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The Docks / The Steamos Union: Mercenary Engineers for Hire

« on: March 28, 2013, 11:52:10 am »

THE STEAMOS UNION

Picture is not mine, will take down if asked by owner

A good Engineer is like a good gun. You don't feel safe taking off without one and you'll definitely notice when they're not doing their job properly.

That's where the Steamos come in.

Preface: I've had this idea for a while now, since I first became a beta tester for Guns of Icarus Online. A different kind of clan. A clan that wasn't out to prove they were the most dangerous; a clan out to prove that they are the best at what they do. Fixing things. The idea itself is simple. Engineers of all kinds who were part of the Steamos Union would register themselves as "Hireable", listing their expertise and a little bit about themselves. Then Captains in need of an Engineer, whether for just a few skirmishes or for a clan battle, can rest easy knowing that they have someone they can count on.

Benefits: The Steamos Union is meant to benefit everyone involved. Engineers get a steady line of work and Captains know who they're dealing with ahead of time without sifting through posts at the Docks, only to find that they are either offline or not interested anymore.

Structure: The Union is meant to be just that; a union. Everyone gets a say and everyone's voice is heard and everyone gets a say on what direction the Union should take.

I'm still trying to get everything set up, so if you're interested, let me know. I would like to get a seam forum all set up for the clan with the aforementioned roster list, but not before the Union gets the ball rolling a bit.

So if you're interested in joining, go right ahead and list your steam name and a little bit about yourself.

Current Goals:
1) Recruit new members for a decent sized roster
2) Start a steam community group with available Engineers

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Feedback and Suggestions / Tesla Weapons

« on: March 27, 2013, 12:42:19 pm »

Okay, so this is something that's been bugging me for a while...

I /remember/ the Muse team talking about Electrical Weapons, but I don't think I've heard anything about them for a while. So, I might as well take a crack at designing a few of my own so I can at least get these ideas out of my skull.

Preface:

Two Things:

1) I have no idea how these numbers will work. I was looking at the damage table and was making an educated guess. If these feel unbalanced, please, say something.

2) Adding a new damage type might cause a hiccup in the damage system that GoIO had developed, so instead of that, I'm going to go out onto a limb and interpret "Fire" as "Electricity".

So, let's move onto the pros and cons of Tesla Weapons. Pro: You can cause shots to arc from one system to another (small chance of it happening), potentially knocking out multiple systems with just one shot. Con: You can't load special ammunition into weapons that fire /just/ electricity. Like the Arc Projector, for example. The Coil Gun, however, uses an actual bullet, along with electricity, so you can load special ammunition into it.

Weapon 1:

Arc Projector (Light Weapon)

First we have the Arc Projector, a gun able to project a deadly line of electricity 

Damage Type 1: Fire
Damage 1: 20
Damage Type 2: Shatter
Damage 2: 10
AoE: 2
Range: 500
Ammo: 5
Reload: 3

Coil Gun (Light Weapon)

Next, the Coil Gun. Another gun meant for snipers. While lacking the range and damage of the Mercury Field Gun, the Coil Gun makes up for it with a bigger clip. Great for Gunners who like to aim for specific components.

Damage Type 1: Impact
Damage 1: 70
Damage Type 2: Fire
Damage 2: 30
AoE: 1
Range: 1300
Clip: 10

Mag Launcher (Heavy Weapon)

A beast of a weapon, the Mag Launcher is like putting the enemy ship right into the middle of a thunder cloud. It's only downside is the long reload and one shot.

Damage Type 1: Fire
Damage 1: 100
Damage Type 2: Explosive
Damage 2: 125
AoE: 10
Range: 300
Clip: 1

Let me know what you all think and feel free to throw whatever against the wall and see what sticks.

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Guides / Engineer Teamwork: An Effective Guide to a Loving Relationship

« on: March 26, 2013, 02:02:57 pm »

If you're an Engineer, more often than not, you've been caught in a situation where you're either thinking

"Wow, this Engineer I'm working with is great! We're working so well together!"

or

"GOD DAMNIT ALL, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?"

A pair of well coordinated, synchronized Engineers can make a ship dangerous. The opposite can be said about Engineers who somehow start to work against each other.

So, I'm going to write a little guide that fellow Engineers should look at to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

Part 1: Coordination

That's the key word when working with another Engineer and the first part of this guide.

Let me transcribe something that happened to me with another Engineer to show you just how a lack of coordination can cost you the game.

"Alright, it's 4 to 4, we're getting hammered pretty hard...The hull is bad but as long as I can keep wacking on it with my spanner, we might just win thi-Wait... Why are you running up with that rubber malletWAITDON'T!"

I was a little pissed when that happened because the repair cooldown meant I couldn't keep spannering it and immediately afterwards, the hull's armor went and the game was over. When I brought it up to him, asking him why he did that, all I got was a "I dunno. It seemed like a good idea."

