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Guides / Aboard a Squid
« on: May 13, 2013, 04:50:57 pm »
Inspired by Kyren, I'm taking a stab on making a guide for my favorite ship in Guns of Icarus, the nimble and deadly Squid! I've chosen to stick with his formatting because I felt it was solidly designed and I figured that if others follow suit it'd be user-friendly for newcomers.
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So you're crazy enough to try to fly the Squid, eh? Now, don't be intimidated by the Ships frailty and wild controls. Though it is true that the ship is quite the feral beast in the hands of the uninitiated, with training and skill it is possible to tame this vessel. Its motions will becoming your own, natural as the gravity pulling the wreckage of your enemies to the earth far below.
Ship Stats and Resilience
Speed
Squids boasts the highest speed in every category, most notably in acceleration. Having such high speed statistics means that Squids can adjust their position and velocity in any direction so as to rapidly adapt to unexpected changes to the battlefield and exploit any enemy weaknesses that might show themselves. Slower ships are at the mercy of the Squids ability to dictate the conditions of battle, and wise Captains will exploit this capability ruthlessly.
Hull
Where the Squid's speed is central to its nature, so to is its notoriously low survivability in the face of direct damage. Squids have the lowest overall health statistics in GoI, and it is this fact more then any other attribute of the ship that makes it somewhat inaccessible to less experienced crews. A direct hit from most weapons except the very lightest will likely be a prelude to irreparable hull damage, so staying mobile and aware is key to long term survival.
Balloon
Thankfully, the Squid has a Balloon that is just as hardy as any other. Additionally, it is relatively large in proportion to the size of the ship, so clever piloting can often negate hull damage and instead shift incoming fire to the balloon instead. Also the Balloon is centrally located and will not to far from any engineer during routine operations. Make sure it doesn't go down though, because further damage will not only hurt the hull, but you'll have trouble maneuvering out of danger, which is as much a death sentence as anything can be.
Engines
The Squid has four engines. All other ships have three. Two are set on the upper deck close to the aft gun and balloon, and only a short walk from the Hull, making them easy to maintain. However, the other two engines are set farther away from the core of the ship, making maintaining them a bit of a pain. As an upside, it is this solid distribution that makes it unlikely that a single attack will knock more then one or two engines out. Keeping the ship moving is vital, so more then anything keep on eye on them!
Guns
With three light guns the Squid sadly has the lowest overt, maximum firepower. Do not despair. This weakness can be mitigated entirely with good flying and careful weapon selection. The gun distribution is somewhat strange due to the Squids odd offset Helm, and are located at the front, starboard and aft of the ship. It is possible to position yourself so that either the front/starboard or starboard/aft guns are trained on a single target, and doing so should be a primary goal if danger doesn't demand otherwise. It would be wise if your primary Gunner decides to lurk around your front weapon so that they might repair it themselves. Otherwise it would mean a long(ish) walk for the engineers, as it is set farther away from the rest of the ship. A boon to this weapon distribution is that it is highly unlikely that more then one gun will be knocked out at a time, so keeping at least one weapon firing shouldn't be terrifically difficult.
Examples on Loadouts
Because of all the issues of running a hit-and-run style, it is my preference for taking Disabler/Support style Squids. Here's the build I use to do it.
Front: Barking Dog Light Carronade
Starboard: Artemis Light Rocket Launcher
Aft: Variable, usually a 2nd Artemis.
This is a ship, the fearsome Ten of Swords, that excels at jumping on an enemy vessel and pinning it, rendering it helpless unless an enemy ship comes to its aid. This means that you may very well wrap up two enemy vessels in trying to deal with your ship, turning a battle to your teams favor. It will take awhile to deal a death blow, especially if their Captain has a Drogue Chute and skilled engineers, but despite this it is a premier 1v1'ing ship.
It's also a great Team Player ship, as it can so swiftly cripple an enemy ship, and navigate the map to do it, that you should be leaping to your allies aid whenever and wherever you can.
DON'T fly this loadout if your ego can't handle seeing your teammates getting the kills. DO fly this ship if you like winning.
