04-25-2017, 10:15 PM
So, with the latest update being released for a while now, I have to say that I'm impressed with some of the changes. Omicron Sigma and Omicron Chi are absolutely stunning systems, the first one because of its unique starsphere and the latter because of the really unsettling and creepy atmosphere. The radiation is actually dangerous even with shields up and the nebula as well as the Nomad presence in the system is giving in a foreboding sense of danger that I honestly missed with most of the Omicrons. I wished more systems would be like that, so you couldn't simply fly through the entirety of the Omicrons without needing to dock and repair, but maybe that is just me.
The changes to bombers were nice, at least I think so. The Scatterguns might be a bit too good, and the projectile based weapon for bombers would need the energy drain from those it hits to be removed, but all in all, it gives Bombers more of a choice to the arsenals that have so far been really really dull. I am always of the opinion that the ability to chose, to customize the way you want to play is an essential part of what keeps people invested in a game. However, this also brings me to my major points of criticism.
I personally am still baffled as to just why it was deemed necessary to remove both tracking missiles and torpedos from snub arsenals to replace it with a single alternative, the Maxim Chaingun. A single gun. For five already existing weapons that have worked perfectly for years, the Paralyzer, the Firestalker, and the Sidewinder, the Sunslayer and the Starkiller. Why exactly? Who thought this would be a good trade? Don't get me wrong, the idea of the Maxim is a really nice one, but wouldn't it have been better to simply implement it alongside that which was already in the game? Why was it necessary to so drastically cut down the snub arsenals and essentially replace it with something that gives players even less of a choice with what they want to use? Before, you had people using missiles, CDs, Torpedoes, Mini Razors. Today, you have people using CD and Minirazor. Or CD and Maxim if people are not familiar with using Minirazors.
This was a really bad trade.off, and it has made snub combat even less varied, and more stale. People have already complained that the removal of tracking missiles has deepened the skill gap between players, and it has been answered by a token gesture of adding a nerfed version of the Firestalker back into the game. The problem is that this does not fix the issue at hand. The diversity of choice that players had before the update is still slimmer than before. Why am I saying this while clearly a compromise has been made, although one that is more than insulting, in my honest opinion. Well, even with the re-adding of the Sidewinder in a nerfed form, people still have less of a choice when it comes to their loadouts.
Diversity that has been balanced perfectly before has been replaced with the Auxiliary Slots. While before, people needed to make a choice between having a CD or a torpedo, or a gun or a missile, the Auxiliary Slot effectively eliminates this sort of deliberation and just serves as an "additional gun", and of course this is causing imbalances if you would allow people to mount torpedoes on there, effectively allowing all snubs to use both CD and torpedos. But does that not indicate that the idea of Auxiliary Slots might have been a really bad one in the first place?
All I can really say is this: At least I can't be bothered with snub PvP anymore. It is simply boring now. More so than it was before, especially due to shielrunning and the like, something which also has gotten easier since torpedoes got removed. Feel free to ignore the feedback, dear dev team. I mean, what do I know about balancing, right? Argument from authority and the likes.
EDIT: This is not even mentioning the abysmal changes that have been made to Nomad equipment and ships in this update. Thanks for making the Voidrunner a Morph with 10 more cargo and 25 m/s less cruise speed, I guess?
The changes to bombers were nice, at least I think so. The Scatterguns might be a bit too good, and the projectile based weapon for bombers would need the energy drain from those it hits to be removed, but all in all, it gives Bombers more of a choice to the arsenals that have so far been really really dull. I am always of the opinion that the ability to chose, to customize the way you want to play is an essential part of what keeps people invested in a game. However, this also brings me to my major points of criticism.
I personally am still baffled as to just why it was deemed necessary to remove both tracking missiles and torpedos from snub arsenals to replace it with a single alternative, the Maxim Chaingun. A single gun. For five already existing weapons that have worked perfectly for years, the Paralyzer, the Firestalker, and the Sidewinder, the Sunslayer and the Starkiller. Why exactly? Who thought this would be a good trade? Don't get me wrong, the idea of the Maxim is a really nice one, but wouldn't it have been better to simply implement it alongside that which was already in the game? Why was it necessary to so drastically cut down the snub arsenals and essentially replace it with something that gives players even less of a choice with what they want to use? Before, you had people using missiles, CDs, Torpedoes, Mini Razors. Today, you have people using CD and Minirazor. Or CD and Maxim if people are not familiar with using Minirazors.
This was a really bad trade.off, and it has made snub combat even less varied, and more stale. People have already complained that the removal of tracking missiles has deepened the skill gap between players, and it has been answered by a token gesture of adding a nerfed version of the Firestalker back into the game. The problem is that this does not fix the issue at hand. The diversity of choice that players had before the update is still slimmer than before. Why am I saying this while clearly a compromise has been made, although one that is more than insulting, in my honest opinion. Well, even with the re-adding of the Sidewinder in a nerfed form, people still have less of a choice when it comes to their loadouts.
Diversity that has been balanced perfectly before has been replaced with the Auxiliary Slots. While before, people needed to make a choice between having a CD or a torpedo, or a gun or a missile, the Auxiliary Slot effectively eliminates this sort of deliberation and just serves as an "additional gun", and of course this is causing imbalances if you would allow people to mount torpedoes on there, effectively allowing all snubs to use both CD and torpedos. But does that not indicate that the idea of Auxiliary Slots might have been a really bad one in the first place?
All I can really say is this: At least I can't be bothered with snub PvP anymore. It is simply boring now. More so than it was before, especially due to shielrunning and the like, something which also has gotten easier since torpedoes got removed. Feel free to ignore the feedback, dear dev team. I mean, what do I know about balancing, right? Argument from authority and the likes.
EDIT: This is not even mentioning the abysmal changes that have been made to Nomad equipment and ships in this update. Thanks for making the Voidrunner a Morph with 10 more cargo and 25 m/s less cruise speed, I guess?