A little communication would have helped in that situation, but oh well. The past is the past and the future is bright.

Had I said "I've got the hull" or had he asked "Do you need help?" would have made that game go in a completely different direction. So you're probably asking "Roderick, how do I get coordinated with my fellow Engineer?". Or at least that's what I'd like to be asked, but anyway, the easiest way to get coordinated it just to talk to them. Say something. "Hi" or "Hello" is a good starting point, followed by "What's your loadout?" and "Where do you wanna be?". Just this is enough to get you two coordinated enough to make the pilot smile as he flies through the broken remains of an enemy ship.

But let's take it a step farther. If you're like me (funny, clever, and secretly dead inside), then you've probably got a few friends and if you're also like me, you've probably introduced them to Guns of Icarus and have played it with them. Well, there's no better source of coordination and teamwork then friendship and working with someone you're familiar with. So if you've got a good buddy you like to play with and they are also an Engineer, get on the voice chat for GoI or use your favorite voice chat program like Mumble, Team Speak, Dolby Axon, or even Skype. Verbally communicating with your Engineer buddy will make coordination so much easier. And once you really start to sync up, you start complimenting eachother's play styles by picking out the right tools for the right job.

Part 2: Loadout

Three slots, three tools, many options. Once you and your Engineer Buddy have synced up, you will find yourself asking what tools you should be packing. Now, there are many, many different combinations and roles that Engineers can fill, but I won't go over them all. Just the two that I've had work well for me.

Fix, Buff, Douse:
With this duo, you really need to coordinate with your fellow Engineer because one of you won't be packing anything to put out fires.

Engineer 1: This Engineer is the Fix and Buff part, meant to be the one who's keeping the whole ship together.
Loadout: Shifting Spanner, Pipe Wrench, Dynabuff Industries Kit

Engineer 2: This Engineer is the Douse part and is meant to be the ship's fire extinguisher.
Loadout: Whatever two repair tools they are comfortable with and the Chemical Spray (I honestly think the Chemical Spray is better than the fire extinguisher, but in the end, it's your personal preference)

Explanation: Alright now, it seems risky for an Engineer to not have a fire suppression tool on them, but here's my logic: Engineer 1 is the ship's main fixer, able to bring back any destroyed part quickly with the shifting spanner and repair it with the Pipe Wrench. This build also allows for pre and post battle buffing. But it's up to Engineer 2 to jump at a moment's notice the minute a fire starts up. The best way to utilize this is with a tag team system. Say both Engineers are on a Galleon. Engineer 1 is on the top deck and Engineer 2 is on the lower deck with the guns. A fire breaks out on the hull.

"Tag in!"

Engineer 1 and 2 switch places. Engineer 2 puts out the fire and any others that broke out while Engineer 2 buffs the guns and jumps on with the Gunner before tagging out again.

You really need to be in sync with your fellow Engineer for this to work, but I've personally had this work wonders.

The Fix-Its
These Two Engineers help keep the entire ship in repair while also fully buffed.

Engineer 1: This Engineer is the Fixer. He/She's meant to get parts back up in running order as quickly as possible.
Loadout: Shifting Spanner, Dynabuff Industries Kit, Chemical Spray (See previous discussion)

Engineer 2: This Engineer is the Repairman/woman. He/she's there to get parts back up to full health.
Loadout: Pipe Wrench (Rubber Mallet could work, but you'd have to time it right with your teammate) Dynabuff Industries Kit, Chemical Spray.

Explanation: Alright, this one is a bit tricky and again, requires teamwork. Engineer 1 is meant to repair any disable parts, giving Engineer 2 the chance to bring it's health back up. Running back and forth is going to be happening a lot, but there's this undercurrent that you find where one is waiting for the other and starts to buff and they just sort of meet in the middle, keeping the whole ship together and buffed as one finishes a job, another starts, and they buff inbetween.

Just like in my last guide, I'm going to encourage you to experiment. Talk it out with your Engineer Buddy and experiment as to what works for both of you. There's only one last part to this guide now...

Part 3: Blame

NEVER BLAME A FELLOW ENGINEER FOR A LOSS.

That's the easiest way to ruin a friendship and break the buddy system. The moment you rest the blame solely on the actions of one person is when you start losing sight of what a "game" is meant to be.

From there, all I can say is to have fun. And who knows, that Engineer you're working with might turn into a good friend if you just start out and say "Hi".

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Guides / Hardcore Parkour: A Quick and Dirty Engineer's Guide to Getting Around

« on: March 26, 2013, 09:56:48 am »

(Pictures will come at some point, for now, I'll just have to explain it)

Quick! The Hull's taking a beating, the engines are out, and the gunner is screaming in your ear to help him get the forward guns up. What do you do?

Whoops, time's up. You took too long banging on the engines to notice that the balloon was in shambles and the ship just made an unscheduled landing into a mountainside.

