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Messages - Atruejedi

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61
+1

Yeah, I didn't even need to read the original post (but I did!) because I knew I'd agree with the premise immediately. I don't know HOW exactly to nerf it, but it does need a slight nerf because it really does completely negate the flamethrower. I agree that some sort of "threshold" should be met and then the chemical spray wears off and needs to be reapplied; otherwise, yes, let it last the typical application time.

Perhaps make it only prevent the first 12/13/14 stacks of fire per fresh application? That way, engineers have to keep their cycles up as they do now, face no problem from minor or errant fires, and a flare at least does something when it hits ;)

62
[nerdy numbers]

I love this idea. And I'd still use it in Mercs, because I'd have another gun with explosive damage waiting for that pretty-much-guaranteed-armor-strip to fire and do real damage. This rewards smart players, and I'm all about it!

63
Feedback and Suggestions / Re: Simple moderate Incendiary ammo buff
« on: November 03, 2016, 02:36:36 pm »
And on light carro greased is only +5.3%!

MY LIFE HAS BEEN A LIE! Well, shit. This is why, when I fly a Junker with a Carro/Mine bottom, I encourage my gunner to use Incendiary/Lochnager in that Carro (and Lesmok in the Mines when needed; and, unfortunately, that top deck engineer is firing a Carro/Banshee with Greased, which I now find offensive). OR HAVE I BEEN DECEIVED HERE AS WELL?

Quote
...which I tried explaining multiple times[emphasis added] to Keyvias and Howard, but at this point I'm more than happy with the proposed increased damage @ reduced radius

lolz good luck. I thought I was going to get banned yesterday during the dev testing session for asking Howard for a legitimate reason why we couldn't have both New Heavy Flak and Old Heavy Flak while we were flying around with Richard in Alliance. He said I was baiting him... but I just wanted a legit, logical reason. If that gun existed in the game for over 75% of the game's lifespan, why is it suddenly anathema to the devs? Sigh. I just want options for players. I want a reason to keep playing when I get bored. I say this all the time, but I will never forget flying a Flakspider with Letheliah on Paritan the week before the Loch/Heavy Flak changes were pushed into Skirmish. We spent that weekend Loch-Flakking everything in sight and it was glorious. We knew we'd likely never have that experience again, so we took advantage... and that sucks.

Quote
With burst flares keep in mind that with a 'TINY' radius, burst won't have much effect either. 1 to 1.5 or even 2 to 3m is hardly noticeable and would come down to luck due to spread. It wouldn't hurt anything but I don't think skill would play much role or that burst would become preferred over the accuracy of heavy clip

Like I said, options. I like making tactical choices. Heavy clip Flares are great, obviously, but I also like Heatsink in some situations (Scrap comes to mind)... and I want to like Burst in some situations as well! It should be a big decision weather I take Burst Flares to try to light up a Junker's entire gunning pit, for example... or if I take Heavy to snipe that Goldfish's main gun!

And maybe Incendiary? Or Loch? You get my point. Options. 8)

64
Chapter 3

There was movement in front of us. I wasn't sure what was happening, though. I needed to get a better look so I could appraise our captain of the situation. Gazing forward, chin up, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my range finder. I tossed it over my shoulder and off the ship. Then I reached into my pocket and took out my spyglass. I peered through it at the scene ahead.

"Thick as soup up there?" our engineer asked.

"If it is, you must be getting way better soup than I am! I mean, if each of those mines represents a chunk of potato--"

"Report, please" Lexy asked with impatience. "What's it looking like up there?"

"I'd guess about two dozen mines, all pretty close to each other. If a ship strays into that field and one of the proximity fuses goes off, it'll probably start a chain reaction that'll detonate the whole--

"BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!"

"BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!"

"--minefield. Well, at least now we're safe to move in... Captain?"

Andrakuz nudged the throttle and the crew surveyed the battlefield from a safe distance, spotting a Mobula with its guns facing away from us. "That's our target, cap! John Cena! Close to a distance of approximately 250 meters and we'll load in the Lesmok ammunition! If you've got a map, that's half a square away."

Standing patiently at our guns, Lexy and I waited for the perfect moment. Wait for it... wait for it... now! We pulled our triggers and began distributing mines all around the John Cena; we had caught the vessel by surprise and there was nowhere it could maneuver to avoid our wrath. The proximity fuses in the mines sensed the Mobula and activated; explosions shoved the vessel toward the ground and we continued pouring torpedoes down at him, smelling victory in the air. But we had gotten cocky. We didn't see the mine we were drifting towards at a barely noticeable speed... our tunnel vision or blood lust had gotten the better of us. Or perhaps the throttle was malfunctioning. Maybe it was the speedometer. "Hey, cap, tap a finger on the--"

"BOOM!"

We were jarred out of position; the John Cena used the opportunity to set an escape course. As he left our effective range, we could hear his ship creaking and buckling from the damage it had suffered at our hands. The Fifth Hokage, abruptly arriving at the scene, settled on another greedy attempt at a ram kill which, again, backfired. Literally. An errant mine exploded and threw the First Hokage clear of us (and us of them), giving us a valuable respite to conduct some repairs. Enough was enough, we simultaneously thought, as if sharing a dream.

"Target the Fifth Hokage," I said, vengeance in my voice. "Aim low off starboard; he's still licking his own self-inflicted wounds."

Mines rained down at the Squid like explosive hail on a time delay. Another mine seemingly belonging to no one shook our ship, but damage was minimal and repairs were brief. Then another. We were fighting our fate and the enemy was fighting his. Our sights were trained on the Fifth Hokage and we had him pinned to the ground, surrounded in mines. His destruction seemed all but assured, but then...

"Is he really going to try to maneuver through that web?" Lexy pondered aloud, disbelief in her voice.

"It's Wrathling. He's not exactly rational," I muttered.

"Well, he's going to get his ass blown up."

