This almost sounds like a discussion I had with Street, last night, on AIM. I don't give a flying Bullet Bill F BOMB what your score is, at the end of the game. I've had my share of amazing runs, and my share of awful runs, but I've had my team stand by me, and we've pulled out victories, and it was wonderful. Hell, we won the Ice Cave game where I went 0-13, and that was as an "elite" level 60.

There are so many factors that weigh into success, far above and beyond K/D, and it's not necessarily fair to judge based solely on it. Yes, in the context of a Deathmatch, a good KD is an indicator of success, potentially, or the ability to carry your own weight, but it's not quite that simple, either. If a player is a little less "beast", but functions well within the context of a team, I'd much rather have them, most of the time. There have been a few good examples, throughout my UC2 career, of choosing my friends, as well as team players, over playing with crews who are just there to do their own thing, and try to beast it out, all independent of one another.

You also have to look at why you're playing the game, and why they're playing the game. I won't lie, I'm a competitive person. I like to do well, I like to win, and I like to see big numbers in my kill column, and much smaller numbers in the deaths. At the same time, I know we have a lot of the spectrum covered, both here in the Nation, and within Axis, so sometimes I have to pull myself back a little bit, and just play to be with my friends. Those private co-ops with Reo and Prizma, or Charlitos' Sniper/Pistole games were some of the most fun I've had on UC2, in a while, and it was just to chill out, and hang with my friends. Doing well and winning were secondary goals, and I honestly didn't care if they happened or not.

I see the merit in playing in the super-crews, and focusing so much on your KD, and your W/L ratio, because I'm a like-minded person. I want to do well, and I want to compete and emerge with the W next to my name, and be a strong and contributing player. At the same time, having been there, first-hand, and having been through that scene, if that's all your playing for, it's very easy to get caught up in the silly drama, and the ego. I've lost so many friends that I used to enjoy playing with, because of petty arguments, and clashes, and it's just not worth it. Anymore, I can boot up my PS3, find two or three people on, and we just chill. We do well enough for ourselves, we have a good time, and honestly, when I stop caring, and troll with Turtle/Fleet or Break Up/Scavenger, I'm doing just as well, because I'm enjoying myself, and still playing well.



As far as the other games, I can't speak for much. I played MAG excessively for about a month, before the lack of teamwork, and the general lack of depth burnt me out. Even as an Assault Medic, I had a fine KD. It was 2+, but I also know that's not why I played, and why people would keep commenting on having me around as the Squad/Platoon medic. I knew my role, and that was to keep people picked up, keep tabs on the respawn ticker in case I couldn't reach them, so they could respawn optimally, and to make sure my guys were healthy. Plenty of people I've played with can vouch that I've charged into hell and back to get my guys back up, and I loved playing within that role. It was about fulfilling my role on the field, and trying to make as large a difference as I could, and work with my team, to push those objectives.
- If people played MAG solely for KD, there would be a massive amount of sniping going on. I don't deny that snipers have their role, within MAG, and I often pined for a few that would be able to succeed in that, but most of the time, a sniper is going to be a waste of space, on your squad. It's not about KD in MAG, it's much more about acting as a team, within your squad/platoon, and making sure that you get the job done. I may fall 15 times, on an assault, but if I can get picked up, and keep as many guys going, and healed as I can, while I'm up, and lay down cover/suppressing fire, then we're going to win. That's fine with me.

I've even had my moment as a sniper, when Vash and I were making the rounds, picking up our Vet trophies for each faction. Our job wasn't to get kills, it was to keep people pinned down, or to send the signal that route X, was a terrible option. We were able to manipulate the flow of the opposing traffic, into spots that were far more advantageous for our guys to defend, and that's the point.


Porky has a good point, in that everyone has something different to contribute. For some guys, it's just the sheer hilarity of having them around, and having a good time. Shayan was never, and will never be a super-beast player, but I would jump at the chance to play with him around again, just because he's such a good friend. Likewise, I've had people that I would never play with again, because of the opposite. Yeah, they were great players, but complete tools. I can count on our guys, even if we're having an off day, to put their best forward, and to play as a team, and to have a good time with it. That's what I'm looking for, when I party up.


Like I told Street last night, it's as simple as friendship. Yeah, he's done amazing, so far in UC2, but even if he didn't, he would still get plenty of invites, and party time, because he's my friend, and I enjoy gaming with him.