[Issue 48] Control Points: Reviewing the Update

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

 

On the 2nd of December, 2015, Tanki Online rolled out two updates - the first being a better sorted garage, and second, a dubious rework of the legendary CP mode. According to the devs, this update would make CP games "a lot more dynamic", and the outcome "unclear till the very end".

Although greeted by positive reviews, I took it upon myself to explore. And I discovered that this update has indeed made battles more dynamic - but at a cost. Read on to find out.

 

Well, this new update's been quite a handful. CP battles last longer, and I tell you, it's a pain waiting for a battle with your friend inside to end so that you can join it in the next round! About the similarities to the pre-update version - it's still a game mode. Number of points remain unchanged. It applies to the same maps.

 

But the differences? I'd say the biggest one would be the negative points - actually, that's the only difference.

 

But we're not here to talk about the similarities and differences. What we are going to do is talk about how they affect gameplay. You ready?

 

 

Spongebob hath spoken! Now, thou shalt obeyeth Spongebob!

 

Nah, of course you're ready.

 

THE MECHANISM

 

So. If you are Team Red, and your opponent is Team Blue. You have a superior M3 weapon to your mult opponent's M0 and quickly get to the point first. The point quickly turns red, and you're 1-0 up. You move away, looking for some kills. If you take the time to glance at your score, you'll see that your lead gets increased by 1 every 5 seconds.

 

But wait! Your opponent was hiding behind you all the while, and you're too far from the point! He rushes to the point till it takes on a blue hue (wow, consecutive rhyming words!). Your lead is shortened. And till you get back to the point, you will observe that Team Blue's score increases by 1 every 4 seconds and your own score decreases by 1 every 5 seconds, till he's overtaken you.

 

You return the point, thirsty for vengeance. You kill your opponent, and he respawns far away from your point. You take an unassailable lead, reducing your opponent's score to almost 0, but suddenly, the blue point count stops. Doesn't increase, doesn't decrease.

 

That, dear tankers, is the mechanism of the updated CP mode.

 

(Please note that there is no limit for your opponent's score to stop decreasing when you have the point. It can be as low as 10 or as high as 150)

 

IN BATTLE

 

Well, first off, I must note the increased use of drugs in battle. Tankers getting high everywhere.

 

This new decrease concept has made tankers try harder to retain the point. Wait, try? Pffft. I meant drug harder. More control means more drugs, and when both teams, that is a minimum of 6 players in a battle drug, it can be hard to survive, what with all the spawn-killing.

 

Secondly, matches last longer than they would - a match that would have finished in, say, 10 minutes by a hardcore-drugging side in a 15 minute battle is now getting finished only at the 15-minute mark. Good enough? Yep.

 

Due to more time being available, the battle fund goes up faster with less score, and more time left on board. This means more crystals for everybody!

 

But also, in longer matches, it increases the number of er... leavers? Quitters? Runners? I dunno, take your pick. That is, if one's team is losing badly. And unfortunately for PRO battlers, this also means that marathon matches like those with a 999 point-cap will be nightmares.

 

Of course, there's an easier way out. #HaxFTW

 

TAKEOVERS

 

Oh, takeovers get much more interesting as the game goes, but they're dreaded by the winning team and lack the intensity of the takeovers of old for the losing team. In case you've not figured it out by now, it takes half the time for the losing team to overtake the winning team's score.

 

For example, from a lead of 50, the situation can go from this - 

 

 

To this(notice the incredibly short time taken) -

 

 

One good thing about 'em is that if the match is still evenly poised during a takeover, the switching of colours on the point ensure that the battle fund's built up to a massive number before the game finally ends.

 

But of course there is a flipside! Of COURSE! Stupid me. If the takeover is one-sided, i.e. the blue team clearly takes over the red team, and the match takes much less time to finish - you know, because of the half-the-time-thingy I told you already! *Scrolls up to check* Yeah, I did. That means less fund compared to the "old" takeovers where the losing team took almost double the time to draw level as they did now. This means, less fund in a one-sided takeover.

 

Lesson learnt - Let the other team capture the point once in a while. It's a gentlemanly course of action, any ladies in the opposite team will be impressed, and yes, it's good for your wallet too!

 

THE BIG MAPS ISSUE

 

But let me be brusque - the new CP is far more enjoyable in single-point maps than in maps like Kungur with five points. The reason why? Firstly, there are five points, so instead of a deficit by 1, you have a deficit in terms of multiples of 5. Add that to the half-time calculations which I am too lazy to do now, you'll lose your lead amazingly fast. In fact, give the opposition full control of the points for a minute, and chances are you will lose the game.

