Side Topic from VF5FS Online Rank Titles Thread

I have to agree with that. Before that, my game wasn't good, I didn't play like I wanted. All that matter for me was to keep my rank. Well, not anymore. From the moment I decided that my rank is not important, my game has progressed and I'm enjoying every fight. I think that this the meaning of the game.

 

Had to back track a few pages to read myke's post, made me lol. Didn't know lastmonk=masterpo, knew that name looked familiar when I saw it in room matches earlier today.

 

Any talk about E-peen always leads to this kind of talk akai. You should know by now with all that modding exp under your belt .

 

Lol...wow. This thread is laughable.

Just play the fucking game. Everyone already knows that there's different layers of players and levels and each of these play the game for different reasons. But I knew that if they brought rank into the console port, that people would go apeshit about it and use it as a measure of skill, despite all the variables involved. You're fighting a losing battle if you think you're going to somehow consistently and continually purify your record and rank from lag, clowns, disconnects, etc. The same crowd that cares so much about rank is the same people who have to get all trophies and achievements in games to feel validated. This is a fighting game guys. Peeps are so caught up in not being demoted or getting an L, that they aren't even fighting a match anymore. And spend more time messaging people and posting about individual players than playing the game. Seriously. I never saw so many instances of one grown man's name in another grown man's mouth. And over petty shit no less. Went from disconnects and lag switches to "he does repeated offensive moves over my body" or "he always jumps out of the ring after he wins". BLASPHEMY. DISHONORABLE. Yo, shut..the fuck...up.

If you care about ranked and it's your thing, fine. But at the end of the day it doesn't accurately measure skill. The sooner people realize this, the quicker they can loosen the fuck up and start enjoying the game. You're either gonna be a casual player, online warrior, or competitor. Notice I didn't include fraud in that list. So if you're going to be one of these, stick to the script. Online warriors, don't come posting up honorable philisophical ideals and all that when you know you're doing shady shit to maintain a certain record or rank. Be 100% with it. Don't break sweats trying to puppeteer stuff in an attempt to salvage rankage in an obviously flawed system. Just let it ride. Please. Stfu and let it ride man. Keep it moving. Jesus Christ...

P.S. If anyone was wondering, or had it on the tip of their tongue to flip my post, I could less about rank. And it shows. I'm a competitor. I just wanna play solid guys and get my weight up. So that I won't be free when I travel and enter tournaments or play sets. I actually prefer local anyday, but FS netcode is legit and playable. Plus, we all know how VF scene is. Capable online is crucial to survival of VF in some parts. Anyway, I tend to stick to player and room matches with solid people or others I know. Sometimes I step foot in ranked. When I do, I use that little title that means so much to so many people to initially decide who I want to play. People that beat me, I will challenge them repeatedly until they stop linking up with me. People I beat, if they keep challenging me, we'll fight until I get off. It goes both ways. Because if I'm in ranked, I'm there to fight people. I gives zero fucks about maintaining or record. I know nothing about demotions, promotions, or how many points you get from this or that. Last time I cared, it was offline in VF4 Kumite or Quest mode and trying to get certain items or remove certain ones.

But long story short, just play. This is a nice site. Good guys here, informative, caters heavily to peeps, and overall chill. But when guys start getting too sensitive, entitled, crazy, etc. you should be able to see why people get a bit irritated. Could be attributed to a lack of common sense from gamer population. And I know there's things to be considered when dealing with certain crowds, but I refuse to believe that a majority of people are incapable of just playing a game for what it is and chilling out. I really do.

 

FlyMike For President!!!

Damn too bad i don't have the PS3 version.
Rank is cool. I have no problems with it. I know who fronting and it all on them. I don't mind playing anybody but if we are in completely different rank categories.. its a waste. i don't cherry pick but i prefer to fight within my rank group or exact title. No sense i play a guy 4 to 5 ranks up and winning and not getting much of meter raise for it. its mean in retrospect.... i have to get on your level to affect you. Fair enough.

Met me in player match.. The more things change the more they stay the same. Im often sitting in there for minutes at a time waiting for some games like the latter years of Vanilla. Guess im still used to it. atleast i don't get hate mail for playing 5 games sets with the noobs lol!! They appreciate when you stick around and show them what they are doing wrong mid match with a light mock.

