Practice Mode Improvement

[Ross The Poet]

GoI has a practice mode. You are able to replicate all sorts of specific situations and I think that's really helpful. However, I don't think it's advanced enough.

The dummies are easy to hit, repetitive and, well... just plain dumb. The only available map is a big, wide open space that offers no maneuverability practice for pilots, and while you can make your ship a flying bag-on-fire with a handy press of F5, it's not nearly the same as repairing in high stress PvP matches because the AI are to stupid to put pressure on you (and they're very easy to out-maneuver).

I would really like  to see some sort of advanced practice mode with very specialized options for certain roles. smaller, faster targets for gunners, an obstacle course for pilots, and more guns shooting at your ship to help the engineer prepare for high stress situations.

Maybe new blimps, the option for an even more aggressive AI, new maps, and perhaps an option to set up specific situations before the game starts and save them as repeatable presets (like how football teams often drill specific scenarios that assume the position of all players involved).

[Crafeksterty]

The dummies are easy to hit, repetitive and, well... just plain dumb.

Yupp

The only available map is a big, wide open space that offers no maneuverability practice for pilots

Yes!

handy press of F5, it's not nearly the same as repairing in high stress PvP matches because the AI are to stupid to put pressure on you (and they're very easy to out-maneuver).

I agree

Maybe new blimps

YESS


I mean, we have been asking for a much more worthwhile practice mode. The thing most people are asking for is changing the map. Second best suggestion is being able to spawn in the different ships. To a degree...

[Schwalbe]

I agree. But honestly - I'd also see a bit more complex and advanced part of tutorial, because many new players are just completely not prepared for what's in the REAL game. I don't know, maybe a bit more of ammo tutorial? Starting with a tough lesson about NOT PUTTING THE DAMN LOCHNAGAR IN GATLING.

[Replaceable]

Yep everyone wants more maps in practice.

And also I've seen someone suggest before about tutorials making someone repair every part of every ship to force a tour.

As it stands: tutorials & practice are not sufficient for being able to engi  on a squid.

I would love to see how competitive would change if pilots could explore every aspect of a map...

[Arturo Sanchez]

see thats the issue replace.

As much as I'd like to train noobs, they take this attitude that I'm a try hard for teaching them Guns 101. I'm not even teaching anything advanced.

Just basic stuff like part priority (like extinguishing a balloon fire early instead of just ignoring it until its broken), piloting basic tactics (like keeping a damn gun in arc and the physics involved broadside and why some guns need you to either slow ur ship or go on a full stop to hit accurately), ammo that goes well on certain guns.

"Oh you keep saying do this, do that, stop trying so hard we're just having fun."

At which point I stop playing properly by not doing 1 thing. Liked not shooting parts to disable key enemy parts as gunner, or not fixing hull but dealing with rest of ship.

"having fun yet?"



It just goes to show, you can't make an idiot learn unless you school them. There is plenty of info available to all players, just by reading the manual you can play above novice level. Most noobs never bother looking at them. Its entirely not the game's fault nor is its duty to make bad players better. All the tools are there, all the info and community giving help is present.

Novice matches is ignored in this topic too. Novice matches are the 2nd level of tutorial. The initiation test to learn ships and builds and guns at a rudimentary level. Instead of practice mode. I say have novices get more prompts to build basic habits.

Basically saying add more training wheels to novice matches. Let them have all the equipment available for ship types and builds. But have prompts appear.

Like a genius that has a double flak (classic)-warn the player before saving the build "your foreguns do not have a hull breaker. are you sure you want to save this build"

"Your guns have incompatible ranges are you sure you want to keep this build?"

In anycase.

Nothing will fix a bad player with a bad attitude.

[Replaceable]

Absolutely true ceresbane.

It is a joy when you get low levels that listen. A joy.

[Ross The Poet]

see thats the issue replace.

As much as I'd like to train noobs, they take this attitude that I'm a try hard for teaching them Guns 101. I'm not even teaching anything advanced.