But... he didn't. Through luck or skill or a combination of both (but probably just luck), he activated his engine boosters and deftly maneuvered and muscled for rank, fuel burning fast on an empty tank, through the steeples and archways. Our allied Mobula, the Spanish Ladies, deployed mines with an intercept trajectory in front of the Squid to prevent the slippery rascal from escaping. Thinking (incorrectly) he was cornered, Wrathling rashly and instinctively set a new collision course with the Spanish Ladies... but his damaged engines wouldn't allow him to achieve a threatening velocity and he simply bounced his ship off of the Mobula's balloon and sent himself plummeting downward. The Mobula appraised the situation, ordered a halt to weapons fire, and determined crushing the nearly destroyed Squid under its weight would be an appropriate ending to the ordeal.

"Hold your fire," Lexy said. "The Spanish Ladies is about to give that Squid a lap dance."

It was clever wordplay, but I didn't hear her. My mind was racing with thoughts of Wrathling pulling off another miraculous escape. Wrathling, I thought as I scoffed and curled my upper lip. If I don't stop him now, we might not get another chance... This ends now. I pulled the trigger.

"Hold your fire, Jedi," Lexy ordered.

But it was too late. One impulsive twitch of my finger sailed a mine within proximity of the Spanish Ladies as it was descending on the Fifth Hokage. The Squid's crew, holding on for dear life but holding firmly, maintained their vessel's armor as the mine exploded and triggered the detonation of other mines in the area, ripping apart the Mobula's armor as it was in the process of smashing itself down into the smaller ship... and surrounding concrete. The Spanish Ladies exploded with a great flash... but the Fifth Hokage exploded mere milliseconds later.

I'm not sure why I did it. I tell myself it was our only chance to stop Wrathling and it had to be done. But maybe not.

Maybe it was a vendetta. Have you ever had a disinterested conversation with someone and, only moments later, realized what had been said? Lexy's voice was like the background noise of a purring engine that I was only now noticing. Hold your fire...? Maybe I didn't want to hear her.

I'd rather not think about it. And at the moment, I didn't have time to anyway.

Chapter 4

"This is crazy!" our captain unexpectedly screamed. But it wasn't fear in his voice; it was joy. The thrill of battle had caught him, even if it had also caught our ally in a lethal explosion.

Immediately after the destruction of the Spanish Ladies and the Fifth Hokage, the battlefield seemed quiet. For a moment, the city seemed at peace, even as smoke billowed up from the ruins. The opposing fleets arrayed themselves against one another and held position, scanning the horizon for misshaped shadows conspicuously creeping between buildings. But this pause in the fighting was all too temporary. The enemy had brought the fight to us again.

Well, one enemy in particular.

Wrathling. "I swear we just blew this guy the whole way to the Random Gods' Realm!" I said in confusion.

"We did!" Andrakuz answered. "What's going on here!?"

"We'll figure that out later. Fire!"

But it was too late. The Fifth Hokage had already closed on our position, seemingly out of nowhere, and was still seeking that elusive ram kill. A random mine exploded beneath us, popping us into the sky and out of sight of the Squid's guns, but Wrathling was tired of embarrassment and failure. His patience, already limited, had run out. He pushed his ship and crew to their breaking points as he, again, closed in on us... but was foiled as a friendly mine deployed and exploded in between our vessels, shoving our ships away from each other. Uncharacteristically, Wrathling considered the stategic situation. He was now surrounded by four enemy vessels, all protecting each other and deploying mine fields in defensive positions behind him. The lid on the box was beginning to close. Fighting his instincts, he tucked his tail between his legs and ran, seeking assistance from his allies for the first time in the battle's duration.

Or so we thought. It was all a feign. Devious Wrathling, I thought. I knew he couldn't resist.

Each faction was now lobbing mine after mine after mine into the fray, some aimed at enemies, some missing enemies, some deployed to cut off strategic areas, some seemingly placed with no thought to tactics at all. Chaos was the master of the battlefield, but the chaos felt good. For some reason, it felt fitting. This thought was further cemented when the Spanish Ladies smashed into mines deployed earlier in the skirmish by our ship and exploded into another heap of metal and wood. I furrowed my brow. Wait...

Déjà vu? My crew mates and I all exchanged glances and shrugged. We didn't have time to ask if the Random Gods were playing tricks on our minds.

"Junker approaching! It's the Gun Runer!" our engineer shouted.

"He's mine!" Lexy proclaimed.

"Do you mean he's mined?" I asked, proud of myself. "I hope he doesn't mind--"

"Staaahhhhp" Lexy groaned, taking a full three seconds to utter a one syllable word.

Based on our earlier experiences, be them real or imagined, we began to aim our launchers with increasing accuracy and precision. Within seconds, the Junker off our starboard bow was rocking left and right and alight with flame. Even our sworn enemies would have to agree: our aim was true. But our enemies couldn't agree with us, because they were dead. The Gun Runer's sizzling remnants cascaded down into the darkness of the city floor like sprinkles on an ice cream sundae; besting an opponent tasted that good.

The battle lines continued to shift as the opposing fleets made minor elevation and attitude adjustments, each ship's pilots doing their best (which was relative) to fly consistently enough for effective mine launching. The John Cena, escaping our clutches earlier, again fell under heavy bombardment from our skilled handling; it was baffling to us how that crew managed to keep their ship aloft. It was as if the ship had the ability to turn invisible.

Occasional explosions violently rocked all of the combatants, but efficient repairs were keeping the ships bound together, some by mere threads, or so it seemed... including our ship. At the battle's beginning our enemy seemed to have the favor of the Gods, but slowly, slowly, we regained our footing and leveled the playing field. Captain Andracuz had come a very long way during the course of the battle. He started off as an unsure, inexperienced pilot and, by the midway point, transformed into a consistent and cautious captain. Our captain. His stable hand at the helm allowed Lexy and me to envelop the enemy in mines, assisting our allies as they wrested control of the skies from the enemy and secured the city for our occupation. Then, suddenly...

It was all over.

Like discovering a familiar shape in the midday sky, the Fifth Hokage materialized out of the fog and smoke directly in front of us and charged forward with reckless abandon, already heavily damaged, seemingly ask us to grant it a death wish and put it out of its visible misery. It was a request we simply couldn't refuse.

"Hold 'er steady, cap!" I said.