 

@Myke and FlyMike

With the most deepest respect, to a veteran of the game, and a pillar of the VFDC community. I absolutely hear and at so many levels agree with aspects of your point. But my friends, its only one perspective. There are going to be some ppl who just don't give a damn about rank, or Win/loss ratios, or statistics, they just want to have high quality matches, many of them will go on to play in live high quality tournaments. But not every body in the VFDC community sees the game that way.

Why can't we accept all groups. For example there are some VF fans that love single player, honest to God, I know maybe 8 or 9 ppl like this, they love the game, and they only like to play against the AI, they like to keep track of their statistics against the AI, they like their ranks, they don't do two player and never go online. But they're in the game deep (from a single player perspective) AFAIC this gamer is just as much of the fan of the game as we all are. I don't think its fair to tell these player "Fuck rank, Fuck statistics, Fuck the AI, its all about maning up so you can play in live tourneys!
that's not why the person has the game.

I disagree that rank doesn't mean anything. Its a measure of your determination, its measure of your performance against the lvl of ppl you've played. Obviously if you only played very new ppl and dominate them, and get the darkslayer rank as a result of smashing ppl who are just learning the game, you're going to eventually find out that your rank is just a function of the ppl you've played. For example I have my little Defender rank, and last night was getting consistently destroyed by a 2nd Kyu who was obviously much much better than me and who obviously rarely played rank mode. Lesson learned.

But there are ppl who enjoy brandishing their Win/Loss ratio, number of battle points, their rank. My friends these are features of the game, ppl are just having fun with them. Not everybody that plays this game is destined to be a hardcore tourney competitor who needs the cold slap of reality to let them know that ranks and W/L ratios don't mean shit. Many players are casual and would like to remain that way. They casual play with a few friends and family and will always purchase the next version of VF when it drops. These ppl are fans of the game just like we are. AFAIC they should be welcome on this site. All you super duper hard players that don't care about you Wins/Losses or Rank that good, that's good for you, we're happy that you're happy, but don't try to force that paradigm of VF on every body that loves the game. It doesn't fit.

There are some VF players that are so pure that they won't play online. They would criticize some of you for even playing online in the first place, because from their view point the only true VF is offline face to face. Those kinds of players love the game too.


Why does it have to be just one way?

Why can't we accept the ppl who could care less about ranks as well as accept the ppl who enjoy the rank-up mania? Why can't we accept the concept of a hard core single player only VF fan? I swear to God, I know ppl who know everything there to know about VF from VF1 to now, but they only play single player Why can't we have room for these kind of players on this site?

For example Myke posts:

For those new to "real" ranking matches, I'm trying to do you all a favour. The sooner you realise that your rank is not precious, nor a reflection of who you are, the sooner you'll be able to enjoy this game.

While Myke's statement reflects the feelings of a lot of VFDC gamers, It does not reflect the feelings of All VF players

Their ranks are precious(to them), and the simple fact that they've gotten their rank is part of their enjoying the game[/size]. And for many new, casual-to-intermediate players their rank is absolutely a reflection of their skill relative to the ppl they've played, and they are happy to look at the leaderboards and see their names in lights. If these ppl have no desire to be hard core nail eating, bare fisted tourney competitors, then let them enjoy the immersion. Why spoil the fantasy of the fighting game for those who have no intention of making VF a career.

@Myke,FlyMike please do not take this as any kind of pontification on my part, I'm trying to present it as honestly and objectively as I am able. Prior to VF5FS going online for the Playstation, I had VFDC for exposure to the game, with about 200 or so players that I'd met in Universities I attend and teach at. So my paradigms to VF were limited to those two sources. Now, that its online, I have met more ppl than I know in person, and more ppl than I've ever exchanged posts with on VFDC, and all of these ppl are fans of the game, and see things very differently that we do here on VFDC.

We have almost 14,000 members on VFDC, last night we at about 70,000 players in ranked mode on PSN. My point is there are a lot of ways to enjoy this game. The one that you presented is a legitimate way (but not the only way) to enjoy the game.

If someone has achieved rank of Conqueror or Warrior, Darkslayer, and they're happy about it, and they feel good about it, and it makes them want to play the game more, why take that away from them?

