I like this podcast and I've learned lots from listening to the guys. I've also b***hed about the game from time to time and read lots of belly aching as well. But, fun salty-ness aside, their latest podcast #54 should be utilized by FFG to repair our beautiful game while she's strong but suffering.....

Really.

Good.

Listen.

Enjoy!

"**** the torpedos" and tell the mouse to "let go the reigns."

http://mynockpodcast.libsyn.com/

I thought the podcast was good as well; the "State of" from each of their prespectives was interesting especially since they have a mix of high level tournament players and casual, occassional tournament players as well.

I got bored right away, but then tuned into their epic episode and I'm really enjoying it!

And people actually are not bored with this podcast? I was listening for maybe a 10 min - after aimless chit-chat I was completely bored so I switched this off.

Doesn't bore me. I find these guys very entertaining to listen to. I agreed with a lot of their statements, but I don't see how FFG can implement some of the suggested changes because that opportunity has passed. We have a lot of combo-squads, and future releases can't really undo what's done.

I think the most chilling statement was something along the lines of, "The Rogue One ships, especially the U-wing, are exceptionally well balanced - and because of that, they see very little play. 'Balanced' isn't good enough any more." I felt that was very insightful, and slightly disturbing.

The message I took home from that episode was that I need to just fly what I like, and not complain if I get stomped. If I like winning, I'll adapt my squad to face some of the bigger threats. I know that's not what most people heard, but man - Ryan, go fly your A-wings. Dallas, fly your TIE swarms. I think the meta is diverse enough that if people stop jumping at the shadows of new combos they may face, this could be the best chance we have of just flying our dreams, you know? Look at what Blair Bunke took to regionals in Idaho. Or what Sable Gryphon (EDIT: Mark Fletcher; yes, I know your name) or Dom Cairo have flown recently. There is so much room for creativity. I hate to see it stifled because of fear.

I think the podcast often goes too long, but it's not that I get bored with it so much as it is that after an hour or so other things pull me away, and I can't always get back to it. (I'd personally encourage podcasters to record and edit with "an hour" in mind.)

I've met Dee and have an appreciation for the way he thinks, I've met Ryan and have an appreciation for his unflappable nature, and I've played Dallas several times (two or three in person, also on VASSAL), and I think he's one of the nicest X-Wing players in existence.

So knowing them does probably help.

It seems like they and myself are on similar pages, given how my last few blogs have gone.

.

21 minutes ago, player346259 said:

There is a lot of people who are enjoying the game, and none of them is interested in listening or reading the same complains all over again.

And there are some people who aren't enjoying the current state of the game -- or who are, but think the situation can use improvement -- and I, for one, am grateful when higher-profile players and podcasters speak up. It's not that I think FFG will favor louder voices ... I just think it's more likely they'll be heard.

I agree that some podcasts--especially Mynock--would probably be well served with a loosely preplanned agenda and some aggressive editing. I can see why some folks could like the current style of their shows a lot, but it's not my cup of tea. Maybe I just have too short of an attention span these days, though.

You show me someone who honestly believes "the mouse" is in charge of this game's balance, and I'll show you a mouth-breathing idiot.

That said, I thoroughly enjoy Mynock Squadron and their casts. Hope they keep it up.

I've not heard the podcast, but it certainly sounds like it'd a repeat of all the usual 'But X-Wing 2.0 will fix it!' nonsense that I already find irksome to a remarkable degree.

As for Disney, the idea that they have a megalomaniacal hold over FFG and force them to push their 'agenda' is childish, at best.

So I think I'll pass on this one, if that's what I can expect.

For those of us who can't listen to it; can the OP give us the executive summary as to what exactly he thinks was hitting the nail please?

K I just have to say this because it drives me NUTS when some people seem to think this.

