T2 Balance ideas Thread

Hello everyone

Everyone seems to be talking about balancing, especially T2 so instead of overflowing into every thread.

Feel free to put your idea forward but try to explain your ideas and say why.

There's already quite a few other threads dedicated to these topics – especially in the Balance Discussions forum.

They're spilling into other threads because it's a really big issue that needs to be addressed.

Thankfully Uber is aware of these issues and they are working on them.

Just as a heads up, balance threads belong in the balance discussion subforum.

Ops put it in the wrong section.

Edit: Mod must of moved it , cheers!

With the new economy patch coming Soon™, I would guess that a unit balance patch would follow.

Here are my ideas (I have said these in other threads as well):

• T1 needs artillery tank and bot. Low rate of fire, low accuracy high damage, and longer range than 1x and 2x laser defense.
• Peregrines should be merged with Avengers. A T2 fighter that can either fight in the atmosphere or above it. Uses powerful, long range missiles with low rate of fire.
• Hummingbirds have their missiles replaced with gatling guns. High RoF and short-ish range.
• Bumblebee has its speed slightly reduced and drops a ton of bombs like the Hornet.
• Hornet has speed increased and drops one powerful bomb at a time.
• Avengers become a longe range counter to Anchors.
• Anchors have ground vision removed and health slightly reduced.
• Basic radar Satellites gets renamed to Recon Satellite and bigger ground vision, but no radar.
• Advanced Recon Satellite gets no ground vision, but keeps it's radar.
• SXX gets its metal cost reduced by about 10.
• Nukes build in about 5-7 minutes, but cannot be assisted by engineers.
• Walls have their HP reduced by 75%.
• Catapult size is tripled, makes it harder to fit in tiny bases /moons.

That's all I have for now.

On the topic of artillery bots and accuracy.

Shellers are cheaper, higher dps and higher range than Pelters – and they're more accurate.

Shellers need to be nerfed and have less accuracy. They should also have an accuracy reduction when moving. When they're stationary they're more accurate.

Shellers and and Gil-e's both need a nerf. They pretty much replace making forward artillery bases to siege a base. Reducing accuracy while on the move is a very good start, but it seems ridiculous that a dedicated artillery piece can be outclassed in every way by a mobile version.

I think the best approach to Balancing Basic and Advanced is to insure that you're not trying to balance them separately. We know how that turns out thanks to SupCom1/FA.

Mike

THANK YOU!

I like your suggestions Spainardslayer.
The catapult one is a simple would that may well be just what we need to take some of the catapult spam edge off. perhaps make the icon a 4 pack of the current Catapult graphic. The Catapult would alternate which "tube" fires, keeping it's current RoF but increasing it's footprint.

Some suggestions I would add...

Reduce Vanguard damage to current Inferno level damage.

Change Inferno tanks weapon to Long range Rockets with inaccurate (gives T1 the artillery it needed and gives the inferno a point). Besides hitting the target with the rockets a small napalm patch would be left for a split sec. This patch would do minimal damage but in large groups or vs large groups would add up.

** A note on the idea of giving Bots an artillery unit.
I feel to help keep bots and vehicles different that bots shouldn't get an artillery unit. They have a Bomb bot already that currently doesn't really work. That bomb bot is unique and should be used as their anti-long range. I suggest a speed increase, but instead of them leaping like many want (their are many issues that come from this concept one of which is AA ), have the bomb bot fire off it's bomb body at the target. The Bomb is tossed like a grenade, inaccurate and kills the bomb bot. The Bomb lands and explodes were ever it ends up.

Small groups of them would be able to blitz a turret and get some bombs off. It wouldn't be a free turret kill like what many artillery units can currently do to towers but bomb bots are cheap and they would have more of a AoE with their bombs.

Agree sheller's need to be toned down in general, they are to goo for what they do. Of course this goes across the board for all T2 units.


As far as orbital goes, I am a big fan of making it simplified like the kickstarter video. Failing that the above corrections could help greatly with current problems. Going down that road I like the idea of also adding Multi-Unit transports and Space Cruisers.

Space Cruisers would be anti-Anchor with 1 forward long range gun, and 2 short range guns making them easily overwhelmed by Avengers. The Space Cruisers would also provide anti-Air around it (standard sight range radius for the anti-air) below it.

Multi-unit Transports would transport many units at once for when unit cannon and teleporters cannot be used. They would have no weapons.

Anti-Missile satellites that would have a Rof to deal with up to 2 Catapults firing into it's radius. The Satellite would also recharge a anti-Nuke Laser Cannon. This cannon would have a recharge time so it could still be over whelmed with multi nukes.

Droppods, drop pods would be 1 way spacecraft build and launched. Each pod would drop down the to surface of the planet and once landed deploy X number of troops depending on what type of Pod you build. Beyond Troop drop pods, would also have the ability to build weapon Drop pods. This drop pod once on the ground would open up and reveal a weapon platform. Each weapon platform would be a Double Laser and AA turret to help give the invading force help in making a food hold. Drop pods would be vulnerable to AA and Fighters when coming in for a landing however Droppods would have a armored outer shell giving them a decent hp pool to help.

I remember scathis saying something along the lines of very high rate of fire being a firm no due to engine limitations. So I am afraid that this avenue of balancing is closed for the foreseeable future.

Shellers don't have longer range than Pelters. At least not ingame. I don't think I've ever seen a Sheller use its' full range. Their actual range seem to be like 140-180 something. I'm not sure what's going on here but their targeting might be bugged.

The curvature of the planet might also really throw off the targeting.

That applies for Holkins on small planets but I don't think it should apply for Shellers as they their projectiles have much lower muzzle velocity. Mm... I think Holkins should work on small planets as well with proper high trajectory as gravity seems uniform on a planet without depending on the size of the planet or the distance between the shell and the surface of the planet.

I believe they might both use spheres for their max range.

Which makes a planets curve actually decrease their max range, as the sphere tucks back in after it's maximum horizontal range.

If they used spheres that would increase their range on a planet but that is a good question. Does the range of a unit follow the distance on the ground to the target or does it go in a straight line through the planet?

Like will a unit with a range of 200 meters be able to fire everywhere on planet with 100 radius and a diameter of 200 which is 314 meters along the surface to the other side of the planet?


Edit:Added picture.

According to Scathis during the long livestream (at least I think it was him), the range of artillery was changed to a capsule instead of a sphere in order to eliminate the potential problem of height reducing artillery range.

*Shrugs* I dunno then, but if it is a capsule, what about the potential problems of having a max range wider then that of the planets radius?

How might that mess with the targeting?

How is that a problem? IMO artillery should have longer range if placed on high ground.

...That is the reason.
Spherical range is centered at the origin of the building. When you place something with spherical range on high ground on a regular planet, the range is smaller than if it were placed on flat ground. With a capsule, that doesn't happen.
On a small moon, things get weird either way, so I think there are other limits set on regular artillery that don't allow them to function, but I can't be sure.