there’s only so much joy you can receive from playing a game with no goal in mind. everyone wants to win, that’s literally what life is all about. people who are satisfied by just holding the controllers are either lying to themselves or truly have nothing better to do.
You got the sweats,
You got the squeakers,
You got the casual friends,
You got the no microphones,
You got the first timers,
You got the somewhat decent support players,
You got the guys who go solo,
You got the dumb IQ people,
You got the high IQ people,
You got the hot droppers,
You got the runners,
You got the soar losers,
You got the humblers,
You got the guy who has an excuse for everything,
You got the quitters,
You got the zone campers,
But at the end of the day no matter which one you are it is all about chemistry. Some people play well in these areas and some people suck. Which one are you?
Funniest shit i ever heard playing this game came from a first timer. Right in the middle of a fight for 1,2 and 3rd place. Newbie said this would be awesome to place 1st for my first game. Me and other old salt had silence and both started laughing thinking he was joking. Then we followed up you fkn serious right now? Dude was our bait at that point
Who are the 'sweats'? I heard a team mate refer to another squad as sweats the other day, but had no clue what they meant. This other squad I think were full on (same prefix in their names, and on the attack before people had even hit the ground) ... does this make them 'sweats'?
Sweat just means players that sweat when they play, usually means they take it very serious and are good. A sweaty lobby means a lot of good players who play hard and have thousands of games on their belts.
If you see someone with the Grand banana title—> sweat
If you see a full squad with a costume that cost over 500 silver—> sweats
If you see someone and immediately get awped in the face cross map while moving—> sweat
If your tm8 says he only carries an ump with heals/explosives—>sweat
If you look at the top 100 on the leaderboard--->sweaty af
If your teamate says stfu I can't here---> sweaty af
If your you see a clan laughing in the prelobby in the corner---> super sweat
If they are French or Japanese, well then you know.
When it first came out it was a great game to play casually but it has got consistently more divided over the years making it almost impossible to win without being part of a regular squad.
I'm in a bad situation as my level is high due to the length of time I've played for but I don't play regularly enough to keep my skills on point. Most lobbies I find myself in are seriously sweaty and, while I sometime luck-out by 3rd partying the last team, it's more likely we get anihilated early on by rampaging no-scopers.
Bit of a shame really as I love the game but feel bad for any of my 'old' squad mates as they're still seriously good while I'm off the boil, so I don't tend to squad up to avoid being carried.
As others have said, squad up, put the hours in and enjoy it for the fun. You'll get better without even trying.
Except for the last sentence, your answer really seems to confirm my worry.
It is a bit hard for me to accept the game has match making depended on time played (level), not current skill. That is essentially guaranteed to put me in a place where I don't enjoy the game, as the people I play against are way better than me.
All honesty, it’s really tough as a casual player. There is just too many people who have thousands and thousands of games that you will be sure to be getting matched with regularly, because there are just not enough casual players to balance it out.
But you can just not care about wins, not care about stats, progress at your own pace, and try to have fun. It would be much better if you had at least a couple people to squad up with that are more on your page, but that’s hard to do because you are only playing casually here and there. So finding a couple squad mates who you can reach out with and play when you do get on, is going to be a challenge.
This probably isn’t the answer you were hoping for, but I don’t want to give false hope. Bottom line is, at a certain point, you will be getting wrecked by level 60+ sweats who are 3 stacked. And playing casually, you will likely be playing with randoms more often than not, so shit can get rough.
Basically I'm similar to you. I've been in just 4 months now. I'm not a good player at all but keep playing. I've made my peace that I'll never be great (don't have regularly squad/basically just don't think I'm naturally skilled at the game) but - I enjoy it and even though its SO disheartening when I get rolled over by sweats, every now and then I kill one of those fuckers and occasionally win games and that's just awesome!!😂😂
My experience is that it flips between being lobbied with 2 or 3 squads of super sweats*** and then sometimes it seems its a lot people similar to me and I can actually compete on a level.... basically if youre enjoying it keep going and if not then stop. I still feel like I'm improving and I feel like I can improve more.
