I find aliens much more fun to play now. Was it fun to take some damage and spend next 2 minutes running to hive for a heal? No. Is it fun to regen in seconds and go back in fight, if you were lucky enough to survive? Yes.
I approve of these changes.
I don't care if this brakes balance for competitive games or whatever. Marines are still being stacked, it's just less frustrating to be an alien now.
Just wanted to say that I played a few games with a buddy who's new to the game... and after three rounds of being dominated by camouflaged Skulks, he was ready to uninstall the game and never look back.
Having one (or more) Skulks approach you completely silent and 100% invisible pretty much guarantees they get the first hit, in which case a new players is screwed. The way it is now leads to some incredibly frustrating gameplay. Forcing the marine commander to spam scan/observatories everywhere or loose. For new players it's a infuriating nightmare.
zero criticism is probably silly, but it's worth pointing out that unless you change the stats on your own install and then run a few rounds with friends to investigate the implications, then you probably don't know the consequence of the changes(Games are analytically "hard"). Hence blaming the developers for a balance change as being obviously terrible, in retrospect, is rude. I suspect the "DONT COMPLAIN!" posters are trying to point this out. Still, it is possible for two different games to be balanced in their own domain, but one game be more fun then the other(The "quiet game" is probably less fun then NS2.) Argue about what is most fun, including balance, but don't bite anybodies heads off for "obviously wrong" decisions.
And strategy games should be possible to be bad at! So before complaining about a broken feature, it would be polite to consider the possibility you are wrong, and try to think about beating that problem first. (For example, it seems to me unobvious that the 6 minute onus is a provably broken strategy. Has anybody given a clear strategic analysis that most marine strategies fail against this?)
Yeah, the regen discussion aside, I think camo being 100% invisible is just insane and much bigger of a problem personally. I think it would be cool if marines could have some kind of cooldown where they can "pulse" a cone in front of them to check for skulks, which momentarily appear on the minimap and fade immediately, with a significant cooldown, maybe like 10 seconds between pulses.
Slowdown is okay, but even so camo almost guarantees that a skulk will already be at your feet, and land the first bite with no chance to see it whatsoever, unless the com scans everywhere marines go. At 3 t.res a pop, that can get expensive rapidly.
<!--quoteo(post=2024993:date=Nov 15 2012, 11:24 PM:name=Cim)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cim @ Nov 15 2012, 11:24 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2024993"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Just wanted to say that I played a few games with a buddy who's new to the game... and after three rounds of being dominated by camouflaged Skulks, he was ready to uninstall the game and never look back.
Having one (or more) Skulks approach you completely silent and 100% invisible pretty much guarantees they get the first hit, in which case a new players is screwed. The way it is not leads to some incredibly frustrating gameplay. Forcing the marine commander to spam scan/observatories everywhere or loose. For new players it's a infuriating nightmare.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Lose a few games -> stop playing? Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
<!--quoteo(post=2024980:date=Nov 15 2012, 11:07 PM:name=HeatSurge)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (HeatSurge @ Nov 15 2012, 11:07 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2024980"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Well, it was 4 seconds before the massive uproar erupted, and 90% of the competitive clan people I've talked to in-game maintained that it was crap. Now it's 1.5 and it's OP apparently. Maybe somewhere in the middle... ?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Regeneration which scales up over time perhaps? Regeneration could begin 2 seconds after last taking damage, at 20% of what it currently regenerates. It could then increase by 20% a second, reaching 100% after 4 seconds, or 6 seconds since last taking damage.
Has anyone gotten more server crashes lately? Games past the 30 minute mark seem to crash more often. I'm usually playing on official servers, so it might be specific to that, and I've gotten about 4 server crashes and very few games last +20 mins for me.
<!--quoteo(post=2024993:date=Nov 15 2012, 03:24 PM:name=Cim)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cim @ Nov 15 2012, 03:24 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2024993"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Just wanted to say that I played a few games with a buddy who's new to the game... and after three rounds of being dominated by camouflaged Skulks, he was ready to uninstall the game and never look back.
