So pub side on my server can get laughable bad at times, however I know many people that are queuing are simply new to the game. Aside from trying to give call outs in pvp, what can I do help the community at large get better, (for those willing to listen).

You can't really. If they are just strangers willing to learn, you can try and explain them stuff, out of the battle. In battle, there isn't much time to communicate with strangers. If they are your friends though, and you can cooperate in person, or at least on voice comm, you can help them a lot.

 

I brought my buddy to SWTOR and GSF, and while in the first several matches he was hopelessly bad and wanted to quit, I kinda forced him to give it a couple more tries, and with my constant shouts about who to focus, where to go, who to avoid and who to hide from, he actually began getting some kills and having fun. Now I just fly around him with my Spearpoint or Clarion, buffing and repairing him, while he gains more experience.

Edited May 25, 2014 by Slivovidze

So pub side on my server can get laughable bad at times, however I know many people that are queuing are simply new to the game. Aside from trying to give call outs in pvp, what can I do help the community at large get better, (for those willing to listen).

Good for you for wanting to help your community first off. It can be hard, but, there are some things you can do.

 

1. Get people to /cjoin GSF channel. That puts like minded players in the same place to ask questions, form groups, and build comraderie.

 

2. Know where the resources are. If someone wants a build in particular, there are forum threads, website guides, and YouTube videos. Using a 'tested' build is a good foundation. As a player grows in experience, they can make informed decisions.

 

3. Provide voice chat. Hate it or not, it will improve your performance more than any single upgrade.

 

4. Play wingman. A Clarion/Imperium is perfect for this. Heal and/or peel for a new/struggling player. Forego your own score, and support them until they can get a better handle on things.

 

5. Network with pilots you consider good. Send them a whisper, say hello in chat at game start. I've met probably 2-3 people that I wouldn't miss playing with again. The far, far larger majority of players -like- getting questions -and- helping. Learn what ships they play, so you know where to direct people with ship-specific questions.

 

Just a few ideas off the top of my head. Hopefully others can provide more too. What server are you on, out of curiosity?

The biggest thing you can do IMO is to add people who you want to help to friends list and talk to them after the game. See if they want to group, try to get them to use VOIP and the questions should start to flow after a couple games. If not you can always try giving pointers (if they wont ask)

 

Like others have said I try to get them to join a GSF channel and check the forums for the guides. Beyond this there is not much you can do, on Bastion we managed to get a community going like this. Most of it is just 1 on 1 help, its good to see people like yourself willing to do this. Most are content to do nothing about it and just get more and more frustrated. Goodluck, its an uphill battle friend.

Just fly with them. Help them understand the game.

Good for you for wanting to help your community first off. It can be hard, but, there are some things you can do.

 

1. Get people to /cjoin GSF channel. That puts like minded players in the same place to ask questions, form groups, and build comraderie.

 

2. Know where the resources are. If someone wants a build in particular, there are forum threads, website guides, and YouTube videos. Using a 'tested' build is a good foundation. As a player grows in experience, they can make informed decisions.

 

3. Provide voice chat. Hate it or not, it will improve your performance more than any single upgrade.

 

4. Play wingman. A Clarion/Imperium is perfect for this. Heal and/or peel for a new/struggling player. Forego your own score, and support them until they can get a better handle on things.

 

5. Network with pilots you consider good. Send them a whisper, say hello in chat at game start. I've met probably 2-3 people that I wouldn't miss playing with again. The far, far larger majority of players -like- getting questions -and- helping. Learn what ships they play, so you know where to direct people with ship-specific questions.

 

Just a few ideas off the top of my head. Hopefully others can provide more too. What server are you on, out of curiosity?

 

This is really helpful, I'll keep this in mind going forward! I'm on Jung Ma (RP-PVP)

1. Tell them to schedule their GSF matches for times when their side does well on their server. This has two effects, first it lets them earn req faster giving them better ships which improves their performance. Second it means they likely won't have to fight 4 or 5, that are fighting to see how quickly they can kill the noob.

 

2. Tell them to get a voip premade. Because no matter how good they get they aren't going to be able to solo against a couple of gunships backed by a personal guard of a scouts and strikes. So unless they enjoy being pounded by people playing a fundamentally different game with different rules they need to do this.