"Treat 'er like a lady," Lexy replied.

Damning the torpedoes, Wrathling set his thrusters to full and barreled toward us, his engines barely able to take the strain. As he hurtled toward us I swear I could see the look on his face. It was craven and mad. That's how close he got to our vessel. That's how close we came to death... until Lexy and I pulled the trigger.

The two mines sailed forward together like synchronized swimmers. At the end of their dive, they deployed simultaneously and jiggled with anticipation, swinging in the callous breeze. Unlike a diver, however, these mines made quite the splash. The Squid smashed into the pair of precisely placed charges and instantly exploded into a fireball, its momentum showering our ship with debris and causing us to explode in cheers of celebration.

It was a do-or-die situation for the irrational mind at the helm of the Fifth Hokage. Well... Actually, it wasn't. It was just a die situation. And we owed it all to our captain, Andrakuz.

Epilogue

They say the Gods test their followers' faith. I will admit, I was unsure about Andrakuz when he first walked up that gangplank... but now I am sure. He is The Second Coming of The Champion, first revealed to us as Tachy. This is his second form. All of the evidence is before your eyes, dear reader! Andrakuz learned patience while at the helm. He measured his enemies, chose his battles, relied on his allies, and allowed his crew to give him advice that turned the tide of battle in the favor of his faction. As the enemy ships fled the skies in the moments after we vanquished the vile warlord Wrathling, our occupation forces set up camp in the city to scour for resources and our surviving vessels sailed back to the docks for toasts to victory and embraces of fellowship and more toasts and then some toasts. The battle was won, but our fate had not been predetermined. No, it was secured for us through teamwork and faith in our friends and comrades, our brothers and sisters in the sky. On that day, Andrakuz, although divine by design, became our brother. This tale is a salute to him.

65

Artistic Rendering of Andrakuz
(Photographs of deities are banned by The Council)

This is the story of Andrakuz, a neophyte from the Netherlands who, upon joining the Chaos Skirmish this past weekend, rescued his team in their time of need and led them to a crushing victory over their enemies. The entire story was chronicled by Lysanya in video form and is available for viewing at the below link. I've cued up the video to begin at the moment Andrakuz was anointed our pilot at 1 hour, 45 minutes and 20 seconds into the video. I've typed up a dramatic retelling of his experience below. I encourage you to read the text below first and then watch the video. Pay special attention to the match's text chat to get the full experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEn6fdblHpY&feature=youtu.be&t=1h45m20s

If you did not participate on Saturday night, SPOILERS FOLLOW:

Introduction

Every once in a while, a combination of circumstance, fate, and chance producer a HERO FOR THE AGES... Our first hero was Tachy (#PraiseTachy! Read his story here) and he has served the Random Gods well as their champion on this earth, fighting against injustice with courage and valor. But battling the hordes of novices and stackers can fatigue even the strongest of warriors, and the Gods demand balance. On Saturday, October 29, 2016, at approximately 11:20 PM EDT... the Gods gave us our latest righteous warrior, Andrakuz...

Prologue

War wasn't brewing. It was simmering. The heat was always on and the borders were always on high alert, with mistreated crews of opposing squadrons watching each other diligently across the vast deserts and tundras and other sorts of wastelands. A crew can get bored staring at all that sand and ice... life on an airship can be pretty rough. Corporal punishment. No entertainment beyond booze and brawling. Swabbing the poop deck. You know, if you take a moment to think about it, the swabbie of one faction seems to have more in common with his enemy swabbie than with his own captain. And, hey, what exactly are we fighting over if everything is simply a waste? You know what? We're going to start a movement! Swabbies of the World, uni--

"BLAAAARE!"

...What was I...? Oh. Yes. High Command doesn't give you time to think; the pot has to be stirred until the sauce is ready. Sometimes a ship strays off course and into enemy territory, even though there are no discernible borders. Sometimes trade negotiations go sour and the diplomats challenge each other to a duel with Javelin Harpoons at 500 meters (with no Lesmok!). Sometimes we organize a blood sport in which teams of ships ferry a buoy back and forth between two sides of a territory for hours until one side finally surrenders. But, more often than not, when the ingredients in the recipe for perpetual conflict need to be adjusted to make sure we all take our medicine, the Council just begs that crazy old oracle M'Kaw to interpret the will of the Gods. And nearly every time she declares that the Gods want Chaos, so she chooses a site for battle and both sides, desperate to keep order in their lands, agree to her absurd rules.

Chapter 1

Through M'Kaw, Paritan was chosen as the site. Through M'Kaw, the orders of battle were determined. Through M'Kaw, High Tide was chosen as our pilot, but he refused to follow the Gods' "mischievous wishes."

"A Squid equipped with all Mine Launchers!? I will not accept my station! This shan't be my lot! I will not bow to these demands! Either the Gods are unreasonable or M'Kaw is a charlatan! My lack of skill will surely damn my compatriots to defeat and embarrassment! Or, worse... death!"

"You must follow their rules!" I cried. "This is their vision, and it must be realized! High Command and the Council trust the oracle, as does our enemy. The impending battle must be fought with only mine launchers because that is what Those Who Rule the Skies want! If we are to die, at least we will die with honor! We will receive our just reward. We all have our part to play in the skies... O! My Captain, won't you reconsider?"

High Tide paused. His face was stone, staring into a far-off abyss. "No," he finally said, firmly, defeated. Perhaps he saw in his mind's eye the charred corpses of his crew scattered among the shattered glass and concrete of the urban husk called Paritan. High Command knew a momentous battle was imminent and the scenarios had been playing through everyone's heads, from the lowliest swabbie to the Fleet Admiral himself. "I cannot do this. I will not. It is suicide. I would rather lose my honor than lose my life and yours." Without turning, without saying goodbye, without apologizing, he walked calmly down the gangplank. We later learned he had immediately resigned his commission and was banished by the Council, which branded him an apostate for disobeying the will of the Gods.

"Heretic," Lexy muttered as High Tide took his final step off the plank. She wasn't exactly a zealot, but something about her...