DETAILED LOADOUT POSITIONS:
This loadout is among the greatest 1v1'ing builds I've seen, provided you choose an approach carefully. Once you've got your opponent into a balloon-death cycle, their death will (slowly) be inevitable, as shaking a competent Squid pilot as anything but another Squid is extremely difficult. If another enemy eventually breaks to try to free their ally, You've just tied up two enemies with your shenanigans, which is still a win even if you don't get a kill. As said before you're going to want to be on the lookout for when you can help out an ally. The Squid speed makes it an excellent fire-fighter, so respond to the plight of your friends, swoop in and be their savior.
All this goes without saying anything about the Squids ability to quickly cap points, which should be fairly obvious, but this build is also able to defend them, as a disabled vessel isn't going to be posing a threat anytime soon.
Engineering on a Squid
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So you're crazy enough to try to fly the Squid, eh? Now, don't be intimidated by the Ships frailty and wild controls. Though it is true that the ship is quite the feral beast in the hands of the uninitiated, with training and skill it is possible to tame this vessel. Its motions will becoming your own, natural as the gravity pulling the wreckage of your enemies to the earth far below.
Ship Stats and Resilience
Hull Health: 850 Hull Armor: 220 Balloon Health: 1200 Acceleration: 11.s m/s² Radial Acceleration: 56.9 deg/s² Vertical Acceleration: 9.8 deg/s² Max Speed: 46.8 m/s Max Turn Speed: 18.8 deg/s Max Vertical Speed: 10.5 m/s Mass: 50,000 t Hull Profile: 448 m² Balloon Profile: 672 m² *NOTE: this info may be old. |
Speed
Squids boasts the highest speed in every category, most notably in acceleration. Having such high speed statistics means that Squids can adjust their position and velocity in any direction so as to rapidly adapt to unexpected changes to the battlefield and exploit any enemy weaknesses that might show themselves. Slower ships are at the mercy of the Squids ability to dictate the conditions of battle, and wise Captains will exploit this capability ruthlessly.
Hull
Where the Squid's speed is central to its nature, so to is its notoriously low survivability in the face of direct damage. Squids have the lowest overall health statistics in GoI, and it is this fact more then any other attribute of the ship that makes it somewhat inaccessible to less experienced crews. A direct hit from most weapons except the very lightest will likely be a prelude to irreparable hull damage, so staying mobile and aware is key to long term survival.
Balloon
Thankfully, the Squid has a Balloon that is just as hardy as any other. Additionally, it is relatively large in proportion to the size of the ship, so clever piloting can often negate hull damage and instead shift incoming fire to the balloon instead. Also the Balloon is centrally located and will not to far from any engineer during routine operations. Make sure it doesn't go down though, because further damage will not only hurt the hull, but you'll have trouble maneuvering out of danger, which is as much a death sentence as anything can be.
Engines
The Squid has four engines. All other ships have three. Two are set on the upper deck close to the aft gun and balloon, and only a short walk from the Hull, making them easy to maintain. However, the other two engines are set farther away from the core of the ship, making maintaining them a bit of a pain. As an upside, it is this solid distribution that makes it unlikely that a single attack will knock more then one or two engines out. Keeping the ship moving is vital, so more then anything keep on eye on them!
Guns
With three light guns the Squid sadly has the lowest overt, maximum firepower. Do not despair. This weakness can be mitigated entirely with good flying and careful weapon selection. The gun distribution is somewhat strange due to the Squids odd offset Helm, and are located at the front, starboard and aft of the ship. It is possible to position yourself so that either the front/starboard or starboard/aft guns are trained on a single target, and doing so should be a primary goal if danger doesn't demand otherwise. It would be wise if your primary Gunner decides to lurk around your front weapon so that they might repair it themselves. Otherwise it would mean a long(ish) walk for the engineers, as it is set farther away from the rest of the ship. A boon to this weapon distribution is that it is highly unlikely that more then one gun will be knocked out at a time, so keeping at least one weapon firing shouldn't be terrifically difficult.
Examples on Loadouts
Due to the ships overall design, it encourages two rather distinct styles of builds. Hit-and-Run and Disabler. With Hit-and-Run Squids, you should not focus on weapons that require a lot of time to do their damage. A Squid cannot win a straight up, tit-for-tat brawl, and without the ability to disable enemy weapons or engines, you'll be forced to move around a lot, and losing weapon arcs will be a constant problem. Therefore weapons with large clips that take time won't be your friend. You'll want to field weapons that will favor the bursty, hit-and-run style you'll be forced to play. You may want to favor your starboard and aft weapons under such circumstances. |
Because of all the issues of running a hit-and-run style, it is my preference for taking Disabler/Support style Squids. Here's the build I use to do it.
