GameReplays: What is your opinion about the current balance? How did being in the ES8 and working with Ensembles Studios design philosophy change your perspective towards the game and the current and old balance situations? Are you happy with the results of patch 1.01? If not, what would you like to change?
Parfait: The current balance is the best the game has ever seen, imho. I'm very happy with the results of 1.01.
Working with ES8 definitely enlightened me on balance. I had expertise the other experts didn't and vice-versa – I didn't involve myself in a couple discussions because I didn't feel I had the expertise with a particular civ that another expert did, and the other guys did the same with issues they thought were best delegated to someone else.
In terms of changes, there are lots of things we could have done. The two most important are fixing map screws and balancing op treasures; we didn't have the resources nor time to fix these, even though they are crucial to good gameplay. Other less important things, such as possibly adjusting grens, had too many complications and too low priority to make it into the patch.
GameReplays: In addition to helping the community by improving ES' patching process you put also a lot of effort in training other players. When you joined our
mentee/mentor project you said the following, "
I can team up with some of the lower guys, I'm working on a project right now that will help most sub 40 PR's and it would be good experience for me to find out what people need the most help with." Could you tell us more about this project?
Parfait: RTSProfessional.com – instructional VODs, FPVODs, commented replays, quick tricks – all with commentary. The site is geared toward both mid-level players (FPVODs, commented replays) and lower level players (instructional VODs). It's easy to lose track of ideas that are second nature to you but foreign to others; by teaming up with lower level players, I get a better understanding of what people need help with. The #1 issue is the tendency to stockpile resources – don't do that!
GameReplays: You got teamed up with a PR 25 and a PR 34 guys and in a previous project you taught two guys with a PR around the 36. What does it take to transition from a 1st Lieutenant to a Colonel? Why do the most competitive players get stuck somewhere between Master Sergeant and Major? Do you have any advice for those players to overcome that steep learning curve?
Parfait: Age3 players have different strengths and weaknesses. I think players get stuck in PR because they “max out” the skills they are good at and can't figure out what else they need to work on, and get stuck in a cycle of losing for the same reason time and time again. The way to break this cycle is to have someone good take a look at your recs and point out what you need to work on (ala the Mentor/Mentee Project).
The best way to improve by yourself is to actively play toward getting better. If you lose, figure out why and correct those mistakes the next time you play. Practice things you're not very good at. Watch recs, but don't copy build orders; watch for general things you can improve on. If you're copying, you're not really getting better – just getting more mechanical and less able to adapt.
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