The Everyone Think Really Hard And Make Rangefinder Useful Thread

[Richard LeMoon]

Perhaps give it more utility, such as marking waypoints on a map.

[Spud Nick]

Perhaps give it more utility, such as marking waypoints on a map.

Does it need to do anything else beside find the range of the ships? I know that this thread is about making it useful. I also know that many vets won't find the rangefinder useful because they are so use to looking at the map and the sights on their guns.

[Solidusbucket]

All it needs to do is mark range.

Spud is right. Rangefinder will never be necessarry. It is a nice tool to have. All you really need is a map and some sense to figure out the range to a target. Hmm.....

[Spud Nick]

Spud is right.

Yes! validation!

[Omniraptor]

Tutorial text aim assist is really stupid. It lit up a ship through a tar cloud yesterday (even flares can't do that). Plus it steals the rangefinder's only useful feature- knowing exactly when you're in range.

[GeoRmr]

Perhaps give it more utility, such as marking waypoints on a map.

Does it need to do anything else beside find the range of the ships? I know that this thread is about making it useful. I also know that many vets won't find the rangefinder useful because they are so use to looking at the map and the sights on their guns.

Okay I guess the following would be the most modest functionality that would make the rangefinder usable:

• Spinning circles are removed.
• Rangefinder is given limited spotting ability as in my first post (captains mark ability with different brackets)
• If used on an unspotted ship the range is displayed to the person using the rangefinder only
• If used on a spotted ship the range is displayed to everyone on the ship of the person using the rangefinder
• If used on a spotted ship the 'X' symbol replaces the '.' of the reticle on all out of range guns on the ship of the person using the rangefinder (current rangefinder functionality)
• The out of range calculation is changed to include ammunition type loaded on the guns.
• This information remains until the ship shakes its spyglass spot.
• Component hi-lighting from tutorial text only happens when the component is well within range so it does not reveal exact distance.

I would regularly bring a rangefinder on a blender fish if all the above happened.

[Solidusbucket]

novices will be fine with it. They will learn how high above a ship to aim their crosshairs based off range. Battlefield is a mainstream game that introduced bullet drop a while ago. People adapted to it just fine. It is not a difficult concept to grasp but it is difficult to be proficient in.

[Kamoba]

I would regularly bring a rangefinder on a blender fish if all the above happened.

That's a scary thought...

[Solidusbucket]

I like this refined list. It makes sense.

My only issue is the component highlighting. Your description of it is vague. Seems like you considered the issue of cloud concealment and draw distance.

Yesterday i was on an artemis and saw chem sprayed weapons through clouds on a ship i could not spot. Seems like the highlight effect already exists.

[Dementio]

The range finder is given the following limited spotting ability if used on an unspotted ship - ships are marked for a limited number of seconds visible only to players on the same ship (essentially the exact same functionality as the captains mark ability, but with its own distinct set of brackets around the targeted ship)

This is everything I would want the Rangefinder to do, showing the distance next to the visible ship, not the name and not showing up on the map, which the Spyglass should be used for. Limit the time the distance is visible or make it as long as the Spyglass' spot, just show the damn distance in the first place, on any ship.

[GeoRmr]

I like this refined list. It makes sense.

My only issue is the component highlighting. Your description of it is vague. Seems like you considered the issue of cloud concealment and draw distance.

Yesterday i was on an artemis and saw chem sprayed weapons through clouds on a ship i could not spot. Seems like the highlight effect already exists.

These are other issues with tutorial text hi-lighting and should be addressed separately as they aren't suggested features for the rangefinder, and are not about the range of the ship.

To clarify - I do not want the range finder to hi-light components like tutorial text. Currently the tutorial text hi-lighting activates as soon as a component is in range of your gun - if tutorial text does this (which it currently does) there is no point using the rangefinder effect that shows that you are in range with a transition of 'X' to '.' in the aiming reticle.

[BlackenedPies]

I would regularly bring a rangefinder on a blender fish if all the above happened.

That's a scary thought...

The only use for rangefinder I saw was in the old blenderfish duels where each uses the first clip to aim for the front gun. The rangefinder would let you know exactly when to shoot. By that logic it would have use on a metamidion to tell exactly when you're in greased range. In both cases it would be carried by the second engi not the gunner. You only need two spyglasses per ship and a rangefinder would let you engage as tight as possible and give you a small edge in duels where every fraction counts

[Arturo Sanchez]

Okay so it's been two years now and this tool is still more useless than the harpoon - I believe it's time we all try really hard and think of another passive tool related to ship spotting for muse to implement as the rangefinder.


My Suggestion:

• The rangefinder effect only works if the ship is first spotted by another player with a spyglass,^[1] and the range finder effect remains active until that ship loses its spot through hard or soft cover.

• The range finder is given the following limited spotting ability if used on an unspotted ship - ships are marked for a limited number of seconds visible only to players on the same ship (essentially the exact same functionality as the captains mark ability, but with its own distinct set of brackets around the targeted ship)

• Once a ship is successfully marked by a rangefinder after already being spotted by a spyglass it displays the range of the ship in km from each ship on the spotting team as it does currently. This effect will remain active until the ship loses its spot through hard or soft cover and does not require constant spotting from the person using the rangefinder.

Already suggested to muse several times. Got the usual "we'll consider it" corporate spiel.


That being said the suggestions towards the rangefinder that have nothing to do with actually finding range of which to assist gunning accuracy, should not be involved with the rangefinder because such things are not what a rangefinder does.

Its like suggesting the extinguisher or buff hammer should have the ability to have rebuild and repair ability.


However. The spy glass could be used to the effect of looking at enemy stats. Since those are actually used in that fashion. e.g. hold the spy glass to a target much like a range finder to a spotted ship and get ship info. And if it is within a given range and zoomed into a specific part, you get a prompt on the condition of that part.


That being said that will mean the possible removal of the combat log. So pick geo as opposed to trying to break game balance (at least what little that exists)

[Kamoba]

I would regularly bring a rangefinder on a blender fish if all the above happened.

That's a scary thought...

The only use for rangefinder I saw was in the old blenderfish duels where each uses the first clip to aim for the front gun. The rangefinder would let you know exactly when to shoot. By that logic it would have use on a metamidion to tell exactly when you're in greased range. In both cases it would be carried by the second engi not the gunner. You only need two spyglasses per ship and a rangefinder would let you engage as tight as possible and give you a small edge in duels where every fraction counts

Exactly, that's why it is a scary thought, imagine how efficient coordinated ships would be! 0.0

[The Djinn]

Hm. I'm honestly surprised that I don't see a "grant weapons from your ship a damage boost against the target" feature.

It's a nice niche for the tool on ships that run a mix of close + long range weapons, and would definitely give it a place on several ships that can't bring all three weapons to bear -- at the expense of having someone immediately available to repair, which seems fairly balanced.

Perhaps something like "When active, spots the enemy ship for your ship only (probably with some sort of special effect to show priority is on that ship). Displays the range to the target and increases damage against that ship by 10-15% as long as the Rangefinder is active and on-target. Rangefinder spots decay in 3 seconds after the Rangefinder is put away."

Might make having one of these on a ship really strong -- Galleon long-range sides come specifically to mind.