Originally published at: The Skills of Netrunner - StimHack
Discuss the latest article by @Elusive here.
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Really great article! Looking forward to the rest of the series.
I think you built a really nice theoretical framework there. Your idea of tackling different themes in a series is interesting, and starting with a framework and vocabulary is going to be great for elucidating your ideas without any ambiguity.
Thank you! Yes that is indeed the intention, this will be a common theme in the series. I found that some of the definitions could start discussions of their own, so staging it out a bit i think will be good for the conversation.
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Excellent topic and I hope you will expand upon your analysis of strategic thinking. I have found that discerning my opponents strategy as early as possible has made me a better player, because it affords me some time to frustrate his/her set-up or execution of their plan (think Valencia DLR, Katie Dyper, etc.). I did not pay very much attention to what cards are present (and perhaps more importantly, which cards are not) when I started playing and I’m sure that made my opponent’s job of winning much easier.
Looking forward to your other contributions.
Examples of efficient play are ‘not clicking for credits’ and ‘only install a breaker when you really need it’. This means you save your resources until you really need them, and this is the secret sauce between many an experienced player and a newer player. It is not immediately apparent that this makes such a large difference, but it does.
I have heard that some top players such as Dave Hoyland are known for frequently clicking for credits. Is this a bad play or are there conditions under which clicking for credits is not a poor decision?
It is a bad efficiency play. Efficency is all about aconomy, but it is not the only factor in a game. If you read closer the text on tactical skill you will probably begin to see what the difference is.
Clicking for credits can be the best move in many situations, but it is detrimental for your long-term economy. You will have to determine if you could avoid coming into that situation in the first place, and weigh that against other factors in the game.
Dave is a very good tactical player, a good sign of one of those is that they know when to break off ‘programmed’ behaviour (strategic/efficiency) to take certain actions.
It’s also true that clicking for credits can often be the most efficient line depending on whether you value cards or credits more at any given moment. Sometimes you already have what you need to execute your game plan and just need the money.
Additionally, if drawing instead means discarding a card that could be useful later, clicking for credits can be the most efficient play to maximise value from your deck in the long game.
Well, here i am using the term efficiency as defined in the first article (The Skills of Netrunner - StimHack). By that definition it would not be, what you describe then falls into the area of ‘tactical’ choices. Your point is entirely correct however. A part of what i want to do with this series is define terms to better communicate about the game.
I would say with the card example you mentioned, the most efficient play would be to prevent that situation from occurring by preemptive play. Since efficiency is about doing the most with your clicks, if you end up there anyway clicking for credits may very well also be the most efficient play of course (for exampel to be able to play Sure Gamble to kickstart the economy again), but if that situation occurs frequently when you play you might have a problem with your deck economy-wise.
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