That's when I saw him. No, not High Tide. Him. His brown skin was tanned from both the sun and the heat of the barrels he unloaded upon hits targets as a gunner. His rakish tricorn sat neatly upon his tight curls. He strode with hesitation up the ramp onto the nimble vessel and spoke without emotion. "I have no mic," he muttered as his face turned into a frown. But he didn't need to say anything. We didn't know it at the time, but we knew he was special. We knew he might be the--

"BLAAAARE!" screamed the klaxons. Our heads rotated rotated back and forth and our eyes darted rapidly. "Are they attacking?"

"Nope," our engineer said nonchalantly as he walked up the ramp. "It's go time. You must be our new captain. Hi." He looked at Andrakuz with a blank stare for a brief moment. His face was completely forgettable. "No time for introductions. The oracle has determined the battle is to begin at dusk and we have to get to the rendezvous point as soon as possible. The enemy is already on the way."

"I already did a pre-flight check, even though it isn't my job," Lexy said accusingly, narrowing her eyes at me and then deliberately glancing down at the decorations pinned to her chest. One of them was a tawdry oversized bullet, but it made the point that High Command both liked to recognize its best gunners and didn't like spending much doing so.

"Okay, yes, fine, sorry," I said with exasperation. I stared at her and then tapped the flask in my chest pocket. "It won't happen again," I said with a purposely crazed look in my eyes.

"Suuuurrrre," she replied, taking two seconds to say a one syllable word. And without another word, we all manned our stations and set sail for the broken city of Paritan.

Chapter 2

As our newly christened ship took to the skies, Andrakuz, realizing he had only served aboard crews during his service and had never really been in command or directly responsible for the well-being of a crew, questioned himself. His crew realized their captain was uncomfortable at the helm of such a sensitive craft, but they casually reaffirmed their faith in his command and offered practical advice by chatting to one another and allowing Andrakuz to overhear their conversation.

"I think I'm getting chapped lips. Should have brought some balm," Lexy remarked. And Andrakuz gently lowered the throttle.

"I must have drank too much last night. If that's possible. I'm feeling queasy," I remarked. And Andrakuz loosened his grip on the wheel and let the winds carry us gently toward our destination.

"Doing okay, captain?" our engineer asked.

Andrakuz nodded solemnly and thought of telling his crew he'd do his best, but he knew those words were only a sign of weakness and wouldn't help. He knew he had to be in command but he didn't know how to give voice to his orders. If only I had a microphone, he thought. He began to spiral mentally even though his ship moved with relative grace. But before his self-doubt could shake his emotions, that question mark turned into an exclamation point. The Gun Runer appeared through the haze and darkness of the wrecked cityscape. "Captain, enemy vessel si--"

"BOOM!" His skin felt a rush of hot air blast through the hair on his arms and scalp. His ears rang. He opened and closed his eyes rapidly in an attempt to blink away the spots obstructing his vision. "Sir! We hit a mine!" Lexy shouted from the starboard emplacement, turning in a rush to repair the engines. "Reverse course and radio our flee--"

"BOOM!" The same intense sensations rocked Andrakuz's body again. The Gun Runer's crew, being assigned to a Junker, clearly had trained with these weapons at their war colleges; "Munkers," after all, were the preferred craft for mining specialists, and these bastards had already demonstrated their consummate skill in a single moment. If our ship had a nervous system, by now it would be causing the craft to go into shock. Andrakuz thought he heard a voice far behind him, but it was only mere feet away. "...our fleet for assistance! Radio our fleet for assistance, Captain!" Lexy cried to the captain over her shoulder as her pipe wrench crashed into the mangled engine.

I had already dove into the pit housing the armor repair hub and was toiling away to provide us with some immediate protection. I stabilized our systems quickly, but before our crew could effectively target the Junker, a Squid, the Fifth Hokage, rose up from the littered alleyways and set itself on a crash course with our vessel as its destination. The ship's captain, a rogue called Wrathling, was famous for his suicidal charges into enemy defenses. While he was often beaten and broken by the end of the skirmish, just as often he took an enemy down with him. He was a wildcard in the skies who was just as likely to kill as be killed.

But luck was on our side, at least for a moment. As the Fifth Hokage darted forward, Wrathling neglected to radio his co-captain on the Gun Runer to request they halt fire as he sought personal glory with a ram kill... and the Munker's expert crew was still actively targeting our ship. As the Fifth Hokage made contact with our hull, ordnance exploded in the vicinity of both craft and damaged every gas bag keeping the ships aloft, sending them both sinking towards the streets.

"Activate the emergency parachute, Captain!" I bellowed over the sound of metal-on-metal as I cobbled back together our armor plating and the rest of the crew worked on patching up the gas bags. The Fifth Hokage sank below us and it seemed we were out of harm's way. "Alright, balloon's looking good. Deactivate the parachute. And, say, cap, did you know the Drogue Chute remains active for a few seconds after you deactiv--"

"BOOM!"

...I must have blacked out. The next thing I remember, we were out of harm's way on a ship in perfect condition, about to enter combat with fresh faces but, somehow, I felt as if I'd learned something in the past few minutes. I had gained something valuable, even if I wasn't sure what it was or how it happened. "Guys, do you..." I trailed off. Their astounded stares back at me confirmed they had shared the same experience.

For a moment, we froze. Then, in a sudden panic, we ran to our stations. "Vessel in sight, Captain!" our engineer warned. "Pyramidion-class! Designation is Shake Rattle n' Roll!"

"Then let's make 'em live up to their namesake," I quipped. "Prime the launchers!"

Lexy and I mounted our weapons and squinted through the clouds. "Gentle on that wheel, captain! Treat it like a lady!" I advised with a wink.

Lexy rolled her eyes and smirked. "How about 'Keep 'er steady?'" she offered, eschewing the sexism. Our gallant gunnery officer was, under all the grease and oil, still a girl, but the word "still" was simply offensive to her and anybody who had served beside her. She had seen more combat than most "men"  and acted with more courage under fire than the majority of high-ranking officers in the fleet would care to admit on official records, fearing it would make them look inferior. But those medals proved her prowess and her reputation preceded her. High Command had heard tales of her achievements many times over and knew she was invaluable to their success.

