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1

Community Events / The Baptism By Spire Tournament

« on: July 08, 2013, 02:03:29 am »

Baptism by Spire Tournament

Preface
The Baptism by Spire Tournament can be considered a restrictive tournament when compared to the current format of the Cogs League and similar tournament structures. However, this Tournament has been designed with key and deliberate choices to promote three things:

1)   The inclusion of new and upcoming competitive teams

2)   The branching out of the competitive scene, with the goal of providing new viewer and competitor experiences outside of the normal ‘meta gameplay’

3)   The expansion in the viewer base of newer streamers, and the consolidation of larger viewer bases in the further established channels
 
This following document aims to provide the reader with a comprehensive understanding of the Baptism by Spire Tournament and its rules. This document will refrain from needless jargon. From this point forward, this document will use the words ‘Match’ and ‘Game’. A Game is part of the set of 3 that a team needs to win. A Match is all Games grouped together in that bracket. An understanding of the game and critical terminology will be assumed.

Tournament Rules
Match Rules
 
1)   Each Match will be a best of 3 in the following maps: Game One: Paritian Rumble, Game Two: Duel at Dawn, Game Three: Labyrinth.
 
2)   Each Game will consist of 2 ships on each team.

3) Before Game One, crew members are sorted into their ships. After Game One, crew members are locked into their ships, and cannot be traded between ships. In the case of a substitution, the substitute will be treated as a normal member of the team in the position of the person they replace.

4) Once substituted into a crew, a substitute cannot be replaced, even by the crew member they originally substituted for. This will last for the rest of the Match. The original crew member can reenter the team for the next Match. A maximum of 8 substitutes will be allowed per team throughout the entire Tournament. This is an effort to prevent the exploitation of crew swapping.
 
5) Once the Game starts, players begin to play- there is no pause for disconnected players nor for players that are spending too much time loading in. This will keep each Match moving along and will also remove potential bias.
 
6) The loser of the Match is eliminated, via a single elimination system.

7) Games have a time limit of 30 minutes. After this amount of time has elapsed, the team with the highest score wins the Game. If the score is tied, the Game enters sudden-death. If the Game lasts more than 45 minutes, both teams are disqualified. There will be a warning at the beginning of Sudden Death. The time limit does not apply for Game Three.
 
 8.)   The winner of the Match will progress further up the tournament bracket.

Loadout Restrictions
The Baptism by Spire Tournament is the first competition that features a restriction on weapon Loadouts. The rules are as follows:
 
1)   The ONLY ship that may be used in the Tournament is the Spire.

2)   All weapons can be used at some point during the Tournament, but the availability of each weapon depends on its previous usage in that Match.

3)   Rules apply for the usage of Medium weapons and Light weapons. Due to the complicated nature of these rules, they have their own subsection, which follows this.
 
Medium Weapon Rules
Medium Weapons cannot be shared by the two ships on a Team in the same Game- two LumberSpires on the same team is not a valid build.
 
Once a Medium Weapon has been used in Game One, it is unavailable for use in Game Two on that team. This means that either Spire in Game Two cannot use a Medium Weapon that was used in Game One on their team.
 
In Game Three, all Medium Weapons are unlocked and available, but with one condition: Medium weapon pairings cannot recur from previously in the Match.

For example, this means that a Lumberjack can be reused in Game Three, but the other Spire on the team cannot use the same Medium weapon that was used with it in a previous Game. If Game One had a Lumberjack and a Hwacha, Game Three cannot have a Lumberjack and a Hwacha. However, a Lumberjack and a Heavy Flak would be acceptable.

Example Medium Weapon Loadout (One Match)

Game One
 
LumberSpire      FlakSpire
 
Game Two
 
HwachaSpire      CarronadeSpire
 
Game Three
 
LumberSpire      HwachaSpire
 
This is an Example of a completely valid set of builds.

 
An Example of an incorrect set:
 
Game One
 
LumberSpire      FlakSpire
 
Game Two
 
FlakSpire             LumberSpire
 
Game Three
 
CarronadeSpire   HwachaSpire
 
This set of builds is incorrect as both the Lumberjack and Heavy Flak reappear in Game Two, having been used in Game One. A misconception is that swapping the Medium Guns on the ships is valid. It is not, but it is an understandable mistake.
 
Light Weapon Rules
 
A Light Weapon cannot be present on a single ship more than once.

