Guns Of Icarus Online

Info => Feedback and Suggestions => Topic started by: Atruejedi on January 05, 2016, 04:08:02 am

Title: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Atruejedi on January 05, 2016, 04:08:02 am
I'm at my breaking point. I don't fly in a clan. I don't stack matches. I purposely break up stacks in an attempt to make matches more fair and more fun. I try to keep people in the game. And I have a long line of nubs following me around all the time. But despite all this, I cannot address the biggest issue in this game, in my been-around-way-too-long-and-played-way-too-damn-much-with-all-types-of-players opinion: NEW PLAYERS PILOTING SHIPS!

This is the absolute BANE OF THIS OTHERWISE GOOD GAME. Tonight was more absurd than the typical absurdity. Three on three matches, over and over again, where there was ONE novice level 1 pilot who didn't speak/type/read and readied up immediately with awful loadouts on his person and his ship and had no freaking IDEA how to play. Why does Muse allow this to happen? It punishes EVERYBODY, especially ME! :'(

My proposal is simple and would be effective:

REQUIRE PILOTS TO BE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF ENGINEER AND/OR GUNNER.

Nearly all problems in the game are almost instantly solved. Player retention is increased. People have to WORK to pilot and LEARN to play the game. I've brought this up to Muse before in the fireside chats, and they pay me lip service and say they'll "look into it." But nothing changes. People buy the game, they play for a day, they have AWFUL experiences, and they never come back.

Let's pretend Muse WOULD implement minimum requirements. What do you think they should be? I would say you have to be at least NOT a novice as engineer AND gunner. Once you hit level 8 gunner and level 8 engineer (especially engineer), you are free to try to pilot. At this point... I'm so near the edge of just giving up. I've tried hard to give people good experiences in this game, and despite the random applause I got tonight, it doesn't make up for the reporting and the frustration when Muse could EASILY make a POSITIVE change to their game with MINIMAL effort.

Phew. That was a lot of caps. I hope you appreciate my rage, and I'm certain most of you have had the exact same experiences. You can only break your own butt so many times in an attempt to carry the team before you can't deal with it anymore. And even IF you DO carry... then the nub pilot on your team THINKS HE DID WELL! Ugh! So, you know my thoughts: level 8 gunner and level 8 engineer in order to pilot. What would YOU propose?

I need a drink.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: nanoduckling on January 05, 2016, 05:23:17 am
Something like this would be good for the game. Even if the role was locked similarly to the ships for novices it would be better than nothing. Part of why people stack is novice pilots. I cant tell you the number of times myself or the person I'm crewing for has had terrible novice ally after terrible novice ally so one of us goes and flies the other ship. If I'm having to do that when I just want a quiet time engineering or shooting you can bet I'm not breaking up the team to balance the lobby; I've hit my 'lets see if you are an ignorant jackass' quota for the day.

Worth having it unlockable with a warning to the player, 4-packs will be peeved if they cant play together for a start. But highlight these players in the lobby so others can make an informed decision as to if they want to fly with them or not and explain to them when they unlock it that no one is going to fly with them unless they (1) listen to their allies advice (worded in such a way as to make it clear they should basically just do whatever we recommend, and (2) no one is going to ally with them if they don't have a mic.

I've always felt the level requirements are a bit odd though. Ideally it would be locked by MMR with MMR fixed so it more reliably reflects skill, but then again ideally I would have my space-mecha-death-dinosaur in my shed for my upcoming world conquest. Most players I know use number of games played rather than level to judge skill since 'chieve grinding makes levels meaningless. 100 games would seem a reasonable number.

The unstructured nature of novice introduction to the game is a big problem though. I'm pretty sure that constantly losing is what puts off a lot of novices and damages retention, but they constantly lose because they are free to do really, really, really dumb things. This is a good idea, getting crushed by someone because your flare/flamer pyra isn't the new meta your novice captain figured is no fun for anyone, including the novice.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 05, 2016, 05:41:26 am
Less about novice pilot required. More inclined towards level requirement for pilot tools.

No moonshine, hydro, chute, allowed until lvl 25.

At least then there's no fear of instant deaths from retard tool use.


Also Novice pilots can't pilot in advanced until they graduate their pilot.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 05, 2016, 07:29:23 am
Less about novice pilot required. More inclined towards level requirement for pilot tools.

No moonshine, hydro, chute, allowed until lvl 25.

At least then there's no fear of instant deaths from retard tool use.

Making an engi level requirement for pilots is a good idea. Pilot tools shouldn't be restricted because they're required to play. Two ships practically need moonshine and hydro is an absolute necessity. By limiting tools to those over level 25 it makes it impossible for low level pilots to compete.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: FranckM on January 05, 2016, 08:45:00 am
Maybe just require a certain amount of matches instead. I think that the most important thing here is that new players understand the game. This should of course not count in novices matches but I think that even of you have played mainly gunner you can understand the game.

Another idea would be a quiz you need to answer correctly to unlock pilot. You could ask question about any position on a ship to make sure that the new pilots understand his duties.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 05, 2016, 09:06:42 am
Less about novice pilot required. More inclined towards level requirement for pilot tools.

No moonshine, hydro, chute, allowed until lvl 25.

At least then there's no fear of instant deaths from retard tool use.

Making an engi level requirement for pilots is a good idea. Pilot tools shouldn't be restricted because they're required to play. Two ships practically need moonshine and hydro is an absolute necessity. By limiting tools to those over level 25 it makes it impossible for low level pilots to compete.

without fail. a noob with moon, chute and hydro simply kills the ship. No exceptions. Every single novice that ever uses it, just kills the ship.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Brewstone on January 05, 2016, 10:50:43 am
I'd say a combined level (Engi + gunner) of about 15 before you can pilot. I, in general, use that system to gauge how well someone is going to do already and it seems to work out decently well. The other idea of a certain number of games played is a good one

However, we can look at it the other way. When I bought the game I bought it with four friends, as we were playing we found another new group of four and played some really decent matches (mainly because we all had mics and had all read the wiki). If one of my friends hadn't been able to captain, I'm not certain how long they would've continued to play the game, which would have lessened my interest in it.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Fynx on January 05, 2016, 11:13:50 am
Three on three matches, over and over again, where there was ONE novice level 1 pilot who didn't speak/type/read and readied up immediately with awful loadouts on his person and his ship and had no freaking IDEA how to play. Why does Muse allow this to happen? It punishes EVERYBODY, especially ME! :'(

It's most important when you have a pilot like that, but it's also relevant in case of unresponsive/lochnagarhappy/fuckoffm8andletmeplay crew members.
And I have bad news for you.

When you encounter such a person you should report that person for being uncooperative. You should also ask everyone around to do the same.
Just don't expect any results.

So. Call a moderator. That moderator will sit in that lobby while you suffer through the next match. Then that moderator will try to communicate with the offending novice person. There's a chance that the offending player will completely ignore any messages from the moderator or state lack of ability to communicate in english or something similar. As long as the offending player doesn't actually offend someone there's little that will be done about it. Why so? Because it's the current Muse policy. Especially about minor offences like this one here.

No moonshine, hydro, chute, allowed until lvl 25.

That's pretty ridiculous. Every tool can be abused and hydrogen is one of basic tools that every beginner pilot should have. Always.
And abusing tools is just the tip of the iceberg. Lack of knowledge about the tools is just a part of lack of knowledge about how ships work.

Making an engi level requirement for pilots is a good idea. Pilot tools shouldn't be restricted because they're required to play. Two ships practically need moonshine and hydro is an absolute necessity. By limiting tools to those over level 25 it makes it impossible for low level pilots to compete.

Moonshine is much better than kerosene for galleons and pyramidions, but it doesn't change the fact that little experience makes far more difference here and we're talking about inexperienced pilots so it's rather irrelevant. Tools shouldn't be locked in the first place though.

With current level system novice status is not working.
I recently encountered lvl 20 junker pilot ordering the gunner to shoot upper deck gatling at the enemy 1000m away in Dunes.
That was not a joke.
Number of matches played seems to be a good requirement. 100 matches should be enough to provide players with some minimum general information about the game.

It's good for new players to play as crew (preferably engineers as it's the most used class) and especially crewing under more experienced captains. And of course it's good when they understand english and accept recommended loaouts and listen to the captain...
Let's just stop dreaming and accept the situations when there's a new player who wants to play as pilot and only pilot and absolutely nothing else. And I'd say that's okay if there's progress and some thinking involved. Forbidding them from piloting in non-novice matches is a thing to consider though.

Apart from implementation point of view, locking certain tools for novices would be nice. Such as spyglass only for engineer/gunner or wrench only for gunner.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Mean Machine on January 05, 2016, 01:23:52 pm
Yeah, I agree, novice players are often consuming all fun out of the matches with either their attitude or being straight up stupid and not caring about anything.
I happened to be in that lobby with Atruejdi and the ship and players he talked about were refusing to listen to anybody, because they "play to have fun". But their fun seems  to involve awful lot of charging into three ships alone and getting annihilated and doing obsolutely zero for their team. Even less than zero, zero would be to at least not  give any kils to enemy team. Players like this don't even realise or they don't care that they are destroying fun for other players. You don't have to win to have fun, but at  least try. Like Atruejedi, I often stay in non-stacked team, but only if I see that players care and will try to do their job and if they don't have some wierd loadouts. If you straight up refuse to listen to any advise and be a dumbass for no reason, I'm not gonna stay there, because what's the damn point of playing, if you know for sure that you will lose the match and not have any fun at all? And many won't communicate at all in any shape or form. What's the point in playing an online game, that is also heavily focused on teamwork and not even bother to make any kind of contact with other players? Some people are like dead. I don't even know if they are afk, did they hear me, did they read the chat, did they understand instructions, advise etc...

I think locking pilot class behind a requirement of at least 100 matches would be good idea. On top of that I would also give them another achievement as requirement.  Achievemement would be: Rebuild and repair 25 armors, 25 balloons and 25 engines. This way they would also learn how the hell to repair and not be useless and try to rebuild  armor with malet.

Other issue is also achieve hunting. Many players will buff entire ship and they'll keep buffing even when the ship is dying or enemy is in arcs and they should be shooting.  I've been in quite a few matches where captain was repeatedly asking buffer to get on the gun, but he was just buffing all day long. I think no one should recieve such  achievements like buffing till they hit level 15.

Another thing that should be done are improvements to ingame chat. It should be more clear what's crew chat (colored text) and how to use it (make it more visible so new  players can definetly see it). Same for voice chat. Right now it says "press, X, C or T to chat" (Y, Z for Voice chat). I made keybinds up because I forgot what are default  keys. But it's pretty confusing. Three different keys for the chat and what's for what? It's just not very clear.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: UndyingUndyne on January 05, 2016, 04:37:29 pm
Personally, I think it would be a terrible idea to lock new players out of piloting until they reach a certain level or play so many matches. That's not to say I don't think novices piloting ships when they have no idea what they're doing is not a problem, but limiting the classes new players have access to would have drastic consequences.

I think back to when I first played the game. I bought the game wanting to be a pilot. Not running around whacking things with a Mallet or shooting other ships out of the sky, but standing behind the helm, flying the ship through the sky, and all the cool things I thought a pilot could do. Yeah, I was a complete scrub when I started. I thought putting the ship on full throttle would damage the engines, and I had no idea what good any of the helm tools were for me. But I eventually learned, and I guarantee I would not have stayed with this game if I saw I couldn't even be a pilot until I played several hundred matches.

Honestly, I feel the biggest problem that causes novice pilots to "ruin" games for longtime players is how high of a skill floor piloting has. The tutorials, quite frankly, don't give the detail needed to get a new guy to understand everything he or she is doing. Along with that, this game doesn't have the consistent player base needed to let novices play with each other and learn together. I know I was very fortunate when I first started because I started right after a bunch of Youtubers played the game. There were easily 3000+ players in the game, and Novice matches were plentiful. I was able to get the general idea of piloting and not "ruin" the game for the vets once I did hit level 8 piloting.

So no, requiring players to play hundreds of matches before they can even pilot is a terrible idea that would only further decrease the small player base this game has. What the Devs probably should do is make better tutorials and encourage more effective learning with Novices. Heck, even finding a way to keep the 3000+ new players that come by after a marketing blitz from abandoning the game could provide Novices more opportunities to learn with other players at their skill level would help as well.

(inb4 salty tryhards flame me for this post)
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: HamsterIV on January 05, 2016, 05:56:37 pm
Allowing novices to captain was necessary when this game first started, but there is a big enough player base that new players should be encouraged to cut their teeth under the watchful eyes of a vet. I like Jedi's proposal with the addendum that if there are less than 80 people on line or a wait time of over 5 minutes in match maker due to lack of pilots, novices should be allowed behind the helm.

I think the Alliance Co op will help with this assuming Muse includes Solo play. Most novices aren't outright trolls but lack the space to learn and practice. Novice matches were supposed to be that safe space, but they don't seem as viable now.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Squidslinger Gilder on January 05, 2016, 07:52:28 pm
Keeping things locked and something noobs have to open is a good thing. Keeps them coming back. This also is a way they learn the game before they take the wheel. Really we don't put kids behind cars right away? Why put noobs on the wheel of airships?
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Renaulde on January 05, 2016, 08:52:30 pm
I am fully against locking anything in this game, including the current system for it. I can understand and have been through the frustration with ally pilots not knowing anything about the game, nor communicating in any way. Same could be said for crew. Both make life in GoIO incredibly frustrating to get through, and I'm sure that this is one point that makes people not interested in this game over time.

My history in brief:
As a new player, like many, I joined with friends. There was one guy in particular that wanted to pilot, one that figured he'd only gun, and another guy that had a little bit of experience, so he engineered. I was very shy about even joining this game that sounded like it had such a high skill ceiling to break through, though eventually convinced myself engineering would work out since I wasn't new to games altogether. We did novice matches with the preset loadouts and generally had some fun just shooting things. None of us knew the mechanics beyond controls, so our games didn't generally go well either. I don't think I took the time to do the tutorials at the time because I was the last of my friends to join in, and they were looking to play immediately. We only had maybe two sessions of playing together before we stopped to do other games. I was the only one to stick around because I had a general interest in the gameplay and tactics. I wanted to know why we were failing and what I could do to improve my own skills.

Why I think locked content is a bad idea:
With my experience after my initial start, I started to like GoIO more and flew with good and bad pilots alike. Through the rest of my novice career I still didn't really know what was going on, but I learned quickly about some basic mechanics. Took some matches to try and pilot horribly too. What I wanted from the novice matches before I had inevitably cleared level...3 at the time? was to screw up as much as possible. To try things out for myself and see generally what worked and what didn't. I didn't really have the options in novice mode because of the locked ships and loadouts, and knew I wasn't going to be received well in standard matches. I had to learn how to shoot a hades much later. I didn't know the layout of a spire, or that a mobula was split into two distinct halves. It was pretty rough learning in a trial-by-fire method for these, though thankfully I didn't have a huge interest in piloting.

If I had the options of the rest of the ships and loadouts in novice mode, I feel that I could have gotten more from it. I feel that the current system for locked ships is useless since it can be turned off for normal matches anyways. There is no point to things being locked except for inside of novice lobbies. I like the idea of "recommended" loadouts, or even a "default" option added to the loadout list for when it's still uncertain what weapons do what, but experimentation is also needed. As for newer players, if they were to be locked out of piloting, I think lobbies would take even longer for them if there are people that are completely new, and if they joined with 3 other friends, someone would have to be on another ship altogether. That group would leave and want a refund. Sure it would force a basic understanding for the rest of the mechanics of the game, but it would also reduce the capability of people playing together from the get-go.

Possible other solutions:
The issue that I think would solve a number of problems would be more in-depth tutorials. Tutorials that go through almost a step-by-step process of the finer points of piloting, tool usage, ammo usage, gunning, stamina, engineering, and buffing. Where the current tutorials do an alright job at helping someone to understand about the damage types (namely piercing and explosive), it could be improved to where there wouldn't be a question about it. Freeze-frame certain instances and provide more information, such as where the armor breaks. Move the AI ship closer and further away to demonstrate the differences in arming times. Force the ammo to change from standard to greased to demonstrate bullet speed. Have an AI pilot to demonstrate a buffing tutorial. Have the pilot tutorial go through the different tools and in actual scenarios (include AI ships that rush the player, move up/down, etc...). Also include a scenario that has the player work with other AI ships to take down a fleet of the same size (to discourage solo rushing). This would be excellent to establish different tiers of tutorials for the basics and advanced mechanics.

One further step that could be taken is to prompt someone to take a tutorial in a class they have yet to use or do a tutorial in. Force them to select "Yes" or "No" to go through with it or not, but have a medal or cosmetic item be rewarded if they do go through the tutorial (either then or later).

Another option to consider would be a complete rework of the novice mode. It could require players to remain in novice status until a certain number of matches played and lock MMR to a certain amount during that time. Could also rework this idea into a fourth game mode (next to normal, novice, and veteran) that requires only a certain number of matches played, mic chat enabled, and a number of other features that promotes competitive play.

Other issues:
Whereas the more advanced tutorials could solve a lot of the issues in regards to experimentation and implementation of learned skills, the issue still remains that players just starting out will pilot in normal matches. Players just starting out will crew in normal matches. People that don't want to learn anything and just want to shoot stuff will be in normal matches. People that have mic chat turned off will be in normal matches. There is a vast number of problems that will appear in normal matches, and I don't believe a lot of them will be fixable unless the people are willing to go through the steps. One of those "you can lead a horse to water" proverbs.


Giving more options and places to experiment seems like the most viable solution to me in regards to this, because simply locking such an important feature out will prevent many players from doing what they want to do with this game. If they want to learn, they'll go out of their way to do it, but otherwise the more bull-headed will just keep racking up losses and frustration. I can't think of a way to change their mind unless there is some other reward to benefit cooperative play.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: TerrorDance on January 05, 2016, 11:27:49 pm
I agree with the sentiment of this post. The problem is new players joining in with seasoned pros in matches that are neither competitive nor instructive. I agree with Doctor Renaulde that locking any players out of any integral part of the game is the wrong way to look at it. His solution of a tutorial is probably the best one, but to be fully realized, GoIO will have to be reimagined with a single-player campaign which serves as both a game in-and-of itself for many, and the introduction to online combat which is necessary for competitive online play to prosper.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hoja Lateralus on January 06, 2016, 11:43:00 am
And I have bad news for you.

When you encounter such a person you should report that person for being uncooperative. You should also ask everyone around to do the same.
Just don't expect any results.

This. Just give us the votekick already and be done with it. You gave us veteran matches, you gave us rematch vote, you gave us (limited) server browser, THIS IS THE NEXT THING. JUST.... DO IT! DOOOO IIIIIIIT!

(http://cdn0.techly.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/shia-990x500.jpg)

(actualy consider it, all the things I mentioned had "oh, this thing? no way, not doing this, never" label for a while and is kicking out someone that, for instance, 80-90% of lobby wants out, really bad?)

But yeah, my brother used to say sth like: "How they even wonder why GOIO is the den of pathology, since the only way to get rid of uncommunicative player is interrupting his game, forcing him to leave". This or "mercenary death squadrons"* anyway.

This may sound bad, but I'd really like a way to mark uncommunicative/unwilling player, sth like clan or community block/blacklist. Just warning others "hey, this player is shit, he'll ruin your game mate" but in form of community institution.

I think concerns about blocking out content are very valid, especially given 4-pack buyers that wouldn't be able to fly together (or would figure out they can, just not in a novice lobby, making problem even worse). To make 'some' requirements but not as harsh, perhaps only people who would've done 'all' tutorials could pilot? Or very small match count, like 25?** Just an idea. Also, we all agree that better tutorials would be nice, but talking about how tutorials should look like (with scenarios and shit) knowing more or less what resources Muse has is, for me, just wishful thinking.

Also, we know that novice cap is way too low and raising it a bit could help.

Another thing that should be done are improvements to ingame chat. It should be more clear what's crew chat (colored text) and how to use it (make it more visible so new  players can definetly see it). Same for voice chat. Right now it says "press, X, C or T to chat" (Y, Z for Voice chat). I made keybinds up because I forgot what are default  keys. But it's pretty confusing. Three different keys for the chat and what's for what? It's just not very clear.

In Alliance you at least have an indicator which voice chat are people using, with different colours (so you see coloured box with nick on it and text like Party/Crew/Captain, which is OH MY GOD SO BEAUTIFUL I WANT IT IN SKIRMNISH NAU NO TIME FOR INTERPUNCTION.
Also, come on, those buttons are next to each other on the keyboard. Text chat j,k,l and voice chat is (z), x, c. You'd rather want P for Party, C for Crew and T for Team or sth like that?


* adding the bastard to the friend list and join every game he show up to and blow him up, or at least go into his ship and troll the shit out of him

** I know that 100 matches is threshold of pain, but it is 'some' compromise giving that blocking content is generally mostly bad
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: FranckM on January 06, 2016, 01:16:27 pm
I agree with a kicking option but only if it requires 85-90% approval and anonymous on what everyone voted of course.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 06, 2016, 01:56:22 pm
To clarify there shouldn't be a level requirement in novice matches or for the pilot class specifically. If there were a requirement it would be for joining the captain slot in non-novice matches. The maximum reasonable requirement would be to graduate from novice (level 7 in any class). Requiring level 25 or over 100 matches is excessive. I'd say even just level 3 in any class would be enough to join the captain slot in non-novice matches.

New players should be able to pilot but brand new players shouldn't captain in a regular match. Better tutorials and fixing novice mode would help but those need work from Muse. My goal is to prevent brand new players with under 10 matches from captaining in a regular match.

The vast majority of new players listen to advice and it's only a small but memorable minority that cause problems. Too high a requirement might turn off new players and I doubt it would fix anything. There are two other problems with captain requirements: difficulties during low population, and Muse will be against any type of restriction.

Regarding kicking Muse has stated they are against it in any form. Calling in a moderator isn't an option because there's no system for it. You need to know that a moderator is online and call them in. Even then the moderator won't do anything unless the player is blatantly trolling and they observe it in a match. You used to be able to spam recommended loadouts to get trolls to leave but that ability was removed. I have had many discussions with Muse and their opinion is that everyone should be able to play how they want regardless of how disruptive it is. The conversations I had with Matthew and Howard about trolling being acceptable blew my mind.