I chortled. "Guys, you heard it here first: Lexy wants you to kee--"

The ship shook as Lexy dropped the hammer and flames and thunder erupted from her gun. "Can it," she chimed in. I grinned and opened fire with her, but our charges landed short of the enemy.

"Distance too great. We've gotta close that gap, cap," I said, turning about to check on the captain. Andrakuz appeared steady, more comfortable at the helm. I guess he had been with a woman or two before and my advice made sense to him. Stupid Lexy, I thought. Sexism is funny! Locker room talk 'n' all. Anyway. "Either that or switch ammun--"

"Reverse course," Lexy interrupted.

I sniffed the air. It was... thick. Smokey, but... almost sweet. Barbecue sauce? I thought. Oh. Oh!

Lexy continued: "The Pyra just dropped a tar barrel. Let's hold here. No need to unnecessarily gunk up the engines. I'd hate to make more work for Jedi," she said with a sarcastic grin.

I tapped my flask. "Or yourself."

66
Feedback and Suggestions / Re: Simple moderate Incendiary ammo buff
« on: November 02, 2016, 08:33:09 pm »
You guys are nerds, which I appreciate. I'm just dropping in to mention that I think this should also fall into the recent discussion I started about Greased, Burst, Charged, and Lochnager (found here, but you've already probably seen it: https://gunsoficarus.com/community/forum/index.php/topic,7462.msg132602.html#msg132602 ). I don't have a big problem with Incendiary, but I agree it's not functioning exactly as it should; case in point, Incendiary on a Flamer sets less fires than Greased on a Flamer. So is Incendiary the problem, or is Greased the problem? Does one need a tweak, or both?

I'll let the number nerds get to work ;D

P.S. Muse agreed to have a "weird testing week" in the dev app where we could dick around and experiment with trying to make things better or more interesting. This all started because I asked why Burst Flares weren't a thing. Since Flares don't have any AoE Burst won't affect them, but perhaps they should have a TINY AoE instead of doing double fire damage. This would allow more "skilled" flare usage where, when you're within arming time, you set, say, 8 stacks of fire, but without arming time you set an additional 7. Seems more dynamic to me. Thoughts?

67
sup skrubz

I emailed this to Muse and I wanted to paste it here as well just in case you fellows and fellettes haven't noticed this in the dev app: Firnfield 3 vs. 3 and 4 vs. 4 King of the Hill is coming and could be awesome. Unfortunately, you can't test it on your own... luckily I was at this past week's testing session and got to try it out! Here's my feedback (minus the italics/bold/formatting because it's a paste job; deal with it 8) ):

==================================================

Hi Muse,

First, let me preface this with: I'm sure Richard and I are pretty much going to line up identically in our feedback. I assure you we aren't the same person ;)

Next, let me echo Richard's suggestion about the name of the map... for the longest time, I was all about "Battle for the Big Gun" as the title of a Firnfeld KOTH map, because that's indeed the point of the map, IMO (currently it isn't, but we'll get to that). Then Richard blew my mind: name it Battle for the Breach, because that's exactly what we should be fighting over (the gateway under the gun where all the action typically takes place in Crazy King and DM!) and the wordplay: a breach, like a breach-loading rifle... and it's a giant gun... come on! It's perfect! So I'm with Richard: Battle for the Breach is genius and I hope you'll choose it over Frostbite Occupation, which is pretty cumbersome and a misnomer. This superweapon is obviously invaluable to the war effort and needs to be secured at all costs!

Now, to the meat: there is so much potential here with this map, but there are also fundamental issues that need fixed before the map can actually be fun and fair. Let's start with the biggest issue: the actual location of the capture point.

As it is now, we're fighting over the wrong gap.



As the image explains (I hope), the purple text is the area and location of the current capture point. This shouldn't be where the fighting is... and, as it currently is, mark my words, this will turn into a long range Lumber/Merc fight every match to nuke the ships sitting in the all-too-open capture area (there is literally almost no cover currently; in order to capture, you've got to be a sitting duck). Richard already attempted to demonstrate this turkey shoot strategy over the weekend, but it was hard to do when we were playing a 4 vs. 4 match with 10 people... aka, 8 pilots and 2 engineers spread among 8 ships ;). Either way... you've been warned!

Richard's Galleon in the picture below is where the point should be (aka, very near to what it is in Crazy King!). The area of influence doesn't necessarily have to encompass the exact area of influence in Crazy King, but it should be somewhat approximate (I've put some yellow arrows on the image above in an attempt to make suggestions).

Also, question! What is the shape of the area around a capture point? Spherical? Rectangular? Logic tells me the area should be spherical to make it the most "even" area around the buoy... but I don't know how it works.

Once the capture point is moved to the gateway (labeled in green above), the fight becomes a race to get to the point, dogpile it with ships, then slowly pick apart the enemy. Will this be time consuming? Yes. Will the matches be long? Yes. Will there likely be an initial stalemate? Yes. Is that bad? I don't think so. This adds some necessary desperation at the beginning of the match (as with Scrap and Labyrinth) where it's an absolute race to get to the point as soon as is god damn possible; otherwise, if the enemy captures before you, they just keep a'tickin' up their score... an intense initial sprint toward the middle to block the point from the enemy would be in line with these other maps and encourage speedy ships and coordination/teamwork before the match even begins. Fast ships run to block/capture, flaking ships move into position to reinforce or whittle away at the enemy, etc... lots of potential here! I'm excited!

But speaking of spawns... as it is now, there are huge problems. Lemme try to explain... with this picture of the map.



First, let's talk pure positioning and the equity between spawns... well, it doesn't exist. Consider the following numbers...

Blue Spawn pixel distances (approximate) from the current capture point:
1. Front Spawn 304
2. Rear Spawn 216
3. Southeast 330
4. Northwest 264

Red Spawn pixel distances (approximate) from the current capture point:
5. Front Spawn 389
6. Rear Spawn 232
7. Southeast 329
8. Northwest 262

What does this mean? Well, the Red and Blue "rear" spawns (2 and 6) are completely different. In fact, the Red Rear Spawn is 28% further away from the point compared to the Blue spawn. Why would anybody ever choose this point? How was this not noticed during preparation?

