On the prowl for meta changes

Welcome to the first large scale balance testing and style change since the mass rework of 1.2. We’ve decided to take larger approach with many smaller changes on numerous systems rather than targeting single weapons or ships directly.  This wide lensed balance update provides for you as players and us as developers new opportunities and challenges, so we want you guys to be talking to us every step of the way and we’ll do the same so we can improve how we approach balance and the game as a whole.

We’re going to be communicating our reasons, and what you can be expecting next from this set up every step of the way. We will still have blind testing where exact figures aren’t released, so that we can try to get a better idea of the “feeling” of our changes, but the day after, we will also have informed tests, so you can attempt to take full advantage of any numbers issues you see.

If you don’t already have the Dev App and want to help us test, grab a key.


As always feedback@musegames.com is the where we want you to tell us everything so we can file, digest, and discuss the data you bring up.


February 24th
Balance Plans Announced

February 27th
11 am eastern- Blind Data Test
Affected Systems

• Mobula
• Spire
• Squid
• Heavy Flak
• Harpoon
• Pyramidion
• Physics related to ship fall
• Hwacha

February 27th
1 pm eastern- Change Notes Released

February  28th
12 pm eastern-  Informed Data Test

On the prowl for meta changes

Welcome to the first large scale balance testing and style change since the mass rework of 1.2. We’ve decided to take larger approach with many smaller changes on numerous systems rather than targeting single weapons or ships directly.  This wide lensed balance update provides for you as players and us as developers new opportunities and challenges, so we want you guys to be talking to us every step of the way and we’ll do the same so we can improve how we approach balance and the game as a whole.

We’re going to be communicating our reasons, and what you can be expecting next from this set up every step of the way. We will still have blind testing where exact figures aren’t released, so that we can try to get a better idea of the “feeling” of our changes, but the day after, we will also have informed tests, so you can attempt to take full advantage of any numbers issues you see.

If you don’t already have the Dev App and want to help us test, grab a key.


As always feedback@musegames.com is the where we want you to tell us everything so we can file, digest, and discuss the data you bring up.


February 24th
Balance Plans Announced

February 27th
11 am eastern- Blind Data Test
Affected Systems

• Mobula
• Spire
• Squid
• Heavy Flak
• Harpoon
• Pyramidion
• Physics related to ship fall
• Hwacha

February 27th
1 pm eastern- Change Notes Released

February  28th
12 pm eastern-  Informed Data Test

• Player and voice channel hierarchy and color
  
• Added 2v2 water hazard to novice map rotation
  
• New skirmish match-end with crew stats and match summary
  
• Notification for being autokicked
  
• More video options:
  - Soft Particles (was part of Postprocess Effects, improves cloud/ground intersections when enabled)
  - Shader Quality (older GPUs may see a performance improvement if set to Limited or Low)
  
• Captain target mark is now visible offscreen too
  
• More information for Need Help button
  
• Tutorial text improvements (overheated guns, gun info)
  
• More tools for practice (showing projectile path, spawning targets in different distances, switching guns ingame)
  
• Clan level 11~15 with new rewards
  
• Added tooltip help for why the guns are locked for novice players
  
• Added game mode rules in the lobby too
  
• Added clarification for the way most active clan leaderboard works
  
• Active helm skill icons shown on affected components
  
• Recommended loadout would save just like other loadouts.
  
• Notification when pilot leaves/comes back
  
• Score panel is now available on the deploy screen too
  
• New workshop items:
  - Decal: Oculosprocket (free)
  - Decal: The Bounty Hunters (free)
  - Decal: 1812 WarHawk
  - Male goggles: Green and Gold Aviators
  - Female hat: Dapper Dame's Veiled Hat

• Players are default switched to pilot when they’re in captain seat. Novice players can’t change class if they’re in captain seat.
  
• Hats and outfits of the same type now stack in character customization inventory UI
  
• Rematch map vote would at least have one CP map as option
  
• Ship kills will stay longer in match news feed (at top left)
  
• Steam client will be used for achievement notifications from now on
  
• Different colors for un/completed achievements
  
• Running water effect removed during rainstorms (due to performance, quality issues)
  
• "AFK" changed to "Inactive"
  
• Deployed mines for Mine Launcher is easier to read
  
• Shorter component names in kill feed so there will be less messages cut off
  
• In-game store will charge USD, Steam will handle currency convert
  
• Spectators are not allowed to vote map
  
• Clan chat is now visible in all chat tabs
  
• Report window doesn’t disable chatbox
  
• Match system changes
  - Novice are put into regular queues automatically after waiting for 85 seconds
  - Team balance logic fix
  
