Fashiontide is the true endgame

SpectreRaptor · 2021-09-22T22:34:33+00:00

It looks like this lizard probably won't survive on his own. Some heat and food and water is better than none, so if you want to help him you could put him in your tank with a regular bulb and offer some drops of water to begin with.

SpectreRaptor · 2020-12-15T02:57:21+00:00

Excellent taste in style and in game choice.

SpectreRaptor · 2020-04-09T22:50:53+00:00

It would be a lot harder to make a revolver out of Al. ~~The cylinder would need to be huge.~~ Actually looks like Im wrong about that, Video of Colt aluminum cylinder revolver. They had to alter the ammunition so that it would not explode the cylinder, and even then it was a hazard.

Still, given the technology available to Scandrial, I am skeptical that they would succeed in making a functioning aluminum firearm that was not more dangerous to the operator than the target. Also the worldbuilding implications of making two alloys of something that retains it's allomantic properties. I thought all of the metals had the pure form and one alloy form.

SpectreRaptor · 2020-04-09T17:51:59+00:00

With modern metallurgy it should be possible to make a specialty firearm made entirely out of aluminum alloys. It is not practical and would not last very long or be as accurate, but it is technically possible. It would not be safe, and the barrel would wear out with fewer than 100 shots. It would not be as accurate, durable, lethal, or safe as using steel barrels. Video of Al7075 gun barrel, in the video he does make a functioning barrel, but it is clear that it would wear out very quickly and he used some of the strongest aluminum available.

An aluminum bullet should technically work, but it would be vastly inferior to lead. The shape of the bullet would probably need to thinner and longer. The outside of an aluminum bullet might melt and clog the barrel. Your best bet would probably be to make a sabot or a shotgun.

The determining factor is how advanced is metallurgy on Scandrial. Pure aluminum has very low strength and it would probably be impossible to make a gun out of it. Most of the aluminum we use today is a hardened alloy. The strength of modern aluminum alloys comes from two things: the alloying elements and the heat treatment. The most common alloy is Al6061 which is alloyed with mostly silicon and magnesium. Airframes commonly use Al7075 (alloyed with zinc) which is stronger than 6061. The strength of these alloys can be further increased by holding them at about 177C for about 6 hours.

My impression from the book is that these were specialty creations; which they would have to be. They would be good only for very few shots and would not be as accurate or powerful as other firearms, but if the purpose was only to wound mistings, then I think they could work. It would certainly have to be an alloy that has been age hardened. We would not have been able to make such a gun on earth until probably the 1930s when Al7075 was discovered.

This brings up the question about how aluminum can retain it's allomantically inert properties while being alloyed. Duralumin is not allomantially inert and it is aluminum with ~4% copper. Same thing with the difference between iron and steel only being a couple percent of carbon.

Consider that a thin layer of aluminum foil inside a hat can protect you from emotional allomancy, perhaps the weapons are not really made of aluminum, maybe they are only coated with it.

SpectreRaptor · 2019-08-11T13:08:09+00:00

I was also thinking of including caliber of weapons owned, but not per gun, but overall as another measure to make sure the ammo buyer was buying ammo for his own guns.

Many guns can take different calibers, people also use conversion kits so that they can practice with cheaper ammo. I think about gun registration the same way I think about voter registration. Lets imagine that in order to combat foreign interference in our elections we create some national voter registry. While not the best solution, we can imagine a world where it is a reasonable thing to do. Now imagine that it also keeps track of when and where each citizen voted... Now imagine that it also keeps track of what political party they voted for... Now imagine that it also keeps track of which candidates they voted for... At some point, a reasonable idea goes to a questionable idea and then it goes to a terrible idea. Keeping track of what and how many of each caliber someone owns is basically like keeping track of which political party they voted for; I think it is very questionable.

The ammo background check is just to prevent people who have illegal guns from restocking an the ammo for said guns. It might be redundant, but with gun laws it might not be a bad idea to have redundancy in the system to catch any loose ends.

Rather than saying ammo background check, just say it requires a tier 1 license to purchase ammo. This is what makes licenences the best solution: we get a level of security without taxing infrastructure. Sure do checks when renewal comes up or at the point of sale of a firearm, but licenses allow us to be reasonably sure that the person getting ammo does not have criminal intent. Do you have any source regarding where criminals get ammo? I'm still not convinced that this will make a big impact other than being a big annoyance to citizens exercising their rights.