On a side note joining the captain slot should automatically switch you to pilot class with the ability to switch to engi if you choose. Just like recommended loadouts should be automatic with the ability to change.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: HamsterIV on January 06, 2016, 04:57:15 pm
One of the problems with blocking content like dangerous pilot tools is that the game was designed around having all tools available on day one. Games designed around unlocking tools usually make higher level tools slightly more powerful or modify game play in a way that only an experienced player can understand. I think if anything should be blocked it is as the OP stated: Block the pilot class for non novice matches until players have had a chance to see what a pilot really does.

The shock factor for new pilots is intense. My first time resulted in sweating and increased heart rate. We lost 5-0 with an average engagement time* of under 8 seconds. Going from "Yarr I'm a pirate swab the deck me hearties" to the chaos of 3 people yelling at you while taking hits is a lot for some people.

*time first hit to dead
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on January 06, 2016, 06:30:31 pm
No to the level 8 gunner. That would cause the over eager to pilot players to either quit each time there is more than one gunner on a crew or to not accept a loadout.

Otherwise, not a bad idea. I would make it a match completed requirement, though.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on January 06, 2016, 06:47:29 pm
Quote
Going from "Yarr I'm a pirate swab the deck me hearties" to the chaos of 3 people yelling at you while taking hits is a lot for some people.

That is, unless you have voice chat disabled, and not enough brain power to read the text chat in left lower corner and play the same time.

Have in mind - this states person suffering from Attention Defficit Disorder, so actually the person who shouldn't be, in theory, to be able to do so himself. And yet - I do.
So I guess there's no justification, because people that retarded won't be able to use computer properly anyway, not to mention playing any computer games. Hence, I call purposeful trolling.

Muse will never give us tools to get rid of bad players. They think we should teach them. And we do, so it's quite insulting for us, players, that we have no fucking way to get rid of obvious trolls, who put our nerves on balance. Great. Just fucking great. And maybe they are surprised there's an outflow of players?

Recently I played a match with newbies, I was fortunate to actually get some guys willing to listen and learn and it was a pleasure. Until that lvl 20 engie arrived on our goldfish. He used a moment when I was tapping my hwacha with wrench, and he got on my hwacha. He stayed there. Entire. Fucking. Match. Not exchaning a fucking word by any means.
I wasn't the one to yell for kickvote there - only newbies, who felt fucked because of a trolling shithead. I added those to friends, guess what - they are offline since then.

GG.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 06, 2016, 07:31:53 pm
Yeah guys don't fly goldfish or you're bound to end up with crew problems. There was a whole thread dedicated to crew trying to take over the front gun. The solution is simple: don't fly goldfish with crew you don't know. Goldfish is the least interesting ship to engi on and it's rude to make them do it. If you bring goldfish expect crew to be bored and want to shoot the front. Don't be rude and selfish, or don't complain when your goldfish crew trolls because it's your own damn fault
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on January 06, 2016, 07:41:54 pm
I was gunner aboard that ship. It wasn't mine. I was only advicing and explaining, what's what. I wasn't rude, I wasn't selfish. Pilot wanted an easy to handle ship that isn't as sluggish as nerfmidion, what was I to advice for quite a new pilot? Change your tone Pies, I deserved none of your shit. Also, you just went full AWKM. Also, contrary to you I usually TRY to teach, and as far as I remember you were bailing out immediately everytime you got a low level player aboard.

I KNOW that you just DON'T get fish with people you don't know.
I get it.
I get the concept.


Mr.Disaster, I told you - that if I were to speak anywhere, I'd be treated like an equal to Hitler's left testicle or Antichrist.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 06, 2016, 07:49:40 pm
I'm sorry but I don't wanna hear people complaining about trolling on goldfish. That's what happens
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Atruejedi on January 06, 2016, 07:59:18 pm
Off topic to the original post, but on the subject of Goldfish as a teaching ship, I think it's great. I've never had problems with it. Tell one engy to repair the right/bottom of the ship (turning engines, hull, right gun, front gun) and tell another engy to repair the left/top of the ship (main engine, balloon, left gun, front gun, hull when absolutely necessary). Just put interesting guns on each side and actually use them. Give the gunner a spanner. Have the gunner help the hull when red, have the engies help the front gun when red. I usually put a gatling on the right side near the hull and a flamer or carronade or banshee on the left side. Have the gunner fire the front gun, then phoenix claw to the left to use the right gun, back to the front gun, phoenix claw to the right to use the left gun... everybody gets some action :)
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 06, 2016, 08:04:55 pm
Also, contrary to you I usually TRY to teach, and as far as I remember you were bailing out immediately everytime you got a low level player aboard.

I don't know why you believe these two things and particularly that I bail with low level players. The only time I bail is if in the previous match a player didn't listen, or if in the lobby a player doesn't accept the recommended loadout (or offer an explanation). Level has nothing to do with attitude. Anyone who has played with me knows this so if you have an example I'd like to hear it but otherwise I don't want others to get there impression I don't like new players.

I get mad when people talk about trolling on goldfish so I don't wanna hear it, and I don't want people to believe the above quote unless you have any reason to validate it.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Coiler on January 06, 2016, 08:40:16 pm
Just give us the votekick already
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 06, 2016, 08:59:21 pm
Votekick in any form isn't gonna happen. I urge everyone to find other solutions
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 07, 2016, 03:24:15 am
Okay so let me get some clarification here.

As far as I can tell MM no longer defaults to looking for novice matches rendering the whole concept pointless.

Vet game isn't by default searched on veterans rendering that pointless besides grinding for a dumb achievement.


If muse is gonna introduce modes like novice and vet game, then you better set it up so that they are naturally used in the game eco system. If you aren't doing that, then clearly the feature is flawed and hence should remove it entirely.

and from there start again and create a better system.


One thing for certain though with server browse back the block function is now pointless as blocked people can join your game via server browse.

Plus one feature I've always wanted was the  ability to block MM when you are satisfied with your crew composition. Like readying means MM no longer sends you people. But people who you haven't blocked can join you via join crew
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 07, 2016, 03:34:06 am
Off topic to the original post, but on the subject of Goldfish as a teaching ship, I think it's great. I've never had problems with it. Tell one engy to repair the right/bottom of the ship (turning engines, hull, right gun, front gun) and tell another engy to repair the left/top of the ship (main engine, balloon, left gun, front gun, hull when absolutely necessary). Just put interesting guns on each side and actually use them. Give the gunner a spanner. Have the gunner help the hull when red, have the engies help the front gun when red. I usually put a gatling on the right side near the hull and a flamer or carronade or banshee on the left side. Have the gunner fire the front gun, then phoenix claw to the left to use the right gun, back to the front gun, phoenix claw to the right to use the left gun... everybody gets some action :)

there it is again. That social stigma that vets  are just conscripted teachers.

No. You play the game or you leave. Its the fact that they don't PLAY the game is exactly why people leave. I refuse to hold baby's lil hands and make him feel like a special little flower. No. You play the game like you're meant to play.

You play or you lose. You learn by going by how the veteran tells you to play and then guess what happens. That hwacha suddenly completely disables the enemy ship. You get that hull break from that side gat and you get that kill shot from that 2nd hwacha volley on your fish.

I will teach those who I feel have the potential to be excellent players and those that aren't are just training dummies to my recruits. I've been around novices and memorised every noob excuse to know which are the type to nurture, BUT I SHOULD NOT HAVE THE OBLIGATION/EXPECTATION to do so.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on January 07, 2016, 07:53:26 am
Also, contrary to you I usually TRY to teach, and as far as I remember you were bailing out immediately everytime you got a low level player aboard.

I don't know why you believe these two things and particularly that I bail with low level players. The only time I bail is if in the previous match a player didn't listen, or if in the lobby a player doesn't accept the recommended loadout (or offer an explanation). Level has nothing to do with attitude. Anyone who has played with me knows this so if you have an example I'd like to hear it but otherwise I don't want others to get there impression I don't like new players.

I get mad when people talk about trolling on goldfish so I don't wanna hear it, and I don't want people to believe the above quote unless you have any reason to validate it.

Ok, you got the point. To be honest it's been a long time since we played together, it actually might be the case of my memory failing. Whatever the case: I'm actually sorry for that accusation.

However, I felt you completely missed my point: even new players feel harmed having discovered that one fucker can ruin their game and they have NO means to deal with the bastard.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: compleatnewb on January 07, 2016, 09:13:45 am

there it is again. That social stigma that vets  are just conscripted teachers.

No. You play the game or you leave. Its the fact that they don't PLAY the game is exactly why people leave. I refuse to hold baby's lil hands and make him feel like a special little flower. No. You play the game like you're meant to play.

You play or you lose. You learn by going by how the veteran tells you to play and then guess what happens. That hwacha suddenly completely disables the enemy ship. You get that hull break from that side gat and you get that kill shot from that 2nd hwacha volley on your fish.

I will teach those who I feel have the potential to be excellent players and those that aren't are just training dummies to my recruits. I've been around novices and memorised every noob excuse to know which are the type to nurture, BUT I SHOULD NOT HAVE THE OBLIGATION/EXPECTATION to do so.

Non sequitur?  Only a veteran can teach you how to kill with a goldfish, but veterans shouldn't have to teach....

This is a hard game to learn.  If you do the whole tutorial, you come out as a level 5 engineer.  So few do that, and those that do still don't know how to kill with goldfish; or know the gun/damage combinations, or effective repair patterns, or any of the other tricks that you can only get by some veteran sharing that information with you.

And these little bits of information stack and seem to have multiplicative effects.  If a player learns a couple of these tricks, then all of sudden they can win against the novices.  Which feels immensely gratifying, especially after the hour long grinds of preserverance that they endured in novice only matches.  When they learn that knowledge wins games, they stack lobbies and play lots of stomp matches.

I think this is also why veteran matches have not become more of thing.  People finally reach veteran level, feel good because they can crush the regular players, but end up getting totally stomped by a full lobby of triple 45's.  That's either because they are still missing some more critical bits that only other veterans can give, or they rediscover how hard the game still is when played against other players who also know what they are doing; (or at least know the same tricks as you).  (And I'll be the first to admit that I'm still learning how to play this game).

This game gets known for its awesome community.  And the community fights hard to preserve that.  I think the teaching element is a fundamental part of that.  Because, let's face it, it's currently the only way to make the game better for everyone.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: FranckM on January 07, 2016, 09:29:09 am
If any newer player is reading this I would like to have their input on this. Since they might see it differently than us.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Mean Machine on January 07, 2016, 09:50:58 am
...

It is NOT a hard game to learn at all. It's actually very simple and not complicated or even complex. Sure, if you want to be extremely good gunner for example, you will have to practice with all the weapons. But the basics to learn to be decent player are extremely easy and can be learned in couple of matches if you pay attention. Engineer only has to learn how to use tools, which is simple as it can gets. Gunner only need to learn what each ammo type does and what each weapons does. Pilot takes a little bit more to get into, that's why I agree the class should be locked behind at least 100 matches.

Also, many of you are saying that they need to do better tutorials... Maybe, but I doubt it would really help much, like I already said in my first post. I don't think many people even feel happy about doing current tutorial, let alone a longer one with more information, which would be even easier to forget after few minutes. Easiest and most effective way to learn is to join experienced captain that communicates with crew. And even if captain doesn't communicate, you can still see what's going on if you pay attention and you see how rotation works, what guns are shooting when and how enemy dies.

I agree with Maximillian about vet and novice matches being quite useless. We have small playerbase and we want them all in same lobbies, BUT we need to give newbies a reason to learn the game. Reasons like locking pilot class behind achievement for example. They have a goal to achieve, they need to learn how to play in order to be effective and achieve their goal. Too bad we don't have more cosmetic stuff as rewards. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are a lot of stuff that we have right now, but I'm thinking something like skins for guns and engineer tools. Lot of people go nuts for skins and they would work for them. Imagine getting nice skin for your artemis after you successfuly destroy 500 components. This is just an example obviously, just to make a point. Right now we get rewards for leveling which is ok, but it allows people to play however they want, who cares, as long as i get to that level to get that reward... (I doubt many newbies know how XP works and how to get it fast.)

I know you apologized Schwalbe, but I'll say it anyway. Every time I've crewed for BlackenedPies he was very friendly to newbies and crew in general, giving them clear instructions and a lot of helpful tips. I don't believe I have crewed for a captain that would do better job at managing his crew than Blackened.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 07, 2016, 10:30:31 am

there it is again. That social stigma that vets  are just conscripted teachers.

No. You play the game or you leave. Its the fact that they don't PLAY the game is exactly why people leave. I refuse to hold baby's lil hands and make him feel like a special little flower. No. You play the game like you're meant to play.

You play or you lose. You learn by going by how the veteran tells you to play and then guess what happens. That hwacha suddenly completely disables the enemy ship. You get that hull break from that side gat and you get that kill shot from that 2nd hwacha volley on your fish.

I will teach those who I feel have the potential to be excellent players and those that aren't are just training dummies to my recruits. I've been around novices and memorised every noob excuse to know which are the type to nurture, BUT I SHOULD NOT HAVE THE OBLIGATION/EXPECTATION to do so.

Non sequitur?  Only a veteran can teach you how to kill with a goldfish, but veterans shouldn't have to teach....

1. This is a hard game to learn.

2. People finally reach veteran level, feel good because they can crush the regular players, but end up getting totally stomped by a full lobby of triple 45's. That's either because they are still missing some more critical bits that only other veterans can give, or they rediscover how hard the game still is when played against other players who also know what they are doing; (or at least know the same tricks as you).  (And I'll be the first to admit that I'm still learning how to play this game).

3. This game gets known for its awesome community.  And the community fights hard to preserve that.  I think the teaching element is a fundamental part of that.  Because, let's face it, it's currently the only way to make the game better for everyone.

1. no. The bare bones tutorial if you pay attention to every piece of info given, gives you the basics of each class and the controls and the tools AND  believe it or not as of the most recent version of the tutorial the fundementals of ships building (hull break and explosive). And with just the tutorial alone, any vet will need to play you at mid lvl (goddamn pathetic how mid lvl is post tutorial frankly).

You can't make any excuse to any scrub that derps around clueless, the fundemental facts are all in the tutorial. If you don't do it nor pay full attention to it I'm not gonna hold your hand. Its your fault for skipping a step in the learning process and you are not worth the salt in my spit to teach if you can't even be bothered to do a tutorial that specially designed for teaching you.

2. That's muse's flawed leveling system at work. As of the current leveling system, you get retarded upstarts with no fundamentals as they rush leveling up abusing the current lvling system.

In the old system on average 1000 matches lands you lvl 6-7 (where 15 was the max). Now less than 800 you are max level.

3. I reiterate. I teach who I want to teach. I teach who are obviously worth my time. I'm not gonna teach every asshat who can't be bothered to learn some basics via the means given to them by the game.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: MightyKeb on January 07, 2016, 10:48:00 am





I think this is also why veteran matches have not become more of thing.  People finally reach veteran level, feel good because they can crush the regular players, but end up getting totally stomped by a full lobby of triple 45's.  That's either because they are still missing some more critical bits that only other veterans can give, or they rediscover how hard the game still is when played against other players who also know what they are doing; (or at least know the same tricks as you).  (And I'll be the first to admit that I'm still learning how to play this game).


If I recall correctly, the reason vet matches aren't used anymore is because muse has intentionally crippled it's efficiency by making it so that Custom vet matches cannot recruit from a vet queue. There aren't that many vets in the sea of new players, and much less who bother to get into the vet queue because of the potentially long wait times, whilst most of the time it takes even more time than MM's worst days to invite enough people to a custom made vet lobby. Having a custom vet lobby that could recruit from Vet Matchmaking is the most convenient option because it gives you the most control over setting it up - and that's crucial in a gamemode that only 1/3rd of the population will use. Until that's fixed we can't really blame the community on vet matches. I do see where you're coming from though, it's something I briefly experienced when I was about to level out of novice myself too, but it's something I've long forgotten about at this point.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Byron Cavendish on January 07, 2016, 11:06:59 am
you just went full AWKM[/i][/size]

I can't describe how much I love this sentence. I will be using it from now on. Thank you.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on January 07, 2016, 03:04:20 pm
you just went full AWKM[/i][/size]

I can't describe how much I love this sentence. I will be using it from now on. Thank you.

Praised be the day I actually said something considered funny/accurate.



We all know, that new players MUST learn from more experienced ones to learn efficiently.

This doesn't imply veterans are obliged to teach them everytime, no matter what.
And this says the guy who usually starts with calm explanation, how things in this game work, not bashing people.


I just hate when people are supposed to not have choice ffs.


Quote
I know you apologized Schwalbe, but I'll say it anyway. Every time I've crewed for BlackenedPies he was very friendly to newbies and crew in general, giving them clear instructions and a lot of helpful tips. I don't believe I have crewed for a captain that would do better job at managing his crew than Blackened.

I'm not the guy who is firmly convined that apology is something that should automatically cancel any trial of bashing a mistake that deserves it. It was my mistake, and I have no bloody clue why I thought Blackened was behaving the other way. Which proves only how insane and delusional I'm becoming. As if I were completely sane at any given point of my pathetic existance
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: UndyingUndyne on January 07, 2016, 03:17:46 pm
If you guys really want to get rid of the "problem" of Novices, just get Muse to stop selling the game. Then there's no way a newbie can buy the game, skip the awful tutorials and/or have no other Novices to play and learn the basics with, then "ruin" the game for all you vets.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Atruejedi on January 07, 2016, 04:13:44 pm
If you guys really want to get rid of the "problem" of Novices, just get Muse to stop selling the game. Then there's no way a newbie can buy the game, skip the awful tutorials and/or have no other Novices to play and learn the basics with, then "ruin" the game for all you vets.

There's no problem with novices playing the game and ruining it for veterans; the problem is novices piloting the ships when unprepared and unready and ruining the game for everybody in the lobby. Damning his team to lose over and over again as he is bounced from side to side in a lobby and passively stacking the matches in the other team's favor...

Last night a guy named ChildishRambino was playing with me and his friend, who was absolutely new to the game: zero matches played. A fairly new captain himself, he's played with me before and knows I'm a good teacher when I have willing learners, and he dumped her into my lap / onto my ship in order for me to teach her the game. I asked if she played the tutorial. She, of course, did not, and admitted it, so I went over the basics with her and, lo and behold, she played all evening and did a GREAT job (for a scrub, of course ;D). She freely admitted to being overwhelmed at the beginning because the game is something that needs to be learned; information must be shared, for everybody's benefit. I think, as a human being (and not just one who plays video games), it IS the job of those who have experience (read: veterans) to pass on that knowledge to those who do not (read: nubs). To do otherwise is selfish and lazy.

We are a community; a community of gamers. We must do what is best for the community. What is best for the community? To prevent new players from piloting ships when they are not yet prepared to do so. I'll gladly sacrifice some newbie freedom for some lobby security. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa6c3OTr6yA

(excuse the video quality...)
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Mean Machine on January 07, 2016, 04:41:45 pm
If you guys really want to get rid of the "problem" of Novices, just get Muse to stop selling the game. Then there's no way a newbie can buy the game, skip the awful tutorials and/or have no other Novices to play and learn the basics with, then "ruin" the game for all you vets.

Thanks for not contributing anything to the discussion.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: UndyingUndyne on January 07, 2016, 04:50:18 pm
If you guys really want to get rid of the "problem" of Novices, just get Muse to stop selling the game. Then there's no way a newbie can buy the game, skip the awful tutorials and/or have no other Novices to play and learn the basics with, then "ruin" the game for all you vets.

Thanks for not contributing anything to the discussion.

Hey, I did a few pages back. Not sure if anyone payed it any mind, though.

But really, I still think locking out new players from a third of the game is really a harsh way to fix this problem. Like I said before, the devs should look into making the tutorials better. Unlike what I said before, however, there should be more incentive to actually do the tutorials as well, as part of the problem is people outright skipping it, and jumping into a match full of vets and piloting right off the bat.

The point is, the Devs and we as a community need to do a better job of getting Novices to learn piloting. I'm sure there are plenty of options, some of which have been mentioned already. But outright banning people from an entire class would only do more harm than good, and it's a rather extreme solution to take when other options exist.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: HamsterIV on January 07, 2016, 04:51:48 pm
You chummed the waters Jedi. This is what you get.

For my part, there are some nights I feel like teaching, and some nights where I want to cause mayhem. On the mayhem nights if I get assigned a novice ship I leave it and start looking for friends to stack with.

As stated before I like your proposal, even if I am almost certain Muse will not implement it. I view occupying the commander slot as taking responsibility for the experience of 3 other people (assuming no AI crew). I don't want people taking the responsibility lightly or approaching it unprepared. No matter how funny they think it will look on YouTube later.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on January 08, 2016, 04:58:00 am
lightbulb


what if the tutorial continued into the actual match? A  set of tips that are triggered for specific events until a certain level is reached or it is manually turned off.

For instance - burning kerosine for x seconds causes a warning message about blowing up engines.

Too far from ally ship causes a warning message about considering staying closer

Exiting map area gives warning message about going off the map and to press M

Taking damage gives warning that they should fall back and find a place to facilitate repairs



This mid match tip box / tutorial / warnings could occur for each role.

just a though.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Red-Xiii on January 08, 2016, 08:07:26 am
Ive been the noob.  Ive taught the noobs.  Im still learning from my own brotherhood.  No matter how many in here complain about novices flying, acting entitled to wreck novices, stack them, and not teach them is inappropriate at any time.   The game requires it.  Period.  Cannot be played and enjoyed by the masses if it is not done.  For example I just got wrecked several matches in a row by  SPQR while attempting to discuss things with a level 9 spire pilot.  It was good.  We discussed.  Learned.  The minute the match was over noone would be on his team.  Or co-captain.  The standard should be higher for this game and die hard player base.  Some long time pilots dont feel like teaching.  Fine.  Standown and let someone else on the crew do it.  Tell them little things at a time so they soak it in easier.  Dont need to explain a book.   If people dont wanna teach and just wanna wreck shit I dont think it should be against level 5 players or less.  Kinda seems pointless after the first game.  At least stay the next game and get on the same side.  Something.  Just imo.

I just realized reading my post that my mantra is "someone has to do it."   But if nobody does it where does that leave it?
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 08, 2016, 08:17:06 am
If people dont wanna teach and just wanna wreck shit I dont think it should be against level 5 players or less.  Kinda seems pointless after the first game.  At least stay the next game and get on the same side.  Something.  Just imo.