• Changed the way character hair is rendered slightly (it gets shadows properly now, but lost some subtle soft edges)

• Client connection times out less quickly under unstable networking conditions
  
• Add smoke trail at hull break
  
• Several achievement descriptions on Steam
  
• Light sources on ships (lanterns etc) are now disabled by distance/settings rather than flickering weirdly
  
• Flares (and other light sources) no longer stack brightness as crazily on clouds
  
• Guns being fired by other players aren’t played
  
• The carpets of the traveller theme have strange light smears
  
• Hitmarkers are now shown as your own if you get off the gun after firing
  
• Fixed display/music issue where buffing the hull was interpreted as damage+repair (triggering drums)
  
• Start screen’s "Play" button not clickable in some aspect ratios
  
• Friends should not join tutorials
  
• Character loadout doesn't get updated if accepting recommended loadout while being on customization screen
  
• Going “Inactive” no longer activates combat music

• Player and voice channel hierarchy and color
  
• Added 2v2 water hazard to novice map rotation
  
• New skirmish match-end with crew stats and match summary
  
• Notification for being autokicked
  
• More video options:
  - Soft Particles (was part of Postprocess Effects, improves cloud/ground intersections when enabled)
  - Shader Quality (older GPUs may see a performance improvement if set to Limited or Low)
  
• Captain target mark is now visible offscreen too
  
• More information for Need Help button
  
• Tutorial text improvements (overheated guns, gun info)
  
• More tools for practice (showing projectile path, spawning targets in different distances, switching guns ingame)
  
• Clan level 11~15 with new rewards
  
• Added tooltip help for why the guns are locked for novice players
  
• Added game mode rules in the lobby too
  
• Added clarification for the way most active clan leaderboard works
  
• Active helm skill icons shown on affected components
  
• Recommended loadout would save just like other loadouts.
  
• Notification when pilot leaves/comes back
  
• Score panel is now available on the deploy screen too
  
• New workshop items:
  - Decal: Oculosprocket (free)
  - Decal: The Bounty Hunters (free)
  - Decal: 1812 WarHawk
  - Male goggles: Green and Gold Aviators
  - Female hat: Dapper Dame's Veiled Hat

• Players are default switched to pilot when they’re in captain seat. Novice players can’t change class if they’re in captain seat.
  
• Hats and outfits of the same type now stack in character customization inventory UI
  
• Rematch map vote would at least have one CP map as option
  
• Ship kills will stay longer in match news feed (at top left)
  
• Steam client will be used for achievement notifications from now on
  
• Different colors for un/completed achievements
  
• Running water effect removed during rainstorms (due to performance, quality issues)
  
• "AFK" changed to "Inactive"
  
• Deployed mines for Mine Launcher is easier to read
  
• Shorter component names in kill feed so there will be less messages cut off
  
• In-game store will charge USD, Steam will handle currency convert
  
• Spectators are not allowed to vote map
  
• Clan chat is now visible in all chat tabs
  
• Report window doesn’t disable chatbox
  
• Match system changes
  - Novice are put into regular queues automatically after waiting for 85 seconds
  - Team balance logic fix
  
• Changed the way character hair is rendered slightly (it gets shadows properly now, but lost some subtle soft edges)

• Client connection times out less quickly under unstable networking conditions
  
• Add smoke trail at hull break
  
• Several achievement descriptions on Steam
  
• Light sources on ships (lanterns etc) are now disabled by distance/settings rather than flickering weirdly
  
• Flares (and other light sources) no longer stack brightness as crazily on clouds
  
• Guns being fired by other players aren’t played
  
• The carpets of the traveller theme have strange light smears
  
• Hitmarkers are now shown as your own if you get off the gun after firing
  
• Fixed display/music issue where buffing the hull was interpreted as damage+repair (triggering drums)
  
• Start screen’s "Play" button not clickable in some aspect ratios
  
• Friends should not join tutorials
  
• Character loadout doesn't get updated if accepting recommended loadout while being on customization screen
  
• Going “Inactive” no longer activates combat music

Dating is like an airship battle. You have to try to make the right moves, work together, and hope that no one brought a flamethrower.
Hello everyone,

Happy valentines weekend! Make sure to take your significant other into the skies, it's a perfect way to spend time, share experiences, and get them to call you "the captain." If you're not into the pink and frilly corporate holiday, hop in game and blow the happy couples out of the sky!

Before you either embrace or destroy Valentines day, join us at http://www.twitch.tv/gunsoficarus at 3 pm eastern for the Dev Fireside chat! We'll be live with the founder and leader designer talking about all the things coming into Alliance mode including new guns, maps, and destructible terrain!

