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The Lounge / Re: Martial arts!
« on: December 07, 2014, 05:17:31 am »
Indeed... we should respect the 'art' in 'martial arts'.
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The Lounge / Re: Martial arts!
« on: December 06, 2014, 10:42:44 am »
I've not had any formal martial arts training, but we have a conscript army and during my service my unit had to undergo close-combat training.
Long story short, the basic module was utterly useless, and while the intermediate (mainly arm locks) and advanced module (throws) looked more useful our instructors confirmed our suspicions that the training wouldn't save our asses in a street fight. And in the event of a war we'd be dead anyway if we had to depend on our bare fists.
I have a prop saberstaff. It's 6ft in length: two 2ft blades, and a 2ft handle. The blade's made of polycarbonate so it does hurt if I smack someone. I accidentally jabbed my friend's thumb and someone's nuts.
I tried archery during a school sabbatical for a week. Two archers shared a single lane with three targets. On the second day I got my first bullseye on the centre target, but I was actually aiming for the one on the left. I was too embarrassed to admit it, so I switched to the centre target for the rest of my arrows. Only on the last day did I find a way to correct the fishtailing.
This reminds me of what my friend said of aikido: if you execute a throw but your victim doesn't know how to fall, you'll fail to throw him but succeed in dislocating some joints.
There's only one pressure point I know of. It's slightly above the navel. Someone poked me there (knowing that there was a pressure point) and I felt like throwing up for an hour or so.
Long story short, the basic module was utterly useless, and while the intermediate (mainly arm locks) and advanced module (throws) looked more useful our instructors confirmed our suspicions that the training wouldn't save our asses in a street fight. And in the event of a war we'd be dead anyway if we had to depend on our bare fists.
I also practiced staff forms and fighting. It's cool, kinda feels like RP, but I doubt I'll ever use it in real life. (Really, does anybody carry around a 2 meter stick?)
I used to do archery (when I was like, what, 8?). I'd like to get back to that.
I have a prop saberstaff. It's 6ft in length: two 2ft blades, and a 2ft handle. The blade's made of polycarbonate so it does hurt if I smack someone. I accidentally jabbed my friend's thumb and someone's nuts.
I tried archery during a school sabbatical for a week. Two archers shared a single lane with three targets. On the second day I got my first bullseye on the centre target, but I was actually aiming for the one on the left. I was too embarrassed to admit it, so I switched to the centre target for the rest of my arrows. Only on the last day did I find a way to correct the fishtailing.
I did Japanese jiu-jitsu for a while.
I absolutely loved it, I just love how it's all counters to what they do.
Like they can be all like "Ayyy gonna punch you" and you can be like nope and suddenly they're on the floor in an arm lock.
Which is kinda funny because it's supposed to be a really defensive martial art, but they teach you so many ways to hurt people it's not even funny. Like there are so many locks (by that I mean ways you can hold a part of them that hurts a lot) and chokes and also pressure points (which are lil bits all over you someone can press to make it hurt a lot.)
This reminds me of what my friend said of aikido: if you execute a throw but your victim doesn't know how to fall, you'll fail to throw him but succeed in dislocating some joints.
There's only one pressure point I know of. It's slightly above the navel. Someone poked me there (knowing that there was a pressure point) and I felt like throwing up for an hour or so.
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Q&A / Re: Good ship for a new crew?
« on: December 05, 2014, 09:24:54 am »So is everyone just getting the kiddies addicted to the ship crack that is the meta pyra?
Is it cool to have kids get addicted to ship crack? Because from here on out they'll just rely on this crack on a pinch and will be less open to other styles and tricks.
I actually prefer support ships, but I thought this would be a good way to let my friends remember the various damage types and how the armour/permahull system works.
Anyway... a progress report. So today I had a game with them, and indeed Metamidion was good at helping them learn a bit about damage types, hit markers, even a bit about gungineers. Got a bit too ambitious and tried a long range Spire instead. Let's just say we got ahead of ourselves. But at the very least we scored a kill somehow (though I kinda suspect we KSed our ally.) Oh, and I suck as a pilot.
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Q&A / Re: Good ship for a new crew?
« on: December 04, 2014, 11:52:25 am »
Thanks for all the replies guys 
Most likely I'll try out both a Junker and a Pyra and see which one they prefer. Relatively easier to pilot and crew on as well.