Having one (or more) Skulks approach you completely silent and 100% invisible pretty much guarantees they get the first hit, in which case a new players is screwed. The way it is now leads to some incredibly frustrating gameplay. Forcing the marine commander to spam scan/observatories everywhere or loose. For new players it's a infuriating nightmare.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Perhaps he should try playing as a camo skulk for some variety? ;)
Cloak was way way better than this in NS1. You were 100% invisible while running full speed within range of a sensory chamber, and you were partially invisible at full speed with the cloaking upgrade with a near-instant full cloak when you slowed down.
Pretty much, the cloaking changes are not really a problem.. The regen rate is too fast out of combat, but too slow in combat so its kinda meh, would rather see a flat 4-5% regen rate (with regen, innate regen being 2%). Crag heal needs to not stack obviously, but overall isnt really the huge deal that everyone is making it out to be...
As for balance team/comp feedback there are competitve players that are just as clueless about how to balance the game like many other players, being a comp player does not in any way make someone knowledgeable about balance (although they may think they are). I think most comp players however will agree on WHO the best players around here are to have in on balance discussion, and honestly if you ran on poll on that you would see more valuable results, and most likely a trend towards the same 5-10 players.
<!--quoteo(post=2025031:date=Nov 15 2012, 04:09 PM:name=xDragon)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (xDragon @ Nov 15 2012, 04:09 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2025031"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Pretty much, the cloaking changes are not really a problem.. The regen rate is too fast out of combat, but too slow in combat so its kinda meh, would rather see a flat 4-5% regen rate (with regen, innate regen being 2%). Crag heal needs to not stack obviously, but overall isnt really the huge deal that everyone is making it out to be...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm actually liking the change to Crags, it's made building a forward crag base cheaper and more effective. One Shift, One Crag, and lots of eggs FTW.
Before the change crag heal stations were kind of a joke. Even now, if you build three or five crags in an area it will cost you 9-15 T.Res every eight seconds to keep them going. Sustained assault will not only lose you the crags, but drains rather a lot of T.Res in trying to maintain it.
<!--quoteo(post=2024932:date=Nov 15 2012, 09:37 PM:name=WhiteDevil)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (WhiteDevil @ Nov 15 2012, 09:37 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2024932"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Thanks for the awesome patch! my game runs smoothly now :)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
For me it is the exact opposite.
Build 228 was working like a charm. - Very smooth - Good balance and - very fast loading
Build 229 is just broken in my opinion. - Not smooth at all, frequent slowdowns and lag spike (players teleported). I hadn't seen this on Build 228, moreover, on the same servers. - Balance is not good at all. Aliens have now a huge advantage (I play almost all the time Aliens since the beginning, so it's not a complain from an angry Marine player). - Finally loading a map is longer than on 228...
I don't even understand why this build out so fast. The 229 build was available on Steam for beta and just 2 day after it is going on public version. It seems very short. Rushed ? For me in any case 228 is the best build I seen. Optimized like a charm and very playable. 228 is the more stable build contrary to 229 which is broken on my side. Maybe someone could clarify these points.
<!--quoteo(post=2024840:date=Nov 15 2012, 08:08 PM:name=SupaDupaNoodle)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SupaDupaNoodle @ Nov 15 2012, 08:08 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2024840"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I think the game takes way longer to load a new map now than it used to in 228. Anyone else seen this?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo(post=2025005:date=Nov 15 2012, 02:36 PM:name=Imbalanxd)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Imbalanxd @ Nov 15 2012, 02:36 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2025005"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Lose a few games -> stop playing? Don't let the door hit you on the way out.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Yeah, because <i>that's</i> what I wrote...
It's not about winning or loosing, it's about the gameplay. Being constantly attacked by enemies which are already in biting range before you see or hear them is frustrating. This is regardless of your skill level but it's almost impossible for a new player to deal with. There's no a whole lot of room to learn either with the way it works now as unless your always looking around for it, asking your commander for scans, you'll die very quickly. It leads to frustrating gameplay is all I'm saying.