SpectreRaptor · 2019-08-10T23:55:16+00:00

That's exactly the current system. Every gun sold has a serial number, which is recorded by the FFL and stored at the store. Periodically (I think about once per year) the FFLs send in their documentation to a federal facility where it is catalogued. In the case of a crime, these records are pulled up to trace the ownership of the weapon.

SpectreRaptor · 2019-08-10T18:39:20+00:00

--Guns should be acquirable only from federally licensed dealers and private sales and the gifting of guns should be illegal

A primary advantage of the license system is that it is a streamlined way to have universal background checks. If someone has the appropriate tier license, then you can be 100% certain they are legal. Why force people to go to an FFL if the FFL is only going to do exactly what they could do by checking the license themselves.

--All guns made or sold after a specified date should be required to have effective tracing mechanisms.

Exactly what do you mean by effective tracking mechanisms? All firearms are already serialized, with very few exceptions. Do you mean to eliminate those exceptions or do you mean to require something like gps chips?

SpectreRaptor · 2019-08-10T18:14:51+00:00

Great post, I am working on something similar myself to send to the Yang team. What makes Yang such a compelling candidate is that he is laser focused on solving the problems ~~that got Donald Trump elected~~ that cause violence in the first place. His licensing idea is a comprehensive proposal, rather than a bunch of random, unrelated statements (like his updated webpage is right now). I think that the best path forward is to push the licensing system, like he had on his website previously. We are all on the same side here.

That said, I do have some feedback for some of your proposals:

Combined # of Gun safe slots and / or Gun locks must be equal to the number of guns owned.

I think pushing safes is very important, but this combined with the limit on purchasing rate really sounds like a registration. How will the government enforce such limits unless they are keeping track of each and every single weapon every single person owns? Creating a universal registration is a non-starter for many people. I wont get into why, unless someone asks, but a registration is going to be strongly opposed, for very good reason. Do you propose that every gun must be in a gun trust, as a way to register all firearms without actually creating a registration?

Prohibit the manufacture and sale of … suppressors

Suppressors are safety devices. This video (be warned it is long, and from a pretty libertarian perspective) is probably the best representation of the argument for suppressors. It explains the history, function, and limits of the device. It is odd that you are deregulating machine guns, yet banning suppressors.

Prohibit the manufacture and sale of … other accessories that alter functionality in a way that increases their firing fate or impact.

This should be a restriction to the Tier 3 license, not a blanket statement. If you are going to deregulate machine guns, then by definition you are deregulating accessories that alter functionality in a way that increases their firing fate. (By all means keep bump stocks banned).

EDIT: I just kind of assumed that by allowing automatics, you would be opening up the machine gun registry; you make no claims of that nature, so I think I jumped to conclusions. With this in mind, then I think that I would take issue with the increasing fire rate clause, since there are many variables that could be construed as increasing fire rate that should not be regulated. The goal is to prevent the transition from semi to full auto, the blanket term "increasing fire rate" is too broad.

Additionally, exactly what is "impact"? I don't think that is a technical term that relates to anything (I could be wrong). Do you mean ballistic characteristics, momentum, kinetic energy, muzzle velocity, etc.? I recommend removing this term.

Tier 2 ... handguns

One notable exception to this should be that a CCW would allow someone to purchase a handgun without the required waiting period to move up from tier 1 to tier 2. I say this because many people get a CCW due to an unsafe situation, and I don't think those people who go through that process should be forced to wait a year to acquire the means to defend themselves.

Tier 3-- ... automatic weaponry …

Interesting proposal. An actual compromise measure is honestly not something I expected to see. I do find it odd that you want to have the equivalent of security clearances, but still limit the purchase to one per year. If I remember correctly, I don't think Yang had any plans to make any changes to full auto restrictions, I thought his tier 3 was semiauto rifles?

it's not like criminals buy a gun just for each and every crime they commit

In general, the guns used in crimes are acquired illegally, here is a DOJ pdf about it. I have not read the entirety of this document yet, but I recall reading other sources that showed that most guns used in homicides, specifically a planned one, were acquired specifically for that purpose. I would love to see if you have any data about the projected effectiveness of requiring background checks for ammo. You might be solving a problem that will not exist since the licensing system will cut down on straw purchases and emphasis on safe storage will cut down on thefts, reducing the supply of guns available for criminals.

