SH proposal
Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2020 11:07 pm
Hey guys, since the SH changes are finally here, I want to share the proposal I sent the developers some weeks ago. Might be a bad timing but maybe it can help to direct us in a constructive way in properly engaging the situation and to work on some solutions because the changes are "odd" to say the least. So here I go better late than never:
My balance points are focused on the pet as it’s the source of the overall potential of the class (in my opinion) and abilities of the evil greeny himself. In the Beginning I want to explain two aspects on pet performance, before moving on to ideas considering actual abilities.
First: I think there shouldn’t be a focus on tactics like “He’s A Biggun” to increase the survivability of the pet, but give at least the range pets Spiked Squig and Gas Squig more HP. A bigger health pool should give the player the chance to actually use it more effectively.
Reason: its lower range than on live server and the heavy warband oriented gameplay are reasons why it’s often just melting away in seconds
Considering melee pets Horned Squig and normal variant Squig: survivability is a big issue for both squig variants too but there might be another solution necessary to solve that: granting them immunity to AE and AOE dmg (mirroring WL pet immunity to those)
Second: considering the first point another one is quite important to increase rsh’s viability without changing it at the core: Increasing the range of the pet again (as it originally was).
Reason: The low range is, beside the problem with fighting near blobs of enemies, quite an issue when it comes to kiting, which is a fundamental aspect of the rSH. Most of the time you are more or less running in the opposite direction of the enemy and as a result of your pet (spiked or gas squig), which has to stand still if it wants to attack as well. However low range is causing the pet to be out of range really fast thus preventing it from using “Drop that!” (disarm), which you need when fighting melees (especially WLs!). In most cases you are forced to order the pet to follow again, which is quite slow too, considering enemies rushing behind you to catch up. The pet is simply not able to catch up (also futile for the melee squigs) and if the player is trying to circle around the enemy to get in range of the pet again most of the time it ends in being cut off by the chasing melee catching up without any effort because you are forced to play into his hands in order to get in pet range for vital core abilities like the disarm. Fighting two or even more enemies enforces the issue. Increasing the range would be helping the player to have better control over the squig pet and improving the pet’s overall reliability in the fights.
After two important points of improving the pet performance some potential changes on the mean little goblin himself:
Shootin’ wif da Wind: I think it would be wise to change the tactic to grant armor penetration instead of increasing range of Quick Shooting abilities. It would mirror an aspect of one good change to the SW without the potential problem that the melee Squig players would profit from it like the aSW can. The increased range of Quick Shooting abilities should be a core effect of the class from the start.
Reason: the idea of a tactic granting more armor penetration on abilities of Big Shooting would force the player to stand still which would change the class in its mobile nature where kiting is so important and such a great defining aspect of the class itself. The once little and twitchy gobbos would just be a stationary dps, we certainly have enough in the game already, while keeping its fragility – in the long term it would simply carve out the soul of that class. So instead of that: Minor armor pen. for Quick Shooting through Shooting wif da Wind would be an attractive alternative, Big Shooting rSHs would be profiting from as well, since they also would be able to use the increased range on Quick Shooting abilities – giving rSHs a wider spectrum on being creative.
What a Blocka? A useful ability which is sadly not used often enough due to the overall fragile nature of the rSH forcing it to keep moving and a healthy distance to enemies. Changing What a Blocka? from being a Big Shooting ability to a Quick Shooting ability would make it possible to integrate it into the kiting which would be a good help against more armored foes and an opportunity to catch up in dps of other classes on those targets without changing the base dmg of other abilities which would surely make the rSH too powerful.
Tastes like chicken: this ability is often only useful when you need to switch to another squig fast. An increase in the HP the ability is granting would be very helpful, considering rSH to be quite fragile in order to do decent dmg (which is an aspect I love about the class because in my opinion its living by an iron law, class balancing in MMO’s should be based on: if you want to do dmg, you won’t be able to have good defences and if you want to have good defences, you are simply not able to do decent dmg – but that’s not the actual topic).