Most likely I'll try out both a Junker and a Pyra and see which one they prefer. Relatively easier to pilot and crew on as well.
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Q&A / Re: Good ship for a new crew?
« on: December 03, 2014, 11:14:42 am »I played just about all of my first 100+ matches on a junker. It was a good boat to learn on, for me and my friends. Easy (enough) to pilot, gunning is pretty straight forward, engineering is good, and you can try all sorts of builds. It's a great ship
I'm actually intending to try out the Junker in the near future: starboard gatling (top) and mortar (below), tentatively hades at the fore and flamers on the port side. Probably not the best build out there but I'll have to see how it fares before I know what it's lacking.
Hence pilot can make no mistake... fights involving Hwacha Galleon revolve around who shot first. Pilot needs to give the gunner a perfect shot at the perfect moment.
And heavy weapons aren't too weak. They are just a pain to repair. Make sure you hwacha before they hwacha.
I'm still a bad pilot >< so maybe I'll have to give the Galleon a miss until I have more games under my belt.
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Q&A / Re: Good ship for a new crew?
« on: December 03, 2014, 08:36:50 am »You could try flying Junker and Squid. With some inexperienced people on these ships, engineers will be jumping all around that ship to keep it together.
A typical long range Mobula has a Merc/Hades on top top, top, middle top with an artemis on either side. Usually the artemis is on the top wing, because of it's superior horizontal arcs, while the guns with less arcs are on the bottom deck. Burst rounds are usually good for the artemis, but if you wanna go to extreme ranges, lesmok rounds is probably an idea.
A tip for engineering a Mobula, if you don't already know, one engineer on the right side, repairing the balloon and one engineer on the left side, repairing the hull.
When everything works well, everybody can shoot all the time.
Long range ships usually are not that exciting to fly though, unless you want to brawl with them.
I have more faith piloting a Junker than a Squid... the placement of the four engines and how fragile the Squid's hull is makes me anxious. I don't even dare to say that I can engineer well on a Squid, and honestly I don't really trust my piloting skills to make up for anything. Which is sad because the Squid is my favourite ship in terms of its stats, strategy, and even aesthetics.
Mobula might be more boring... but if it keeps us alive I guess I don't mind.
Your best idea though was the mobula, all three gungineers, or two gungineers one gunner and rotate who ops the mid gun.
Or assuming you have three friends you could all start a clan try to recruit enough members to crew four ships and your mates could be pilots...
I guess I just might build a Pyra just to make them do a bit of engineering... and if all fails I can still fall back on a Mobula and let everyone have some fun shooting.
These are some of the builds I use when I have new players or two many AI crews.
1. Blenderfish
Its a ship that has the one gun. No need to get bifectas or trifectas. The gunner stays on the front gun, and engineers need just enough awareness for the flamethrower.
2. Long-range Mobula
Mobula has five light guns, all facing the same way. I can have five different guns (I run flak, hades, merc, artemis, banshee) and give the entire crew a training camp on aiming. The only downside is that a Mobula cannot possibly be repaired by new players, as they won't even know where all the components are. The captain needs to keep the ship safe, possibly without damaging piloting tools.
3. Metamidion
Just like you've said. It's an easy and debatably OP ship. Everyone has a set role. Metamidion teaches a whole lot about the game including but not limited to: coordination, piercing damage, explosive damage, simple parkours, and engine maintenance. However, you need to have three attentive crews, or the ship does not function. One AI can also ruin your day.
4. Hwacha Galleon
You'll need at least one experienced engineer. Stick your powder monkey in the bottom deck (he'll love the hwacha), tell your newbie engineer to fix what you tell them to, and have the experienced engineer on the top deck. The two hwachas mean that gunner has a room for mistakes, the massive health pool means engineer has a room for mistakes. But beware, the low mobility means that pilot has little room for mistakes.
These are the ships I use to teach the ropes. I've mostly had a good time with these, except that one time...
Blenderfish... I've actually not flown or crewed on one before if I'm not wrong... but it shouldn't be that different as compared to a carro/flamer Squid right?
Seems like Pyra is still ideal for teaching engineering. One of my friends might like engineering... I'm just guessing, but if he does then I guess I'll have a good Pyra crew.