Once a Light Weapon has been used in either Game One or Game Two, it cannot be used in subsequent Games, including Game Three
 
A team cannot repeat a weapon on both ships in the same Game. For example- Spire A and Spire B cannot both have a Gatling as a Light Weapons in the same Game. The exception to this rule is Game Three, where repeats are allowed so long as the Light Weapons conform to the rules above.

Example Light Weapon Loadout (One Match)
Game One

Spire A   Spire B
Gatling   Mercury
Flare      Carronade
Mortar   Flamethrower
 
Game  Two

Spire A             Spire B
Mercury           Gatling
Carronade        Flare
Flamethrower   Mortar

Game Three

Spire A          Spire B
Harpoon        Harpoon
M.Launcher   M.Launcher
Echidna         Echidna

This is an example of a valid set of builds

Rules regarding Teams
   
Coalitions will be allowed between clans- as long as it is a full 2v2 team with or without substitutes, any number of different clans can play as a single team. Those not part of a clan can also join the tournament- everyone is allowed to enter as long as a team has two full ships. If a group has enough players for only one ship, then they should leave a post below in the comments and search for another!

A player cannot play on multiple teams.

A team name will have to be made for organization in the brackets. Team ClanA + ClanB is not exciting enough. Team Doug is.


Tournament Structure

To be determined as teams sign up. It will be standard team vs. team matchups with no L bracket. There is no limit to the amount of teams that can enter the tournament.

Rules Governing Byes

The presence of Byes in the Baptism By Spire Tournament depends on the number of entries. If Byes are introduced, they will be distributed to teams randomly according to a number randomizer.

Progression System

By winning a Match, a Team will progress further in the tournament. This progression takes the form of advancing up through the brackets. The number of brackets and therefore potential Matches will depend on the number of teams entered into the Tournament. Once a team has progressed several brackets, they will be playing in a finals Match. These Matches, Quarter, Semi or Final, will determine the Teams that enter the Championship Match. The winner of the Championship Match will receive the ‘Trophy Prizes’, while the loser of the Match will receive the ‘Consolation Prizes’.

If a match is lost, the losing team does not move up the bracket, and they will play no further matches.


PRIZES
The First Place Team will receive one of each of these fabulous ‘Trophy Prizes’ to be divided up amongst its members :

         Sid Meier’s Civilization III
         
         Sonic The Hedgehog
     
         Worms

         Killing Floor   
   
         Super Hexagon
   
         Garry’s Mod

         Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War

MVP’s Prize:       Secret of the Magic Crystal

The Second Place Team receives the following grossly incandescent ‘Consolation Prizes’:

         Dota 2

         Dota 2   
         
         Dota 2
   
         Dota 2

         Dota 2

         Dota 2

         Dota 2

The nearly MVP’s Prize:    Dota 2


How to Enter

To enter the tournament, a full and correct entry form* must be sent in by July 30th to mxtaube@googlemail.com. Likewise, please confirm your interest by making a post below. The Baptism By Spire Tournament will take place August 3rd (Saturday) at 10:30am eastern time. Depending on the amount of entries, the Tournament may be extended to a second bout on August 10th (Saturday) at 10:30am eastern time. Within a day or two of the closed entries, we will create the brackets and make them public.

Entry Form*
Baptism By Spire Tournament Entry Form


* Required
Enter the name of your Group/Team/Clan *
Full Name and preferred abbreviation would be helpful
 

What type of Team are you? *
  Clan
 Team made just for this tournament
 Coalition between two (or more) Clans
 Single ship looking for a second ship.
 Other:


List all of the primary members of Ship A, not Substitutes *
Make sure to split the members into Crew and Captains.

 
List all of the primary members of Ship B (if applicable)
Make sure to split the members into Crew and Captains.

 
List all of the Substitutes for your Team (8 maximum) *
 

Display your Loadouts (both ships) for the first Game of your first Match. Include both Light and Medium weapons *
Please read the rules thoroughly. If there is anything you do not understand, email BaptismBySpire@gmail.com

 
Display your Loadouts (both ships) for the second Game of your first Match. Include both Light and Medium weapons *
Please read the rules thoroughly. If there is anything you do not understand, email BaptismBySpire@gmail.com

 
Display your Loadouts (both ships) for the third Game of your first Match. Include both Light and Medium weapons. *
Please read the rules thoroughly. If there is anything you do not understand, email BaptismBySpire@gmail.com



For questions about the tournament, leave a comment on this forum post or email BaptismBySpire@gmail.com!


