Is singles so much harder than doubles?

[Stishovite]

Well I've just joined the site (very cool place by the way )and so far I'm getting my ass quietly handed to me in a handful of singles games.
Then I was just sort of cruising through the forum and I found this thread
vvv
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... es+doubles

And then I looked through the leader board and saw that, sure enough, almost all of the top players engage in +90% doubles (or triples) games.

So it got me thinking; are singles sooo much harder to win at than doubles?
I mean sure, it makes a lot of sense. But having never played at doubles, and only really have any experience at boardgame rather than online play.
What's the general opinion?

Cheers guys.
Stish

[khazalid]

there are certain ways to play doubles which, if you know them, practically guarantee you wins against those who dont

[Anarkistsdream]

there are certain ways to play doubles which, if you know them, practically guarantee you wins against those who dont

Especially with a partner that you have played with many times before and you both communicate well with one another in the chat.

[sully800]

The other part about team games is that you can play against a single other team, essentially 1v1. You don't have to worry about any conflicting strategies of two opposing teams, any type of balance between players, etc. You only have one opponent and since we don't have 2 player games that situation is not available for singles players.

[RenegadePaddy]

Singles is easier to play than doubles (no need to agree with anyone!), however doubles is better for your rank, as more chance of a win, and less chance of a lose (yes, both at once, because your opponent could win, but youd still gain points). Think about it:

6 player singles, 1 player gains points, 5 lose points
6 player doubles, 2 players gin points, 4 lose points
6 player triples, 3 players gain points, 3 players lose points

Simple logic - the scoring system encourages team play.

[yeti_c]

Singles is easier to play than doubles (no need to agree with anyone!), however doubles is better for your rank, as more chance of a win, and less chance of a lose (yes, both at once, because your opponent could win, but youd still gain points). Think about it:

6 player singles, 1 player gains points, 5 lose points
6 player doubles, 2 players gin points, 4 lose points
6 player triples, 3 players gain points, 3 players lose points

Simple logic - the scoring system encourages team play.

If you take this to it's logical reasoning...

Assuming you play against all equal points and you have equal chance of winning...

If you win at Singles you gain 5 sets of points.

So if you play 6 games and win 1 lose the other 5

You lose 5 sets of points and win 5 sets of points... thus ending equal.

The stats equal out for the others too...

i.e You play 2 games of triples you win one lose one you gain one lose one.

4 player doubles is the same...

The only one that breaks the stats is Terminator...

If you play Terminator you generally have to only kill 1 person to break even...

So in a 6 player T game...

You can have the following options...

1 winner 5 losers.
2 winners 4 losers. (3 combinations) (1-3, 2-2, 3-1)
3 winners 3 losers (1+3+6=10 combos) (2-2-2, 1-1-4, 1-2-3)
4 winners 2 losers (4+6=10 combos) (1-1-1-3, 1-1-2-2)
5 winners 1 loser (5 combos) (1-1-1-1-2)

Thus the result set is across 29 different games... I think therefore the best game to play is terminator to attempt to beat the stats...

Obviously though all the people that you play aren't of the same points,skill... if everyone is ranked correctly then the averages average themselves out again - however if you have a hustler - they will gain points quicker!

C.

[AAFitz]

the only thing about terminator games is that if you have a very high score, you can be taken out by a much lower score and lose a lot...where as the much lower score doesnt always have the same chance of winning a 6 player game...not to say that its impossible, but those things take some seriously good timing, whereas in terinator, a good settup can let you nail someone in 3 turns sometimes

[joeyjordison]

simply put ur basic chances regardless of skill and luck r at worst 1 in 3 for doubles but at worst 1 in 6 for singles. best chances u can hav is 1 in 3 for singles. advantage of singles is wen u win u get more points

[killza666jrr]

NO SINGLES ARE WAY EASIER!!



cause i dont have a normal dubs partner

[Molacole]

I think singles are a LOT harder when making public games. I usually end up with atleast 1 deadbeat or somebody who isn't that good and doesn't help keep the board balanced. More often than not they're the one who is bordering somebody who needs to be broken up, but instead attacks elsewhere while leaving their troops "protecting" the person who needs to be attacked. This creates big problems in the early stages of the game.

Doubles with 3 teams of 2 can go the same way, but it's a lot easier to recover from when you have more troops to extinguish the threats with.

[Suntzu]

NO PLAY YOURSELF.never compromise YOU CAN ALTER GAMEPLAY WITH EVERY MOVE.DEATH BEFORE DISHONOUR.

[Kugelblitz22]

Playing doubles eliminates some of the randomness of the game. (This is my personal theory by the way.)

Imagine a flipping a coin once. Or a just a few times. Just about anything can happen.

But if you flip it a thousand times you pretty much know you are going to come up with about 50/50 results.

The theory behind doubles is the same. In a single player game with six other players, even if you are an awesome player, just about anyone can win due to randomness, muppets etc.

But if you have three good players vs. three crappy ones you are pretty much always going to win.

I don't know if that makes sense, it makes sense in my head...

[Nephilim]

here's a suggestion: if the people chiming in on this haven't played many games on this site, then maybe they DON'T KNOW WHAT THE f*ck THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT.

shit, regardless of that, if someone is telling you that your odds of winning are one in six b/c you are playing a six person game, you're listening to a moron. anyone ever noticed that not all players are the same? your chances of winning are determined by the quality of your opponents, not the quantity. that being said, i find it much easier to win four person singles than 3, 5, or 6. with 4 there is balance. w/ 3, not so much. w/ 5 or 6, more of a crapshoot.

if you set up dubs or trips in open games it is easier to win, IF you have a solid partner and you yourself don't suck. so quit sucking and start earning points. tutorial over

i will now go play four person rt--will i win?

[Stishovite]

Well thanks for the feedback, folks.
I think I'll probably try to get in a few doubles matches in my next round of games to see what all the fuss is about.

Stish

[XenHu]

8) NO PLAY YOURSELF.never compromise YOU CAN ALTER GAMEPLAY WITH EVERY MOVE.DEATH BEFORE DISHONOUR.

Why do you feel the need to capitalize every f*cking word you say?


Anyway, on topic, singles all the way...(though doubles can be a nice break)


-X

[Flickflack]

I think singles are a LOT harder when making public games. I usually end up with atleast 1 deadbeat or somebody who isn't that good and doesn't help keep the board balanced.

I dunno. You can have the same hellish set-up in doubles. I'm in a game where both players of one team are well on their way to missing their second turn, and my "partner" never finished his first turn and is about to miss his second.

While "me against the world" is nicely romantic, it makes for an unpleasant game.