I just realized reading my post that my mantra is "someone has to do it."   But if nobody does it where does that leave it?

There are CAs and novice mode for this exact purpose. But the system itself is flawed because match making is flawed and the current server browse doesn't cater for highly emphasising novice lobbies for novices.

Wherein TEACHERS actually exist there to TEACH.


If you walk into advanced, you better be ready to up your game. Same with vet game, I expect the absolute best out of anyone involved in a vet game. And if level 30 isn't enough to ready you for vet game, that too is the systems fault because a vet isn't some baby that grinded a single class to 30 and practically learned no advanced tactical awareness from said experience of grinding his puny 100 matches.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: DJ Logicalia on January 08, 2016, 09:39:02 am
Hey, I'm too lazy to write a big response to everythibg, but I thought I'd leak some insider info from muse, as I think it's relevant

Muse is indeed planning major, much needed improvements to the tutorial system and making the tutorial mandatory before jumping right into public matches. With any luck, that'll help some of these issues
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Lianxiang Ban on January 08, 2016, 10:41:29 am
I am still a novice. I have had fine matches with fellow novices as captains and less fine ones. The hardest part, assuming no one is conducting themselves in a morally repugnant way, was simply waiting round for ages in the matchmaker and the case of uncommunicative shipmates (especially the pilot, of course). Losing didn't really matter to me if everyone was communicating and trying; after all, we were all newbies. (If my experience is representative, it's just over 50/50 anyway, not an endless morass of defeat.)

I'm very confused by the post by Maximilian Jazzhand about novice matches not being default for new players. I am pretty sure my game defaulted to novice matches, although I won't refuse to consider the possibility that I ticked a box myself. (Actually, I don't know what's meant by "server browse" at all, which means I've completely missed something!)
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hypnopotamus Rex on January 08, 2016, 10:43:49 am
I don't really mind novice captains much - I mean, as long as they've done the tutorial.
With or without veteran help, it's pretty much trial and error. You've all gone through the same thing, put yourself in their shoes and think about how they'd feel about being stigmatised as new pilots.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: nanoduckling on January 08, 2016, 11:08:49 am
No matter how many in here complain about novices flying, acting entitled to wreck novices, stack them, and not teach them is inapprorpriate at any time.

Dilley'B your heart is in the right place, but you haven't made an argument for this position, and lecturing people about their obligations without actually providing a compelling argument for those obligations is really, really likely to piss them off.

Where does this obligation come from? The game will have problems if experienced players don't teach novices, sure. That doesn't mean there is an obligation on more experienced players. Obligations can be created in various ways, for example Muse could be paying people to teach novices, that would certainly imply an obligation. Is Muse paying more experienced players to teach? Have more experienced players given some commitment to teach? Why was I not invited to that super secret meeting? Were there doughnuts at this super secret meeting?

When I created a clan specifically for teaching novices you could certainly argue I created an obligation for myself to teach them as long as I kept it going, but that is hardly the universal obligation you are talking about. I would suggest it is in most experienced players best interest to teach novices as best we can, but again that isn't an obligation.

As for stacking, a few things would help there. One is not splitting ships when they are returned to matchmaker. Another would be the option to have a lobby without scramble. If I'm playing with 6 friends then I want to play with those six friends. I'm happy for the MM to throw me into a tough game, but I want to play with my friends. Given my win/loss statistics in competitive I don't think the accusation that I'm playing the game for the winning high is going to stick.

Otherwise, some folks have said that locking pilot for 100 matches is excessive. If it were a hard lock (one which couldn't be unlocked with minimal effort) I would agree. In fact I think any hard lock would be excessive and as I suggested, unfair on people who buy the 4-packs. The point is to establish the idea in the novices mind that being a pilot is taking on responsibilities. I've flown under pilots with 60 matches that were more fun to fly with than ones with 600 because they embraced that responsibility, but at the moment you are asking Joe Q. Public to think unprompted and while entertaining fantasies of sky pirating, good luck with that.

Blackened has said that novice behaviour isn't as bad as some make out, I think that depends on where we are talking. I rarely have problems with novice engineers. Most seem to pick that role because they figure it will be the best one to start out with. Novice gunners are usually okay so long as you only get one of them, generally because most of the time the only thing a novice gunner needs to do to not irritate me is shoot the thing I tell them to with the gun I tell them to. Novice pilots on the other hand, I'd say 70% are a problem. To test this I made a note of what players irritated me and in what positions for an evening play session. 7 games total so not the greatest sample size. One novice engineer ignored their pilot, one novice gunner ignored their pilot, and six out of ten novice pilots ignored the advice they were given by co-pilots or experienced crew. Of course there is a bit of selection bias here, I was engineering and it hard to act like a idiot ignoring orders if the pilot isn't giving any as was often the case, but I really think that is beside the point.

So Blackened may have a point, maybe we don't have an asshat novice problem. Maybe, and I say this as a pilot and noted asshat myself, the pilots slot attracts asshats and that distorts our view of the novices. I still don't think that changes the fact that there is a problem here which could do with addressing.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on January 08, 2016, 12:28:50 pm
(Actually, I don't know what's meant by "server browse" at all, which means I've completely missed something!)

Seek the Custom Matches button in menu you use to enter the hell of matchmaker. Since some time it actually shows quite a few matches, instead of only those your friends or CAs are in, as it used to be for a looooong, looooong time.


Quote
Muse is indeed planning major, much needed improvements to the tutorial system and making the tutorial mandatory before jumping right into public matches. With any luck, that'll help some of these issues

Gullible me would say "Thank fuck for that!". I'm not gullible, so I'll just sit by the river, and watch the bodies flow.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: DoubleMDownie on January 08, 2016, 04:16:02 pm
I am still a novice.


Sorry but you are actually not considered a Novice. Once a player surpasses level 7 on any class you are not a Novice any more.  You may have many low levels but you arnt a Novice.   
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Red-Xiii on January 09, 2016, 05:21:57 am

My argument on obligation to teach instead of wreck novice pilots goes only to those that want to expand the player base and elongate the game itself for as long as possible.  And seeing as most high level folks enjoy the game and keep coming back, it seems that is just the next logical step that needs to be taken in such a small player base.  Playing the same people over and over cant be the future of the game can it?  You may not have signed up to be the handy helper, but is it not implied by your participation in this game? 

The same people that want to play this game hardcore can also be killing it by getting tired of helping.  Take a break.  Step away.  But come back and try and help a few times here and there.  I find way too much stacking.  I know this.  Doesnt matter that Im writing this when I saw 3 games earlier 3v3 with every high level on one side and the highest on the other was 14.  Its gonna happen sometimes.  I'm just saying it shouldnt.  Helping in chat isnt the same as helping during the game.  Ill get off my soapbox now.  I see these things in game and I guess I want badly for this game to be above the rest of the garbage out there.  There's a certain feeling you get when you are behind the wheel and in the skies with your crew that denotes extreme responsibility in a game.  I like the idea of that responsibility to be with the community as well. 

Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 09, 2016, 08:35:26 am
Stacked lobbies are the biggest problem in pub matches and I know only a handful of captains who actively try to balance lobbies. Lobbies are intimidating and there's a lot of pressure on captains. The norm is to avoid challenge because of the fear of defeat.

I've heard complaints about Rydr stacking matches. I can't attest to the past but in my experience Rydr is the single best clan at balancing matches. It comes down to confidence and accepting defeat which I hope more players will do.

A partial solution might be a balance lobby button like the Ready button for captains. If half of the captains press it the lobby is balanced based on MMR. In the meantime use the Swap Ship button and show that you mean business.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on January 09, 2016, 11:24:32 am
Part of the problem with the swap ship button is the other captains do not accept it.

I cannot remember the last time I successfully swapped ships.

I personally like a challenge and unless I am trying to practice my teamwork capabilities I will happily swap ships.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Ightrril on January 09, 2016, 12:06:05 pm
If you private message whoever you are trying to swap with and explain to them why you're swapping (balance reasons) and how to accept it (notifications tab, upper left) then they are far, far more likely to accept. If that doesn't get a response you can also talk to them in whole lobby chat and explain. Mentioning that they stay with their crew as well helps.
I've found that, trying all of the above, swaps are successful almost all the time. Usually a request and them PM is all you need though.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 09, 2016, 01:42:48 pm
Swaps are usually successful if you explain it. Players often don't notice the notification so one idea is a pop-up message similar to recommended loadouts. There's currently no limit for spamming swap requests so it should work like recommended loadouts with Accept/Decline and a 30 second timer.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Lu Lu on January 09, 2016, 03:01:30 pm
Well, as a mid-level pilot, i must say there is a critical lacking in the tutorial, and in reality, the only way to get better is to get actual in game practice, but frankly, no amount of in game experience as a pilot will compensate for ignorance of how the component systems work. There is little skill required (relatively) in moving a ship, but a lot of skill required in understanding when to charge, when to flee, hold back and etc.  You simply as just a pilot cannot hope to understand weapon arcs component durability  and how to save/destroy just by flying around.

My 2 cents at least.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 09, 2016, 03:37:55 pm

My argument on obligation to teach instead of wreck novice pilots goes only to those that want to expand the player base and elongate the game itself for as long as possible.  And seeing as most high level folks enjoy the game and keep coming back, it seems that is just the next logical step that needs to be taken in such a small player base.  Playing the same people over and over cant be the future of the game can it?  You may not have signed up to be the handy helper, but is it not implied by your participation in this game? 

The same people that want to play this game hardcore can also be killing it by getting tired of helping.  Take a break.  Step away.  But come back and try and help a few times here and there.  I find way too much stacking.  I know this.  Doesnt matter that Im writing this when I saw 3 games earlier 3v3 with every high level on one side and the highest on the other was 14.  Its gonna happen sometimes.  I'm just saying it shouldnt.  Helping in chat isnt the same as helping during the game.  Ill get off my soapbox now.  I see these things in game and I guess I want badly for this game to be above the rest of the garbage out there.  There's a certain feeling you get when you are behind the wheel and in the skies with your crew that denotes extreme responsibility in a game.  I like the idea of that responsibility to be with the community as well.

Anyone consider the fact that veteran retention goes down with every sale? You know the people that LOVE this game? Why is this whole thing catering to a bunch of nobodies that are nothing more than extra pocket change for muse?
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Squidslinger Gilder on January 09, 2016, 04:38:19 pm

My argument on obligation to teach instead of wreck novice pilots goes only to those that want to expand the player base and elongate the game itself for as long as possible.  And seeing as most high level folks enjoy the game and keep coming back, it seems that is just the next logical step that needs to be taken in such a small player base.  Playing the same people over and over cant be the future of the game can it?  You may not have signed up to be the handy helper, but is it not implied by your participation in this game? 

The same people that want to play this game hardcore can also be killing it by getting tired of helping.  Take a break.  Step away.  But come back and try and help a few times here and there.  I find way too much stacking.  I know this.  Doesnt matter that Im writing this when I saw 3 games earlier 3v3 with every high level on one side and the highest on the other was 14.  Its gonna happen sometimes.  I'm just saying it shouldnt.  Helping in chat isnt the same as helping during the game.  Ill get off my soapbox now.  I see these things in game and I guess I want badly for this game to be above the rest of the garbage out there.  There's a certain feeling you get when you are behind the wheel and in the skies with your crew that denotes extreme responsibility in a game.  I like the idea of that responsibility to be with the community as well.

Anyone consider the fact that veteran retention goes down with every sale? You know the people that LOVE this game? Why is this whole thing catering to a bunch of nobodies that are nothing more than extra pocket change for muse?

More like with every sale comes a huge patch that either breaks or adds something that veterans hate. Although I do know a few who refuse to play during sales because they can't stand the clientele that the game gets.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Byron Cavendish on January 09, 2016, 06:00:31 pm

My argument on obligation to teach instead of wreck novice pilots goes only to those that want to expand the player base and elongate the game itself for as long as possible.  And seeing as most high level folks enjoy the game and keep coming back, it seems that is just the next logical step that needs to be taken in such a small player base.  Playing the same people over and over cant be the future of the game can it?  You may not have signed up to be the handy helper, but is it not implied by your participation in this game? 

The same people that want to play this game hardcore can also be killing it by getting tired of helping.  Take a break.  Step away.  But come back and try and help a few times here and there.  I find way too much stacking.  I know this.  Doesnt matter that Im writing this when I saw 3 games earlier 3v3 with every high level on one side and the highest on the other was 14.  Its gonna happen sometimes.  I'm just saying it shouldnt.  Helping in chat isnt the same as helping during the game.  Ill get off my soapbox now.  I see these things in game and I guess I want badly for this game to be above the rest of the garbage out there.  There's a certain feeling you get when you are behind the wheel and in the skies with your crew that denotes extreme responsibility in a game.  I like the idea of that responsibility to be with the community as well.

Anyone consider the fact that veteran retention goes down with every sale? You know the people that LOVE this game? Why is this whole thing catering to a bunch of nobodies that are nothing more than extra pocket change for muse?

More like with every sale comes a huge patch that either breaks or adds something that veterans hate. Although I do know a few who refuse to play during sales because they can't stand the clientele that the game gets.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/theunderhills/Sloth-Goonies-Hey-You-Guys-08.gif) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theunderhills/media/Sloth-Goonies-Hey-You-Guys-08.gif.html)
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hypnopotamus Rex on January 09, 2016, 09:36:50 pm
Just played a few matches with novice pilots - put up with more than a few awful builds, but they were communicative enough to be taught a decent layout (for a Galleon, at least).
I find it really fun giving the newbies encouragement and feedback. Even though we'll end up getting steamrollered, they'll learn a valuable lesson.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Red-Xiii on January 10, 2016, 01:10:46 am
Just played a few matches with novice pilots - put up with more than a few awful builds, but they were communicative enough to be taught a decent layout (for a Galleon, at least).
I find it really fun giving the newbies encouragement and feedback. Even though we'll end up getting steamrollered, they'll learn a valuable lesson.

give this man a silver dollar.  i enjoy it for the most part as well.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on January 10, 2016, 08:25:49 am
Just played a few matches with novice pilots - put up with more than a few awful builds, but they were communicative enough to be taught a decent layout (for a Galleon, at least).
I find it really fun giving the newbies encouragement and feedback. Even though we'll end up getting steamrollered, they'll learn a valuable lesson.

I feel you man. I totally do. Aaaaaaaand then assholes come...
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Lu Lu on January 10, 2016, 05:33:02 pm
Everyone needs to start somewhere.  Personally, one of the biggest problems I see in this game is the various attitudes held by certain players on the game.  Yes, there are some annoying new people who end up ruining some matches, but the thing is, those who do it intentionally are in the minority.  New players are incompetent, and we all were when we started playing this game, but when we let the idiotcy of the few taint the entire group that's a problem.  Just yesterday I was playing, and I met some very rude arrogant players.  These, however, weren't novices, nor where they low to mid level, these were veterans with thousands if not tens of thousands of matches under their belt, throwing hissy fits in text chat and captain's chat.  I could just as easily point out that due to the poor behavior of the veterans (I actually think almost all of the vets are awesome.  I really hope this doesn't offend any one) that we should kick them all from captaining because they bully lower level pilots/crew.  This is of course ridiculous, but it uses the very same logic that most experienced players use:  Novices are bad, some people who are bad tend to be arrogant, therefore, all novices are  bad and therefore arrogant. Instead of punishing all because of the errors of the few, we as a community must take it upon ourselves to educate this new addition to our player base.

Also, muse, if you happen to read this, please make the tutorials mandatory before actual online gameplay for each class, and please, also make the tutorials more comprehensive.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hypnopotamus Rex on January 11, 2016, 04:25:46 am
Just yesterday I was playing, and I met some very rude arrogant players.  These, however, weren't novices, nor where they low to mid level, these were veterans with thousands if not tens of thousands of matches under their belt, throwing hissy fits in text chat and captain's chat.  I could just as easily point out that due to the poor behavior of the veterans (I actually think almost all of the vets are awesome.  I really hope this doesn't offend any one) that we should kick them all from captaining because they bully lower level pilots/crew.  This is of course ridiculous, but it uses the very same logic that most experienced players use:  Novices are bad, some people who are bad tend to be arrogant, therefore, all novices are  bad and therefore arrogant. Instead of punishing all because of the errors of the few, we as a community must take it upon ourselves to educate this new addition to our player base.

Similar thing happened a couple of days ago after a novice's first time in Labyrinth - one of the allied crew members was just tearing into them, "Why didn't you-" this, and "You were supposed to-" that. Way too aggressive to make people want to stay in the game.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 11, 2016, 05:59:52 am
Now that you mention it CP does need a level requirement.

King of the hill and especially crazy king new pilots are literally dead weight unless the opposite team is just as bad.
even with giant captions on crazy king now, they still don't get it. Trying to grind cp wins as a non pilot is just a frustrating process (hence why I did it as a gunner pilot or engie pilot).

You got shiny big lights, a prompt in your face on every point change, the FACT that there is no kill count because its not DM. In CP you REALLY need to know how to fly and  have precise positioning. No novice has that so it becomes a matter of a semi intelligent play to just come in stealthily on point and cap and wait for gg (so much lab... so much lab that the game thinks its my favourite map).


On the in game prompts I think the press m for map will be useful if its just spammed over and over. Since that holds the match information like the mode rules and conditions for winning.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hypnopotamus Rex on January 11, 2016, 06:26:18 am
Now that you mention it CP does need a level requirement.

That's not what I was trying to get across - regardless of level, they're going to be a bit naff at CP the first time. The problem is the vets' attitude toward them.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 11, 2016, 06:42:19 am
I don't consider someone that takes 5 or so signals before you get a reaction attentive. I also don't consider a gunner that keeps loading inci after being told not to attentive. Nor do I consider an engie told to not rebuild with mallet continue to rebuild with mallet attentive. Neither do I consider a pilot that chute suicides attentive. Nor bumper spams thinking they make you bullet proof vs a merc art, or hades carousel.

Those are nearly every single novice I encounter. The contempt is justifiable.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on January 11, 2016, 07:24:27 am
I feel you Ceresbane, but goddammit, as you said: this is every novice YOU encounter.
You just somehow have more bad luck than I do.

And this is fucking awkward.

And as Hypnopotamus said: no matter the level requirement, first CP game is always a kick in balls for anyone: the newish pilot, and his allies. No matter whether the newish captain is lvl 2 or 25, or - whatever. The only difference might only be in that, as Disaster says, that lower players might not have unlocked some vital components yet, like: chats, voice chats, maps...
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 11, 2016, 08:23:56 am
I guess I'm the very rare exception that got it first go.

Because I read the rules. I also read the mode name and got the gist beforehand.

Though my memory of king of the hill (the term) is a literal hill where kids beat the crap out of each other as they held a hill for themselves only to be rugby tackled off the perch, pretty much just kept going till someone cried or got too tired.

King of the hill. Ok its in the name I guess I defend some sort of area of which is constantly contested. Ok then so naturally there is some location I must find and defend. Naturally I look at the map and see the point star (because logic would indicate the map would show the location). I compare the map and what I see in game and see a light in the same direction.

"oh I guess thats the area"

bam-king of the hill learned.


Then I read the rules of points limits and contesting points and etc. And instantly got the mechanics based on games that use the same style. e.g. dawn of war where you contested points or cod dominion mode.

I definitely did what it said on the tin, be king of that hill. I went straight for that thing on the map and killed anyone that got near (by which point I knew what meta was because unlike most scrubs I spent all of my novice time in novice grinding every class-and dont forget it was ALL achieve based so I graduated way later than today's pansy ass standards).



In fact one of my earlier crazy kings involved me playing a full hour or so stalemate because there was a blue team capture zone bug on anglean where blues wouldn't start capping until they were inside the damn point balloon for x seconds before capping activates (this is after the point activates-I wasn't a moron). This was where red team capped but blue team did not. So the only way to maintain the stale mate was kill ships as they got near. Of course we eventually lost since kill points weren't a thing back then.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on January 11, 2016, 09:21:50 am
(most of the rant)

What are trying to tell us? How special and unique you are? You are not. But to actually succeed, you have to know how some things work. And I don't mean rules, I mean actual mechanics.


Quote
(by which point I knew what meta was because unlike most scrubs I spent all of my novice time in novice grinding every class-and dont forget it was ALL achieve based so I graduated way later than today's pansy ass standards).

It's not like I was whining about the fact, it took me 100+ matches to earn my 3-3-3, learn basics and practice with a sort of... obvious handicap... and then suddenly with one fucking update I was out of novice, for like - 6 months. But I got over it, which I too suggest.
Though none can deny - how little time novices stay in the novice matches due to the current system, and seeing that they actually advice each other to tick-out the certain checkbox in matchfucker's options - is outrageous. Contrary to some opinions, staying in the fucking novice shows you - if not things you should know - at least things THAT SHOULD NOT FUCKING HAPPEN.


Quote
So the only way to maintain the stale mate was kill ships as they got near. Of course we eventually lost since kill points weren't a thing back then.

(which is probably the only fucking thing that should stay the same considering CP rules and mechanics)
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Atruejedi on January 11, 2016, 09:34:14 am
Though none can deny - how little time novices stay in the novice matches due to the current system, and seeing that they actually advice each other to tick-out the certain checkbox in matchfucker's options - is outrageous. Contrary to some opinions, staying in the fucking novice shows you - if not things you should know - at least things THAT SHOULD NOT FUCKING HAPPEN.

This. So this. Novices are not playing in novices matches (for whatever reasons) and are gaming the system to achievement farm and level up incredibly quickly. When offered advice, I'd say a third ignore you, a third listen, and a third are vehemently opposed to listening to anything you say because they're "just playing for fun." But it isn't fun to lose for your crew and team over and over again. I've met so many players that are levels 10+ (and even 20+!) who don't know even basic mechanics, like damage types, repair tool uses, ammunition types, use of the F buttons for rudimentary AI commands, the eyeball near the compass indicating visibility status for spots, and bringing spyglass as a pilot (yes, this is well-known to be my biggest pet peeve  >:(). Last night I think I received the same amount of reports as I did applause (three each IIRC). Something has to be done. ANYTHING has to be done...

Amusing anecdote: Last night poor MyklGuul crewed for at least two matches with a group of new players* who refused all advice, even from him, their stalwart engineer. Their hwacha Goldfish had a gunner with lesmok, greased, and lochnager ammunition (nearly all players "in the know" would not bring these ammo types for hwacha; spread that burst ammo gospel!) and his repair tool was a MALLET. Their engineer had a buff kit, chem spray, spanner, and kerosene. Their pilot had a spyglass, rangefinder, and moonshine. Needless to say, I applauded Mkyl for his plucky bravery. He was the only person capable of keeping the ship afloat. He failed, but not because of lack of effort.

