Fixed for OP situational accuracy.

I don't think it's particularly helpful towards new players to scare them away from custom games. While getting totally owned by arranged teams isn't particularly helpful, playing against human players is far more helpful than playing against bots (I still haven't played a single Pantheon/Skirmish where majority of players wouldn't be bots).

Sure, you can lose more often in Custom games, but you also learn a lot more. When a particularly nasty tactic (capping+caplocking enemy base portals?) is used against you, you know to be prepared against it next time, and can also use it yourself.

As for winning by using favor items, or just good items from shops, why not? Everybody has equal chances to buy items from shops, so even assuming there were some op items, everybody still hass access to same items. It makes no sense to cripple yourself by refusing to use certain items. Well, ye, should there be some really op items, I might avoid them partly out of some stubborness, partly because they would be fixed later, so not relying on them to begin with might be better on long term. But that's just me, there's nothing wrong using tools given to win, assuming they aren't exploits.

Favour items atm are a bit more problematic. Imo using them is fair, it doen't need too many games to get one. But still, players aren't equal at the start of a game, which is just not cool. There is a thread about unlocking all favor items elsewhere, anyway. But it's not like favour items are game breaking or mean autowin. If you don't have one, you just play a bit more carefully. Assuming favour points don't bug, as they tend to, it takes about five or six wins to unlock many useful favour items, and this is a team game, team can win even with one player lacking a favour item.

These are of course only my opinions, but still, I believe the original post is misleading new players.

Ouch, this became a real wall of text. Well, something to do while waiting for a game

If one favor item makes it so you can't beat them... take ke5trel's offer or since you want avoid people that want to win simply join the game and go feed the other team. What that's you say? That's stupid well pot meet kettle my friend.

Ignoring all the assholes for the remainder of this thread.

Ninjikiran, could you describe the game you are referring to, and the strangeness you encountered?  Thanks.

Agent of Karma you are completely off base in this situation.  You are basically encouraging players to play bots and not people to make things easier on them.  If you want to say that in those words, that would be fine.  Instead, you choose to hide behind a veil of lies and deceit.  Whats even better is I don't think you realize or comprehend what you are doing.  It is quite obvious to everyone in this thread that you are compensating for a lack of ability and strategy.

If you honestly wanted to help new players, you would not try to block off a certain part of the game for them.  If you truly believe that hacks/exploits are involved, a better approach would be to speak out against those specifically, bringing as many details to light, sparking discussion to get them addressed ultimately allowing the custom game to appeal to new players as well.  If you hurt your finger, you put a band-aid on.  You don't chop it off entirely.

Unfortunately, its not hacks/exploits that are beating you; its clever use of strategy and available items.  You can dress it up how you like, however everyone who reads this sees a noob trying to make up for his lack of skill and forethought.

You admit to being a leaver which makes you a noob. You complain about favor items which you can disable in the custom games you bitch about which makes you too lazy to host your own. So what leg are you actually standing on?

The only way to get better is to get owned. Experience is the best teacher on earth, it's the only way to become the best. You don't read books you get your hands dirty. That means losing and dying but learn from your mistakes and you'll grow. Or play bots and continue to suck...

Hey administrator, is there any way you can just completely delete this post?  I ask this because at this point this thread cannot and will not serve its purpose (indeed any purpose at all) because of the extreme flamers who have hijacked the thread.

Admin, I no longer want to keep checking back on this thread to see if any newer players have any comments or questions, because I have to wade through all the BS and flames and attacks.  In fact, I doubt any newer players would want to read or comment here with all the vitreol being spewed.

I don't know what your policy is, but I request that you just delete this post.  I'm used to games that have much nicer online communities than this one.  Perhaps I can try to post again another day, but if it's just spammed again by assholes, I'm not even sure if that will be possible.  I'm not really willing to continue to butt heads with these people.

Thanks.

Are you sure you're not asking for that because of the obvious contradictions with your new thread?  Lol.

"Obvious contradictions?"  I'd like a level playing field when playing online opponents, and you think there's some "obvious contradictions" with this thread?  You aren't just an asshole, you are an idiot to boot.  I stand by any posts I have made.

I again ask the admin to just close/delete this thread.  As you can see, Admin, this is just a non-productive flamefest.  It serves no other purpose.