Below see what we're all working on, be reminded our new event, and see the player of the week!

George:
Baked some lightmaps, fixed some sounds bugs, and added new theme music.

Howard:
New main theme tracks - string and pizzicato ver. - and sheet music now available on Guns of Icarus Steam store page!
If you own the Collector's Edition, you'll have these automatically unlocked in your soundtrack folder. If you don't currently own CE, you can upgrade to it now on the store page as well.
Enjoy!

Alex:
Fixing lots of last-minute things for MAGfest, particularly Assault base weakpoints,  making builds, and trying to improve plane performance.

Michael:
Fixes for MAGFest, namely for the end match UI and the stats displayed there. Also, a rather new UI panel that tracks COOP objectives. As an objective is completed, a tab slides in from the right-hand part of the screen to update players on what's going on. This will eventually replace the objective UI when the in-match menu is accessed.

Tom:
Bug fixes and Build testing.

Eric:
Messing with balance. Nothing is sacred.

Matthew:
Investigating new CA applicants and devising a new media strategy.

Do not forget we're running an event asking for covers of the new live Guns of Icarus Music.  Find the full information here!

For our player of the week, put your hands together for: Captain Nickel
"Really nice and funn,y very positive"
"This player is such a good leader, he leads with a fist of golden hearts. Not in the way that you think, he legit takes the hearts of his enemies, paints them gold, and makes gauntlets out of them."
"Great Captain, Great Sportsmanship."

Dating is like an airship battle. You have to try to make the right moves, work together, and hope that no one brought a flamethrower.
Hello everyone,

Happy valentines weekend! Make sure to take your significant other into the skies, it's a perfect way to spend time, share experiences, and get them to call you "the captain." If you're not into the pink and frilly corporate holiday, hop in game and blow the happy couples out of the sky!

Before you either embrace or destroy Valentines day, join us at http://www.twitch.tv/gunsoficarus at 3 pm eastern for the Dev Fireside chat! We'll be live with the founder and leader designer talking about all the things coming into Alliance mode including new guns, maps, and destructible terrain!

Below see what we're all working on, be reminded our new event, and see the player of the week!

George:
Baked some lightmaps, fixed some sounds bugs, and added new theme music.

Howard:
New main theme tracks - string and pizzicato ver. - and sheet music now available on Guns of Icarus Steam store page!
If you own the Collector's Edition, you'll have these automatically unlocked in your soundtrack folder. If you don't currently own CE, you can upgrade to it now on the store page as well.
Enjoy!

Alex:
Fixing lots of last-minute things for MAGfest, particularly Assault base weakpoints,  making builds, and trying to improve plane performance.

Michael:
Fixes for MAGFest, namely for the end match UI and the stats displayed there. Also, a rather new UI panel that tracks COOP objectives. As an objective is completed, a tab slides in from the right-hand part of the screen to update players on what's going on. This will eventually replace the objective UI when the in-match menu is accessed.

Tom:
Bug fixes and Build testing.

Eric:
Messing with balance. Nothing is sacred.

Matthew:
Investigating new CA applicants and devising a new media strategy.

Do not forget we're running an event asking for covers of the new live Guns of Icarus Music.  Find the full information here!

For our player of the week, put your hands together for: Captain Nickel
"Really nice and funn,y very positive"
"This player is such a good leader, he leads with a fist of golden hearts. Not in the way that you think, he legit takes the hearts of his enemies, paints them gold, and makes gauntlets out of them."
"Great Captain, Great Sportsmanship."

From these pages into your computer

Hi everyone, we have some exciting news!



It's always been a dream of ours to have our main theme be performed live, and our dream finally came true!  We brought in an accomplished string quartet to record the main theme captured it into two new tracks - string and alternative pizzicato versions.


If you have the Collector’s Edition, these two new tracks are available immediately. Additionally, as a bonus, all CE owners also now have access to the sheet music. The new theme will be added to the next update soon. If you own the base game, you can now upgrade to the Collector’s Edition, it’s even 66% off until the end of the Lunar New Year Sale!  If you want to learn more about how we made this all happen, here’s a chronicle of the creative process:


http://gunsoficarus.com/blog/making-of-guns-of-icarus-main-theme-music/



Since we're releasing our new live version of the main theme, we'd love to hear your live version as well! In your game folder you'll find sheet music to the Guns of Icarus Main Theme, the same one we're releasing today. Take any instrumental, vocal, or other musical ability you have to do your own cover. Every person that emails in their cover version to feedback@musegames.com (bad, great, or otherwise) will receive a free item of their choice and, in the next patch, the exclusive title Touring Troubadour.


