There are an unholy number of people that don't understand the actual objective of PvP
Hello, kids. In this thread, you'll learn all the top-of-the-market tips on how to get better at PvP. Some are aimed towards le noobs, whereas others are aimed at the greatest of players who still cannot comprehend the objective of the games that Cubecraft offers. I would recommend reading through everything, even if you're an MLG-Superstar. Even if you don't learn anything new, it's still worth your time. Also, I know I'm not the best player at PvP, but I do know a lot about it. Hope you enjoy :)
Learn which version you're playing on
This one, you'd think would go without saying... Sadly, statistics show that approximately 100% of players on the server are still spam-clicking. This is inexcusable! Don't worry though, Athena's got you covered. I'm going to show you how to actually deal some damage to your opponent. Keep in mind that this applies only to 1.9 (So, every game on Cubecraft, minus that version of FFA that nobody plays).
In 1.9 and all versions surpassing it, the player will deal more damage depending on how much "energy" they have. The player's energy will deplete upon swinging their weapon, and will recharge after a brief cool-down. Swords have the fastest cool-down time of all tools, whereas axes have the longest. Overall, swords deal a greater DPS (Damage Per Second), however axes are more intimidating and, if used well alongside strafing, can body your opponent with minimal damage. Keep in mind that when your energy is depleted, you also deal
far less knockback. Spamming may be useful when your opponent is on the very edge of a block, but otherwise, it's not worth doing; they'll be able to resist any and all knockback received. Keep note of this, because it's a mistake that I see a lot of people making.
To better help you break the habit of spam-clicking, here's a neat little feature that Mojang implemented.
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Esc key --> 'Options...' --> 'Video Settings...' --> 'Attack Indicator: Crosshair/Hotbar'
Source of images: Sophie "Snap" Athena's Minecraft Client (duh)
There, problem solved! Now, the game will actually tell you when to attack! That's right, you can still play the game despite having little skill; it's noob-friendly!
In-depth understanding of how damage output is calculated
Brace yourselves kids, this part gets pretty lengthy. Feel free to skip to the next section if you like, it basically just explains in further detail how damage is calculated and whatnot.
The damage that you deal is formulated by five factors:
-Weapon base damage
-Weapon enchantments (particularly Sharpness)
-Use of mechanics (i.e. Critical hits, Sweeping)
-Potion effects
-Armour*
*I would cover how armour influences damage dealt/received, but it's very confuzzling to me. I'd rather not explain things that I'm not too knowledgeable about myself. Basically, the better your armour, the more damage you'll resist x
Weapon base damage
A weapon's base damage is the number of hitpoints that will be dealt to a naked opponent. One hitpoint is the equivalent of half a heart. This means that despite players having only ten hearts by default, they have twenty hitpoints. The base damage of every common weapon in Minecraft is displayed below:
Swords:
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Source of image & more information:
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Sword
Axes:
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Source of image & more information:
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Axe
Obviously diamond weapons are superior overall. Now, you might notice that a wooden axe is supposedly as strong as a diamond sword. However, because the sword's recovery time (sadly not displayed in the diagram) is far quicker than an axe, the player using the diamond sword would deal far greater damage (as displayed in the diagrams: Diamond sword DPS = 11.2 (11.2 hitpoints dealt per second), Wooden axe DPS = 5.6 (5.6 hitpoints dealt per second)).
Again though, these are not indications of how much damage
you will receive when using these weapons. Most likely, a skilled axe-wielder will take far less damage than a skilled sword-wielder. This is because the axe-wielder will have the knowledge to avoid combat until their energy has recharged.
Weapon enchantments
I will be talking exclusively about the 'Sharpness' enchantment here, as I don't know much about how the likes of fire damage is calculated.
There are five tiers of Sharpness enchantment: I, II, III, IV, V.
