Internal Playtest – Balance Changes, New Models, and More – 4/21

http://www.twitch.tv/metabolical/b/521844307

• Defensive Structures are more expensive now! They seem to be twice as expensive now.
• The Dox is still a grenadier.
• New buttons in the bottom right of the UI. No indication as to what they do.
• Pretty nice move by Meta to use walls to trap Brad’s Commander.
• UI improvements to Orbital. There’s now vertical lines pointing down to the planet to see where they’re at.
  
• The Astraeus is much cheaper now – 1,500 metal in an attempt to make them viable for invading enemy occupied planets.
• The SXX satellite now costs more: 39,000 metal.
  
• They’re still going with the expensive Advanced.
• Currently storage is the same, but it sounds like they’re going to increase storage quantities for both metal and energy.
• New Models for the new Space Station, Avenger, and Advanced Radar Satellite mine
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Various minor graphics/effects improvements.
• The Anchor is still an anti-orbital and anti-ground unit. It fires in bursts, and cannot move. Now that Anchors are stationary, they should show their ranges while being built, just like defensive structures do.
• Orbital factories are pretty cheap.
• Some bugs were discovered in the playtest, which is a good thing because it means Uber will fix the bugs, it’s a bad thing because it means we won’t get the build today.
• The metal sliders in the system editor are in the game and working, and pretty cool according to the developers.
• When you select a unit, it’s a circle selection rather than a square.
• The devs are saying Orbital feels much better – a lot easier to use. Which is a really good thing, Orbital has always been lacking in Planetary Annihilation thus far.
• Nuke launchers have had their costs increased to 21,000 metal. The missiles probably also had a cost increase.
• Aside from the new Avenger model, the firing animation is different, and they have this really cool, almost transformer like, folding out when they’re launched from the Orbital Factory.
• There’s no explosion when orbital units are destroyed. :-(
• The match ended in a self destruct as the developers ran out of time.

This build will change EVERYTHING!

Who knows what that means...

Yeah. Gonna be interesting to see how these changes alter the game.

I just want Uber to release their new launcher so we can test out multiple balance options!

You forgot to mention that they have this really loud blender at the office

Ontopic. The orbital stuff looks really good. Curious how the balance changes will work out.

Yeah. A few months ago I was opposed to the idea of a space station.

But I'm really liking how this Space Station looks. Gonna be awesome.

What was wrong with selection box that it now has to be replaced with circle? I hope there is still option to have a box, it will take ages to get used to it. Otherwise, patch looks promising!

*shrugs*

I dunno. Eve online did the same thing a few months back and everyone freaked out about it.

I kinda like it though. Dunno why.

You think that is something that needs adjustment?
I'd guess you can mod the box back in if you really want.

wow.

It really feels like it's going to be less precise and even if not, it will take very long time to get used to it, I don't really see a reason to change something that was good. I can't mod myself, but if someone did it, I would thank him till the end of my life

Ages to get used to...?
In a game where you're mostly so far zoomed out that you can't even see the selection bo- I mean, circle?

Honestly, I was waiting for them to change the box into something different for a long time XD
It simply seemed weird to have such a sometimes way too large box around small units.

I like the circle

Yeah usually I work by strategic icon color as well.

People are more obsessed about the shape of the selection box than I thought...

I never see them anyways, I'm too far zoomed out. And I have that UI setting that changes the color of the strategic icons when I have them selected.

Speaking of strategic icons... Can we get revamped strategic icons please?

Obviously.
The shape of the selection box is essential to understanding the deep complexity of this game, to not fixate on it is a sin to all mankind that will lead to the third world war.
IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT, BRIAN? A THIRD WORLD WAR?

Just incorporate Transparent Strategic Icons. They work perfectly and are easily recognizable.

As long as Sorian is on my size programming the AI of my robotic forces!

*Sorian

I'm tired. Leave me alone!