Colonial Marines moving forward

[Rahlzel]

Doesn't the no general rules thing not work because ID's being messed with screws code?

This is precisely why I want to do this - it'll give us insight into how often or how badly it screws with the code so we can make changes accordingly.

[taketheshot56]

This is precisely why I want to do this - it'll give us insight into how often or how badly it screws with the code so we can make changes accordingly.

Can we expect more info on what to come regarding the changes to balancing?

As well as continue to be updated with the DMCA thing.

[Rahlzel]

Can we expect more info on what to come regarding the changes to balancing?

As well as continue to be updated with the DMCA thing.

You'll see balancing changes in the in-game (or on the Wiki) Changelog, and as for any copyright changes you'll just see them. I could make an announcement when I get the all-clear, but that won't mean all-clear forever. It's something we'll have to keep an eye on.

[WinterClould]

MUSK YUTANI HYPE LET'S FUCKING DO IT.

[Ratpack]

You should expand upon the shipside jobs, like research.

[FearTheBlackout]

Any word on why the Predator whitelist was suspended recently?

[zaniah]

I'm gonna miss under the name of Weyland Yutani. Looking forward for newer change Rahl, Host us good. o7

[DasCorncakes]

accidentally posted a reply here that wasn't meant to be here somehow and I can't delete it just keep scrolling

[Surrealistik]

I prefer to skip the usual "some of you may know me..." bullshit and get right to the point(s).

• I'm now the host. Hi.
• BMC777 is staying as the Head Dev.
• No current plans on adding a 3rd Head Staff.
• The winrate for aliens that I'm shooting for is higher than 50% but a lot lower than 75%. A healthy amount of fear from aliens is what makes the game fun and keeps people working as a team instead of running alone into the jungle. If it's too high, the game becomes frustrating and no one will want to play. Simple in words, but not so simple in execution.
• In the interest of transparency - we received a request from a copyright lawyer from Fox, the company that owns the rights to the Aliens franchise. They asked that we make some changes to the website and game for the sake of copyright. This is why you've seen a few odd things disappear or change on the website, wiki, and game. Changes are still being made, but they will only be visual - some icons, perhaps some named things (Weyland-Yutani -> The Company), and possibly the domain name. Gameplay will stay the same. There has been no official DMCA, and I'm in contact with the lawyer to make sure everything is fine going forward.
• Over the next few weeks I'm going to revisit our rules and Staff CoC with the Managers to get us up-to-date and to try and remove as many rules as possible. Some will need to stay and wait for coded mechanics. Others can be removed. Once I have a draft, I'll post it here for the community to discuss, and it's likely I'll make changes based on feedback as I've done in the past. Then, I'm moving the Server Rules to the Wiki where they can be Watched (if you've mave an account) in order to be notified of changes and also be able to see a complete history of changes. Obviously the page will be Admin-protected.
• I'm in favor of the players governing themselves while we provide the tools to allow them to do so and try to make sure no one is griefing. I'm going to look closely at the Mutiny, Battlefield Execution, and "can't read this pill bottle"-type of mechanics and rules. In my mind and in a perfect world, all but the General Rules would be removed. Mechanics could enforce the rest. That's not doable right now but it's a goal.
• As such, this coming Wednesday is "General Rules Only Day". For 24 hours, ONLY the General Rules apply. No other rules exist. I'm going to post a separate topic in this forum with more information.
• I'm pushing to have a donation system in the near future. No specifics yet on how it will work - more on this later. Server funds are in a comfortable state but we've been stagnating because of nothing coming in. I'd like to move us to a XenForo forum and upgrade the server.

Stay classy.

You are a god.

[WinterClould]

Any word on why the Predator whitelist was suspended recently?

Person in charge of it has just been busy. New changes to the rules and staff team won't make them any less busy. If you're looking to apply just use this time to improve your app by proof reading it for lore accuracy and grammar stuff. Dont use this time to have it seven pages long though.

[spheretech]

I like this new direction. I always felt CM has taken away too much freedom from players with artificial safeties like child locks on pill bottles.

[x31stOverlord]

Hmmm. General rules only would suspend the Predators murder bone rule. Hopefully the other Preds don't abuse this.

[Doktor710]

"The winrate for aliens that I'm shooting for is higher than 50% but a lot lower than 75%. A healthy amount of fear from aliens is what makes the game fun and keeps people working as a team instead of running alone into the jungle. If it's too high, the game becomes frustrating and no one will want to play. Simple in words, but not so simple in execution."

>Making winrate higher for aliens so marines will fear aliens.

That's not how it works, if you want marines to avoid aliens and stuff then aliens have to be stronger than an average marine, but that's the whole point, they are already stronger. By making aliens to win constantly (like it is right now) it won't make anyone fear them, it is just unfair, biased and not funny and interesting to play, when you know that you are going to loose.

Also, nothing will stop baldies from running away alone just to kill an alien. They are baldies, and that's the point, they are here just to shoot something in SS13, not for roleplay or anything. Instead they: Shoot their own teammates, can't follow simple orders, act like they are supersoldiers when they can't even aim properly, try to kill aliens at all costs. So what do we have as a result? As a result we have marines that act like Orks from Warhammer 40k (Yes, including looting everything for cool stuff, killing everything that moves and running towards the battlefield ignoring any orders).

[Jackie Estegado]

Inbefore we will be overstaffed because way less rule policing. Mods will be like police in Japan looking for anything they can boink over, lol.

