Lobby Feature for Team Balance

[Piemanlives]

I'd like to expand upon that previous motion. This is where things change, sure if a clan is moving to curb stomp everyone in sight, I would not approve of that and such a feature would be rather useful in such an occasion, but then again sometimes you find people, not necessarily a clan, that you enjoy playing with and work well together with. Sure you could always mix up and see what happens but having to deal with people can be a bit of a pain, and don't get me wrong, I'd hop on the other team and see what's what if they're on a losing streak, then again however most of the lobbies I end up getting in to end up clan on clan so I don't really have much of a chance to do so.

Also Hamster it's alright, considering what this topic was about your idea was more or less on spot so don't beat yourself up about it.

[HamsterIV]

For those of you who have not been part of this debate in the past:
https://gunsoficarus.com/community/forum/index.php/topic,225.msg2439.html#msg2439

The OP's idea is significantly different than mine. If we want to discuss the pros and cons of altering the lobby mechanics to break up clan games let's necro my thread and not clog up this one.

[Richard LeMoon]

I still think a good solution for this problem is handicapping. The game already keeps track of wins, kills, and damage. The game could offer you the choice of switching teams, or taking a handicap if it notices you stomping the snot out of everything in your path. Even give it an achievement path. 'Playing fair' or something.

[GreyTea]

There is a problem,The level in Class is not repersentive of skill,
some people might grind to a high level where a player might naturally level up through 100's of games
the idea of auto balance would have to be done on personal stats such as k/d ratio accuracy and the level in class skills does not repersent that,
 you could have a level 3 gunner who has over 80% accuracy, or visa a level 9 with under 50%,
the only benifit is experince and cosmetic items,
am sure even if a team has some new guys it would encourage them to help teach them the game rather than passing them about ship to ship, just my thought's 

[Captain Smollett]

Handicapping and autobalancing just seem entirely too complicated to me since players come and go and each greatly can change the balance of a match.

I think it'd be simplest to start with the OP's original thought and give people a simple way to switch ships if it seems the matches are excessively unbalanced.

[HamsterIV]

Some people handicap themselves by taking non standard builds. Even then it is often not enough. The game is meant to reward teamwork. If a crew doesn't know how to work together they will always be at the mercy of a crew that does know how to work together regardless of how handicapped the good crew is.

[N-Sunderland]

Handicapping is way too artificial. What's the fun in winning if you started the match with three more points than the other team?

[Richard LeMoon]

Wrong kind of handicapping, N-Sunderland. Simply weaken the 'winning' ships a bit. Slower maneuvering, rate of fire, and weaker hull. Or, as I mentioned in another thread, auto-handicap in the match by making repair times take longer or guns fire more slowly due to 'wear' from being used so much in killing the other ships over and over.

That sounds like a lot of fun to me, and many other combat games do exactly this.

[HamsterIV]

Most of the more advance players have internalized the timing of reloads and cool downs. I have been known to cuss out my gunners if they are not shooting after what I think is a sufficient time for hwacha reload. Having inconsistent reload and cool down times will inhibit players mastering this game.

[Richard LeMoon]

If, by 'mastering', you mean completely dominating weaker teams, then that is exactly what these things are meant to prevent. If you are in a even series of matches, nothing would change. No need of any team switching or handicapping.

[Captain Smollett]

Handycapping just doesn't really make a lot of sense though since players will come and go and change the balance so a team that beat down one side in a game might be facing a completely different team in the next game and visa versa.

It also forces the need to create and incredibly elaborate algorithm to judge somehow how good a team is and how much nerfing they need which will be always completely flawed and unbalanced somehow and then not give much of a feeling of accomplishment to the previously losing team since they just won because of a handicap.

Just my 2 cents but I think a handicapping system would cause more problems than it would solve.

[Richard LeMoon]

That is why I keep saying handicapping within the match. It is very unlikely to cause a badly losing team to win, but it WILL make them feel more like they have a chance or made a good showing, rather than ragequitting at the 10th pyra gat/mort/ramkill in a row.

You are simply wrong about people not feeling accomplished by winning through getting a hand up by mechanics. If that were true in the least, no one would use the obviously easiest, overpowered builds. No game would include the noobtubes, or the 100 fist punches. Winning by ANY means feels a hell of a lot better than getting stomped over and over by what amounts to the same crews.

Anyways, this has gone far off topic, and I apologize. I support an easy crew/team switching feature.