Spawns 1 and 5 (the "Front" spawns) are relatively more fair numerically, but still flawed in practice. While Red's distance from the point is still 7% further away (and I agree, this isn't much, but it all adds up), more important is the positioning relative to the area where the teams are going to camp and stalemate on each side of The Gun (see the first image for these camping areas)... I'd actually argue that Red's Front spawn is more advantageous to them because of the mountains screening them as they approach the capture point... they can dogpile the side of the gun very quickly, whereas Blue's spawn is in open air on the approach to The Gun... meaning they are going to be taking fire on the approach from Red Team once Red is in position if Blue spawns at their Front spawn. Yikes. No good.

Now let's talk about the "flanking" spawns in the Northwest and Southeast...

The Southeast and Northwest spawns, when speaking about their distance, seem fair (equidistant from the point for all intents and purposes :))... but still unfair for all practical reasons. Spawn 3 provides Blue with an amazing flanking opportunity which will be seized upon every match... they can dart forward, using the mountains as a screen, and approach the camping Red ships with relative impunity. Blue will constantly be flanking from this position, and who could blame them? Yet the same spawn in the area for Red team (spawn 7) doesn't provide any flanking opportunity because of topography: while Blue can easily run behind the mountains from Spawn 3, Red has to charge into open skies from Spawn 7. This isn't to say that these are bad spawns, it's just unfair to Red and gives Blue a big advantage, especially when you consider the Northwest spawns...

Since Blue is given a great flanking opportunity in the Southeast, you'd think Red would be given the same chance in the Northwest... but nope. Because of the topography, it takes Red a very long time to do anything from this spawn, and they're forced to go through enemy spawn 4 to execute any maneuvers (whereas Blue in Spawn 3 can avoid the enemy entirely). Spawn 4 here is a decent spawn, just bread and butter. Doesn't provide a good flank (and doesn't need to), but allows another safe angle to shore up reinforcements.

Nitpick: Spawns 3 and 7 should point the ship northwest (toward the center/point) and spawns 4 and 8 should point the ships southeast (toward the center/point). However, all of the following is irrelevant once the point is changed to hover over the gateway/breach anyway... so... hm.

Also, it's very important to note: the initial spawning of the teams places them extremely close to the point in pack formation. All 4 ships of each team are right beside each other (which is fine!), but the very short distance of the journey to the center means everybody gets there at the same time and that ship choice doesn't matter because slow ships arrive just as quickly as fast ships. Compare this to Scrap, where taking a Galleon or Junker can fuck your team if you aren't smart... and that's how it, indeed, should work! Fast ships have the advantage of arriving first, while slow ships provide the firepower to the team moments later. Right now, fast ships aren't needed. Just jam 4 Galleons up their ass with a quick dogpile at the beginning and it's game over, man. Game over!

Lemme try to give you a shortlist of what needs to be changed to realize the amazing potential of this map:

1. The capture point must be moved to be above the gateway/breach.
2. The area of influence/capture needs expanded/enlarged.
3. The initial spawning needs to be pushed significantly farther away from the capture point.
4. Spawns need to be more evenly, fairly, and logically placed.
5. Name it Battle for the Breach
6. Profit as it becomes an extremely popular map and breathes fresh air into Skirmish.

The only relatively small fear I have is that it will, indeed, turn into somewhat of a grind... but, guess what? Many maps are already a grind, so I'll take that risk and it can always be addresed later if need be!

Here are my graphical suggestions for spawns and the capture point location/area of influence...



Let me try to explain this as well as possible...

Spawns 1 and 5 are "equal" and the same distance from the capture point.
Spawns 2 and 6 are "equal" and the same distance from the capture point.
Spawns 3 and 7 are "equal" and the same distance from the capture point.
Spawns 4 and 8 and 9 are "equal" and the same distance from the capture point.

1/5 are the shortest, most direct, and riskiest approaches. It's pretty much "open season" to attack these ships during their approach because of map topography and available cover.

Spawns 2/6 are farther away than 1/5, but are relatively direct approaches to the point and provide a tiny bit of cover during the spawn. There is no "open season" in this spawns.

Spawns 3/7 are the Southeast flanking spawns. Based on topography and likely areas of attack/approach, these are much more fair to each team.

Spawns 4/8 are the relatively "safe" flanks that are the same distance from the capture point as spawns 2/6. They just provide a different vector for attack.

I'll admit, because it's impossible to even load this map alone to fuck around with it, these spawns might not be perfect, but I hope you appreciate the intention. The two concern you might have are, first, "Blue spawns 1/2/4 are much more spread out than Red spawns 5/7/8."

Well, you're right.... but that was a measured consideration because of map topography. Not much else can be done without modifications to the map itself. That's the nature of the beast, I guess.

Second: "Spawn 9???" This is an alternative idea to spawn 8... Spawn 8 was for that "safe" area and potential flank, but 5 could serve the same purpose... You're probably thinking, "Feels like there should be a red spawn somewhere around G5..." Well, you're probably right, but I was trying to make the spawn/approaches/distances/cover the most fair. Perhaps include 8 and 9? Red would have 5 spawns, then, though... I don't know. Or replace Spawn 6 with Spawn 9 (since, again, they're the same distance from the point). I'm just making suggestions!

So! Thoughts?

I hope this helps. I consider this map my baby; I've been pushing for it for ever and it's finally almost here! So let's make it as great as possible!

Atruejedi

==================================================

As usually, I'm always looking for others' thoughts.

68
Bring #BalanceToTheForce
Put Atruejedi in Charge of Game Balance for One Week

I'm resurrecting this thread to keep my divinely inspired ideas all in one place.

As usual, months and months after I've proposed rational, healthy changes to Skirmish, Muse seems to finally be (ready to start) acting (way too late)... Swiss-army knife Mobula should return shortly and the cries to #BuffSpire have also seemed to summon changes for that vertical coffin. I have no dog in the Squid tweaks fight because I flying and flying on Squids, but I would like Squids to be (even more) lethal and fragile and extreme and impressive in the right hands. Definitely not at the top of my change list, though.

While I still want the changes to ship roles I proposed in the original post, I think other modifications to the game are necessary to fix overall balance and offer more strategic choice and depth. Most of these changes would literally take minutes to make because they're just number alterations and I'm praying Muse gives them a chance for an entire week as an "open beta" to revitalize Skirmish. Namely:

Easy Changes:

#NerfGreased - Decrease Greased ammo range from 80% of Normal ammo's reach to 70%. "Set it and forget it" Greased ammo is extremely common in this game. Many players shove it in all guns and never bother swapping ammunition types for the rest of the game. This is boring and thoughtless. Players should be punished for not switching to Normal ammunition to gain that extra 30% in range. Greased should only be used when players know they're in range for it... they should have to consciously switch from Normal to Greased once they're confident they're in range. This adds depth and rewards thinking players.

#NerfBurst - Burst ammo already provides a large bonus to the "splash" of weapons with Area of Effect damage; the increased clip size makes this ammo a "why use anything else?" choice  in weapons like the Hwacha and Artemis. Like Greased, this "set it and forget it" mentality is boring, thoughtless, and lacks tactical depth and choice. With a nerf to Burst, Greased ammunition would be more common in the Artemis at close range and Heavy Clip would be more attractive as an initial-engagement Hwacha ammo choice. Let's reward smart players.

#RestoreLoch - Restore Lochnager ammo to its former niche glory. One of the greatest feelings in the game was (was  :-[ ) waiting for the enemy's armor to drop and nuking an enemy with a shot from the (old) Heavy Flak. While changes to the Heavy Flak were wise to make it more accessible and newb-friendly, this feeling of absolute power and awe is gone and that is truly a shame. While I'll address the Old and New Heavy Flak in a moment, think of Loch as that special, skillful ammo for heavy guns or weapons with smaller clips.

#ChangeCharged - What's the point of this ammo? Some people occasionally use it in the Heavy Flak, Lumberjack, Mine Launcher, and Heavy Carronade... and that's still not exactly common. The only "yes, use Charged!" gun in the game is the Mercury, and even the Mercury has viable alternatives with Lesmok and Heatsink. Charged needs a complete overhaul. Muse should have left Loch alone and should instead #ChangeCharged ammo to perform and act somewhat like Lochnager currently does. Think of Charged as the Loch for lighter weapons or those with larger clips. Less special, less skillful, but still fun and unique.

#HowAboutAHowitzer - I mentioned I miss the old Heavy Flak, especially when coupled with the old Lochnager ammo. So let's recreate that fabled weapon and call it something new. I've proposed this to Muse many times and they've admitted it would be easy, yet they won't do it because of vanity. I've asked them to add a "new" gun to the game: the old Heavy Flak. Give it the same exact stats of as the Old Heavy Flak, but, to save artistic resources, simply retexture it with modified textures that are tinted an obviously different color from the "real" Heavy Flak. I'm partial to gold or copper or a nice Statue of Liberty green myself. 8) Call it a Howitzer or something and be done with it. Variety is the spice of life, and this would be so easy to implement.

#AdaptTheMaps - This movement has made great strides, securing us 4 vs. 4 Paritan Rumble DM (even with its thoughtless spawn locations) and the upcoming Firnfeld KOTH 3 vs. 3 and 4 vs. 4 (and hopefully 4 vs. 4 Firnfeld DM as well!), but we need more. Some are no brainers, some are battles with the developers. Either way, I've outlined it all eloquently here, so please check out this thread and consider sending them an email yourself: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/goichaos/discussions

There are other changes I'd like that are somewhat more intensive, however. Like these...

Not-as-Easy Changes:

#SkyballOverhaul - I've already bitched about Skyball countless times and essentially been ignored. This game mode, which is completely superfluous, shouldn't have been added into the game and really shouldn't have been added into the game in its broken, tedious state. In a dev app testing session with Eric/Awkm last week, he finally admitted that "maybe its the [defensive] spawns"... you don't say!? Many in the community have been saying that since the mode was in testing before public release... and have been ignored. Unfortunately, that's typical behavior from the devs at this point... #SkirmishSuffers while Muse cries #AllianceOrBust. And I realize acting like I'm always right is a dick move, but, hey... I generally am. Many pieces of feedback can be found in this thread: How to Fix Skyball

#AuditTheSpawns - Paritan 4 vs. 4 DM spawns are a mess, I can confirm. Water Hazard 3 vs. 3 DM and 4 vs. 4 VIP spawns are so fucking close to the enemy that it's a game of who can rotate into arc and fire Mercs and Lumbers faster? This needs addressed, but it goes further than these maps. Even Dunes 2 vs. 2 has the same problem. And don't get me started on Crazy King... well, if you insist!

#LuckOfTheSpawn - Crazy King can be fun, but it really depends on which ship spawns where and what spawn is initially active. On King of the Flayed Hills, I've seen Blue team spawn surrounding D at the beginning of the match, capture it, and move to west to E. Well, good game. Red never stood a chance. The same can happen in the north. If A is the initial spawn and Red spawns around it, it's an insta-cap and a short sail to B. Sorry, Blue. Muse needs to rethink how this gamemode treats spawns and deaths. They've admitted they've never bothered putting any thought into tweaking it, so let's make that our job. Right now it's actually pretty interesting to shoot to disable or kill your opponent, but that choice could be even weightier if you didn't know where the bad dudes would spawn next... hm. I'm definitely interested in hearing suggestions on how to tweak Crazy King.

#BalloonLivesMatter - This is an old idea of mine, but I think it's worth considering. It stemmed from the increased gravity strength in a beta patch a long time ago. I'm all about increased gravity if sitting on the ground doesn't damage you after the initial impact. I think this would be much more dynamic. "Yeah, you sank him, but can you kill him?" Considering all that, consider the following: to quote myself, as I am wont to do...