 

In fact, in big maps, when you capture one point, the enemy team has captured the other. This toggling of the control of the points makes gameplay lacklustre. Though there is a promise of more funds, there is no net increase or decrease in your advantage to have any modicum of excitement.​

 

Along with the stalemate issue (I dunno, what's it called in CP?), one also has maps like Madness where the points are, er, slightly difficult to access? Okay, that's because everyone loses their way before they get there, but say one team has captured Point C and the other team just forgets about it because they have far more accessible points in sight, then Point C will be a steady source of points for the team that's captured it, and in a big CP, you need all the points you can get.

 

I don't know, CP seems pretty exciting in single-point matches, whereas in multi-point ones, you cap, your score goes up; then the opposition caps, your score comes back down. Repeat. Could there be some solution for this thing? We can only wait.

 

CEASING OF NEGATIVE POINTS

 

No, I'm not calling for scrapping off the update! This section is to discuss the part where your negative count stops, as briefly mentioned before. Yes, I know you're scrolling up now.

 

So I guess that the limit on negative points was imposed to stop teams from losing too badly, but it's actually one of the biggest downsides of Control Points today. The thing is, if TO had kept a constant point deficit for the negatives to stop happening, it would be great.

 

But they haven't.

 

The minus points can stop anytime. At a point deficit of less than 15 to 120 or 130. And this can unbalance gameplay - a lot. A deserving team might find itself staring down the barrel, while a slightly less skilled team can pick up from where they left off because they're reduced to almost the same score as the leader. Won't this kind of ruin the gameplay for those looking to play the game in the spirit of Control Points?

 

Maybe it will, but why am I persisting with the negatives? That's because the positives are over - or at least, I hope so.

 

IS THE EXPERIENCE PLEASANT?

 

This is the first of the many questions that must be raised about the refurbished game mode. Will the battle be pleasant to play?

 

Firstly, we all know that battle etiquette is totally disregarded when it comes to CPs, and people will resort to all sorts of dirty tactics to win the game. Not that I mean hacking or sabotage, but verbal abuse. Which is just sad. Jealous tankers, frustrated because their team is losing from a commanding position, resort to calling the opposition "noob", "hacker", and much, much worse. Let's not go there.

 

Also, the new mode can be a little heartbreaking. For, even if it takes the losing team half the time to cut down the lead, it takes the winning team half the time to lose - I don't know if I've mentioned that somewhere before...

 

One suggestion - turn off your chat. It'll prevent you from getting distracted by all the hate out there, and can increase your lifespan by half a second due to loss of stress. Thank me later. Actually, it all boils down to this - if you're looking for some serious action with which you want to waste anywhere between fifteen minutes and an hour of your life, go play a CP, but if you're looking for a casual match where you can chill and warm up - stick to CTFs - much more teamwork, less rushing towards pre-designated areas.

 

Also, if you are a teetotaller, you've got nowhere to go in CPs - but down - unless, of course, you're playing a PRO battle.

 

THE DRUGS FACTOR

 

Of course, drugs win matches. We all know that. Drugs are essential for tilting the tables in a match of any kind, but this becomes especially prominent in the new competitive game mode. If one team has, say, more drugs than the other, the match is theirs. I've already spoken about drugs in general previously. Time to learn about the effects of drugging in CPs.

 

Of course, this can lead you to waste a lot of crystals and though you might somehow have a steady supply of drug kits, it does get monotonous after a while. Strike two for the fun factor.

 

My opinion - the drugs are fine, but not for matches stretching beyond half an hour. You'll come to an extent where you can't keep yourself from pressing one of the first five number keys. It's happened to me. And it probably will happen to all of you.

 

The solution? Try memorizing the drop spots for supplies. Picking up two drops and using one garage supply seems much more economical and efficient as opposed to just drugging. Or else, play PRO battles. They are INCREDIBLY fun with the uncertain results. Even if the battle pits Major against Generalissimo, there's no knowing who will win - well, it will mostly be the Generalissimos, but not always. Keep that in mind.

 

This is what happens in your everyday average CP battle - heavy drugging. You either drug back or take the drops. Or else, don't play at all. In Polygon's case, camp in the so-called tunnel if you're scared of losing your supplies. Oh, and in case you're wondering - this is the new camera-stopping mode thingy.

 

But, if you're too miserly to invest 5000 crystals in that PRO battle pass, play in big maps if you're concerned about your drugs going waste - bigger maps mean less concentration of players, and similarly, less usage of drugs.

 

HOW TO ENJOY CP BATTLES

 

Well, many people are - and with good reason, too - disheartened due to the update, because Control Points just doesn't live up to their expectations any more. However, if you are looking to salvage some recreation out of CPs, then I'd suggest the following:

 

1. Choose your maps wisely - Unless you're looking to give your skills a little practice, I'd say taking a single-point map is your best bet. Prominent examples of this are Polygon, Island, Arena and Sandbox. There's a lot of bustle and activity around that point, which should give you the amount of kills and experience points you need. If you're bored of such battles, try CPs where points are scattered across different heights/positions - for example, Highland or Silence. They're less played, but they give a lot of entertainment.