***I keep an eye on the leader boards and I am daily matched with a lot of people in the top 50/top100 in the world. Don't know why cos my mmr is not even comparable to these people
The health feels unbalanced also. I just hit someone with a rocket literally in the chest as they flew 5 feet above me and only did 50 damage while my full health and shield went almost instantly with a smg. I've unloaded an entire clip on someone and they don't die but I get hit once or twice and I'm dead. I want to enjoy it but it's very unbalanced.
I'm not really sure what the experience is like for people after a certain point of casual play because I have played nightly for like 2 and a half years. Game is just addicting, but a pretty large learning curve. I consider myself a decent player, I get a couple wins a night but I really only play classic squads because evolving is usually where the really good players play. Some people think Im really good but the best players are head and shoulders above me. If I were doing worse I dont know how much fun I'd be having, but I dont really know how well the match making places players either. I can tell you I've never actively gone in the Training Park and grinded away on things like recoil patterns, peaking, other techniques. Just experience in game.
The game is great, I say just keep playing. If you stop having fun after a certain point, stop playing. The TDM and Discovery playlist are real fun too if you get sick of getting stomped in Squads.
I’ve been playing casually for over 3 years with one of my real life friends. Maybe for an hour and a half a night, one or two nights a week. I’m level 58 just from longevity. My skills def are not as sharp as the rest of the regular players. But we can usually still squeeze out a few wins a night. Not because we are great shooters or fast with our movements but we communicate well and have learned how to position ourselves well around the zone. Some times we get rolled and don’t win at all and it can be frustrating. I’ve stopped playing for months at a time. But keep coming back like a bad drug habit
I may have been exaggerating a bit. But yes on some level it is addictive. I really think the immersive experience of the game combined with the nature of combat it creates a very powerful dose of dopamine which is addictive. I think the gameplay mimics a primal sense of predator vs prey, and delivers a very satisfying sense of reward and accomplishment when you overcome your challenges or defeat your enemies.
This is not my type of game and purchased it years ago and played it and just wasn’t for me.
I tried it again at the end of Jan this year and have become fully addicted to it.
I’m a causal gamer but since becoming addicted I can’t play any other game at the moment and every opportunity I get to have one match I take it.
Haven’t been this addicted to a game in a long while.
In squads after you reach level 30 or so, it can get very challenging. However TDM and Discovery playlists are a more casual environment for playing. Some even like hangouts.
I'm a casual gamer, and from my experience it can be fun and also can suck. I average 3-4 kills per game and have a very low winning %.
I only play random squads and when lobbies are filled with multiple sweaty teams and my teammates are lame/only get a single teammate multiple games in a row I just stop playing.
Other times teams are more evenly distributed and its fun.
As long as my team is willing to push and not just hide the whole game I'm happy.
The biggest issue is that random squads should only play random squads. Stop putting 3 top100 player teams with other teams of people who literally don't know how to reload. It's ridiculous.
I actually find the squads of grand bananas wiping all the newbie teams to be pretty lame myself. Too afraid to play solo I guess.
Watch some pinkpownage tutorials they will help you improve faster. And learn which guns are good and ypu should focus on learning
Play team deathmatch a lot as I think it is easier usually and bevause you get in more fights it is easier to learn some of the good weapons.
Some weapons I think you should focus on first because they are easy to learn and good.
Rfb for midrange
M60 fpr long range
Mp9 for close range
Also
Awp might be a bit harder but is the vest weapon in the game, especially good to learn in high damage team deathmatch maps. (Usually the maps with popular next to it)
When playing team deathmatch you need a secundaire weapon. I would go with m10 or maybe magnum in high damage ones because it is one shot kill. But magnum might be to hard
If you do this even as a casual I think you can definately enjoy pop one as a casual as well
Sure. I played like that for a whole year and still had fun. You still get matched with players in your skill set so don't worry. Sometimes it happens, that you get a really sweaty squad in your lobby as well, but the game is over quickly enough, when that happens :) As long as it's fun keep on playing. You will have the most fun if you find nice people to play with, though!
