Reserving the kraken.

[_ENO_]

 

 

A kill stealing thread got me thinking about something that happened last night and I'm curious about the thoughts of the community. Apparently my div mate got a final kill of the game and "stole" someone's fifth kill. Certainly not intentionally but after the game the guy complained to my div partner. 

 

I'm of the opinion that a kraken isn't really a kraken if whoever is left holds their fire so one guy can get the achievement- but I certainly wouldn't TRY and take it away if I knew the guy had 4 kills already. If helping the team means backing up one of the greens and "letting" him take the kill... well that's one thing. But to chase a guy down after to berate him? 

 

Not sure about that. What's your take on it?

[geser98]

I had many krakens stolen. I don't really care. Kralen is nice and extra signals are useful, but certainly this is going too far to contact the guy after the game and berate him.

 

By any chance did he say in chat that he's about to get it?

[vak_]

You can ask your teammates to give you the fifth kill for the Kraken. If they don't agree, that's not the end of the world.

 

/thread

[_ENO_]

 

There was no mention of it- not that we were aware of anyway. 

 

I'm a fan of earning a kraken not asking for it...

[GhostSwordsman]

I once had someone say they wouldn't kill a ship we brought to low HP, because he saw I already had 4 kills. Nice gesture, but I told him in chat that if he had a shot, to take it.

 

Though, I'm one of the outliers, and I don't care if someone takes a 5th kill from me(I might be somewhat surprised and even jokingly say "NOOOOO! Muh Kraken!" in chat or something, especially if I was aware I already had 4 kills at that point), usually I don't even realize I have 4 kills until I get the kraken achievement, or see that I had 4 on the match result screen.

 

 

Edit: As for someone 'reserving' a kraken. I probably wouldn't hold my fire even if they ask, if I have a shot. If I can kill the ship, I will. Not to kill steal, or to stat pad, but simply because removing guns from the game is one of the best, and easiest ways to win. Not to mention that if I don't take that shot, the enemy could slip away and go on to turn the game around in his team's favor. You never want a not dead red.

[K538]

I don't think it really matters.  Winning is winning and so long as people aren't chasing kills in a way that jeopardizes the win then to each their own.  I don't feel like I deserve a Kraken just because I have 4 kills already, but it is a bit sketchy when somebody who didn't do any damage against an enemy all of a sudden switches to finish off an enemy that is already clearly going to die (e.g.: under fire from multiple opponents who are doing regular damage, or is already on fire/flooding and on low health), but at the same time if a match is close getting guns out of the game should be everybody's top priority.

 

But if you're perhaps an average or slightly below average player and you don't see Krakens very often I can understand why it's frustrating to see an opponent you've whittled down on your own taken away at the last second.  In any event, as far as I'm concerned High Caliber and Confederate are far more significant than Kraken in terms of showing you're pulling your weight in a match.  I've gotten Krakens with 200k+ damage and I've gotten them with less than 30k... they only come into importance when your team is heavily outnumbered and you are doing journeyman work cleaning up the low health opponents then they indicate really smart team play, otherwise they're much more a case of luck and RNG.

 

There are lots of angry people in the game unfortunately, don't take them too seriously and definitely report them when they get abusive.  Other than this, just have fun!

[SpeedFiend]

I hold fire for no one and expect the same.

[RipNuN2]

TBH the last thing I'm doing is paying attention to how many kills other players on my team have. If I can kill an enemy and remove them from the fight, I do so asap.

[Panzer1113]

If ya got to ask, you do not deserve....

[TenguBlade]

Eh, I'll thank my team if they accept my request to get one, and I'll advocate for some other guy to get a Kraken if he's close even if he doesn't say it, but that's honestly one of the things least worth getting upset over if it doesn't go your way.  Most likely I'll be blowing up at my team for something else instead of being denied a Kraken.

[Grizley]

If someone wants to hold fire in a game that's clearly over to let someone get a kraken fine.  If not, fine.

 

I had a game just the other day where I had a Zao following me around, I would get the target low and he would finish it off.  At the end of the game I had 4 kills and something like 2700 base xp.  He also had 4 kills and something like 1100 base xp.  Yes, I should have had the kraken, but it's not a big deal.  I still got high caliber, confederate, witherer and arsonist.  So it's not a huge deal.

 

I think it's probably people who don't get many shots at kraken that get their panties in a twist when they have one 'stolen'.

[fredbob99705]

Meh I never ask for a kraken. Most of the time I don't even notice how many kills I have. Sometimes I will hold my fire for a div mate but if I ever feel like he might escape or do more Dmg I shoot without hesitation. So pretty much don't worry about it, you guys did the right thing.

[SeanPwnery]

I don't go into battles aiming for Kraken's ... generally when I get them, they come as a complete surprise to me. 

 

[LuckyStarFan]

If you ask politely people might let you have that 5th kill.  Whenever I have 4 and am lining up a 5th I don't ask because I find it to be a waste of time and sometimes people will go out of their way to block you.  Better to just try your best and hope.

 

And if someone acts like an [edited]in chat demanding the 5th kill, well, that doesn't make me want to help them out, you know?

[Dodgy_Cookies]

I have seen too many teams snatch defeat from the jaws of victory to assume they can get the kill and the win alone. Secure the kill and the win.

[Raptor_alcor]

One of my only two krakens I got purely because some rando decided to convince the others to let me get a 5th kill. If the other randoms decide to agree on it without your input, congrats, you got a free kraken. If not, earn it the hard way. 

[Junostorm]

The only good Red is a Dead Red.   I have seen quite a few winning games turn into losing games as people wanted that last kill, etc...

[Darth_Caedus_]

I will use the point out target button to call out to teammates to kill enemy's I've got on low health but may not get my next salvo loaded before the target fires its guns or torps.

 

I don't care about securing kills , I don't chase the kraken, and I don't hold fire just because someone else may want the kill.

 

The point of a match is to do everything possible to win, as long as red team is dying I don't care who pulls the trigger, me or a teammate.

[Capt_Mexib]

A red ship with 1 hit point can still kill you or a team mate. Delete them as fast as you can.

[IronWolfV]

If I'm not under threat and a guy has 4 kills, I might let him have it, but if it's his fifth kill or I'm going under, sorry, I'm taking that ship out.

 

And if I have 4 kills, I never ask for the 5th.

[LittleWhiteMouse]

You know, I am always startled when I earn a "Kraken Unleashed" medal?  Seriously, I don't pay attention to my or anyone else's kill count until the message pops up that someone (including myself) has earned it.  I can understand why some people get salty over 'em.  I mean, there's a material reward for dealing 5 killing blows in game -- specifically 10 Equal Speed Charlie London (+50% to experience gains) signals.  Vakhnenko said it best.  There's nothing wrong with asking for it.  But you've got no right to get upset if your team doesn't oblige.

[Chrifister]

I agree with most. No harm in asking but I still won't hold fire for anybody. Likewise I don't ask anyone else for the fifth kill.

[Snooze327]

To me, Confederate is a more important achievement to work for in every match. In three matches, I managed to nuke cruisers down to next to nothing HP and called them out for my team to shoot at while I reloaded and looked for the next cruiser showing me his broadside.

 

Reserving kills is pointless. Bragging about number of kills and not damage done is also pointless.

[Mahrs]

I don't have many Krakens.  Plenty of 3-4 kill games.  It never really occurred to me to ask though.  If, just for an example, my "kills" are an average of 30k HP...and I haven't done at least 120k damage for those, I didn't really earn them...I shared them with my team.  I've had some great games, but I've never wrecked so much face that, sitting on 4 kills, I felt like I had done enough to warrant special treatment.  I pulled this one in last night: 

 

Two of those kills were 90% me, the other three were 50% me.  Even sitting on 120k damage, I don't feel it's justifiable to say "Hey, guys, even though you've done a full 30-40% of the work on the kills I have already, I'd like you to step back at let me take this one too."  If it happens?  If someone offers?  Awesome, I'll gladly take it.  Maybe someday, when I am pulling 200k damage games, I'll ask for someone to let me have that 5th kill to really crown things...until then, I'll just keep tatering along like I do. 

[_ENO_]

Seems my expectations are in line with popular opinion. Any performance related reward is a nice addition to a game that can go either way no matter what you do- Every living red ship is a threat to everything.

 

I like getting kills since it's generally the only indication that spectators have regarding your contribution... sitting on 4 or 5 tend to keep the peanut gallery at bay with or without the Kraken award. Then again- you could have 8 kills and if you're not playing the way some dead guy thinks you should be playing you'll probably hear about it.  

 

With that said if there was some concept about "kill stealing" and Krakens I wasn't considering then I'd reassess my position on the matter.  As it is sounds like thinks are fine and my head is right.