Wat

Kharma, did'nt you do another post how you were killed at the 15 second mark, and also again with same game/DG at the 45 second mark too.  And that you quit in every game as soon as that happens to you?  How are you able to buy any helpful items and get to the fight in 15 secs?  Some potions or armor might change things for you (AND new players).  Sprinting to the battle naked is dangerous.

As a new player, I gotta leave the comment that this is the most useless tip thread for new players I have ever seen.

As a new player, the biggest tip is most probably not to play with this guy, or others like him.

You seem to be missing the point.  If you play enough then you too will have all the favor items unlocked.

Granted this is bugged our right now and you will lose items you've previously unlocked as well as often go negative in favor.

Each player can only have 1 favor item assuming the developers know what they're doing (I believe they do) then all the favor items are balanced. 

Not every favor item is good in every situation or good for every demigod. 

You are right on one point.  Because favor is presistant, new players are at a slight disadvantage to players who have played longer.  IMO it's fairly minor but it does sort of suck that is the case -- luckly over time this becomes a non-issue.

Anyway, if an item is in the game it's not overpowered it is there to be used. 

It is SKILL to figure out what gear goes best with the demigod you are playing AND with the way you are leveling said demigod. 

Just as knowing which combination of skills to pick when you level up make the strongest demigod Vs who you're playing. 

Combining that with how you play (kiting, knowing when to run, when to use potions, when to use X, Y or Z ability) is what this game is all about.

-Jara

PS: Agent of Kharma, I believe we played a Pantheon game and your sim speed was -7.  The game was laggy as all heck for me and was like playing in slow motion.  You might want to check your settings and make sure you're not running them higher than your system can handle.  Maybe your machine is at min spec?  Bad internet connection?  Or maybe you're just really far away from Westcoast (USA).  It made the game very hard to want to stay in and play.  I've had no problems in any other games (and my comp is pretty bad arse).

PPS: If you stick to playing Regulus, you need to learn to KITE and not stand and shoot and let me get in hand to hand with you.  You should be gearing up with gloves that add weapon damage and things that give him speed (boots), Staff that increases your speed by 50% for 10s, etc.  That combined with his range increases can hurass other demigods like crazy.  Combine that with tracking and sniping and you can be very deadly.  Of course I also think picking up 1 level of wings early will help you farm experiance from the creeps.  IMO Regulus is very gold/weapon dependant and luckly he's very good at picking off weak or almost dead demigods (which should net him the cash he needs).  But he does require skill to be good.

It is not a "skill" to be able to point and click on a powerful favor item to equip your demigod with.  It is especially not a "skill" when your opponent doesn't get to do the same.

I haven't been able to get a pantheon game in at least 3 days.  Furthermore, my system is pretty spec'd out for games.  I don't think I've ever played you.

I do kite when I play regulus, and pretty much every other DG.

He said that the skill was in figuring out choosing your gear, not the act of clicking it.  I can only conclude that you are either being intentionally misleading(which I doubt you have the intelligence to do) or you're just as illiterate as you think I am.  I'd bet on the latter.

Great Advise on some regulus tips there Jara (is that what i did vs you)

Relax!

Sing a song!

Shadow you guys played well and controlled flags early You just have to watch out when you give someone early priests if you can't push with them. Hold off because you allowed me to farm and out level you. Look me up on irc will tell you your other mistakes

No offence but acting arrogant is going to make people not want to play with you at all. Let alone make them want to listen to you tell them about their mistakes. (that sentence came out really akward for some reason.)

1) Call of Duty 4 is one of the most successful and popular multiplayer games of all time. Guess what? It has favour items.

2) You start this thread complain of hacks and exploits which you won't detail, then admit that you're really talking about a feature. Not cool.

3) Then you complain about being flamed, for lying to new players who don't know better, no less. Even less cool. Oh, and you ask for the thread to be deleted, so you won't have to be embarrassed by it any more. Classy.

What would have been wrong with just warning new players about favour items in the early game? Actually giving them constructive advice on how to deal with them? Telling them to host custom games without favour items?

You keep using that word... I do not think it means, what you think it means...

It's unlikely you're kiting with demigods other than regulus and TB... Do any of the others have ranged basic attacks?

QoT.

clearly a troll post.  solo new players should go into single player tournament mode and try out a couple of the DGs just to get familiar with the tree lines.  you don't have much time to view them while playing other players, so you might feel rushed in selecting abilities and therefore misread tooltips etc

obvious troll is obvious, lock this thread kkty.

An obvious flamer, and if you could read you would see that I've already asked twice for this thread to be locked myself.