This is really helpful, I'll keep this in mind going forward! I'm on Jung Ma (RP-PVP)

I still have a 55 trooper there gathering dust. Really good competition, just super slow queues.

I still have a 55 trooper there gathering dust. Really good competition, just super slow queues.

 

Yeah, although it has gotten a bit better lately. hopefully we can improve it

 

3. Provide voice chat. Hate it or not, it will improve your performance more than any single upgrade.

 

 

As long as no voic chat is built right into the game AND it is ensured that all use it, it only leads to

 

- Isolation from most other players

- Own advantage at the cost of game balance

 

The better way is good and friendly coordination on the chat.

As long as no voic chat is built right into the game AND it is ensured that all use it, it only leads to

 

- Isolation from most other players

- Own advantage at the cost of game balance

 

The better way is good and friendly coordination on the chat.

 

Both are correct and a really problematic situation. The problem is if it isn't pushed on everyone the people you would least want using it will be abusing it.

As long as no voic chat is built right into the game AND it is ensured that all use it, it only leads to

 

- Isolation from most other players

- Own advantage at the cost of game balance

 

The better way is good and friendly coordination on the chat.

I'm afraid I don't understand either of your points.

• Voice chat only adds to communication. The chat box doesn't disappear when you're on voice chat. So in voice chat, you are exposed MORE to players.
  
• Voice chat does not change game balance. Joining voice chat does not improve the stats on any of my ships, or give my side of any given map any benefits.
  

Do you advocate terminating voice chat in all games? Why is GSF any different than World of Warcraft? EVE Online?

 

Typing in chat is extremely risky in GSF, and therefore not ideal. You stop contributing to the game while typing, and make yourself vulnerable. When you finish, then you have to catch back up with your team. Not only have you stopped contributing, but you are behind the tide of battle as well.

 

All of this assumes players instantly read your chat. What if they are in a turning battle, or avoiding a missile lock? Should they stop and risk death to read your message?

 

If they don't see your message right away, they don't know if it's even relevant anymore. Is that bomber coming to B still? Did you kill it? Did more bombers come to b? How many teammates responded to B already? How do people know if you still need help at B?

 

Is timestamp mandatory in your opinion? How else will people know if your message is still current? If timestamp isn't necessary, should all people go ahead and add the current time to their messages? Which timezone will be the standard timezone for use in GSF?

 

You are assuming everyone plays like you, or should play like you. Voice chat aside, I don't use a keyboard for GSF. So to type a message, i'd have to take my hands completely off my flight controls to type on my keyboard. Does that break game balance since you now have an advantage?

 

If someone offers to give everyone $100, are you going to insist on curbside delivery to your home? Should they bring it to your door too? Or are you just going to sit at home and insist everyone else stays home as well because you don't want to have to go to the bank to pick up your money?

 

Forcing people to do things your way because you don't like the other way is not the answer. Voice chat is only an advantage because you refuse to use it.

 

Final thought: Voice chat is instant communication. If there was a tornado headed for your house, would you want someone to type it in chat? Or tell you in voice chat?

 

If there are a group of bombers headed for your satellite, you think it's better for someone to type to you? Or tell you voice chat?

 

Both are correct and a really problematic situation. The problem is if it isn't pushed on everyone the people you would least want using it will be abusing it.

I'm also having trouble understanding what you're saying. I'm assuming you mean voice chat is the problem, so:

If voice chat isn't pushed on everyone, the people you would least want using voice chat will be abusing it.

 

Voice chat isn't pushed on everyone now, so the people on voice chat now are the ones abusing it?

He means by using VOIP in a "rl friends group we just like to play together" (pug squashing premade) he gains an advantage over others, this in turn effects the team balance in the short term (easier wins) and the server GSF balance in the long term (people dont like to be farmed).

 

Its hard enough with the two starting ships for new players without having to face well organized, fully upgraded, coordinated groups.

Want him to improve?

 

Throw him to the wolves.

Its hard enough with the two starting ships for new players without having to face well organized, fully upgraded, coordinated groups.

 

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!

 

Communication isn't a game aspect - it's a human one. Therefore, the introduction of voice chat doesn't break balance, but provides a serious advantage TO ANYONE THAT ISN'T WILLFULLY IGNORING THE OPTION TO UTILIZE IT!

