The Altador Cup Mash-Up

[antiaircraft]

Obligatory disclaimer: This news report is largely fictional, composed from various fan comments and the whims of our imagination in an attempt to inspire a sense of realism through our reporting. While we do our best to keep things reasonably neutral, this report is in no way intended to be a completely bias-free representation of the parties involved, nor does it claim to provide critical analysis of past and potential outcomes from qualified Altador Cup experts. If professional analysis is what tickles your fancy, take a look at our predictions (global).

 

Greetings ACers of 2011! This is AA of The Daily Neopets, back to report on yet another year of Neopia's most exciting (and controversial) sports event. We've upgraded our radio equipment and installed special interference filters this year, so hopefully we won't be running into any of the transmission trouble we had last season. But that's enough of the obligatory introductory babble: let's talk about the tournament!

 

 

I'm reporting directly from the Colosseum, where just moments ago one of the daily sessions of this year's opening Altador Cup Mash-Up concluded. Surprisingly for events of such importance, the week-long annual Mash-Ups (one before and one after the tournament) get little attention from the press, as most of us reporters are busy focusing on the team's individual practice sessions. Make no mistake however: the opening Mash-Up is the one critical contest that will make or break the performance of many teams in the tournament proper.

 

So what is this Mash-Up? The concept is quite simple really. A week before the start of the Altador Cup, players from every team get together for a quick meet and greet, then proceed to set up a series of informal Yooyuball matches throughout the following days. The standard rules of the tournament are applied in most situations, but no scores are kept (at least, not after the volunteer scorekeeper loses count), and the only time-related rule enforced is that you have to leave the field if you're too tired to stay standing. There are no fixed teams, formations, or positions - players are free to take whatever place on whichever side of the court at any time they choose, switching places with each other on the field, or with any of the observers on the sidelines. As long as there are five players on each side, it's fair game.

 

<img alt="Derlyn Fonnet" src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/kreludor_1.gif" style="float:left;margin:5px;" /> While it might seem like nothing more than a ridiculous exercise in unregulated play to some, the Mash-Up is actually one of the most significant milestones in the Altador Cup season. Here, teams have a chance to test the techniques and skills they've developed over the past year, as well as to take a sneak peek at what their opponents have in store. They also have opportunities to try out roles and configurations they wouldn't normally have a mind to investigate. Not only that, but they can even take a shot at playing alongside members of other teams, or even at playing against their own teammates. All in all, the Mash-Up provides a more intense and varied practice regimen than most teams get during the entire off-season. As Kreludor Team Captain Derlyn Fonnet put it, "Believe it or not, more of our team's strategy is developed here than in our toughest simulation runs back on Kreludor. As for what those strategies are... nice try, but I'm not giving anything away just yet."

 

The Mash-Up is much more than just a wild series of practice runs however. It's also a chance for players to get together, talk shop with older veterans, welcome newbies to the crowd, and generally get to know each other. New friendships are forged, old rivalries kindled, and expert opinions fly back and forth like a swarm of irate Buzzers, covering everything from slight changes in Slushie consistency to the recent drastic overhaul of the tournament rules.

 

Well, that's why I found myself poking around the sidelines of the opening Mash-Up on this particularly chilly day in Altador. There's been a major outcry over the Yooyuball changes recently announced by the Altador Cup committee, with detractors and supporters alike calling for reversion, reviews, think-tanks, new practice areas, and even more drastic changes. In the midst of all this chaos however, it seems that not many people have stopped to take a look at what the players think, so without further ado I made my way to the one place where members of all eighteen teams would be congregating to discuss just that. In fact, I was just explaining the purpose of my inquiry to a rather obstinate security guard when one of the players coming off the field picked up on the question.

 

"It's the STUPIDEST IDEA EVER," roared Elon Hughlis of Team Maraqua, "IF I EVER GET MY HANDS ON THE IDIOT WHO-"

 

At this point, the outraged Team Captain was rather unceremoniously carried off to the sidelines by his team's imposing centre defender, Oten Runeu, with a rather terse, "'scuse me."

 

"Sorry about that," explained team member Barit Jowes afterwards, "without Dorina around Elon's been a little... louder than usual, if you know what I mean. But we're not supposed to talk about that..."

 

A few seconds of awkward silence passed before other team members started to voice their opinions. "Yep, I gotta stand with Elon on this one," agreed Fenny Vail of Roo Island, "straight lines are just plain dumb. It's no fun having to spin around on the spot half the time figuring out which direction you should go in next."

 

<img alt="Meela Kitah" src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/kikolake_2.gif" style="float:right;margin:5px;" /> "Plain dumb is a word for it..." added Meela Kitah of Kiko Lake, "look, I know it makes the game simpler for observers and all, but do you have any idea how ridiculously hard it is to BOUNCE around the field at precise forty-five degree angles?! Whoever came up with these new rules obviously wasn't thinking about Kikos. Or anyone else for that matter. I mean, look at Vickles - he's a Hissi! He HAS to change direction to move properly! No offence meant Vickles."

 

"None taken," the veteran captain of Team Darigan Citadel replied promptly, "this is sssilly. Nobody really keepsss their eye on the ball when they have to watch these... orientation lines."

 

There was little enthusiasm for the new format among members of Team Brightvale either. "I'm a fan of geometry and all, and I understand why it was done," admitted right defender Montecito, "but let me put it this way: bright idea. Poor implementation. There has to be a better way to simplify things."

 

"The new regulations on player movement seem somewhat ham-handed as well," interjected Brightvale captain "Squeaky" Tressif gravely. "Requiring all but one of the main field players to either move simultaneously toward the ball, or fall back simultaneously to their starting positions, severely limits the strategical element of the game. In my opinion, under these new rules we've lost a key part of what makes this tournament what it is."

 

<img alt="Feldon Collibridge" src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/krawkisland_1.gif" style="float:right;margin:5px;" /> "Yeah- I mean, Aye!" concurred Feldon Collibridge, Krawk Island's newest player and right forward, "It ain't fair to be standin' round like a grog-headed lubber while only one of yer mates is doin' anythin' useful."

 

Team Moltara, the least experienced of the teams in the tourney this year, had less trouble than most with adapting to the changes, but feedback from their quarter was also fairly negative. "We adjusted pretty quickly, but even then, you can just feel that it's nowhere near the great sport it used to be," remarked the team's right forward, Tulah Kisner. "It's almost... dull really."

 

Positive sentiments were rather lacking from Neopia's upper regions as well. Captain Keetra Deile of Team Virtupets had this to say.

 

"Well, I have to confess the robots are handling it pretty well. Goltron and XL don't have much trouble with restricted angles and figuring out exactly how far they are from the Yooyu, so things aren't as tough for them as they are for the rest of us. I wouldn't go so far as to call it outright unfair, but it's an advantage my team probably shouldn't have."

 

<img alt="Goltron" src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/virtupets_0.gif" style="float:left;margin:5px;" /> "Keetra Deile's assessment of Yooyuball regulation revisions nine-three-eight-eight and nine-three-eight-nine is ninety-six-point-four-zero percent correct," intoned Virtupets keeper Goltron Mk I, voicing his support for his captain's opinion. "Statistical analysis of Yooyuball players and Yooyuball observers involved in the Altador Cup tournament concludes with an estimated eighty-four-point-seven-one percent probability that the previously cited Yooyuball regulation revisions do not correspond with unanimously valued Altador Cup traditions."

 

Coco Metrone of Team Kreludor was also strongly opposed to the new rules. "It's really thrown us all off I think. We can get used to it, and we've already figured out a few new tricks that we couldn't pull off before, but everyone here agrees that this just isn't the way it's meant to be played. People sometimes say, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. I've never agreed with that saying. There are always a few things you can do to improve something. This, however, is not an improvement."

 

Wan Dirx, right defender of Team Haunted Woods, joined the rest of the players waiting on the sidelines after three long hours practicing forward positions. The Techo was even more vocal in his distaste for the new movement regulations.

 

<img alt="Wan Dirx" src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/hauntedwoods_2.gif" style="float:left;margin:5px;" /> "You see these eyes? They're on the sides of my head. On the SIDES. That means I have a nice, wide field of vision, but only a very narrow field of distance-judging binocular vision. The only way I can tell how far I am from the ball is if I'm looking directly at it for the ENTIRE match. And then how am I meant to figure out how far my teammates are at the same time? I don't like to whine, but this is meant to be a tournament open to all species. And now? It's impossible, that's what it is."

 

Lor Benneveldt of Mystery Island, who as a Flotsam shares many of the same issues as Wan Dirx, vehemently agreed with Dirx's statements, adding, "The only upside I can see, mind you, is that Volgoth hasn't had to change his play style much at all. Really, charging at the Yooyu in straight lines? Is that all the forwards are going to do from now on?"

 

Mirsha Grelinek and Prytariel, captains of Team Shenkuu and Team Terror Mountain respectively, spent most of the session on the sidelines, engaging in a long discussion of potential new strategies. They later threw their opinions into the mix with a tongue-in-cheek 'joint statement.'

 

"What the new format boils down to is basically this: there is one offensive strategy (with a couple of variations) and no defensive strategies. At least, none that actually work."

 

<img alt="Kakoni Worrill" src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/faerieland_1.gif" style="float:right;margin:5px;" /> I had a tough time getting hold of players from Team Faerieland to interview - the Faeries racked up more practice hours during the Mash-Up than any other team in the tournament, almost twice as many as the usual average. However, Captain Kakoni Worrill did have time to say a few words on behalf of his team in between matches. "To be honest, when the committee announced they were making some changes to the Yooyuball format, we were all hoping for a little more freedom on the field, not less. Now, well, we can still play, but it all feels a bit suffocating."

 

Championship veteran and Lost Desert captain Leera Heggle wasn't too keen on the changes either, although he opted to reserve judgement for the moment. "Nobody on the team's taken much of a liking to the committee's decisions, and frankly I don't think you'll find anybody here who likes them at all. That's to be expected though - even the newer players in the Altador Cup have at least a year or two of regional tournament play under their belts, and when you've racked up enough experience in something, any change is going to feel like an unpleasant surprise."

 

"As for myself, well, I don't like them and I don't think I ever will, but we'll see. You've got to keep your best foot forward, as always (and at a forty-five degree angle). Altogether, we've got ninety of the finest Yooyuball players in Neopia on this field, so we'll find a way to make it work somehow. As Miss Sela from Virtupets keeps telling me: always remember, the enemy's goal is down!"

 

<img alt="Harlis Heyhbol" src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/tyrannia_0.gif" style="float:left;margin:5px;" /> Harlis Neyhbol of Team Tyrannia was another player to take a somewhat peaceable attitude towards the changes - at least partially. "The movement stuff I can live with," conceded the burly Tyrannian goalkeeper, "but no fouls against goalies? That, and you'll have to forgive my strong language, is the definition of boneheaded. Being tough is an important part of being a keeper, but for the love of all things good and sportsworthy... there should be more to it than being able to stay standing while some crazy Moehog bashes you repeatedly. With a BENCH," Harlis continued, shooting an accusatory glare at teammate "Scrap" Taggert.

 

"Sorry mate, sometimes I get a bit carried away!" Taggert called apologetically from further out on the field.

 

When asked about the incident, "Wizard" Windelle, Meridell Team Captain and acting referee for the day's Mash-Up, could only give a resigned shrug. "As far as I can tell, under the new regulations, that's actually permitted."

 

"Trapper" Remis of Team Altador wasn't pulling any punches in his statements today either. "Now, let me say this first: our Altador Cup Committee has decades of experience, not counting the thousand years we were frozen in time, and I for one am not going to write off their knowledge and understanding immediately. Personally, I think they've let their experience get to their heads, and forgotten what the sport of Yooyuball is really about. Just look at the players on the field. This isn't Yooyuball any more - it's more like tightrope walking, except you end up looking stupid instead of brave. And as for the elimination of fouls committed against goalkeepers, that's practically an invitation for players to use any means, and whatever implements they desire, to barge their way into the goal by sheer brute force. That, my friends, is in clear contrast to the spirit of the- Salayne! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT SPEAR?!"

