Vile Requiem

Weasel has been modified with less rockets. As for the terrier, i've heard quite a few people ask to not have it changed, and i'm placating that request at least temporarily. It's not my favorite ship in terms of "Almost Perfect" like the jav and shark are (which is why they weren't changed), so anything is possible. I've heard conflicting things about the WB, either it's too powerful or too weak (I lean towards the latter opinion)...more testing needed to determine what to add to it. I do agree burst speed would be worthless in MSBL, i'll think of how to remedy that. As for the lanc...I really have no idea I'll take the rep off and see what happens. Next m!@#$%^&* test will probably be Sunday, announced later.

Please post any comments about the beta release in here. Comments should be about ship balance, any nifty or odd stuff you've noticed, or anything else about em. The arena is ?go tobeta. (Once again, thanks to Sever for the weasel )

New weasel courtesy of Sever. Once it's tested and integrated i'm debating whether the terrier needs modification at all, and thus we'd be ready for public beta testing of these sets. Thus, gimme come comments based on balancing and integration of weasel/terrier into what we have in here. Next on my slate is weakening the lanc a tad so it's not allpowerful.

There will be public beta testing shortly in some unannounced arena (when I get the terr & weasel in some semblance of 'done'). After we all try it out together there'll be a Release Candidate A, then B etc, and then if everyone's happy it goes public. Now, as for the Lanc gotta bring up several points: 1) Bombs do more damage now. 2) It can green up to L2 bombs (which will be rather high on prizeweight) 3) If it does get to L2, it's statistically far better then the old lanc at holding ground. So don't fret Spider i'll let recharge somewhat with both on. Any other questions or comments feel free to bring em up to me in zone. If you feel there's some grave misjustice to your ship, well, you can always converse with vile.

The only ships that are "finalized" right now are the wb through levi, and the shark. Weasel's just sorta there

I wouldn't expect ANYbody, muslim or not, who lives in Iraq right now to "help us defeat the terrorists". For one thing, anyone who doesn't live in america knows that Osama's forces came in AFTER saddam was taken out and thusly we're to blame. For another, we caused all the -*BAD WORD*- that's going on in Iraq atm, first with sanctions, now with blowing -*BAD WORD*- up. Why wouldn't they want us out of Iraq? It makes no sense that they'd help us, particularly since BECAUSE of all the fighting Bush is exiting June 30th. Even in Afganistan, we had to pay off the warlords to help us. The same warlords that are now resubmitting to the Taliban and fighting us again. It may shock many, but the US isn't exactly seen as a "friend" to a LOT of countries. The Iraq war did more for Al Queda recruiting then anything else.

I am honored to annouce the promotion of MMaverick to Zone Smod. MMav has done so much for the staff and zone during his time here in the bot development, hosting, and coordination fields. His professionalism and willingness to work hard is a testiment to his talents, and this is why he has been selected for advancement. This promotion marks a change in the staff structure of 17th Parallel. From now on the Smods will act as Senior Moderators, guiding lower staff members and directly !@#$%^&*isting in the zone's day to day operations that Pernille doesn't get enough credit for doing . Sysops will in turn back away from the direct spotlight, though emerging where and when necessary. This will give us more time to work on the stuff you don't see in the zone, and some that you do (such as the new settings). Mmav will continue his bot duties in addition to filling this new role. Congrats Mav :jules:

I'd love to hear how Delic thinks old settings will help the LANCASTER, rather that just proves he likes to hear himself say "old settings", and Akai likes to tag along like a puppy. Cute, but ignorant. The obvious: If you're talking about the sadistically old lanc, that's got L3 bombs. Bad. If you're talking about the quite old lanc, that's got 7 bounces. Bad with 90 deg angles, though it did work on oldmap. If you're talking about extra shrap, the key to the lanc's always been Bounce. Bounce = Bounce Shrap = Dead Things. If you're talking about the lanc's purpose, without a old weasel to kill it's a base defender. Always was. Except when it had the 7 bounces and could terrorize the middle . But that's as BAD as the old weasel was So we come to an imp!@#$%^&*, in which we realize that old settings didn't really help the lanc one bit. aka Game. Set. Match. EDIT: I'd also love to see how Maka proposes we miraculously give the lanc max shrap by switching back to old settings As far as the topic creator is conserned, 200 bounty could always be explored.