The first tier, I, will provide an additional one hitpoint of damage, or 0.5 hearts. Every subsequent tier will provide an additional half hitpoint of damage, or 0.25 hearts. The additional damage for each tier is provided below:
Sharpness I - Additional 0.5 hearts
Sharpness II - Additional 0.75 hearts
Sharpness III - Additional 1 hearts
Sharpness IV - Additional 1.25 hearts
-Sharpness V - Additional 1.5 hearts
For those wondering, this is why the 'Swordsman' kit in Skywars is so effective. It's an iron sword with Sharpness II, meaning that it has a base damage of six (or three hearts), plus 0.75 (or three hearts & three quarters). It deals a quarter of a heart more damage than a diamond sword, making it the best sword in the game outside of enchanting, in both Basic and Normal modes.
Use of mechanics (Critical hits, Sweeping)
Mechanics are things that were implemented by Mojang to give especially skilled players an upper-hand. Think of it like "teching" in Super Smash Bros if you're familiar with the term, where during a falling animation, players are able to shield during a specific number of frames to immediately get up, allowing them to escape a potential punish from their opponent. I will discuss two mechanics here: Critical hits, and Sweeping.
Critical hits are a system that benefit every type of weapon in Minecraft. They increase the
base damage of your weapon's attack by 50%, or 1.5x! This is massive. If you're landing a bunch of critical hits on your opponent and they aren't, you'll almost always win the fight regardless of skill. Keep in mind that this only increases the base damage, and will not factor in enchantments.
These are the conditions that must be met in order for a critical hit to land:
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Source of image & more information:
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Damage#Critical_Hits
Therefore, the best way to land consistent critical hits is to enter a sprint-jump, wait until your jump ends and you begin to fall, and then cancel your sprint and attack. It will take a little getting used to, but once you've got the technique down, you'll be dishing out critical hits at an equally fast rate as an ordinary hit.
Sweeping
Sweeping is a mechanic with very little applicability in Cubecraft, so I'll keep it short. Basically, when standing still and swinging with a sword, nearby enemies will also receive a small portion of damage (typically one damage; half a heart) and knockback (80% of the usual amount). The Sweeping edge enchantment will increase the damage, however it isn't really worth getting into due to a void of applicability in this mechanic. Just keep in mind that this mechanic affects only swords, so be wary when swinging your sword around people that you're teaming with in say, FFA or Assassins. The effect will only occur if you're still, so keep moving and landing critical hits to avoid this problem.
Potion effects
Strength
The 'Strength' effect will increase your base damage by three, times the level of the effect itself. For example:
Strength I - Increases your base damage by three (1.5 hearts)
Strength II - Increases your base damage by six (3 hearts)
Resistance
The 'Resistance' effect will decrease your damage taken by 20%, times the level of the effect itself. For example:
Resistance I - Decreases damage received by 20%
Resistance II - Decreases damage received by 40%
Resistance III - Decreases damage received by 60%
Resistance IV - Decreases damage received by 80%
Resistance V - Decreases damage received by 100% (Yes, this will make you immune to all sources of damage, minus the void)
Running away, and understanding the objective of PvP (Golden Rule)
Let me ask ya'll a question: What is the objective of most of the PvP games in Cubecraft? If you said something along the lines of "to kill people" then congratulations, you lose! The actual objective of the games, is to not die. These two things may sound similar, but they couldn't be more different.
Think about it: Sure, you might have thirty kills and counting in a game of Eggwars, but that doesn't mean that you're going to win the game. However, if you don't die, then you
cannot lose the game. Kills only speed up victory, they don't give you it.
If you got the last question wrong, then don't worry! Here's your chance to redeem yourself. Here's the next question: Is running away a nooby thing? ...If you answered yes, then congratulations, you lose again! Wow, you're really bad at this.
If you're about to die, then run away. It's not nooby; it's strategical. Remember, the objective is to not die. Therefore, it'd be a noob move to stay in a fight that you know you're losing / going to lose. If the other player complains, that's to be expected. After all, you're delaying their victory. It's like when you type /kill in FFA, as to not give anybody else the satisfaction of killing you. Running away just rubs that salt in the wound a little harder than usual. Not only are they not killing you, but they're no longer fighting you, either. It's not only smart to run away, but
massively increases your odds of not dying. Remember the golden rule? If you don't die, you won't lose the game.
