picking ship before match start

[BinaryDragon]

Last night I played a game. I picked ship pretty late, 10 seconds before the game started. When the game ended a moderator told me my behavior was "unsportsmanly". Since he/she is a moderator, I have to take him/her seriously. I tried to pm him/her to ask what would be an acceptable time frame to pick ship before matches. But the moderator had (to my surprise) blocked me    And so my question stand unanswered.

When I think about this "issue" if you can call it that. All captains have the ability to pick their ship late.If everybody pick late and nobody knows what the other team is gonna fly, there is no problem.But after being corrected by the moderator I now understand I need to change my behavior. The problem I have is I don't understand how to fix it and play in a sportsmanly manner.

i view it like this : in the game (against the mod) I changed ship late, i could have added time and alerted my opponents to the ship change. Then they could counter picked the ship I had picked and win. How fun is that ? sure then I could find a nice pick to match their pick, and then they could find a nice counter to my new pick. And so it could go on until match start or both teams could pick ships ships shortly before the match starts.

Can someone explain to me how to play in a sportsmanly manner with regards to ship picking ? I would greatly appreciate it

[Kamoba]

I find it odd the moderator blocked you, definitely a blue named moderator?
Remember yellows are CAs...

My pov, late changes happen, sometimes life gets in the way and we change late because of life, sometimes people are readied up before a decision is made, there are people who do last second swaps to try and get an upper hand, its not very sportsman like and frowned upon in competitive tournaments (frowned upon but not always against the rules.) But in general pub matches, the only rules that apply are game play Mechanics...

Sure I bitch and moan to my crew about people who abuse last second swaps, but I don't approach the player themselves..
So in pub matches, if you don't mind people thinking you pull sleezy tricks to try and get a upper hand, go for it if you must, otherwise if its a genuine error, chances are if it were an actual moderator they will see the post and realise it was not intentional sleezy trick.

[BlackenedPies]

Switch at least 30 seconds before match start, and common courtesy is to not pick a hard counter ship. The mod probably blocked you from the impression that your clan is [TROL] and you swapped ship 10 seconds before match start

If you're out of time and realize you need to switch ship and don't have the option to add time, ask for someone to add time

[BinaryDragon]

I find it odd the moderator blocked you, definitely a blue named moderator?

blue named moderator, im 100% sure i have a ss of his comment about my "unsportslyman" behavior and the blocked messaged when i tried to pm him

The mod probably blocked you from the impression that your clan is [TROL] and you swapped ship 10 seconds before match start

yea, no. i had that clan 1 year ago, i am currently not in any clan

Switch at least 30 seconds before match start, and common courtesy is to not pick a hard counter ship.

ok so i can change 30 seconds before match start, would this ship change allow my opponents to change their ship ?

[BlackenedPies]

30 seconds gives them time to look at your ship and add time (or ask to add time). It can take at least 30 seconds to decide which ship to bring, switch to it, and give loadouts to each crew member

[BinaryDragon]

30 seconds gives them time to look at your ship and add time (or ask to add time). It can take at least 30 seconds to decide which ship to bring, switch to it, and give loadouts to each crew member

I am still a bit confused

lets say opponents have selected Galleon
30 seconds before the match starts i pick Mobula
then they pick squid and the game will be over right there and then in the lobby ? or am i allowed to pick something that works better against a squid ?

[BlackenedPies]

I don't think you'll have time to switch without adding more time, but if they switch ship in the last 30 seconds and you switch too then that's probably fine. The switching game isn't fun and there's no real rules. The important thing is to not blatantly hardcounter the opponent if you're late switching

I prefer to jokingly call out captains in lobby chat for switching to counter. It's not so much about when you switch, but what you switch to. The hardcounter game isn't fun

[nanoduckling]

Problem is that GoI has an odd counter structure. Just a random example, spires require a certain amount of discipline to use but can be utterly devastating. They are effectively hard countered on most maps by arcing weapons (lumberjack, hades, etc). I often have a good gunner and one or two novice engineers. So, sometimes I switch to a hard counter not to hard counter but as a build denial approach. It is my way of saying "No I'm not letting you bring that kill spire on this map, I cant match you with two novice engineers gunning so bring something else or eat lumberfish". Hard countering is also perfectly acceptable if the teams are horribly unbalanced. That said switching last second is poor form. If your opposition starts playing the counter merry-go-round though I think you are perfectly justified in doing it. The lobby game is essentially a negotiation between the pilots as to what is acceptable for a balanced match. Usual rules for not being an ass while negotiating apply.

[Helios.]

i think its weird you can see the opponents ship at all... what happened... you are driving through a canyon and two bad guys show up and you what... go into your massive hangar of all 7 ships, choose the one you want, then load it up with all the best weapons for this exact fight then drive it into battle? no... you bring your ship and load it up with weapons and drive it out hours, days or even weeks before you ever see an enemy ship, and it might not even be the same FACTION you thought you would be fighting...

in terms of game mechanics, just dont pick the hardcounter to a ship on the enemy team with 3 minutes to spare, or 3 seconds, its not really sporting, and its no fun. getting beat by someone who does that really grinds people's gears: it doesn't feel like they earned the W. if someone does it to you, then its gonna be a really crappy game for you, and i'm sorry for that.

in terms of mechanical feasability, just make matchmaking dump into team creation screens like we already have, and then match the full teams, ship loadouts all squared away, against each other. or just have the opponent ships be blacked out when you join the lobby?

[GurasOguras]

Just take what you and your crew would like to play. Remember that if you'll switch last second you're gonna cripple your own ship as crew will have no time to get proper tools. If you gonna hardcounter every single match you won't ever learn anything about piloting in tough situations. It is important how you play, not what ship do you use. I've seen great pilots killing squid with a mobula. It's just a matter of people flying it.

[Helios.]

i know that people set up their crews for the ship they are going to switch TO, so they can switch last second and be coordinated