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1

Feedback and Suggestions / Make Gunners A Relevant Choice

« on: February 15, 2016, 07:16:01 pm »

Hello all, again, another Wizard proposal:

We all know that having 2 Engineers is better than having 2 Gunners, with few exceptions.  And often it's as practical (if not more practical) to run 3 Engineers and no Gunners, especially on boats like the Pyramidion and Squid.  I can't imagine that Muse actually wants gunners to be inferior in principle.  Gunner Stamina was a great way to add inherent value to the class, but the introduction of Engineer's sprinting through Stamina added a whole new layer of usefulness to Engineers.  I don't think giving Gunners an extra repair tool is a good idea, because Wrench + Buff hammer would be everywhere and cause a whole new set of problems.  Without making Gunners "better" at guns (i.e. moar damage), I think there's a good way to make Gunners more relevant, to the point that 2 Gunners + 1 Engineer wouldn't be crazy.  So let's introduce the Gunner "class skill":

Gunners rebuild and repair guns 40% faster

This "class skill" would keep Gunners doing their job (shooting guns), and let a Captain who's stuck with two stubborn Gunners be confident that the ship can stay competitive.  Fire would still be an issue for Engineers to solve, but increased gun repair would make the Gunners less helpless when Arties and Mercs and Manticores wipe out components.  All ships (and I imagine especially the Gally and Junker) could therefore endorse 1-2 Gunners as a serious option.

2

Feedback and Suggestions / Newbies & Experimenters Gametype

« on: January 21, 2016, 03:38:54 pm »

Hi Muse, et al,

Long-time player, first-time poster.  Don't want to waste anyone's time, so let's get right to the suggestion.

There is a problem with troublesome players―often new players―in general MMR matches, but I don't think it's rudeness, so often as ignorance.  Nobody wants to slog through Practice or Tutorials, because humans are lazy―so we jump into pub matches and try to be awesome.  Now, I understand and appreciate what you guys are trying to foster by disallowing votekick.  So let's presume that won't change:

Given this, and given that pub matches are not a good venue to "mess around", unless you have a particularly jolly crew or are high level and don't care; and given that you (Muse) must have already generated extensive scripting for AI-controlled airships, I believe a Last Stand gametype may be in good order.  In a Last Stand, "losing" is inevitable; so teammate failure is less consequential.  It would be a match that "matters" in public eye unlike Practice.  A gametype less stressful than Deathmatches or CP, where unsavvy pilots or stubborn gunners sometimes spoil the experience for others.

In premise, Last Stand is a firefight or survival scenario for players to prove their prowess―but in effect, it would be training grounds for new players, and a practice pit for older players who would like to experiment with nonstandard ship & crew loadouts.  Last Stand may foster competitiveness by displaying each player-controlled ship's kill count in the top infographic.  (That level 1 pilot who thinks his double flak Pyramidion is better than a Metamidion could be taught his lesson implicitly, with no yelling required.)  Last Stand would also allow for a new round of achievements for 45s who might like something new to achieve.

A Last Stand gametype/map is designed for 4 players, and generates as an option in standard 2v2 matches.  If chosen, all players are dumped into the same team.  (Alternatively, players on different teams are treated as friendly, but are competing for the most AI kills in a given timeframe.  This, however, might change the intention of this prospective gametype.)

Good map candidates for Last Stand may be Water Hazard or Dunes/Scrap, where players cannot easily hide or dive for cover.  Maps could be further rezoned so that AIs can spawn beyond the wind walls, disallowing players to corner up and repeatedly bait AIs to death.

Such a scenario might also include a CP that the AIs are going for which, if captured, also ends the game.  A timer may also be appropriate, to prevent matches from overstaying their welcome.  Where the score bar would be, a "Fleet" marker would appear, showing the current fleet number and silhouettes of the incoming ships:


Fleet 1:
Goldfishes, Pyramidions, Junkers
qty = # of players +1

Fleet 2:
Goldfishes, Pyramidions, Junkers, Squids, Galleons
qty = # of players +1

Fleet 3:
All
qty = # of players +2

Fleet 4:
all
qty = # of players +3

Fleet 5:
all
qty = # of players +4

Fleet 5 repeats until all players are dead (or some other terminal condition is met).  Fleet scripting should ensure that ARC roles are filled with the spawns, so that the AI fleets can threaten all ranges.



Hope to see the idea appear in some similar form, thanks for your time, and cheers