I would like to offer a sincere apology to mine Autumn boys squadron. I fell into the slime. I thought we were out. So I quit smoking. I didn’t realize how much it baffled you (fell) guys! It won’t happen again, I promise.
Yesterday, as part of the royale’s platforms season four update, Autumn boys has received a squad mode. Instead of traditional solo matches, where you qualify for new rounds based on your personal ranking, you are paired with up to three more team members. At the end of the races, you will earn points depending on how fast you finish. Meanwhile, survival rounds give you more points the longer you survive. The total score of the four members determines whether or not your team progresses to the next round.
Better yet, if your team reaches the final round, it will only have to win one member for the entire squad to get the win. This way, you will get 20 crown fragments. Earn 60 and get a crown.
On paper, all of this sounds divine, especially for those of us who are embroiled in an eternal struggle to win a final round. And when it works, squadron mode is really a blast. The feeling of companionship is not only a nice addition to this famous game, but playing with a team also significantly lowers the barrier to winning these sweet and sweet Crowns. Well, sometimes. There is a disturbing trend in which players will give up when they personally fail, effectively condemning their teammates to disqualification.
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Suppose you play a round of Block Party and somehow drop into the mud for the first few seconds. Muscle memory will tell you you’re done, it’s time to quit and try again because there’s no way to be part of the ranking block. In squad mode, however, you still have opportunities. Yes, by falling early, it has made it harder for teammates, but there is still the possibility that they (and by extension you) will hang on. Maybe they will play really well. Or maybe all the other teams will play really bad. The question is: is there a chance.
What is certain, however, is that your template will fail in the next round if you leave it. Think about it. Your score is determined in total. Facing a team of three beans against several teams of four puts the team of three at an immediate and virtually insurmountable disadvantage. I played several hours of Autumn boys‘Squadron mode last night. I once didn’t see any three-person team qualify after a round.
After the fourth season of the match was released yesterday, players led to the Autumn boys subreddit and quickly pointed out problems with players throwing in the towel prematurely. You could have a bad attitude or have muscular memory. You could even say it’s the result of a lack of attention, but the removal screen is pretty clear that you should stay in the round until the end to see if you’ve qualified. (See above.) Those people — and, yes, I say that as someone who is guilty of such a sin and totally apologizes for it — deserve a single strike.
In terms of crime Autumn boys Behavior, you would put the first dropouts above the much hated catchers that hold you back from victory at the last minute. In solo mode, Autumn boys is a dog eating glove. Bad sportsmanship does not deserve praise, of course, but it is expected and certainly defensible. When you play squadrons, there is an implicit level of confidence. You are a team. You are there together. Betraying this trust, whether out of malice or carelessness, is indefensible.
The logical change would be to change the staff score from a linear total to a calculated average. That way, squadrons of three or even two could feasibly face full matches. (Kotaku contacted Mediatonic, the game’s developer, about possible plans to implement it, but did not listen to the time to publish it).
This is not the only problem with templates at the moment. Like a little flashback to the game launch day server problems, loading in a game of squares is a bit messy. A match will start when there are 40 players in line. But, seconds in Mediatonic, once the match is full, places cannot be refilled if someone leaves. This prevents the game from starting, so if you see the number of players go down instead of up, go out to the title instead of waiting.
But squad mode is largely a delicious addition Autumn boys, and I love the fourth season overall. I walked away from Autumn boys for seasons two and three, so there are plenty of new levels to enjoy, including the seven added this season. The new Big Shots stage, in which huge projectiles fired with cannons are rocked with a saw and dodge, is a real highlight.
There is a delightful intensity in the game of the squad. Yes, there is pressure to do what you can, because other people trust you. But spectator mode will also put you on the edge of your seat. When you finish a race before your teammates, the camera will focus on people who are in the race, by default your partners. It can be observed without breathing as they travel the route. In solo play, spectator mode, for me, has historically been a time to stop, in which I would check the phone or drink something or anything. In squadrons, I can’t take myself to look the other way. I’m so focused on rooting my bean mates … It’s not a weird feeling, but a new one. I don’t know how long this will last, though Autumn boys once again he has my hooks on me.
I’m sorry I messed up that game.