thawing theory

[Resolute]

until now i never noticed but right after a map ended during the map rotation countdown i hit escape for some reason and it brought up the internal COD4 page where it gives you some of your "stats", rank, etc.  it also listed "assists," which in original cod4 used to be kill assists, but with FT i'm guessing it's thaws.  the ESC stats pages have always had a lot of things but it's never had thaws listed anywhere so i wasn't even sure the mod was tracking them and i'm pretty certain it doesn't compute them into your score.  well, the thaws are being counted because i saw my number.  but unless im wrong thaws still aren't part of the scoring, which is a HUGE oversight.

in freezetag, thaws are more important than kills. i've always thought someone who is a decent shot and an excellent defroster is much more valuable than someone who wreaks havoc on the opposing team but doesn't thaw a lick.  there is a big difference between someone who only defrosts when it lands in their lap and someone who goes out of their way to turn on the heat.   i always say there are some people that thaw until it hurts.  i mean they literally risk life and limb to thaw others.  i would be even more interested in the thawing stats than the kill stats.  i would love to know how many thaws and what the t2d (thaw to death) ratio people like baddger, killinstar and widowmaker have.   i also think that stat should go into the overall statistics.  since the statistic does seem to be there, it should be able to be done.

there is a kill to death ratio which people are so enamored with.  im just gonna say right now mine might be the highest on the server and that stat is largely bs.  it doesn't mean a thing.  i'm not saying it's easy to have a high k2d but im saying it's a lot harder to score high AND defrost your team and keep the machinery running.  anyone can be the lone survivor.  but can you bring your team back from its last man?  k2d has misperceived importance.  in freezetag, t2d is a much more illuminating statistic.  and there are two important factors that make thaws the single most important stat in the game.  1) even a mild unbalancing in the number of players on a side gives a huge advantage to the more populated team.  the likelihood of losing probably increases exponentially with each additional man deficit.  2)  respawning requires a thaw.  simple, but true.  so, a 3:1 t2d ratio would mean for every death you have, you are resurrecting 3 players.  with a normal 12v12 game, if you just have 2 people on your team with a 3:1 t2d ratio (which i know is rather high), you have essentially built a self licking ice cream cone.  they are basically keeping half their team alive by themselves.  i would be very curious to know how often the team with the best k2d ratio wins versus the team with the best t2d ratio.   

it's a shame that frankly the most important statistic in the game isn't counted as part of the scoring.  but if the total is there, it means it can be pulled from somewhere and added to the calculation.  at the very least, it should be listed.  

res

[{ESC}Pappy]

I thaw better than I shoot and try to go out of my way as often as possible to do so. I don't care what my k2d or is - I know it's not good and I don't care. But if I can thaw some of the better players, I believe we have a better chance to win. I'm impressed with the changes that have been made to the servers to obtain statistics that we've never had or seen before. A lot of hard work went into the design of that format and those involved need a thank you here and there! So to all involved I say thank you! You'll never see me go 59/7/6 on any map......and while I care about getting wiped out by the same person time after time after time - I'll still thaw that person if we're ever on the same team! (except for Mama) jk

[Resolute]

Yea pappy you are a great team player. This is exactly why'd id like to see the full complement of skills recognized. I mean if we're gonna do stats, let's do it as accurately as possible.

I totally agree with the cod update. I guess a lot of the changes are somewhat transparent, but it runs real well. I really like not being trapped by the people who are often afk. If it helps prevent hacking and server attacks, even better! !

Great job to the esc team.

[Davethecat1]

I totally agree, even if I am one of those that does "go cause havoc" in the other teams spawn.
However without players like me causing the carnage, opposing teams would get "comfortable" in their spawn areas and have time to work out a team plan to win. All types of players are needed to create a team.
BUT I do thaw, and yes even someone like me, knows you need thaws to win.

[*Mama*]

I admit, I often try to be the thaw guru on any team...  I find myself often in competition with other teammates (like BADDger) for the most thaws...  he'll usually win.  Sometimes I always seem to find pockets of opposing players so I'm constantly shooting just to stay alive.  I've often found myself with 31 kills but only 6 thaws... the will to thaw is there almost as much as the will to survive the hoards hookers that are coming out of the wall sphincters...   Plus, people don't realize just how many points you get from thawing.  Ever wonder how the guy with 1 kill is at the top of the scoreboard?   It's the thaws...  So if you have trouble hitting your target, just find a comfy camp spot and thaw your team..  you'll get more points than the people who are dying 100 times... 

[Resolute]

That's 100% accurate. You need balance.  In some instances, there is nothing better than a player who can temporarily wipe out another team.  It allows for advance, etc.  There is huge value in someone just invading their space and providing intel, alive or dead.  I don't mean for a second people who dont happen to thaw record numbers aren't team players. Not at all.  Each stituation is different.  

My point is most everything is tracked except thawing. You get 12 or 15 points (i cant recall) for a thaw.  How many for a kill?  Compare them, so what percentage of the stats aren't even counted?  Thawing isn't the only important job, but perhaps it's the most important.  One that everyone wants everyone ELSE to be great at and do quickly, especially when things go bad.  No one really complains when you're aim sucks or you're not killing many.  But everyone wants a thawing hero when it's time to revive your team's chances.  We've all been there.   So if this skill is so important, it should be listed at the very least and statistically equated if at all possible. 

[{ESC}Mikey]

I am here to turn water into Ice and Ice into water ... Is there more ?  ... Oh yeah, and be everyone target.

Oh have I said, Great Job on the new Version !

[{ESC}Amoniac]

i thaw and shoot in a balance of mean, i hope i thaw equal i shoot but we knwo the answer i suck in both hahahahahaha

[BENSTER]

this thread made me try to find the old stats program I used to run on my servers.....then I tried to find any stats program similar.  It's disappointing to see how the gaming community has died off in respect to coders who were gamers.  I suppose that anyone playing MMORPG or battlefield type games does not have a need for a stats program to parse your game logs and give you all the info you need.  I eventually found something, but I'd have to set up a server to generate a game log to test this out and see if it would show your thaws/assist.  I don't see why assist wouldn't be available if the parsing program could add it to the list of "achievements".

[Resolute]

that would be awesome benster.  i just like breaking down statistics in general and i think it would be super interesting how the thaw stats relate to the other statistics.