deadbuffalo
08-15-2008, 01:12 PM
How come whenever someone loses, it seems like we attribute our loss to luck, either on our own part or our enemies. This can be anything from "unlucky start" or "lost with 2: 1 odds". I'm completely guilty of this myself.
Strangely enough people very rarely attribute their success to "well, i started out next to 5 fish tiles, and had 2 3 dye cities within 20 turns and I got 3 free technologies from huts so getting to monarchy was easy and thats why I have tanks and you have archers" :D. Somehow that becomes "well, i expanded faster and teched up faster than you 'cause i'm better".
A lot of the game does come down to luck. Your rating for ranked games isn't supposed to be taken as a higher ranked player will always beat a lower ranked player. What successfull players and successful strategies do is mitigate the risk of the effects of chance on their game. Sometimes you can't control the risks, such as starting point, or what you get from barbarian/goody huts. But there are a lot of risk you can control. Take the classic pikeman vs tank army example.Its unlikely, but you will sometimes lose your tank army. If that cost you the game then how come you didn't build 2 tank armies and win? If you don't anticipate to get unlucky from time to time, then you're taking a risk. Good players will balance these risks carefully.
So lastly, to make this a bit more provocative. Its not luck, you just aren't very good at the game ;)
Also, you can't win every game.
Strangely enough people very rarely attribute their success to "well, i started out next to 5 fish tiles, and had 2 3 dye cities within 20 turns and I got 3 free technologies from huts so getting to monarchy was easy and thats why I have tanks and you have archers" :D. Somehow that becomes "well, i expanded faster and teched up faster than you 'cause i'm better".
A lot of the game does come down to luck. Your rating for ranked games isn't supposed to be taken as a higher ranked player will always beat a lower ranked player. What successfull players and successful strategies do is mitigate the risk of the effects of chance on their game. Sometimes you can't control the risks, such as starting point, or what you get from barbarian/goody huts. But there are a lot of risk you can control. Take the classic pikeman vs tank army example.Its unlikely, but you will sometimes lose your tank army. If that cost you the game then how come you didn't build 2 tank armies and win? If you don't anticipate to get unlucky from time to time, then you're taking a risk. Good players will balance these risks carefully.
So lastly, to make this a bit more provocative. Its not luck, you just aren't very good at the game ;)
Also, you can't win every game.