't just get frustrated against us and never brawl with our group again. We made sure to tell them what they were doing well along with what they could do better, while trying not to sound arrogant or take the game too seriously.
- Invite people over, whether you know them a lot, or hardly at all. You never know how it will turn out unless you try.

Get them adjusted to the game, review basic controls and help them with advancing their game. Don't be too competitive about it but DO NOT make it too casual.. If possible try to place inexperienced players with other inexperienced players. People hate losing, even more so when it's being destroyed many times in a row, remember this.


Another thing we have going for us is that we don't always play brawl. We have other things going on while some people are playing. People bring their laptops and play Starcraft and Minecraft. Someone introduced Magic the Gathering to the group at one point and some people will play that. So, when someone gets worked up about losing at brawl, they can go do something else and chill out instead of brooding about their losing streak. I think in general when it's brawl brawl brawl brawl brawl all the time, people can get tired of it. We try to mix it up by having diversions from brawl to keep things interesting. We're more than just brawl friends, and that makes us want to hang out more, which leads to more brawl.
Even I get tired of playing only Brawl for a long period of time. Don't be afraid to try other games. I'd recommend Mario Kart, The Legend Of Zelda 4 Swords, Bomberman, or any other really enjoyable party game. Remember for now we're just trying to get more people in Brawl itself. So don't play too much of it so where they become sick of it, but enough so where it isn't forgotten.
[/collapse]
 

theONEjanitor

Smash Champion
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oh cam, by the way you can some of my illustrations at theonejanitor.deviantart.com

most of it is just sketchy quick stuff, and almost all of it is cartoon/comic related
 

#HBC | Ryker

Netplay Monstrosity
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Mobile, AL
I wish there were more people in Mobile that would play brawl and give it a chance with items off. Our crew is 6 people counting Alias in Auburn and two people who are more into other games and only play on occasion. I've met about 6 people who will play, but only with items.
 

TheReflexWonder

Wonderful!
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I wish there were more people in Mobile that would play brawl and give it a chance with items off. Our crew is 6 people counting Alias in Auburn and two people who are more into other games and only play on occasion. I've met about 6 people who will play, but only with items.
Just pick Wario and airdodge until the Smash Ball appears. Get it, because you're Wario, and win. Do it enough times, and they won't want to play with items on.
 

*Cam*

Smash Lord
Joined
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Messages
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Location
State College, PA
I wish there were more people in Mobile that would play brawl and give it a chance with items off. Our crew is 6 people counting Alias in Auburn and two people who are more into other games and only play on occasion. I've met about 6 people who will play, but only with items.
You may have to indulge them a bit with items. Agree to play with items on sometimes and off at other times. Once they see how well you and Rag play, they are going to start wondering how to get better. As they start trying to get better, they will like items less and less. They will start to realize why competitive players don't like to play with items on. You really do have to treat items as a legitimate way to play the game though. There's no "right" way to play brawl. If you sound snobby and always complain about items, then they just aren't going to enjoy playing with you, even if items are turned on.

Also, convey to them that items add something to the game but they also take away another enjoyable aspect of the game: control. It is very rewarding to be able to control a match and restrict your opponent's movements. Like I said, I wouldn't come down hard on using items. Just explain why you prefer to play without them.

In the Auburn game room, there are people who like to use items sometimes. If no one else is around to object, I just go along with it. Occasionally there has been someone from the AU Crew around besides me, and they complain about the items during every match until they are switched off. After they leave, I'll hear people complain about them being elitist and annoying, as if no items is the only way to play brawl. Thus, I think complaining about items too much is actually counterproductive to recruiting. I think the only effective way to ween someone off items is to let it ultimately be their choice. Like I said, indulge them with items, and they will reciprocate by turning them off at other times. Acknowledge that there is more than one way to play the game. They will realize that if they want to play more competitively like you, then they need to play without them on in order to improve. If they don't want to play more competitively, then oh well, they don't need to be in the crew.

EDIT: It's really not difficult to imagine how people are going to respond. Just imagine back when you played with items (we all did at some point) and what your reaction would have been if some guy started telling you that you were playing the game all wrong because the competitive way to play is with items off. I know what I would tell him. I'd tell him to get lost because I can play the game however I damn well please.
 
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