<!--quoteo(post=2025022:date=Nov 15 2012, 03:03 PM:name=Zek)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Zek @ Nov 15 2012, 03:03 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2025022"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Cloak was way way better than this in NS1. You were 100% invisible while running full speed within range of a sensory chamber, and you were partially invisible at full speed with the cloaking upgrade with a near-instant full cloak when you slowed down.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> The difference between partially and 100% invisible is huge though. Partial invisibility gives you a chance, which if you ask me would lead to much less frustration.
IronHorseDeveloper, QA Manager, Technical Support & contributorJoin Date: 2010-05-08Member: 71669Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Subnautica Playtester, Subnautica PT Lead, Pistachionauts
Loading the map on the first run should be slower.. but then after that first run it should be way faster than 228. IF this isnt the case please report in tech support forum
<!--quoteo(post=2025053:date=Nov 15 2012, 06:24 PM:name=Cim)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cim @ Nov 15 2012, 06:24 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2025053"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The difference between partially and 100% invisible is huge though. Partial invisibility gives you a chance, which if you ask me would lead to much less frustration.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> It was 100% invisible, it was literally far better in every way than what aliens have now(except maybe in the cloak time after taking damage I think). Not to mention that the sensory chamber also had Focus which made each bite do double damage. It still wasn't even the preferred first hive chamber because marines learned how to counter it. Partial invisibility is bad because it effectively does nothing against marines who know how to see it.
<!--quoteo(post=2025032:date=Nov 16 2012, 08:09 AM:name=sharnrock)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (sharnrock @ Nov 16 2012, 08:09 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2025032"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I'm still trying to figure out what recalcitrant brat means.
patch is win.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> <!--coloro:#FFC0CB--><span style="color:#FFC0CB"><!--/coloro-->I've never heard of <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/recalcitrant" target="_blank">that word</a> before now either. *shrug*
And yeah, good patch in general. I like that crag and shade tech feel more viable as first choices now, and a ninja marine cannot axe a hive to death solo if I have crags placed.<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
<!--quoteo(post=2025055:date=Nov 15 2012, 11:25 PM:name=ironhorse)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ironhorse @ Nov 15 2012, 11:25 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2025055"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Loading the map on the first run should be slower.. but then after that first run it should be way faster than 228.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> about 30-40% faster, here at least.
<!--quoteo(post=2025046:date=Nov 15 2012, 06:21 PM:name=Mikplayeur)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mikplayeur @ Nov 15 2012, 06:21 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2025046"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->For me it is the exact opposite.
Build 228 was working like a charm. - Very smooth - Good balance and - very fast loading
Build 229 is just broken in my opinion. - Not smooth at all, frequent slowdowns and lag spike (players teleported). I hadn't seen this on Build 228, moreover, on the same servers. - Balance is not good at all. Aliens have now a huge advantage (I play almost all the time Aliens since the beginning, so it's not a complain from an angry Marine player). - Finally loading a map is longer than on 228...
I don't even understand why this build out so fast. The 229 build was available on Steam for beta and just 2 day after it is going on public version. It seems very short. Rushed ? For me in any case 228 is the best build I seen. Optimized like a charm and very playable. 228 is the more stable build contrary to 229 which is broken on my side. Maybe someone could clarify these points.
Yes it is. Verified on my side anyway.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Thanks for that, I'm glad to know it isn't just me alone! :(
Anyway I agree with most of what you've written. Though I do think there was still room to improve on optimization front in 228, I think they've messed up now -- all the more so because they did balance changes while telling everyone they wouldn't be doing that in 229.
Game takes longer to load now -- but if it was only that I wouldn't mind. My main problem is the super-regen ability: basically all aliens are now like Wolverine from X-Men. I wish they would have just sorted out the network issues and kept everything else the same. A few more weeks of 228 gameplay with 229 networking improvements and most of the complaints would have disappeared as everyone learned to play better.