The best cover will have a chance to be released into the game files for everyone to hear. Good luck sky captains!


Credits:
Theme by Zain EffendiArranged by Andres Soto, Mitch McCarthy


Performed by:


Eric Allen (Cello)
Adrianna Mateo (Violin)
Kallie Ciechomski (Viola)
Rebekah Durham (Violin)
Recorded at Douglass Recording

From these pages into your computer

Hi everyone, we have some exciting news!



It's always been a dream of ours to have our main theme be performed live, and our dream finally came true!  We brought in an accomplished string quartet to record the main theme captured it into two new tracks - string and alternative pizzicato versions.


If you have the Collector’s Edition, these two new tracks are available immediately. Additionally, as a bonus, all CE owners also now have access to the sheet music. The new theme will be added to the next update soon. If you own the base game, you can now upgrade to the Collector’s Edition, it’s even 66% off until the end of the Lunar New Year Sale!  If you want to learn more about how we made this all happen, here’s a chronicle of the creative process:


http://gunsoficarus.com/blog/making-of-guns-of-icarus-main-theme-music/



Since we're releasing our new live version of the main theme, we'd love to hear your live version as well! In your game folder you'll find sheet music to the Guns of Icarus Main Theme, the same one we're releasing today. Take any instrumental, vocal, or other musical ability you have to do your own cover. Every person that emails in their cover version to feedback@musegames.com (bad, great, or otherwise) will receive a free item of their choice and, in the next patch, the exclusive title Touring Troubadour.


The best cover will have a chance to be released into the game files for everyone to hear. Good luck sky captains!


Credits:
Theme by Zain EffendiArranged by Andres Soto, Mitch McCarthy


Performed by:


Eric Allen (Cello)
Adrianna Mateo (Violin)
Kallie Ciechomski (Viola)
Rebekah Durham (Violin)
Recorded at Douglass Recording

Hat, mask, dyes, and an exclusive reward

Hello everyone!

This is a big weekend with a massive sale on Steam, new youtubers talking about Guns of Icarus, limited time exclusive title, and some cool items! Also on Monday keep an eye out for an something really special.

As always at 3 pm eastern we'll be on twitch.tv/gunsoficarus talking to you live about everything Guns of Icarus and Alliance related , answering questions, and giving a behind the scenes look at the development process.


The Lunar Novice Phenomenon is simple, send in 10 screenshots of you playing with a least one novice on your ship before the 29th to feedback@musegames.com and you'll get everything you need to make the moonman (or woman) hat including the mask, hat, and 2 white dyes, and, when in the next update, you'll receive an exclusive title that will be unobtainable once the event closes, Lunatic Mentor.

The team's work week

Tim:
Working on the trailer. Here's a sweet shot of some lightning that got cut from the finished product.

Tom:
Putting his voice in tutorials.

George:
Added Tom's voice over to tutorials!  Added Derek's Idle animation.

Matthew:
Designing the temporary reward system, organizing the event, and working on Guns of Icarus video pieces.

And last, and never least, our player of the week!

Congratulations to Dave's Dodgy Deals for being an awesome player and a great member of the community! You'll be receiving a free item of your choice!

Hat, mask, dyes, and an exclusive reward

Hello everyone!

This is a big weekend with a massive sale on Steam, new youtubers talking about Guns of Icarus, limited time exclusive title, and some cool items! Also on Monday keep an eye out for an something really special.

As always at 3 pm eastern we'll be on twitch.tv/gunsoficarus talking to you live about everything Guns of Icarus and Alliance related , answering questions, and giving a behind the scenes look at the development process.


The Lunar Novice Phenomenon is simple, send in 10 screenshots of you playing with a least one novice on your ship before the 29th to feedback@musegames.com and you'll get everything you need to make the moonman (or woman) hat including the mask, hat, and 2 white dyes, and, when in the next update, you'll receive an exclusive title that will be unobtainable once the event closes, Lunatic Mentor.

The team's work week

Tim:
Working on the trailer. Here's a sweet shot of some lightning that got cut from the finished product.

Tom:
Putting his voice in tutorials.

George:
Added Tom's voice over to tutorials!  Added Derek's Idle animation.

Matthew:
Designing the temporary reward system, organizing the event, and working on Guns of Icarus video pieces.

And last, and never least, our player of the week!

Congratulations to Dave's Dodgy Deals for being an awesome player and a great member of the community! You'll be receiving a free item of your choice!