Contrast that with Mazzic, who also deserves a shout-out, but while operating in completely different circumstances. He was blessed with a crew of three nubs who actually LISTENED and they performed incredibly well! They were on a flak Spire killing it! Von Stroker was the gunner and it was truly impressive to witness good scrubs at work. We all congratulated him and his crew... as they destroyed the previously described enemy flying with the thankless Mkyl...  :'(

*Pretty sure these were the people reporting me, even after their racial slurs and bro-ing
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: FranckM on January 11, 2016, 09:39:00 am
One of the main problem I had with novices was that they had voice chat off. Would it be possible to just put a small symbol near the name of people who don't have voice chat activated. By this I mean cannot hear me at all, I don't really mind if they don't have a microphone as long as I know if I need to communicate with text chat or voice chat.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on January 11, 2016, 09:41:20 am
One of the main problem I had with novices was that they had voice chat off. Would it be possible to just put a small symbol near the name of people who don't have voice chat activated. By this I mean cannot hear me at all, I don't really mind if they don't have a microphone as long as I know if I need to communicate with text chat or voice chat.

Oh God, yes, please, immediately, screw the adventure mode or whatever bullshit they're working on. Now. Now. NOW.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: nanoduckling on January 11, 2016, 11:14:33 am
First KoTH game doesn't have to be a kick in the crotch. I once flew with a novice four pack whose first game was a KoTH. Asked me what they should bring and do and I told them bring a hwachagalleon fly to the middle of the map and point the big guns at ships coming in and shoot them. They did exactly that while I defended them, win or lose I'd have congratulated them because they acted in a community minded spirit and wanted to play the game. Was my ship carrying a bit? Sure, but most folk aren't frustrated by players being crap, of course players are going to be crap, they are frustrated by players who don't care. Of course if we are going to be grumpy with them it would help if players were aware what their responsibilities were, hence me wanting folks informed when they are de facto taking on responsibility for other peoples entertainment.

Turning off chat is another thing that should come with a warning informing players basically not to do it. In fact if it were possible to bury this eight submenus deep under twelve different ways to adjust the brightness of cloud edges from grey to slightly less dark grey that would be ideal. "I turned off voice chat so I could listen to the TV" makes as much sense to me as apologizing because you are playing the game with your feet so you can practice your juggling. If you want to juggle, juggle, if you want to play video games, play video games.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 11, 2016, 01:07:07 pm
(most of the rant)

What are trying to tell us? How special and unique you are? You are not. But to actually succeed, you have to know how some things work. And I don't mean rules, I mean actual mechanics.


Quote
(by which point I knew what meta was because unlike most scrubs I spent all of my novice time in novice grinding every class-and dont forget it was ALL achieve based so I graduated way later than today's pansy ass standards).

It's not like I was whining about the fact, it took me 100+ matches to earn my 3-3-3, learn basics and practice with a sort of... obvious handicap... and then suddenly with one fucking update I was out of novice, for like - 6 months. But I got over it, which I too suggest.
Though none can deny - how little time novices stay in the novice matches due to the current system, and seeing that they actually advice each other to tick-out the certain checkbox in matchfucker's options - is outrageous. Contrary to some opinions, staying in the fucking novice shows you - if not things you should know - at least things THAT SHOULD NOT FUCKING HAPPEN.


Quote
So the only way to maintain the stale mate was kill ships as they got near. Of course we eventually lost since kill points weren't a thing back then.

(which is probably the only fucking thing that should stay the same considering CP rules and mechanics)


1. implying rules and mechanics aren't just synonyms in the context of what you're talking about. They both inform each other and I understood very easily. Why? Because I took a moment to THINK and observe what the game by its design is telling me to do. Its not rocket science to do. But apparently its implying I'm special and unique. If doing a little thinking while inexperienced is such a rare thing, then I guess I'm special.

2. the game has alot to teach by simply taking advantage of what it gives you. Very few take advantage and vets should not be expected to teach what is readily available to learn. And learn away and out of the scrutiny of people that can 5-0 with the least amount of effort. If noobs walk in that kind of arena (withtheir superior numbers) then in this game based on teamwork, the player pool has gone down to idiot levels play.

Is it such a goddamn high priced demand to find mid lvl play on a mid lvl mode? I just want to play the goddamn game. Not play teacher and slack picker upper to idiots who are too dumb to appreciate the effort it takes to keep their piece of crap alive or work to keep the ship from danger while they got their thumbs up their asses doing nothing to save it.

3. the point was the bug existed. Old CK as a game mode was fine. Only lost because the bug in anglean was game breaking. In fact old CK was the tits as it actually required PROPER coordination and tactics as opposed to now. The  only good change to CP is kill points. Anything else is debatable.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hoja Lateralus on January 11, 2016, 02:50:07 pm
@Luharis
These, however, weren't novices, nor where they low to mid level, these were veterans with thousands if not tens of thousands of matches under their belt, throwing hissy fits in text chat and captain's chat.

Firstly, there is a handful of players with player count above 10 000 so saying "tens of thousands of matches" is fucking op.
Secondly, annoying vets? Somehow I think I know what clan they are probably from... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I could just as easily point out that due to the poor behavior of the veterans (I actually think almost all of the vets are awesome.  I really hope this doesn't offend any one) that we should kick them all from captaining because they bully lower level pilots/crew.  This is of course ridiculous, but it uses the very same logic that most experienced players use:  Novices are bad, some people who are bad tend to be arrogant, therefore, all novices are  bad and therefore arrogant. Instead of punishing all because of the errors of the few, we as a community must take it upon ourselves to educate this new addition to our player base.

You have some point, but how about this - if you (I mean you, as a supposedly for-the-sake-of-argument-GOIO-Dev) start pissing off vets (more than usual) then who's going to play your game? The sales crowd that vanishes like a fart on the wind after a month? Or non-existant "middle class" of players with 500-1000 matches played. The answer is - no one. It's reasonable for devs to care for veterans because it's them who makes the game what it is, and they are making the community. Sorry for that outburst, if you think now that I'm an elitist shitlord then so be it.

@Atruejedi
Pretty much agree, I used to plea for devs to increase novice lvl cap but I failed (they did some mathematical work, anyway, for players to lvl slower on lower levels, but that's all I know).
Edit: Not even mentioning that in the old system novice lvl cap was lvl4 with max being 15 (so 26,6%). Now it's lvl8 (or even 7?) with max being 45 (17,8%). WITH FASTER LEVELING!

@FranckM
One of the main problem I had with novices was that they had voice chat off. Would it be possible to just put a small symbol near the name of people who don't have voice chat activated. By this I mean cannot hear me at all, I don't really mind if they don't have a microphone as long as I know if I need to communicate with text chat or voice chat.

Something like "I can't hear you" icon (https://gunsoficarus.com/community/forum/index.php/topic,4556.msg76158.html#msg76158)? ;]

@Ceresbane vel Maximillian Jazzhand
A long time ago I suggested a special tutorial for game modes. Since we lack such, the lvl cap would be a nice thing perhaps.

Also, let's not change this thread into Crazy King shitstorm or anything else :P
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: FranckM on January 11, 2016, 03:06:37 pm
That would be perfect. If anyone here will be at the fireside might bringing it up?
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 11, 2016, 06:56:29 pm
funny thing about that disaster.

Many games simply don't do that. Unreal tournament, cod, mario kart, outrun, etc.

You just pick the mode and you go. Luckily some of those are offline mode and can easily be carried by a single competent player. But regardless, you just picked a mode and then you go. You learn the mode or you lose the game.

I'm really REALLY getting sick of this hand holding culture that just doesn't encourage people to step up and strive to improve. I mean sure fighting games and mobas are toxic, but guess what? Because of the git good or the get out culture. Players that really want to play come out the wood work. And guess what? People talk about the games obsessively. People are salty and get mad and you get funny crap like that. But when out of the game, they talk tech, they talk strats, they talk news and developments and competitions.

What do we get? A bunch of jackasses that join a game to not play the game.

A player takes on the face of the majority. And if the majority and culture is a bunch of slack jawed idiots wanting to "have fun" by being the most incompetent piece of crap ever. People are gonna think thats perfectly normal, and thats TOXIC for this game. It's been poisoning it for the longest time.





So I beg the question. If we really all did become elitist douchebags or rather if we hold the minimal standard to be much greater than what the noobs can currently be in yet see the next step within reach with a little work... would it actually be all that bad? (also this ain't no street fighter son, we  wouldn't be demanding as much as the fighting game community-dat get good climb is HARSH)
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Atruejedi on January 11, 2016, 08:02:08 pm
I'm really REALLY getting sick of this hand holding culture that just doesn't encourage people to step up and strive to improve.

I would typically agree with you, but this is a TEAM game... and one bad player effects EVERYBODY in the match, not just that new and/or bad player. If this were Mario Kart or Mortal Kombat, I'd say, "Screw you, if you're awful, that's on you. You're only losing for yourself." But Guns of Icarus is nothing like those games. A hand-holding culture is necessary to improve the game for EVERYBODY. You're being selfish, honestly. And that's fine. But don't expect the game to grow or the quality of the player base to rise. We're all in this together. Start acting like it and do some work. Otherwise, don't complain.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 12, 2016, 01:12:42 am
It's been said over and over but I'll say it again. The vast majority of new players cooperate and want to learn. I've gladly played through every sale and the bad players are few and far between. Your first line of defense against these players is in the lobby by telling them their position and giving recommended loadouts. Avoid assigning new players positions without a gun and NEVER play with anyone who refuses a loadout. Typing isn't enough and using a mic is required through every step.

This game isn't hard to learn but it's not intuitive. Run a tight ship and clearly explain what to do. Constantly look around the ship and give feedback. If someone screws up don't worry and explain why. Getting angry makes you look bad and them feel bad. You're the captain and it's your job to run a tight motivated crew.

It's not true that most new players are hopeless because I run every ship with competitive tactics and two buff hammers (one on mobula). Brand new players buff guns better than many vets and every mechanic in the game is dead simple to learn. They'll screw up and you might lose but so what. The true mark of a captain is confidence through defeat
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 12, 2016, 01:43:05 pm
It's often overlooked but the best ship to train new players is the mobula. It's the most versatile ship in the game and the simplest to repair. Put your trusted engi on the left, the less experienced on the right, and swap out the top gunner position. As captain its easy to see the whole ship and you can quickly call repairs and remind them when to stamina. Its reputation as a hard ship is solely from a captain's perspective who isn't used to the slow turning response. Once you're accustomed to it you'll see why the best mobula pilots don't bring phoenix claw.

A common mistake with new crew is that captains put too many artemis on their mobulas. Artemis is a great gun but it's only effective if you hit components and it kills slowly. It's the least potent explosive gun with 38.3 hull dps. The banshee is a good easy gun that can both disable and kill. It does 61.7 hull dps with 220 armor damage and 350 balloon damage per clip in 3.1 seconds plus a ton of fire. If you want an artemis then an effective loadout is top artemis and bottom light flak. Artemis is used for longer range and then the burst light flak with its huge 121.9 hull dps.

The easiest mid range mobula loadout is hades with left side top banshee bottom gat and right side bottom banshee. The top right gun is exclusively for the gunner and can be a flame or banshee. I switch the bottom right to light flak but banshee is a safe choice. For longer range with hades you can use the artemis-flak left side with bottom right lesmok gat and top right banshee. These two setups are effective for all levels of play. Mobula is the easiest ship for new crew
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: nanoduckling on January 12, 2016, 03:59:17 pm
Blackened, you say your experience with novices is great, I'm glad you are enjoying it, I really am.

If they are so great though, why are you so dead set against running a goldfish with them? If novices are keen to co-operate and want to learn why would bringing a ship where they have minimal shooting duties and can focus on the fundamentals of engineering be a problem? Doesn't being being keen to co-operate mean you put the needs of your team above all else?

If novices are keen to co-operate and want to learn why would they always need to be assigned a gun? Again, doesn't being being keen to co-operate mean you put the needs of your team above all else?

Why would you need to point out that we should avoid players who refuse a loadout? I mean those novices must be rare if you appraisal of them is correct that should hardly bear mentioning, unless you have to do it frequently. If novices are co-operative and keen to learn wouldn't they want the experienced player to teach them the best load-outs?

I can certainly see how your filters might improve the quality of novices you get. If you primarily pilot, remove folks who don't accept loadouts and the folks who wont switch from gunner. But you have a serious sampling bias.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 12, 2016, 04:27:59 pm
I don't give new players full repair jobs because they want to shoot a gun. If you tell them no you can't shoot the guns then they'll be disappointed at the least. When you trust them bring a goldfish but don't start with one. Goldfish is viewed as the least fun ship to engi on and if I have to make them full repair then I feel bad. For most players engineering is an acquired taste while shooting is the attraction

There are players who don't want to cooperate and it's usually first apparent in the lobby. I can't tell you why but I can say that it's uncommon. It is common for players to not accept a loadout the first time but after you explain why we need the loadout most players accept it. It's more common for players to leave as soon as I open my mouth to welcome them than it is to repeatedly decline a loadout

I can't comment on players that don't speak English or have sound. They're rare but occur. My point is that if you run a tight ship with clear instructions and make it fun then players will cooperate. It's a sampling bias and it's more reasonable to suggest others should do the same than it is to bash novices as a whole due to the few bad ones who are easily filtered out
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 12, 2016, 06:21:12 pm
I'm really REALLY getting sick of this hand holding culture that just doesn't encourage people to step up and strive to improve.

I would typically agree with you, but this is a TEAM game... and one bad player effects EVERYBODY in the match, not just that new and/or bad player. If this were Mario Kart or Mortal Kombat, I'd say, "Screw you, if you're awful, that's on you. You're only losing for yourself." But Guns of Icarus is nothing like those games. A hand-holding culture is necessary to improve the game for EVERYBODY. You're being selfish, honestly. And that's fine. But don't expect the game to grow or the quality of the player base to rise. We're all in this together. Start acting like it and do some work. Otherwise, don't complain.

I point your point to the MOBA genre and tell me again if hand holding culture is necessary. The game is PVP, by nature the game is get good or gtfo.

Hell team sports in general. No one wants that short fat kid.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Lu Lu on January 12, 2016, 07:27:56 pm
Now, I might sound a little naive here, but maybe the problem isn't letting novices pilot (As this thread was originally created to address), the underlying issue here is just a lack knowledge in the new player base.  Forgive me if I'm wrong here (I probably am) but it seems like the argument has gone a little like this:

Novices shouldn't pilot without prior experience

It's not their fault, they just don't know any better, if you teach them, they usually are eager to learn

Even then, some just refuse to learn and are terrible team players

Well those are a minority, we shouldn't let a small group taint the batch

So, they're ruining the online experience and wrecking the game for everyone else

Everyone has to start somewhere, even the best of today's vets were noobs at some point

Well, I  learned really quickly and was a great team player

That's what everyone thinks initially, in truth, we all suck but like to believe we're good



In all honesty, this is what it seems like the entire argument has broken down into 3 main focuses:

A:  Whose job is it to educate these players, the tutorial, experience players, or just in game experience

B:  Do we really need to level lock features and options

C:  Even if these novices are bad, is that really the issue, or is the issue just the sudden surge of them all at once

This is all just my analysis of the situation at hand.  I only posted this because I felt like we were starting to veer off track of the initial discussions of this thread. 

Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 12, 2016, 11:57:26 pm
Quote from: Luharis
Now, I might sound a little naive here, but maybe the problem isn't letting novices pilot (As this thread was originally created to address), the underlying issue here is just a lack knowledge in the new player base.  Forgive me if I'm wrong here (I probably am) but it seems like the argument has gone a little like this:

Yes you're on point. First off brand new players shouldn't play their first matches as pilot in pub matches. The only way to prevent this is Muse and they will be opposed to any sort of restrictions. Even the requirement to graduate from novice would probably be too much. That's why I'd propose a low requirement like reaching level 3 or by first piloting in novice matches. Any requirement that sounds remotely restrictive will be rejected by Muse. (For those who are new I'm stating this from the community's experience with Muse)

Having vets teach new players is impractical. The current tutorial isn't enough and I doubt a simple update would change anything. The best learning tools are videos but there are no accessible videos for this game. Search Guns of Icarus on Youtube and you'll find nothing but pubs guessing. There have been past attempts to make tutorials but in my view they're not practical. The best way to make tutorials accessible is to feature them in-game which would require approval from Muse
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Red-Xiii on January 13, 2016, 06:15:15 am
I'm really REALLY getting sick of this hand holding culture that just doesn't encourage people to step up and strive to improve.

I would typically agree with you, but this is a TEAM game... and one bad player effects EVERYBODY in the match, not just that new and/or bad player. If this were Mario Kart or Mortal Kombat, I'd say, "Screw you, if you're awful, that's on you. You're only losing for yourself." But Guns of Icarus is nothing like those games. A hand-holding culture is necessary to improve the game for EVERYBODY. You're being selfish, honestly. And that's fine. But don't expect the game to grow or the quality of the player base to rise. We're all in this together. Start acting like it and do some work. Otherwise, don't complain.

I point your point to the MOBA genre and tell me again if hand holding culture is necessary. The game is PVP, by nature the game is get good or gtfo.

Hell team sports in general. No one wants that short fat kid.

This is exactly the problem this thread was started on.  This isnt a moba.  PVP doesnt mean "git gud"  Its just the culture thats been created in other games.  This game should be ABOVE that.  Thats the point.  These statements youre making are toxic.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Dutch Vanya on January 13, 2016, 06:20:04 am
I'm really REALLY getting sick of this hand holding culture that just doesn't encourage people to step up and strive to improve.

I would typically agree with you, but this is a TEAM game... and one bad player effects EVERYBODY in the match, not just that new and/or bad player. If this were Mario Kart or Mortal Kombat, I'd say, "Screw you, if you're awful, that's on you. You're only losing for yourself." But Guns of Icarus is nothing like those games. A hand-holding culture is necessary to improve the game for EVERYBODY. You're being selfish, honestly. And that's fine. But don't expect the game to grow or the quality of the player base to rise. We're all in this together. Start acting like it and do some work. Otherwise, don't complain.

I point your point to the MOBA genre and tell me again if hand holding culture is necessary. The game is PVP, by nature the game is get good or gtfo.

Hell team sports in general. No one wants that short fat kid.

This is exactly the problem this thread was started on.  This isnt a moba.  PVP doesnt mean "git gud"  Its just the culture thats been created in other games.  This game should be ABOVE that.  Thats the point.  These statements youre making are toxic.
Just like every statement maximillion has ever made.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: nanoduckling on January 13, 2016, 08:52:33 am
I'll play with the polite short fat kid, I don't want the asshole be they short, tall, fat, thin, adolescent or adult.

Well, I  learned really quickly and was a great team player

I didn't learn quickly and I'm still a bloody awful engineer. I still follow orders though. This isn't about good vs. bad, except maybe for Ceres, who I think everyone can agree (including Ceres) is probably best not put with most novice players. This is about playing a cooperative multiplayer online game cooperatively.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: ZnC on January 13, 2016, 02:58:27 pm
This is about playing a cooperative multiplayer online game cooperatively.

Tis wisedom in this sentence.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 13, 2016, 04:15:55 pm
I'm really REALLY getting sick of this hand holding culture that just doesn't encourage people to step up and strive to improve.

I would typically agree with you, but this is a TEAM game... and one bad player effects EVERYBODY in the match, not just that new and/or bad player. If this were Mario Kart or Mortal Kombat, I'd say, "Screw you, if you're awful, that's on you. You're only losing for yourself." But Guns of Icarus is nothing like those games. A hand-holding culture is necessary to improve the game for EVERYBODY. You're being selfish, honestly. And that's fine. But don't expect the game to grow or the quality of the player base to rise. We're all in this together. Start acting like it and do some work. Otherwise, don't complain.

I point your point to the MOBA genre and tell me again if hand holding culture is necessary. The game is PVP, by nature the game is get good or gtfo.

Hell team sports in general. No one wants that short fat kid.

This is exactly the problem this thread was started on.  This isnt a moba.  PVP doesnt mean "git gud"  Its just the culture thats been created in other games.  This game should be ABOVE that.  Thats the point.  These statements youre making are toxic.
the moba genre is heavily team based and when a player drags the team down the people that need to pick up the slsck are frustrated by the handicap forced upon them.

if you are saying that feeling or scenario has never occurred on this game then you are a liar.


yes guns is not moba guess what. did goddamn say it is? just saying its not is just a weak sauce counter point to the obvious point I was making where guns has similar structures.

is this discussion going to be continued with blatant denial as a talking point?
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Red-Xiii on January 13, 2016, 04:53:59 pm
I'm really REALLY getting sick of this hand holding culture that just doesn't encourage people to step up and strive to improve.

I would typically agree with you, but this is a TEAM game... and one bad player effects EVERYBODY in the match, not just that new and/or bad player. If this were Mario Kart or Mortal Kombat, I'd say, "Screw you, if you're awful, that's on you. You're only losing for yourself." But Guns of Icarus is nothing like those games. A hand-holding culture is necessary to improve the game for EVERYBODY. You're being selfish, honestly. And that's fine. But don't expect the game to grow or the quality of the player base to rise. We're all in this together. Start acting like it and do some work. Otherwise, don't complain.

I point your point to the MOBA genre and tell me again if hand holding culture is necessary. The game is PVP, by nature the game is get good or gtfo.

Hell team sports in general. No one wants that short fat kid.

This is exactly the problem this thread was started on.  This isnt a moba.  PVP doesnt mean "git gud"  Its just the culture thats been created in other games.  This game should be ABOVE that.  Thats the point.  These statements youre making are toxic.
the moba genre is heavily team based and when a player drags the team down the people that need to pick up the slsck are frustrated by the handicap forced upon them.

if you are saying that feeling or scenario has never occurred on this game then you are a liar.


yes guns is not moba guess what. did goddamn say it is? just saying its not is just a weak sauce counter point to the obvious point I was making where guns has similar structures.

is this discussion going to be continued with blatant denial as a talking point?