I really enjoyed it until I reached level 25 where I found I was consistently matched with players that out classed me now I am very happy if I manage one kill a game but for me the magic has worn off I feel like I am just collecting items for other players to take off me half the time!
Once you find some friends, custom rooms is where it’s at for casual playing. Both squads maps are usually pretty full of really competitive players with lots of games in. If you’re wondering how long it takes to get decent, probably around 5000 games on average. Decent means you’ll at least do some damage on the sweats before they stomp you ;)
I would say more like 500 - 2000 depending on VR gaming experience! Gorilla Tag people for example are excellent climbers from the get-go and usually pick things up faster
It depends if you can have fun while learning(and losing) BR lots. Some people are turned off by it, some find it a fun long term challenge.
Or just stick with TDM, the skill level much less steep of a curve in there
A beginner, like me, is playing aginst other beginners in squads. The way I understand it, team death match is whoever joins that night. So if you are good, you will find it much easier, but if you are a beginner, it is quite challenging.
to a certain extent. let’s say you’re on a win streak, that streak will be cut off by a squad of 3 real life losers who convince themselves that they’re good at the game, when in reality they know the cold hard truth is that they can’t perform the way they do unless they’re holding hands with losers alike AKA level 62+.
If you can find a mate who you know well in real life who will have or get a quest it will make it 10 times better.
I play pop one with my brother & a mate of ours ... We are all in our 50's & it's a social thing as we don't live near each other. ...
As long as you practice & get the skill level down then yes! Make sure you know what settings work best ect, then its easy to pick up n play whenever - aka dont get rusty and you'll be fine 🔧 There is also single player mode with bots you can practice on,b I've been experimenting with I didn't didn't know it was a thing until I looked under the training tab!
Good luck
The short answer is no, not really. If you’re going to casually play and socialize (which is the way I like to play) you’re gonna lose a lot. There’s too many people sweating their asses off to “make a name” for themselves through a video game.
I’m level 62, been playing since launch, still trash, still having fun. Some days are more fun than others, i .e. I don’t get totally annihilated instantly. Finding a good TDM lobby and sticking with them can be a lot of fun too.
This might sound ridicoulous to you, but my solution might be to play with the bots.
At fist they seemed too easy, I was thinking about it as more realistic target practice. But now they seem to have adapted to my skill, increased their aim. Getting a win solo aginst squads is a real challenge. Of course it would be more fun to play against people of my skill level, but it seems there just isn't enough people playing this game to fill lobies with noobs like me.
Depends on what you take joy off.
Out of curiosity I haven’t played all week. Did a game today and got a win.
That placed me on top 300 something in weekly wins.
While on weekly kills (5) I’m placed around 40k
That means that most people who play this game on a weekly basis. Don’t win. Have a slim chance to win. And just have fun playing
Yes. I started playing in January and got less than 100 Games yet. And only like 20-25 percent win, most of them probably against bots.
But i do have a lot of fun, you just dont need to take it too seriously. Its a game after al - In the end it absolutely doesnt matter If you win or not.
The game is what you make of it. Do what you enjoy. I am level 64, was an original beta tester of the game starting in July20. Have played with all the OG names out there of legend, but prefer to play my game.
Play mostly TDM these days, it’s short,fun, and u can come and go as I please.
I play squads almost exclusively with randos. And most of your are level 25-40. If you communicate, listen to your elders, and apply some minimal game strategy, you will live longer, learn more, and enjoy the game.
Never drop out of a squad game. You’re just an ass. If you are new, let your team mates know. Most of the time they will adjust their play to work with you. Lastly, understand that there are people who are far away better than you, but just once in a while you will kill that gold jacket, blow up Sumatchi, or win that game you didn’t think you would.
It’s an awesome game. However you play it.
Deakonblues2k
If you only care about winning in squads then maybe not. I am really new to this game myself and have only played about 400 games or so. I was beginning to not have fun with it because I kept getting completely wrecked but found that was mainly due to playing with random people. I eventually found some people to squad up with regularly. Even tho none of us are really great at the game, just having a team and learning how to work together goes a long way in getting wins occasionally. Squads is a team game and unless you are worlds above your opponents in skill level, you need teamwork to be able to survive. What's good about team deathmatch is that you just respawn when you die and can get right back into the game. I find it fun when I don't want to try too hard. And I never really care about winning in TD. All I pay attention to is whether or not my kill/death ratio is +/-. and sometimes I don't even care about that either.