Just basic stuff like part priority (like extinguishing a balloon fire early instead of just ignoring it until its broken), piloting basic tactics (like keeping a damn gun in arc and the physics involved broadside and why some guns need you to either slow ur ship or go on a full stop to hit accurately), ammo that goes well on certain guns.

"Oh you keep saying do this, do that, stop trying so hard we're just having fun."

At which point I stop playing properly by not doing 1 thing. Liked not shooting parts to disable key enemy parts as gunner, or not fixing hull but dealing with rest of ship.

"having fun yet?"



It just goes to show, you can't make an idiot learn unless you school them. There is plenty of info available to all players, just by reading the manual you can play above novice level. Most noobs never bother looking at them. Its entirely not the game's fault nor is its duty to make bad players better. All the tools are there, all the info and community giving help is present.

Novice matches is ignored in this topic too. Novice matches are the 2nd level of tutorial. The initiation test to learn ships and builds and guns at a rudimentary level. Instead of practice mode. I say have novices get more prompts to build basic habits.

Basically saying add more training wheels to novice matches. Let them have all the equipment available for ship types and builds. But have prompts appear.

Like a genius that has a double flak (classic)-warn the player before saving the build "your foreguns do not have a hull breaker. are you sure you want to save this build"

"Your guns have incompatible ranges are you sure you want to keep this build?"

In anycase.

Nothing will fix a bad player with a bad attitude.

I agree with this, but I was trying to point this thread towards a practice mode that is helpful for advanced players and crews. Practice options that tune fine motor skills in a repeatable, drill-able fashion.

[Replaceable]

Yeah that would really cool. Like a hull under fire from greased gattling, and you can do your best to maintain its health...

That's be cool.

[GeoRmr]

I would love to see how competitive would change if pilots could explore every aspect of a map...

I'm pretty sure most competitive teams have already made private lobbies of 4 or more players specifically to explore maps, so I doubt much will change. On the other hand, I'd love to see how pub lobbies would change if pilots could explore every aspect of a map...

[ShadedExalt]

Yeah that would really cool. Like a hull under fire from greased gattling, and you can do your best to maintain its health...

That's be cool.

It's practically impossible.  I find that unless the Pilot manouvers in such a way as to throw their aim, it's gonna go down.  But maybe that's because I end up on mainly Pyramidions and Goldfish.  Although I doubt it will work, a spanner might help...

More on topic, yes to everything!  Also, give the A.I. something other than Mortars.  Unless your engi goes comatose because he was beaned by a Mortar shell, you're not dying any time soon.

[Schwalbe]

I would personally change the distance of spawning dummies. I mean - they are always spawning so close. Why not give a choice of distance from your ship to spawn a dummy? So you don't waste 10 minutes to fly away when you want, let's say, practice shooting merc from 2 km afar...

[Hoja Lateralus]

Of course I agree with everything you said. Many of those have already been asked many times and Devs were always like "Yeah, yeah, we're gonna do it someday. We swear! .... but not now"

So to sum up, what are we asking for here:
- More maps in Practice Mode
- Better tutorials (maybe connected to/ blended in Practice Mode) especially regarding piloting ship and handling ammo.
- Make novice matches more freedom for trial and error learning but also many hints (I guess).

Personally I think that an absolute minimum in Practice Mode should be 1 map of each type, meaning 1 Deathmatch, 1 King of the Hill and 1 Crazy King. Oh, and tutorial for game modes as well.

I guess you can write an e-mail if you feel like it, maybe in some time they'll break and listen.

[Crafeksterty]

A better tutorial imo is not going to help much.

Instead, we need to contribute to someway of making the game more learnable.
I keep thinking a tutorial video that shows what is going on in the most chaotic times.
Something that teaches the player but at the same time makes the player want to play the game, and by that sense something from us. I know i dont have the video making abilities yett.

[Indreams]

Yea, better tutorials and practice mode. Thumbs up.

I'm hoping that when co-op comes in, some of its easier missions(?) can be used as a practice ground.


If any of you play League of Legends, they have a really good tutorial. It puts the player in a match against AI and teaches them most of the game mechanics of MOBA. We could use that and that can happen with co-op.