Thats it, I hope, it can motivate some to share thoughts and to support a healthy direction for the class.
My balance points are focused on the pet as it’s the source of the overall potential of the class (in my opinion) and abilities of the evil greeny himself. In the Beginning I want to explain two aspects on pet performance, before moving on to ideas considering actual abilities.
First: I think there shouldn’t be a focus on tactics like “He’s A Biggun” to increase the survivability of the pet, but give at least the range pets Spiked Squig and Gas Squig more HP. A bigger health pool should give the player the chance to actually use it more effectively.
Reason: its lower range than on live server and the heavy warband oriented gameplay are reasons why it’s often just melting away in seconds
Considering melee pets Horned Squig and normal variant Squig: survivability is a big issue for both squig variants too but there might be another solution necessary to solve that: granting them immunity to AE and AOE dmg (mirroring WL pet immunity to those)
Second: considering the first point another one is quite important to increase rsh’s viability without changing it at the core: Increasing the range of the pet again (as it originally was).
Reason: The low range is, beside the problem with fighting near blobs of enemies, quite an issue when it comes to kiting, which is a fundamental aspect of the rSH. Most of the time you are more or less running in the opposite direction of the enemy and as a result of your pet (spiked or gas squig), which has to stand still if it wants to attack as well. However low range is causing the pet to be out of range really fast thus preventing it from using “Drop that!” (disarm), which you need when fighting melees (especially WLs!). In most cases you are forced to order the pet to follow again, which is quite slow too, considering enemies rushing behind you to catch up. The pet is simply not able to catch up (also futile for the melee squigs) and if the player is trying to circle around the enemy to get in range of the pet again most of the time it ends in being cut off by the chasing melee catching up without any effort because you are forced to play into his hands in order to get in pet range for vital core abilities like the disarm. Fighting two or even more enemies enforces the issue. Increasing the range would be helping the player to have better control over the squig pet and improving the pet’s overall reliability in the fights.
After two important points of improving the pet performance some potential changes on the mean little goblin himself:
Shootin’ wif da Wind: I think it would be wise to change the tactic to grant armor penetration instead of increasing range of Quick Shooting abilities. It would mirror an aspect of one good change to the SW without the potential problem that the melee Squig players would profit from it like the aSW can. The increased range of Quick Shooting abilities should be a core effect of the class from the start.
Reason: the idea of a tactic granting more armor penetration on abilities of Big Shooting would force the player to stand still which would change the class in its mobile nature where kiting is so important and such a great defining aspect of the class itself. The once little and twitchy gobbos would just be a stationary dps, we certainly have enough in the game already, while keeping its fragility – in the long term it would simply carve out the soul of that class. So instead of that: Minor armor pen. for Quick Shooting through Shooting wif da Wind would be an attractive alternative, Big Shooting rSHs would be profiting from as well, since they also would be able to use the increased range on Quick Shooting abilities – giving rSHs a wider spectrum on being creative.
What a Blocka? A useful ability which is sadly not used often enough due to the overall fragile nature of the rSH forcing it to keep moving and a healthy distance to enemies. Changing What a Blocka? from being a Big Shooting ability to a Quick Shooting ability would make it possible to integrate it into the kiting which would be a good help against more armored foes and an opportunity to catch up in dps of other classes on those targets without changing the base dmg of other abilities which would surely make the rSH too powerful.
Tastes like chicken: this ability is often only useful when you need to switch to another squig fast. An increase in the HP the ability is granting would be very helpful, considering rSH to be quite fragile in order to do decent dmg (which is an aspect I love about the class because in my opinion its living by an iron law, class balancing in MMO’s should be based on: if you want to do dmg, you won’t be able to have good defences and if you want to have good defences, you are simply not able to do decent dmg – but that’s not the actual topic).
Thats it, I hope, it can motivate some to share thoughts and to support a healthy direction for the class.