I think bragging is kind of pointless at times, but some ppl , live for bragging, even if the bragging, is based on them beating up on ppl with inferior skills. Its a fight game, let ppl fantasize...

Ranked mode is in the game, its a game feature, why can't we let the player who enjoy it, enjoy it? Why do we have to burst
rain on their enjoyment by telling them: son that ranked mode stuff don't mean shit. If you ever run up against a real player, you'll see that the warrior rank you got aint shit.

I mean c'mon. Its a game. They're roughly 70,000 ppl on the PSN who have at least dabbled in rank mode. But there are 10s of thousands of ppl more than the number of registered VFDC members that are obviously playing and enjoying ranked mode on the PSN. AFAIC they have just as much of a legitimate claim
to being fans of the game as any of us do..

Against the players I've played I have earned my Defender rank. Are there better Defenders than me? Yup, Are there ppl who hold lessor ranks that are better than me Yup. So what. I think its kewl that you can look lastmonk up on the leaderboards and find him. According to VF5FS I am a legitimate Defender or I wouldn't have the title. Of course thats relative. Of course it depends on who I've fought. But I
have the rank nonetheless.

Mike Tyson once was heavyweight champion of the world, but that
was only based on the ppl who he fought. There were ppl in prison that could whoop Mike's ass, but they weren't playing in ranked mode the same time Mike Tyson was Now rumor has it that when Mike Tyson went to jail, he found out that he wasn't really the heavyweight champion of the world.

That's the point you guys are trying to make. But as far as the viewing public was concerned, and boxing associations etc, Mike Tyson was the Champ. Thousands and thousands of ppl will see the PSN Leaderboards. They're going to see buddies, friends, enemies, family members with ranks and they will give them credit for having those ranks. That's how leaderboards work.

If rank, w/l ratio, statistics mean nothing to you. That's good for you. But don't try to force that one way of looking at the game on everyone else. Because for some ppl ranking up is where the fun is at. Bragging rights against you're lame friends is what its all about (even if your friends can't play the game) some ppl still want to say yo punk I'm a 5th Dan, and you're just a punk ass 10KYU. Let those players have fun with their ranks, they're not hurting anyone.

Some of us are elitist on this site. I'm under the impression that the site is open to all levels and types of PPL who are VF fans. I'm not under the impression that you guys intend the site to be only for the most hardened VF veterans who don't give a fuck about ranks, dont give a fuck about W/L rations, who don't give a fuck about back story, customizations, cutscenses, single player, or even stages for that matter.

There should be room for all perspectives.

 

The most insane thing in that last post is that iron mike got beat up in jail. Didn't happen. Mike was housed away from other inmates and no one is stupid enough to have went for him when he was in his prime.

 

I did say it was a rumor

Moral of the story is "Rank is Relative" to who you've fought

 

My thoughts exactly. Even if he was in population Mike would beat the shit out of one them inmates. Secondly its not about he fought since his rank was on the line his Talent made it look that easy.

 

I think the problem with some of the people who hold ran so precious is that the cling to it and create a detrimental experience to others. Some people get to that point, challenge opponents lower on the ladder and lose to them and get incredibly mad, not realizing that maybe that 5th kyu has been a player forever and just started the ranked matches.

But that anger can lead to harsh messages and just overall internet abuse which can reflect badly on the community. Sure it happens everywhere, but I think that's where people start to complain.

There are those out there that hold those ranks so dear that they either don't fight or challenge someone weaker with the intent of winning. Why not just enjoy the game? Stop trying to control everything and work your game. If you are trying to play online with others you are accepting the fact that you will someday lose to someone better than you, but it is what you do with that loss that matters. At the end of the day, that rank will disappear and have no real importance, but the skill you have at the game will still be there when it all boils down to it.

 

MasterPo, I think that you're a good guy and all but, and I ask this respectfully, do you really need to go all out on 99% of the posts you make and write huge walls of text?

I tried to read it all, I really did but I can't man, I mean that's the forum version of rambling.
Have you ever talked to someone who rambles?
If you're anything like me or my friends you would say "ok man, you're rambling, please get to the point."