THINKING THE GAME CAN BE BETTER, AND EXPLAINING HOW YOU THINK IT CAN BE BETTER, NO MATTER HOW YOU APPROACH STATING YOUR OPINION, DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE BEING A CRY BABY, OR NEED TO JUST "GIT GUD". IT SIMPLY MEANS YOU WANT MORE FROM THE GAME THAN IT IS GIVING YOU NOW.

And considering how much time many of us invest in this game, that is TOTALLY reasonable. The game is not perfect, and until it is, anyone has the right to say what about the game bothers them. And there is a LOT about this game that could use some adjusting. And, as they are a louder voice than most, I appreciate anytime a podcast discusses their dismay with the game. If we are lucky, this will result in someone who has an impact on the design of the game bringing up some of the issues discussed to the design team.

Now, having said this, burnout is reaaaaaallll. I know for a fact that everyone needs to find another game to flip flop time between (really trying to convince myself I can afford SW Destiny...). because otherwise there will be times you end up playing X-wing when you really shouldn't. And when you do, you will not be happy with yourself or the way you spent that time, which will in turn negatively impact your view of the game.

41 minutes ago, MalusCalibur said:

I've not heard the podcast, but it certainly sounds like it'd a repeat of all the usual 'But X-Wing 2.0 will fix it!' nonsense that I already find irksome to a remarkable degree.

It's not. They are ruminating over where the game is right now, and what the game currently means to them. If they offer fixes at the end, I have to admit I didn't get that far.

17 minutes ago, Kdubb said:

THINKING THE GAME CAN BE BETTER, AND EXPLAINING HOW YOU THINK IT CAN BE BETTER, NO MATTER HOW YOU APPROACH STATING YOUR OPINION, DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE BEING A CRY BABY, OR NEED TO JUST "GIT GUD". IT SIMPLY MEANS YOU WANT MORE FROM THE GAME THAN IT IS GIVING YOU NOW.

Now, having said this, burnout is reaaaaaallll. I know for a fact that everyone needs to find another game to flip flop time between

AGREED. But on the latter half, I do not agree. If you love a game, it should not burn you out. I played M:TG for 10 years; I don't play for a lot of different reasons, but getting tired of the game wasn't one of them.

3 hours ago, Parakitor said:

I think the most chilling statement was something along the lines of, "The Rogue One ships, especially the U-wing, are exceptionally well balanced - and because of that, they see very little play. 'Balanced' isn't good enough any more." I felt that was very insightful, and slightly disturbing.

The message I took home from that episode was that I need to just fly what I like, and not complain if I get stomped. If I like winning, I'll adapt my squad to face some of the bigger threats. There is so much room for creativity. I hate to see it stifled because of fear.

Sadly, my take away was an overall dichotomy between playing for fun vs. playing to win and building squads for thematics vs. building squads for tournament. And, in both cases, the conclusion was that these things are currently mutually exclusive for X-Wing.

Tournament play is the exclusive focus for X-Wing development right now: creating balance, issuing fixes and FAQs, and essentially confining the creative juices of the game to a tiny sandbox of "make everything viable in tournament." I think the frustration is beginning to show for a lot of players, casual and tournament alike.

Personally, I think FFG needs to stop looking at the ships, and start looking at the game. Conditions of victory, battlefield modifications, and other player-instituted variables to the Contest of Piloting are going to be the things that level the playing field; not perfectly balanced (or perfectly imbalanced) ships.

Despite having more ships and combos than ever, the game is getting stale, because 100/6 is the only battle option.

I think in general with the past three waves, I can see the design, and I can approve of pretty much every idea there. Turrets that care about their arc now, a new brand of aces that literally get in peoples' faces. Imperial offense-focused aces. Rebel ships with really interesting upgrade combinations. The Jumpmaster, IMO, is one of the most successful ships FFG released. It has many viable builds, a lot of facets to it, between a support ship that actually works without palp, a turret that cares about facing, and a great ordnance carrier. Compare the JM to a ship like the E-wing just in terms of how interesting it is design-wise.