Your very specific attitude towards this whole conversation is the ENTIRE issue.  The way novices are treated as crew and as a pilot does impact the longevity and amount of players in the game.  Whether you admit it or not.  That kind of attitude belongs only for the tournaments, or where you have something on the line.  I didnt wanna bring it up but you are forcing my hand here.  You Max, specifically, tear into novices from spectate mode.  You sit in lobbies and tell them in not so polite manner their ship sucks, their weopons sucks, the crews loadouts are all wrong, and then you magically jump to another lobby without so much a Q&A session so they understand why you are bitching at them.  You are solo killing the novices will by yourself.  Toxic.  You need a break from this game.  A long one. 
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hoja Lateralus on January 13, 2016, 05:34:38 pm
@up

(https://media.giphy.com/media/rzBUxFJm1EJ20/giphy.gif)
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on January 13, 2016, 05:37:09 pm
(http://persephonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/colbert-popcorn.gif)

Congrats for having more balls than I to say what should've been said quite some time ago.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Lu Lu on January 13, 2016, 07:11:11 pm
I must say that  I'm thoroughly disappointed in this community.  Rather than discuss the current issue at hand, we have delved into a completely different path.  Not only that, but instead of proposing ideas and solutions, we are just trying to find who's at fault.  Does it even matter at this point?!  Yes, people have different attitudes to different topics, but by this course of action, we are no closer than we were when we started at coming up with a solution.  So everyone, I beg you to just forget about this tangent and get back to the main issue.  How can we appropriately address novices who pilot/captain without the proper experience/knowledge.  Please everyone, we as a community are better than this.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 13, 2016, 07:42:52 pm
The thing is Luharis that the community has little confidence in Muse. From my experience Muse won't consider adding a restriction such as "minimum level requirements to pilot". The furthest they might go is requiring a tutorial or by first playing a few matches in novice mode or as a crew before captaining in pub matches. If anyone has good ideas within these limits send them to feedback@musegames.com

A better tutorial is on Muse's "list", but by their own admission it takes "at least 6 months" to implement those ideas (and a new tutorial isn't high up). If you have good ideas for a tutorial send them to feedback@musegames.com. You could try discussing here but this thread won't get back on topic
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Red-Xiii on January 13, 2016, 11:58:08 pm
This thread is not that far off topic.  People make this game the experience it is.  Any high level captain got there not just because they liked the game, but because they like the crew dynamics and how the wheel turns.  To continue that progression for novices, assist instead of killing their desire to learn.  Weve all had our share of trolls.  We are the ones who make the experience as a whole.  Its not the game developers job to assist with this.   Its ours.  If you want to. 
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 14, 2016, 02:28:01 am
We are the ones who make the experience as a whole.  Its not the game developers job to assist with this.   Its ours.  If you want to.

Only the devs can implement changes in the game. I've had hundreds of correspondences with three devs and have a pretty good idea of what they think

I hope that more of the community will share your attitude Dilley'B and Luharis, so keep posting your opinions. What should be done?
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hoja Lateralus on January 14, 2016, 03:45:00 am
We are the ones who make the experience as a whole.  Its not the game developers job to assist with this.   Its ours.  If you want to.

So again this is the case of "hurrdurr vets shouldn't play, they should teach noobs all day" vs "fuck that, I want to play the game as much as you do". If you have issues with one player then report him and/or write an email to Muse, if you try to say that all vets should help the novices... Perhaps they should. But they CAN'T be forced to that at the cost of their experience.

And it is at least in the high interest of developers to deal with it for plenty of reasons.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Atruejedi on January 14, 2016, 05:47:48 am
I hope that more of the community will share your attitude Dilley'B and Luharis, so keep posting your opinions. What should be done?

We are indeed the community and we reap what we sow. And today I just watered three seeds and applied bags and bags of fertilizer.

I just got finished with a couple of matches that were a WONDERFUL experience with and for three new players. Two of them were completely (just installed the game) new and they were with their ever-so-slightly more experienced friend. They joined at a very off-peak time (about 45 players online) and we (the lobby) arranged to have them fly all together on my ship. Before they joined, the lobby was pretty barren but adequately balanced... all I wanted was an all AI Flak Spire, but then I got stuck with living humans :P. But boy am I glad I did!

All of them were in the same room having a LAN party. One microphone. All talking to each other. All listening to me. We had a tour/pow-wow of our junker at the beginning of the match in the depths of Paritan Rumble, hiding in the fog for a brief lesson on basic ship layout and mechanics. We flew a symmetrical trifecta junker with a good ally against a good team. Gunner in the pit on gatlings, front engy on the Artemis and hull, top engy on main repair and the side flak guns for kills. They learned how to repair, how to load ammunition and what ammunition to use (and when to use it), what to aim at, how to hit the hull from below, how to hit the balloon from below... when to use a mallet and when to use a spanner... that everybody can hit things when red, but only one person can hit it when it's NOT red... what cooldown time was...

It was glorious. We squeaked out a 5 to 4 victory and I could hear them all through their sole microphone congratulating themselves, laughing, and cheering. They had a BLAST! It was inspiring! They said they'd been getting their asses kicked in a couple previous matches and suddenly, by being taught (and realizing they didn't have a clue how to play successfully), they WON! They were ecstatic.

We rematched. Paritan again. Sigh. We switched to a metamidion and I broke down all the duties I wanted from them on this no-longer-a-junker ship. Triple engy. Buff the engines. Run the engy circuit around the main deck. Hit the main engine from below. Chem the balloon. Pre-buff the gatling with normal ammo, then switch to greased for close range. Only fire the mortar when red and always use greased ammo. Again, against a good team and with a good ally, we squeaked out a 5 to 4 victory. I think they were in disbelief! Unfortunately, I had to call it a night, but I told them at what times many more players were online and that they were more than welcome to hunt me down and fly with or near me again, anytime.

To relate this heart-warming tale to the original post and the later themes of this thread: I love teaching. I was given knowledge by a good teacher (who is long gone... :-\) when I began the game and it made the experience enjoyable, so I stuck with it. Enjoyment results in player retention. I've been playing for almost three years now. I was overwhelmed when I began the game and knew flying a ship with no experience would get my (and my teams) ass(es) kicked. Guns of Icarus Online has a learning curve, but that curve isn't sharp. You just need to know where that bend is so you don't smash into a building (figuratively and literally). You shouldn't fly blind (almost literally). As a considerate person, I learned to engineer first. However, not everybody is nice, and not everybody cares about the experiences others have... there's a certain level of hubris in grabbing the helm immediately after you've installed the game. You deserve the lose, but your crew mates and team do not. So I've taught and I will continue to teach, and while I personally think veterans have the duty to teach new players, I understand that it shouldn't be a full-time job when playing the game. It can get exhausting, and sometimes you want to kick ass, take names, and that's it. I do tire of the endless train of nubs following me into almost every lobby... but it's kind of cute, too :-*.

So how can we help new players have good experiences if there aren't always going to be people willing to teach hanging around? Everybody says expanded tutorials. I agree, that's a step in the right direction. But where are these fabled tutorials? Muse has been talking about improved tutorials for, what, almost a year? Or longer? Goodness. If you want to grow the player base, that should be the absolute top priority. And they should be mandatory.

But they're not. So as a stop-gap measure (at the very least), I thought minimum levels would be a good idea. As I said in the original post, I thought attaining both level 8 engineer and level 8 gunner would be adequate, but then I also realized the amount of achievement hunting that happens and how quickly these players are leveling out of novices lobbies (when they're even available) and getting thrown into the real fights. Before the level cap increase, I was a level 12 pilot. After the change I was immediately level 45. I didn't understand why, but whatever. Point is, the level system doesn't seem to represent player experience (and therefore skill) anymore. Others proposed a minimum amount of matches played. I think that's a good complement to a minimum of levels attained. I think most of us would agree on something like level 3 engineer, level 3 gunner, and 25 or so matches played (these numbers can obviously be tweaked). I see now that locking players out of piloting outside of novices matches without achieving minimum levels actually isn't draconian... it isn't enough. More needs to be done.

I hope Muse appreciates this post, as I composed and proofread it over the course of 40 minutes to be as eloquent as possible. It would be nice to hear from them. There's obviously a problem. We all don't agree on how to fix it. But we have to try something.

As for my experience tonight, it was rejuvenating. I think I earned the player base some keepers. I can already see them poking up through the topsoil.

It'll be nice to watch them grow and blossom.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Pwni on January 14, 2016, 06:34:16 am
Hmm. While what atruejedi has proposed makes sense, will muse rectify this situation? Will they lock pilot class for novices and have them earn it? So many possible solutions ;). I do think that new players should check out the tutorial and go through it. They should also learn to engineer then gunner to learn the ship mechanics. I don't mind novice pilots. It's tough learning how to pilot. It's tough without a teacher or guidance. We all have ideas for a solution about it. But I think at present, we just have to guide new pilots and give them a few handy pointers about ship flight mechanics. Sure there will be several losses. That'll bum everyone out. Don't like it? Pilot yourself and show em how it's done.

But having players to unlock the pilot class would be pretty sweet. Maybe start engineer/gunner unlock pilot through achieving a fair level and amount of matches as suggested before. Get a certain amount of commendation. Maybe earn an achievement specific to each ship (on all the ships). Womp womp.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Lu Lu on January 14, 2016, 11:19:23 am
You know, I think we are hearing just too much from people on opposite ends of the spectrum here, but not enough from people caught in the middle.  Some people do enjoy teaching and love this new addition to our player base.  Some abhor teaching and despise the sudden surge of novices.  There are valid points and arguments on both sides.  However, only people on this ends of the spectrum seem to be posting. 

We need more people who are more moderate on this issue if we are to forge a lasting solution.  In my opinion, one of the biggest flaws with this game is the ease of both the tutorial and leveling up system.  It's just too easy.  Maybe instead of locking novices out of piloting we just make sure they learn the basics before they even try.

I propose locking each class initially and only allowing the engineer tutorial.  After completion of that tutorial, they unlock the engineer class, and the gunner tutorial.  After completion of a gunner tutorial, they unlock the gunner class, and pilot tutorial.  Rather than complain about their lack of experience, lets understand why there is a lack of experience.   This of course is just my opinion, I'm not going to say this is the only way to solve the problem, but I'd like to see more constructive posts addressing the issue.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 14, 2016, 11:35:00 am
I propose locking each class initially and only allowing the engineer tutorial.  After completion of that tutorial, they unlock the engineer class, and the gunner tutorial.  After completion of a gunner tutorial, they unlock the gunner class, and pilot tutorial.

This is a good idea. The issue from Muse's perspective is that there are groups of friends who want to get right into the game. Streamlined tutorials will help, but I'm not sure how effective they are. Personally I like video tutorials

I have "Teacher" status and can join novice matches. I occasionally join empty ships in ongoing matches and often turn them around. Novice matches can be slow and boring with players not sure what to do. The maps are big and long periods are spent looking for the enemies. Many matches don't finish and end simply by everyone leaving. The long range merc flak loadouts are completely ineffective and quad hwatchafish matches can end without a kill. Novice matches aren't the best place to learn
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Lu Lu on January 14, 2016, 11:55:48 am
I absolutely agree, this game is focused on team play, and of course we want groups of friends to jump in and have fun, but in reality, are couple short tutorials so devasting to new players?  I mean, if they do want to have fun, wouldn't be worth a 15-20 minute time sacrifice to learn how to play the game.  I'm very sure if novices knew how to play, even with a feeble understanding of game mechanics, it would alleviate lots of tension in the player base at the moment.  Instead of having to tell novices that carronade is meant to be shot at balloons, or that components have repair cooldowns, we could instead teach them about more useful things in game.  After all, if no one in a group of friends know how to play, we anyone have any fun on that ship?

While writing this, I just had an awesome idea, what if there were multiplayer versions of tutorials.  This way, groups of friends can still learn how to play the game, but will be together while doing so.  I think this would address the issue of friends who want to get right in game, whilst educating them on how to play the game.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Ightrril on January 14, 2016, 12:18:34 pm
When new players first start the game and hit "Play", unless they log out first, they are thrown into the basic tutorial which teaches the basics of engineering with spanner+mallet, shows the player around a Pyra, and gives some information on how ships actually die (using gat+flak as the example).

Locking any class behind matches or levels is unfair to new players (for reasons already mentioned) and almost certainly not going to happen.
Locking piloting out of novice is also one way but has its issues too (novice matches being very slow as mentioned by Blackened, also fairly often there are groups of new players playing with 1 more experienced friend who is out of novice but doesn't pilot themselves, that group could then have to be split).
Locking classes behind tutorials is probably the best option but it does add more time still before someone's first match (which already contains the matchmaking and lobby wait). If a group of new players are all playing with each other and a couple decide to change class then the others would be there waiting for this annoying compulsory tutorial to finish.

I think Muse want players, whether alone or playing with others, to be in matches having fun as soon as possible. It could be to give new players a good first impression of the game and encourage them to stick around, increasing the size of the playerbase. It is unfortunate that this can lead to matches being 'ruined' by a single pilot playing their first match but throwing people through more tutorials won't really solve that. If a player is going into their first matches with the mindset that they're playing "Shooting Airships of Icarus" or "Steampunk Flight of Icarus" instead of "Teamwork of Icarus" then that's going to affect how they play at the start.

In regards to guns not being used properly, on-screen tutorial text that appears the first time a player mounts the gun that explains what the gun does and is good against could be the solution. Repair cooldown should be covered in the basic tutorial (I'm not certain if it is or not).
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Lu Lu on January 14, 2016, 10:55:50 pm
So, I thought maybe before we proceed with the discussion, that a tally might be in order to see where everyone stands.

http://strawpoll.me/6540123

This may not be absolutely necessary, but I feel as though if we knew how many people thought what, it would give a better gauge on the issue at hand.

Please everyone, lets vote!  Though Muse probably won't change a thing, it'll be nice to see where we, the players, stand.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: DJ Logicalia on January 15, 2016, 01:05:38 am
That's not the main issue, though. The problem is that muse takes bloody ages to implement anything

Additionally, a couple pages back, I already stated that muse is actively working on an improved tutorial that they're going to make mandatory that will hopefully be in the next update.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: FranckM on January 15, 2016, 04:10:48 am
Any ideas when the next update going to be?
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: spoonninja on January 15, 2016, 10:07:19 pm
I wrote something super long but deleted it all. It was too long and sappy aha :P
Basically my long winded reply to Jedi was that if I was not taught by him and other players I would have never kept playing guns. I also wouldn't have been such a good pilot at a lower level unless I played engineer and gunner first. I believe having a level cap on Pilot would be beneficial to vets and novices. Learning what engineers are capable of and the arcs for guns is very integral for captaining that a lot of novices just never learn until later :-\
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on January 16, 2016, 02:25:07 pm
Engineering is the most important part of captaining. It tells you when you can engage, when to disengage, and the limits of you and your opponent's crews
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Squidslinger Gilder on January 21, 2016, 09:12:53 pm
Always think of this when thinking about doing any kind of noob training...

https://youtu.be/-mcUPY0RMdU
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on January 23, 2016, 03:08:47 pm
Always think of this when thinking about doing any kind of noob training...

https://youtu.be/-mcUPY0RMdU

no

(http://2static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Just+a+game_30b2d7_5604084.jpg)

this forever.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Atruejedi on February 05, 2016, 12:47:19 am
Sigh.

Yes, yes, Atruejed is back to whine again in public. It's cathartic. I've stuck with this game for years, loss after loss, frustration after frustration, humiliation after humiliation. It's my lot in life. It's my cross to bear. Bitching is the only thing that prevents me from forsaking this game for eternity. Tonight, I'd like to explore the Catch 22 of Guns of Icarus Online player retention.

Tonight, in a lobby which was stacked (purposely at times...) over and over again, I realized this stacking issue wouldn't be a problem if the community were bigger. I could just leave and find another match. But there were a mere 120 or so players online. I expressed my frustration with the situation. Another player said Muse cares more about Alliance because it will serve as a tutorial and will grow skirmish mode. I completely disagree with that notion. I think that's backwards. Alliance shouldn't grow skirmish. Skirmish should grow Alliance!

This game is wonderful (if not perfect, but that's okay!), but no one plays it, or keeps playing it. I have a Steam friends list of 218 people. Most of them are from Team Fortress 2. Yet 85 of them own Guns of Icarus Online. I've only added a HANDFUL of GOI players to my Steam friends list because of the awesome integrated GOI friends list. Maybe 15, tops. And YET!... a shit-ton of players own the game. Why don't they play it? Why do they try it once and quit, never to return? As I've already expressed, they quit because they have a bad time on their initial day and give up after getting stomped repeatedly. Their game losses are our community losses.

I've already expressed how I believe this situation should be addressed and fixed. Many of you weighted in... but Muse has said nothing, except more/better tutorials are coming. Shouldn't new/better tutorials be their TOP PRIORITY? Shouldn't growing their skirmish mode player base be paramount to the success of Alliance!? Am I crazy!? I know, I know, I've contemplated leaving the community before (and did for seven months in 2015)... but, again, I'm about to reach my tipping point. I sacrifice my own personal enjoyment/win-loss-ratio so new players can get a decent experience, but I'm (sadly) one of the few. I contributed to the GOI Steam Workshop, yet never gotten any feedback from the developers after four months. I'm so near giving up on this game. If Muse doesn't care, why should I? That's how it seems. But I don't want to give up. I'm inherently hopeful. And I remember "the good ol' days."

At this point, I just want Muse to... say something. To say anything. To reassure me they care about skirmish. To understand their priorities. Please tell me I'm not the only old-timey player who is EXTREMELY frustrated at this point... can we form a support group?
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on February 05, 2016, 04:10:04 am
skirmish should grow alliance...


you mean that baby mode for babies that easily destroyed by any middle tier vet on the highest difficulty? Skirmish should ready people... to play baby mode...
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Lu Lu on February 05, 2016, 08:16:56 am
Your not alone Jedi, It's really frustrating to see the errors and mistakes in the game go on unchecked without fixes.  I remember spectating a match, a 2 versus 2, where the highest level player on red team was 15, and the lowest level on blue was in the mid 30's.  It was an absolutely painful match to watch (i was giving commentary) and it made me realize something.  Regardless of how hard the newer players on red can try to win and learn, they cannot in any way hope to manage to counter the sheer experience gap.  The biggest problem with this game is the skill curve required for newer players to be successful.  Rather than trying to balance matches ourselves, we as a community, apparently relish in destroying newer players.  And we wonder why our player base is shrinking.  If we refuse to face reality and accept that as a community we must change, then i cannot see this game retaining a large enough player base to remain a fun game. It longer is enough for the occasional player or two to try to help newer players, we must as a whole try to balance out the game, or else, there may come a point in which there no longer is a game to be played.
Just my thoughts.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on February 05, 2016, 02:05:33 pm
Most games offer a single player that should be played first before multiplayer.

Single player gives people the chance to understand the basic mechanics and physics of the game.

I got wrecked when I first played this game. Over and over and over. But, I stuck to it and improved. It is a game with a steep learning curve, minimal reward incentive, and of competitive nature.

I constantly request to swap ships. I try to give advice. The majority of the time it does not work. Some people want to learn. Most people just want to go pew pew or fly.

Of course, I was in a phase before this game where I was playing DCS World consistently. I understood the pains and agonies of learning from mistakes and improving at a slow rate. Hell, I spent more time reading and analyzing than actually playing. I spent a great deal of time in single player mode after being slaughtered one too many times online. I learned the mechanics and physics. Then, when I went back online I was much better though I still had to learn tactics.

My point is, this game needs a single player so people can comfortably ease into getting their shit handed to them. It is a game that requires tactical knowledge, good reaction times, teamwork, and understanding of mechanics. All of this can be learned through single player / co-op and honed, adjusted, and advanced through versus mode.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Atruejedi on February 05, 2016, 02:40:46 pm
The game is on sale this weekend, so we'll be seeing a player bump for a few days. Does Muse have any plans to actually retain any of these novices? It's a revolving door... it honestly blows my mind they have developed no retention strategy.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: HamsterIV on February 05, 2016, 03:17:58 pm
We won't retain them, we can't. Guns of Icarus is like fencing. Outsiders can romanticize about the game based of a false idea of what it should be, but after being exposed to the reality most quit. Only a few people who try will stick with it long enough to get any good or develop a real understanding of the game. The rest will go back to something comfortable and familiar like football and Call of Duty.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on February 05, 2016, 03:26:10 pm
I feel like the real issue is there is no way to learn how to play properly.

No one wants to watch a tutorial. However, people will play against A.I without much grievance.

Script A.I to be able to fly. Introduce reward incentives for playing with bots. Done.

Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on February 05, 2016, 04:53:07 pm
Script A.I to be able to fly. Introduce reward incentives for playing with bots. Done.

1. Programming AI to move on 2-dimensional plain can be a pain in the ass at times (2 dimensional - actors move only on certain "floor" or however you call the said plain, even in 3D game), and you want them to code AI controlling an entity and progressing it throug 3-DIMENSIONAL SPACE.
#NotGonnaHappen

2. Oh, yeah. I want to see all those players having excuse to tell other players to fuck off off their ship because #IWannaPlayWithBots.

Also, #HashtagsToEmphasiseHowRetardedThisLookInMyEyes.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hilary Briss on February 05, 2016, 05:00:32 pm
The game is on sale this weekend, so we'll be seeing a player bump for a few days. Does Muse have any plans to actually retain any of these novices? It's a revolving door... it honestly blows my mind they have developed no retention strategy.

I did my 5 hour stint today teaching and so on. I shall be doing the same tomorrow and Sunday. Does it make any difference in retaining player numbers.... Not really, maybe a few here and there. I spend more time teaching than stomping. Even scrub crew who join get an investment off me, do this do that, we all know it is par for the course. The only downside is the payback is rarely if ever there.

You can clan them, make them feel really special and so on. But again it makes little to no difference. I can count the number of players that have stayed to play occasionally over the sheer number of players i have taught only for the never to return. That is one heck of a failed investment.

The game is too hard for the snowflakes. When i first started i was told to uninstall amongst other nice insults. Something i never do. Hell my crew can rage quit if teaching them but i wont.

Players level up far too quickly now and have little to show for their levels. Most decent players or veterans always end up carrying the scrub allies. After lets not forget wasting 5-10 minutes explaining to the Snowflakes what a spanner is for in the lobby.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: DJ Logicalia on February 05, 2016, 05:21:28 pm
The retention rate to obscenely low. I remember Howard posted some stats a while back about play times. If I remember correctly, the average play time was 14hrs which doesn't sound too bad, but then you see that the median play time is something like 3 or 4 hours. The numbers are totally thrown off by vets and their 4 digit play times. The vast (seriously vast) majority of new players play for a bit and then stop playing.