Again, no disrespect intended. This is a forum online and I'm definitely not an internet expert. VFDC was how I got sucked into interacting with people online after Myspace shut down and the most I did there was share funny pics, lol.
But even if this is an internet forum, I don't think it's rude or impolite to ask if maybe you can condense your replies a little?
Please.
It's way too much the way you write and as much as I would like to engage and debate with you, I can't even get through half of your posts since they're usually you rambling on and on.
Listen, I ramble from time to time, shit I feel like I'm rambling now But I try to keep people around me who keep it real with me and tell me "hey, you're rambling" if I am.

So, please, I understand that you have a lot to say but, have you thought about blogging all of this extra stuff you write?
Then you can you just give a readable response here and then blog the long form version on your website or something.
Juno, for those who have the time to sit there and read walls of text from every response.

Regarding rank: you got it, man. It's your opinion and your choice to give it all the value you want and I can dig it, I just don't agree with it. I wasn't attacking new challengers. I'm not one of these dumbasses who wants this game and this community to stay small and not welcome any new members.
Hell, some of those same tarded turds even hate when new characters get introduced to the game. Like if it was up to them it would just be the original VF2 cast or something, lol. Fucking idiots.
Anyway, have fun and enjoy your online rank. Peace.

 

I like the ranking system because it reflects how you play against people in your general experience/strength level, and adds an extra layer of tension when fighting against those people.

This is true whether you're at the top or bottom. As with any type of drama raising the stakes is crucial to a bigger payoff.

 

And T. Familia, I personally enjoy Master Po's posts. Not only is he an entertaining guy with the whole monk thing,but also his posts make sense if you really stop and listen to what he is saying. Mike hasn't said anything about his post,so I think most people enjot them.

No one else needs to start writing long post though,lol

 

At the risk of steering this thread wrong way (perhaps too late) let me tell you why MasterPo isn't funny. He isn't funny when you realize he actually seems to believe in all monk/warrior thing. He isn't funny when you know how old he actually is.

Which brings me to a topic: Why are fantasies, including so called reality TVs, so popular? Because the majority of population find their own life so boring that they want escape valves. If one finds his own life boring and/or meaningless, one has two choices: either strive to make his own real life interesting and adventurous, or retreat into some BS fantasy of TVs and online games.(or kung fu movies?) Let me be clear: I am a gaming nerd, comic book nerd, anime nerd, sci-fi nerd, you name it. But because of that I know the exact allure of fantasy/online worlds and the dangers thereof, and feel qualified to criticize them.

When one's "real life rank" is pathetic one is obsessed about some gaming rank/levels. Same with online persona. May sounds harsh to some, but it's true a lot of times.

 

This is an interesting point. Not to say that someone's life rank is pathetic, although that person may perceive it as such. I think that some people's misguided obsession with their rank or abilities is compensating for their lack of confidence in the real world. In reality they want to belong and have friends, but don't understand that people don't want tall tales and boisterous claims to fame. They just want real people as friends in a community.

Of course this isn't everyone...but for a lot of people I have come across, that is the case and it is a shame.

 

I don't have a problem with Master Po, just to be clear. He rambles but he's always polite. Internet politeness is underrated. And you can always just tl;dr his posts.

And I don't have a problem with someone aspiring to the philosophies and worldviews of an idealized profession/caste/persona. In Po's case it's a Shao Lin monk. For someone else it may be a firefighter, or an astronaut, whatever. True Shao Lin monks did exist once, and did the (more realistic) things you saw in movies. It's not like he idealizes a Final Fantasy character.

But, the problem is there's a contradiction between his support of rank and his Shao Lin ideal. A Shao Lin monk would be the first to tell you that the ranks are worldly illusions with no meaning, and that if kung fu is part of your path to enlightenment then you should be seeking defeats as much as victories. Po, you don't want to be an imposter at heart do you?

 

Wow this is getting a bit deep and heavy!

What ever happened to treating the online experience like a game in general. You know, there's a starting post and a goal post and the further you move away from the start with the easy and basic stuff and reach closer to the end, the enemy gets harder and you have to play to get past that point. The rank should be more considered as the current level you're on instead of a "status"

I know everyone will have their high moments as well as their salty ones in regards to their rank (I'm guilty of it at times as well!) But surely its there to show your progression in the game, reaching closer to the end (in this case the ultimate rank title) and not a way to show off your ego and so called "superiority" over experienced and inexperienced players.

