Messages

16

Release Notes / Re: Release 1.4.0 notes

« on: February 27, 2015, 06:40:42 am »

Geo and Glider, if you are unable to have a discussion without devolving into cheap insults or you're unable to make peace with the idea that people will have different opinions to you then the only course of action left is to either "shut up" and preserve your remaining dignity or "take it to the skies" and settle your fight like two drunk, homeless men fighting over a can of spoiled beans.

You are both entitled to your opinions, your right to vocalise them, your right to disagree with them, your right to challenge them, and your right to talk about them. However, it is a two-way channel and that other person has as much right to their opinions as you do to your own.

Try and put your beliefs into perspective and consider every once in a while, hypothetically, that you are completely wrong in a discussion. Play with the thought that the person you disagree with the most is actually one hundred percent correct. If you make the effort to empathise with each other you might find that even though you may never agree (and that's okay) you can still co-exist peacefully in the same community.


ps. Geo i'm not sure you appreciate completely the irony of this statement coming from you.

>mfw gilder has heard the same comment from other people multiple times
>still doesn't get the message

It seems that you're still quite unaware that there is a long running joke about you too and your vocal opinions of the game. I'm not going to go into details for your sake, however I hope you realise that you are not immune to the same ridicule that you bestow upon others.

17

General Discussion / Re: Feedback and you - a word that has to be said.

« on: February 26, 2015, 12:34:50 pm »

I agree that Muse needs to hand pick from the community a dedicated team of testers who can put the game through the stress test and dissect what works, what doesn't work, and coherently explain why.
By opening up the testing pool to everyone you cloud any discussion with opinions from testers who confuse "what I want" with "what the game needs."

Just because your tried and true tactics have been rendered redundant doesn't prove that a patch has broken the game. I might only mean that you need to grow yourself and develop new strategies.

18

Steam Workshop / Re: VIP decal Concepts and request.

« on: February 22, 2015, 05:35:32 am »

I don't know if that is a valid submission... but we can try it!

Like I needed more of a reason to shoot the VIP's balloon.

19

Gameplay / Re: Inter-Clan Coalition of Awesome Really Useful Science (I.C.C.A.R.U.S)

« on: February 18, 2015, 10:03:48 pm »

The Tothian Minefield
I would like to propose a glorious expedition of scientific inquiry to the cutting edge of airship warfare. At this moment of breathless anticipation it is unknown whether or not such bold tactics are possible within the diesel choked clouds of our skies. So in the spirit of the furthering of knowledge, I would like to form a motley crew of fearless pioneers to test my hypothesis or at least encourage other brave souls to explore for themselves these uncharted waters.

Hypothesis
Is it possible to trap and kill a target in a pre-prepared minefield?

Theory
Mines, devastation wrapped up in a ball of iron and malice. At present, the mine is a overwhelming deterrent against the wild charge of torpedoing ships and an effective killer during chaotic scraps. However, is it possible to turn this static explosive into a instant killing bear-trap?
I theorise that a Spire equip itself with a Hellhound Heavy Twin Carronade and three Phobos Mine Launchers. Using the mine launchers, the crew can lay a dense field of fifteen mines over a small area to increase the success of complete hull disintegration. The pilot can then present the ship as a tempting lure for an unsuspecting opponent to brazenly charge at. Finally the gunner, applying the heavy carronade's flechette darts to the charging ship's balloons, drives the target's ship into the minefield below followed by swift destruction and much lamentation.

Loadout
These suggestions cover, what I believe, to be the essential components to achieving success in the field of combat. As for any tools not mentioned, I recommend that the team apply common sense when deciding what equipment to bring with them.

Spire
1. Hellhound Heavy Twin Carronade - The heavy carronade is required to guarantee that an target's ship falls in a controlled pattern towards your prepared trap below.
2. Phobos Mine Launcher - The mine launcher is essential for preparing the minefield trap before the engagement. Mines should be placed in a tight pattern to ensure sufficient splash damage and increase killing potential. Consideration also needs to go towards how wide the net should be cast to account for drift error and an opponent's attempts to avoid the minefield.
3. Phobos Mine Launcher - See slot 2.
4. Phobos Mine Launcher - See slot 3.

Pilot
1. Lucky Phoenix Claw - Essential to assist the Spire in avoiding any potential flanking manoeuvres or to lure the target into a false sense of security.
2. Moonshine - In case of imminent impact with the target's ship, moonshine can be applied to mitigate damage away from the hull and minimise chances of catastrophic mission failure.
3. Impact Bumpers - During the procedure the Spire might be required to assist the target into the correct position for the trap. Impact bumpers can be activated to limit any permanent damage to the hull.