If I'm honest, I think the game is too hard. It has a high skill cap and a high skill floor. It takes so long to learn the game enough to be just good enough to play it correctly. People don't want to stick around unless they have a desire to work at it, and most people just want to play for fun and not bother with all the nuances of GoI, anD then they get crushed and have a bad time, and they never play again. I have no idea how to fix it, but I do believe this is the major problem
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Atruejedi on February 05, 2016, 05:55:47 pm
The retention rate to obscenely low. I remember Howard posted some stats a while back about play times. If I remember correctly, the average play time was 14hrs which doesn't sound too bad, but then you see that the median play time is something like 3 or 4 hours. The numbers are totally thrown off by vets and their 4 digit play times. The vast (seriously vast) majority of new players play for a bit and then stop playing.

I brought this up today in the dev fireside chat. Howard did indeed state that the "typical" player plays for like 4 hours and then disappears because lots of people decide the game "just isn't for them." He seemed okay with that, which baffled me! The game is great, but he seems to think it's a niche title! I'm sure it IS a niche title, but it's the best damn team game I've ever played! And people ENJOY the rewards of a good match! That's what keeps me coming back!

The problem isn't that the game is too hard or too complicated... though I will concede that there is a high skill ceiling and floor... it's that no one plays it because they don't know how to succeed. If the size of the player base increased, there would be more matches in which new players could experiment and learn the basics and then have better experiences. But therein enters the Catch 22: we need a bigger player base to keep people playing, but we need people to keep playing to expand the player base...
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on February 05, 2016, 09:18:41 pm
Script A.I to be able to fly. Introduce reward incentives for playing with bots. Done.

1. Programming AI to move on 2-dimensional plain can be a pain in the ass at times (2 dimensional - actors move only on certain "floor" or however you call the said plain, even in 3D game), and you want them to code AI controlling an entity and progressing it throug 3-DIMENSIONAL SPACE.
#NotGonnaHappen

2. Oh, yeah. I want to see all those players having excuse to tell other players to fuck off off their ship because #IWannaPlayWithBots.

Also, #HashtagsToEmphasiseHowRetardedThisLookInMyEyes.

1. create a point that the a.i float to.

2. it is a bot match. No human players involved. Same thing as practice.

Also, you're a dick.

p.s: please see DCS World for the shear amount of possibilities and hardships that A.I can create in a 3-dimensional space.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on February 06, 2016, 02:20:19 am
Script A.I to be able to fly. Introduce reward incentives for playing with bots. Done.

1. Programming AI to move on 2-dimensional plain can be a pain in the ass at times (2 dimensional - actors move only on certain "floor" or however you call the said plain, even in 3D game), and you want them to code AI controlling an entity and progressing it throug 3-DIMENSIONAL SPACE.
#NotGonnaHappen

2. Oh, yeah. I want to see all those players having excuse to tell other players to fuck off off their ship because #IWannaPlayWithBots.

Also, #HashtagsToEmphasiseHowRetardedThisLookInMyEyes.

1. create a point that the a.i float to.

2. it is a bot match. No human players involved. Same thing as practice.

Also, you're a dick.

p.s: please see DCS World for the shear amount of possibilities and hardships that A.I can create in a 3-dimensional space.

1. ...this is a little bit more difficult than that if you want to make an enjoyable experience.

2. Ok, you've got a point there. I misunderstood the concept, taking back my words.

Also, thank you, I'm trying my best.

p.s: We are talking about two different things. You are talking about how great the concept is, while I do not contradict that - I only say it's a pain in the ass.

PS: Also, what did you expect me to understand from a statement like this:

Quote
Script A.I to be able to fly. Introduce reward incentives for playing with bots. Done.

People don't usually own crystal balls nor possess clairvoyance enough to see what do you mean if you do not express it properly. And by properly, I mean: elaborate enough to avoid misunderstanding and general dickery.
Cheers.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on February 06, 2016, 03:15:08 am
You could have asked for more elaboration if you did not understand.

I do not understand programming. I dont know how hard it would be to do. I do know its been done before. I do know its possible. If tbey can create this entire game im sure they could make semi competent ai to float around.

It does not have to be overly complicated. BF2 had a.i fly. They flew routes and attacked targets. They seemed dynamic because of their response to targets but it was fluff. They just flew a preset pattern and attacked when somethig was there.

You dont realize how much i would personally enjoy bot matches. Sometimes i just wanna practice basic stuff on real targets.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on February 06, 2016, 06:00:14 am
You could have asked for more elaboration if you did not understand.

I did understand what I did understand, that's my point. I didn't even had a clue, that's my only point, sorry if I got too harsh on words. Stuff like this just piss the everliving hell out of me.

Quote
I do not understand programming. I dont know how hard it would be to do. I do know its been done before. I do know its possible. If tbey can create this entire game im sure they could make semi competent ai to float around.

No worries, most people don't unless they really have to write some complicated, big chunk of code, which requires to be functional both in terms of doing certain job and - perhaps - possible to reused and understandable, clean for others. I actually don't know how regular AI works in GOI - I presume it's based on path nodes aboard the ship, and list of critical sections (parts/guns) with a heuristic - way of assesing priorities - to choose from when in action.

If that's the case, this not VERY complicated model for AI handling. The only problem is, that's only good in cases where you can simplify a scene to a plain, and that's the case of the ship, because all the path nodes can be placed on the said plain, and when assesing the priorities AI calculates the route to current highest priority using path-nodes, processing only points on plain.

To append it to 3-dimensional task of piloting, you'd probably have to either rewrite it from scratch, if the code is shit, or get a headache reconstructing classes to make it functional - and by that I mean not causing utter mess in existing code. The third option, adding fuckload path nodes for ships is, I presume, out of question.

Notice I mostly speak about algorithms here, I don't know the implementation they have. Also I'm not an expert, I have an experience - to a degree - in simple AI coding and much more in having my ass bitten by messy shitcode (which taught me enough to improve it ever since).

Also, the matter is whether they can allow themselves to invest time, due to aforementioned reasoning, for implementing such AI, because as I said - it might be a real pain in the ass.

Quote
It does not have to be overly complicated. BF2 had a.i fly. They flew routes and attacked targets. They seemed dynamic because of their response to targets but it was fluff. They just flew a preset pattern and attacked when somethig was there.

I see. I'm not entirely sure how it would work in skirmish though. This game have... a little different approach.

Quote
You dont realize how much i would personally enjoy bot matches. Sometimes i just wanna practice basic stuff on real targets.

Don't assume I don't, would you kindly. Bot matches, and by those I mean - 4 captains in a lobby only, are very enjoyable and are test to your skills. Almost everyone can get away with most atrocious decisions with highly skilled and experienced crew, flying with AIs only may prove a nice challenge.


Sudden realisation: As far as I know they have some sort of flying AI in Alliance... I actually wonder how it works, and if that's possible to implement in skirmish, or is it not possible for whatever reason...
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hoja Lateralus on February 06, 2016, 11:45:15 pm
If I'm honest, I think the game is too hard. It has a high skill cap and a high skill floor. It takes so long to learn the game enough to be just good enough to play it correctly. People don't want to stick around unless they have a desire to work at it, and most people just want to play for fun and not bother with all the nuances of GoI, anD then they get crushed and have a bad time, and they never play again. I have no idea how to fix it, but I do believe this is the major problem

You know what other games are hard to get any good? Counter Strike, Dota, Starcraft... You're getting my point?
I've said it before but I can say it again - GOIO is "hard" in a way*, but isn't the problem. The problem is that it can't offer enough for its hardness. GOIO is just not that appealing gameplay-wise. And I'm not even talking like from high horse about the "pro mlg 720 lgbt qwerty" crowd, but even the regular people. Most times when I go back to GOIO I feel I could've been having more fun with other games at that moment.
Also, there is much waiting involved, and I'm not even talking about the lobbies. Let me provide an example:

A) Good design (Rocket League):
I turn on the game
4 seconds of logos
Menu, I press "enter" 3 times and I'm in queue
Usually in match (including loading) within 40-60 sec from desktop.
B) Well... GOIO:
I turn on the game
fucking loader, CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK
logos, ESCAPE ESCAPE ESCAPE ESCAPE ESCAPE
phew, menu, two clicks and in queue
[elevator music]
[lobby time, I don't even mind]
And theeeeeeeeen I have to wait (almost always) a whole minute for map load.
Finally, match.

So yeah, people just get bored. We all hate those "c'mon guyz rdy up m9" kind of guys, BUT THEY DO HAVE A POINT, DON'T THEY?

GOIO has this unique mechanic relying on teamwork and truly being a part of bigger machine. It is unique but I think it doesn't let create good stories. We all know that one damn clutch feeling from CS:GO or that pentakill from LoL, but GOIO don't have any stories to create and/or tell really. "I've managed to hit the hull in the last moment" doesn't count as a story.

Also, just saying "program AI pilots" is so easy, isn't it? But we know how Muse works and we've been through much more important issues with much easier fixes not being dealt with, so we know that this kind of project is not going to happen. Perhaps it 'potentially' could if it was just ready code from Alliance (and there are 'some' kind of ships piloted in some way by AI) to put in Skirmnish, but making that from scratch? Damn, son.

*IMO "hard" isn't the best word, I'd say it's overcomplicated at the beginning, when you are supposed to learn like 8 types of ammo at instant but then you figure that for every weapon there are no choices, just 2-3 types that 'do something'
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on February 07, 2016, 05:26:26 am
GOIO has this unique mechanic relying on teamwork and truly being a part of bigger machine. It is unique but I think it doesn't let create good stories. We all know that one damn clutch feeling from CS:GO or that pentakill from LoL, but GOIO don't have any stories to create and/or tell really. "I've managed to hit the hull in the last moment" doesn't count as a story.

Because you are an old, grumpy fuck, my friend. :D

Although there are rarely any possibilities for GOIO to have such moments, when they finally happen, they're just fucking glorious - I for example still have kind memories for the last match I played before exam campaign, the one against Admiral Obvious and Atruejedi. Or I still remember my first won match as a captain, and how wonderful my crew was. Or moments like kicking some really good captain's arse with bunch of low level guys you trained from the very beginning.

So yeah, I believe it's the matter of perspective, though understandable - the "older" you become in this game, the less glorious things seem to be.


The only stories I had with CS:GO can be encapsulated in two words: "cyka blyat", or "Jebałem twoją matkę", said by some fucking retarded 10 years old cuntfaces. The only match I git gud, and I carried a team, and I was supposed to feel good - I was utterly LIVID. It was PATHETIC.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on February 07, 2016, 09:48:05 am
This game is labeled as a simulator. That means studying and learning by reading, asking questions, analyzing, and observing. Simulators do not attract huge audiences. That is the reality of it.


Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: DJ Logicalia on February 07, 2016, 05:12:36 pm
This game is labeled as a simulator. That means studying and learning by reading, asking questions, analyzing, and observing. Simulators do not attract huge audiences. That is the reality of it.
What? A) I've never seen or heard of GoI being labeled as a simulator, and B. Simulators are pretty popular right now.

Also, what?
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on February 07, 2016, 09:45:52 pm
Yea, You're right.

I have no real point. I just try to find excuses why this game has few consistent players. My excuse was the typical "its a niche game" disguised with other words.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: -Anakin- on February 08, 2016, 08:57:16 am
There's already AI designed to fly goio ships and it's actively at work in alliance, just sayin'
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: MightyKeb on February 08, 2016, 11:41:00 am
Here's the problem I see with AI pilots: In alliance, you always have some sort of objective. Deliver this, kill that, etc, and AI spawns and reacts accordingly assuming you attempt to complete these actions, because if you suddenly decide not to then that's an easy win for them.


In skirmish, specifically in deathmatch, you fight to kill specific ships that are alive, conscious and can constantly adapt to new strategies. Anything can happen at anytime and anywhere, and the amount of situations is simply impossible for a human to completely record into an AI's programming. It sounds like a workable option in Crazy King and even useful if AI were given the ability to calculate whether or not they need to go for the point or move on to the next one, but in Skirmish I think the closest one could get to the implementation of AI pilots is to give their ally the ability control them similarly to how you can control AIs with F1-3 and voice commands. You could have them charge at an opponent, sit by in their position, follow you, and some other basic stuff, and the reason why this would work better than the simple idea of AI flying around by themselves in skirmish is because at it's core, the control is still at the player, and the player is an evolving being who is able to evalulate countermeasures to all sorts of situations, it just has to face it once.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Kamoba on February 10, 2016, 07:46:57 pm
I'm unsure where I sit with this idea...

Novice players taking the helm without even having done the tutorial is a bug enough problem by itself to merit something being looked at being done, let alone the volume of players who have done the tutorial but still go into a match and rage quit after first death... (Which happens very often, I've not had a day yet where there was not at least one novice lobby where I could take the helm of an abandoned ship...)

However many people join the game to fly ships, it seems a bit unfair on those people...

And and I think if any restriction were to come, it should only be engineer related restriction....

In no way is there any need to encourage people to take gunners instead of engineer... We don't need anymore double gunner trolls than we already have...
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Giersdorf on February 14, 2016, 09:58:27 pm
I'm new and I have done the tutorial, I am no where near the ability needed to fly effectively yet. I believe there are some achievements that involve having a novice as a captain so this may not work as easily as one would think. I could get behind this idea but there would have to be some sort of thing to turn it off in your lobby.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BobDoleReigns on March 03, 2016, 12:24:33 am
Bamp

This is getting out of hand... muse you have created a unique monster- literally this game is being ruined by new players.

also mandatory tutorial- "I know what i'm doing this is like tf2 on boats"- said not more than 5 minutes ago
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Atruejedi on March 03, 2016, 05:18:28 am
I need to rant. This is my safe place.

I'm so tired of teaching in this game. Because I actually CARE about this game, I'm compelled to teach new players whenever they're willing to listen... no matter how god damn awful and ignorant they are... but the problem is I AM TEACHING THEM THE MOST BASIC AND RUDIMENTARY MECHANICS OF THIS GAME OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I am tired of it! Where are the tutorials, Muse! Where!? I'm at my wit's end. Seriously. I am tired of losing games over and over again as I try to foster and improve the player base when, to me, it appears that Muse barely cares about expanding and growing and maintaining the community. The player base should be the absolute priority in this game... and I increasingly am asking myself why I care to help this game when others, including the developers, care so much less, if at all.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Kamoba on March 03, 2016, 05:39:25 am
I need to rant. This is my safe place.

I'm so tired of teaching in this game. Because I actually CARE about this game, I'm compelled to teach new players whenever they're willing to listen... no matter how god damn awful and ignorant they are... but the problem is I AM TEACHING THEM THE MOST BASIC AND RUDIMENTARY MECHANICS OF THIS GAME OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I am tired of it! Where are the tutorials, Muse! Where!? I'm at my wit's end. Seriously. I am tired of losing games over and over again as I try to foster and improve the player base when, to me, it appears that Muse barely cares about expanding and growing and maintaining the community. The player base should be the absolute priority in this game... and I increasingly am asking myself why I care to help this game when others, including the developers, care so much less, if at all.


Please let me be the first to say: Welcome to the life of a vet.

It is in part lack of tutorials, but mostly it is the fault of the individuals or just the time it takes to get used to things for the learning process, and quite common after this amount of time after a sale is the painful time...
Where every lobby will have one novice pilot trying to learn and three vets trying to teach...
It becomes a game of "swap the stomp on rematch" or "Hey Kamoba is a CA! We can swap ships with the Novice guy and stack against Kamoba repeatedly for a fuck tonne of wins! It's his job as CA after all." (Yes genuine occurance.)
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: GeoRmr on March 03, 2016, 08:29:32 am
Quote
"Hey Kamoba is a CA! We can swap ships with the Novice guy and stack against Kamoba repeatedly for a fuck tonne of wins! It's his job as CA after all." (Yes genuine occurance.)

Did you not know what you were signing up for when you applied to be CA?  :P
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Kamoba on March 03, 2016, 09:14:39 am
Quote
"Hey Kamoba is a CA! We can swap ships with the Novice guy and stack against Kamoba repeatedly for a fuck tonne of wins! It's his job as CA after all." (Yes genuine occurance.)

Well I do now!
*Cries in the corner of a dimly lit room.*

Did you not know what you were signing up for when you applied to be CA?  :P
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: ZnC on March 03, 2016, 04:11:53 pm
I'm now of the stand that the Pilot - the most important role in the game - should be non-novice in non-novice games.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Atruejedi on March 03, 2016, 06:04:30 pm
The developer games just ended for today. The second and third game in particular stand out...

In the second game, each team had experienced captains and crews EXCEPT Blue, who had a level 7 pilot level 1 engineer in charge. Want to guess the results? A horrifying 7 to 0 blowout.

In the third game, he left and I took his position. We had an amazingly tight 7 to 6 game, where Howard clearly enjoyed himself and thought it was a great game.

Muse knows there is a problem with crap pilots. So why not fix the issue? This is absurd.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: GeoRmr on March 03, 2016, 06:07:37 pm
I'm now of the stand that the Pilot - the most important role in the game - should be non-novice in non-novice games.

I support this.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Kamoba on March 03, 2016, 07:05:32 pm
I'm now of the stand that the Pilot - the most important role in the game - should be non-novice in non-novice games.

After the bullshit lobbies of yesterday, the intentional stacks and "pass the novice" lobby games, I agree.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on March 03, 2016, 09:54:51 pm
I teach by consequence now.

When something bad happens I trace the exact source and point out every choice made by new player that resulted in the outcome.

They make excuses, shift the blame, but what I  say are undeniable facts. Add the fact that I have the footage to directly refer to afterwards make transparency kind of a thing.

If there's one thing you need to know scrubs, learn one thing. You can't lie to a veteran. We don't need to actually look at you to know what you are and aren't doing. The game itself tells us everything.

e.g. if an engine get hurts. I KNOW it only takes 1 mallet hit to bring it back up to full functionality and max 5 seconds to get to it if your role is the main and in ready position). You can't bullshit that you were busy because I can see nothing else was hurt. Hence you were dicking around somewhere else (prolly on a gun). And as the consequence of that unfixed engines begins to snowball to our death (can't stabilise the arc nor reliably dodge, and hence more crap gets broken until we eventually die). I will put out the exact cause was that one screw up. Because it was.

Never lie to vet, don't be such brat and shift blame to your own screw up, take the blame, learn the lesson and keep going until you eventually get it right.

High level players don't destroy scrubs in seconds with excuses. They do it with facts, knowledge (different to facts within context) and experience.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on March 03, 2016, 10:39:38 pm
Cold bro. I wouldn't wanna be the kid trying to escape the humiliation of your wrath by swearing that I had repaired your engine... I recommend using a mouse so you can better see and direct your crew
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on March 04, 2016, 05:07:17 am
Cold bro. I wouldn't wanna be the kid trying to escape the humiliation of your wrath by swearing that I had repaired your engine... I recommend using a mouse so you can better see and direct your crew


I remember there was a picture of someone squeezing out a lemon on a burn.
I can't find it, but it would fit.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Lu Lu on March 05, 2016, 06:26:15 am
Well, do the ends really justify the means here? 

I get that people are sick of novices, and i understand that its a problem, but why is every solution we come up with, every idea we propose, go back to the idea that novices are terrible people with the intent the screw everyone over.

Now, I'm not sure how much sway my word will have here, as I'm far lower level than other's who are posting on this thread. but i do wish to caution everyone.  The last thing this game needs is a Vet elitism to counter novice ignorance.

Just my thoughts.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Newbluud on March 05, 2016, 07:01:32 am
Well, do the ends really justify the means here? 

I get that people are sick of novices, and i understand that its a problem, but why is every solution we come up with, every idea we propose, go back to the idea that novices are terrible people with the intent the screw everyone over.

Now, I'm not sure how much sway my word will have here, as I'm far lower level than other's who are posting on this thread. but i do wish to caution everyone.  The last thing this game needs is a Vet elitism to counter novice ignorance.

Just my thoughts.
Novices are incredibly frustrating, and jokes about them are funny in my book. Some of them are toxic to boot.

However, I agree with you. This game is hard to keep up with when you are new and once you have a couple of thousand matches, so many things become second nature that explaining things to new people seems like we are making simple requests to us, but said requests are hard to keep track of for someone who is also trying to enjoy a new game. I also think the novice hate makes this community distinctly less "great" than it professes to be.

That being said, I'm not saint. I tend to explain mistakes they made and keep my frustration bottled up. Far too often I see terrible sportsmanship and outright maliciousness from vets that should know better. I suppose it's unavoidable in a game so reliant on a team to work together.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Kamoba on March 05, 2016, 08:53:55 am
Well, do the ends really justify the means here? 

I get that people are sick of novices, and i understand that its a problem, but why is every solution we come up with, every idea we propose, go back to the idea that novices are terrible people with the intent the screw everyone over.

Now, I'm not sure how much sway my word will have here, as I'm far lower level than other's who are posting on this thread. but i do wish to caution everyone.  The last thing this game needs is a Vet elitism to counter novice ignorance.

Just my thoughts.

Your level does not effect your opinion on this, and I believe your opinion on this can be a real eye opener, at least it is for me..

Yes Novices can be frustrating, but equally if we create barriers and restrictions it'll do more damage to player retention than it would help...
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: The Djinn on March 05, 2016, 09:18:44 am
Yes Novices can be frustrating, but equally if we create barriers and restrictions it'll do more damage to player retention than it would help...

Agreed.

On the specific subject of this thread -- I'd have never gotten into this game in the first place if I had been restricted from piloting. Gunning and Engineering are fun and all, but I find piloting is where my interests lie, and the role that brings gameplay I can't get elsewhere. It was the role that cemented GoI as a game I'd like to keep playing.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Red-Xiii on March 05, 2016, 01:44:18 pm
Yes Novices can be frustrating, but equally if we create barriers and restrictions it'll do more damage to player retention than it would help...

Agreed.

On the specific subject of this thread -- I'd have never gotten into this game in the first place if I had been restricted from piloting. Gunning and Engineering are fun and all, but I find piloting is where my interests lie, and the role that brings gameplay I can't get elsewhere. It was the role that cemented GoI as a game I'd like to keep playing.