As for the Galleon... don't the heavy weapons always get knocked out easily? They're a bit too close to each other and tend to get hit all at once...
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Q&A / Good ship for a new crew?
« on: December 03, 2014, 04:18:13 am »
So some of my friends got the game as well, but I'm a little stuck as to which ship I should use to show my friends the ropes. They're generally less inclined towards the 'boring work' (i.e. engineering), and I hope to do what I can to make engineering a little more interesting. I have a couple of ideas, but I'm not sure which one would be better, or if I should go for a different build instead.
1. Long Range Mobula/Spire
Probably the only ships I can think of that would allow the full crew (sans pilot) to be manning a gun. I have a Spire with a Merc on the port side of the top deck, an Artemis on the starboard side, plus Heavy Flak and Flamer on the bottom deck. No Mobula build in mind, and I have zero experience piloting a Mobula as well.
2. Metamidion
Simple and direct, though my main gripe is how this seems to be more effective with a full engineer crew (buffgi seems better than a gunner for the gatling). On the flip side there isn't much parkour needed.
1. Long Range Mobula/Spire
Probably the only ships I can think of that would allow the full crew (sans pilot) to be manning a gun. I have a Spire with a Merc on the port side of the top deck, an Artemis on the starboard side, plus Heavy Flak and Flamer on the bottom deck. No Mobula build in mind, and I have zero experience piloting a Mobula as well.
2. Metamidion
Simple and direct, though my main gripe is how this seems to be more effective with a full engineer crew (buffgi seems better than a gunner for the gatling). On the flip side there isn't much parkour needed.
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General Discussion / Re: Question For Pilots
« on: December 02, 2014, 04:31:52 am »
I must say I have little piloting experience, and I normally play the role of an engineer (no preference for main or gungi, depends on what my capt needs). But I always appreciate a good gunner for a simple reason: the ship has to last long enough for the gunner to do his job. The faster we score a kill, the better it is for all of us. Of course everyone contributes: the pilot brings the guns in range and steers the ship away from danger and the engineer keeps the ship functional, but all in all everyone is there to make sure the gunner successfully scores the kill.
Unless you rely primarily on ramming... then in that case my argument is invalid.
Unless you rely primarily on ramming... then in that case my argument is invalid.
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The Cantina / Re: Character Bio List
« on: November 30, 2014, 12:16:34 am »
Name: Kouhei Sakurai (suspected to be an alias)
Age: 24
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Occupation: Freelance scavenger
Faction: Fallow
Personality: Little is known about this reserved young man. He speaks little about himself, preferring to observe from the sidelines and act only when he has gleaned enough information (though he has proven to be pretty good at improvising). Generally disinterested in direct conflict, he prefers to sidestep such situations and negotiate his way out of things. Nonetheless he knows when he needs to make a stand, and often waits for the perfect opportunity for a decisive strike and put a swift end to a fight. A skilled marksman, he usually relies on a revolver, though he has on multiple instances demonstrated the effectiveness of a simple wrench in a fight. On board a ship, he usually serves as an engineer, tending to the machinery and keeping the ship airworthy.
Bio: Born and raised in Fallow, it comes as no surprise that Kouhei has an aptitude for working with machines and airships. It is rumoured that his mother was a navigator from a distant land, and he had inherited her wanderlust. Indeed, when he was old enough he left Fallow to travel the world on board a scavenger's ship; the captain was looking for a deckhand and he signed up for it without hesitation. Presently, he still crews for other captains, though he spends a considerable amount of time in Kian as well.
Age: 24
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Occupation: Freelance scavenger
Faction: Fallow
Personality: Little is known about this reserved young man. He speaks little about himself, preferring to observe from the sidelines and act only when he has gleaned enough information (though he has proven to be pretty good at improvising). Generally disinterested in direct conflict, he prefers to sidestep such situations and negotiate his way out of things. Nonetheless he knows when he needs to make a stand, and often waits for the perfect opportunity for a decisive strike and put a swift end to a fight. A skilled marksman, he usually relies on a revolver, though he has on multiple instances demonstrated the effectiveness of a simple wrench in a fight. On board a ship, he usually serves as an engineer, tending to the machinery and keeping the ship airworthy.