Coming in 230: Adamantium skeletons thanks to a carapace buff? Or Superman speed thanks to a celerity buff? Can't wait to find out...
<!--quoteo(post=2025066:date=Nov 15 2012, 11:45 PM:name=Paajtor)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Paajtor @ Nov 15 2012, 11:45 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2025066"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->about 30-40% faster, here at least.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> For many friends this is faster, but for me it's slightly longer than before.
I have found the map loading is significantly faster.
However on the down side, my in-game FPS is now significantly lower.. which is bad news for my minimum-spec CPU. . I was so happy when I discovered that if I use texture streaming the game was <i>playable</i>.. now with this patch I have gone back to <b><i>unplayable</i></b>.. please oh please fix the infestation lag or just give us an option to turn the crap off until it can be made more efficient.
<!--quoteo(post=2025103:date=Nov 15 2012, 03:28 PM:name=SupaDupaNoodle)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SupaDupaNoodle @ Nov 15 2012, 03:28 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2025103"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I wish they would have just sorted out the network issues and kept everything else the same. A few more weeks of 228 gameplay with 229 networking improvements and most of the complaints would have disappeared as everyone learned to play better.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Keep in mind that some players have been playing this game for 1+ years, and may have also played the original game for many years.
My point is, a lot of the complaints are coming from experience players who already know how to play the game.
Yeah the balance seems to be in favor of aliens ATM. I think it has more to do with the player base learning how to play aliens though then this recent patch made them insanely strong. I think the Onos needs a nerf somewhere is all. I don't think the regen rate or crags are destroying the balance. They seem way to easy to get, but maybe that's just me.
<!--quoteo(post=2025024:date=Nov 15 2012, 03:05 PM:name=elmo9000)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (elmo9000 @ Nov 15 2012, 03:05 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2025024"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Add the balancechanges on the changelog please. Its pretty ridiculous that theres still undocumented changes even though the game is released.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Easter eggs in core gameplay mechanics FTW.
Seriously though, this time they derped. Hopefully it'll get better over time; not that huge of a deal for now.
Please UWE, don't include non technical changes in the changelog anymore. I love seeing noobs latch onto any complaint in sight when they start losing in unfamiliar territory. Its delicious.
<!--quoteo(post=2024233:date=Nov 15 2012, 01:57 AM:name=ZEROibis)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ZEROibis @ Nov 15 2012, 01:57 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2024233"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I hope that in the future we will get log of balance changes too, it helps competitive game play a lot. Take SC2 for example where they always post balance changes in patch notes.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> I agree. It REALLY hurts the metagame to release balance changes without notifying the player base. All of a sudden the other team starts winning and you can't figure out why. The things you believe you know about the balance of the game are suddenly untrue and you have to start from scratch to see where your assumptions are inaccurate.
This is a stupid question, and I feel like such a total noob asking it but...where can I view the changelogs? I always notice these threads popping up but haven't been able to locate a changelog anywhere, and I was in the beta for over a year, haha.
<!--quoteo(post=2025380:date=Nov 15 2012, 09:52 PM:name=Marty123)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Marty123 @ Nov 15 2012, 09:52 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2025380"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->This is a stupid question, and I feel like such a total noob asking it but...where can I view the changelogs? I always notice these threads popping up but haven't been able to locate a changelog anywhere, and I was in the beta for over a year, haha.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2</a> It is just on the front page.
Comments
I approve of these changes.
I don't care if this brakes balance for competitive games or whatever. Marines are still being stacked, it's just less frustrating to be an alien now.
Having one (or more) Skulks approach you completely silent and 100% invisible pretty much guarantees they get the first hit, in which case a new players is screwed. The way it is now leads to some incredibly frustrating gameplay. Forcing the marine commander to spam scan/observatories everywhere or loose. For new players it's a infuriating nightmare.