I know not everyone will see it like this, but its always been my feelings towards games in general.

 

In an honest attempt to heed Dr. Familia

1) I'm just trying to say even if some of us don't like ranks, some do, and we
should respect both sides.

2) Because my real life seems to be such an issue. And the assumption that I'm a VF fanatic I must have a pathetic life. Akai knows my face. I can give anyone Internet proof or any other kind they would like. Here's my credentials:

I hold A Master's Degree in Computer Science from Youngstown State University.

I am currently A Phd student with a focus in Artificial Intelligence at Kent State University

I've authored, and co-authored 9 books on software development, C++, Java,
Linux Rapid Application Development, and the one I am working on right now for McGraw Hill on (Robotics and Team work)

I step with Alpha Kappa Mu, Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Theta Kappa

I am currently working as a Programmer/Analyst IV at Youngstown State University in Ohio,

I Have been in software engineering and development for over 20 years.

I am a Senior Fellow of the ACM (Association Computing Machinery)

I am a voting member of the IEEE Computer Society

I am a acting member of the AAAI (Association Advancement of Artificial Intelligence)

I am a research member with Ctest Laboratories in the capacity of Software Epistemologist.

I've blogged on advanced parallel computing and multhreaded Applications for Dr. Dobbs Journal for over two years.

I have12 published papers on Epistemic Structures, Transcript Mining, Question & Answer systems, Knowledge Acquisition , Interrogative Domains.

I've written countless Internet Webzines on C++ for Informit

I'm am a expert in the C++, and Prolog languages, I am fairly comfortable with Java. I am a Linux/ Mac OSX nut.

I am the inventor of the Cognopaedia

My personal research lab has a fairly powerful 128 processor cluster called the Pantheon,

I hold the rank Defender in the game VF5FS on the PSN


I'm pretty sure my annual income would be appetizing for most if not all the players on this site.

Now, my photo is on the Web, one of the moderator's AKAI has actually met me(I think I talked to him giving him directions from my office at YSU), my 2nd to latest book has a photo of me and my wife (Sugi Pai) my name is on the book, I can be looked up at YSU, Ctest laboratories, in the ACM directory, in the IEEE computer society directory, in the AAAI directory,

If any of you need further proof PM.


The problem is, I'm very accomplished, and distinguished in my Life, VF gives me a chance to relax.

I recently shared the story of where nick name Lastmonk really came from to another member, I'll share with you Hyunster, and other commentators.

I knew some cats that wanted to rob a store, they were more or less friends of my brother. I tried to talk the cats out of it. They didn't listen. They attempted the robbery anyway. One of them was shot to death, the other two went to prison, I visited one of them in prison, On that day he called me the last monk, because I was the only person in his life that always tried to get him to do the right thing. I've kept that nick name from that day until this day.

Hyunster,et al, sometimes a person is online, who they are off line. My walls of text (Dr. Familia, come because I'm a write books, articles, papers, blogs) its easy for me. My monk talk is a function of the fact that I give back to the community. Life has been good to me so I share with others.

If any of you doubt my identity, once you find out my name just google it using keyword C++, artificial intelligence, knowledge acquisition, agents, epistemic structures, interrogative domains , linux rapid application development, etc.

I'm actually a very public person, you cats just haven't made the connection yet.

Sorry Tony, this response turned out longer than I intended.

I've probably lived more life, and made more contributions to my field, than most of the ppl on this site (not bragging) just stating a probability.


So my friends I don't have to hide behind a rank on VF5FS.

If you come to my office at Youngstown State University in Youngstown Ohio You will see a wall full of real ranks, Diplomas, Certificates, etc.

Now, if some of yall think that I've listed a bunch of stuff that can't absolutely be verified, you're dead wrong. Its relatively easy to verify every word, every accomplishment, every achievement. Who wants proof and what kind would you like?

I could send you autographed copies of some of my latest books


Now Hyunster, I've shared, and am totally prepared to prove the facts about my pathetic life, let's hear what you've done with your time on Earth..... starting with your rank on the leaderboards of VF5FS