I was one "bitching" captain away from quitting this game early on.  I was going to try one more match.  The ONLY thing that kept me around was [SAC] Gully Man.  He made it quite obvious that not all captains are assholes and can actually teach.  From then on I decided to ignore the ranting vets and learn on my own and  from the helpful pilots.  Alot of novices are not so lucky as I. 
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hoja Lateralus on March 06, 2016, 12:48:37 pm
I'm so tired of teaching in this game. Because I actually CARE about this game, I'm compelled to teach new players whenever they're willing to listen... no matter how god damn awful and ignorant they are... but the problem is I AM TEACHING THEM THE MOST BASIC AND RUDIMENTARY MECHANICS OF THIS GAME OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I am tired of it! Where are the tutorials, Muse! Where!? I'm at my wit's end. Seriously. I am tired of losing games over and over again as I try to foster and improve the player base when, to me, it appears that Muse barely cares about expanding and growing and maintaining the community. The player base should be the absolute priority in this game... and I increasingly am asking myself why I care to help this game when others, including the developers, care so much less, if at all.

Please let me be the first to say: Welcome to the life of a vet.

This. <3
I was so proud to watch Kamoba grow from naive idealist CA to a true man; a sarky, bitter vet. Now we can welcome truejedi as a member of our fucked-up patchwork family.

inb4 you are literally Hitler becuase you don't want to teach players, you don't care about the game, yadda yadda yadda, lgbt, yadda yadda, gluten, yadda, elitist shitlord. Yadda.

I have very mixed feelings. Because on one hand, devs are great, you can talk to them during fireside, you can mail them and discuss the game and even you can kick their asses in their own game if you manage. They are very nice people with, in some ways at least, very good approach. On the other hand I think they have overestimated their capabilities and resources and taking care of Alliance and Skirmnish (also remembering about the money) is just too much for them; it ends up with neglecting Skirmnish. I feel that just because there is very crystalised hardcore vet community of people who will simply play GOIO (almost) no matter what - devs take vets (and players) for granted. As if they don't feel the need to lure in some new players; if some people will stay after sales - good, if not - meh, we still have vet community.

There is also a great ideological division, I'd say. There is "vets should help new players" camp and there is "fuck off and let me play like a regular player" camp.

To leave the domain of my feelings and enter the domain of meritoric discussion, this is no easy problem to solve. Becuase for now it's just vicious circle:
0. Playerbase is low
1. New players enter the game
2. They learn based on bad tutorials, or they don't learn at all
3. Because of point 0 they end up playing with vets
4. Vets are pissed
5. Noobs are pissed
6. Some vets leave
7. Most noobs leave
8. Sale, go back to the point 0.
And this is of course the tip of the iceberg which is the gameplay problem of players not wanting to stay for longer than those 500 matches (this is very loose border, some could argue that this may be even 400 or 300 matches). And no, this cannot be argued by the "oh well, goio just isn't for everyone" or "well we're so indie". No, every sale we see big players influx (up to 4k simultaniously playing in one sale) and than gradual decline of playerbase back to the veteran backbone. You can ask many dedicated players and many of them will give you various answers for why it may be happening - some will point out small amount of content, some the optimalisation issues (playing on 20fps is a huge turn-off, I know what I'm talking about, and funny thing is devs don't seem to care, hence "800x600 20fps = playable, also 2015" joke), some the small tactical variety (8 ammo types but every gun has 1-2 valid options), some the dull gameplay (because hitting things with mallet isn't that exciting for most of people) and some other problems which I may not have included here. The problem of noobs is the problem of vets being forced to play with noobs over and over and over again, because most of them leave anyway, so the teaching and the frustration of both sides starts again. Teaching noobs is Sisyphus's work. There are many who tried to actually dedicate their time to teach new players (the most notable example would be nanoduckling I think, and some if not most CA's/teachers) - and they soon enough reach their limit and snap. All I've written in this post is common knowledge among vets, I think, but perhaps not among the devs.

So, to sum up somehow, we're in stalemate. Devs don't have the will and/or resources to make the game better in significant enough way. They are trying, yes, but there is only so much they can do. And we, vets,  will keep playing, making our way through for SOME pleasant experience, through the power of Block and Report.

Edit: I understand that devs have decided on a crazy gambit, that their new game is going to be so WOW, so exciting, so great that all of the current fanbase will buy it immediately and new people will appear in both Alliance and Skirmnish. Sorry to put it that way but wasn't GOIO supposed to be such a good game too? When Alliance is going to be released, 2018? 2019? Is there going to be enough playerbase left to actually care? Or is it some kind of darwinist nightmare, weak individuals must perish and the Brave New World of GOIO Alliance will be born? :D Will some of us be the Moseses of GOIO - we will see the Promised Land but not enter it?
The point is - will the remaining playerbase survive until Alliance is released and, hopefully, save this game?
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: The Djinn on March 06, 2016, 03:16:14 pm
Mr.Disaster I hope Alliance brings in great things and great players for Skirmish...but as someone who isn't especially interested in Alliance as a game mode, I'm not super convinced it's the solution, as I suspect it may just fragment the playerbase more.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hoja Lateralus on March 06, 2016, 04:01:40 pm
Mr.Disaster I hope Alliance brings in great things and great players for Skirmish...but as someone who isn't especially interested in Alliance as a game mode, I'm not super convinced it's the solution, as I suspect it may just fragment the playerbase more.

Yeah, that's a whole new problem. Since GOIO is a multiplayer only game you can say that it's developer's responsibility* to the customer to provide a playerbase to play with, usually via content updates/add-ons, community support (events, tournaments), marketing and pricing. Nowadays developer, especially for multiplayer games, is expected (although not really obliged) to provide extra content after the game release, for how long - it depends on the game and developer, but either for as long to fit production cycle (i.e. until release of the new game, like in BF or CoD series, although those games have also single player functionality) or as long as possible to maintain profits.
So you can wonder whether you see GOIO as a complete game that doesn't require often updates, many people will argue otherwise, especially given very low playerbase (and some of the supposed reasons for it).
For players who only have Skirmish this may seem like a bad developer practice - to neglect** current game (that at least for some players still requires attention and new content, delicately speaking) in order to start and run a new project (that they can earn money*** from). Especially given some desperate calls on the forum in the spirit of "We can pay you, but please do some additional content!".
Interesting example for instance is the fact stated by one of the devs, that money coming from skirmnish shop is enough to pay for the art team. But that art team isn't really working on skirmnish stuff, but mostly on Alliance stuff. Of course the developers can do whatever they want with their money, of course... but given the state of the game skirmnish-only players may not be happy with such state of affairs****.
I don't want to be over-negative because I truly believe that Muse are trying to be as fair- and work as hard as they can, but they are the ones who have put themselves and us in such situation.
I also realise that the point of Alliance isn't some people out of the Moon, but us, GOIO fanbase, but many of us***** have chosen not to buy Alliance for various reasons, and those people have only lost from this, although you may argue that such situation is unavoidable one way or another.

* Yes, fellas, this is a responsibility of the DEVELOPER, not player, not vet, developer.

** Because I think most of us feels that Skirmish is neglected in order to enable working on Alliance

*** We have good reasons to believe that Muse Games are good guys, I am not accusing them of anything, just showing how it may look from the distance

**** cough MAPS cough

***** I'm not in this group, but I don't care for Alliance that much at the moment
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: ZnC on March 06, 2016, 04:21:26 pm
ANYWAY.

I wanted to give an update. On Fireside they said matchmaker will restrict novices from searching as a pilot.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: The Djinn on March 06, 2016, 04:47:10 pm
ANYWAY.

I wanted to give an update. On Fireside they said matchmaker will restrict novices from searching as a pilot.

Urgh. That would really upset me if I were a novice pilot.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on March 06, 2016, 05:00:54 pm
I wanted to give an update. On Fireside they said matchmaker will restrict novices from searching as a pilot.

Urgh. That would really upset me if I were a novice pilot.

They're still free to play novice matches
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: The Djinn on March 06, 2016, 05:02:08 pm
I wanted to give an update. On Fireside they said matchmaker will restrict novices from searching as a pilot.

Urgh. That would really upset me if I were a novice pilot.

They're still free to play novice matches

Ah. Good point. Honestly forgot about those. Concern averted.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: ZnC on March 06, 2016, 05:06:52 pm
Novice pilots can also still crew form and search normal matches as a pilot, or swap to the pilot slot in lobby.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Kamoba on March 06, 2016, 06:51:40 pm
Assuming MM does not put them in normal lobby X time in queue...
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on March 07, 2016, 07:36:14 am
Because as we all know ALL HAIL MATCHMAKER.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Kamoba on March 07, 2016, 08:02:14 am
Because as we all know ALL HAIL MATCHMAKER.
*Salutes.*
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Jamini on March 07, 2016, 10:46:00 am
I actually enjoy flying with novice captains.

For one, the "Novice Partnership" achievements have a category for flying with a novice captain.
Not to mention that games with one or more novice captains allows crews to safely experiment/practice with non-meta weapons and equipment load-outs without utterly crippling their team or throwing the game.
Finally, running with a good novice (or several) on your team is a fairly easy way to get in your underdog games/wins.

Quite frankly, what I've found matters more than experience is how well a crew meshes in personality and play-style. You get jerks and assholes at all levels. A victory with a jerk level 45 captain can be an absolutely miserable experience, just as a loss with a cooperative and fun novice captain can be extremely fun. Having to defend a viable load-out against high-level players who feel slaved to the meta is not enjoyable (Having a pyra pilot call chemspray and buff hammer worthless as a classy example I've had recently. I got too much joy in getting on the opposing team in the next map and utterly demolishing them with a buffed Hwachafish as hull/buff engie.)

Ultimately, I think the system we have right now is really quite good. The only way a novice is going to learn how to fly properly is by trying and failing. It's not like losses matter in the long run either way, the point is to have fun.

--------------------------------------------------

Also, when dealing with novices that have better communication skills and are willing to listen: Simply taking them into a practice match and explaining how ship controls work/damage types work can do wonders. Just last night I took a friend/clanmate of mine who hasn't played since before the pyra nerf on a quick practice match to help him learn/remember the basics. We then went on to win two hard-fought matches back-to-back. Anecdotal, but nevertheless relevant.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on March 07, 2016, 09:41:55 pm
Cold bro. I wouldn't wanna be the kid trying to escape the humiliation of your wrath by swearing that I had repaired your engine... I recommend using a mouse so you can better see and direct your crew

Like I said I don't need to.

I see an engine get shot out. I stop tool use, waiting for the engine to be fixed. Tick tock, the 2nd disable shot will come any second and I know I'll need to kero dodge that next attempt before that engine is full destroyed/enemy closes distance to kill/enemy snipes a temporarily more easy target.



And we all know, that if an engine is not fixed, the HUD will tell us. If an engine gets fixed and then gets shot again, we will also know. So you simply can't bullshit. In either situation we both know the best course of action and the possible factors like cool down and pilot accordingly. If we have to pilot to compensate for an unfixed engine, we do so, but also knowing that it could be avoided in the first place if a person used a single tool as opposed to doing nothing (in this scenario everything is ok but the engine but that engine is not being fixed-hence the engies arent doing anything). It only takes one thing to create an opening where the enemy ship can force things to spiral into a kill. A ship never just destroys an engine and then stops there.

If you have to look away for obvious details like damaged part like a damaged blackie you aren't taking in information efficiently enough, as looking around to that part means you aren't focusing on spotting the next move the enemy will attempt (you know... the pilot's job). Because the next move you make is best made fully informed.


@Jamini

completely incorrect. If you want to experiment your meta. You do it with people that know how to take advantage of your crazy plan. Give criticism and actually understand the build you have. You don't learn anything from people too dumb to not shoot or prioritise something.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on March 07, 2016, 09:50:46 pm
If you aren't looking around at your crew then you also aren't aware of their positions. Micromanaging is not always necessary. However, even the best crews with a predisposed plan may succumb to tunnel vision. Combat 101,  bro. Leaders micromanage when necessary.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on March 07, 2016, 09:56:55 pm
If you aren't looking around at your crew then you also aren't aware of their positions. Micromanaging is not always necessary. However, even the best crews with a predisposed plan may succumb to tunnel vision. Combat 101,  bro. Leaders micromanage when necessary.

Incorrect. Outrightly.

The HUD tells the pilot and crew everything required to maintain a ship. You'd have to be pretty thick as an engie to not spot fires and parts damage just because you're looking away. Because usually there's icons floating on the screen telling you exactly what's going on.

And tunnel vision is not an excuse. Its simply a sign of incompetence.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: BlackenedPies on March 07, 2016, 10:11:11 pm
I think you missed the point a couple times Max. The HUD tells you the parts but not your crew. With a mouse it's easier to check on your crew
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on March 07, 2016, 11:10:17 pm
Totally missed the point. I am talking about where your crew is.

Ever have that crewman rebuilding one turn engine while the other turn engine sits at 10% hp? It happens a lot. This is what I say when I see it. "Smack the other turn engine real quick then rebuild please" Viola. I can turn again.

Also, tunnel vision (in this scenario) is not solely incompetence. It is a mixture of adrenaline and lack of training/practice/experience.

Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on March 08, 2016, 12:02:43 am
Totally missed the point. I am talking about where your crew is.

Ever have that crewman rebuilding one turn engine while the other turn engine sits at 10% hp? It happens a lot. This is what I say when I see it. "Smack the other turn engine real quick then rebuild please" Viola. I can turn again.

Also, tunnel vision (in this scenario) is not solely incompetence. It is a mixture of adrenaline and lack of training/practice/experience.

And I'm saying I can tell that based on the icons. We all know how long it takes to rebuild a part, and we all know how long a coordinated crew can do it. We all know where everyone should be at all times, especially when people have been assigned to positions (which is a very common practice).

I repeat. I don't need to look when everyone is doing their job, because I can tell the moment someone isn't. By which point any of us is indeed forced to stop concentrating on piloting and forced to investigate wtf went wrong. But before you even look you can create an educated guess that is rarely wrong. An unfixed engine usually results from someone not anywhere near said engine. You only check if someone is actually bothering, and relaying the order that someone should be there a 20 seconds ago. Because by the time you mention it, the enemy has already pressed the advantage made. And at that point you're reprimanding than instructing. (If you counter this, you step on your own toes about a pilot micro-managing)

While on a coordinated ship, that instance where a pilot needs to investigate their crew is non-existent.

I got your point. But you clearly missed mine, where we are all intelligent enough to know what's going on (at least on the ship) without even losing a moment's focus on our own jobs.

common sense people. Jesus.

Also what you describe as factors of not incompetence are in fact the exact traits of incompetence resulting in the form of tunnel vision. Rewording stuff and describing it exactly to what the word was previous doesn't change any definition.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on March 08, 2016, 12:36:12 am
I am going to avoid making this any kind of an argument. However, I will re-explain myself.

You are very correct in your statement that the captain should know where the crew is (without looking) because the crew is usually assigned their areas of work. You are also correct that you can tell if the correct priorities of work are being done based on the icons.

You are exaggerating your 20 seconds. It only takes a moment to glance to make sure everyone is going to / is at their correct stations and a few more seconds for an order to be issued and executed. However, you are correct that within that time the enemy will have advanced their tactical positioning.

I will counter your point about reprimanding / instructing / micro-managing. I am ordering the crew to do something. Sometimes I do it in the form of a question. Many times I simply order them. There are no reprimands from me  at that moment if they fail to execute the order.  There is simply our ship taking more damage because one crew member made a mistake (sometimes my orders aren't followed and it is to our ship's benefit because I'm not perfect).

You are very right. On a coordinated ship there is no micro-managing. It is great. However, I still check on the crew. I go many games without saying a word because my crew knows what they are doing.

You are correct that we are all intelligent enough to follow the predisposed plan for the ship's priorities of work. However, we are not all practiced enough to do it under pressure. Which brings me to my point of incompetence. You are absolutely right that what I described is incompetence due to tunnel vision - but only to those that are well practiced. Those without the experience / training should not be called incompetent because of lack of (in this case) playtime. Honestly, nobody should be called incompetent for having tunnel vision in this game because if someone is getting tunnel vision then they are having a damn good time.

I personally congratulate those that get tunnel vision. I say encouraging things to them. I like when my crew gets tunnel vision (in pub matches) because it tells me they are having fun. When my crew gets it in competitive matches I don't get mad, but I try to get them to collect their cool.

Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Jamini on March 08, 2016, 08:57:22 am
@Jamini

completely incorrect. If you want to experiment your meta. You do it with people that know how to take advantage of your crazy plan. Give criticism and actually understand the build you have. You don't learn anything from people too dumb to not shoot or prioritise something.

The amount of arrogance that drips from your post is exactly why I'd prefer running with a novice that meshes well, than a max-level who is an asshole. You've made my point startlingly well. Kudos.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Kamoba on March 08, 2016, 09:00:45 am
@Jamini

completely incorrect. If you want to experiment your meta. You do it with people that know how to take advantage of your crazy plan. Give criticism and actually understand the build you have. You don't learn anything from people too dumb to not shoot or prioritise something.

The amount of arrogance that drips from your post is exactly why I'd prefer running with a novice that meshes well, than a max-level who is an asshole. You've made my point startlingly well. Kudos.

To be fair you're both wrong and both right. It depends on if you're learning through trial and error (Jaminis point.) Or if you're end game competitive ship building (Jazzhands)

It depends on the context, and since the balance changes started it's encouraged newbies learn through trial and error as more guides become outdated and more videos become out dated...
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on March 08, 2016, 09:10:27 am
You are exaggerating your 20 seconds.

Looks at any pubbing footage I have.

and say that again.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLynG6bdQH6QXYOK8toWYtyqrhWoWcELFW

and do note I screen my footage for quality to watch, I have plenty of footage of people simply sitting on their hands as we eat damage and there is no attempt of any kind to change the situation on crew side. The footage I got has significantly fewer mistakes so a watcher can easily highlight the cascading effect of a single mistake snowballing into a death.

Because no good enemy pilot just stops at a damaged part. They maintain the pressure and destroy other stuff to overwhelm the crew. If you aren't on top of it the moment it happens, it simply gets worst.

In fact. Just watch this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M97odye4fkw

its the new format I'm using for pub footage. Crew that don't listen. Crew that do.

On this match bloodlustbeast was struggling with lag. But did I lose my shit? Did I shift blame? No. Because he did everything he could. Did I admit my mistakes as a pilot? Yes I did. Getting trapped on terrain is my fault. Its the risk I run for flying a spire on paritan as opposed to a ship with a flatter profile.

While on the first match. You clearly hear me giving clear commands on what sides to use for a munker. At the start I was giving instruction on how to use them. But since no one is bothering to listen to basic commands like get on x guns. Why would I even bother teaching the subtleties of gunning a mine launcher?

Instead I'll just illustrate why we keep dying. Since I at least can teach the exact reason why we keep dying without a fight and why the enemy is charging us without any fear for their own ship.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Jamini on March 08, 2016, 09:44:05 am
To be fair you're both wrong and both right. It depends on if you're learning through trial and error (Jaminis point.) Or if you're end game competitive ship building (Jazzhands)

It depends on the context, and since the balance changes started it's encouraged newbies learn through trial and error as more guides become outdated and more videos become out dated...

Why would a game with an novice in it as a captain be playing in an end-game competitive match?

Winning or losing in normal deathmatch/cp games is pointless. Who cares if you lose? Have fun with it, learn, get better, and work out interesting strategies. Bring in old friends, make new friends, and help others learn. That doesn't mean don't try, but it does mean that we should step outside our box and screw around.

Also, just because someone is new and unfamilier with the game does not mean they are stupid. I actively seek novices to run and captain my ships, and the vast majority of them (about the same ratio of experienced players) are earnest, well-meaning, and pretty damn eager to learn. Just because someone is not experienced or good yet does not make them stupid, or even a deadweight on the team. It is far more effective to explain patiently to a new player how and why certain setups/ammo work, than it is to try and blanket-ban them from a full third of the game until they "prove themselves"
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Arturo Sanchez on March 08, 2016, 09:50:59 am
To be fair you're both wrong and both right. It depends on if you're learning through trial and error (Jaminis point.) Or if you're end game competitive ship building (Jazzhands)

It depends on the context, and since the balance changes started it's encouraged newbies learn through trial and error as more guides become outdated and more videos become out dated...

Why would a game with an novice in it as a captain be playing in an end-game competitive match?

The answer is simple. Because from day one, you are playing at end game. Every player has access to every tool and every ship. With novices getting the defaults to teach basic game mechanics.

And when said novices get out of novice mode to use said non-defaults. They embarrass themselves by showing no understanding of what the game by design is trying to teach them. Frankly, if you area novice getting out of novice mode, you better be dead sure you can fight at mid-high level. Otherwise you got no excuse if you lose. You have a mode made for you to play at your level and you intentionally skipped it. If you can't hack it, theres no one to blame than yourself.


Frankly Kamo I disagree with your 2 ship building philosophies. There is only 1 philosophy. The noob one is just for those too lazy to learn from teachers, the game and the meta. Which is by far the most efficient way.

Because once you understand the mechanics, you do what bored vets do and create crazy builds with intentionally planned crazy results. With noob builds like double flak, you only get embarrassing 5-0 thats no fun for anyone.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Jamini on March 08, 2016, 10:09:03 am
The answer is simple. Because from day one, you are playing at end game. Every player has access to every tool and every ship. With novices getting the defaults to teach basic game mechanics.

And when said novices get out of novice mode to use said non-defaults. They embarrass themselves by showing no understanding of what the game by design is trying to teach them. Frankly, if you area novice getting out of novice mode, you better be dead sure you can fight at mid-high level. Otherwise you got no excuse if you lose. You have a mode made for you to play at your level and you intentionally skipped it. If you can't hack it, theres no one to blame than yourself.


Frankly Kamo I disagree with your 2 ship building philosophies. There is only 1 philosophy. The noob one is just for those too lazy to learn from teachers, the game and the meta. Which is by far the most efficient way.

Because once you understand the mechanics, you do what bored vets do and create crazy builds with intentionally planned crazy results. With noob builds like double flak, you only get embarrassing 5-0 thats no fun for anyone.

I didn't realize we were playing in a ranked mode/tournaments 24/7 and had to perform in top, 100% meta form at all times ever without any deviation until we fit a narrow definition of "vet" in order to learn and experiment.

Oh wait, no, we don't. Those are on weekends with sign-ups and the Vet queue. That's where you are supposed to bring your A-game.