And strategy games should be possible to be bad at! So before complaining about a broken feature, it would be polite to consider the possibility you are wrong, and try to think about beating that problem first. (For example, it seems to me unobvious that the 6 minute onus is a provably broken strategy. Has anybody given a clear strategic analysis that most marine strategies fail against this?)
Slowdown is okay, but even so camo almost guarantees that a skulk will already be at your feet, and land the first bite with no chance to see it whatsoever, unless the com scans everywhere marines go. At 3 t.res a pop, that can get expensive rapidly.
Having one (or more) Skulks approach you completely silent and 100% invisible pretty much guarantees they get the first hit, in which case a new players is screwed. The way it is not leads to some incredibly frustrating gameplay. Forcing the marine commander to spam scan/observatories everywhere or loose. For new players it's a infuriating nightmare.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Lose a few games -> stop playing?
Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
<!--quoteo(post=2024980:date=Nov 15 2012, 11:07 PM:name=HeatSurge)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (HeatSurge @ Nov 15 2012, 11:07 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2024980"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Well, it was 4 seconds before the massive uproar erupted, and 90% of the competitive clan people I've talked to in-game maintained that it was crap. Now it's 1.5 and it's OP apparently. Maybe somewhere in the middle... ?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Regeneration which scales up over time perhaps? Regeneration could begin 2 seconds after last taking damage, at 20% of what it currently regenerates. It could then increase by 20% a second, reaching 100% after 4 seconds, or 6 seconds since last taking damage.
Having one (or more) Skulks approach you completely silent and 100% invisible pretty much guarantees they get the first hit, in which case a new players is screwed. The way it is now leads to some incredibly frustrating gameplay. Forcing the marine commander to spam scan/observatories everywhere or loose. For new players it's a infuriating nightmare.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Perhaps he should try playing as a camo skulk for some variety? ;)
As for balance team/comp feedback there are competitve players that are just as clueless about how to balance the game like many other players, being a comp player does not in any way make someone knowledgeable about balance (although they may think they are). I think most comp players however will agree on WHO the best players around here are to have in on balance discussion, and honestly if you ran on poll on that you would see more valuable results, and most likely a trend towards the same 5-10 players.
patch is win.
I'm actually liking the change to Crags, it's made building a forward crag base cheaper and more effective. One Shift, One Crag, and lots of eggs FTW.
Before the change crag heal stations were kind of a joke. Even now, if you build three or five crags in an area it will cost you 9-15 T.Res every eight seconds to keep them going. Sustained assault will not only lose you the crags, but drains rather a lot of T.Res in trying to maintain it.
For me it is the exact opposite.
Build 228 was working like a charm.
- Very smooth
- Good balance and
- very fast loading
Build 229 is just broken in my opinion.
- Not smooth at all, frequent slowdowns and lag spike (players teleported). I hadn't seen this on Build 228, moreover, on the same servers.
- Balance is not good at all. Aliens have now a huge advantage (I play almost all the time Aliens since the beginning, so it's not a complain from an angry Marine player).
- Finally loading a map is longer than on 228...
I don't even understand why this build out so fast. The 229 build was available on Steam for beta and just 2 day after it is going on public version. It seems very short. Rushed ?
For me in any case 228 is the best build I seen. Optimized like a charm and very playable. 228 is the more stable build contrary to 229 which is broken on my side.
Maybe someone could clarify these points.
<!--quoteo(post=2024840:date=Nov 15 2012, 08:08 PM:name=SupaDupaNoodle)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SupaDupaNoodle @ Nov 15 2012, 08:08 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2024840"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I think the game takes way longer to load a new map now than it used to in 228. Anyone else seen this?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes it is. Verified on my side anyway.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah, because <i>that's</i> what I wrote...
It's not about winning or loosing, it's about the gameplay. Being constantly attacked by enemies which are already in biting range before you see or hear them is frustrating. This is regardless of your skill level but it's almost impossible for a new player to deal with. There's no a whole lot of room to learn either with the way it works now as unless your always looking around for it, asking your commander for scans, you'll die very quickly. It leads to frustrating gameplay is all I'm saying.
