Spyglass Alternative Item Idea

[Cloudrunner]

So a few weeks ago Cullen mentioned Muse was looking for an item to 'replace' or be an alternative to the spyglass for utility among captain and crew.  I understand the likelyhood of a crowd-sourced item is low, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.  So, here goes.

I submit to you:

The Gentleman's Walking Stick {pilot item}

When active, gives the user a walking speed boost.

Why should a player use the GWS over a spyglass?
The speed boost provided would allow engineers to navigate larger ships faster, pilots to leave the helm for quick repairs and gunners to run from gun to gun much more efficiently.

So, what are the drawbacks of the GWS?
First off, you can't spot ships. Ship captains and crew would rely on other ships to have spotters to mark ships for them. The next drawback is obviously the pilot equipment slot, forcing the pilots using it to specialize in running for repairs.  Another obvious drawback would be having to switch through items once an engineer or pilot reaches their destination.

Alternative Penalties discussed have included a depleting action that allows increased speed only for a limited time, forcing the user to rush to a location, then move normally while the GWS recharges.

And that's pretty much all I've got.

Thanks for your time and consideration,

Cloudrunner

[Skrimskraw]

although your item name might seem biased towards your clan :p

i find it very interesting that there could be alternatives for the spyglass. Imagine if only 1 crewman per ship would have a spy glass, and his job on spotting depended on him actually doing it.

However I also feel that giving pilots an item aimed towards engineers is not a good idea since it wouldnt make sense to put it under pilot tools.

[Gambrill]

It's not really an ammo type and it doesn't fix or protect anything so I wouldn't class it as an engineer tool and doesn't affect this ship itself in anyway so you could argue it doesn't work as a pilot tool.. however... A spyglass does nothing to your own ship and neither does the GWS.

Well that's my reasoning anyway

[JaegerDelta]

i think its interesting,  but is it really needed?  Ships are actually pretty small in this game and the walking distances even on a galleon arent all that much because of the way components are grouped and repair area is divided. 

i think in practical application it would really only serve to further allow organized teams to stomp the teams of players made up of random crewmates.

[RearAdmiralZill]

Nifty idea, but It doesn't feel like an honest pilot tool. I might be the only vet who still carries a trusty spyglass as pilot, but I wouldn't sacrifice that for faster running.

It feels more like a tool that only other classes would use instead of the pilot himself. I think it opens up a bigger thing that the only pilot tool any crew would want to have is spyglass, so maybe a "general tool" slot would work out better instead of pilot slots. This is just me rambling though.

Summary: Nifty idea, but not truly a pilot's tool.

[shadowsteel]

I like that idea Zill. A general tool slot that anyone can use with new tools.

With everyone clamoring about new guns and ships, we seem to have overlooked how important tools are. Maybe open a suggestion thread for new tool ideas?

And if that's happening maybe the Spyglass should be placed in that category.

I know you like having it as a pilot tool, but it's the only tool in GoIO that's not limited by what your role is.

All Engineer tools are used for repairing, all Gunner tools are ammo (only affect guns), and all the rest of the Pilot tools can only be used on the helm.

[Captain Smollett]

I always thought a range finder would be really useful. 

All weapons have maximum effective ranges and some weapons have arming times.  If the main engineer (or pilot I suppose) could call out the range of a ship on approach gunners would know when to start shooting, how high to aim their guns and what ammo types to use immediately without having to feel around.

Although this is something that probably wouldn't help out a casual crew so much, it might give an edge in more competitive play.

[Cloudrunner]

While I like the idea of a general utility slot, I doubt it would happen without more general utility items. To be honest though, pilot slot already acts as the general slot for other classes since most pilot stuff is useless you're a pilot.

As is, my GWS idea gives crew mates speed at the expense of the visual tactical advantage of the spyglass, making it essential that the ship's designated spotter must actually be doing his job. Reinforcing the idea behind preferred play styles reinforced by the other items.

As to why it should be a pilot item:
Zill, while you may use the spyglass, I opt to let my crew do the spotting for a free slot. As a pilot, I've been in dozens of situations where leaving the helm means life or death in assisting with repairs or leaping on a gun to finish a ship while my gunners are occupied. Am I the only pilot that wishes he could dash to the back of a ship to rebuild hwatcha devastated engines with my engineer and still have enough time to sprint back to the helm while frantic piano music plays? I hope not. (Reminder to make thread about frantic piano item) And I'm sure no captain wants to fly into battle underdressed!

As far as gunners utilizing the GWS, I've been in situations where a gunner has soloed my pyra's top gums successfully, albeit awkwardly. Imagine a speedier gunner dashing from fun to gun in order to relieve the gungineer while he assists in repairs.

And finally, the engineer. Yes, engineers would jump and scream at the idea of using this, but remember engineers are also a key spotter for crews. Without the spyglass they sacrifice visual markers for speed.

While I understand the arguments about why it shouldn't be a pilot item, I figure it would be just as essential to the crew as a spyglass, depending on how you play and the pilot slot fits best in my mind for the balancing of other items. Also I have no idea what it's taken to make this game and something as complicated as a rangefinder may be useful, but it seems like a difficult item to build and I like the simplicity of markers vs crew speed. It's clean, simple and something myself and my crew would utilize. Though the appeal of a rangefinder is indeed incredibly cool and I would use that too.

[Cloudrunner]

And is the GWS needed? No, but neither are the buff hammer or chem spray, though it's nice to have both. It's just another addition to tools available that will allow you to develop a new way to play.

[HamsterIV]

I brought this up in a previous thread, but I would like to see a range finder integrated with the gun sight like the targeting laser in the first tribes:

[Cloudrunner]

If it integrated with the gun, I'd see rangefinders as a gunner tool that caters exclusively to people on guns. It wouldn't necessarily be a spyglass replacement and would make the need for skilled gunners pretty much pointless.

[Captain Smollett]

I always thought of it as a device for someone not on the gun to use like a spyglass before shooting or to call out distance to shipmates actively firing.

[Cloudrunner]

If a rangefinder calculated weapon arch of the guns on the ship and marked where you should aim, I see it being a spyglass 2.0 that would quickly phase out the spyglass. If only the user could see the weapon arches on marked enemy ships, I see it having practical use, but that seems to only make more sense in long range fights.

To me, a new sighting device seems redundant unless you are slapping it on your gun (GoIO easy mode) or using it to tell your crew merc adjustments (have fun hearing how op that will be).

That's why I went in the polar opposite of a spyglass.

Spyglass offers an external visual tactical advantage where the GWS offers an internal advantage and a completely different mechanic from looking down a tube.

[HamsterIV]

The range finder in tribes is used by one player not actively shooting. It gives the player which is shooting an aim marker of where to shoot to hit that point in space. If that point is moving the gunner still has to calculate lead time but the range finder takes shot drop out of the equation.

[Captain Smollett]

I'm imagining something more basic than Hamster.  Simply a device that you could look through and when you put it over a ship it would give you range in meters.  Everything else would be up to the gunners.