Messages

46

The Lounge / Re: What are you Reading?

« on: August 12, 2013, 04:09:41 pm »

Meiville is a little hit or miss with me, but in the end I always enjoy reading his books. I've been meaning to pick up some Iain M Banks for a while now, but haven't gotten around to it. I'm going to have to check some of those out.

If you do, I recommend you start with either Consider Phlebas or The Player of Games.  Excession is probably my favourite, but you're jumping in at the deep end with some of the concepts of the Culture.

I know what you mean about Chine Meiville, I really wasn't keen on Iron Council for some reason.

47

Gameplay / Re: CP matches since 1.3.1

« on: August 12, 2013, 04:05:01 pm »

 Will do..

48

General Discussion / Re: My issues with this game.

« on: August 12, 2013, 02:44:47 pm »

Once again, what do you expect Muse to do?

Easy.  Better options for setting up custom game types.

49

Gameplay / Re: Ghost ships

« on: August 12, 2013, 02:43:05 pm »

Agreed.

50

Gameplay / Re: CP matches since 1.3.1

« on: August 12, 2013, 02:41:45 pm »

In the next game it wouldn't register me for point B.


Is this a new Joker from Eric?  In every CP game there's a random point that each Captain can't capture?

51

Gameplay / CP matches since 1.3.1

« on: August 12, 2013, 02:23:07 pm »

I've just finished playing Anglean.  I was unable to cap point E.  It failed to recognise my presence despite manoeuvring and trying different altitudes.  Including parking the CP balloon on top of my balloon.  No problem with points B or C.

A member of the other team tried and had the same problem with point E.

One other ship tried and it worked for him.

52

Feedback and Suggestions / Re: The ability to change where weapons are located

« on: August 12, 2013, 01:40:06 pm »

Is a Junker left handed or right handed?

Neither, it's just better than the rest..

53

Release Notes / Re: Version 1.3.1 Release Notes

« on: August 12, 2013, 01:36:00 pm »

Things I've noticed that aren't in the notes..

Capping points is now altitude dependent (again) after this was removed in the previous build.  You again have to be at a lower altitude than the balloon to cap.

The Block range around capture points now appears to be significantly larger.

The Pyramidion appears to have had a noticeable manoeuvrability and speed buff, it's performance vs. the Junker has improved (to use a known reference point).  I've had a play in Sandbox with the Pyra and it's quite apparent.


Other things..

I agree with Captain Phoenix about the enemy ship names on the HUD, it's not an improvement and hints at further dumbing down to come.  Likewise the spanner/shell symbols next to players names.  However I would like to see team mates ships named on the map screen (and I know Phoenix disagrees with me on this one).

I don't agree with Phoenix about the numbering of weapon points on the loadout screen, I find this very useful as the layout of the weapon point tags has always been very confusing, illogical and not well presented.

The map loading screens don't look as polished as they did, there's a big improvement that could be made here when the graphics team next gets a look at it.

The pop-up messages when in the Lobby etc. (top left of the screen) look like an afterthought and don't look like something in keeping with the rest of the user interface.

54

Feedback and Suggestions / Re: Balloon engine piston quartering

« on: August 12, 2013, 11:41:42 am »

Well I wasn't going to mention the chain in the belly of the Squid., but as you're mentioning gears.. ..

These are just the little things I catch out of the corner of my eye as you go around the ship.  So much effort has been put into the visual details, and this means that at least I'm looking at them and appreciating the work - even if no one else is looking at them.

PS  LFP, prop diameter can remain the same for clearance when you do review the appearance of engines, it's really the blades that look incredibly thin.
PPS LFP if you could find your way to drawing up some Junker blue prints that would be much appreciated.

55

General Discussion / Re: Fellow Ex-Gunners Of Icarus Lend Me Your Ears!