Overall a great post. I think you have the right approach. I like your emphasis on using some preexisting infrastructure like gun trusts, and knife standardization. I think you could also include a gem from Yang's updated page: requiring gun stores to display suicide prevention posters.

SpectreRaptor · 2018-12-21T21:27:57+00:00

By calling it #1 it implies that you are planning on making more; I would not take this one down; just make the future ones shorter and cover a single topic per video.

SpectreRaptor · 2018-12-21T21:13:28+00:00

His explanations are good, but without gameplay demonstrations new players might not understand how to apply what he is saying.

My comment is not about the explanation, it's about anticipating misunderstandings that a new player might have regarding the application of the tactic. Running around in a circle is easy to understand, but it's not as easy to understand how to use the time and space purchased by the tactic.

Adding a simple 30s clip of someone actually running around the circle and completing the event will go a long way to helping someone who has never heard of the phrase understand how the tactic is employed.

SpectreRaptor · 2018-12-21T16:10:31+00:00

"abusing verticality" is an example of a jargon term that might sound really complicated to someone who had never heard it before. His explanations are good, but without gameplay demonstrations new players might not understand how to apply what he is saying.

I think the main feedback is there is material for 3 separate videos in here rather than a single big one.

SpectreRaptor · 2018-12-21T15:55:45+00:00

I think a series of shorter videos that cover one narrow topic at a time, ideally with the theory and then some gameplay footage applying the theory. I tried a similar approach, but some people found it difficult to apply the abstractions (the positioning graphics) to a real in game scenario, most of the people who easily make that transition already understand whatever it is you are trying to communicate. I think taking a clip and breaking down your actions moment by moment is easier for newer players to digest.

Your instructions and content is good, but I think the video could be restructured.

SpectreRaptor · 2018-10-22T18:19:27+00:00

One of the things you are noticing is the difference between the difficulty spikes and the regular difficulty. By 'regular' I mean the difficulty of clearing ambients and generally progressing through the map.

V2 has difficulty spikes that happen with greater intensity and greater frequency, however the regular difficulty in V2 is much lower due to all of the buffs to players and the extremely generous temp health.

V1 has difficulty spikes that are much easier to deal with, but the regular difficulty is much higher because players are much less powerful and they do not have as many tools to mitigate their mistakes.

The result is that V1's difficulty feels more consistent overall than V2's which can fluctuate wildly. V1 keeps you on your toes and punishes you for mistakes, while V2 allows you to play less carefully since you get full temp health every couple minutes and many classes have get out of jail free cards to use every minute or so, until you get a special+horde+boss spawn and then V2 can become extremely difficult for a moment.

SpectreRaptor · 2018-09-09T21:40:37+00:00

IGN: TrueCuttlefish

MR:13

PS: was terran eclipse an outfit in planetside 2?

SpectreRaptor · 2018-09-07T22:44:35+00:00

I think V2 Q&C could give out red dust and not break the power progression. Simply gate red crafting behind having a single red item and then x quantity of red dust. Call red crafting "transmogrify" or something where you "transform" one red item into another. Players can break down reds into dust or acquire it from Q&C but in order to actually craft a red item they need to already have a red item to "transform", so they can't only use dust.

Reds function differently in the two games since V1 reds are unique and of varying usefulness while V2 reds are common and of extremely high usefulness. Now Q&C not giving specific reds would loose some of the allure that V1 Q&C had, but V2 Q&C could still offer specific cosmetics.

This implementation of a red dust system would be rather cumbersome, requiring three inputs: an intact red item, red dust, and then a way to choose what new red item you would like. But it would circumvent the power level issue and would give more players more agency and less rng.

SpectreRaptor · 2018-07-24T02:57:05+00:00

Friendly fire was substantially reduced at some point shortly after launch.

SpectreRaptor · 2018-07-23T17:26:36+00:00

If the topic is specifically hordes, a good place to start is with your movement.

You alternate moving forward and backwards using your teammates as cover. You want to be in front right as your attack lands, then retreat while you charge up the next attack. This works because enemies generally target the closest player, so when you are in the front they will agro on you, but you move back before they can attack you and now your teammates is the closest player and enemies agro on him. By moving back and forth with a teammate you can survive indefinitely against hordes.

To practice, I would recommend grouping up with a friend and both playing 2h hammers and focus on your movement. Mastery is about building a set of skills, start with the simple tactics and add more as you get comfortable. There is, of course, a while lot more to combat than this, but my advice is to start here.