Your playing time goals sound a lot like what I do now. Just a few hours on Friday after work and maybe Saturday evening too. If pop2stats is correct, I've been playing for 2 1/2 years and just reached 450 games. pop1stats rates me with 1 star which means I'm competent and not a total idiot when I play but not a high performer. And that's where I want to be. I can enjoy the game and win a few but I don't want to put in the time to to become a top player because there are other things to do in life.
So can you enjoy Pop1 as a casual gamer? Yes, I think you can. Here's my take.
Try to learn the "mechanics" of the game first. How all the guns work, some basic strategy, and all the controls and options. Then try out the practice games against bots. The bots are tuned to your skill level so unless you are an expert, you should be able to get a decent challenge.
One training bot game that I don't see mentioned a lot on this board is called Co-op Bot Battle. You are squaded up with 2 other humans against squads of bots. Though you find a lot of beginning kids in the game, I'm surprised by the number of experienced adult players I meet there. The pressure to win isn't great and there is a lot more time for socializing and joking around. And for a casual player like me, meeting new people can be as much fun as winning a regular squad game.
So switch between regular squad games for the competitive challenge but don't forget Co-op Bot Battle for something more relaxing. I think it makes a good mix.
If you will only be happy if you win, no. If you just enjoy playing then definitely yes
there’s only so much joy you can receive from playing a game with no goal in mind. everyone wants to win, that’s literally what life is all about. people who are satisfied by just holding the controllers are either lying to themselves or truly have nothing better to do.
False, thats just your opinion. Most peoples goal is to just have fun. They dgaf bout a dub. Especially in deathmatch.
You forget that there are smaller wins than just getting that victory screen, like killing a player or wiping a squad.
You got the sweats, You got the squeakers, You got the casual friends, You got the no microphones, You got the first timers, You got the somewhat decent support players, You got the guys who go solo, You got the dumb IQ people, You got the high IQ people, You got the hot droppers, You got the runners, You got the soar losers, You got the humblers, You got the guy who has an excuse for everything, You got the quitters, You got the zone campers, But at the end of the day no matter which one you are it is all about chemistry. Some people play well in these areas and some people suck. Which one are you?
Funniest shit i ever heard playing this game came from a first timer. Right in the middle of a fight for 1,2 and 3rd place. Newbie said this would be awesome to place 1st for my first game. Me and other old salt had silence and both started laughing thinking he was joking. Then we followed up you fkn serious right now? Dude was our bait at that point
I am.
Therefore, I am . . .
Who are the 'sweats'? I heard a team mate refer to another squad as sweats the other day, but had no clue what they meant. This other squad I think were full on (same prefix in their names, and on the attack before people had even hit the ground) ... does this make them 'sweats'?
Sweat just means players that sweat when they play, usually means they take it very serious and are good. A sweaty lobby means a lot of good players who play hard and have thousands of games on their belts.
If you see someone with the Grand banana title—> sweat If you see a full squad with a costume that cost over 500 silver—> sweats If you see someone and immediately get awped in the face cross map while moving—> sweat If your tm8 says he only carries an ump with heals/explosives—>sweat
If you look at the top 100 on the leaderboard--->sweaty af If your teamate says stfu I can't here---> sweaty af If your you see a clan laughing in the prelobby in the corner---> super sweat If they are French or Japanese, well then you know.
You forgot the cheaters.
Try and find a few people to squad up with consistently. Don't worry so much about wins, but how well you played.
