Higby Asks : Balance Changes

Not sure why I'm posting this here as it will not be looked at, but hey you can go post on Twitter now you know

https://twitter.com/mhigby

You're posting it here so people can see it and then complain that Dev's ignore the official forums

Of course, it'd be easier for them, and more effective, to just send their balance thoughts to Higgles on twitter where he asked... but I'm sure they won't do that.

They can't be bothered with any other mediums, even though it's a new digital age and different mediums have different advantages.

• Buffs to the plethora of useless low DPS mediocre accuracy TR and VS weapons, mainly the 143dmg/652RoF tier.
• Battle Rifle or just in general semi-autos excluding a rare few need buffs.
• Pistol/sidearm balance is horrible and there are only a few good options.
• TR MAX buffs, obviously excepting Pounders.
• TR should get more competitive ranged AV options, and Striker definitely still needs help.
• TR trait/horizontal recoil still ruins too many of their guns IMO and should be more sparingly/carefully applied.
• TR LMGs buffed
• Remove .75 ADS from LMGs and re-balance those that had it
• SMG balance pass, where NC is obviously superior while TR is lagging
• VS AR buffs, excluding Terminus of course
• SAW -> GD-22s as NC starter weapon just to have mercy on their poor noobs.
• Carbine extra drop-off, as I recently suggested, removed for some ranged carbines.
• Heavy Assault and AI MAX seem too strong to me still.
• Battle Sunderers are kinda stupid and at the very least their resistance/durability needs tweaks especially their back
• Phaseshift/TRAP buffs
• Zenith, Bandit, A-Tross buffs/tweaks
• Valkyrie buffs/tweaks
• Mossie nosegun un-nerf
• HEAT needs ... something. It's awful right now.

Agree with EVERYTHING but the HA and MAX to powerful... IMO they're supposed to be a bit stronger as the frontline fighters. Engies and Medics are support (and have amazing utility and are force multipliers) and LA/Infil are flankers (and flanking/surprise is a huge advantage in any confrontation)

Empire Buggies ... to balance the abundance of NS vehicles.
Searhus ... to balance the number of continents.

Faction Traits should mean something.

TR would be fine with 143s, just stop penalizing them with blown CoFs at range and unmanageable drifts.
Take that damn GD-7F off line and stop the TR trait give-aways. You can take that PoS Cougar off line with it.

NC is high dmg and they can even have tight CoFs with mild drifts, but giving them all that with high rate of fire TR traits needs to stop. You want high rate of fire, then join TR.

VS is middle of the road with NO Bullet Drop, but that comes at a cost with more horizontal sway(or should). The problem is that TR is the whipping child for miserable drifts and CoFs and we have to eat bullet drop.

• HEAT/HE buffs
• PPA buffs
• Vulcan changes, don't do what's currently on PTS, but it may need a buff anyway
• TR Striker needs changing
• TR Fracture needs buffs
• VS Vortices need buffs
• NC Ravens will need un-sledgehammering
• Nerf P2-120 series a little, buff secondaries to compensate
• Banshee may need un-sledgehammering
• Pounders need readjustments
• Buff Lasher slightly

Agreed with everything (also with HA stuff). Now fit that into a tweet

You terrans just hate our GD-7F so much. You're jealous because we have the best ROF focused gun and not you. And you always complain on that 167 damage carbine you got.

Oh God, here it comes again
Buff <Insert_your_faction_name> , nerf <Insert_the_other_factions_names>
Aaaand the nerfhammer will swing again...

Why not focus on something more important, like where's the resource system? Srsly, balance is quite solid right now. No need to spoil it.

Actually I love it, I could never hate it. Often go to VR training just to shoot with it.
If considering faction traits, GD-7F should be something TR has.

+1 for this

Also been playing with idea to make Commissioner NC weapon only. Underboss would still remain as NS weapon.

The problem with this buff / nerf war is that players should keep in mind faction diversity must be saved. Weapons do not have to perform the same way across the factions. One should have better Smgs, another better Max AI, another better Assault Rifles and so on. Do not pretend all weapons peform the same for the sake of god.

Said that I believe there 2 things that desperately need to be buffed:
- The Valkyrie: too slow, too fragile, too low health to be a valid alternative to the Galaxy. It's still just a certs pinata, again.
- Battle Rifles are clearly underperforming. The only good trait they have is long range, but all the rest is terrible. They cannot compare with any automatic weapon in the game, and recoil is too high to handle. Stastics show it clearly: lowest KPU among all the rifles of the game.

■ Restore fracture velocity to that of release date pre-PU2. Unadd the acceleration.
■ Limit raven guiding range to 300m.
■ Raise all HA dumbfire rocket launcher velocity by 25%.
■ Raise slug velocity and reduce drop.
■ Raise battle rifle damage to 334. Buff the scout rifles of the same damage tier somehow.
■ Buff burst weapons somehow.
■ Buff UBGL somehow, without going back to lethal splash.
■ Make HEAT cannons meaningful.
■ Raise kobalt ROF to 700.
■ Buff lasher damage a little.
■ Unnerf comet velocity/acceleration.
■ Make vektor useful.
■ Increase shredder damage falloff range by 2x.
■ Buff all valkyrie weapons.
■ Buff valkyrie restistance to small arms.
■ Turn harasser turbo into proper turbo, like that of flash which can accelerate regardless of surface.
■ Make T4 a meaningful alternative to TX1.
■ Increase vulcan damage falloff range, a lot.
■ Make ranger useful.
■ Buff TRAP magazine and maybe buff it in other areas.
■ Buff phaseshift much. Allow charged shot+fast shot=kill.

They've mentioned in the past that they like throwing out things on twitter because they're quickly reposted to both reddit and the forums. Twitter allows them to post something quick and concise and the community is then able to run with it and get the info to those various mediums. By doing that it saves them time which they can put into working on the game itself.

* buff infiltrator's cloak
* add something for infiltrators to do against vehicles

Be nice if EMP nades affected vehicles in some way ...

I have only two (three you can say...):
1. Fix ZOE- rework it/change to something new- right now you overnerfed without putting any brain into it and left it broken and useless for year in hope we do not notice- we do. Stop being lazy and before you will move to other balance changes- first fix what YOU HAVE BROKEN.
2. Made old HEAT cannons back again- just remove HE, tweak it, change it. But for god sake- give us old HEAT! There was nothing wrong with that amazing cannons! Nobody ever complaied about them- HE was the cause of it. Again- you introduced HE in game, so don't be lazy and nerf good HEAT. Get your sit together and put more work into doing balance.

Those two things only- becasue they are proof or totally wrong balance, decisions, lack of effort and ignoring feedback.

Done.

I think they need to change somme gun models....

make ZOE have a situation where it is viable, make PPA at least as good as the canister, restore HEAT/HE, tiny buff 2 AAmax/give VS no drop slugs on shotguns, buff the magrider (at least dont make its tankshell a mortar), make AOE weapons have AOE./tone down GD7f, improve recoil/reload slightly, lower RPM to 750-800, make TMG50/Ursa 167/600/also look at the jittering of players at mid-long range in mid-large fights, as an infil it makes it almost impossible 2 be accurate/and also give the lasher some buffs

Make the AH better for AI and worse for A2A.

Make Fuel pod Racer ESFs able to outrun A2A lock-on missiles(I think that would be pretty cool, and make that setup more viable for other ESFs besides the Reaver).

Give MBTs more armor. Make them feel like a bad-*** battle tank.

Give ENGs assualt rifles and Medics carbines(because I see no reason not to).