There are other frustrations too; you can leap onto enemy ships and attack other players directly -- an early thrill -- but you can not then steal their ship. You have to get back on to your boat if possible, or jump onto another. These rules feel stubborn with Ascent: Infinite Realm Gold minimal flexibility, and I wonder how that will temper the feeling of drama that ought to be central to large scale conflict.
Ground combat is equally awkward. It wasn't just our lack of experience here. The mechs felt mild with not one of this heft or grunting power you'd expect out of an abysmal titan.
Whether in a mech or on-foot there was no feeling of impact or indication of the cheap Air Gold damage you're causing, either. In reality, it was increasingly difficult to see if you're actually hitting your target since the display turned into a wreck of UI and stats bars along with other characters. War is chaos, I guess. Mechs lumbered ahead to their doom while agile enemies danced around them, ruining them in seconds. There was no time for tactics, simply die, respawn, march forward unto death and repeat.