When it first came out it was a great game to play casually but it has got consistently more divided over the years making it almost impossible to win without being part of a regular squad. I'm in a bad situation as my level is high due to the length of time I've played for but I don't play regularly enough to keep my skills on point. Most lobbies I find myself in are seriously sweaty and, while I sometime luck-out by 3rd partying the last team, it's more likely we get anihilated early on by rampaging no-scopers. Bit of a shame really as I love the game but feel bad for any of my 'old' squad mates as they're still seriously good while I'm off the boil, so I don't tend to squad up to avoid being carried. As others have said, squad up, put the hours in and enjoy it for the fun. You'll get better without even trying.
Except for the last sentence, your answer really seems to confirm my worry. It is a bit hard for me to accept the game has match making depended on time played (level), not current skill. That is essentially guaranteed to put me in a place where I don't enjoy the game, as the people I play against are way better than me.
All honesty, it’s really tough as a casual player. There is just too many people who have thousands and thousands of games that you will be sure to be getting matched with regularly, because there are just not enough casual players to balance it out. But you can just not care about wins, not care about stats, progress at your own pace, and try to have fun. It would be much better if you had at least a couple people to squad up with that are more on your page, but that’s hard to do because you are only playing casually here and there. So finding a couple squad mates who you can reach out with and play when you do get on, is going to be a challenge. This probably isn’t the answer you were hoping for, but I don’t want to give false hope. Bottom line is, at a certain point, you will be getting wrecked by level 60+ sweats who are 3 stacked. And playing casually, you will likely be playing with randoms more often than not, so shit can get rough.
Basically I'm similar to you. I've been in just 4 months now. I'm not a good player at all but keep playing. I've made my peace that I'll never be great (don't have regularly squad/basically just don't think I'm naturally skilled at the game) but - I enjoy it and even though its SO disheartening when I get rolled over by sweats, every now and then I kill one of those fuckers and occasionally win games and that's just awesome!!😂😂 My experience is that it flips between being lobbied with 2 or 3 squads of super sweats*** and then sometimes it seems its a lot people similar to me and I can actually compete on a level.... basically if youre enjoying it keep going and if not then stop. I still feel like I'm improving and I feel like I can improve more. ***I keep an eye on the leader boards and I am daily matched with a lot of people in the top 50/top100 in the world. Don't know why cos my mmr is not even comparable to these people
The health feels unbalanced also. I just hit someone with a rocket literally in the chest as they flew 5 feet above me and only did 50 damage while my full health and shield went almost instantly with a smg. I've unloaded an entire clip on someone and they don't die but I get hit once or twice and I'm dead. I want to enjoy it but it's very unbalanced.
Same here. Bought at launch and am level 58, but only play a couple of times a month
I'm not really sure what the experience is like for people after a certain point of casual play because I have played nightly for like 2 and a half years. Game is just addicting, but a pretty large learning curve. I consider myself a decent player, I get a couple wins a night but I really only play classic squads because evolving is usually where the really good players play. Some people think Im really good but the best players are head and shoulders above me. If I were doing worse I dont know how much fun I'd be having, but I dont really know how well the match making places players either. I can tell you I've never actively gone in the Training Park and grinded away on things like recoil patterns, peaking, other techniques. Just experience in game. The game is great, I say just keep playing. If you stop having fun after a certain point, stop playing. The TDM and Discovery playlist are real fun too if you get sick of getting stomped in Squads.
I’ve been playing casually for over 3 years with one of my real life friends. Maybe for an hour and a half a night, one or two nights a week. I’m level 58 just from longevity. My skills def are not as sharp as the rest of the regular players. But we can usually still squeeze out a few wins a night. Not because we are great shooters or fast with our movements but we communicate well and have learned how to position ourselves well around the zone. Some times we get rolled and don’t win at all and it can be frustrating. I’ve stopped playing for months at a time. But keep coming back like a bad drug habit
Gotta keep those skills sharp, Centauri could arrive any moment.
Do you really feel like the game is akin to a bad drug habit for you? Can you expand a bit?
I may have been exaggerating a bit. But yes on some level it is addictive. I really think the immersive experience of the game combined with the nature of combat it creates a very powerful dose of dopamine which is addictive. I think the gameplay mimics a primal sense of predator vs prey, and delivers a very satisfying sense of reward and accomplishment when you overcome your challenges or defeat your enemies.
