And that hole's name is Hypocrisy. Allow me to elaborate.
In a conversation in a [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/246906880?sort=0&page=0&path=1]TTK thread[/url] the other day the usual things came up:
Supposed benefits of lower TTK including better 1v2+ moments which led to a teamshooting conversation.
Firstly let me explain how lower TTK doesn't help 1v2+ engagements.
Although TTK can include abilities it is most widely associated with Weapon kill times.
Weapon TTK by itself mainly only means anything in a 1v1.
Making everything equal; Player (gun)skill, weapon damage, line of sight, etc...
A 1v2 with those parameters the "1" is [u]always[/u] going to lose in a straight out gunfight.
What gives the "1" a chance and creates those moments people want is [u]thumbskill[/u]. Movement, map awareness, abilities. TTK has nothing to do with those therefore has nothing to do with overcoming a 1v2+. People don't talk about Gunskill with these moments. They talk about everything they did to survive and take people out. Most times with a 1HK weapon.
Lowering TTK does not 'help' gunskill so much that it will change these engagements.
The exception is when the skill gap of the '1' and '2' is so wide that it's essentially a curb stomp.
Then in another part of the thread larger map design was brought up claiming it would [u]solve[/u] teamshooting.
So I made the statement: "[b]Larger maps will encourage flanking. Which is also teamshooting.
Is flanking somehow a more acceptable form of teamshooting?[/b]"
And the answer I got was: "[b]If the whole team flanks then no, but then they're still walking as a group rather than covering more ground so the end result will still be the same[/b]."
Me: " [b]That's kind of hypocritical though. Either it's teamshooting or it's not. How can their be OK ways and not OK ways[/b]."
Person: "[b]If one person flanks then it's not teamshooting. If the majority of the team is, then it's teamshooting[/b]."
Wait what? Sooo one kind of teamshooting is ok and another isn't? Riiiiight.
So I offered this:
"[b]Think of a giant V formation. 1 person at the point and 2 at the tips spread out. What's the difference when both of them shoot the 1 person together vs if they were closer together or clumped? The answer is nothing[/b]."
You can't conveniently define teamshooting as the [u]whole[/u] team and leave flanking alone.
People just want 1v2+ engagements to be easier NOT more viable. These moments can and do happen in D2 it's just harder. I imagine after September when shotguns are more available we'll see more 'moments'. But again TTK doesn't matter with a shotgun. However, if the TTK is lowered it will only hurt the shotgun rusher.
This brings to light the hypocrisy and selfishness of this whole debate IMO.
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How about Bungie implements a Hardcore mode and put these TTK theories to the test? 1 shot, 1 kill, every weapon - twitch-reaction-skill to the max. Overall I agree with you, though I do see some good points being made by others against the argument. As it is now, if the playing field is even (i.e. same overall player skill/ability, top quality internet connections, equal familiarity with the weapons, the map, with relatively equally ideal positioning, access to cover, and many other things that play a role in how a particular firefight turns out) a single player engaging 2+ players should ALWAYS lose. When people say they should have been able to "outplay" the enemy in those 1v2+ engagements (but couldn't), they need to recognize that as a moment in time where the playing field was, at minimum, even - everyone reacted at the same time, everyone was able to have perfect accuracy and fire at the same time, etc = you being dead (actually in a Hardcore 1 shot = 1 kill mode, you'd be able to at least get 1 kill but still lose the 1v2 overall). The only way you win that engagement is when an aspect of the playing field is NOT equal for those you are engaging (i.e. a situation where everything I listed above favors you - you're higher skilled, your positioning is better, etc), and because TTK is an aspect of the playing field that EVERYONE has to deal with and has no control of, making changes to it isn't going to make you any better or worse in those 1v2 engagements, only making YOURSELF better will. The TTK is what it is, alter your playing style accordingly, or go play CoD.