What's the best Map for New Players? - Beginners ask

[enzek-rohtlz]

Hi new player. Welcome to Major Command!.

Probably you are wondering how to start to play. Obviously, the first step is to read the Wiki to get familiar with the terminology and basic game functioning.

- But, Where can I play in?

There two lounges here: Casual and Real Time. Casual means that you can play Major Command during at least 5 minutes a day and without the need to stay connected long periods of time. This is good if you want to rise-up your position (rank) in the scoreboard but you don´t have 1 or 2 free continuous hours.

On the contrary, real time means that you have 1 or 2 free continuous hours to play. In real time games your turns last 5 minutes each one.

- OK, I have selected the lounge. What map may I choose?

Currently, there are 7 maps to play with different size, content and difficulty. You as a new player can choose Classic Mini, Classic Evolved or USA. I recommend USA because it is perfect to start learning about territories (regions), bonus territories (commands) and path obstacles.

USA map will show with clear colors which territories give you a bonus, and a bonus give you advantage over other enemies. So you should pay attention to other player's conquests.

Also USA map will show you that some territories (regions) can be disconnected each other by a natural border like a mountain, a desert, a river and a lake. Then, in order to advance you probably have to cross a bridge or circle a mountain. Conquering USA requires a little bit more strategy that say Classic Evolved. After playing this map, you are able to understand how Major Command works.

- OK, I'm ready to play in USA map. Something more?

Since you are a new player it is also important to choose or look for these settings that I recommend in USA:

Players: 2 or 4 -> not much, not few. Play with even number of players.
Objective: Standard -> You have to conquer every American state.
Teams: Singles -> You're alone.
Reserves: Flat Rate -> Each time you complete 3 same-color cards or 3 different-color cards you can invoke 6 additional troops
Reinforcement Allowance: One or Three -> You can reinforce one or three regions after attacking an enemy.
Reinforcement: Border: -> You can reinforce only a neighbor territory after attack phase.
Turn length: 5 minutes -> But, you must have free time.
Privacy: Public -> Available to every one.

That's all (for now).

 

[Badorties]

Good start, thanks!

 

[enzek-rohtlz]

USA is a good option to start for new players. But, it is also important to know the opinion of the Ambassadors.
Moreover, this recommendation works if players are Cadets or Privates. However, there is no way to restrict allowed ranks.

Have you notice that experienced players just want to steal the points of the new players to compensate defeats against other experienced players?

 

[ORBOTRON]

the point structure doesn't allow for that really. I have to beat probably 5 or more cadets in a row to avenge one loss to a player of equal rank, and if I happen to lose to just one of those cadets, I've dug myself an even deeper hole, requiring exponentially more wins to recover.

 

[enzek-rohtlz]

I haven't seen the effect that you are describing, Orbotron because I'm still a cadet. However, I want to highlight that an experienced player has much more skills that a beginner one. In practice, master players will look for games with new players, and knowing that new players are just learning the user interface and the map, master players humiliate the new ones.

If this happens over and over again without control, new players will fell this game is annoying and there's nothing to learn. I've seen many matches where there are 3 beginners and 1 master and, in fact, the master one wins the game due his/her knowledge about tactics and map secrets. There's not opportunity to new players to learn how to play and they abandon the match.

In this way, Orbotron, the scenario of 5 victories in a row over cadets is high probable. I think Major Command should protect the new players from experienced players ensuring the learning and the engagement.

 

[Shepherd]

Hey enzek. I think all of us more experienced players have been guilty of whipping some noobs in our day. I've been playing a lot of real time lately against whomever is on-line and willing, and while i've been winning many of them I've also been slow-playing many games, e.g. not turning in reserves when I could, talking players through a turn or how to de-AWOL themselves, explaining dice odds, not eliminating a player at my first opportunity, etc. But I'm also very competitive, so it's hard to just throw a game once I'm in.

And while I'm not saying that it's cool to pick on new players, there's something to be said for watching somebody absolutely humiliate you. I still remember being a new player (at another site) and spending three rounds slowly driving somebody out of Australia, only to see in fall in one turn to the guy who'd build a giant stack of troops in China. Oops. It was a key moment in my learning the game - let somebody else do the heavy lifting for you.

Points are fluid, and new cadets are going to lose a lot of games. We'll do what we can around here to educate new players, but most folks just want to join the site and play... who wants to read FAQs and tutorials?

Down the road we may look into ways to make it easier for cadets to find and play each other, but we'll never be able to fully protect cadets from themselves. I've seen new players set up 2p real time games this week on Massive with Escalating Reserves and Unlimited Reinforcements - I'd call those suicide settings. One thing I think we can do to help cadets get through their first few games is to make it very clear - I'm talking hit on the head with a brick obvious - what the best game settings are for a new player. Maybe just a button for "Easiest Settings" that takes the guess work out and gives them a fighting chance.

 

[ORBOTRON]

One of the ways we are reaching out to new players is the use of Ambassadors like myself inviting people to games. I try to keep the games basic, the rank of players relatively low, and the chatter active. With the holiday, I'll admit I've slacked a bit, but I'm trying and will continue to do so. I've already interacted with quite a few noobs, and the feedback has been positive. One insightful story is a player I invited who was quickly discouraged by a bad run of the dice. I took some time to chat with him about various aspects of the game, and he said he wasn't going to leave, but rather learn from what had happened. That's the kind of player I like to see here, one willing to learn and not run at the first hint of losing or bad luck. Remember, we were all noobs at one point, and most of us got our start at places much less noob friendly than here at MC. I agree noob farming/bashing is bad business, and we are actively involved in making the initial experience as positive as possible.

 

[Thunderous]

To be honest, wouldn't the best map for a beginner to play on be the Classic Evolved map? this map closely resembels the classic risk board game map that everyone would be farmiliar with and would be best to start with because it will be farmilliar with the player and they then can then learn the basics of the majcom interface, before moving on to a map like USA

 

[Shepherd]

agreed, thunderous. Classic Evolved offers familiarity. USA is a good beginner map in that there is nothing funny going on like regions that recover strength, maps within maps, regions that don't belong to a bonus command, etc.