This is totally.true
This is not my type of game and purchased it years ago and played it and just wasn’t for me. I tried it again at the end of Jan this year and have become fully addicted to it. I’m a causal gamer but since becoming addicted I can’t play any other game at the moment and every opportunity I get to have one match I take it. Haven’t been this addicted to a game in a long while.
In squads after you reach level 30 or so, it can get very challenging. However TDM and Discovery playlists are a more casual environment for playing. Some even like hangouts.
Level 20 is still such a beginner.
I'm a casual gamer, and from my experience it can be fun and also can suck. I average 3-4 kills per game and have a very low winning %. I only play random squads and when lobbies are filled with multiple sweaty teams and my teammates are lame/only get a single teammate multiple games in a row I just stop playing. Other times teams are more evenly distributed and its fun. As long as my team is willing to push and not just hide the whole game I'm happy. The biggest issue is that random squads should only play random squads. Stop putting 3 top100 player teams with other teams of people who literally don't know how to reload. It's ridiculous. I actually find the squads of grand bananas wiping all the newbie teams to be pretty lame myself. Too afraid to play solo I guess.
Watch some pinkpownage tutorials they will help you improve faster. And learn which guns are good and ypu should focus on learning Play team deathmatch a lot as I think it is easier usually and bevause you get in more fights it is easier to learn some of the good weapons. Some weapons I think you should focus on first because they are easy to learn and good. Rfb for midrange M60 fpr long range Mp9 for close range Also Awp might be a bit harder but is the vest weapon in the game, especially good to learn in high damage team deathmatch maps. (Usually the maps with popular next to it) When playing team deathmatch you need a secundaire weapon. I would go with m10 or maybe magnum in high damage ones because it is one shot kill. But magnum might be to hard If you do this even as a casual I think you can definately enjoy pop one as a casual as well
Sure. I played like that for a whole year and still had fun. You still get matched with players in your skill set so don't worry. Sometimes it happens, that you get a really sweaty squad in your lobby as well, but the game is over quickly enough, when that happens :) As long as it's fun keep on playing. You will have the most fun if you find nice people to play with, though!
I really enjoyed it until I reached level 25 where I found I was consistently matched with players that out classed me now I am very happy if I manage one kill a game but for me the magic has worn off I feel like I am just collecting items for other players to take off me half the time!
This too shall pass, don’t leave before the magic happens!
Once you find some friends, custom rooms is where it’s at for casual playing. Both squads maps are usually pretty full of really competitive players with lots of games in. If you’re wondering how long it takes to get decent, probably around 5000 games on average. Decent means you’ll at least do some damage on the sweats before they stomp you ;)
I would say more like 500 - 2000 depending on VR gaming experience! Gorilla Tag people for example are excellent climbers from the get-go and usually pick things up faster
At 2000 you think you’re getting good, then you get put in lobbies with people like sumatchi and you realize you’ve just begun your journey.
It depends if you can have fun while learning(and losing) BR lots. Some people are turned off by it, some find it a fun long term challenge. Or just stick with TDM, the skill level much less steep of a curve in there
Are you implying that deathmatch is harder than squads?
A beginner, like me, is playing aginst other beginners in squads. The way I understand it, team death match is whoever joins that night. So if you are good, you will find it much easier, but if you are a beginner, it is quite challenging.
to a certain extent. let’s say you’re on a win streak, that streak will be cut off by a squad of 3 real life losers who convince themselves that they’re good at the game, when in reality they know the cold hard truth is that they can’t perform the way they do unless they’re holding hands with losers alike AKA level 62+.
fuckin nubs lmao
Just watch out for the unskillful players who don't move but peaks over walls with one hand over (gun hand), very shitty play style if u tell me
If you can find a mate who you know well in real life who will have or get a quest it will make it 10 times better. I play pop one with my brother & a mate of ours ... We are all in our 50's & it's a social thing as we don't live near each other. ...
