Why I should play Ironforge or DSL instead of stock

[leftover_high]

Hello guys!

Can someone please tell me the pros and cons with Ironforge, DSL and stock; tell me (I'd love if you'd be detailed) why I should play the specific mod and why it is better than the others; and what's the most fun in the long run? I've tried them all and I fell for stock since it feels like the most "real" but I also feel it's a bit limited so I wonder if I'd enjoy DSL or IF more... DSL is nice because of the influences of Robot Wars and the new stuff, but if I remember correctly I believe that IF is more realistic and has sort of the same stuff as DSL and I do enjoy the realism apart from stock's many bugs and hacks that wouldn't actually work in real life.

Please tell me a bit more about the different mods if you have the time :)

b0w7ie

[Naryar]

ironforge has more exciting battles in general due to powerful motors and weapons and not too much HP.

DSL is stock plus, it's like stock except we build realistically or semirealistically. also there are more choice in components and bots look generally cooler.

[Badger]

Stock is pure efficiency, who can craft the most deadly machine. You will spend a lot of time abusing various crazy glitches to put motors inside of batteries inside of batteries etc.

DSL is more realistic, and the battles look a lot more like the kind you would see on robot wars or battlebots. It also has a lot more variation due to the large number of components.

[Naryar]

DSL-S can also be pure efficiency, but we try to not break the game as much as in Stock to reach the best combat effectiveness possible.

[090901]

there is no reason as you why you should play a certain mode or even a certain build/play style other than if you are enjoying what you are doing and having fun with it.

at least thats how i think of it

[rnifnuf]

Another advantage of Ironforge is balance; it was designed with balance in mind, making no component useless overall. Although certain weapons are used more on certain bot types than others. For example, crushing teeth and battleaxes are popular on vertical spinners for their high damage output and ability to toss robots respectively. Weapon choice in Ironforge is somewhat like navigating a large city: there are practically no wrong answers, but some decisions lead to better outcomes than others.

After cancelling DSL3, Clickbeetle decided to give DSL 2.1 a much-needed redo in terms of component stats. Presently, three weapons dominate the DSL Metagame: Razor Tips, Light Double-Sided Teeth, and Beater Bars. Furthermore, only a select few wheels (e.g. Hypnos, Vlads, Technos) and armors (e.g. Most plastic/titanium, Steel 5) are used, at least in DSL-S. In my opinion, this is one downside to DSL, and I am glad it is being fixed, especially by an experienced user. As things stand, innovation is starting to stop, and variety only comes about when tournament hosts impose restrictions on dominant robot types.

Stock innovation has seemingly stopped altogether, and since Stock is inherently unchangeable, it would take brilliance and/or sheer luck to challenge the metagame. There are users like ShedRift who somehow use Stock to create works of art, but that's exactly what they are: works of art, not suitable for combat, much like in the way Christmas tree ornaments are generally not to be played with by young children. This is why Stock is in decline, but some will still stand by it. The only reason there is still a few beams of innovation left in DSL is because of a broader selection of parts, as well as the IRL craze.

If there is one advantage that Stock and DSL have over Ironforge, it is this: they are well-established. Thus, there is plenty of information available on them. Ironforge's limits are still not quite known yet, and this uncertainty may ward off the non-adventurous. Stock has obviously been around since the start of RA2, and DSL2 was released in 2006, whereas Ironforge has been out for less than a year.

In short, Stock has the fewest restrictions, contrary to its highly restrictive metagame; DSL allows more variety in exchange for some extra building rules; Ironforge has a minimal metagame, leaving the user to rely on their own skill and judgement instead of some silly glitch or exploit.

[Mr. AS]

Stock is no holds barred slugfest of who can beat the other robot. No BS judges decisions or realism to hold you back.

DSL is a mixed bag of IRL and standard, standard is closer to stock but has a grand total of 2 people still building for it and doesn't allow you to have intersecting spinning weapons or stacked internal parts, and IRL is more strict on realism (i.e. you have to make a bot as it would function in real life, although this "rule" can be bypassed very easily if cheatbot is allowed).

Ironforge is like DSL except half the components aren't complete garbage. 

[Jaydee99]

 

It's a game. I'll play it how I want.

Quoted as I believe it's relevant to this topic.

[Philippa]

It's a game. I'll play it how I want.

Quoted as I believe it's relevant to this topic.

Not really, he's asking for pros and cons of each. This isn't relevant.

[RedAce]

What rnifnuf and Mr. AS said.


Also, why put the topic in this board of all places exactly?

[cephalopod]

Also, why put the topic in this board of all places exactly?

Excellent question. Moved to General Discussion.

I would contribute to the discussion but as RedAce said, rnifnuf and AS covered it.
At the end of the day though just play what you want.

[leftover_high]

Thanks for the help and advice guys! Love this community! :D

[123savethewhales]

Ironforge is the dumb down version of RA2.  You don't have to spend hours sorting out useless parts or glitching parts into place.

[leftover_high]

It feels like everyone is quite centered and convinced that Ironforge is the best of the "three games"? I always felt that DSL was the sh** to play here but I think that Ironforge is my call :) thanks once again for quick, detailed response!

Much love

b0w7ie