SXX Sniping

Discussion in 'Balance Discussions' started by PeggleFrank, May 31, 2014.

  1. PeggleFrank

    PeggleFrank Active Member

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    In my most recent game, it was a standard 3v3v3 with three starting planets and a few moons. My two teammates dropped, one other team killed themselves somehow (perhaps somebody hit delete while selecting all of their commanders), and I was facing off against a team of three. I controlled a moon and had just taken out their second commander with a single SXX, by micromanaging it past umbrellas and behind my advanced radar satellites, which were tanking damage from their few orbital anchors. The SXX was shot down afterward, but I knew the last position of their remaining commander, so, just for the hell of it, I ordered 5 SXX to move right on top of it. I knew they had no advanced radar satellites to tank damage and that they would get shot down instantly.

    While I was getting more defenses on my base, something interesting happened.



    Perhaps it's just me, but being able to instantly kill anything that isn't moving seems a bit off. Nukes do the same thing, but you can shoot them down with anti-nuke launchers.

    This... can't be shot down.


    SXX have a small cooldown if you're at 100% efficiency, but they can still fire instantly, even if 400 umbrellas fire at them as soon as they enter orbit. A charge-up period will allow them to fire at a dox as soon as it passes underneath, but would reset upon orbital entry, forcing them to wait multiple seconds before firing.

    In a standard assault, this wouldn't mean much, as the SXX would probably obliterate everything anyway. However, in a well-guarded base, the enemy would have at least a chance to shoot down the incoming SXX before they fired.


    Just a thought.
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  2. brianpurkiss

    brianpurkiss Post Master General

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    This has been discussed before and I agree with you.

    I think there needs to be some cool down time before units can do anything when they enter the new orbital layer.
    PeggleFrank likes this.
  3. PeggleFrank

    PeggleFrank Active Member

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    And things exiting the orbital layer.

    I forgot to mention; one of the SXX in that clip was already damaged. I selected it, clicked on another planet, and it was instantly safe from the ~20 avengers that were trailing it. It's a bit extreme, even for micromanagement, but technically you can destroy a base without losing any avengers or SXX by just pulling them out and sending them back.
  4. exterminans

    exterminans Post Master General

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    I think that solution to that issue is a different one...

    Currently, units are at zero speed when they drop into orbit and they can also leave the orbit at the very same speed.

    Forcing units to accelerate to top speed prior for breaking orbit as well as inserting them at top speed into orbit could possibly solve the issue.

    That way units had a very natural cooldown - the time they need to get down to zero speed. Makes also more sense than the current behavior as in theory, you should still be a valid target as long as you haven't reached escape velocity.
    Last edited: June 1, 2014
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  5. mered4

    mered4 Post Master General

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    This also was discussed in an earlier thread. The solution was to add a *charging* animation for units leaving the orbital layer, kind of like starships going to warp.
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