Plasma devs

Issues dealing with gameplay balance.
LOCALgHOST
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Plasma devs

Postby LOCALgHOST » Mon 07 May, 2018 10:32 am

They are the worst unit in game. Have good dmg, plasma weapon_type
but it's almost impossible to aim someone!

Even when you shoot from your entrance to your natural VP on Calderis refinery by AttackGround command - the plasma shoot anyplace but the targeted destination.

And remember about plasma shoot animation ends, shoot sound plays, reload timer starts, and ball don't fly? Because target leaves vision! Why it can't shoot at the last know position if it already count as shoot?

i don't even say about elevations and obstacles. It's almost impossible to hit on maps with a lot of terrain objects, plasma just hits them. Maybe it needs some ballistic trajectory like plasma dread?
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Adeptus Noobus
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby Adeptus Noobus » Mon 07 May, 2018 10:57 am

"Worst unit in the game"

They cost no power so if you are floating req (what good SM players will because no model losses) you can get them. They negate setup and static plays. Getting hit by even one shot means retreat for the respective unit. If you are playing vs a faction that has high model - low hp units and they get hit, chance is they are going to get wiped, if they werent already wiped by the inital shot because they werent full hp. They can also cover VPs from outside line of sight because they only need vision on the VP and not on the space between VP and their location.

Their weapon type make them very useful against SHI and HI units too. Even vehicles can not shrug off hits from PDevs. Most important of all in my opinion is the fact that they deal ability knockback. I can not stress enough how good that is in late-game when you have Terminators running around. Even (rather especially) Nobs or Ogryns don't want to get hit by that.

Targetting needs practice but then again, if it werent hard to hit, they would be insanely broken.

P.S: Apparently PDevs are the worst nightmare for Sorcerers as well 8-)
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby LOCALgHOST » Mon 07 May, 2018 11:02 am

I'm agree about targeting practice but I said - it won't shoot even on ground.
I'm expecting if I mark static target - plasma have to reach it. That's all

And shoot when it starts on lose vision, or don't count as shoot

That's all.
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Adeptus Noobus
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby Adeptus Noobus » Mon 07 May, 2018 11:05 am

LOCALgHOST wrote:I'm agree about targeting practice but I said - it won't shoot even on ground.
I'm expecting if I mark static target - plasma have to reach it. That's all

And shoot when it starts on lose vision, or don't count as shoot

That's all.

You mentioned elevation: that is the main reason why it under-/overshoots. You have to account for that. The only solution would be to go back to having no arch-shots anymore but linear trajectories. That would mean that PDevs get hard-countered by elevation again which renders them basically useless.
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby LOCALgHOST » Mon 07 May, 2018 1:10 pm

Adeptus Noobus wrote:
LOCALgHOST wrote:I'm agree about targeting practice but I said - it won't shoot even on ground.
I'm expecting if I mark static target - plasma have to reach it. That's all

And shoot when it starts on lose vision, or don't count as shoot

That's all.

You mentioned elevation: that is the main reason why it under-/overshoots. You have to account for that. The only solution would be to go back to having no arch-shots anymore but linear trajectories. That would mean that PDevs get hard-countered by elevation again which renders them basically useless.


if there is NO elevation - why it misses?
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Adeptus Noobus
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby Adeptus Noobus » Mon 07 May, 2018 2:14 pm

LOCALgHOST wrote:if there is NO elevation - why it misses?

Adeptus Noobus wrote:The only solution would be to go back to having no arch-shots anymore but linear trajectories.
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Oddnerd
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby Oddnerd » Mon 07 May, 2018 5:09 pm

Plasma devs have area-of-effect, anti-all, screen-range damage with the ability to knock back everything short of vehicles (I think they even still knock back retreating units) all for 0 power. They are possible the only thing in the game less mindless to use than the thunderhammer. My fucking housecat could use them.

The issue with them not firing when a unit leaves their vision is not specific to pdevs IIRC, use another unit to provide vision for them. That's how artillery works.
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby LOCALgHOST » Tue 08 May, 2018 2:21 pm

Oddnerd wrote: That's how artillery works.