Acknowledgements:

         -Muse- Cullen (Co-organiser + Prizes)
         AhhBisseto (Prizes)
         Mattisamo (Prizes)
         Chrinus (Test Dummy)
         Rex Hamilton (Test Dummy)
         -Muse- Morbie (Wise Sage)
         Squash (Test Ducky)

2

The Lounge / Gentlemen, Gentlemen everywhere!

« on: May 27, 2013, 06:03:33 pm »

Good Sirs and Madams, I direct you to the 'Docks' section. For those that do not grace those booze and bullet-ridden walls I inform you of a confusion that may arise- there seem to be two Gentlemen groups in our Community. What is this, some Duck-esque offspring? I can safely inform you this is not the case. These are our Gentlemanly cousins, who we'll accept as brothers on the forums. But on the battlefield the gauntlet is thrown and our honour must be defended. We hope to see them succeed, and we hope they enjoy Guns of Icarus just as much as we do.

3

The Lounge / The Ghost of the Dunes

« on: May 10, 2013, 03:55:34 am »

Ah, so another soul wants to hear my tale?

It was a evening to remember, that's for sure.

The Gents, notorious for being the most unorganised Cogs Team around, had somehow managed to get 8 members online at once. Starting a 2v2, they began to battle any crew that would face them. They battled many a crew, with 5-0s, 5-1s and the occasional 5-3. Such is a pub game, no?

Alas, their mirth was quickly cut off, by the arrival of a dead man- Firestone. At his arrival, the Gents, filled with the flames of battle, summoned up their reserves, and an epic 3v3 was set: a Battle on the Dunes.

The usual cast was there, but there was a slight oddity in that game- Roy was in his Tower of Evil, ZingyZou in his Ugly Betty IV, but I myself was piloting the third and final ship, -G- anked. An Engineer flying a Pyramidion? Foolish, but not strange. One would say that of a normal match, but this Battle on the Dunes cannot be described as such.

The match began- The Gents grouped together, holding firm under the covering fire of the Spire. Firestone, as per his nature, charged across the Dunes with his Pyramidion. With each second another Lumberjack shell pierced his balloon, and as he crossed pass the graves of ships from another time, the Gents charged as well. Dismayed, Firestone retreated under the suppression of the Junker, his allies becoming meat shields. Shots and shouts rang out from both sides, as the true maelstrom revealed itself. Both sides struggled, armour falling and guns blazing either sides of the sand-filled skies. But, as in all games, one side must fall. A decisive flank from the -G-anked caused the Gents to gain the upper hand, and eventually the Blue's Junker, Pyra and eventually Firestone's own ship were torn asunder.

'Huzzah!' roared the Gents. They reformed their ranks, ready to give battle once more. This fight was not yet over. Dust rolled across the map, the sun blotted out by the tempests. Minutes passed- the Gents, unaffected by this lapse of time, kept at their guns, ready for an attack.

But no guns were heard. The sand fell silent. The Captains scrambled- Where are they? Watch the Flanks! Get ready! Spyglasses, spyglasses up! But no attack came. The sand, still in the air, still hid regions of their conflict. Against all rationale, the Gents split their ships, sending myself to the Northern edge, and the Spire and Junker to the East.

Approaching the bank of clouds, we braced for a barrage of Hwacha fire. Yet again, no such aggression came. The clouds, provoked by our trespass, cursed at our engines and ate at our guns. Yet, they did not contain Firestone, nor his allies.

The Gentlemen had had enough. They had expected much from Firestone, but such a ruse was below him. Quickly, Roy noted that each and every opposing Captain had left the game. Another huzzah was heard from the Gents- 'Firestone's run away!', 'Perhaps we should blame his crew!', 'What about the poor blighters left behind?'

Yes. The 'blighters' left behind. Even as the Swabbies and Lookouts they were, they did not leave their station. Yet, in that case, where were they? This enigma caused concern amongst the Captains- they redoubled their searches. Engines were burning. Phoenix claw spun them back on themselves. Spyglasses remained empty. In desperation, the edges of the map were patrolled, areas were rechecked, the carcasses of the long-dead ships fully excavated.

With a sudden quiver in their voices, the Captains called out to their opponents:

'Where are you hiding, Firestone?'

'Come out, come out, wherever you are!'

'We'll let you shoot first, just come out!'

'Hello?'

'Where are you?'

'Can you see this?'

'Respond. Please.'

The minutes of silence echoed on, the whispers of the sand offering nothing to the Gentlemen.

Finally, Roy sent a PM directly to Firestone, desperate to garner a response. His message finished, he sent it off without delay. What greeted him was not a reply, but a dark message:

Player 'Firestone' does not exist

Startled, they began to hail each opposing Captain. As each message was sent that same reply was all that returned.