I absolutely think there are things that could be changed in the game to make it better, but I think FFG's doing a pretty solid job of making ships that do things differently. Listening to the guy chicken little about dengaroo was hilarious.

The U-wing is just a very meh ship to me. It's not aggressively priced enough. If they're going to put basic ships in the game they need to price them to suit. If FFG wants to see five-ship jouster lists, they need to make ships that cost appropriately for that because they will have to deal with ships that have crazy maneuvers and highly modified defense dice.

55 minutes ago, Darth Meanie said:

It's not. They are ruminating over where the game is right now, and what the game currently means to them. If they offer fixes at the end, I have to admit I didn't get that far.

AGREED. But on the latter half, I do not agree. If you love a game, it should not burn you out. I played M:TG for 10 years; I don't play for a lot of different reasons, but getting tired of the game wasn't one of them.

Sadly, my take away was an overall dichotomy between playing for fun vs. playing to win and building squads for thematics vs. building squads for tournament. And, in both cases, the conclusion was that these things are currently mutually exclusive for X-Wing.

Tournament play is the exclusive focus for X-Wing development right now: creating balance, issuing fixes and FAQs, and essentially confining the creative juices of the game to a tiny sandbox of "make everything viable in tournament." I think the frustration is beginning to show for a lot of players, casual and tournament alike.

Personally, I think FFG needs to stop looking at the ships, and start looking at the game. Conditions of victory, battlefield modifications, and other player-instituted variables to the Contest of Piloting are going to be the things that level the playing field; not perfectly balanced (or perfectly imbalanced) ships.

Despite having more ships and combos than ever, the game is getting stale, because 100/6 is the only battle option.

Well many people are ruminating over the game so Mynock are not just the only ones. Even Dee the writer for Dave the Direman expressed concerned that people don't recognize the models you see on your typical X-wing table as something associated with Star Wars.

But yeah this happens to every game, Team Covenant did a segment on Netrunner and in discussion on how the whole concept of Hidden Information is all but lost on the Netrunner Meta. The intense rush of heading towards a server to see if it has goods or is a trap just isn't around any more. No risk in putting a 3 for 5 down as you can fast advance 1&2s for 3 to win as the corps so Runner has to keep Breaking HQ to search the hand or put the R&D on lock.

Back to X-wing and I have said this before the X-wing business and continuation models is heavily subject to Accreation. Now sure FFG does a good job making sure models from previous Waves still make it into the top meta (Y-wings, TIE Defenders) but as far as many pilots and upgrade cards they are sort of stacked on the bottom of the pile because they were never good to begin with or a better upgrade that does almost the same thing only better (and often at a cheaper cost) comes up and you never see those Wave 1 an 2 upgrades again.

The game is still good and is no where in danger of dying short of Disney pulling the plug. But I think Disney has better sense than Games Workshop.

5 minutes ago, Marinealver said:

people don't recognize the models you see on your typical X-wing table as something associated with Star Wars.

many pilots and upgrade cards they are sort of stacked on the bottom of the pile because they were never good to begin with or a better upgrade that does almost the same thing only better (and often at a cheaper cost) comes up and you never see those Wave 1 an 2 upgrades again.

Meaning the models that get played, or all of them?? The last 2 waves were all movie or Rebels models, so if you don't recognize them, you're not watching Star Wars!

As for the second point, that is what I am talking about. If FFG continues to focus solely on ships, then either (A) the power creep must continue at the expense of other ships or (B) new ships are going to start looking a lot like different version of old ships, so everything stays in line.

FFG needs to stop looking at ships and start looking at the battlefield. If I may blend genres, look at Kirk vs. Khan (1980s). Kirk couldn't fight the straight up fight, so he CHANGED THE BATTLEFIELD.

2 hours ago, MalusCalibur said:

I've not heard the podcast, but it certainly sounds like it'd a repeat of all the usual 'But X-Wing 2.0 will fix it!' nonsense that I already find irksome to a remarkable degree.

As for Disney, the idea that they have a megalomaniacal hold over FFG and force them to push their 'agenda' is childish, at best.