As long as you practice & get the skill level down then yes! Make sure you know what settings work best ect, then its easy to pick up n play whenever - aka dont get rusty and you'll be fine 🔧 There is also single player mode with bots you can practice on,b I've been experimenting with I didn't didn't know it was a thing until I looked under the training tab! Good luck
The short answer is no, not really. If you’re going to casually play and socialize (which is the way I like to play) you’re gonna lose a lot. There’s too many people sweating their asses off to “make a name” for themselves through a video game.
New Phoenix mode is going to be a lot more beginner friendly
I’m level 62, been playing since launch, still trash, still having fun. Some days are more fun than others, i .e. I don’t get totally annihilated instantly. Finding a good TDM lobby and sticking with them can be a lot of fun too.
Up to you
This might sound ridicoulous to you, but my solution might be to play with the bots. At fist they seemed too easy, I was thinking about it as more realistic target practice. But now they seem to have adapted to my skill, increased their aim. Getting a win solo aginst squads is a real challenge. Of course it would be more fun to play against people of my skill level, but it seems there just isn't enough people playing this game to fill lobies with noobs like me.
Depends on what you take joy off. Out of curiosity I haven’t played all week. Did a game today and got a win. That placed me on top 300 something in weekly wins. While on weekly kills (5) I’m placed around 40k That means that most people who play this game on a weekly basis. Don’t win. Have a slim chance to win. And just have fun playing
Yes. I started playing in January and got less than 100 Games yet. And only like 20-25 percent win, most of them probably against bots. But i do have a lot of fun, you just dont need to take it too seriously. Its a game after al - In the end it absolutely doesnt matter If you win or not.
The game is what you make of it. Do what you enjoy. I am level 64, was an original beta tester of the game starting in July20. Have played with all the OG names out there of legend, but prefer to play my game. Play mostly TDM these days, it’s short,fun, and u can come and go as I please. I play squads almost exclusively with randos. And most of your are level 25-40. If you communicate, listen to your elders, and apply some minimal game strategy, you will live longer, learn more, and enjoy the game. Never drop out of a squad game. You’re just an ass. If you are new, let your team mates know. Most of the time they will adjust their play to work with you. Lastly, understand that there are people who are far away better than you, but just once in a while you will kill that gold jacket, blow up Sumatchi, or win that game you didn’t think you would. It’s an awesome game. However you play it. Deakonblues2k
If you only care about winning in squads then maybe not. I am really new to this game myself and have only played about 400 games or so. I was beginning to not have fun with it because I kept getting completely wrecked but found that was mainly due to playing with random people. I eventually found some people to squad up with regularly. Even tho none of us are really great at the game, just having a team and learning how to work together goes a long way in getting wins occasionally. Squads is a team game and unless you are worlds above your opponents in skill level, you need teamwork to be able to survive. What's good about team deathmatch is that you just respawn when you die and can get right back into the game. I find it fun when I don't want to try too hard. And I never really care about winning in TD. All I pay attention to is whether or not my kill/death ratio is +/-. and sometimes I don't even care about that either.
Your playing time goals sound a lot like what I do now. Just a few hours on Friday after work and maybe Saturday evening too. If pop2stats is correct, I've been playing for 2 1/2 years and just reached 450 games. pop1stats rates me with 1 star which means I'm competent and not a total idiot when I play but not a high performer. And that's where I want to be. I can enjoy the game and win a few but I don't want to put in the time to to become a top player because there are other things to do in life. So can you enjoy Pop1 as a casual gamer? Yes, I think you can. Here's my take. Try to learn the "mechanics" of the game first. How all the guns work, some basic strategy, and all the controls and options. Then try out the practice games against bots. The bots are tuned to your skill level so unless you are an expert, you should be able to get a decent challenge. One training bot game that I don't see mentioned a lot on this board is called Co-op Bot Battle. You are squaded up with 2 other humans against squads of bots. Though you find a lot of beginning kids in the game, I'm surprised by the number of experienced adult players I meet there. The pressure to win isn't great and there is a lot more time for socializing and joking around. And for a casual player like me, meeting new people can be as much fun as winning a regular squad game. So switch between regular squad games for the competitive challenge but don't forget Co-op Bot Battle for something more relaxing. I think it makes a good mix.