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Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

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Author Topic: [0.65.2aRC2] Simple Rebal Mod, Alpha 6  (Read 21820 times)

xenoargh

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Re: [0.65.2aRC2] Simple Rebal Mod, Alpha 6
« Reply #30 on: February 21, 2015, 05:40:15 PM »

Yeah, I'm just working with the basic premise. 

If missiles are OP in the mod, that's something that can be fixed, and I want to know if you find things you think aren't working; right now, I think that they're working fairly well, but I'm open to further nerfs if it's necessary.  People's feedback helps me get the balance right. 

I've fixed a couple of the things that were still screwy, like the HMG's DPS, and a couple of other things like that already.

Anyhow, I'm working on translating my Vacuum Ship / Autofire AIs to an AI that is compatible with Vanilla ships and balance concepts and acts in a similar way.  I don't know whether that belongs in this mod or whether I'll just make a companion mod for this that allows players to use those things.  It adds a lot of options, in terms of things that can be done to address core challenges.

It's mainly done, although I'm still working on some of the details and am refining the rough edges.  It does most of the things Vanilla's AI does, like dodge missiles, dodge other ships more properly, etc., already.
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xenoargh

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Re: [0.65.2aRC2] Simple Rebal Mod, Alpha 6
« Reply #31 on: March 01, 2015, 02:59:36 PM »

OK, the re-write of the Frigate-class AI and other AIs to support Vanilla SS play is just about done.  I need to get the AI variants working properly with Vanilla again to explicitly support AI Hull Mods, etc., so that those features are available.

I'm pretty excited about this; we're going to finally have a general-purpose Vanilla-compatible AI for modders to mess with that basically acts like Vanilla's AI, and it makes supporting some future releases simpler as well.

Anyhow, it'll probably be packaged as a secondary-mod release with this one, so that people who just want the AIs can do that and vice-versa.  I think I'm just about done with the weapon rebal stuff.

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Lucian Greymark

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Re: [0.65.2aRC2] Simple Rebal Mod, Alpha 6
« Reply #32 on: March 05, 2015, 09:26:45 PM »

Ok, So I decided to give this a shot just to see if yanno, I was talking out of my arse or not. And it turns out I wasn't, for the sake of experiment I tried a fairly straight forward built enforcer with 3 thumpers, 2 autocannons and 4 reapers.

Turns out with a bit of skillshot practise the enforcer can no apply constant and effective pressure (in the simulator with no appreciable leveling up done) to an onslaught with the infinitely regenerating reapers. Once I bought a second enforcer, and then a third, it became quite easy to go into a battle, fire a volley of 12 reapers at whatever was bothering me, kill it (obviously) and then back off for a while before going in to kill the next thing

When I got 5 enforcers with the same build I was able to wipe out an entire sdf, though as usual my game crashed after doing so -.-

Point is, remove unlimited reapers. it's really, really over powered.
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xenoargh

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Re: [0.65.2aRC2] Simple Rebal Mod, Alpha 6
« Reply #33 on: March 06, 2015, 11:33:29 AM »

There are a lot of ways to nerf Reapers. 

I kind of enjoy the danger when the AI uses them, especially Daggers, but I agree that it can get pretty silly when the player is using them in masses.

It probably doesn't need the ammo taken away, though.  Perhaps it should be made slower, so more PD can focus, or have the damage reduced, or have fewer hitpoints.  I doubt if it needs much, in the way of changes, before it tips back over the weird see-saw from being pretty ubiquitous to very squirrel-case again- useful for point-blank barrages but not much else, pretty much like they used to be.  That does leave questions about the Dagger

I'll give it a go and see what can work :)
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Lucian Greymark

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Re: [0.65.2aRC2] Simple Rebal Mod, Alpha 6
« Reply #34 on: March 07, 2015, 02:23:21 PM »

At the moment the weapon is already slow and fragile enough that firing one of them requires a great deal of skill to land it without the enemy dodging or shooting it down. If you change that any more the weapon will be forced into the 'can only be used in masses in the hope something hits' category

It's also expensive enough as it is, and fielding one on a ship is costly enough, any more and they'll just not be useful entirely.

It also does exactly the right amount of damage, combined with it's speed and durability it's a one shot heavy torpedo designed for strikes of opportunity. And that's what it should remain, instead of a (slow reloading) infinite fire shotgun that one shots many ships with a volley. Just make them a one shot disposable. Or, if you really really want them to have unlimited ammo, make the reload time over 2 minutes so that they may as well be 1 shot.
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xenoargh

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Re: [0.65.2aRC2] Simple Rebal Mod, Alpha 6
« Reply #35 on: March 07, 2015, 05:10:14 PM »

I can go that route; that puts them into a category where they're only "reloading" if you're in a capship duel... or have torpedo bombers.

Anyhow, I've gotten done with most of the AI port.  The AI is nastier than Vanilla's at this point, at least against my play-style.  I wish it wasn't taking so long to get it done; I'm really interested to see how people react to it.
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Solinarius

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Re: [0.65.2aRC2] Simple Rebal Mod, Alpha 6
« Reply #36 on: October 28, 2015, 04:21:05 PM »

I'm curious if you're planning to work on this anymore. I like being able to play around with hard flux on the beams, but I can't say I like the idea of non-assault particle weapons being shorter than 800, just for the sake of balance. It just doesn't feel right to me. This is mostly because I can't get over my love for Freespace 2's incarnation of badass, high-powered particle weapons (and other similar examples). SS's beams-as-fire-support theme has always felt weird to me.

The above said, I'd like to suggest a new angle (if possible): make it so that beams cause less damage the further they travel, lower the percentage of hard flux that beams can cause, give them their long range back, and double (possibly more) their damage and flux (from vanilla). My philosophy in the base game is that it doesn't matter how much damage you give beams (with the exception of completely silly numbers, which break the AI) as long as you raise flux equally or higher. Beams are a little funner when the cycle is sped up, in my opinion.

:edit: I was mostly referring to the Tac Laser and HIL.
« Last Edit: October 28, 2015, 05:34:09 PM by Solinarius »
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