 

2. Choose your combos wisely - You can do away with your Railguns and Smokies here. One needs something that can fetch one many kills at once. Of course, you know what to take. Firebird, Hammer and Twins are what will get you the quick kills. If you're more towards staying in the sidelines, try Isida. Great for healing health-thirsty people. As for hulls, try Mammoth for small maps. Really effective, tons of health, and can give you the time to just belt out those shots. Apart from that, Dictator, Hunter and Hornet are really good to exploit the conditions. Anything else, and you'll either never reach the point on time, or get killed when you actually do.

 

3. Get your priorities straight - Okay, so in this mode, it's a race to get the points - that's the only thing that can get you a victory. Unlike CTF, there's very little chance of a tied match. Therefore, you need to either clear the path around the point or go for the point itself. It's your wish - choose to kill enemies, clear the path to the point and increase your D/L, or capture points that actually matter in a victory.

 

CONCLUSION

 

The new reworked CP mode brings with it a mixed bag - it has both good qualities and bad; but overall, I'd say that the scales are tipped towards the plus side. It's really decent for earning good crystals and experience - that's what the main aim of playing the game is - although much less enjoyment and satisfaction.

 

It's your discretion in the end that wins over - this was merely an analysis from my point of view. So that's the entire nuances of the new CP mode worked into one article. And this CP mode, from me, gets a rating of....

 

 

Yep, it's a little above average and towards the "good".

 

That ends this article from my side; however, feel free to chip in your opinions by commenting below! I'm waiting for your thoughts! This was TNT. See you in an awesome, intense, Control Points match!

 

 

Edited February 5, 2016 by Lhamster

[Zenyth 6,494]

Some good points you make there, well rounded review. :)

[DragonOfStorms 2,706]

I'd give it 2.5-3/5, because those takeovers can be accomplished by just one well-equipped drugger with some skill. That gets irritating fast.

Edited February 5, 2016 by DragonOfStorms

[Lord-of-the-Snipers 1,620]

Good article, well written. +

 

Used to love Polygon CP 's before this update.

Now I only "play" CP on a huge almost empty Map to quickly capture some points for a Daily mission.

Destroyed battlemode imo.

 

A well deserved rating of 1.5 Stars for this new CP mode!

Yep, it's heavy below average and straight towards the "bad".

[wow349 4]

3.0 for the new mode. Why not better? How often has t happened to you guys in battle from warrant officer 1 to let's say third lieutenant in Polygon CP. After 30 minutes, ( of a 60 minutes battle ) You dominate. And then, a thirld lieutenant skilled player buyer drugger comes in with his m2 dictator and m2 rico ( or any other turret. High modification from kits ) and he takes over the battle. In the last 30 minutes, you end up losing the battle or even quitting it cuz it's not fun anymore cuz and the guy who buys hundreds of thousands of crystals ( the drugger of course ) gets all the fund and finishes the battle with more than 2000 score and a K/D better than a sniper in Highways in 30 minutes only. For me that's annoying and i quit the battle and i left over my nice 1000 score earned in 30 minutes for nothing. I quit cuz for me, that's annoying and not fun at all. When they used to come back in 30 minutes, now they can come back in 15 minutes. Leave me an answer of how many times you've been victim of this drugger who rips all the fund even tho he can just take the credit card of his pocket and BAM, he buys for 350k crystals and im pretty i havent earned this number of crystals all my time played with this wow349 account and i have it since the month of JUne 2015 and trust me, what i acquire in a half-year these buyers get it in a couple of seconds.

Edited February 5, 2016 by wow349

[Hex 11,520]

Be a Mammoth/Twins or Vulcan with drugs; sit on the point in Polygon, with 1-2 Isidas in the tunnel, and you win, period.

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

Be a Mammoth/Twins or Vulcan with drugs; sit on the point in Polygon, with 1-2 Isidas in the tunnel, and you win, period.

You make a good statement, but the point is, Polygon isn't the only map supporting CP :lol:

[DragonOfStorms 2,706]

Destroyed battlemode imo.

 

Eh, maybe not destroyed, but definitely severely damaged.

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

Nice article, but to months late. Well, better late then never.

[Bugs.meeny 1,013]

Yeah Im not a fan of the new system, cause all your hard work can be ruined by one drugger M3 isida.  

[r_snowleopard0512030 66]

Great review, and a balanced conclusion :) These smiley faces aren't good enough, there isn't even a thumbs up and down :angry: