I'm just returning to the game after a long break. Recently in Voidstar, people began shouting "left" or "right" based on which door they determined needed the most defenders (I hope). The thing is, left and right are both relative to the direction you're facing.

As a fresh returning player this totally confused me. I asked the team if they meant East or West? They repeated "left!!!". I pointed out that 'left' on the minimap, and 'left' from the perspective from which you respawn are two opposite directions. This guy referred to me as 'The Dumbness', and several on the team threatened to ignore me in chat. ***?

I asked again "Do you mean left on the minimap, as in West?" ... Silence.

I know this community can be toxic, but for people to straight up cut me out of a WZ because of their fundamental misunderstanding of what the words left and right actually mean is absurd. So what am I missing here? Why don't people use cardnial directions to avoid confusion? Is 'left' East or West?

Crossposted to General

Most directions are called with respect to your spawn point. Some servers and guilds call differently. Honestly it shouldn't have been that hard to adapt to with a quick look at your mini map and which side had fewer defenders.

So what you're saying is that I should have ignored my teammates and just looked at my map to assume?

Words have meaning.

So what you're saying is that I should have ignored my teammates and just looked at my map to assume?

Instead of wasting time trying to get them to explain it as East or West while they're in combat... yes. You should just look at your map.

Instead of wasting time trying to get them to explain it as East or West while they're in combat... yes. You should just look at your map.

If you shout 'left' or 'right' knowing that those terms are relative, you're the one who is wasting time and confusing the issue. During a WZ when time is limited, I want a clear and unambiguous response. This is why East/West is superior to left/right.

If you shout 'left' or 'right' knowing that those terms are relative, you're the one who is wasting time and confusing the issue. During a WZ when time is limited, I want a clear and unambiguous response. This is why East/West is superior to left/right.

For some people left / right is easier than watching what is west / east.

I really have to think about which is west / east if someone calls like this.

And until I can react on this call the bomb is planted / the turret capt or something.

For me without good orientation (also in real life ...) I think it is better to call left / right from spawn.

I can't handle this west / east with the minimap while playing.

I think it is better to call left / right from spawn.

I can't handle this west / east with the minimap while playing.

That's fine, but completely sidesteps the original point. I asked what the person meant, and they threw a tantrum over my having asked. The snide attitude these guys took over a question that shouldn't have to be asked is totally absurd.

Left and right are ambiguous terms.

If you shout 'left' or 'right' knowing that those terms are relative, you're the one who is wasting time and confusing the issue. During a WZ when time is limited, I want a clear and unambiguous response. This is why East/West is superior to left/right.

They're not relative. Most people make calls with respect to leaving their spawn. Left is West and right is East when defending in Voidstar. People call snow and grass in Alderaan. Get used to these as well.

For some people left / right is easier than watching what is west / east.

Also this makes no sense. Saying left/right requires the listener to ask or know whether the speaker is speaking from their perspective or the perspective of the minimap. Just stating East/West ends the conversation. There is no ambiguity.

I made a thread on this, oh, about a year ago. Like you, I was told to dumb down. Even my guildies then and now asked me to use left and right. I still use the cardinal directions, just because there's no way (in my mind) that someone could misinterpret what I mean. Heck, even the VS doors say East or West when planted.

Unfortunately, I've typed or said in comms "# East," and was asked if that was left or right. I have to tell my Team to imagine we are starting from Canada and moving to the US when we are on defense.

You and I are becoming less and less common, and I think that's a shame. Oh well. We should all just give our kids participation trophies.

They're not relative. Most people make calls with respect to leaving their spawn. Left is West and right is East when defending in Voidstar. People call snow and grass in Alderaan. Get used to these as well.

Yes they absolutely are.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_direction

... I have to tell my Team to imagine we are starting from Canada and moving to the US when we are on defense...

This seriously made me laugh. I'm so sorry you've got to deal with this. Sigh. I guess I should just learn to expect it.

Yes they absolutely are.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_direction

You can quote me the wiki all you want. We're working from a fixed point of leaving the spawn in Voidstar. Left is West, right is East while defending.

You can absolutely feel free to argue with your teammates in the matches you play or you can adjust to the calls, its up to you. I imagine if everyone thought West and East were easier everyone would already be using it after four years.

