Team17
- lots of draws with the current scheme. See Mablak's old post:
7 girders is a big improvement in pretty much every way, and I'd actually like to see how the scheme would work with fewer. Because with 7, you still never see a game where someone runs out, I don't think I've seen a single match where this has happened. And this is partly because people are forced to conserve their girders, but it would be nice to try say, 5 girders, because at that point you actually will see people breaking through their opponent's defenses.
And it would definitely make more games less likely to reach SD. The TUS scheme as it is suffers due to its crate probabilities, almost every Team17 I've played with it results in a tie due to lack of aqua sheep. If you wanted to keep these crate probabilities the same, lowering the number of girders would probably be the only way to even out games. Because people are definitely still having to rely on the (even scarcer than before) SD weaps, simply waiting it out on each side, and often tying.
I'm assuming the rationale for the TUS scheme's lower SD weap probability is to force players to fight each other head on, but it simply hasn't worked. The moment one team is at a noticeable disadvantage and faces defeat by regular weaps, they will take to one side as usual, and SD weaps will mostly determine the game, 7 girders is still just enough to defend. But unlike the FB scheme, games rarely come to a close this way, and there are tons of ties since often times no one has anything. Games that are 30-45 minutes long should rarely, rarely be ties, we should simply eliminate that possibility as much as possible.
Pretty much all the weaps collected in a T17 go unused since people are mostly trying to get SD weaps, and that strikes me as silly. If we tried 5 girders, I imagine people would actually have a reason to destroy girders and break through, knowing they can't be held off all game, and those excess weapons would get some use. I'd just prefer the FB scheme with 7 girders, or the newer one with fewer.
- replace the current scheme with a scheme that has higher SD weap probability? Perhaps use FB league's scheme (equal crate probabilities except for Mad Cow) just with lower probability for Banana Bombs.
- should 1 or 2 Select Worms be reintroduced to the scheme? Select Worms help against darksiding.
- should 1 x Homing Missile be added to the starting inventory as Free suggested? This way your ability to finish the opponent doesn't depend on crate luck.
I'd like to speak a few words about t17, most people know i really don't like the scheme, probably one of shopper and t17 being the most hated. I used to be a really big fan of t17, the first 3 years i played worms i mostly rope, battlerace, and t17. The scheme was a lot faster then, people played a more freewheeling style, the biggest difference being more people played open roof maps and not these tight maps that people play on now with 10 separated chambers in a dual cave map. These kind of maps, along with the ''turtle and hope to get sd weap" mentality leads me to side with free on the rules. Too often clever early game play is thwarted by it being unrewarded when not gifted with SD weapons while your opponent picks up an aqua sheep and a bird. gg. This kind of ''drag it out'' strategy has made the mid to late game a boring mess of digging to the top and girdering and regirdering. It's unlikely that this will change all that much, but at least poor crateluck doesn't need to be a large determinant of the result. T17 doesn't need a 1x homing, it needed it 10 years ago. I had it in a scheme of mine for many years (before i stopped playing except in tus games). I say throw the select worm in there as well, shake it up, this scheme needs a kick in the ass.
Big RR
- remove banana bomb
- add a rule to prevent draws: if you finish on the same turn, the remaining time on the clock decides
Banana bomb is pretty useless, unsure why it was ever included. Remaining time is a great idea to prevent draws, which happen quite a bit. Not many want to play many big rr's to get a decision.
BnG
- replace the minimum distance rule with "Stay on your half of the map"
- are the rules regarding 5s and 1s nades and straight bazooka shots necessary?
5 sec nades would be a bad idea, they can be easily abused, this detracts from the essence of bng being a shotmaker's game. I really don't have a feeling one way or another on the ''ýour side of map'' rule, I do see merit in not allowing people to hide middle and force the opponent back to a quarter of the map, though. I'm on the fence on this one. As for 1 sec nades and straight bazooka shots, I wouldn't mind them being legal, if you are hiding where you can be 1 sec naded or straight zooked you deserve to lose anyways. A rule that never really gets broken because there is no opportunity to do so, is just an extra useless rule to feed the 'bng has too many rules' narrative. People are right, there are too many silly rules like 1 sec & straight zook, better to remove them entirely
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Aerial
- replace the current scheme with Sensei's scheme (3s mines etc)
- should crates be removed?
Sensei's scheme is the best scheme out there, aerial needed sudden death
Crates to me serve no purpose but add novelty. If it is to be considered as a genuine competitive scheme, the crates have to go. I like the fun randomness of it, but the scheme would probably be better served to take it out.
Intermediate
- add a rule: "You can request Bo1 but in that case the opponent gets to start."
Seems much more than fair.
Also, I can't believe there's nothing done with hysteria. Just watch top hysteria players games, just watch them, the proof is in the pudding. You don't see nothing but plop and side zooka tactics from the start nowadays. It's probably the most broken scheme and it doesn't even get into discussion?
I think it is bad strategy tbh, I've beat better players more often using 2 worm strategies against side hides. Side zooka strategies can be defeated by a response that almost no players use. You can take a good hide on the top that is unhittable by bazooka and simply force SD by running out turn time. This forces the opponent to move, and take an upper hide, most of the time allowing the SD forcing worm or worms to have the first shot once the side zooker moves up.
Much of the time this is better strategy than throwing petrol from a hittable position and hoping for good wind to take out the side zooker. The side zooker will always be limited to what they are offered by the opposing player.
Hysteria isn't broken, it just requires strict adherence to its strange metagame principles. It will always be a turnwhoring plopfest, but some people like the schemeas it is, warts and all.