In any game, the meta is a crutch for learning for new players, and a no-thought fallback of experienced players. Nothing else. Frankly, most matches do not matter. Winning outside of a tournament setting is pointless. Your win statistic is just a number that will steadily go up, nothing more. Outside of a match that has stakes (Glory, Fame, Money) a win is pointless except for the enjoyment you get out of it. The point of any game is to have fun with it, arbitrarily restricting people from a third of the game just because they might do poorly is the complete antithesis of that.

Seriously mate, you sound like a MOBA player right now.

If you don't want to play with novices/novice captains on either team, then don't. Stick to vet games, lobbies without newbies, premades, and tournaments. That attitude has its place, and frankly it shouldn't be in pubs.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on March 08, 2016, 10:22:49 am
Ceresbane, first of all, go fuck yourself with a sodding stake. Just because you can't fucking understand something (in this case, having fun or just playing the way that is different than yours) doesn't entitle you to act as a motherfucking prophet, and you only end up looking like a twat. I spew so much hatred, because I have a really bad day, and I'm not going to apologize. I'm so fucking done with your berating just for the reason of not being a carbon copy of your oh-so-entitled-opinion, and I have a hunch that I'm not alone in that.


Second of all Jamini - your attitude is adorable and somewhat commandable. But understand this, please: some of us are just tired. Some of us just want to pop up in game, play a match with people who know what they are doing and appreciate the work of nicely oiled cogs in the machine that is the crew.

Now throw even the small rock in between, and all this will jam the hell, and everything goes to shit. It's that simple.

And trust me, players who don't understand is not the problem - the problem is player who doesn't give a flying fuck. And I wouldn't be so keen on using "majority" when it comes to speak about people eager to learn the game, unfortunatelly.

Consider, that this comes from a mouth of a person who wanted to become a bloody CA, because I was already doing a CA's job a plenty - and I even had some pleasure doing so. I always teach people willing to learn, unless I'm too tired, then I say outright: please, consider I'm fucking tired, and that this match might not be fun for both of us.

And I'd say, that there is maybe 25% of players really eager to learn, 30% of people giving a damn of what you say, but not very much of that really matters to them, 20% is not giving a flying fuck at all, 15% is trolling unintentionally, the rest are pure trolls.

I'm not calling you naive, or whatever - as I said, your attitude is commendable, and I hope it persists as long as possible, as it's really needed nowadays in this game. Keep it up mate.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Jamini on March 08, 2016, 10:50:24 am
I won't contradict your numbers or reasoning. I can understand being tired, and it can be very frustrating dealing with some people. Especially when having voice chat disabled turns it off completely. (This is actually a problem and potential bug)

That said, if you want a team that works as a well-oiled machine the simplest solution is to grab some friends to fill half a lobby. I do that a lot, actually, even if my own friends are basically novices/low-mid level. (All of us picked up GoI after a long break on a whim, and we're having a blast!) The means and place to get that sort of play that you and Jazzhands seek (which isn't always, I understand that. Sometimes you want to just play, other times you want to teach, and sometimes you want to screw around.) already exists and is working perfectly fine. Punishing a novice player that might want to try a spire or mobula just isn't the right way to do it.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on March 08, 2016, 11:05:34 am
MMmmmm. That's not exactly what I meant.

Ceresbane always goes meta, always goes for the fucking win.

And I mostly play to have fun. Sometimes my fun is being challenged to kick some veteran-tier captain's ass, sometimes it's going mobula with mine launchers, aiming behind the enemy, then ramming the everliving shit out of him. Sometimes it's going full-retarded.


I understand your point, the problem is, that those ship are difficult to handle (spire) or have specific crew management requiring a little different approach (mobula), and in this game if one gear in a machine screws up - everyone is dead. And I wish it was an exaggeration. Just like I wished that most of novice pilots are keen to listen instead of DEEEEEEERPING and using their brains. ^^ I mean, in literally 3 months I've seen only ONE newish pilot to hear me out and not go full-retard, I-I-I mean full-forward towards enemy, getting killed in 20 seconds. And I'm not talking from co-pilot standpoint, but just general.

I'm not trying to convince you, just continuing explanation based on experience WHY some people see restrictions as a good idea.

And yes. I do fly with a group of friends. ^^ We have a blast, usually. ^^
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Kamoba on March 08, 2016, 11:20:38 am
To be fair you're both wrong and both right. It depends on if you're learning through trial and error (Jaminis point.) Or if you're end game competitive ship building (Jazzhands)

It depends on the context, and since the balance changes started it's encouraged newbies learn through trial and error as more guides become outdated and more videos become out dated...

Why would a game with an novice in it as a captain be playing in an end-game competitive match?

Winning or losing in normal deathmatch/cp games is pointless. Who cares if you lose? Have fun with it, learn, get better, and work out interesting strategies. Bring in old friends, make new friends, and help others learn. That doesn't mean don't try, but it does mean that we should step outside our box and screw around.

Also, just because someone is new and unfamilier with the game does not mean they are stupid. I actively seek novices to run and captain my ships, and the vast majority of them (about the same ratio of experienced players) are earnest, well-meaning, and pretty damn eager to learn. Just because someone is not experienced or good yet does not make them stupid, or even a deadweight on the team. It is far more effective to explain patiently to a new player how and why certain setups/ammo work, than it is to try and blanket-ban them from a full third of the game until they "prove themselves"

Okay so things are escalating here quite quickly and I'll just address the bits directed to me...

Firstly when I said trial and error vs end game, I was not intending it to sound so "black and white" nor to be so literal, my point was that people learn in different ways and the "end game" should more be read as "effective meta" I guess..
I have met and know many who started the game with a competitive goal, to win, it comes with the PvP nature of the game and they often go on to join teams.. They read the guides read weapon descriptions and aim at making effective over experimental ship/tool builds as opposed to those who experiment with any combination just to see what "feels right" or is fun, they can be found in high levels and low level novice matches alike..

Also I am not intending to say novice players are stupid, there are stupid and intelligent players at all levels..

Side note to all: how about we all calm and chill. After all we're all on the same boat, trying to find a way to make the game fun.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Jamini on March 08, 2016, 11:25:53 am
Side note to all: how about we all calm and chill. After all we're all on the same boat, trying to find a way to make the game fun.

I apologize, I got a bit heated. It was wrong to be so abrasive.

I'm fairly well known (and teased) with my friends for constantly advocating for new players/first time players in other games. It heavily bothers me when I see anyone advocating ideas that can shut new players out or turn them off from something they enjoy.

I do still feel the tools already exist to avoid novice captains if one wants too. Vet games, comp games, and premades all exist already. Rather than adding more arbitrary barriers (which is a huge turn off for many people) I would prefer people focus on using the tools that already to exist to improve their experience.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Kamoba on March 08, 2016, 11:39:25 am
Haha, no worries, that's the good (and bad) thing about forums, the passion they harbour! :)

I agree, Novices can be avoided with effort but equally they can ruin someone's idea of "fun" even if they didn't intend to.. That's life though :)

Ultimately I very much doubt Muse would consider this idea anyhow, they didn't allow a kick feature and this is sort of like a specific work around to how a kick feature might be used..

So I think this is just a "vets vent idea" that'll prove to amount to nothing except more forum posts :)
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hoja Lateralus on March 08, 2016, 03:10:33 pm
I do still feel the tools already exist to avoid novice captains if one wants too. Vet games, comp games, and premades all exist already. Rather than adding more arbitrary barriers (which is a huge turn off for many people) I would prefer people focus on using the tools that already to exist to improve their experience.

Well, vet games happen very rarely, so it isn't of much use. I have the opposite impression - that noobs re everywhere, you can't run away from there. Quoting 40k codex: "They are coming to get us. Body, mind and soul."
Also in normal game a player having 1000-ish hours wouldn't be matched up with the one who has 100 hours. But GOIO isn't a normal game - it's a mess. And with 500ish (tops!) players online there is only so much you can do. I can't even imagine playing not in prime time.
I hope I'm wrong, but I think you're just an idealist who still has strenght to deal with that shit. From my experience everyone breaks sooner or later, in one way or another. Take for instance nanoduckling who devoted whole clan to teaching new players and he got discouraged pretty fast (God knows he tried).
In order to have 'fun' games vets can't play with noobs/novice players. It's not fun for new players who are scared and on position of an underdog and it's not fun for vets, because they either stomp the shit out of them and win 5-0 in matter of minutes or they try to find a way to limit themselves to try to give novice a chance. The second option can be fun once in a while, but not every match. Fun match is when you give your 100%, enemies give their 100% and it ends up in a close 4-5. So I'd say it's the opposite of what you say - vets can't play with themselves in peace and novice can't play with themselves in peace.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on March 08, 2016, 03:34:46 pm
Oh right. Back on topic.

Not sure if my opinion is different now than before but i kinda disagree with the idea. I have been watching / playing with some awesome (relatively) novice pilots this week.


Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: nanoduckling on March 09, 2016, 09:13:03 am
So long as it can be turned off or circumvented I'm fine with it. I admire Jamini's goals, but I do think he is living in a Rousseauian fantasy. True, most people aren't intentionally malicious, but a majority are very good at rationalizing their crappy behaviour and many are too stupid to recognize the ways they are stupid. This applies to novices in video games just as much as it does elsewhere.

There is nothing to be done with asshats and trolls, they will ruin your day whatever technical approaches you take (although I do wish Muse was a bit more aggressive with the ban-hammer). The problem is novices have no idea about what being a pilot means. The game doesn't warn them that taking the pilot slot without knowing what you are doing is a dick move. They aren't informed what the normal responsibilities of taking that slot are. It isn't shocking they don't live up to those responsibilities.

In my ideal world we would have various warning that would pop up that you could disable alerting novices when they are about to be an ass. The loadout recommendation screen should tell you that you are expected to accept the loadout. The equipment selection screen should warn you if you try to take anything other than a spy-glass as a crew member. Similarly for gunner and anything other than taking a spanner or wrench. It should warn you if you try to take lochnager as an engineer. It should warn you if you build one of the common questionable builds (all explosive damage or a flak fish). It should warn them that the harpoon is broken. And it should warn you if you click that pilots wheel.

At the moment Muse are de facto asking vet players to do things the game could very easily automated because the game provides novices with close to zero information. Worse the game doesn't create a culture of informed responsibility for novices. You wouldn't captain a football team when you don't understand the offside rule because everyone would call you an arrogant ass. Yet because novices are uninformed and lazy (you know, because they are human) they frequently take on the responsibilities of the captains chair.

I'd emphasize something about Mr.Disasters comments regarding my novice clan efforts. While it was sucking the fun out of the game for me, this wasn't what caused the failure of that project. Ultimately I believe the reason that project failed was because I identified a niche that didn't exist. Good novices were getting gobbled up by the existing clans and nurtured. I built something specifically designed to do what other clans were already effectively doing. And they were offering other things as well like a sense of community and an ethos beyond "don't be an ass". I'm not saying that the way the community interfaces with novices is perfect, but I will say that it is sufficiently the good that polite, responsive novices have many, many options and didn't need another one.

It is the novices that cannot reason out their responsibilities that need help, and since most humans are pretty crappy that is the majority of new players. Most aren't assholes. Most also don't think about if their actions harm others. Of course if they didn't understand their responsibilities they weren't eligible for the clan I created making it useless to them. I don't know what, if anything, the community can do to address this problem without more support from Muse.

That's why I want  this feature and I'd prefer it be possible to disable it. For me this is about ingraining a culture among novices that the pilot slot carries with it certain responsibilities. It isn't about restricting novices choices, it is about getting them to think before they play out their naive sky captain fantasies at everyone else's expense.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Kamoba on March 09, 2016, 10:23:29 am
Nano to the point and detailed, I don't disagree, but I will point out why I think an automated system may not work too well, using an ingame comparison we already have...

New players start new games on different frames of mind which can be grouped into three seperate categories...

The casuals (I started as this breed.)
Buying the game off sale or on sale purely based on when they come across it and liking the look of the game, the casual joins often with the "just here to have fun" motto, not putting too much effort into reading guides or other community provides information and sticking to default loadouts (which when I started were pretty crap considering flamer was OP and no default had chem.) While playing without organisation or much awareness, as crew The Casual may be pretty effective at keeping a ship alive, but more often than not there is not enough shooting being done to snag a win. A casual pilot often being the kind of person who communicates with their ally a bit but easily gets side tracked "omg a snowman! Let's look for more!" Even in the middle of a fire fight, casuals often learn after a few games and once they meet someone they get on well with, or someone they decide they have to beat, will start researching or join a group of other casuals in increasing effectiveness and happiness.

The "Try Hards" joining the game often because it is Player vs Player, the Try Hards often come with a competitive edge, reading before they buy, knowing the game basics before they do the tutorials, and often joining with a group of friends who also do the same, they come across as silent in game, mostly because they're linked on Skype or a VOIP to communicate, often leaving them unable to comm with take pilots. These are often the ones who integrate into the community or stick to their small group until they have gotten their money's worth of the game.

The "PITA. (Pains in the Arse.)" very often these are the people who purchase on a sale, they follow the big YouTuber names and snatch up games from sales often, these "PITA" are often the trouble makers for a variety of reasons and could easily earn sub categories on their own such as Trolls, Swearers and Ignorers and more..  The PITA are typically the bulk of new players, not all are Pains on purpose or with intent, but their lack of communication or team orientation often makes them more a nuisance than they may intend to be...
And it is the PITA category I want to focus on..

When new players join Guns they're given the option to play through the tutorials and then to join "Novice" matches, and many PITA will take offence to the Novice title, a fine example is the recent (and largely hated by fans and non-fans alike) JonTron video, in which he actually points out the Novice tag and says "This is here to say I suck and show everyone else I suck."
It is this mentality, this taking offence to a Word not intended to offend, which makes creating in game systems to teach and help new players hard..
The simple taking offence to being referred to as a Novice is why many Novice players opt out of Novice.. "I'm no skrub! I 360noscope in COD and CSGO Yo! Imma Boss!" Or "Well I read about the game, we all have access to the same stuff so how bad can it be? This Novice thing is pointless!"

So let's assume all the warnings and pop ups are added, it is more likely to offend the bulk of new players (PITA) than help them teach, and since so many of them take offence to just the word Novice, imagine the rage if they were reminded every ship until level X "Hey, you sure you want to pilot? You're still pretty new.."

That took longer to write up than I thought it would.. Hopefully it gets to the point though...

Many players take offence to being called a Novice or suggested to do the tutorials because they think Vets can carry them or don't realise how big an impact their actions on a ship, whatever the role will make...
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: nanoduckling on March 09, 2016, 10:55:29 am
I think you have identified an important point Kam, such a system needs to inform without patronizing, which I will admit is a difficult task.

Some things would be easy to do without being patronizing though. A screen which pops up when you select an inappropriate tool and tells you "Lochnager ammo breaks guns when it is fired, as such it is largely useless for engineers [Disable this message in future X]" or "The harpoon is currently a weapon in progress, and is not combat effective. We are testing ways to improve it in the Dev App [Disable this message in future X]" shouldn't offend anyone bar the completely insane.

Others are admittedly harder, but even an offensive message which has the player think about their responsibilities to others might be better than what we have now. Certainly I feel there are little things that could be done easily, and bigger things that might be harder to do that might be worthwhile.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Jamini on March 10, 2016, 12:22:45 pm
I'm starting to think that we might need some actual metrics here, as opposed to assumptions. I've been guilty, as have several other posters here, of making statements of fact without evidence to back it up. Which is problematic, especially when I see comments made like this:

Quote
The "PITA. (Pains in the Arse.)" very often these are the people who purchase on a sale, they follow the big YouTuber names and snatch up games from sales often, these "PITA" are often the trouble makers for a variety of reasons and could easily earn sub categories on their own such as Trolls, Swearers and Ignorers and more..  The PITA are typically the bulk of new players, not all are Pains on purpose or with intent, but their lack of communication or team orientation often makes them more a nuisance than they may intend to be...

I've found this to be fairly patently untrue. The bulk of the people I personally end up blocking for obnoxious mic spam are not novices, but rather tend to fall in the level 15-30 range on their main role. (Or are insufferable 45's who assume that anyone who isn't max-level doesn't understand anything about the game at all. Which is frankly, just as bad.)

Do obnoxious spammers exist? Of course. That doesn't make the bulk of novices into them. Not by a long shot.

I'll take some notes tonight on who I fly with and post results. I have a gut feeling that the result will show far fewer issue-players than assumed. Remember: Humans have a perceptive bias towards the negative. We don't remember positive experiences as well as negative ones.

---

That said, having a one-time popout tooltip(with an option to disable it) for each tool that you can select that comes up when a player picks it would be useful. Allow people to opt-out, but provide a way for sincere new players to learn the basics.

For example, when first selecting greased ammo:

"Greased ammo reduces the range and damage of your shot, but dramatically improves the clip and refire rate of your gun. It's best to use on weapons with a large clipsize and low range, like gatlings and morters, but not very good with long-range and low-clip guns. Grease ammo is very popular for engineers to take due to its versatility."

Or on the pipe wrench,

"The pipe wrench is a jack-of-all-trades repair tool. It doesn't excel at rebuilding or repairing, but it is acceptable at both. The pipe wrench is favored by pilots, gunners, and buff-hammer engineers because of this."
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on March 10, 2016, 01:03:16 pm
What your suggesting already exists.

Each ammo and tool have a description.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Jamini on March 10, 2016, 01:16:49 pm
What your suggesting already exists.

Each ammo and tool have a description.

Brief tooltip descriptions and pop-ups that you need to click "okay" on are very different things. Especially as the current tooltips are kind of bare for easily-digestible help, or explanations of where something is normally used.

Explaining that heavy clip reduces jitter by 70% means nothing to a new player. Explaining that it makes Hwacha rockets much more accurate and tightens carronade shots so that they can be used more effectivly at medium range DOES.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Solidusbucket on March 10, 2016, 04:39:19 pm
I disagree with the idea of additional explanations in the form of a pop up. I would agree to an easily identifiable and navigable terms section. Or for the word "jitter" to be a clickable or scroll over(able) object that explains what it means.

Pop-ups are aggravating to me. My opinion is biased. I do not like pop ups. It is probably a deep rooted hatred from my early days of internet browsing.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Jamini on March 10, 2016, 04:43:13 pm
I disagree with the idea of additional explanations in the form of a pop up. I would agree to an easily identifiable and navigable terms section. Or for the word "jitter" to be a clickable or scroll over(able) object that explains what it means.

Pop-ups are aggravating to me. My opinion is biased. I do not like pop ups. It is probably a deep rooted hatred from my early days of internet browsing.

Quote
one-time popout tooltip(with an option to disable it)

A simple "Don't show this again" option was included in the suggestion.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: tramlaw on March 27, 2016, 01:38:21 pm
As an *aspiring* pilot, here's my thought...

Why not limit matchmaker to plus or minus 10-15 pts.  So for myself, if I join a game as pilot then the only other people to join my game, via matchmaker, would be level 1 - 14 (or 20).  Then you can also learn, against the (semi-)higher levels, but not get your ass handed to you buy the vets.  Would also, sort of, solve the problem of level 9's ending up in a match with *all* level 30 plus pilots.  Might already do this, I don't know.  If it does...let me know. I haven't tried because I don't want to be thrown into a lobby with higher level pilots...yet.

Of course, there comes the problem of people joining as one class (to get into the game) then switching.  That's easy...disable the switch if the class is more than the 10, or 15, pts.

Of course this only applies to matchmaker.  Joining through the custom game lobby/invite would negate that.  That way, clans could still play/train together.

Yeah, the problem of an upper level captain joining a rookie match just for the *fun* of annihilating them but, if you feel ok with that then so be it. And if a lower level joins an upper match, through custom game...and stays, then he deserves it.

Let's make matchmaker do some good.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Hoja Lateralus on March 27, 2016, 06:28:54 pm
Matchmaker doesn't work based on levels, it works on number of your wins and losses combined with the "skill" of oponents you are facing with. And yeah, it is supposed to match you with right people to begin with, but is limited due to low playerbase (and in my opinion its' system of measuring skill doesn't really work).

I think potentially matchmaker could have a choice option for how long we are willing to wait for the game (which means - how much we care about time and how much about balanced games). Just in options of matchmaker something like:
"How much can you wait for your game?
[ ] I want to play now!
[ ] I can wait up to 5 minutes
[ ] I can wait up to 10 minutes
[ ] I can wait more than 10 minutes "
This could set the matchmaker's priority for that player/group, but then again, dividing the playerbase (although remember 3-rematch limit? ;]).
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Chang'e on August 05, 2016, 09:23:34 pm
I think back to when I first played the game. I bought the game wanting to be a pilot. Not running around whacking things with a Mallet or shooting other ships out of the sky, but standing behind the helm, flying the ship through the sky, and all the cool things I thought a pilot could do. Yeah, I was a complete scrub when I started. I thought putting the ship on full throttle would damage the engines, and I had no idea what good any of the helm tools were for me. But I eventually learned, and I guarantee I would not have stayed with this game if I saw I couldn't even be a pilot until I played several hundred matches.

I bought Disgaea wanting to deal out ludicrous amounts of damage on ludicrously overpowered characters. That takes many hours of grinding. I bought Saint's Row 3 wanting to run around fucking up who/whatever the hell happened to be in the general vicinity. To do that without getting promptly rekt by cops/rivals, you'll need to do some levelling. I bought WoW wanting to go on epic adventures. Once again, that requires some progression.

Few, if any, games let you access all content from the get-go. Sometimes you have to level up more, sometimes you have to git gud enough to kill that boss, sometimes you must construct additional pylons. This is a ridiculous argument against a feature that would reduce suffering for everyone else.
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Chang'e on August 05, 2016, 09:46:15 pm
One of the main problem I had with novices was that they had voice chat off. Would it be possible to just put a small symbol near the name of people who don't have voice chat activated. By this I mean cannot hear me at all, I don't really mind if they don't have a microphone as long as I know if I need to communicate with text chat or voice chat.
That would be nice. Although it seems like every deaf novice I encounter can't be bothered to read text chat either... Is it really that hard to read text chat mid-game? I mean, I'm an autist with ADD and I can do it just fine!
Title: Re: I am begging, please add minimum level requirements to pilot...
Post by: Schwalbe on August 06, 2016, 02:38:14 am
I mean, I'm an autist with ADD and I can do it just fine!

Welcome to the club, sonny-jim.