Hi, I'm Roderick Archer and I'm Engineer and this happens more often than you think. When I first started playing Guns of Icarus Online, I realized that I couldn't keep everything in running order if I couldn't get to it quick enough. So I, like many Engineers, have started to use clever jumps and falls to get us to places a quickly as possible. And so, I write this guide to help those Engineers out who want to get to whatever parts on fire faster than you can say "Chemical Spray".

First and foremost, is first person perspective. The one thing you need to learn before starting is where your feet are. This isn't easy, especially when you're platforming from a first person perspective, but it is possible. Third Person is a little better if you can't exactly nail down where your feet are in first, but in the end, it all comes down to preference. The easiest way, to me at least, know where your feet are is to practice jumping onto things like railings and such in one jump. Once you can do this without fail, you're ready for the harder stuff.

Now, there are a few well known parkour spots that most Engineers should know, but others are tricky. Let's go over two of them; one simple and one a bit harder.

First is the Rail Jump on the Pyramidion, something most Engineers figure out on their own.

Any Engineer on the Pyramidion knows how much of a hassle it is when you're the only engineer on duty. So here's something you should remember next time you're on the forward gun deck repairing the balloon: You can jump over the railing and down on to the main deck in one jump and land right next to the hull. It's that simple. You've gone from balloon to hull in about a second, giving you more than enough to get on that damaged hull. And if you're good at chaining repairs, you can hit the balloon, jump down to the hull, hit that, run to the back engines and hit all three of them, passing by the side gun before getting back on the balloon.

Next is something I don't think many people knew they could do while on a Goldfish... I call it "The Underbelly"

Alright. Again, you're starting at the Balloon repair point. But now, you don't want to go to the Hull, you want to get to the lower engines. Looking over the side, you should be able to see the port (left) engine. Now, throw caution to the wind and jump. You should hopefully be landing on the support strut that connects the port engine to the ship. It's solid and so is the engine, so run across it and the engine before jumping over to the lower deck of the Goldfish. I've timed myself and I can get down to the engines from the balloon in about 2 seconds, when running down the stairs and to the engines is about 4-5 seconds.

And in Guns of Icarus, that extra 2-3 seconds can mean the difference between winning or ending up as someone's ornament on a mantlepiece.

Here's the final tip I have to offer... Experiment.

You'll never get anywhere if you don't give in and just try something new. Go ahead and jump off the side of a Galleon, hoping, praying that you'll land on something solid that isn't terra firma.

So good luck, fellow Engineers!

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Feedback and Suggestions / Sabotage (Debuffs, Actually, but you get the idea)

« on: March 25, 2013, 01:12:49 pm »

Okay, so after perusing the board for the first time in a while, something caught my eye. This post about a new kind of role that intrigued me and a game mechanic I've been wanting to see implemented.

https://gunsoficarus.com/community/forum/index.php/topic,389.0.html

Sabotage. Now, while Skyler had the right idea, it wasn't exactly implemented correctly since it's already been posited that there won't be any boarding mechanics. So instead, I put forth this idea: A new tool set. Sabotage tools.

I see it like this; there should be another deciding factor in a battle besides just the piloting skills and weapon choice. Something that can turn the tide of battle when implemented correctly without completely throwing the balance out the window. So, here are the criteria I believe Sabotage tools should fall under:

1) Two Slots. One sabotage tool for debuffs and one to remove the debuffs.
2) Certain Sabotage weapons should only be useable once per skirmish. Mostly pilot tools, which are more powerful. No point in it being the turning point if it's being used every five minutes.
3) The debuffs need to be debilitating, but easy to get rid of, if that makes any sense. You'll see what I mean in a moment.

Alright, onto the tools themselves! I've got a few in my head and I hope that maybe they'll help convey what I'm imagining.

Pilot:

Whale Oil: When thrown directly into the engine, it causes damage to the balloon and the engines, but emits a bright light that can temporarily blind enemies, allowing for a strategic retreat; or a decisive attack.

Ether: "There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge". Devious captains can throw caution to the wind and throw a gallon of this stuff into the engines and send out a cloud of ether that can debilitate the crew.

Gunner:

Gunk Shot: Specially made capsules containing something akin to tar that give Engineers migraines. When fired at the hull, there really isn't much to worry about. However, a balloon, engines, or gun covered in Gunk start to malfunction. The Balloon starts to take damage and sink, engines take longer to respond when the pilot wants to turn or speed up, and guns jam regularly.

Arc Shot: Supercharged shots carrying a payload of electricity, this ammo can cause all sorts of gear to start to short out, requiring constant attention by an engineer or the right tool for the job.

Engineer:

Monkey Wrench: Special tool used by engineers to help easily rid the ship of debuffs.

Universal Tools:

Flash Guards: Character can't be blinded

Filter: Character can't be affected by gases.

I'm a little stuck on other tools, but I really hope you see what I'm trying to get at. A new gameplay mechanic that adds a whole new level to airship combat. Please, lemme know what you think and add on what you think this system needs.