Gorgeous Update: My observations thus far
Kei-chan
Join Date: 2013-01-20 Member: 180898Members
Join Date: 2013-01-20 Member: 180898Members
Been playing since the patch launched. I've gone through 15+ matches and I haven't seen aliens win at all. Not even once. I've been on about three different servers and three maps each, including descent, which is *heavily* Marine-biased, though that's beside the point.
To summarize, aliens were nerfed and marines were buffed. Both sides were given new toys to play with, but the problem isn't those in particular, but rather that nerfing on one side accompanied by buffing on the other has resulted in a tremendous shift in balance. Only one or the other was needed, not both. Aliens didn't need nerfed. Marines needed buffed. As it stands, the game isn't even really worth playing, and I've put over 150 hours into it since getting it in the Steam Holiday Sale, so from me, that's saying something.
Aliens received the following nerfs, for those of you who didn't read the changelog:
1. Lerks now have "tracers" on their spikes, meaning when they fire, they have a huge obvious "HERE'S THE LERK" pointing at them.
2. Skulks have been made "heavier" somehow. They're slower all-around, but wall-jumping and walking is practically worthless now. When you go to wall-jump, rather than inheriting the momentum and the gravity and being launched forward faster (as has been the go-to tactic for skulks), you instead sort of... anticlimactically fall to the ground.
Marines received the following buffs:
1. The addition of Railgun exos, which cost 50 res and can deal 400 damage per shot; they're as effective as a dual mini exo (if not more) for 25 less res and requiring no additional research.
2. Phase gates now phase 2.5x faster.
3. Exos no longer suffer slowdown when backpedaling.
4. Exos are faster, in general, save for the dual mini exo, which seems about the same speed.
Everything would've balanced out fine if not for the alien nerfs. The gorge tunnels, frankly, feel largely worthless. Getting a gorge (already a soft, slow, noisy target) behind enemy lines to build a tunnel is a tremendous feat. What's more is that it's far too expensive to be worthwhile: 30 res from the commander, 10 res for each tunnel for the Gorge. I have yet to see one successfully go up.
Babblers, too, feel worthless. I've heard that they're really intended more as distraction/armor, but their AI is so bad that they can't really function as a distraction, and they rarely stick to an alien long enough to provide any protection as additional armor (not that it matters, since shotguns have yet to be nerfed to the point where anything but an onos can survive a blast). If they're meant to be capable of attacking, I have yet to see it.
I can understand where marines were coming from prior to the patch with their complaints about aliens being OP, but even so, I was at the receiving end of many a marine stomp before, except now that's ALL I see.
I had been looking forward to getting some friends to get NS2 due to the new patch and the sale, but now I'm even taking my recommendation off of the store. My experience with this new patch today has been far from fun, it's been frustrating and horrid. I've literally lost all desire to play.
To summarize, aliens were nerfed and marines were buffed. Both sides were given new toys to play with, but the problem isn't those in particular, but rather that nerfing on one side accompanied by buffing on the other has resulted in a tremendous shift in balance. Only one or the other was needed, not both. Aliens didn't need nerfed. Marines needed buffed. As it stands, the game isn't even really worth playing, and I've put over 150 hours into it since getting it in the Steam Holiday Sale, so from me, that's saying something.
Aliens received the following nerfs, for those of you who didn't read the changelog:
1. Lerks now have "tracers" on their spikes, meaning when they fire, they have a huge obvious "HERE'S THE LERK" pointing at them.
2. Skulks have been made "heavier" somehow. They're slower all-around, but wall-jumping and walking is practically worthless now. When you go to wall-jump, rather than inheriting the momentum and the gravity and being launched forward faster (as has been the go-to tactic for skulks), you instead sort of... anticlimactically fall to the ground.
Marines received the following buffs:
1. The addition of Railgun exos, which cost 50 res and can deal 400 damage per shot; they're as effective as a dual mini exo (if not more) for 25 less res and requiring no additional research.
2. Phase gates now phase 2.5x faster.
3. Exos no longer suffer slowdown when backpedaling.
4. Exos are faster, in general, save for the dual mini exo, which seems about the same speed.
Everything would've balanced out fine if not for the alien nerfs. The gorge tunnels, frankly, feel largely worthless. Getting a gorge (already a soft, slow, noisy target) behind enemy lines to build a tunnel is a tremendous feat. What's more is that it's far too expensive to be worthwhile: 30 res from the commander, 10 res for each tunnel for the Gorge. I have yet to see one successfully go up.
Babblers, too, feel worthless. I've heard that they're really intended more as distraction/armor, but their AI is so bad that they can't really function as a distraction, and they rarely stick to an alien long enough to provide any protection as additional armor (not that it matters, since shotguns have yet to be nerfed to the point where anything but an onos can survive a blast). If they're meant to be capable of attacking, I have yet to see it.
I can understand where marines were coming from prior to the patch with their complaints about aliens being OP, but even so, I was at the receiving end of many a marine stomp before, except now that's ALL I see.
I had been looking forward to getting some friends to get NS2 due to the new patch and the sale, but now I'm even taking my recommendation off of the store. My experience with this new patch today has been far from fun, it's been frustrating and horrid. I've literally lost all desire to play.