I agree, but could they miss not the attack ground in the plain surface? It would be enough for me.
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby Dark Riku » Tue 08 May, 2018 9:52 pm

"Pdevs are OP, pdevs are UP." Make up your mind forum!
Maybe this is an indication they are actually fine? (They are)

LOCALgHOST wrote:I agree, but could they miss not the attack ground in the plain surface? It would be enough for me.
They already don't miss when there is no elevation :)

The shot not being fired after the animation starts is indeed fairly annoying. Not sure if that needs fixing or if it even can be fixed?
Makes it all the more rewarding if you use attack ground though because that one will always go through.
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Black Relic
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby Black Relic » Thu 10 May, 2018 7:01 am

give them an ability to change their shot back to a linear form and vise versa now elevation is not a problem. Boom solved.
"...With every strike of his sword, with every word of his speech, does he reaffirm the ideals of our honored master..." -From the Teachings of Roboute Guilliman as laid down in the Apocrypha of Skaros. Space Marines Codex pg. 54
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Nurland
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby Nurland » Thu 10 May, 2018 8:44 am

The elevation problem is also solved by "gitting gud" which in this case is taking the elevation into account when blasting away.
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby LOCALgHOST » Sat 12 May, 2018 2:34 pm

I give you an example with no elevation and shitty attack ground - calderis 1v1 base VP. Try to get from the top base get attack VP and you will be surprised. How to fix it?
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby Nurland » Sat 12 May, 2018 3:50 pm

If you attack from further away, you can just target ground before the vp so you hit stuff near the vp. Also the offset you get from elevation can work for your benefit.

You could also maybe add a button that would change the weapon to a diferent one that didn't have an arched shot but I personally don't find pdevs really that hard to use.
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LOCALgHOST
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby LOCALgHOST » Sat 12 May, 2018 4:24 pm

they are not hard to use - but when plain attack ground fails - they are provoke such ANGER! no satisfaction from the game which is so many ways broken
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby Dark Riku » Sat 12 May, 2018 4:33 pm

LOCALgHOST wrote:I give you an example with no elevation and shitty attack ground - calderis 1v1 base VP. Try to get from the top base get attack VP and you will be surprised. How to fix it?
Have you ever looked at 1v1 calderis?? That whole map is just one big slope to the middle XD
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Black Relic
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby Black Relic » Sun 13 May, 2018 5:59 am

Nurland wrote:The elevation problem is also solved by "gitting gud" which in this case is taking the elevation into account when blasting away.



That's great and all, but one thing a game should always try to do is make it easier to accommodate new players. That does no such thing. If short cut key were implemented into a game it forced selected units to do an action like spread out, or patrol continuously that game would be different an high level play would still be present.

Look at Generals Zero hour as an example. They have ways to help new players split but after the initial key usage its up to the player to take it a step further and that's when they blow us away with skill.

IMO the arch makes it easy to ground target on flat surfaces because occasionally the linear pattern would hit terrain which is precisely why it was changed to an arch in the first place, and it was not a "git gud" moment then. One could easily say "just accommodate for the terrain, position the unit better etc."

I still say allow it to switch between arch and linear for the ease of use for new and old players. It would allow players an easier time microing else where and not have to manage each shot from the p dev when they are on a raise platform.
"...With every strike of his sword, with every word of his speech, does he reaffirm the ideals of our honored master..." -From the Teachings of Roboute Guilliman as laid down in the Apocrypha of Skaros. Space Marines Codex pg. 54
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Nurland
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby Nurland » Sun 13 May, 2018 7:49 am

I said that I am fine with adding the button but I don't really see it being really needed. If people want it though, I am all for it.
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Black Relic
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby Black Relic » Sun 13 May, 2018 3:50 pm

Ahh i didnt notice. Was just a bit on why it could be a good idea. Ill make it "ability" to switch and send it to Atlas if this is something people are interested in.
"...With every strike of his sword, with every word of his speech, does he reaffirm the ideals of our honored master..." -From the Teachings of Roboute Guilliman as laid down in the Apocrypha of Skaros. Space Marines Codex pg. 54
LOCALgHOST
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Re: Plasma devs

Postby LOCALgHOST » Mon 14 May, 2018 2:52 pm

It's exactly that I wanted.

And yes, thanks, I've seen elevation on calderis it's hell over all the map

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