The Captains announced, their shoulders weighted- 'Firestone is...Gone.'

A second doubt formed in their minds- The Gents had killed the other team, and in this respect they stayed dead. Yet, even with the disappearance of their opponents, the match did not end. They did not know it, but more death was to follow.

The Gents found themselves imprisoned. Each Captain, save Roy, sent a crewmember back to the lobby, to tell others of their dilemma and return with Muse. Many laughed, and joked, as clans do in such a situation. Yet, no help came. The Captains recalled their crew. They did not return. Alarum ensued.

At the disappearance of their comrades all the mirth had left the Gentlemen, as they understood the stakes now: Death was now absolute, and those that fall into it lost in some limbo of respawns. That, and the match had not yet ended.

In a desperate bid for understanding, Roy placed his spire against the beached carcass to the East. Scraping their hulls together they viewed death as an escape. Alas, their engines died before their hull. Another ship would have to kill them. A Gent would have to kill a Gent.

Even with such uncertainty, I began to burn my own engines, charging headlong at Roy's unprotected flank. Zingy attempted to block my passage, him viewing this as madness. A burst of Hydrogen saw me clear him, and with a second's delay the Pyramidion struck home. it's horn tore through the main engine, shooting the ship forward. Both ships, now moving at pace, edged over the wreck. But death was quick. The Spire snagged on the beast's ribcage, leading the Pyramidion to swoop in and crush it in a single blow, a painful crack heard across the map.

Captain Roy has disconnected

Mark Abrams has disconnected

Chiro has disconnected

Feastonthrones has disconnected

The Spire was not seen again.

In a crazed bid for freedom, the two remaining Captains charged each other, scraping hull together like flint above a fire. Guns were useless in this battle, the weight and speed of each ship determining its fate. They fought for hours. Neither crew could gain the upper hand, their engineers bracing the hull and the Captains goring streaks across the sky. Finally, we knew that this fate had to come voluntarily. Flying off into the distance, I ordered my crew to abandon the ship, and as they left I followed.

We crashed back into the lobby. Zingy's crew had left just behind us, and had similarly landed in the main menu. But, we looked to the top right corner of our screens.

Battle on the Dunes
         Resume

There were no crews, no Captains in this game. There was nobody playing. Not a single AI or Gent remained in the lobby. And yet, the game carried on. Failing to summon Muse again, the Gents quickly spread word of their experience to all that would listen. Not many heeded their call, and in frustration many simply sat in the lobby.

But not Mark Abrams.

It could've been curiosity, or some rage that seems to possess him often, but he clicked on that Resume button, and quickly found himself not on his Spire, but as Captain of the Junker. His bold move was a call to action- Arcturus joined him, along with the return of a couple more members. The leaderboard changed. Names were swapped round, Arcturus now appearing on the Blue team Roster, yet on a Red ship. They hesitantly began to charter the map for any change. They found nothing had.

A swabbie turned to look behind the ship, and his startled cries drew the attention of both Captains. There was a Pyramidion behind them.
A wash of disbelief came over. The Pyramidion charged. Both Captains scrambled out of it's way. As it passed, Arc caught a glimpse of the ship.

There was no crew, and no Captain.

Yet, as the ship streaked past them it continued, heading straight for the dominating wreckage of the Dreadnought. The Gents called out to all those that had returned to the main menu, signalling for their assistance. Their previous comrades all clicked the 'Resume'. However, they could not join the game. Stuck at their loading screens, the Gents were separated. Abrams and Arcturus, alone, charged after the Pyramidion, believing it to be Firestone's ship finally respawned.

There was no crew, and no Captain.

This Pyramidion, about to collide with the wreckage, suddenly turned and swerved wildly, coasting high and orbiting the wreck. Something was at the helm. the Gents caught up, and this is where another detail was revealed:

It was the -G-anked.

This fact, revealed to me, caused me to reaffirm my departure from the game. Dumbfounded, the Gents began to pull back. The Pyramidion gave chase with abnormal speed. As it swooped upon them the order to abandon ship was given. The ships scraped and screamed at one another, the Pyramidion ceaselessly tearing at the Junker. As the hull began to crumple the last Gent disconnected.



There are some opinions on the details of these events.

I'll start with the most rational.