Games the Golden Rule applies to:
-Skywars (and all variants)
-Eggwars (and all variants)
-FFA (and all variants)
-Duels (and all variants)
-Assassins
-
Some Minerware microgames
-Ultra Hardcore (and all variants)
-Survival Games (and all variants)
-Paintball
-Line Dash
-Spleef
-Lucky Islands (and all variants)
Games the Golden Rule does not apply to:
-Blockwars (and all variants)
-
Some Minerware microgames
LOL WHAT? How is running away a nooby thing to do? It brings you closer to victory (or delays your opponent's victory) in
almost every single game on the server. If anything, you're a noob for suggesting that running away is noob behaviour!
Bow-spamming, and understanding the objective of PvP (Golden Rule)
A similar mentality can be applied to the term "Bow-spamming". I guarantee that every single person reading this has either used, or seen somebody else use, the term "Bow-spamming" in a pejorative way. As somebody who mains the 'Archer' kit in FFA, this has to be said:
that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard (minus being called a noob for running away, of course).
Right, time for another question: At what distance is a bow most effective? ...If you answered something along the lines of "At a distance!!!" then congratulations, you're absolutely wro-
right??? :eek:
A bow is best used when nobody else is nearby, because despite having the longest range of any weapon in the game, it also has the longest cool-down. If somebody is running towards you and you take the time to draw back the string to every shot all the way, then the gap between you and your opponent will be completely closed before your second or third arrow is fired. Odds are, you missed at least half of them as well, so great job. By sacrificing a bit of range (which at point-blank range, you
do not need) and damage in favour of a faster fire-rate, you can create a scenario where your opponent literally cannot advance upon you if you read their strafes correctly. You will literally become untouchable. So again, tell me, how is bow-spamming a noob move? It helps to fulfill Athena's Golden Rule, kills noobs that don't know when to call it quits and leave you alone, and gives you bragging rights in OP FFA. Who's the noob? You are, because you just died to somebody in iron armour, lmao.
People tend to forget what the bow actually is; it's a weapon. It's just as much a weapon as an axe or sword is, so why it's the only one to receive criticism and distaste confounds me. If you're like me and adore using the bow as your main weapon, keep bow-spamming. It absolutely works, and is just as much a valid strategy as strafe-critting or axe-stalling is. I'm sure as hell not going to stop doing it just because people expect a free kill whenever they see somebody in iron. If it annoys them, well... see 'Have fun ffs'.
Edit: There is often also an assumption that "Bow-spamming" takes "no skill". This is probably another thing that you've all heard before, and I can tell you from experience that this is 100% rubbish. If you're in the aforementioned scenario, one failed read or a single missed arrow means that your opponent is now at point-blank range and attacking you with a sword. Just because somebody is good enough to make it look easy, does not mean that it's easy. Try it out for yourself, and you'll quickly realise that the odds aren't against the opponent; they're against the archer the entire time.
Approaching your opponents
Some fights shouldn't be approached... at all.
See
this thread for example. In the video, I demonstrate what's likely to happen to you when you chase somebody with a bow into a body of water. Spoiler alert: You get absolutely bullied, until you either back off or are killed.
You also need to watch out for the Ninja kit at great heights. Its armour may be non-existent, but it
does possess the only Knockback item in the game, and it's on its sword of all things. In other words, don't spawn on top of the roofs on 'Classic' at all, because there's probably somebody camping there. The kill might look easy, but that's what they want you to think.
Think campers in Skywars, too. If they're inside their island, then assume they have a trick up their sleeve. Even if they don't, expect them to be ready to place lava or spleef you, etc. If you can, try attacking them from above rather than facing them head-on. It might be quicker to do so, but it's also riskier... Okay, I confess. I once died to somebody with no armour, because I chased them across a bridge. They turned around so marvelously, that i was stunned into silence when they broke the ground beneath me. Tears fell that day, as did my in-game avatar :(
If somebody has better gear than you, you're at a disadvantage before the fight has already begun. Only fight them if you absolutely have to, or if you think you can get the upper hand on them... Or if they're using a Steve / Alex skin.