« on: August 12, 2013, 08:33:57 am »

What I'd like to see are a dozen or more tools of varying utility for every profession.  Because every so often a seemingly minor change in an update has the entire tool dynamic on it's head because someone realises that a little regarded too that's been ignored for months suddenly gives a huge advantage.  Back when the Lumberjack first had it's arming time added there was a sudden scramble to find ammunitions that slowed the projectile.  Heatsink was suddenly FOTM with lumberjack gunners.  Who knows what the next patch will bring.  There needs to be the diversity of tools beyond the cookie cutter appeal, and beyond the absolute number-crunching of the <1% of players who play competitively.

Moriarty, some of the ammunition types you've listed have usefulness beyond the numbers.  The psychological effects of even small fire stacks are significant when you're playing in the PUGs and that can make incendiary a viable choice for a gatling.  The advantages of greased rounds on the mortar at close range aren't just down to the absolute damage numbers - because it's not how much damage you can do in a second that counts.

And amongst the PUGs, a Captain is not always wanting to choose the absolute optimum loadout.  Sometimes you're spending twenty-plus matches just working with the optimum loadout dictated by your current active achievements.  Because you've had the same achievements running for too long and you'd like to get onto the next one.  Flying a suboptimal weapon choice then has you looking for optimal ammunition that might not be used that often in high-level play.

If you only play high level matches and never chase down an achievement, ignore all of the above.

56

Feedback and Suggestions / Re: The ability to change where weapons are located

« on: August 12, 2013, 07:54:11 am »

It's part of the balancing.

But it would be fun to have handed versions of those classes with asymmetric layouts.  So a left- and right-handed version of the Pyra, Squid and Galleon.

57

Feedback and Suggestions / Re: Balloon engine piston quartering

« on: August 12, 2013, 07:44:24 am »

Related to the quartering issue, on the foredeck of the Squid there are five pistons that are visible popping up through the deck.  The animation isn't right for a straight-five, it should be like this.

These are all very tech-geek observations.. but there's time to fix them before AM.


Triple contra-rotating props - main engine of all classes except Squid.

Every other engine is a normal twin contra-rotating prop.  Although the benefit is probably minimal for all steering engines as these could be counter-rotating (as could Squid main engines).

All props are far too small (as noted above) with nowhere near enough blade area to be realistic.

58

Release Notes / Re: Version 1.3.1 Release Notes

« on: August 12, 2013, 06:41:13 am »

- Prevent players from leaving/unreadying in the last moments before a match starts

Was that even a problem?  I'm sure when we've discussed this on the forum in the past it was preventing people **arriving** during the last seconds before a match starts that was identified as useful.  If I get a second pilot pop-in to my crew with five seconds to go, I dam well want to unready - or jump to a spectator slot to cancel the countdown.

Not impressed by this one if it's going to work the way the description implies.  I'll see how it works, but it sounds like the mid-game joiner problem is going to be brought forward to the Lobby.

See bottom of first page on this thread.

59

Release Notes / Re: Version 1.3.1 Release Notes

« on: August 12, 2013, 06:35:42 am »

I think this is to fix a persistant goi glitch that crept back in with 1.3.  When a captain leaves or hits spectate the moment the match is starting it will hang up the whole game for everyone leaving them in limbo at the loading sceen and never starting the match forcing everyone to close the game and join back in.

I'm assuming this is to fix that issue.

But if you fix the last second joiner issues you'll dramatically cut the instances of Captains doing that in the first place.

60

The Docks / Re: Gunner in Search of a Crew

« on: August 12, 2013, 06:10:54 am »

I don't think many Captains will require you to dance.. but they'll probably expect you to fly their ship, rather than them fly yours - but you can always make requests for loadout selection.  For a variety of tactical reasons, a good Captain will almost always want to pilot from the Captain's slot - the most important reason being that Captain's slot has access to the Captain's chat channel for coordinating the team.

I may have misinterpreted you, but just letting you know the possible reasons that you might find yourself struggling to get a good Pilot if you're a Gunner in the Captain's slot.

What's the ship set-up you've developed for your style?