Gunner
1. Heavy Clip - Two shots directly to the fragile balloon will send any ship hurtling towards the earth.
2. Charged Rounds - If you're having trouble hitting your target, the extra 30% damage increase and wider flechette spread should help with disabling the target's balloon.
3. Lochanagar Shot - If a target is resistant to your attempts to put them down, a single Lochanagar round is more than enough to shred their balloon and a bit of their hull too. The benefit is that while the carronade will be damaged, it won't be completely destroyed by the Lochanagar's experimental cocktail.

Engineer
1. Burst Rounds - Deployed mines should be pre-loaded with nitroglycerin so that the 50% increase in the explosion radius can set off all adjacent mines simultaneously.

Conclusion
Presently, this theoretical stratagem has not been tested by an I.C.C.A.R.U.S approved team or confirmed by an independent study. No definitive conclusions are available at this stage.


Final Consideration
Key features of this paper, from ships to weapon loadouts and crew equipment, might need to be adjusted to allow for greater flexibility and potential for success in achieving the hypothesised goal.

20

Community Events / Re: Guns of Icarus - League

« on: February 18, 2015, 04:36:04 pm »

Well done for putting in the work and effort to make this project as clear and concise as possible. I will definitely be keeping my eye on how the League develops in the coming days, weeks, and hopefully months.

21

Feedback and Suggestions / Re: Remove Flamethrower

« on: February 18, 2015, 11:05:06 am »

I see the main purpose of the flamethrower is pressure. This pressure is used against the opposing pilots and their engineers to control each engagement.

Each weapon operates efficiently within set ranges and pilots can roughly control the battle with this knowledge. However, other than the Carronades and Lumberjack there are no other dedicated control weapons except the flamethrower. Against pilots, the flamethrower zones them into patterns of behaviour where you can start to dictate each encounter. To put it simply, if your opponent wants to fight at close range, flame them. If your opponent wants to engage at long range, shoot them or flank them and then flame them.

Another consideration is that high level engineers are notoriously effective. They can resist some of the most punishing bombardments and keep all the components on a ship at operating levels without breaking their patterns. But when there is a flamethrower, it demands perfection from the engineers. One slip in the cycle and components will catch more than 3 stacks of fire, leading to time wasted trying to put out the fire, causing more components to be damaged, which will allow key components to break, then more time lost on rebuilding the broken components, and then cycle repeats.

Flamethrowers are needed to control the tactical decisions that a pilot can make and to pressure engineers out of their repair and chem-cycle patterns.

This is a very brief explanation of the utility of the flamethrower and there are many other nuanced details that complement the inclusion of the flamethrower in the game. I agree that as a new player the flamethrower is devastating. I know, because I was at one point just like you and just like you I had to face the threat that the flamethrower proposed and overcome it. But the flamethrower isn't overpowered and can be surmounted with the right tactics and experience.

Keep working at it and you'll find your way like we all did. If you need help, feel free to find me in game or crew for other experienced teams and ask them for help. Almost all of us are happy to help as long as you're happy to ask and listen.

22

Dev App Testing / Re: Tools, Stamina, and Ramming Damage

« on: February 13, 2015, 09:54:24 am »

The effects of pilot stamina and moonshine/kerosene (and engine buffing, for that matter) share a great deal of code, so the bug report is relevant regardless of if or when we decide to release stamina.

That's what I wanted to know.

This thread is not about the worth of stamina as a feature.  You have multiple threads for those opinions already.

It's good thing then I wasn't discussing the worth of 'Stamina' here. I've expressed my views on that topic, on the appropriate threads, already.

Cheers

23

General Discussion / Re: Apologists for the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in GOIO

« on: February 13, 2015, 06:22:58 am »

You did make me laugh, but... This probably isn't the best way to prove a point.

24

The Pit / Re: Communists in GOIO

« on: February 13, 2015, 05:18:50 am »

Also, if Muse were to take action against this one clanntag, they'd have to moniter and censor every tag in the game all the time, more than they do now... Also if that's the case, Patched Wizard uses a + symbol as his tag, that reminds me too much of the crucifix, an item used to execute hundreds upon hundreds of people in its time, in a dreadfully humiliating way, as well as used as a symbol by a religion which by itself can be held responsible for the murder of millions because of individuals who abused the religion...

NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not my band-aids! You can't take them from me! They're all I have! THEY'RE ALL I HAVE!!!!

25

Dev App Testing / Re: Tools, Stamina, and Ramming Damage

« on: February 12, 2015, 08:56:29 pm »

Okay Watchmaker I need to know now for my own sake. Are you asking this because you're still considering implementing Stamina into the main game?

26

The Docks / Re: looking for a active clan

« on: February 12, 2015, 08:45:00 pm »

or cant you and me decide a time as we are allready communicating with you?

