More thoughts on When To Cap

[sparkyflamefire]

It seems like every event, people come up with new reasons not to cap. And in the middle of a hunt, there just isn't enough time to waste trying to explain why they are wrong.

I'm sure everyone has heard the one about "don't just cap and leave, it gives them points." I've said it before, I like to think of it as "I'm taking the points they're giving us." But it reached new levels this week. Someone pulled the line on me this week, and I tried to explain to him that if we control more rings, its okay to cap because we score more than them by trading caps. His reply: "It's useless to control more rings if we don't stay and defend them."

And then there was the guy who said "Don't cap because we're behind," and later "Okay, we're ahead now, go cap." By which time the other team controlled all the rings. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy - by not capping earlier, it became a bad idea to start capping later after the other team already controlled everything and would win the points battle.

And I just didn't have the time to tell him about another match I had just finished, where we fell behind because we lost a couple of battles but came back and took the lead and eventually won because the other team was willing to trade caps when they were only scoring 1 or 2 points for a cap and we would get 4 or 5 points for capping it back.


There are definitely times when it is better to stay and defend what you cap. But there are also times when it is better to trade caps. It's not a one-size-fits-all situation.

[SaxMan]

Good points.

I'm almost always capping unless the other team is close to winning the match and has the 4 outer rings.

I've also been on the other side of that, where we keep capping the 4 outer rings, get a big lead after winning a few battles, and then the other team just stands around the middle spiral ring, waiting for us to fight them. I wish there was a time limit so those matches could end quicker.

[BaronvonWolf]

Good points.

I'm almost always capping unless the other team is close to winning the match and has the 4 outer rings.

I've also been on the other side of that, where we keep capping the 4 outer rings, get a big lead after winning a few battles, and then the other team just stands around the middle spiral ring, waiting for us to fight them. I wish there was a time limit so those matches could end quicker.

there is one but its 45 mins same at mayhem timer

[KingNothing]

Just like everyone else, I'll cap with a/the group at the beginning of the game. I'll continue along until the first battle starts; then I start to look at what's going to be best for the team. If the first group wins or is winning - I do not mind if someone is still capping, but if they lose and we fall behind by 15-20 points, I'll start defending and stop capping. At this point, I do not feel we need to trading caps. My experience is you just fall further behind and then typically end up with unfavorable battle matchups and fall even further behind. We need to be defending and winning battles. As far as the Spiral goes, if we're winning the game I see no need to go there. I'll let the other team have it. If we're forced into though, experience tells me the battle will be quick. We've dominated the game up to this point. Anything could happen though.

[Willowdreamer]

When I used to still do Beastmoon after deciding it wasn't really that fun for me, it was to get points for my Scroll of Fortune. Capturing battle rings for points is pretty much the main reason I was in there -- unless someone specifically asked me to help in a ring and I would join and do my best.

Perhaps, if you have someone who ignores instructions not to capture, it could be that they aren't really interested in the nuances of helping your team, they just want their scroll points for the day.

[Pegasus Unbound]

This thread has brought up MANY very important issues with examples and suggestions. The one thing that, in my opinion, everyone needs to remember is that all things change from second to second and BOTH Beastmoon events are prime examples. There are times to cap like crazy, to cap carefully, to cap and defend, to pause in the capping and finally to stop capping altogether.

Communication, Communication, Communication

The ONLY viable solution is 2 way communication, not 1 way but 2 way. There will always be more experienced players who can help guide through the many ever changing situations BUT it is also true that those very same experienced players need to keep an open ear and mind to suggestions from other (Even new players) who might have a new/different perspective based on how the game itself has evolved into at that time. We might have great ideas (Some based on experience, some not) but we must always be open to new strategies and perspectives and resist the urge to dominate the team with our own ideas with what should be done. This applies to all aspects of the game, not just the capping issue...Always remember to be ready to adjust and adapt.

Happy Hunting!