[G] Beginner's Ball Ladder Tips

[elxir]

Hello ladies and gentlemen:

Allow me to introduce myself. I am elixir. I have scoured the lands, far and wide, to bring you, the novice ladder enthusiast, a codified manual to assist in your ball ladder journey.

Here we go!

1) JOINING THE SERVER

Congratulations! You've reached level 60, and you now wish to join the ranks of competitive Altitude. I recommend Ledow's Football Servers for the epitome of team play and well-developed map strategy.

If you're itching for a slightly less tactically novel experience, you might as well play ball ladder.

To locate the ladder servers, go to "Join game."

Click "update."

Find the servers entitled "Ladder #3 - 6v6 Ball - MaxPing = 300" and "Ladder #4 - 6v6 Ball - NoMaxPing."

Favorite them! (right click, "tag server as favorite". If you are a stickler for accuracy, right click "tag server as bad.")

Join whichever server is populated.

You will notice that there is a password. To acquire the password, read the rules here.

2) JOINING A GAME

Upon entering the ladder server, you will see one of two things. The first, and more common, is a match of ball in progress. You will be able to identify this because (1) there will be a spiky little ball flopping around, and (2) everyone will be crashing into things whilst trying to get the spiky little ball.

If there is no game in progress, you will instead see the map "ball_ladderlobby" . This will be similar to the aforementioned match of ball in that players will still be mindlessly crashing into things. However, there will be no ball.

If you wish to dive right in, simply wait for a game to end and the ladderlobby screen will appear. At this time, you should hit "F" (if you're dumb or in a hurry) to automatically join a team or "T" (and then "left" or "right") to manually select a team and not spawn.

It is highly recommended by our editorial staff that a new player observe a few games of ball ladder before playing. This is by no means a requirement, and immediately joining the first available game will yield much more hilarious results.

Editors note: there must be 12 or more players "in-game" on the ladderlobby screen to begin an official ladder game.

3) PICKING YOUR PLANE

Success! You joined the ladderlobby, and the horribly biased AI picked you to play in the next game. Now slow your roll before everything goes to hell.

Team plane composition, as it were, has seen little development in recent years, as the "basic" team package has been long since fleshed out.

The "basic" 6 man ball team looks something like this:

Explodet
Explodet
Bomber
Loopy
Loopy
Miranda

There are innumerable derivatives of this basic set. Often, teams will substitute a biplane for the bomber or a loopy. Nobody knows why.

In our observations, the single biggest factor in ruining your team's chances of winning is a poor team plane composition.

As you can tell, the two "anchor" planes are the Explodet and the Loopy. They are the most important and the most versatile - consider them akin to defensive backs and midfielders, or whatever.

As a general rule, you:

Never want more or less than two Explodets (Explodets are the best AOE (area of effect) plane in the game - but they are slow and easily outmaneuevered - two allows you to cover most lanes without sacrificing offensive ability);

Never want more than one Miranda (Miranda is the worst kill/death ratio plane in the game - more than one will compromise your defense);

Never want more than two Bombers (one is ideal, two often compromises your team speed, three is bad, four is unheard of...);

Never want more than one Biplane (Biplane has no AOE [area of effect] damage);

Now we come to the Loopy: as a basic rule, more Loopys is better than less Loopys. A team's Loopy count will often be (or at least should be) dictated by the number and skill of the opponent's Mirandas. Two is a common Loopy count.

So, you now see the basic team composition for a game of 6v6 ball. Upon joining your team, hit "tab" to observe what planes they are using. After a few seconds, they should all be straightened out. At that time, pick whatever plane your team seems to be missing from this list (Editor's note: don't pick Miranda, even if your team doesn't have one).

There is a reason you shouldn't pick Miranda: it is the most surgical offensive plane, and the biggest liability on defense.

Take a gander at this chart: it is the average goals and assists for each of the top 10 players.



Discount #5 and #7 - they exclusively play Explodet and are not expected to score. What do you notice about the other eight players - all of whom play Miranda and/or Loopy (not to mention most of them also play other non-scoring planes)?

They all average roughly two points per game. There are other players who score more in Miranda, but they are such a brutal liability to their team on defense that they end up losing despite their points. Consider this before choosing Miranda.

4) PICKING YOUR PERKS

Explodet: The most common red perk for an Explodet is Thermobarics. It is the lowest-risk, highest-reward weapon. There is virtually no way you can "mess up" a Thermobarics shot - the opponent will almost definitely crash into something. This is a very safe pick.