"We are already communicating with you?" 
Randon when is the Collective Hive Consciousness planning on making its presence known to the world?

27

The Pit / Re: Communists in GOIO

« on: February 12, 2015, 07:08:33 pm »

An image can transcend it's own nature and become a symbol only when we or society give it the means to do so. A symbol will only ever have as much influence and power as we allow it. Our reactions to symbols has less to do with the symbols themselves and more to do with ourselves and the areas in which we allow or deny offence.

Even the Swastika has the potential to be stripped of its power and rendered meaningless by society. The question is though: should we?


But since we've already passed the point of Godwin's Law I think we should all just move on.

28

Feedback and Suggestions / Re: Competitive scene section on GoIOs website

« on: February 12, 2015, 03:50:49 pm »

I suggest that instead of trying to have the competitive application separate from the game application it would be more user friendly instead to consolidate the two into a single application in game. This would be a feature that would allow players, teams, and clans to search for, join, and create their own tournaments and schedule skirmishes within the game.

What I propose is that the 'WANTED' button on the main menu is replaced with 'THE SKIES' or another thematically appropriate name. What this button leads to, instead of only the 'WANTED' mini-game, is an entire page dedicated to tournaments, automated mini-games, and organised skirmishes. Here anyone can set up, advertise, update, sign up, and watch the live feed of tournaments and the rankings of the teams participating in them.

Everything needs to be on one page for both convenience, but also to keep a clear line between the competitive scene and the casual scene. Another benefit of having everything on a single page is that it will assist in introducing casual players gradually to each element of the competitive scene without overwhelming them.
This is done first by encouraging a player to join the flexible 'WANTED' mini-game. Here players can participate in a competitive mini-game but at their own pace and never feeling crushed by the weight of schedules and strict rules.
From there the player would be encouraged to join one of the established clans or an up-and-coming one by seeing a live feed of how each clan is doing on the latest tournament ladder or season. Once in a clan they could participate in clan vs clan skirmishes and get introduced to the deeper strategies and tactics of Guns of Icarus.
Eventually that player would graduate into participating in minor tournaments with their clan or go for glory in the official 'Grand Tournament' season and climatic grand finale.
This way players not normally predisposed for the competitive scene could be slowly introduced to each element and they could find themselves going further than they normally would have before.

For the layout I would suggest that front and centre would be the main feature, the 'Grand Tournament' circuit. This would host Guns of Icarus' official season and grand finale and it could easily be set up and maintained by the many Community Ambassadors and Mods that Muse has supporting them.
A simple set up would be to have something as regular as weekly skirmishes throughout the season and award points to the victorious clans and at the end of the season invite the clans that have won the most amount of points to the grand finale tournament.

Underneath, would be a list of the minor tournaments created by the community and hosted by whatever clan created said tournament. There would not need to be any fancy features required for this system to work and every feature would only be usable by the clan 'Leaders' and 'Officers'. A team can easily apply for a tournament as a clan and the host clan can accept or deny their application. The host clan will need to have the ability to set up a variety of different ladder trees, a page where they can post the rules and schedule, and an editor for them to manually update the scores and ladder positions. I believe that manual control and supervision is important as it encourages the host clan to not take their responsibilities lightly and to ignore or exploit any tournament they create lest the participators and community turn on them. In time more features could be added, like pre-defined map rotations, limited ship selection, or different game modes like VIP.

Off to one side would be a selection of automated mini-games starting with "WANTED". In time more or these simple and automated games should be added to encourage new players to participate more in Guns of Icarus' competitive scene and to push their skills harder.

Also on the side too would be a place for clans to challenge, advertise, and sign up to simple clan skirmishes at an agreed time. Nothing fancy here as this would simply be a place for regulars to look for more challenging organised battles than what 'Matchmaker' currently has to offer.

Finally all of this can be tied into the game's in game clock and calendar so that a player can keep track of all the skirmishes and tournaments that they or their clan are participating in or just the ones that they would like to keep up to date with. As for people who would just like to watch and not participate, they would have the option to mark any event so that they could also be reminded to while they are in game.

I believe that this would be the best way to consolidate all of Guns of Icarus' features and to make the competitive scene more friendly to casual players and simplify the current model.

29

General Discussion / Re: Coming back

« on: February 09, 2015, 10:53:27 am »

I guess i'll start things off:

GwTh disbanded and....
(psst someone else take this mic from me)

30

Feedback and Suggestions / Re: Keep Tabs on People

« on: February 09, 2015, 09:30:07 am »

BLOCK THEM, YES, GOOD, BLOCK THEM ALL!

I hope i'm on this list. If not could you pencil me in? They seem like my kind of community.