Then I retract my statement, though it's still unmixed sarin.

Hooray for topics over nothing! Rummy hasn't even confirmed it to be Sarin yet, or perhaps Cool Whip? Thus we have to currently label this substance "Mystery Fluid" Is saddam's urine a WMD? It could be that too

I had this idea a week or so ago (ask Kent, I wanted him to be the Shark rep ) The reason I forgot about it is simple... 1 Person making changes = Dictator sure, but I listen to opinions, which is how I came about TO in the first place. 9 People making changes = Oligarchy ~ Dictatorship, only under your plan there'd be 8 dictators instead of 1, and nobody would budge an inch. Plus you said they could overrule the sysops, which means the zone would never change Not gonna happen, let's just work to get a new setting file that's acceptable to everyone

Well, everyone tipped my hand, so here goes: THESE ARE DESIGN DO-*BAD WORD*-ENTS, NOT ACTUAL SETTINGS THEMSELVES (yet) Welcome to 17th Parallel: Tet Offensive. TO is the zone's return to the Vietnam theme, and in doing so balance out the sets to fit this theme but still have all the ships be useful (seperate from a new map but one is certainly possible). There are 2 main factions: Americans and the Vietcong, each with their own style of gameplay. There's even a russian craft thrown in for good measure, and as an opponent of the Javelin proper. Veteran Ability - Every ship has the ability to gain something extra. Call it a bonus for staying alive, whatever you want, these need to be earned with greening but once you have em, they're a real help in staying alive. Movement - Rotation/Thrust Speed - Obvious Energy - Obvious --------------------------------------------------------------------- Warbird - American GI Veteran Ability: X-Radar Guns: 2 Bombs: 2 (Medium) Items: Antiwarp Specials: 1 Decoy, 0 Brick, 1 Repel Movement: Average Speed: Average Energy: Average Afterburners The American GI is the average fighter on this battlefield, too raw to develop any specialized skills or veteran abilities. It just exists, though it's a useful soldier, and it can charge into battle. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Javelin - American Commando Veteran Ability: Antiwarp (Destruction of Pesky Cloakers just got a lot easier) Guns: 3 Bombs: 1 (Slow) Items: None Specials: 1 Decoy Movement: Excellent Speed: Average Energy: Average Unchanged except for the greenable Anti. With a pulse rifle, this is the only ground unit with a GUN that can stand up to armor. Plus: Nothing can stand up to it in a close fight + Armor Piercing Bullets Minus: Really weak vs cloaking & can't retaliate against long ranged attacks --------------------------------------------------------------------- Spider - Vietcong Soldier Veteran Ability: Higher Energy (+500/by 100) Guns: 2 Bombs: 1 (medium) Items: Stealth/Cloak (Both active disable recharge, stealth = free) Specials: 1 Tactical Burst (not wide like current sets, confined, but instant death in a small space), 3 Portals Movement: Good Speed: Fast Energy: Low - Average The Guerilla Front Lines troops are unknown until they strike. For this reason, they're the most effective weapon against the americans. However, their weakness comes when exposed, as they're 'unofficial soldiers'. Their gun speed (think current with minor tweaking) might make that a moot point however. Plus: Not many ships can detect them Minus: Weak when exposed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Leviathan - Vietcong RPG Elite Veteran Ability: Increased Speed Guns: 1 Bombs: 3 + 3 Mines (Fast) Items: Stealth Specials: 1 Portal, 2 Thors Movement: Low Speed: Low-Average Energy: High Turret