Less common is the Remote Mine. It is less common because it is much harder to be good with. You only get one mine, and if you miss your shots have the potential to "boost" the opposing plane instead of stalling it. We do not recommend this perk unless you are very good with it. You will cost your team a goal if you mess up.

The least used red perk, by far, is Director. It's not great. It has all the negatives of Remote Mine, described above, but you get 4-5 mines instead of just the one. Meh.

Green perks: Entirely up to you. Every green perk has its place on an Explodet - though if you use Repair Drone you better have a good kill/death ratio. The most common green perk is Flexible Wings. Use it if you're comfortable with it.

Blue perks: Don't use Reverse Thrust. Don't use Ace Instincts. They both reduce your total available energy for mines and missiles, which is absolutely crippling for an Explodet. Almost everyone uses Turbocharger. The increased regeneration is much better than the +1 mine you get from Ultracapacitor.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3snyXTNmFm8

[elxir]

WE'RE BACK!

Bomber: Don't use Bombs. They're awful. This isn't the F117 Football server. You will lose. You will die a lot. It comes down to a personal preference between Flak Cannon (more common) and Tailgun (my favorite).

Green perks: Bomber has enough basic armor to give you the freedom of using just about whatever green perk fits your fancy. As with Explodet, do not use Repair Drone unless you can maintain a good ratio WITHOUT compromising your play (ratio whoring in ball leads to cute scores and a lot of losses). We recommend Heavy Armor for a new Bomber. "HA" Bomber, as it's known, is notoriously annoying to kill, and often unexpected by your opponent (a lot of bad players use Repair Drone).

Blue perks: Turbocharger is king. Other options include Ultracapacitor, but you will find that it is much slower to regenerate energy, and it will leave you starved for blue bars at the worst possible moments. We recommend using Turbocharger, but Ultracapacitor is viable. Ace Instincts and Reverse Thrust are useless, and will make you worse. They both cripple your energy stores, and both force you to play to your perks instead of playing the ball match.

Loopy: This one is simple. You can use whatever red perk you want - with the caveat that, since Acid Bomb does not stack, multiple Acid Bomb players on a single team is not recommended. Double Fire is widely considered to be the most effective in most scenarios.

Green perks: Heavy Armor. There is no superior - or even equivalent - option. The other green perks are all inferior to Heavy Armor. Loopy should never be sitting around long enough for Repair Drone to activate. It is agile enough without Flexible Wings. If you have trouble flying, use Rubber Hull - but it's not recommended.

Blue perks: As with every other plane thus far, Turbocharger is the best option. This should be the first thing you noticed when you reached level 8 - Turbocharger made your Loopy so much better. Ultracapacitor can be serviceable, in the same way that Heavy Armor can be used on a Bomber - to catch opponents off guard with more shots than you "should" have. However, you will spend most of the game low on energy, which is not a good thing. Ace Instincts and Reverse Thrust are utterly without merit on a Loopy.

Biplane: Recoilless is the best choice if you want to be an effective Biplane. The other two red perks - Dogfighter and Heavy Cannon - both suffer from "recoil." Every time a Heavy Cannon shoots any gun, it slows down. Any time a Dogfighter uses its secondary weapon, it slows down. Momentum is king in ball - fighting your own planes forward movement is never a good strategy. Persons who use Heavy Cannon, in particular, will suffer from the same problem outlined in the Bomber "Ace Instincts/Reverse Thrust" comment - they will play to their perks instead of playing the game of ball.

Green perks: Most Biplane enthusiasts consider Flexible Wings to be the top choice, to compensate for the Biplane's utterly deplorable agility. Heavy Armor is a great second option if you can position yourself well - a Heavy Armor Biplane is very hard for Loopys and Mirandas to kill. Repair Drone is not very useful - it forces you to once again "play to the perk instead of the game." Rubber Hull can be decent on a Biplane. Biplane receives a reduction to EMP debuff, and Rubber Hull stacks that reduction a little more. Biplane has enough base armor to make this work, but your turning will suffer anyways due to the lack of Flexible Wings. Use with caution.

Blue perks: Most Biplanes use Turbocharger. Your secondary burst will suffer slightly, but you will regain energy so much faster. Ultracapacitor may be better situationally. Do not use Ace Instincts or Reverse Thrust. You will once again be forced to "play to your perks" to make them seem cost-effective. They are never cost-effective.

Miranda: Oh lord, we come to it at last. If for whatever reason you insist on playing Miranda, you're going to need all the help you can get. Red perks: Time Anchor is not recommended for new players. In fact, it's not recommended for anyone who hasn't been in the Top 10 of ladder. Recall our discussion regarding Miranda being a defensively crippling plane. Well, Time Anchor is the worst. Trickster is the easiest to use. I guess. Apparently, nobody except our editor knows how to use Laser in ball matches, so we do not recommend Laser. If you are interested in how to play Laser, contact our editor.

Green perks: Heavy Armor. You will just look stupid if you use anything else.

Blue perks: Turbocharger is favored, but many, including our editor, prefer Ultracapacitor. It's a matter of personal preference. Turbocharger is possibly easier. Don't use Reverse Thrust or Ace Instincts. You will "play to the perks, not to the game." You will lose.

5) BASIC STRATAGEM

We've already covered things like plane selection and perk selection. Huzzah! Now, here are some basic tips to make yourself look good.

First: do not take the ball when it spawns after you are scored on. Normally, the Miranda will take the ball. Defer to the more experienced players in this regard. They are (hopefully) less likely to do something silly.

Second: Read this for a discussion of how to respond to an enemy opening (e.g. the enemy has the ball at the start of a round).

Third: a basic note on what to do when your teammate clears the ball UP (which is typically the wrong thing to do).

Fourth: Prioritizing ball recovery in your own goal area.

6) PLAYER RATINGS

All players start with a 1500 rating. To get an understanding of the math involved (lol), go here.

To see your rating in-game (or anyone else's rating who is in the server), type "/rating yourname" (e.g. /rating elixir).

To see a TON of statistical nonsense, go here.

7) ACCOUTREMENT

Good luck, and God bless.

[[Y]]

why would anyone want tips from elxir

[Mt.Vesuvius]

Originally Posted by [Y]

why would anyone want tips from elxir

because he has the sunshineduck seal of approval.

[Disilord]

[/QUOTE]Never want more than two Bombers (one is ideal, two often compromises your team speed, three is bad, four is unheard of...);[/QUOTE]

Ever hear of BOMBERCAKEZ?

Yea it didn't work out

Great guide! Should be stickied.

[Greekjr14]

Even though i partially agree with the HC part, it may not have AoE, but it does have piercing, which can come in handy in all perks of it.

[[hlx] entr0py]

when will we get the Kindle ebook version? good job anyway, elixir/ssd

[Aki1024]

Originally Posted by [hlx] entr0py

when will we get the Kindle ebook version? good job anyway, elixir/ssd

Creating a Kindle compatible book isn't difficult.

[Flight 666]

THIS IS BALL duh.

[tgleaf]

I probably would have laughed more if I had read more, but:

Originally Posted by elxir

Often, teams will substitute a biplane for the bomber or a loopy. Nobody knows why.

LOL. More like "never want more than ZERO biplanes." This is a guide for new players, isn't it?

And why all the hate against bombers? 4 bombers is fine.

[Evan20000]

This guide needs more properk.

That is all.

[Flexio]

In my opinion this "guide" is filled with jokes sarcasm and pointless statements which I see as mainly filler. We already have "How to Have and Enjoyable Ladder Experience" and "Guide to Ball" so this seems pretty unnecessary and certainly not worthy of being a "[G]" Guide. Yet. What has it been since this was posted, 4 days? Jeez.

[Demuyt]

Originally Posted by Flexio

In my opinion this "guide" is filled with jokes sarcasm and pointless statements which I see as mainly filler. We already have "How to Have and Enjoyable Ladder Experience" and "Guide to Ball" so this seems pretty unnecessary and certainly not worthy of being a "[G]" Guide. Yet. What has it been since this was posted, 4 days? Jeez.

[leggomyeggo]

Originally Posted by Flexio

In my opinion this "guide" is filled with jokes sarcasm and pointless statements which I see as mainly filler. We already have "How to Have and Enjoyable Ladder Experience" and "Guide to Ball" so this seems pretty unnecessary and certainly not worthy of being a "[G]" Guide. Yet. What has it been since this was posted, 4 days? Jeez.

Shut up you worthless sack of ****. Sorry excuse my naughty word. What I meant to say was:

In my opinion this "post" is filled with nonsense and pointless statements which I see as mainly filler. We already have THE MARVEL and sky posting so this poster seems pretty unnecessary and certainly not worthy of being a member. Yet. What has it been since this you last posted something good, 4 days? Jeez.

