First Turn

[Tranth]

It seems as though most people hate the randomness in this game, and one of the ost important random elements is who gets the first turn. Does anybody think it a good idea to link relative stat rating to first turn? If we wanted to add a handicapping element, for example, the lower rated character would always go first, or perhaps the probability of going first could depend on the difference in stats.

[Madars]

Interesting....

But i dont think they should make it according to stats but according to forms (if thats even possible).so like if im turtle and i get jumped by a bomb or something then i should get 1st move.

-Mad-

[Megabyte]

people hate the random elements of the game?

[bobdagangsta]

Just play the game. You get your luck and they get theres, It will all come out to the same, or at least pretty close with all the blocks and everything.

[Volcom]

i prefer the second move, unless theres a pyro or witch nxt to my LW..
but i couldnt care less who get the first move...
if you cant win or play well coz you moved second.. well you suk

[Moose]

The first move is actually pretty random all things considered :P.

[bobdagangsta]

yea moose its just like heads or tails on a coin flip.

[Tranth]

Yes, of course first turn is currently essentially a coin-flip. The question is whether this is desirable to change. As astutely observed, if you need first turn to win, then you probably suck, but that is precisely why it is a handicapping measure. In defence of my thesis that people hate the random elements, I point as evidence to the myriad blocking rants on the Battle Reports forum. Also see Create-A-Unit, where units that introduce randomness are generally condemned in favor of "strategic" ones. I get the impression, though, that most people don't think TAO needs any sort of additional handicapping. Am I right?

[Forest_Archer]

As a matter of fact, a coin flip isn't random. The way you flip it can surely make all the difference.

[tarvos 6]

Whenever i play, i had noticed a trend that when i get jumped by people with lower stats, they generally go first, and when i get jumped by people with higher stats they generally go first, hey, wait, theres a trend going on...... But in all fairness, whenever i play, if someone gets alot of blocks in the beginning, then it will generally even out towards the end, its just sometimes people get mad when the dsm gets a life saving side block, and then they kill their knight with it, or along those lines. And true, the flipping technique does make a huge impact.

tarvos 6

[Jeffery]

As a matter of fact, a coin flip isn't random. The way you flip it can surely make all the difference.
Fine, first turn is a randomly selected odd/even of a random number generator to decide who goes first.

And yes, everyone tends to notice the OTHER guy always goes first. But that's part of the whole you notice bad things more kinda thing.

[Madars]

if you cant win or play well coz you moved second.. well you suk

Well acctually it all depends on what sets you and your opponent are using...

Take this for an example-Im Turtle and i get jumped by a bomb with a cleric trap (and this happens to me all the time).If my opponent goes first my cleric is most likely dead,but if i get first move i can either block the cleric trap or atleast help my cleric survive for some extra turns.And if you loose your cleric in the beggining against a skilled player........then....well....you will be sleeping with the fishes ( if you know what i mean :D ).

So as you can see, it all depends on what set you are using.If its turtle against turtle then i dont care who gets first move either.

-Mad-

[Hellblazer]

Randomness is half the fun of playing. You never know if you'll get to kill off a unit your first turn or if your opponent will get to attack you first.

[deleryn]

Also, making it so that the first turn is in favor of the lower stat player might cause a general reduction of stats. It would take some time, but the sickness would sift through the ranks of TAO and it would be more difficult to get your stat up and easier to lose them, mostly because of the cleric-killing strategies. Sorry, but I don't like the possible effects much. Newbies already have an advantage in losing less and gaining more.

[Moose]

Probably with the FPS and Legends update, the original random generator based on vowels in the name and games played that day, it has been changed since forth when people started abusing the system.