Current state of the game?

from Sins Forums

I've been gone for many months, haven't played the game or visited the forums.  Just popped in and saw there have been several patches and hotfixes, as well as numerous posts on balance and what not.

Some questions:

1) What is the "community consensus" (if there is one) on the current state of the game after the fixes, patches, etc?  Are most people pleased?  Is balance better, worse, etc?

2) In particular, it looks like a few capships got some work (carriers got more strikecraft, the Akkan got a boost to mines and mining effeciency, etc).  In light of this, has there been any effect on gameplay?  Any strat changes?  Does anyone open with anything other than an egg, a marza, a mothership?

I noticed there was a "joke nerf" *cough* to the marza.  I can't see it having any effect on gameplay at all, but having said that, how do the new graphics for missle barrage work out?  Is it actually noticeable now?

Thanks!

18,406 views 15 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

1. From what I can tell, everyone thinks the game is much more balanced than 1.02/1.16 and 1.03/1.17. Obviously not everyone is pleased about everything, but in general I have to say the game is pretty much balanced.

 

2. A couple people start with different caps if they are rushing or attempting specailized strategies, but I think the colony caps still have an advantage for first picks, though caps with some of the better level six abilities (not just the marza either) might be picked as well.

 

The main nerf on the marza has been it does the same damage over a longer period of time, and that as of 1.04/1.18 their are many more interupting abilities now (Kortul should now completely counter a Marza).

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

1) The current state of the game is much improved.  The most recent patch was pretty well universally acclaimed by all players as a move in the right direction.

2) Advent is still stuck with the Progen; I've seen some people experimenting with Halcyon rushing, but I haven't seen anyone actually dominate with that yet.  TEC have a lot of new option; the Akkan now has the best colonize ability in the game, and the Sova is shockingly powerful.  I've seen more than a few people mowed down by a well-timed Sova rush... and not with embargo, either, just its brute force combat abilities.  The Vasari now have a wickedly powerful tool in the Kortul.  I personally now go Kortul about 50% of the time; it absolutely dominates early-game combat, and if you can live without a colony-cap it's definitely the stronger pick.

3) Doesn't change much; you have to be zoomed in pretty close to see the graphics effect.  As mentioned, the Kortul now has a disrupt, so it's a hard counter to the Marza.

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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

3) Doesn't change much; you have to be zoomed in pretty close to see the graphics effect. As mentioned, the Kortul now has a disrupt, so it's a hard counter to the Marza.
End of quote

I'd have to say you're essentially correct, but the red trails make the barrage much easier to spot when the Marza is supported by a ton of LRFs, which is nice.

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

I love it when everything lights up red on a screen when i use MB, sends shivers up my spine.

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

uber siege frigs of doom haven't returned, have they?

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

^I wish.

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Agent, reply 5
uber siege frigs of doom haven't returned, have they?
End of Agent's quote

 

They were buffed in the latest patch, but that was because they were so pathetically weak, and I still never make them unless I have already won the game. Only completely undefended worlds should fall to sieges, unless they really swarm them, but that just gives you the green light to attack their homeworld as they probably don't have much of a fleet if they do that.

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting GoaFan77, reply 7

Quoting Agent of Kharma, reply 5uber siege frigs of doom haven't returned, have they?
 

They were buffed in the latest patch, but that was because they were so pathetically weak, and I still never make them unless I have already won the game. Only completely undefended worlds should fall to sieges, unless they really swarm them, but that just gives you the green light to attack their homeworld as they probably don't have much of a fleet if they do that.
End of GoaFan77's quote

^This.  Though, the AI still builds way too many of the damn things.

Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top

uber siege frigs of doom haven't returned, have they?
End of quote

Anything but.  They kill planets faster now and are somewhat stronger, but for all intents and purposes they are the same unit.  Send them in against anything but an undefended target and they'll get blasted to bits.  Most of the time you're better off relying on capital ships, they're still that bad.

Now, uber Vulkoras siege cap of doom, on the other hand, has been sighted lurking around your homeworld...

Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top

SF are definitely pretty weak still. And yeah, the AI still builds way too many of them.

Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top

for all intents and purposes they are the same unit. Send them in against anything but an undefended target and they'll get blasted to bits.
End of quote

That's the way they should be in my view... but I'm not here to argue for or against (something that's been done ad nauseum).  I'm just gathering information.

So you say the vulkorus has been buffed eh?  Didn't really catch that in the release notes.  I'll have another look.

Oh, I noticed they nerfed the egg?  I thought that was quite strange!  Now, were it the only capship to stand out, I would have been all for the nerf to bring it in line with everything else.  But with the marza running around, its sort of ridiculous to contemplate nerfing the egg, much less actually doing it.  Sure, someone will say "well the marza got nerfed too," but come on.  Comparing the egg and the marza is like comparing a firecracker and a 100 megaton nuke.  And then deciding to cut the firecracker in half, and reduce the 100 megatons down to 99.  It's like... "wtf?"

Any comments on that one?

Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Agent, reply 11

for all intents and purposes they are the same unit. Send them in against anything but an undefended target and they'll get blasted to bits.
That's the way they should be in my view... but I'm not here to argue for or against (something that's been done ad nauseum).  I'm just gathering information.

So you say the vulkorus has been buffed eh?  Didn't really catch that in the release notes.  I'll have another look.

Oh, I noticed they nerfed the egg?  I thought that was quite strange!  Now, were it the only capship to stand out, I would have been all for the nerf to bring it in line with everything else.  But with the marza running around, its sort of ridiculous to contemplate nerfing the egg, much less actually doing it.  Sure, someone will say "well the marza got nerfed too," but come on.  Comparing the egg and the marza is like comparing a firecracker and a 100 megaton nuke.  And then deciding to cut the firecracker in half, and reduce the 100 megatons down to 99.  It's like... "wtf?"

Any comments on that one?
End of Agent's quote

The Kortul's disruptive strikes now interrupts, making it a great counter to the Mazra.

Reply #13 from Sins Forums Top

So you say the vulkorus has been buffed eh?  Didn't really catch that in the release notes.  I'll have another look.
End of quote

Siege platforms are now deployed very quickly and at low antimatter cost.  I've always treated the thing is an armoured super-siege frigate, and this is the role it fulfills quite handily.

Oh, I noticed they nerfed the egg?  I thought that was quite strange!
End of quote

The egg nerf was a slap on the wrist.  Hardly anything to get excited about.  In my first 1.04 game I killed a Marza on the rush with my egg.  It's the same lethal ability as always; maybe slightly less lethal, but underestimate it and you will lose caps.

 

Reply #14 from Sins Forums Top

The egg nerf was a slap on the wrist. Hardly anything to get excited about. In my first 1.04 game I killed a Marza on the rush with my egg. It's the same lethal ability as always; maybe slightly less lethal, but underestimate it and you will lose caps.

End of quote

the egg kills frigates at around the same pace but Cap ships can survive longer making it a tiny bit weaker against them. But it is still very deadly like Darvin said

_|~Uber

Reply #15 from Sins Forums Top

ya... egg now does 625/875/1125.... which is not much difference at all... the less -armor is nice though for ships trying to run away... w/e

compared to the kol... which does less damage (although, instant damage)... but for the same amount of antimatter, does considerably less damage... expecially when the kol's guass is effected by shield mitigation and armor.. while the egg is not... and goes straight to the hull.... but it has its bonuses... its instant and stacks... (lv 6 donov + kol = gauss chaingun... = 975 damage every 4.8 seconds... = 47 damage/second at 3.9 antimatter/second against a target with 10 armor and 65% shield mitigation.  egg does 25 damage/second + -armor at 1.666 antimatter/second (Per target... can nano more than 1 at the same time)... whatever.. the battery on my laptop is dieing... so think about that as you want to.  (heh... how hard is it to get a lv 6 donov and a lv 5 kol compared to a lv 5 death egg... in single player no problem... in multiplayer... gl with that.)