[Ribilla]

Originally Posted by Flexio

In my opinion this "guide" is filled with jokes sarcasm and pointless statements which I see as mainly filler. We already have "How to Have and Enjoyable Ladder Experience" and "Guide to Ball" so this seems pretty unnecessary and certainly not worthy of being a "[G]" Guide. Yet. What has it been since this was posted, 4 days? Jeez.

Because humour isn't a good use of English. Kthxtyvm

If anyone American tries to make some kind of 'humor' reference, I will gut them like a Cornish game hen.

[XX1]

Originally Posted by elxir

Never want more than one Biplane (Biplane has no AOE [area of effect] damage);

Originally Posted by tgleaf

I probably would have laughed more if I had read more, but:



LOL. More like "never want more than ZERO biplanes." This is a guide for new players, isn't it?

OHHIOIHOIHOIHOHOIHOHIHOIH
http://altitudegame.com/forums/showp...postcount=1054

[Flexio]

Originally Posted by leggomyeggo

Shut up you worthless sack of ****. Sorry excuse my naughty word. What I meant to say was:

In my opinion this "post" is filled with nonsense and pointless statements which I see as mainly filler. We already have THE MARVEL and sky posting so this poster seems pretty unnecessary and certainly not worthy of being a member. Yet. What has it been since this you last posted something good, 4 days? Jeez.

Completely irrelevant statements; the real issues are (1) does this thread have the quality to be an official guide AND (2) why was this thread tagged as a guide so early (and who did it). You fail to address either of these real issues and instead resort to personal attacks on my character and respectability as a forum member. Although I'd be glad to discuss my history on these forums and my contributions, I nonetheless consider the quoted post complete off topic insults and attacks.

Let's stay on the issues at hand. If you support this guide and its author and are capable of presenting a sound argument for it I would happy to discuss.

[leggomyeggo]

Originally Posted by Flexio

Completely irrelevant statements; the real issues are (1) does this thread have the quality to be an official guide AND (2) why was this thread tagged as a guide so early (and who did it). You fail to address either of these real issues and instead resort to personal attacks on my character and respectability as a forum member. Although I'd be glad to discuss my history on these forums and my contributions, I nonetheless consider the quoted post complete off topic insults and attacks.

Let's stay on the issues at hand. If you support this guide and its author and are capable of presenting a sound argument for it I would happy to discuss.

If you're upset about it containing jokes, then really you need to realize that no new player is going to come here, sit down, and read through a whole guide that completely bores the **** out of them. Literally. It was most likely tagged as [G] because the moderator thought that it was a needed guide and altogether beneficial for the community. The guides don't always have to be completely flushed out imo. As for who did it, why do you care? It would have had to been a moderator, so they obviously are more important than you, and are probably smarter than you. Thus, that's why they make decisions.

I resort to personal attacks because...well because **** you.

[Demuyt]

If you think the guide isn't good enough, please go ahead and write one yourself.

I don't know who tagged it as [G], but I think he was right in doing so. Albeit being rather playful, this guide delivers the information needed for a new player to perform decently in ladder.

[classicallad]

Nice troll lix

[Void]

Originally Posted by Flexio

In my opinion this "guide" is filled with jokes sarcasm and pointless statements which I see as mainly filler. We already have "How to Have and Enjoyable Ladder Experience" and "Guide to Ball" so this seems pretty unnecessary and certainly not worthy of being a "[G]" Guide. Yet. What has it been since this was posted, 4 days? Jeez.

[Shine5park]

Here are my suggestions (for the guide):

• Remove the first chapter, "Joining the Server". Anyone who can understand anything in this guide knows how to join a server.
• Remove everything in the second chapter, "Joining the Game", except for the "editor's note" and the part about how to select teams while in the lobby. An annotated screenshot would be great!
• Merge "Picking Your Plane" (a better title would be "Team Composition") and "Basic Stratagem" into one chapter with subtopics. You could copy and revise content from the linked-to posts. Have someone else write the parts about Biplanes.
• Add information about how to use the console on Ladder servers. This could be an addition to "Joining the Game" or a whole new chapter.

Without going into grammar, I found a couple mistakes that I'm pretty sure are not jokes:

Originally Posted by elxir

Bomber: Don't use Bombs. They're awful. This isn't the F117 Football server. You will lose. You will die a lot. It comes down to a personal preference between Flak Cannon (more common) and Tailgun (my favorite).

The correct names for the highlighted perks are Flak Tailgun and Suppressor, respectively. Also, "F117" should be "F-117".