You can quote me the wiki all you want. We're working from a fixed point of leaving the spawn in Voidstar. Left is West, right is East while defending.

 

You can absolutely feel free to argue with your teammates in the matches you play or you can adjust to the calls, its up to you. I imagine if everyone thought West and East were easier everyone would already be using it after four years.

You're not paying attention. I didn't argue with my temmates, I asked for clarification. I would not have had to ask for clarification if they had used non-relative terms.

Are you a skeptic of relative direction as a concept? What don't you understand? How can I help? If you dont trust Wiki, feel free to find other sources, or y'know just demand that I do the work for you.

You're not paying attention. I didn't argue with my temmates, I asked for clarification. I would not have had to ask for clarification if they had used non-relative terms.

I understand your point. Cardinal directions are fixed on the minimap. People don't use them, and use left and right as a fixed point from the spawn in Voidstar while defending. You can concede that this is also perfectly acceptable or try and get your entire server to change the way they do things.

Best of luck and welcome back.

I find this a bit annoying because I actually have to think about left/right. I dunno why, but my brain is fine with east- west, but left/right I have to stop and check muscle memory to see which is my dominant side (and then that's 'right').

As far as people getting all fizzle-shat about the OP asking in chat... that's a bit overboard I think. Sure... *most* people use it fairly consistently in defense. But then someone tries to use it for "which way do we attack first" on offense, and then we split right down the middle. I've gotten so I type arrows. "<---- that way first". Or "this way first ----->". It helps out those who learn visually.

Cardinal directions are hard, yo!

I always call West/East, if I HAVE to, I double them with "Grass", "snow" on ACW.

But most people can't figure it out and seem to follow their current orientation.

And yes, I was duly abused for pointing out proper directions myself.

What can I say - preschool's out.

Funny thing. Someone stopped by my unpopulated YouTube channel to insult me for using east and west because... East and west don't exist in space!

Points for role playing?

It is what faster for you. I have not grown up in one of the modern grid cities and have not been driving as a young person. Where and when I grew up, not many owned a personal car, and it was men that drove. So I rarely if ever read maps. I just orient by landmarking, going to google and looking up a route visually before I go to a new place. Quickly telling right from left is easier because right is the mouse side, and left is the keyboard side.

Voidstar with its symmetric map is a nightmare to give directions. I wish every door and bridge there had a blue or red banner.

There is a strong tendency that the main threat will always be at the side which has the least amount of players at the door. So, a quick glanmce should solve that.

Why ? Because the less players are at one door, the more likely it is that they are crying for help because of being overrun.

It's that simple. Why don't use people this method ?

Well, there is a margin of error, because folks can be just guarding or cooping just fine with what they have on their hands. Even worse, if the folks are overcommiting on a wrong door, when a guard sees a hard push on the other... yakes. Overcommitment can lose the game as fast as the undercommitment.

Eh, whatever they call, it's best they call, E/W, L/R, it's not that hard to figure it out.

Quickly telling right from left is easier because right is the mouse side, and left is the keyboard side.

This must be what messes me up! I switch. To help fight off tendonitis in my wrists I periodically switch the mouse back-n-forth between the right hand and the left hand.

I prefer Left/Right rather than East/West for the simple reason that if you call out "East", I have to look at the map and figure out if that means left or right from the spawn point. Whereas if we are defending and someone yells "help right", then gee, which side should I go down and help when I leave? Do you have to look at the map to use the "right arrow" movement key? No.

Every time someone calls out East/West, you have to look down at the map, figure out which way you're facing to North, and then figure out if that is right or left.

As far as Right/Left being relative, sure it is if people are going in different directions. So, if you are trying to talk to the other team, that might be an issue. However, since you are only talking about your team, and your team is all spawning from the same thing, then it's not a problem.

Given how much arguing you do on the forums about it, I going to guess you are the one in chat who ended up getting so upset, which is why they threatened to ignore you.

On voidstar especially I don't need left/right or east/west.

Civil War is perfect IMO: grass/snow.

Voidstar:

you were at a door, yes? Was that door getting capped? No?

Guess which door is calling for help then?

you were at a door, yes? Was that door getting capped? No?

Guess which door is calling for help then?

No. I was waiting to spawn, but thanks for speaking to me like I'm a child.