Front: Barking Dog Light Carronade
Starboard: Artemis Light Rocket Launcher
Aft: Variable, usually a 2nd Artemis.
This is a ship, the fearsome Ten of Swords, that excels at jumping on an enemy vessel and pinning it, rendering it helpless unless an enemy ship comes to its aid. This means that you may very well wrap up two enemy vessels in trying to deal with your ship, turning a battle to your teams favor. It will take awhile to deal a death blow, especially if their Captain has a Drogue Chute and skilled engineers, but despite this it is a premier 1v1'ing ship.
It's also a great Team Player ship, as it can so swiftly cripple an enemy ship, and navigate the map to do it, that you should be leaping to your allies aid whenever and wherever you can.
DON'T fly this loadout if your ego can't handle seeing your teammates getting the kills. DO fly this ship if you like winning.
DETAILED LOADOUT POSITIONS:
Front The most essential weapon on the ship, the Barking Dog should be manned at all times and told to be trained on the enemy ships balloon. An enemy ship with a popped balloon will have a much harder time maneuvering, meaning you can stay at their dead angle much more comfortably and for a greater duration. Starboard The Artemis should be manned by your Gungineer, and as you shouldn't be taking much damage (most nimble ship in the game, remember?), he should be firing it as often as possible. Try to keep this gun trained at the same target as your front or, more rarely, aft weapons. It should be aiming at the enemy ships Hull, seeking to knock out the enemies weapons and engines. An enemy vessel that isn't shooting might as well already be dead. Aft This weapon can fill any preferences you might have, or to respond to a particular enemy/map threat. I'll usually take a second Artemis so in an emergency I can knock out the enemies weapons if they are giving chase, potentially making clean our escape. |
This loadout is among the greatest 1v1'ing builds I've seen, provided you choose an approach carefully. Once you've got your opponent into a balloon-death cycle, their death will (slowly) be inevitable, as shaking a competent Squid pilot as anything but another Squid is extremely difficult. If another enemy eventually breaks to try to free their ally, You've just tied up two enemies with your shenanigans, which is still a win even if you don't get a kill. As said before you're going to want to be on the lookout for when you can help out an ally. The Squid speed makes it an excellent fire-fighter, so respond to the plight of your friends, swoop in and be their savior.
All this goes without saying anything about the Squids ability to quickly cap points, which should be fairly obvious, but this build is also able to defend them, as a disabled vessel isn't going to be posing a threat anytime soon.
Engineering on a Squid
Engineering on a Squid is deceptively easy, although it remains a very high stakes game. The Hull can go out in an instant and if you aren't ready, you'll end up taking irreparable damage quickly. This can quickly put less experienced engineers into a baby-sitting mindset where they feel tied to the hull lest it explode in a split second. Sadly this can only really be offset by the pilot and there isn't much even the best Engineer can do about it. The most critical advice to be offered is to listen to your Captain, and if the Captain wants a second gun firing, make sure you've already got it worked out which engineer will be the one to go do that. Survival on a Squid is less about obsessively topping off everything and more about making sure you're engines are up (so you can be at a favorable angle) and your guns are firing (so your opponent is more concerned with survival then with fighting back). For gear, the Squid is probably the only ship where the engineer meant to maintain the Hull would be better served taking a Wrench then a Mallet, as the HP healed is overkill for the puny amount of armor the Squid comes with. Likewise, don't make a big deal out of buffing the Hull. The bonus HP from buffing is percentile and you don't get much bang for your time. Not that you shouldn't do it ever, just that it isn't a huge priority. Other than these two peculiarities, tool selection is just like any other vessel, and the usual engineer builds will work fine. The side engines are going to be something of a pain. Set out on the sides and below the main deck, a good jump over the railing from top deck will take you to either engine in no time, but walking back to the ships central area will take a few seconds you might not have. Like on any ship, making solid judgement calls is an essential skill any Engineer ought to have. Like on all ships in all roles, communication is key, so before you even start it should be decided which players are going to prioritize guns over repairs. The squid is the ship least able to receive repairing assistance from the pilot. It's a minor issue, but one that can stand out for pilots used to being able to give their engineers a hand. Gunning on a Squid
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