Script Kiddies #1 - The Facts

Originally published at: Script Kiddies #1 – The Facts - StimHack

Discuss the latest StimHack article here.

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I vehemently disagree that you must play on OCTGN. Most “testing” done on OCTGN is almost completely worthless. If OCTGN stats are to be believed then I should still be playing the NBN:TWIY deck that had 3 pop-ups as the only ICE that I won 19 of 23 games with. Testing is only as worthwhile as your opponent, I almost never play on OCTGN, and have had plenty of success.

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Same here (minus the plenty of success). It probably is very area dependent. But the fact of the matter is, I can go out and get a game practically any night I want to in the Atlanta area. I understand that I’m extremely lucky, but I’ve played maybe 20 games on OCTGN (half of which are against people I know) and just don’t generally see the huge appeal when you have plenty of people to test against in person.

The rest of the article is nice, and it’s quite well-written though, ready to see some more.

I liked it. When I was learning I played a lot of OCTGN. It was a fun way to start learning the card pool, and knowing the card pool will get you 75% of the way to being a pro player.

At a certain point you need worthy competition to get better, and I wasn’t getting that on OCTGN so I almost never use it these days. I think it took me more than a few months to get to that point though after learning the game over a year and a half ago.

I agree with your point, but this article series is about getting from the very beginner level to the next level up. This isn’t meant to get you ready for regionals, this is meant to get you understanding the core concepts of the game, and playing a variety of decks. I’ve also found that if you specify that you’re looking for experienced players, or play in something like the Stimhack League. The competition is very good. In upstate NY the Netrunner scene is still very sparse, and I imagine it’s like that in many other places, so OCTGN is where you can go to get in games when you normally otherwise wouldn’t. I’ve played maybe 10 real-world games of Netrunner. I’ve played hundreds on OCTGN.

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Lucky you, Netrunners who have a local scene. Stop acting like everyone has access to that. OCTGN is a must for many players, and still a useful tool for those with local scenes.

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That’s one way to get attention :slight_smile:

Weird how I find out about new articles from the forum…

OCTGN will accelerate your learning curve exponentially simply for the number of games you can play. Nothing compares to the experience of IRL Netrunner, but were talking about how to get a noobs diaper changed and learning how to crawl. I think it’s great advice to new players (and pretty much the entire article as well). The one thing I would chime in to new players that MIGHT be most important is to find someone who is better than you and is willing to help you. One of the the biggest mistakes I see new-bad-average, and even good players make is they get way too attached to their ideas, decks, in game decisions, and then proceed to justify every bad decision they have made (ego being the primary culprit). If a player is beating you game after game, and wants to chime in with a tip, shut up and listen. Or even better yet, ask them “what did you see that I could improve on?” :slight_smile:

Experience is the best teacher, but someone else sharing their experience to an open minded pupil can help that pupil completely leap frog their peers. #thankyouspags&andries

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Funny thing is that it got flagged, lol.

I guess I can’t insult… Myself?

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Sneaky should unflag it so it could receive more “Likes.” :wink:

I just liked it while flagged, can’t see any reason why you can’t either :stuck_out_tongue:

Number 4: Pay it forward

This part is hugely important, especially since Netrunner is still very much a game that needs to grow its base.

When I first started, I showed up to my LFGS on LCG night with my cards and a basic understanding of the rules. I think I got three games in that night, over 3 hours, and I left early because no one would play me. Of the three games I did get in, every single one of them was like pulling teeth. My opponents would sigh and roll their eyes because I didn’t have every card memorized or would ask questions about things I didn’t understand, then would make an excuse to go play one of the other locals. I almost quit Netrunner that night. I certainly haven’t gone back to that group since then.

Fortunately, I found another group in my city that is open and friendly to help me learn the game. But I think it’s worth pointing out that Netrunner is a complicated game, especially for beginners. If you run into someone new, try not to be “that guy”.

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I may have come on a bit strong here. Yes, I do think OCTGN can help you learn the game. But no, I don’t think playing random matches on OCTGN can give you reliable results regarding your skill level, or deck construction abilities.

Either way I do think the article has merits for people just starting out in the game, and this game could use all the new players it gets.

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I’d say that OCTGN is where I see the most justification of bad play and the least communication between players.

After games, I throw up a gg and make comments about the deck and other lines of play through the game that led to the conclusion. Most people just quit if they lost as if losing netrunner is the worst thing ever. Or they say “I would have won if” which doesn’t serve to increase anyone’s ability or knowledge.

Netrunner, unlike other games, is a dialogue between the players. There is a push and pull feel that is easy to capture in post game analysis. Being able to discuss specifics can help identify pitfalls and missed opportunities that are harder to capture in the moment. This aspect is much easier to discuss and review in a live game.

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I’ve never played a complete game on OCTGN (I tried it once, found the interface incredibly frustrating, and regretfully resigned).

It’s a great tool for people who want it. It’ll probably help make you a better player. The tone of the article seems to imply that it is REQUIRED, though. It’s not. I’m halfway decent at the game, even at a competitive level (when I’m not trying to make janky decks work).

I appreciate all the work that’s gone into OCTGN, but I’m afraid I can’t recommend it to a new player: you’re simply grappling with the game AND the interface at the same time, and that’s not a great way to learn.

Great article, thanks. As a newbie myself, I have to say I find playing random matches in OCTGN quite nerve-racking. Maybe it’s all in my head, but I always think people don’t like that I take long trying to decide what and how to play. It’s like being the new kid in the block and I sometimes get discouraged to play.

As for using OCTGN, it’s not like people with very scarce attendance in the local scene have a choice. Either that or don’t play Netrunner at all.

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I’ve never used OCTGN. It doesn’t run very well on my computer.

During a typical week I get about twenty games of netrunner in against a handful of opponents, which is pretty fortunate as I imagine most people don’t have a solid local playgroup.

But nothing helped my game more in the beginning than watching videos of competent players. Apreche, Nords stuff, a couple of others. Excellent learning tools.

To anyone that wants to advance to a competitive level, I’d recommend studying the top dogs first, even before playing. You need to develop certain skills that may not immediately translate to winning results, but good process is more important in the long run.

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I usually title my games “n00b looking for either” so that people actually knows what they’re playing against. I’ve had great success with it since almost all my opponents commented the game afterwards by pointing out what I did wrong and what should have I done instead.

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F that guy and his stupid article, too!

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It warms my heart that Scorcho earned his first “Nice Post” badge for this.

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