Comments
I have a bug report, marines win every match.
Did you just tell the OP to fix it?
I'm betting that the skulk movement nerf alone is having a huge affect on marine wins. It was really an unneeded nerf and only serves to make the game less fun by limiting movement. if skulks need to be nerfed, it needs to be done in a way other than nerfing movement.
Aliens needed ONLY a nerf to bile, that's it. Marines needed SOME way to counter early lerks - that's it!
Fucking who thought of putting tracers on the lerks? Does that make any sense whatsoever, even logically?
The main difference in this patch thus far is skulk movement and the fact that all the aliens on pubs are screwing around with their new toys instead of playing seriously. The gorge thing, that will be fixed in a day or two as people get used to babblers. Skulk movement is interesting, it definitely changes the dynamic early game quite a bit, frankly it feels more like ns1 would feel if there was no bhop and if celerity wasn't upgraded. Perhaps making celerity a useful upgrade like it was in ns1 would help the problem a bit.
Those were unnecessary and silly nerfs. Everything else is fine, though I'd like to see the res investment in gorge tunnels reduced and the babbler AI improved.
Although, I will miss lerking in crevice where you could fly outside of the render distance and spam spikes at the rt/power often resulting in several very confused and frustrated marines looking up and down for any sign of a lerk. It seems my ultimate trolling class is gone
Also, babblers are only 1 res point so you get what you pay for. I've found they do a pretty good job of sucking up a marines ammo, especially from the marine perspective.
I noticed jumping around as a skulk seemed a bit slow, but I didn't realise they had changed something.
I find it funny that you are complaining about basically the alien version of phase gates. Ninja phase was what everyone told me was the Marine answer to the bile rush.
I think if we suddenly see competitive matches going all Marine, we'll know the answer. It was, as everyone knows, heavily Alien biased (70/30).
"B-but aliens win 65% of the time! It's cause they're so OP!"
The biggest problem I feel is the nerfed skulk movement. It just isn't fun being a skulk anymore. Celerity is a must with this patch.
I like the lerk tracer spikes. It was always odd to me that the spikes were pretty much invisible.
Scanning around frantically, guided by the damage indicator, then checking up and down until you catch that familiar shape, in return you're awarded with a good chunk of damage on the Lerk if he isn't fast enough to lift off after being spotted. It's a high risk high reward move for a lerk.
65% actually was the alien win rate according to NS2Stats (for competative play only). Pub play stabilized around 55-60% aliens win rate. We did not pull stats out of our ass. UWE acknowledged there was a balance issue as well.
Also, are the win rates skewed? Who knows. It's been less than 24 hours since the patch came out and getting the data necessary to come to a conclusion will take about a month (just like how the initial release win rate was 50:50 and then changed to 60:40 after several weeks). If within several weeks we find there is a skew in win rates then there definitely should be a change. However, until that time comes, we shouldn't assume make knee-jerk reactions.
Troll response: Oh, look, the aliens are losing a majority of their games... I feel SO SORRY for you. We should balance it as fast as we balanced the previously skewed Aliens:Marines win ratio. See you in 4 months.
They were a little bit silly if the Lerk played its cards right. With alien vision and pinpoint accuracy, you could harass Exos and slow marine advances really easily. I'm not sure if it's balanced but they are now easier to spot in large open areas like Cave/Cargo where before it took several eyes or a scan to find them. Also, does any know if the hydras have the same special effect now as well?
I have to agree though. If I wasn't the one getting spiked, it was fun to play "find the Lerk."
Many people are busy trying out the new toys (or simply focus on getting them) instead of playing "properly".
Give it some time until the novelty wears off and people are going back to playing "to win", that will probably impact those win rates once again.
To the rest of the OP:
15+ Matches are a joke. We won't know about balance in a week, so stop arguing as if you can predict the future.
Arguments like this appear after every patch in every game. Just search this forum for the patch-note threads. So many people that "tell their friends to not buy NS2 because its broken". *yawn* Same procedure as every patch...
phase gate faster: this was a needed buff as the marine team was on too much of a knife edge, losing a phase gate is far worse than even losing a hive.
lerk tracers: looks good, and more balanced for low level play while not really effecting high level play.
railgun: deals 200 damage to lifeforms. ergo it takes a loooooong time to kill fade/gorge/onos without help.
exo speed: this makes exo's more viable.
babblers: free carapace isn't a buff? (well i guess it does cost small change)
gorge tunnel: NYDUS WORM IS USELESS!
anyone else notice
Here's what I believe is happening: With the two teams marines is by far the most familiar, and it's ease of use is attributed to that. Aliens are however much more difficult, especially if there is anyone that can aim well on the other team.
New players that aren't working together are much more detrimental to aliens than they are to marines. I say this because marines that aren't following orders are still generally being a nuisance to the alien team, if only taking away at least 1 players attention. Pair that with the above and now all your engagements are being lost. Map control is lost. Exo suits are coming to stomp your hive.
They are firing missiles Noun
An object that is forcibly propelled at a target, by hand or mechanically.
Well, they do light up the target just like the skulk ability.