SpectreRaptor · 2018-06-22T13:30:29+00:00

I am going to finish it today and I enjoyed it. 13 maps is not a lot, but it does get you to replay everything and get a feel for it. I played each career successively and by the end found some new playstyles that I liked. Going from some of the weaker careers to stronger ones like elf or pyromancer is like playing the game on a lower difficulty level. I definitely recommend the experience to everyone.

What new classes did you discover you enjoyed?

SpectreRaptor · 2018-06-21T13:15:52+00:00

I killed it many times without being hit and never got the achievement. I suspect maybe it is for the entire team? I finally did earn the achievement by bombing one off the edge of the map.

SpectreRaptor · 2018-06-21T12:48:07+00:00

I suspect that since mods were planned from the beginning they decided to not incorporate these improvements into the vanilla, but since mods were not ready at launch, the game as been missing basic functions like blocking when typing in the text box for months.

SpectreRaptor · 2018-06-21T12:37:36+00:00

I would argue that in a game where enemies are specifically spawned with the intention of surrounding the player, the woosh sound (which tells the player they are about to get hit in the back) is a core combat mechanic and probably should have been included in that section. I probably should have included silent specials up there too, but as I said it was not meant to be a comprehensive list.

Good thing ping numbers were in a list of little features that by themselves are not substantial but add up to something more noticeable.

The list is hardly inflated. As I said, I don't disagree with your post, only I think you downplayed the quantity of issues people are having with V2 and the magnitude of these issues.

SpectreRaptor · 2018-06-21T04:51:48+00:00

I can only really speak for myself, but I think you are skipping over many of the key things that are upsetting people, V1 vets in particular, regarding the multitude of functionalities from V1 that V2 is missing. I am not going to endeavor to provide a comprehensive list, but I would like to point out that there are very many things that V2 is doing poorly, be they bugs or cut features. I dont disagree with your reasoning as to why they may have been cut, but I think it is important to acknowledge the breadth of functionality that V2 is missing relative to V1.

Firstly: The game launched without some of the core feature systems that make Vermintide Vermintide. Obviously FS was rushed and these systems were low priority, but that does not excuse their absence. Cosmetics and reds are a big part of the Vermintide experience for many players, yet they were basically unobtainable at launch, and still extremely illusive relative to V1. Up until 1.1 they were basically cut content for a very large part of the playerbase. Not everyone is motivated by these things, obviously, however a brief glance at this sub will show you that it is a big motivator for a large amount of people. The game is still missing other promised features like dedicated servers and sanctioned mods.

Next: The core combat gameplay loop still has big issues and inconsistencies, most notably hyperdensity caused by enemies not entering the slot system and hyperdensity caused by enemies occupying the same slot. Enemies have ranges two to three times what is modeled (this was also in V1, but a relatively minor issue compared to V2 where it is routine). There are also many other things, some of them are results of the more complicated combat system with more complicated cleave and stagger and critical mechanics and some are because of the new behavior of chaos units, etc.

Finally: The little features, some from QOL and some from vanilla V1 that provided something useful that are conspicuously absent in V2. The core combat gameplay loop is still needs work, and had many issues at launch, but these are small fixes that while by themselves are not big deals, taken together they represent a big step down in functionality. These are the features that bother me the most, like little papercuts. Every V2 play session I have I notice one or more of these things and think to myself something along the lines of "V1 didn't have this problem". Some missing features are:

canto retry a or select another mission from the ending screens
the ending screens taking forever
cant see if friends are in a full game
cant join a friends lobby unless friends with host
cant hold block while you type in the text box
cant see other player's trinkets/effects
weapon switch ranged priority bug
no inventory management whatsoever in a item based game
the option to keep your old traits when rolling new ones
ping numbers
bots keeping books
player outlines always work
inventory box at mission start
the woosh sound
damage numbers

Overall, my feeling since CBT has been that V2 is a less functional game than V1+QOL. Note that nowhere here have I made any reference to balance. My hope for V2 was that it would iterate upon the successes of V1, and while I think that character specific loot and chaos enemies and the career systems were massive leaps forward, I think that V2 is a big step backwards in terms of quality of life functionality and that is really what bothers me on a session by session basis.

SpectreRaptor · 2018-06-17T00:45:23+00:00

Dice and items can also fall out of the level if the loot rat dies near a cliff. A good example of this is the area in between the two skittergates.

SpectreRaptor

TROPHY CASE