...unintentionally, that is. When I created a certain thread, my intentions were simply to point out that the game was not set in stone -- that the devs are demonstrably capable of making changes (regardless of how we feel about those changes), and that there is therefore room for hope. I certainly didn't expect one of the developers to drop in, nor did I expect it to turn out the way it did. I am not bothered by the fact that the thread was locked -- I've seen discussions like that take a turn for the worst. Here are my thoughts on the matter. First, there is an extent to which I interpret Brad's comment ("no, the game is doooooooooooooomed.") as a playful echo of the idea I was creating the thread to address: that Planetary Annihilation is set in stone, and we as players will need to pick up the slack to produce a "balanced" version of the game. ...that said, I should note that Brad misused the word doomed; historically, doom is related to the word deem, which meant to judge, or condemn. In this context, doom effectively referred to a judgement, sentence, or fate, which is why Eldrond said, "That is the doom that we must deem." (yes, this is me being pedantic for the sake of levity) At the same time, I agree with KNight's concerns: that we have exchanged one balance problem (Vanguards) for another (Doxen). As long as players are busy beating the snot out of one another with Doxen, we will never know whether or not the most recent changes to Vanguards have been addressed. At the same time, I remain sanguine, and here is why: Eventually, players will grow bored of spamming Doxen for the win, and they will try to find ways to win with fewer Doxen. Maybe they will succeed, maybe not; that is what the testing period is for The balance process is one of iterative correction. In this case, I feel that the devs overcorrected with regard to Doxen, and next patch will see another iteration designed to address some of these concerns No plan survives contact with the enemy; regardless of the intentions of the developers, the manner in which players use the units they provide will inform the balance process Discuss?
Your link is broken. What you paste'd instead: "http://Brad, Thanks for dropping in on my thread (https://forums.uberent.com/threads/why-the-changes-to-doxen-are-a-good-sign.62984/). I just wanted to say that I think I understood your comments ("No, the game is doooooooooomed!" =)) and often share your sentiments: at times, I feel as though many of the players on the forums are long on indignation, short on useful feedback. I also completely understand why you locked it -- once a dev shows up and begins talking with the players, threads can get really nasty really quick. At the same time, there is an extent to which I also agree with KNight -- the buffs to Dox temporarily distracted attention from the Vanguard situation, so we don't know whether or not Vanguards have been balanced yet (because nobody has been building them. =)). Naturally, the situation will change as players get bored of spamming Doxen for the win and try to win in other ways. I am also writing to let you know that I will be creating a thread on this subject; I'm not trying to cause trouble, so feel free to lock it if you wish! Doing so is your prerogative, and I shan't be offended. Good luck building Planetary Annihilation! Minor balance gripes aside, everything about the game is exactly as I would have made it, and I feel that the overall product is a true successor to Total Annihilation, on a galactic scale. Here's hoping you have a nice day. Mind the forums! ~Jordan"
Mavor at some point stated that balance changes are intentionally exaggerated so that their effect can be easily observed. If the change has reached passed and then gone beyond the desired effect then you know the change was valid, but went too far, and you should be able to reach the desired effect by implementing a smaller version of said change. previously: dox were useless -> people don't use dox currently: dox were buffed a lot -> people use primarily dox future: dox nerfed to be useful but not overpowered -> people can use of mix of things among them dox The process is fine, it's just that Uber isn't making their balance changes very slowly, because of reasons. The same steps were taken with the Vanguard, sloooooowly.