[FelixG]

Exciting! So far looking good.
Sidenote: I wanted to donate for year and now I'll have a possibility!

[Surrealistik]

"The winrate for aliens that I'm shooting for is higher than 50% but a lot lower than 75%. A healthy amount of fear from aliens is what makes the game fun and keeps people working as a team instead of running alone into the jungle. If it's too high, the game becomes frustrating and no one will want to play. Simple in words, but not so simple in execution."

>Making winrate higher for aliens so marines will fear aliens.

That's not how it works, if you want marines to avoid aliens and stuff then aliens have to be stronger than an average marine, but that's the whole point, they are already stronger. By making aliens to win constantly (like it is right now) it won't make anyone fear them, it is just unfair, biased and not funny and interesting to play, when you know that you are going to loose.

Also, nothing will stop baldies from running away alone just to kill an alien. They are baldies, and that's the point, they are here just to shoot something in SS13, not for roleplay or anything. Instead they: Shoot their own teammates, can't follow simple orders, act like they are supersoldiers when they can't even aim properly, try to kill aliens at all costs. So what do we have as a result? As a result we have marines that act like Orks from Warhammer 40k (Yes, including looting everything for cool stuff, killing everything that moves and running towards the battlefield ignoring any orders).

I agree with this on the whole.

As I've stated before elsewhere, the problem with skewed win rates is that they don't make for a more intense or fun experience so much as they rob wins of their value/satisfaction: you either won because the opposition is retarded as the underdog, or won because you're OP as the advantaged side. Meanwhile, the disadvantaged side is engendered with a sense of despair/fatalism.

The most intense gaming experiences have always been, at least in my experience, two roughly matched opponents in a tense, close, heated tug of war until one side makes a decisive breakthrough/mistake that snowballs into a win or loss.

Further, win rates don't make marines group up and fear xenos: the stunlock mechanics do. What makes xenos scary more than anything is that most of them can stun lock and drag you off into oblivion if you're by yourself, and generally will annihilate you one on one.

[Rahlzel]

>Making winrate higher for aliens so marines will fear aliens.

That's not how it works, if you want marines to avoid aliens and stuff then aliens have to be stronger than an average marine, but that's the whole point, they are already stronger. By making aliens to win constantly (like it is right now) it won't make anyone fear them, it is just unfair, biased and not funny and interesting to play, when you know that you are going to loose.

As I've stated before elsewhere, the problem with skewed win rates is that they don't make for a more intense or fun experience so much as they rob wins of their value/satisfaction: you either won because the opposition is retarded as the underdog, or won because you're OP as the advantaged side. Meanwhile, the disadvantaged side is engendered with a sense of despair/fatalism.

Further, win rates don't make marines group up and fear xenos: the stunlock mechanics do. What makes xenos scary more than anything is that most of them can stun lock and drag you off into oblivion if you're by yourself, and generally will annihilate you one on one.

These are very good points. We can maintain a fear of Xenos by making them strong in 1v1, but weaker against 2+ marines. Perhaps a mechanic not unlike those of Special Infected in Left 4 Dead - a pounce for all or most Xenos that can grab and stunlock a marine and allow the Xeno to drag them away very slowly at first and gradually pick up speed, but if the Xeno is attacked they drop their grip.

In the same sense that a lone survivor in Left 4 Dead is viewed as detrimental to the group because he/she becomes easy prey, rambo tactics in CM will very quickly become shunned and everyone will want to stick together closely.

[Jackie Estegado]

As far as I have seen Marines nowadays stick together, I rarely see lone marines. This kind of change would had been more usefull like half a year ago.

[Steelpoint]

The grab mechanic of the Warrior has shown how annoying it is since the grabbed marines becomes a Human meat shield for soaking incoming bullets. Perhaps that suggested mechanic should stun the marine onto the ground so they cannot be used to block incoming gunfire.

I agree that most Marines should be at a major disadvantage in a 1 v 1 battle, outside of maybe certain Specs in certain circumstances that favour them, but even then a Spec should be a force multiplier for the Marines, and not a rambo marine.

I'd also argue the game should focus mostly on the combat on the planet/op zone and not the Almayer, Marines should be focused on remaining on the planet as long as possible and retreat should be seen as a failure condition unto itself and not just a 10 minute delay until the Aliens launch a stale invasion of the Almayer that 95% of the time ends in a inane SD or CIC defence.

[Bosniak Rambo]

I like the sound of this.

[butters742]

I'm gonna miss under the name of Weyland Yutani. Looking forward for newer change Rahl, Host us good. o7

Wheyland Yutani. Good nuff.

[Vampmare]

I like the sound of those points, well except the copyright one. One of my favorites things about CM has always been the clear focus of content and willingness to make big changes, I see this will continue.

We're going from one golden era into another golden era.

[Symbiosis]

Good shit. I’d be happy to throw money at projects that aim to increase the fun factor.

Glad to see these changes.

[FearTheBlackout]

Person in charge of it has just been busy. New changes to the rules and staff team won't make them any less busy. If you're looking to apply just use this time to improve your app by proof reading it for lore accuracy and grammar stuff. Dont use this time to have it seven pages long though.

I see. Thank you for explaining! I wasn't planning on applying anytime too soon due to my low forum post count, but I'll work on my draft in the meanwhile.

[Heckenshutze]

Oh, so this is why you asked me about how would I make some rules and stuff.. good to see we kind of share the same criteria.

Copy that Chief o7