 

Well, there you have it. It seems the players in the Altador Cup are almost unanimously opposed to the new rules announced by the Altador Cup committee. As Lost Desert captain Leera Heggle pointed out however, that's only normal when you're dealing with a tournament full of experienced players holding a strong sense of tradition. The question remains: will the players eventually come to terms with the new format, or will 'classic Yooyuball' end up immortalised as the long-lost, true version of the sport? It seems only time will tell.

 

This is AA, reporting for The Daily Neopets, signing off.

[Azeruth]

They killed all of my desire to play with this new YYB version. I was so excited, and now I'm just overly frustrated. And their generic ticket responses saying we don't understand how to play the new version just ticks me off even more.

[Cornflakes]

They killed all of my desire to play with this new YYB version. I was so excited, and now I'm just overly frustrated.

 

I feel exactly the same way. I wanted to win a Yooyu this year. Now my dreams are dashed to pieces. :sad02:

[Person335]

Though not a big fan of the new Yooyuball format, I have found a loophole on how to win some games. Now because of my new discovery, I'm winning games 10-3 average.

[Iona]

I very much dislike the new game. I too was looking forward to playing the old one. I really hope TNT give us it back. But they don't really listen to people these days so it's not likely.

 

Though not a big fan of the new Yooyuball format, I have found a loophole on how to win some games. Now because of my new discovery, I'm winning games 10-3 average.

 

Care to share? *wink-wink*

[Azeruth]

I'm happy they acknowledged the problems by answering an editorial and saying they're looking into some issues.

[antiaircraft]

I believe the loophole mentioned a few posts up is related to the new standard offensive tactic covered briefly in the report, i.e. running up to the opposing goalie and bashing him repeatedly if he blocks your shot (bench/spear optional). xD

[cliominio]

While YYB is more difficult to play, I have found that with practice I am beating any of the scores I was able to get last year. Don't forget to grab the power ups when you can. (I just hope that when real play starts, the other team will not be able to get them. The practice team leaves them alone.) I have played 7 times I have won six games and played to a draw with the first one. Another thing I found helpful was to not use the two in front, two in back starting positions (That is the one that I played to a draw.) The best for me was 3 in front and 1 behind. I just hit 12 goals this morning!

[Person335]

Okay, found out a brand new discovery:

 

If your team is 6 points ahead, then the computer players will get smarter. They'll start chasing you around more, and steal the ball out of you like crazy!

BUT! If you're 11 points ahead, the opponent gets a major speed boost, almost to the point that they'll start scoring on you just to the purpose of annoying you.

 

Is anyone else following this trend, or is it just me?

[antiaircraft]

Hmm... I haven't noticed it myself (yes I'm that bad :P ), but I do recall a mention that the AI for the computer-controlled team is one of the things TNT is planning to change soon.

[cliominio]

Okay, found out a brand new discovery:

 

If your team is 6 points ahead, then the computer players will get smarter. They'll start chasing you around more, and steal the ball out of you like crazy!

BUT! If you're 11 points ahead, the opponent gets a major speed boost, almost to the point that they'll start scoring on you just to the purpose of annoying you.

 

Is anyone else following this trend, or is it just me?

 

I hadn't noticed. I went back and played some more after you mentioned it, though. I think you are right. I was getting annoyed with them stealing the "ball" constantly. It is annoying, but it did make me pass more which helped avoid the stealing. I just wish you could pick which player becomes activated.

[voteforpedro333]

The opposing computer player is much, much more aggressive than ever before. It's really quite daunting for those of us who are used to little or no intervention as our players whizzed by their frames locked in place. They're scoring as much as I am, and it's difficult to say that I'm lucky to be a couple points above them whenever I can.

 

Also, I've noticed the eight-second subtraction is gone. Now when you make a goal, it looks like a second is added to the timer. It probably means that it is now possible to get more than 15 goals now, but whether anyone actually can is a different story...

 

Finally, I do like the powerups. That freeze-power is certainly a blessing. Though I wonder how a team like the Lost Desert can wield such magic.

[antiaircraft]

Finally, I do like the powerups. That freeze-power is certainly a blessing. Though I wonder how a team like the Lost Desert can wield such magic.

As far as I can tell, it looks like the power-ups are actually magical overspill from various spells being employed against goalkeepers. :yes: