I am in the process of leveling all my races up to 30 in DOW on line multi-player.
Space Marines are at level 31, Orks hit 29 last night, Eldar are 13 and Tyrannids are 12.
I have played more than 400 matches of three versus three, slightly more if you include two versus two and one on one.
And I have started to feel like I am good at this. My win ratio is getting better. I still lose and my overall 3v3 record is 196 – 284 wins to losses. Lately I feel like I am more in control of the matches, that what I do really matters to the course of the battle.
Last night, I realized that my team mate had gotten caught up fighting in a particular spot and we were losing because of it. He had tunnel vision and had become obsessed with fighting in one tiny section f the map. In days of yore, I might have followed and kept fighting with him. But I saw that it was pointless and was, in fact, playing right into the defensive strategy of the other team. We were walking into their guns with no feasible counter, just going off to die for pride.
So I flanked, I left my teammate to his devices and took the fight to another location. I diverted the enemy, destroyed his defensive advantage and turned the tide of the match. I didn’t wait for permission, I didn’t doubt myself, I just did what I judged to be the best tactical decision. This sort of thing is happening more and more. What I do seems to be critical to the outcome of the match.
At first, I thought it was having a level 30 or thereabouts army. That was what made me “better at it.” But it’s not. The troops aren’t better, they don’t have tougher armour or whatever. It’s me, I am better. A better general. I still mess up and get my troops wiped out (n.b. two shootas and two sluggas cannot take out a Force Commander in Terminator Armour). But my decision making is stronger and more decisive. If a tactic doesn’t work, I reevaluate. I don’t hammer the same thing over and over expecting it to work. I am constantly evaluating and adapting to the changing face of the battle.
My micro isn’t better, my troops aren’t better, I have confidence that I know how to do this. And it is making me much better at the game. I’m fighting smarter, controlling the when and where of the skirmishes, pushing other players to react to me and generally putting my stamp on matches. We’ll see how my record is once I’ve got the Eldar and Nids up to 30 but I really think I’ve turned a corner, from noob, to player, to veteran.
-fyre