Capacity: 1 The RPG Elite strike hard but stand out vs other soldiers. Their RPG ammo leaves them unable to fire for a split second afterwards, but that split second could mean all the difference. Until they become veteran, best used in protected areas or as guards. One RPG soldier can hold a corridor as long as you need it barring any sneaky stuff. They're also handy at leaving little suprises for the Americans. In addition, they have the only general issue body shielding, which helps keep them alive but further slows them down. Plus: The power to destroy nearly anything on the battlefield Minus: That RPG Lanucher is fugging heavy. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Terrier - American Heuy Mk.2 Veteran Ability: Stronger Missles (bombs) Guns: 3 (antipersonel) Bombs: 1-2 (Fast) Items: X-Radar, Antiwarp Specials: 1 thor (daisy cutter), 3 burst (chaff), 1 decoy Movement: Low Speed: High Energy: Average Turret Capacity: 2 Size - 30 pixel diameter The Heuy Mk.2 was developed to counter the Americans' problems with the original. It features radar to spot vietcong soldiers, and the weaponry to destroy them when found. It's other major use is ferrying troops across the battlefield, as nothing will match the speed of the Heuy. Plus: Strong against most infantry + can turret. Minus: RPG Launchers & Armored Units --------------------------------------------------------------------- Weasel - Russian Tesla Soldier Veteran Ability: Shrapnel Guns: 2 Bombs: 1 (EMP Average Speed) Items: None Specials: 1 Decoy, 0 Brick Movement: Better then everything but a Jav Speed: Average Energy: Average The Russians knew they couldn't leave Vietnam alone or the Americans would win. This soldier is a Russian Commando with a special EMP Grenade that will make all electronic equipment useless in addition to the explosive force of a regular grenade. As it is a crack Red Army soldier, it has the skill of an American Commando except the ability to potentially use radar and a worse standard issue gun. Plus: EMP is a nasty tool in the right hands, and these are the right hands. Minus: Statistically weaker then American Forces + none of the Vietcong bonuses. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Lancaster - Pyrotecnician Veteran Ability: Improved Ammo Clip (less nrg to fire bullets) Guns: 2 Bombs: 2 + 4 Bounce + 2 Mines Items: X Radar Specials: 1 Decoy, 2 Repel Movement: Low Speed: Average Energy: Average The Pytotecnician is the god of boom. It has developed a bouncing bomb that defends around corners, in addition to being kinky it has the most shrap in the game. If you like defense, this is your ship. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Shark - No Changes to it at all from current sets except Veteran Ability: Improved Energy Turret Capacity: 0 --------------------------------------------------------------------- None of these sets are in stone yet, so feel free to comment on the design aspects. It's certainly better then -*BAD WORD*-ing about the current sets Edit 1: Forgot to mention, bombs will do more damage in TO then current sets

Simple Logic: 8 Yes, 8 No = 50%/50% 8 Yes, 9 No = 47%/53% Voting yourself to break a TIE helps nobody and certainly not your argument Irony's a -*BAD WORD*-, no? Think about it.

Jimmah wins the summary cookie.

Gimme a ring-a-ding-ding in game, you'd be interested in this Sorry to hijack nb's thread of course, though akai wondefully did that already.

Ironically, my ethos dictates that one designs sets around a map, not the other way around

Perhaps you'd like to enlighten me as to when I ever touched elim (and what I did)? That was rifleman unless i'm quite mistaken.

