Been playing hard for 2 weeks now. My thoughts.

Game Discussion Miscellaneous
1

here are my thoughts on the game so far. 

 

 

The good.

 

 

_ -i’m a Competitive Pilot Seeking Competition. _

 

And it’s nice to see that even though the this game is still in beta and relativity new, the dev team is working at building a healthy e-sports scene right into the game. A healthy and varied competitive scene can be really good for a game for many reasons, it’s life span, its notoriety on the market. And it even helps to set an exciting meta within the game for players at lower levels and it gives newer players something to emulate. I’m excited to see where this all goes. 

 

-Dat Artwork

 

It’s simply top notch sci-fi design work. 10’s across the board, the ships are beautiful, and they really shine within the environment that they fly through. Nothing irks me more than terrible art in a sci-fi game, this isn’t the 80’s, there are so many talented sci-fi concept artists out there, there really is just no excuse for terrible art assets in a modern game (we’re looking at you mechwarrior tactics). S_eriously beautiful art_. 

 

_ -Level design and game types.  _

 

My favorite game types are the realistic ones, and i’d like to play more of them. That being said, the variety here is staggering for a newish beta. there is definitely enough here to keep my head in the game as I happily grind along. That and the level design makes for great dog fighting in some of the tighter spaces, nothing quite like weaving your way through asteroids to dodge incoming missiles, and then you hear that satisfying “thud” in the dynamic ambient background sound (which is amazing BTW). The placement of objectives seems quite thoughtful, although i do think that beacon spawns need to be less predictable, to stop a team from “turtling up” on he next beacon before the last one has been “released”.

 

_ -The game is really stable in its current build.  _

 

And not only that, it’s flippin’ gorgeous. And for as good as it looks, i get a steady 60 frames all the way through. The weapon effects and the beautiful ships, I don’t know if this has some kind of great optimization or if the game is “deceptively pretty”. Either way, tip of the hat to the dev’s on this, there is nothing better than a gorgeous game that runs smooth; and nothing worse than a gorgeous game with ugly frame rates. 

 

_ -This hit reg _

 

There is nothing worse than working your butt off to get that last hit to win the dog fight after 2 minutes of maneuvering into the pole position for the kill, and then watching in horror as the enemy soaks up the kill shot and turns his guns on you. I really have to say the hit reg here is superb, landing a hit should make you feel like your changing the fight in your teams favor, poor hit registration robs players of that one very important experience. 

 

_ -Role warfare _

 

While I’m sure there is a fire some where in the forums some where about this, from what i have seen yes, the classes need to be tweaked. But they are well defined. which is important to me, I want to feel like I’m going to excel in an important niche that no other class can fill as efficiently as i can. Role warfare can be notoriously hard to balance in any multiplayer game, But as long as dev’s keep a watchful eye and balance at an acceptable pace then i foresee many great things for the still developing role warfare meta within the game. 

 

_ I’m Having a Boat Load of Frackin Fun. _

 

Coming out of the Mechwarrior:online beta, i have to tell you playing that beta felt more like a chore when i left. the piss poor weapon balancing changes that take months, small issues that still remain untouched since open beta was announced, no game types, a buggy client… the list goes on. The star conflict beta feels like a beta should. We are here to help the dev’s figure out weapon/role balancing, maybe do some stress testing along the way. There is nothing more exciting than being a part of a lively and well developed beta that is getting patched all the time; there is nothing worse than a developer releasing a " beta" that is clearly a fracking alpha build (mechwarrior online, you suck). and hey, if i have a blast while the dev’s are collecting the raw numbers for there data mining, then why wouldn’t i give them some of my money. 

 

 

 

The Bad

 

_ -Frustrating Abilities and Weapon Systems _

 

I’m talking about the mines that any class can take, (i feel like engies should be laying mines), the pulsars that can hit me from what “feels” like an unreasonable distance. And the plasma web that is way to easy to use (I’m an interceptor pilot), I don’t even have to maintain any kind of line of sight, and the range is REDONKULOUS. Why is that even an ability? What is its purpose? So yea, some abilities need to be looked at and maybe reconsidered, but all this being said, I still find new and interesting ways to adapt and challenge players using these abilities and weapon systems, and ultimately I think none of these things should be nerfed into oblivion, since they add layers of strategy to the game. 

 

 

-Tier Based Combat

 

this is the worst way to implement multiplayer queues ever, it’s unbelievably frustrating for new pilots in tier 1 who get blown away by tier 2 ships. It’s lame, it’s not fun, and no, it absolutely does not make me want to get more powerful and get all the cool T2 stuff. In fact, it made me want to STOP playing, and i did for about 3 weeks after i first installed the game. Tier based combat robs skilled players of their talent and gives players with more time spent in game an unfair, and completely lame advantage. Who wants to watch Mike Tyson beat up a baby? Whatever the reasoning is behind this, i can’t get behind it. it fracking sucks, what goes through your mind when you think this is a good idea? 

 

 

_ -PvE is Boring _

 

It’s boring, and repetitive. There is no doubt that the levels and the content are WELL developed, but it still feels like a fracking milk run compared to PvP. I understand it’s place, players need a way to get ahead without the risk of getting run into the ground time after time in PvP combat. Still, it’s really boring. kudos to the team for even having it in the game, more variety is a solid win in my books. 

 

 

 

Over all i feel that the pace that the devs work at is enough to make me trust that the game is headed somewhere good. the content here is good, and the IP has a lot of potential. a lot of F2P betas out there are a risky bet. And by that i mean, it can be hard to know if your putting your money on the right horse. you don’t want to prematurely support an a developer that runs a game into the ground in favor of PAY TO WIN or any other of the many dark paths that a dev team/publisher can take. but i am having fun, a lot of fun, and this game has potential, so i’m buying in.

 

see you in the black skies, brave pilots! -RedLance[WPK]

 

2

Good read, and valid points.

The only thing you were wrong about is

“That being said, the variety here is staggering for a newish beta.”

 

The game is not newish beta, it’s been in open beta for over a year and closed beta before that.

 

 

But yes, beyond that sentence, your points are valid.

And yes, the game is most definitly beautiful ^.^

3

Good read, and valid points.

The only thing you were wrong about is

“That being said, the variety here is staggering for a newish beta.”

 

The game is not newish beta, it’s been in open beta for over a year and closed beta before that.

 

 

But yes, beyond that sentence, your points are valid.

And yes, the game is most definitly beautiful ^.^

 

then i’m am misinformed, i thought open beta started in January. regardless, the variety is good. i’m coming out of some pretty terrible F2P alpha builds parading around as betas.

4

You really need to look into all the modules, especially for interceptors.  Plasma web deals damage to the other ship for ten seconds.  It can help finish a ship.  You have to learn how to use the modules to kill and survive.

5

You really need to look into all the modules, especially for interceptors.  Plasma web deals damage to the other ship for ten seconds.  It can help finish a ship.  You have to learn how to use the modules to kill and survive.

 

i’m wondering what it’s purpose is because it is so easy to use, is it there to make interceptors easier to use for those who cannot aim at higher speeds?

 

I agree that the interceptor needs that little extra punch to finish an opponent, but why is its range so long? why does it last so long? and why can it go through walls? its stupid strong, and doesn’t make much sense. my DSR is 1300, I’ve looked into the modules, i’m asking about the plasma web because from my own perspective as an interceptor pilot, i think its over powered as it is now.

6

Best read I had on this forum since I got here months ago.

 

Valid points all-round and I liked the plus points given to the development team for all the subtle things that many people take for granted. I came from an Indie game that had a competitive scene and the netcode + graphics were so bad that when I first played Star Conflict I thought my laptop had died and went to heaven. There is no noticeable lag, hit registry spot on, my laptop doing 60+ FPS where before in that other game I’d be lucky to squeeze out more than 30 frames.

 

The ‘Bad Points’ however - well that’s a hard topic to cover because it involves questioning the fundamental game design. And so far down the ‘Beta’ path I doubt they’d even consider redoing it.

 

  1. Tier Based Matchmaking

  • They shot themselves in the foot with this one. If Star Conflict was a single player or multiplayer coop then tier based might just be the right way of doing it.

  • But PVP Multiplayer with a competitive streak ? Nothing is worse.

  • I personally believe they should have made it tierless and not follow the rest of the grindy F2P crowd.

  • Progression could have meant unlocking newer roles or more specialized ships for those roles

  • Instead they went with rehashing the same role on stronger base attributes every time you progress. That is unimaginative to say the least.

  • Doubt this will ever change so we’ll have to wear the curse

 

  1. Roles and Abilities

  • Joined the game after these were added in to the game. It was a different game before.

  • Ships had the freedom to fit any class module they wanted I think and in that form balance is not an issue

  • They created roles later and role-limited modules to certain ships and this new change caused all sorts of problems

  • Biggest contributor to the current state of imbalance is the fact that they used old modules and abilities and tried to make it fit with the new meta

  • Lately we’ve seen they created new modules from old ones as a solution to balance issue

  • I think they should go the extra mile

 

rethink the roles again.

throw out all the current modules and abilities 

and start from scratch.

 

Insisting on using the old modules and the same base stats is whats making rebalancing the new roles hard.

7

i’m wondering what it’s purpose is because it is so easy to use, is it there to make interceptors easier to use for those who cannot aim at higher speeds?

 

I agree that the interceptor needs that little extra punch to finish an opponent, but why is its range so long? why does it last so long? and why can it go through walls? its stupid strong, and doesn’t make much sense. my DSR is 1300, I’ve looked into the modules, i’m asking about the plasma web because from my own perspective as an interceptor pilot, i think its over powered as it is now.

The plasma web serves as a DoT (damage over time) that does enough to mitigate incoming heals and/or regeneration. The value shown for damage is the total damage, without resists, over ten seconds. If we take a Swift Mk 3 (T2 Covert Ops) as an example, without any weapons equipped (plasma web scales with weapon damage), the special module deals “2070 thermal damage… in a 2000m radius for 10 sec.” In other words, that’s 207 dps before factoring in resists.

 

Total damage output is [reduced significantly if the target has thermal resist](< base_url >/index.php?/topic/20483-damage-resistance/?hl=resistances).

 

The fact that it is a DoT and not upfront damage is a counterbalance to its range and potential damage output. Because the total damage is spread over a long time, it gives the victim a chance to either activate a survival module or find an Engineer with heals.

 

As for the fact that it does not need LOS… I am ambivalent.

8

The plasma web serves as a DoT (damage over time) that does enough to mitigate incoming heals and/or regeneration. The value shown for damage is the total damage, without resists, over ten seconds. If we take a Swift Mk 3 (T2 Covert Ops) as an example, without any weapons equipped (plasma web scales with weapon damage), the special module deals “2070 thermal damage… in a 2000m radius for 10 sec.” In other words, that’s 207 dps before factoring in resists.

 

Total damage output is [reduced significantly if the target has thermal resist](< base_url >/index.php?/topic/20483-damage-resistance/?hl=resistances).

 

The fact that it is a DoT and not upfront damage is a counterbalance to its range and potential damage output. Because the total damage is spread over a long time, it gives the victim a chance to either activate a survival module or find an Engineer with heals.

 

As for the fact that it does not need LOS… I am ambivalent.

 

seems valid, and i think when taking on a larger opponent the ability makes sense. but most of the time its just use to kill an interceptor, in that arena it is way to easy. the fun of being an interceptor is your ability to make a mad dash for cover or to quickly get out of range if your in a tight spot. the range and the fact that you don’t need LOS is just silly, it ruins the fun. but i think in any other setting it probably behaves as it should. 

9

Great post and loads of valid points.

As for the Plasma web - I have a divided opinion. It’s an ok ability which I could complete do without when flying cov ops and not notice much of a performance difference. In addition I echo your opinion that the ability itself has nothing to do with an interceptor and feels very out of place.

Right now it feels like a very ‘cheap’ way to secure a kill as it’s impossible to dodge/avoid other than hugging an Engineer or modules on very specific classes. (Gunship combat reboot comes to mind)

10

I know people harp on about “the game was better when you could use any module on any ship”, but that is a nightmare to balance. If we still had that I’d slap healing onto my Recon, Cloaks on my Gunship, etc. There are just too many potentially broken combinations.

11

I know people harp on about “the game was better when you could use any module on any ship”, but that is a nightmare to balance. If we still had that I’d slap healing onto my Recon, Cloaks on my Gunship, etc. There are just too many potentially broken combinations.

You are thinking wrongly my friend.

 

They had the possibility to fit any CLASS module.

So all inties could fit all the inty modules, all fighters could fit all the fighter modules, and all frigates could fit all the frigate modules. Regardless of role.

Looking at “old” pictures, I used to fit like this:

4gVFcLd.jpg

Maybe the balance was broken back then as well, but beyond the people with nukes and heavy weapons in T2, it never felt broken and was a ton of fun to play.

Every faction was actually different, with different abilities and sub-factions were different as well since they gave different ship boosts(extra armor/hull vs resists for empire/jericho) and their special ability was slightly different from eachother and from the main faction.

Sadly I am missing the diversity these days, all fits are practicly the same(Since there is no real other way to fit…) and there is no real diversity between factions(Only shield/hull/speed tanks differ between em) 

12

You are thinking wrongly my friend.

 

They had the possibility to fit any CLASS module.

So all inties could fit all the inty modules, all fighters could fit all the fighter modules, and all frigates could fit all the frigate modules. Regardless of role.

Looking at “old” pictures, I used to fit like this:

4gVFcLd.jpg

Maybe the balance was broken back then as well, but beyond the people with nukes and heavy weapons in T2, it never felt broken and was a ton of fun to play.

Every faction was actually different, with different abilities and sub-factions were different as well since they gave different ship boosts(extra armor/hull vs resists for empire/jericho) and their special ability was slightly different from eachother and from the main faction.

Sadly I am missing the diversity these days, all fits are practicly the same(Since there is no real other way to fit…) and there is no real diversity between factions(Only shield/hull/speed tanks differ between em) 

While I agree the distinct faction special modules were an excellent part of the game as it gave people a real reason to choose one faction over another, I disagree with opening active modules to all ships of the same class. With the current balance of the game, allowing, for example, a Guard to run Engineer heals would be a nightmare to deal with. The specific ship roles with their unique abilities ties into the vision for making this a team-based game.

13

While I agree the distinct faction special modules were an excellent part of the game as it gave people a real reason to choose one faction over another, I disagree with opening active modules to all ships of the same class. With the current balance of the game, allowing, for example, a Guard to run Engineer heals would be a nightmare to deal with. The specific ship roles with their unique abilities ties into the vision for making this a team-based game.

You are correct ZEIK, in the current game it wouldn’t work.

But in the “old” game, it worked pretty good.

If we were to make it possible to fit engineer things on guard, and vice versa, we would see a lot of impenetrable builds I think.

14

Faction specific stuff would be nice to have back. A part of me wonders though if it’s not best done via thematic stat modifiers.

For example, Empire Engineers might universally get +25% healing rate to Hull, but -50% to shields. Fed Engineers would be the reverse. This makes Empire Engineers better at protecting hull-heavy ships, but Fed are best if shield healing is what counts.

You can do this across every class and ship, tweaking them so each favours a distinct style beyond their obvious core role.

Alternatively, what about cross-classing? Have Empire Command Fighters give higher resistance buffs to other Empire ships, or Jericho ECM modules last longer vs Fed ships (because Fed have no ECM).

This could produce some epic counter-builds. Maybe this needs its own thread…

15

somewhere on the dev roadmap on the game’s website - it stated that they wanted to restrict fights between factions. dunno whether that’s still on the table or not but it would impact the game. until it’s confirmed, imma stay content with the current role-ships.

16

Honestly, they can’t do that. If they did then Jericho would cease to exist. They might still show up in Tier 1, maybe Tier 2 as well, but they’d be gone from Tier 3. No way for ships to heal without gimping their class abilities would see them ground down and erased by Fed and Empire. Then everyone would jump to Empire because pretty much every Fed ship I’ve ever seen subjected to 2+ ships worth of fire disintegrates almost instantly, while the Empire can just spam hull heals on their Cerberus 2 and alpha strike the entire Fed fleet with Desert Eagles backed with Prometheus 2 and Elf 2 ECM to shut down any and all counter-attacks.

In short, lock factions and it’ll be Empire vs Empire vs Empire.

17

yus. i asked error on his english version ask the dev thread but no answer. major problems with factions now that roles are divided between them. i love roles, adds to the game… just feel like they (devs) are in 2 places at once with this and something’s gotta give.

 

trying to rebalance the game in this current form is short term imo

18

Honestly, they can’t do that. If they did then Jericho would cease to exist. They might still show up in Tier 1, maybe Tier 2 as well, but they’d be gone from Tier 3. No way for ships to heal without gimping their class abilities would see them ground down and erased by Fed and Empire. Then everyone would jump to Empire because pretty much every Fed ship I’ve ever seen subjected to 2+ ships worth of fire disintegrates almost instantly, while the Empire can just spam hull heals on their Cerberus 2 and alpha strike the entire Fed fleet with Desert Eagles backed with Prometheus 2 and Elf 2 ECM to shut down any and all counter-attacks.

In short, lock factions and it’ll be Empire vs Empire vs Empire

 

I think merging sector and arcade was a philosophical problem.  Arcade should be the best team, no matter faction.  Sector should be the “best” faction.

 

Imagine if sector conquest removed your ships that weren’t in your current faction.  When I switch to fed again, if I were to do it today I’d be stuck with one T3 engineer, the rest untried and T2, maybe disarmed.  I’ve barely used the Alligator Mk. II outside of PvE and it’s been a while.  One benefit is it would help the devs to truly balance the factions.

19

there is nothing wrong with empire-mixing in your deck or the plasma web.

 

i would rather not see empire lock ins. does not make much sense either, since we are mercenaries. and it would not benefit the single ship if the whole faction doctrine has to be balanced in each tier against each other.

 

however the conquest part - which supposed to be strategical a bit - needs definitely an empire lock to which side you play on; not by locking which ships to take, but in a jericho vs. empire fight, you should clearly know that all of your team is either on your side of the two or feds mixing in.

 

to have the tiers being matchable to each other would need a complete overhaul of the current system. the upside would be, you could introduce new ships at any time, if that whole system is worked out. tiers would of course mean that each tier is more specializable than the one before; the three empires should still resemble the different fleet doctrines used. 

however mind, that even the mighty eve online has only started to realize this last year, and also their approach to rebalance T1 and T2 in their game was mostly a result of gathering data, how players used the ships and how the game could be balanced. for years, some of the ships were absolute specialists in certain ways, like the passive shield tanking drake fleets; while T1 was mostly considered a throw-away ship (now, they make up most of the non-specialized ships and can even counter higher tiered ships; some t1 ships are more modifiable but weaker, while others are less modifyable but generally more “premade”, and it seems to work out well)

the downside of mixing tiers is of course the missing “progress” and the questions which arise in balancing out a T1 deck vs. a T5 deck properly, which might be impossible or would weaken higher tiers just to get it right.

 

as long as we have these 5 tiers, they should be however kept separate in the MM, i think, everybody agrees on that. It should create the biggest possible matches in the same tier. there is nothing wrong if better players own you in a match, whether by being better, having more researched trees and a bigger tactical advantage (4 ships instead of 3, different classes, pink or blue weapons), because you know, you will get there, or you can omnifit a golden ship. But starting up a game, and realizing the enemy has ships from a higher tier is simply a game killer, it’s like i play checkers against somebody, and he tells me, he is going to play with queens only.

20

Good read, I share many of your opinions, however I don’t think the gametypes are varied enough; although I am very pleased they merged all the modes together so now it’s possible to play in realistic matches, which are the best IMO.