Countless times in Skywars, I've killed players who are just bridging blindly. Look, the rushing strategy works if you've started building early on, but don't do it halfway through the game. You're a sitting duck that's visible from every island on the map, in a game where projectiles are common place. Nobody is going to ignore a kill as free as that. Instead, try building safety barriers on each side that you're vulnerable.
Sometimes, it's better to not fight somebody. Take for example BlockWars. Kills aren't important in this gamemode, so much as securing more captures than your opponent. Bonus tip, but the key word here is '
more'. You could have a thousand captures, but you'll still lose if you don't have
more than your opponent. Anyways, because of this objective, play the game in a way that compliments your play-style. Go for kills if you're protecting your flag, but if you're capturing flags, what reason do you have to fight other people? Rock that Ninja or Scout kit, and go for efficient flag runs. Even if somebody seems easy, it isn't going to help your team win by killing them. All it does is makes you vulnerable when you're supposed to be capturing flags, a role that's vulnerable by nature.
If you have harming potions, say you're using the Wizard kit in OP FFA, do
NOT throw them all at once. When players are damaged, they receive a brief period of invincibility. If you're to barrage your opponent with all five potions at once, what's effectively happening is your first potion is hitting them, and the next one or two are hitting them during invincibility. This results in you wasting your most valuable asset. Many skilled players will recognise this, and try to "bait" your potions by strafing, or pretending to attack before backing up the moment you switch to the pot. If you suspect somebody is going to do this, then try to read their strafes. Better yet, trick them into false-reading you. Switch to a sword and run forward, only to throw a potion instead. Switch to a sword and run forward, only to actually attack them twice, run through them, turn around, and drop a potion when they go to retaliate.
I know you might be desperate for that juicy kill, but many master pranksters such as myself are counting on that. A smart player will always triumph over a skilled player, because they'll be able to outwit the skilled player. It's why Athena was wider respected as a military deity than Ares was; she was wisdom, whereas Ares was simply all-out war. Why do you think the Achaean army won the Trojan War? They were endorsed by Athena, whereas the Trojans were stuck with Ares and his "I'm so great" sirens playing at full blast. In other words, don't be Ares; be Athena (There's the reference I promised).
Have fun ffs
I
really feel sorry for those who get angry at me. You know, the kinds of people who are willing to chase you around a map ten times over just to get revenge. The kinds of people who cuss you out after you eliminate their entire team in Eggwars. Those noobs who accuse you of being ez, accuse you of hacking after you kill them, or question the legitimacy of your skill. This happened to me earlier: I did the "I'm a nooby archer, trust me, just follow me into this here body of water" prank earlier on, and the player that fell for it began to cuss me out. To me, all these examples tell me that these players aren't having much fun playing Cubecraft. If you aren't having fun, just log out or play something else. If you continue to play despite your growing frustrations, your anger will turn into stupidity. Your stupidity will result in you dying more, which will only make you angrier.
If you aren't having fun, then you're not playing the game properly. How insecure do you have to be to lash out at somebody because you died? Who cares
how they killed you, or which weapon / strategy they used? That doesn't change the fact that you lost, nor does getting angry about it. You can't win every fight, and you certainly can't win every game, so just tell yourself that it's okay to die, so long as you learn to not make the same mistake that led to your death last time. Of course you're going to get angry sometimes, and that's okay, but insulting people or letting your anger show in-game only puts your account at risk of getting muted, and embarrasses yourself in front of everybody online.
If you take anything away from this thread, I hope it's these three rules:
-The objective isn't to get kills; it's to be the last player alive
-Running away and Bow-spamming are synonymous with strategy and wisdom
-If you aren't having fun, then you're not playing the game properly
Thanks for reading x
Literally only made this thread to express my counter-arguments to the "Running away & Bow-spamming = noob" mentality of the PvP community. The rest of the things mentioned in this thread are freebies :)
Btw, this mentality isn't exclusive to CCG. It's literally everywhere.