This is my doctorial thesis in zone engineering ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Statements of the obvious: 1) JWL I/II and RRL II were the most popular leagues in 17th Parallel History. 2) This current map has been in place since January 2001. 3) Except for exact damage and starting with L3, the jav is the only unchanged ship in 17th Parallel History. 4) At the time of MSBL I was the league coordinator. 5) 17th Parallel was once called Warzone Chess, with different settings. A zone succeeds when it's own unique niche can be found among the countless other zones in SS, and people enjoy playing it. It fails if the settings or map suck. 17th has been this twice, once as warzone chess, and once as 17th Parallel's old settings. Where the problem lies is in the uniqueness that is/was 17th Parallel. Every ship in the old settings was wildly different from the others, and it worked as far as pub went. And because the jav's never been molested like the other ships, vets could have fun playing jav leagues and jav events. But that's sadly where the problem came in. The jav was the only way to move up beyond pub in the zone, to the heart of the zone. I do not think anyone will disagree with the fact that 17th Parallel in it's prime was a event/league zone much like Dueling Zone for svs. Nor will people disagree that a zone is healthy when there is a strong community of dedicated players and squads. However, there were players like ants! who just played others ships like the spider or terrier, which were not included in this magnificant javelin heirarchy. Most of the ships were built for pub play in the zone theme, but NOT FOR THE ZONE'S EVENTS OR LEAGUES. This caused a limitation of the size and amount of squads that later came back to bite us in the -*BAD WORD*-. Zone Decline Chart: Healthy Growing Zone Peak Pop goes down by 5 avg One+ major squads break apart Peak Pop goes down by 10 avg from initial Leagues Begin to suffer Another squad goes down the -*BAD WORD*-ter With less league vets around, there's now less event pop, so less events hosted per day Lack of events leads to other vets going elsewhere Lack of vets causes the final dooming of leagues Lack of leagues fails to draw other squads from elsewhere Final Squad Breakups <5 events hosted per day with 6+ people attending Pub pop begins to parabolically slide into oblivion, large gaps with nobody in the zone. Death. There was a time when we were right before death, and that is when the settings got changed and brought us back up to the top of the list. However, this fix is now starting to decline, and we're in the "Lack of Vets causes the final dooming of leagues" rung right now, which would only give us a matter of time to fix things. However, how should we do this? The ONLY way to make the zone recover forever is to design the zone this way: 1) A unique shipset where most/all ships can participate in 90% of zone leagues (except things like dueling tournaments) 2) A public map that doubles as a public league. Soccer may or may not be included., but whatever happens the one singular focus of the map should set us apart from other zones. 3) Well designed leagues with competent hosting 4) Better/More Devteam Mappers. 5) Prayer This is currently the plan the sysops are going by to develop the next evolution of 17th Parallel. However, it's not easy, just like 99% of all new zones fail, so too do 99% of evolutionary ideas. And if we -*BAD WORD*- up the next one, we can't really hope to recover. If those 5 steps don't get done, I don't care if you're George Washington or Ghandi, you're not building a new nation out of the ruins of an old empire.

I'm going to pretend Akai passed any reading comprehension exam he may have taken in his lifetime and ignore his latest post

I seem to remember sharks bricking those "wings" of the upper base quite well. This was when I first started before the map switch, so it was between Sept 2000 and Jan 2001. If that's 3 then I'm absolutely nuts Bricks if you lay them on someone will warp them. It's just what they do.

Yay! ?go original brick span = 9 ?go oldmap (old sets as verified by Unc Sexay) brick span = 11 New brick span = 9 Thus it's harder to brickwarp NOW due to bricks only being 81% of their old length, and if compared to original length is identical. Vile, proving people wrong since 2000

Continuation of the story: Since when didn't the shark have bricks? Kent just shows suiciding as a possible strat to reclaim prizes, like in any non-svs zone. How would you suggest we fix that akai? Magic? Or what I DID do (at one point) and up their attach bounty Remember...in the olden days all ships had attach bounty to stop kenting. Now people -*BAD WORD*- if there's any at all, but then -*BAD WORD*- at Kent et al. You can't have it both ways

Be careful what you wish for

Woo, I'm a millionaire $$

I have taken off the turret speed bonus (that was dumb) and now it has same speed as before levi with a turret on it. Please feel free to post ideas of what to do with the levi. I wish it to be something you can use in most events fairly easily (like every other ship ), not just relegated to being a turret ship in pub.