Let me stress the nigh-on perfection in connection that we all had. This was in no part caused by a connection fault on either team. Following the events, some believed that the game engine itself suffered a colossal bug, in which the Sandbox AI, which features on the same map, no less, took over for me when I left the game, and followed it's programming by avoiding obstacles. However, we cannot ascertain why the Blue team did not respawn, or how on death the Tower of Evil's crew were kicked out of the match. Of secondary note is the Scoreboard, and how despite all of these events the Red team roster did not change, but each of the Captains on Blue were shown as AI gunners,  rather than disconnected themselves.

All in all, it sounds as if the three Blue Captains (Firestone and Co.) quit the game after their first deaths, but the Surrender mechanic failed to operate fully- it took the Blue ships off the respawn queue, but failed to end the game.



However, my personal belief is that Muse has a hand behind this- they have AI in the works, developing Directors for Adventure Mode. How can they be sure it works against ships, without trying it on real players first?

I would suggest that the next time a fellow named 'Jesus' appears on your ship, you guard your helm.

Oh, and don't die first.

4

World / Independent City of Anvala, and why nobody will touch the place.

« on: April 14, 2013, 04:41:18 pm »

Well, looking at the territories map, there's a great big No Man's land in the middle, with Anvala dead centre inside it. it's clearly contested territory, with The Baronies to the East, Angleans to the North, Yesha to the South West. Everybody wants it for their gunners, fertile land and as a territorial foothold to other regions. Also, this area links all of the major East-West trade routes, as I doubt the Yeshans really want to head through the Arashi League, and so in that point any faction that controls the area can control the main supply line. Hinder the Yeshan economy, starve the Angleans, isolate Chaladon.

But, nobody can touch it. Trying to attack it would overstretch each faction and leave them weak to attack from other factions who were biding their time. In most rational situations I foresee three-front wars for all the adjacent factions to Anvala. The only way to take it would be if another faction agreed to let you have it, but it's so valuable that an agreement such as that is highly improbable.

There are also some other points- the Yeshans can't attack easily as other factions due to the Wastes that would hinder land invasion. Then again, they could just land troops past it and claim an FOB.

I'm taking this in a lore perspective, rather than pushing it up for Adventure mode, as we don't have much physical current lore, as opposed to the original Icarus lore. I thought a nice idea, considering the extent of the community's love for Anvala, would be considering to set it up as an independent City which players could align to. I'm pretty sure people will base themselves out of it regardless. Feel free to pick apart my political summary of the area, as I've seen some people ask why nobody has laid waste to it.

5

Feedback and Suggestions / Back to lobby button (Probably done before, if so, multiple apologies)

« on: April 10, 2013, 09:41:16 pm »

One of the minor issues I have with the interface of GoIO is how as a game starts you cannot exit back to the main menu without waiting for the match to load. You have to physically quit the game. This is a waste of valuable time, as that quick loadout change  you need could be performed while others load, all but eliminating the chances of missing the opening salvoes. There is also the case of one failing to leave the lobby as they are enwrapped in conversation, although I imagine inaction deserves some punishment. That, and due to my incompetence I always press the damn 'Exit Game' button  accidentally.

On a side note, beware the false button. It states 'Back to lobby', but alas it kicks me right out the game. This is probably due to my OS, Macintosh, and in such a case is an irrelevant quip.

On a side note to the side note, I'm enjoying writing posts in such an odd fashion. I'll either go even more bizarre or tone it down a touch. That, and I doubt many will care for this issue, simply as it is easily avoidable and rather unimportant.

Cheers for reading,

Wazulu

6

Feedback and Suggestions / Forum Future

« on: February 24, 2013, 06:30:35 pm »

Hello there,

Now, I love the new forums, they are worlds better than the previous setup. However, they are still suffering from a huge issue- There's nobody here. Now, this is obviously not true, as you have members such as myself, others such as the 'Old Guard' as I call them (Zill,Lord Dick, Skyraider etc.) and newer players. However, I took a look at how many members we actually have, and to date we have 1961 members. There is clearly no way in which a majority of players are even looking at, let alone contributing, to the forums. Take a look at the foreign forums, they're strangled for posts. This shouldn't be the case with the steady supply of Russians coming our way, even if their forum is markedly bigger than the other-lingual forums.  While I don't want to make this a 'community-attitude' themed post, I think we need to advertise the forums fully.

Now, I've seen the CA's do this, But I doubt the effectiveness of simply typing a link into chat- I was ideally thinking of a Pop-up when you first load the game and a dedicated button on the main screen that could, through the Steam overlay, send you to the forums. basically, what I'm saying is add a big button or a huge flashing sign someplace. We could use a few more voices around here.

Cheers for reading,

-Waz