The only mid-join as engineer philosophy

[Captain Smollett]

Adding onto this I'd like to suggest a flexibler option for the spectators to be able to join the matches... perhaps while they are spectating a button that says 'Join match!' and below it (__ spots available). When the press the button they see the spots that are available and can click on any one of these they chose.

Yes this so much.  I would love it if there were an easier way to join a match in progress from the spectator slot.  Sometimes I'll be spectating a match that some friends are in and a spot will open up mid match;  it would be nice if I could easily join it.

[redria]

Adding onto this I'd like to suggest a flexibler option for the spectators to be able to join the matches... perhaps while they are spectating a button that says 'Join match!' and below it (__ spots available). When the press the button they see the spots that are available and can click on any one of these they chose.

Yes this so much.  I would love it if there were an easier way to join a match in progress from the spectator slot.  Sometimes I'll be spectating a match that some friends are in and a spot will open up mid match;  it would be nice if I could easily join it.

Unfortunately there is no way you could do this without it being abused. Why join a match in progress without hopping in spectator and seeing who is winning first? The losing team would never get any new players.

[Ariden]

Adding onto this I'd like to suggest a flexibler option for the spectators to be able to join the matches... perhaps while they are spectating a button that says 'Join match!' and below it (__ spots available). When the press the button they see the spots that are available and can click on any one of these they chose.

Yes this so much.  I would love it if there were an easier way to join a match in progress from the spectator slot.  Sometimes I'll be spectating a match that some friends are in and a spot will open up mid match;  it would be nice if I could easily join it.

Unfortunately there is no way you could do this without it being abused. Why join a match in progress without hopping in spectator and seeing who is winning first? The losing team would never get any new players.

Perhaps it does not have to be immediate - for example, the person who entered spectator mode has to wait 3 or 4 minutes before entering the game. They have the option to wait before they join or leave, or simply stay spectating.

[ramjamslam]

Adding onto this I'd like to suggest a flexibler option for the spectators to be able to join the matches... perhaps while they are spectating a button that says 'Join match!' and below it (__ spots available). When the press the button they see the spots that are available and can click on any one of these they chose.

Yes this so much.  I would love it if there were an easier way to join a match in progress from the spectator slot.  Sometimes I'll be spectating a match that some friends are in and a spot will open up mid match;  it would be nice if I could easily join it.

Unfortunately there is no way you could do this without it being abused. Why join a match in progress without hopping in spectator and seeing who is winning first? The losing team would never get any new players.

Perhaps it does not have to be immediate - for example, the person who entered spectator mode has to wait 3 or 4 minutes before entering the game. They have the option to wait before they join or leave, or simply stay spectating.

As long as you don't get to choose the team you are on.  By joining a spectate slot and making yourself available to join any slot if it frees up no matter what ship it it on.  The same could happen for mid joining all around where you are randomly assigned onto a ship.

[Oliver Colt]

As long as you don't get to choose the team you are on.  By joining a spectate slot and making yourself available to join any slot if it frees up no matter what ship it it on.  The same could happen for mid joining all around where you are randomly assigned onto a ship.

Yeah I agree with this, because honestly the 3 minute wait would be a lot more boring than leaving the match and then rejoining in a ship, and while you're waiting, that ship is missing that crew member or someone else may get in it

[ramjamslam]

I can share a situation that happens to me much more often than I would like.

I see a running game with one team with full or near full crews and at least one ship with mostly AI.  I join a solo low level captain (not many games played) and start helping out and talking to them, it would be tough but not impossible to turn the game around - at least we are not a total pushover now that we have a human engineer to help the AI engineer by prioritising the hull and balloon.  A gunner joins the ship and we start to get some teamwork and comradeship happening on the ship, still in a very tough position but we are trying and working as a team.  Then another gunner or pilot joins and the ship is instantly crippled by it.  For all the work we had put in to turn the game around, now we may as well hit the surrender button.

It is very frustrating to try to build some teamwork and get people working together only to have it destroyed by a second gunner or pilot.

[Richard LeMoon]

I can share a situation that happens to me much more often than I would like.

[situation]

It is very frustrating to try to build some teamwork and get people working together only to have it destroyed by a second gunner or pilot.

This, over and over. I have jumped on to losing ships to help bring them within inches of victory, just to have it snatched away by a bad join so many times.

[HamsterIV]

We have all been there. I like to tell my captain/crew "We can only carry so hard."

[WhiteWeasel]

This have might have saved PBG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KF2rE8GbAk from this situation an a lot of bad PR for GoIO.

[N-Sunderland]

This have might have saved PBG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KF2rE8GbAk from this situation an a lot of bad PR for GoIO.

I don't even have to click that link to know what's in the video. That was an incident to forget.

[Suriel]

It is one of the most annoying match changers that can happen, especially since in the heat of battle you don't constantly watch who is joining and leaving. Yesterday we were one short for a full crew and we lost the moment the AI engineer was replaced ALWAYS. Unless another engineer joined, which happened very rarely. This is especially frustrating when you have people join as gunners and then just idle around unless something gets in their sights.
We had a fun situation where the captain had to leave the wheel because the gunner was too fine to do some legwork. Or... anything... We were streaming at the time and even the viewers - none of which had played GoIO yet - filled the chat with very active suggestions as to what to do with that guy whose name shall not be revealed.

Given, he was an extreme case. But 1 gunner, 2 engineers, 1 Captain is usually the best composition for a crew.

I think possible solutions would be
...for the replacement to only be able to replace the function the AI is currently handling
...for the captain to put the desired role(s) before the battle starts (Who knows? Incontinent captain might need replacement?
...to be able to lock the AI in place and deactivate the option to join. It should probably make at least 3 crew members mandatory. The option's goal would not be to never meet new players and have 1 Captain ships everywhere. But to save the crew from unpleasant surprises