 

There's a reason why the best players are in VoIP - during those 1% of times where one premade is going up against another (which is the only time we'll actually be serious in chat), it levels the playing field ONLY IN TERMS OF GIVING YOU MORE PERSPECTIVE OF THE BATTLE FIELD! If a newb doesn't know how to read the map yet because it's their 13th game, then having them in voice chat or not isn't going to mean a bloody thing (especially if it's the 3rd time on a map / gametype). They will still fall regardless of if you tell them who to go for or where to move. These are abilities you learn as you play more - when the right time to switch sats is, when to focus or pull back to a quadrant in TDM, how to play wingman support, etc.

 

VoIP isn't the problem - it's those that are willing to intentionally handicap themselves and blame everyone else for utilizing what they deem as unworthy. I've met GSs say the same thing about Ion - "I won't use it because it's cheap".... Ya, that's great - I'm going to ion you consistently just for saying that. Gimping yourself doesn't make you more noble, more honorable, or anything of the sort. What you chose to do will put you at a serious disadvantage, but if you're into willfully ignoring an easy option to expedite the learning curve, and then come onto a forum and complain, more power to you. You're wrong, but well within your rights, much as I am in mine to say that I feel you're being ridiculous. You'll never be able to get to the top tier of pilots unless you truly embrace all aspects available. This isn't doping in cycling - this is the QB calling an audible (maybe the star wars space game audience isn't the right demographic for sports metaphors).

 

If you want to fight against a well organized premade, get well organized yourself. Don't say that those who choose to utilize A TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE TO ANYONE aren't playing fair, or are taking advantage of newbs. We're not calling targets when it comes to you guys - we're calling targets when there is another group who we see a lot and have an idea how they play.

 

Ever watch Zoids? The ones with Bit and Liger 0? They had sanctioned battles (like a GSF instance) with multiple players on both teams. In that series, the pilots didn't just assume their teammates knew where to go or who to look out for and when, but they SPOKE!

 

Use your voice - it's one of the reasons we're the dominant species on the planet, and people claiming premades with VoIPs are wrong is just asinine. If you choose to bring a knife to a gunfight because a gun is less personal, await your letter stating that you won the Darwin award - I'm sure it's on the way.

Edited May 26, 2014 by SammyGStatus

90% of the time, you don't need VOIP to be effective, or chart topping. I'm not in VOIP the majority of the time I play, and when I am I don't usually even talk, since I have a small apartment and when I play there are usually sleeping children that under no circumstances must be woken . Most times, I don't even play with the game sounds on, and I don't have issues with situational awareness, or doing well in gsf.

 

What premades really do is they tend to concentrate veteran players. These pilots don't need VOIP to be at the right place at the right time and do well. See turrets going down on a node? Guess where you need to be? If you are really experienced, you can judge when a node is a lost cause, and it's better to go somewhere else. You can figure out where the easy kills are and take them, and who needs to be focused immediately. The vast majority of the time, the veterans will arrive at the same conclusions without prompting. It can make the best teams seem like they're VOIP coordinating even when they aren't. If the best teams WERE coordinating at the maximum level the free VOIP tech allowed them to, you wouldn't get a shot off - why? "Spike target in 3...2...1..."

 

And yes, if there's a premade that seems unbeatable, find a group yourself. The game is not designed (well not anymore, lol), for one person to go out there and dominate organized opposition. If you don't want to do this, then that's fine - accept that the organized teams will beat you.

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!

 

Communication isn't a game aspect - it's a human one. Therefore, the introduction of voice chat doesn't break balance, but provides a serious advantage TO ANYONE THAT ISN'T WILLFULLY IGNORING THE OPTION TO UTILIZE IT!

 

There's a reason why the best players are in VoIP - during those 1% of times where one premade is going up against another (which is the only time we'll actually be serious in chat), it levels the playing field ONLY IN TERMS OF GIVING YOU MORE PERSPECTIVE OF THE BATTLE FIELD! If a newb doesn't know how to read the map yet because it's their 13th game, then having them in voice chat or not isn't going to mean a bloody thing (especially if it's the 3rd time on a map / gametype). They will still fall regardless of if you tell them who to go for or where to move. These are abilities you learn as you play more - when the right time to switch sats is, when to focus or pull back to a quadrant in TDM, how to play wingman support, etc.

.

 

One you are asking people to give up every other part of this game to play GSF that way. You need a group of people that will only be doing things in game that they can drop at a moments notice to make that work.

 

Second you are seriously underestimating the value of voip and how it is used. Simply calling focus targets and having support ships call for assistance is enormous. I can't even begin to say how far off you are about when it is being used. Really at least 75% of the time I can see it used, it is being used to make certain a pug has no chance. It really isn't hard to see this either just look on your map for instances when the other team forms on one target or one map coordinate within a second or 2 of each other all breaking off whatever they were doing previously.

One you are asking people to give up every other part of this game to play GSF that way. You need a group of people that will only be doing things in game that they can drop at a moments notice to make that work.

 

Second you are seriously underestimating the value of voip and how it is used. Simply calling focus targets and having support ships call for assistance is enormous. I can't even begin to say how far off you are about when it is being used. Really at least 75% of the time I can see it used, it is being used to make certain a pug has no chance. It really isn't hard to see this either just look on your map for instances when the other team forms on one target or one map coordinate within a second or 2 of each other all breaking off whatever they were doing previously.

 

In my experience as someone who groups and is VoIP everyday, I can 100% assure you that we will NEVER call taragets unless it's a flippin bomber ball (Ya you Bastion boys!!!). Other than that, there is absolutely no verbal coordination - only experience flying together. I guess experience is OP too huh?

 

And I don't believe I asked anyway to sacrifice anything for GSF - I merely recommended utilizing what's already out and available. Good luck getting into a NiM op without VoIP. They won't take you, period, because you will not be able to perform at top levels. If you want to play against top leveled pilots, play like them

VOIP frequently makes me fly worse because I am paying more attention having casual conversations with people in channel than actually flying.

Good luck getting into a NiM op without VoIP.

 

This is pve. The boss will not complain. Here we are in PVP, with real opponents.

So pub side on my server can get laughable bad at times, however I know many people that are queuing are simply new to the game. Aside from trying to give call outs in pvp, what can I do help the community at large get better, (for those willing to listen).

 

Simple. Don't worry about it and do your own thing. Your responsibility as a player is to have fun. That's it. You're not responsible for raising talent levels, fixing matchmaking, or anything other than flying and laughing. -bp

VOIP frequently makes me fly worse because I am paying more attention having casual conversations with people in channel than actually flying.

 

Your not the only one, if a debate gets started you can find me aimlessly humping an asteroid or turning around a sat....

 

Until I catch myself that is, then I shut up and play.

 

I don't understand peoples reluctance to join VOIP, I used to think it was difficult but much to my surprise once setup its literally 1-2 clicks to get in, and with this games social structure (friends groups etc) its insanely easy to join a group.

 

I could understand the anti group rants if this was not a MMORPG, technically grouping is what separates these types of games from more solo oriented ones. I just don't understand why people come into this expecting anything less. Grouping / other people and the community is a HUGE percentage of what keeps me playing this game, not that I cannot survive without it (because I pug just fine) but because its fun to play with / against people I know and respect.

 

You do not have to use VOIP, you can be effective without it (I am frequently), VOIP does help though. Group play is not what you think it is, we only call targets in matches where the competition is very stiff and even then its not every target, more like targets of interest such as incoming bombers or gunships.

 

The main advantage of using voice IMO is calling for peels IE "Get this guy offa me" or "Crap theyre pushing C need help" or "im on the node you go peel" etc etc. This is the same type of stuff you could do through text albeit faster and more easily accomplished through voice.

 

Say what you will but its available, its not against the rules morally or actually, and refusal to accept it will not A) stop people from using it or B) make the dev's ban it. You have two choices, either use it or don't and both have pro's and con's.

Edited May 27, 2014 by DamascusAdontise

Simple. Don't worry about it and do your own thing. Your responsibility as a player is to have fun. That's it. You're not responsible for raising talent levels, fixing matchmaking, or anything other than flying and laughing. -bp

 

It's amazing how many people argue that getting slaughtered should be fun for players.

This is pve. The boss will not complain. Here we are in PVP, with real opponents.

 

Good luck to get in group rWZ.... Yolo rWZ doesn't count as top PvPer

It's amazing how many people argue that getting slaughtered should be fun for players.

 

You're not getting slaughtered. Piles of pixels are. No money on the table. No trophies on the line. Just the approval or disapproval of some lines of code.

 

Context. It's important. -bp