Bio: Born and raised in Fallow, it comes as no surprise that Kouhei has an aptitude for working with machines and airships. It is rumoured that his mother was a navigator from a distant land, and he had inherited her wanderlust. Indeed, when he was old enough he left Fallow to travel the world on board a scavenger's ship; the captain was looking for a deckhand and he signed up for it without hesitation. Presently, he still crews for other captains, though he spends a considerable amount of time in Kian as well.
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Q&A / Re: Fire extinguisher vs. chem spray
« on: October 22, 2014, 07:06:36 pm »
(Figured I should reply before I fly off for my grad trip.)
I've always found the chem spray better but I've seen some players use extinguishers well. Furthermore there's a few achievements that require extinguishers (thankfully progression is independent of achievements now), so I'm toying with the idea of bringing an extinguisher. I'm still keeping the chem spray on my default loadout (spanner, mallet, chem) but I have the extinguisher on my buffgi but that didn't go too well and I was wondering if it was a bad idea.
I've always found the chem spray better but I've seen some players use extinguishers well. Furthermore there's a few achievements that require extinguishers (thankfully progression is independent of achievements now), so I'm toying with the idea of bringing an extinguisher. I'm still keeping the chem spray on my default loadout (spanner, mallet, chem) but I have the extinguisher on my buffgi but that didn't go too well and I was wondering if it was a bad idea.
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Q&A / Fire extinguisher vs. chem spray
« on: October 22, 2014, 11:49:04 am »
Just a quick question: for the different types of engineers, which firefighting tool is better? Also, are there any ships where one of the firefighting tool becomes significantly better? (E.g. due to ship layouts multiple components are clumped together and usually catch fire at the same time, etc?)
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Release Notes / Re: Version 1.3.8 Release Notes
« on: October 21, 2014, 11:40:05 pm »There is NOTHING you can find that was lost in the change between lobbies and matchmaking. Everything you could do then is still there. This was proven by months of testing.
I can't see the details of active servers in the new matchmaker system. I can't tell which roles are missing for games in my preferred servers (I can't even tell if there are any active games in my preferred servers for that matter).
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Release Notes / Re: Version 1.3.8 Release Notes
« on: October 21, 2014, 01:57:50 am »
Found a few images of the Goldfish in varying stages of (for lack of a better word) balding. Now the in-game appearance matches the one on the Steam trading card.
I'm reversing my earlier statement about the new look though. It's not that bad, and it's a lot cleaner.
I'm reversing my earlier statement about the new look though. It's not that bad, and it's a lot cleaner.
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Q&A / Re: Quintuple Mine Launchers?
« on: October 20, 2014, 01:43:20 pm »
I actually don't know which weapon would actually help at all for a Squid. In close range I would probably prefer a front/starboard bifecta, so the rear guns wouldn't be used. For anything further than that, the only time the squid's back is turned to the enemy is when it's fleeing, but then again the rear gun is usually not repaired so it would be useless anyway. That's pretty much the only reason why I'm considering the mine launcher.
Other options I'm weighing presently are Artemis (easy and fuss free, plus nice damage per shot) and Banshee (easiest way to burn the enemy while fleeing), but as mentioned I doubt they would be used at all.
Other options I'm weighing presently are Artemis (easy and fuss free, plus nice damage per shot) and Banshee (easiest way to burn the enemy while fleeing), but as mentioned I doubt they would be used at all.
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Q&A / Re: Quintuple Mine Launchers?
« on: October 20, 2014, 12:16:00 pm »Mines are a decent counter to close range attacks. Glass cannon ships like the Spire and Mobula benefit from bringing in mine launcher along with a sniper build. The galleon's rear slot also benefits from a mine since it can deter a balloon popper ship when all other guns are too low.
If you are going to use mines seriously it is better to put them on gun slots that face forward or backward so that you can control range better.
I was wondering how I could rely on one light gun to defend my sniping Spire... mine launcher sounds like a good plan. Why didn't I think of that? Also, I'm placing a mine launcher on the back of my Squid as well. It's not a sniper build but I guess it might be useful for defensive play, since it's a fragile ship.
Also if you are pissed off at your ally for some reason, Mines are the only weapon that do friendly fire.
Really??? I thought it would make sense to have friendly fire...