Quote
But the increased force was much too severe, as the community pointed out. I just got done with VIP in the dev app, where gravity is still a bit strong, but I'm glad it's stronger than it is in normal Skirmish mode. I don't know what the sweet spot should be, but gravity should indeed be a threat to a ship. As it is right now, it's typically only a nuisance which puts guns out of position for a while but doesn't guarantee death. And maybe it shouldn't guarantee destruction, but it should definitely threaten destruction. To balance that, however, perhaps the efficiency of carronades needs to be lowered. Carronades, heavy or light, typical pop a balloon in a single clip or, at most, two. That's too fast with the increased force. So...

I envision the dynamic like this: popping an enemy's balloon should take more time so the crew of the targeted ship has time to react and repair it, but once it DOES go down, it's a serious problem for the pilot and the ship. Make it so the targeted ship KNOWS the enemy is targeting the balloon and make those gunners WORK a bit to pop it. Make taking a balloon-popping ship a strategic choice: "My goal is to pop enemy balloons to help my team, not to simply grind an enemy into the ground with my own ship and hump them to death," which is currently how it works... Make popping the balloon a power maneuver to control the battle's positioning and sequence instead of just letting Carrofish rack up hump-kills.

TLDR;
1. Make gravity stronger (but not too strong...)
2a. Make balloons stronger and carronades stronger OR
2b. Make balloons weaker and carronades weaker.
3. Allow balloons more time to be repaired.
4. Letting the balloon die likely makes you die.
5. Profit.

I should point out I consider this the last step in my proposed changes. I'd definitely want to get overall balance worked out first, then give tweaking gravity and balloons a whirl.

What are your thoughts, Master Jedi?

As usually, I love a good argument. I love hearing thoughts in support of and against my ideas. I love discussion. I love passion. I love activity. I love this game. So say something.

Please. ;D

70
Community Events / Re: Chaos Skirmish this Saturday, October 22, 2016.
« on: October 23, 2016, 08:48:02 am »
Definitely the largest victory margin in our polling history.

71
Steam Workshop / Re: Decal: Rolling Thunder
« on: October 21, 2016, 05:59:19 am »
I like it! Why wouldn't it be approved? Muse loves putting decals from the workshop into the game, and rightfully so! Just make sure you follow the instructions and they should put it in if you get enough upvotes :)

72
General Discussion / Re: The worst things about skyball
« on: October 20, 2016, 10:12:36 pm »
Do you really expect pilots to watch the throttle so carefully? I'm already raging at accidentally dropping the ball. >:(

Could make it a count down to avoid the guesswork/allow for short bursts of speed.

Actually, that could work. But I'm still against it.

Quote
As far as accidentally dropping the ball have you considered changing your keybinding to one you don't hit by accident? It might help a little bit.

Oh, I meant as a future-event. I'm already raging about accidentally dropping the ball by going over the speedcap in the future if your suggestion is implemented. Sorry for the miscommunication.

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Skyball is fundamentally flawed and it isn't the Squid's fault. Skyball, like VIP, shouldn't even be considered (or balanced around) 2 vs. 2. Want to improve Skyball? Here:

It would be a massive waste to remove VIP and skyball from 2v2, 80% or thereabouts of matches are 2v2 and they really needed the added variety.

80% of matches shouldn't be 2 vs. 2 because it is vastly inferior to 3 vs 3 (and even 4 vs. 4). Removing those modes from 2 vs. 2 encourages more play in larger lobbies, where the game (and the modes) really does (or could) shine.

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Quote
Pictures

Agree on the crossbars, they should just be a rope with lights on it or something (not built by water hazard rope-bridge inc)

Those spawns would be terrible. Having to do a 180 to attack the ship that just scored and is now camping behind the spawn point, no thanks. Or I suppose i could take one of the outer spawns and let them snatch the ball and score again while I am miles away.

How would you tweak the spawns?

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Dust storm removal - yep and from dunes too while they are at it.

Hell no. Dunes master race. Dunes is an awesome map when you don't snipe every god damn match. Just don't sit in rows 5 and 6 and actually attempt some flanks (of which I am the king).

73
General Discussion / Re: The worst things about skyball
« on: October 20, 2016, 08:59:25 pm »
1st - People who suck at it and/or just mindlessly absorbed the hate whineing about it and refusing to even try play it properly.

Very distant 2nd - The lost potential of a still un-fixed harpoon gun.

3rd - Moderate squid related balance problems.

1. I do refuse to play it because it sucks. Sorry. I'm not going to punish myself by testing publicly what I tested privately with Muse and was released too early with little feedback considered.

2. Agree completely! Harpoons and Minotaurs affecting the ball would make Skyball so much more interesting.

3. Eh... Squids suck at King of the Hill (generally) and excel at Skyball (generally). I can deal with it because I'll just take a weapon or two that can punish a Squid (Banshee, Gatling, Hwacha, etc.).

Making the balloon slow the carrier would be good--

lolwut

This would just result in even MORE killing and even MORE defensive spawning and even LONGER matches. Right now we have to play Skyball like Crazy King; that is to say, killing can reward the enemy so it's best to disable and run away. So I think your idea is a bad idea.

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-- but its tricky to do with the way the games physics and ship stats are done, the squid simply has the most thrust of any ship and so will get slowed the least by any combination of mass or drag given to the balloon.
The best I can think of is giving the ball a hard coded maximum speed of maybe ~32 and either it simply cannot be pulled faster than that

Eh. You've made the idea above a bit better by elaborating, but I still don't agree for the aforementioned consequences.

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--or the rope breaks and drops the ball above that speed.

lolwut

Do you really expect pilots to watch the throttle so carefully? I'm already raging at accidentally dropping the ball. >:(

Skyball is fundamentally flawed and it isn't the Squid's fault. Skyball, like VIP, shouldn't even be considered (or balanced around) 2 vs. 2. Want to improve Skyball? Here:




74
Steam Workshop / Re: Costume: Steele Heart
« on: October 19, 2016, 08:21:39 pm »
I like it a lot! 8) Now, the question is... who's gonna take it from concept to in-game item? It would certainly be popular, and I love outfits that are highly customizable in the color options (and why I hate that almost-all-orange male Engineer outfit...).

Any volunteers? Are outfits (non-hats and goggles) even possible?

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