So I think I'll pass on this one, if that's what I can expect.

Well gosh, thanks for telling us what you think is wrong and stupid about a podcast you didn't listen to.

6 minutes ago, EastCoast said:

Well gosh, thanks for telling us what you think is wrong and stupid about a podcast you didn't listen to.

#FAKEPODCASTS!

1 hour ago, Darth Meanie said:

Meaning the models that get played, or all of them?? The last 2 waves were all movie or Rebels models, so if you don't recognize them, you're not watching Star Wars!

For many people Star Wars is mainly about the movies, so in that context Rebels ships aren't exactly recognizable as Star Wars.

Yes, Rebels is technically canon,but it likely has significantly lower (probably by orders of magnitude) audience numbers compared to the movies.

In that context, if you step into a store during the cut of a tournament as a casual SF fan, odds are the only ship you will immediately recognize is the Lambda Shittle. Everything else you're likely to see is either from Rebels (Lancer, Protectorate) or EU (JM5k, Defenders, K-Wings, E-Wings)

The Mynock podcast is one of the best. Always entertaining. Ryan, Dee, and Dallas are all very funny in their own ways. I always find at least one moment during the podcast that has be laughing out loud. Keep up the good work fellas. And I agree with almost everything you said in this episode.

9 minutes ago, LordBlades said:

If you step into a store during the cut of a tournament as a casual SF fan...

That's me, right there: a casual TIE/sf fan. Love that ship!

Well I am someone who loves the mynock squadron podcast and listen to all of them and although personally I don't feel down on the game at all, it's not my main hobby,i am a very passionate guitarist ans music lover and historian.but x wing is my main game, because I love star wars and I love the ships and Ilove the game. Maybe it being a second hobby helps,but i love it now and i loved the old version too

My point is, are there improvements that can be made...of course,but really I love the current challenge and diversity of the game now,but maybe us fresno area people just have a more diverse local meta. feel I play very different lists whenever I go to x wing nights. And even Dallas on the podcast said,this meta is pretty diverse and better then metas of the past, better then Phantom han, better then pancake turret world, better term then jumpmaster alfa strike. Like its a lot of abilities but I still feel like my flying matters a lot, and mistakes are costly and thinking ahead is rewarding and guessing your opponent is rewarding.

And I actually try all kinds of table tops games because one of my best friends buys new ones all the time, and x wing just keeps pulling me in. Plus I use to play magic and that game balance wise is so much worse...like by extreme amounts, even in standard.

Hey your all free to your opinions and I'm not saying x wing can't be better, but I am saying I have been having a blast playing it

1 hour ago, Darth Meanie said:

Meaning the models that get played, or all of them?? The last 2 waves were all movie or Rebels models, so if you don't recognize them, you're not watching Star Wars!

As for the second point, that is what I am talking about. If FFG continues to focus solely on ships, then either (A) the power creep must continue at the expense of other ships or (B) new ships are going to start looking a lot like different version of old ships, so everything stays in line.

FFG needs to stop looking at ships and start looking at the battlefield. If I may blend genres, look at Kirk vs. Khan (1980s). Kirk couldn't fight the straight up fight, so he CHANGED THE BATTLEFIELD.

Not everyone watches Rebels, but most people do watch the movies. Still the latest movies are not as iconic as the original X-wing and TIE Fighter. Then again there are people that are familiar with Star Wars but still don't know what a B-wing is. But yeah not everyone is watching $tar War$, even those who like or are fans of the Star Wars movie.

Displacement is a part of Accretion as new stuff essentially replaces old stuff. Yeah that could be considered a form of power creep and you wouldn't be wrong.

So by change the battlefield do you mean add in objectives? As for now the standard elimination is the easiest to balance because you can figure average damage output to defense. (hence Jousting Values). You don't exactly have jousting values with Armada because of all the different variables and game doesn't often end in tabling opponent although that is still a common scenario.