<!--quoteo(post=2025022:date=Nov 15 2012, 03:03 PM:name=Zek)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Zek @ Nov 15 2012, 03:03 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2025022"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Cloak was way way better than this in NS1. You were 100% invisible while running full speed within range of a sensory chamber, and you were partially invisible at full speed with the cloaking upgrade with a near-instant full cloak when you slowed down.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The difference between partially and 100% invisible is huge though. Partial invisibility gives you a chance, which if you ask me would lead to much less frustration.
IF this isnt the case please report in tech support forum
It was 100% invisible, it was literally far better in every way than what aliens have now(except maybe in the cloak time after taking damage I think). Not to mention that the sensory chamber also had Focus which made each bite do double damage. It still wasn't even the preferred first hive chamber because marines learned how to counter it. Partial invisibility is bad because it effectively does nothing against marines who know how to see it.
patch is win.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--coloro:#FFC0CB--><span style="color:#FFC0CB"><!--/coloro-->I've never heard of <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/recalcitrant" target="_blank">that word</a> before now either. *shrug*
And yeah, good patch in general. I like that crag and shade tech feel more viable as first choices now, and a ninja marine cannot axe a hive to death solo if I have crags placed.<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
about 30-40% faster, here at least.
Build 228 was working like a charm.
- Very smooth
- Good balance and
- very fast loading
Build 229 is just broken in my opinion.
- Not smooth at all, frequent slowdowns and lag spike (players teleported). I hadn't seen this on Build 228, moreover, on the same servers.
- Balance is not good at all. Aliens have now a huge advantage (I play almost all the time Aliens since the beginning, so it's not a complain from an angry Marine player).
- Finally loading a map is longer than on 228...
I don't even understand why this build out so fast. The 229 build was available on Steam for beta and just 2 day after it is going on public version. It seems very short. Rushed ?
For me in any case 228 is the best build I seen. Optimized like a charm and very playable. 228 is the more stable build contrary to 229 which is broken on my side.
Maybe someone could clarify these points.
Yes it is. Verified on my side anyway.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Thanks for that, I'm glad to know it isn't just me alone! :(
Anyway I agree with most of what you've written. Though I do think there was still room to improve on optimization front in 228, I think they've messed up now -- all the more so because they did balance changes while telling everyone they wouldn't be doing that in 229.
Game takes longer to load now -- but if it was only that I wouldn't mind. My main problem is the super-regen ability: basically all aliens are now like Wolverine from X-Men. I wish they would have just sorted out the network issues and kept everything else the same. A few more weeks of 228 gameplay with 229 networking improvements and most of the complaints would have disappeared as everyone learned to play better.
Coming in 230: Adamantium skeletons thanks to a carapace buff? Or Superman speed thanks to a celerity buff? Can't wait to find out...
For many friends this is faster, but for me it's slightly longer than before.
However on the down side, my in-game FPS is now significantly lower.. which is bad news for my minimum-spec CPU. . I was so happy when I discovered that if I use texture streaming the game was <i>playable</i>.. now with this patch I have gone back to <b><i>unplayable</i></b>.. please oh please fix the infestation lag or just give us an option to turn the crap off until it can be made more efficient.
Keep in mind that some players have been playing this game for 1+ years, and may have also played the original game for many years.
My point is, a lot of the complaints are coming from experience players who already know how to play the game.
Easter eggs in core gameplay mechanics FTW.
Seriously though, this time they derped. Hopefully it'll get better over time; not that huge of a deal for now.
I agree. It REALLY hurts the metagame to release balance changes without notifying the player base. All of a sudden the other team starts winning and you can't figure out why. The things you believe you know about the balance of the game are suddenly untrue and you have to start from scratch to see where your assumptions are inaccurate.
<a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2</a> It is just on the front page.