Update Released!

(Protekt1) #41

My fps goes from 120 all the way down to like freaking 30-40 in the matter of a heartbeat.

(RasteRayzeR) #42

Nah, really I gained a good constant 20 to 30 FPS, which makes my setup block most of the time around 120-144 FPS (V-sync). The whole game looks a lot smoother and more vivid. I’m running it without any changes to the original configuration.

U mad ? :smiley:

(Hundopercent) #43

Surprised people like the Arty ability change. It’s clunky and no where near as fluid to use as BBQ/Skyhammer abilities. It was mediocre before, now it’s sort of poo compared to the other 2.

Rhino’s spin up time is too long and his movement penalty makes him too easy of a prey vs skilled players. Even with 200 HP he will splat (unless vs medic) before you can even fire off enough rounds to kill someone.

I should probably play more before digging in and heavily commenting but I’ve lost a great deal of interest in this game after recent updates.

(acutepuppy) #44

It’s absolutely clunky. But it’s only variables that need changing, and targeting that needs tuning. Imagine if you could (without doubt) tag a spot that gets a quick burst (one, two, or three shots) of artillery, with two or three per cool-down. So much potential there.

(acutepuppy) #45

On a another note, I know some folks don’t check the Nexon forums, so I wanted to copy a post from there about the potent effects of small changes, that aren’t weapon based, and not in the patch notes.

Sound/visual cues were drastically changed, as well as the behavior of many world objects. These changes can completely change how a Merc is played, and toss the metagame into new territory.

Take the update on Aimee in this patch. Her TEC now has a proper world model that shows where it is pointing, and the view from the TEC now beeps upon the spot of enemy players. This allows Aimee to provide intel to the team, AND know when the intel is provided. Being a player-spot visible through walls, it’s extremely valuable. A million balance changes to Aimee’s weapons would not make nearly the impact as this update.

She can now spot several players, knowing exactly when they have been tagged, and switch back to the sniper rifle and start mopping up. The TEC was absolutely useless (given the pace of the game) before these cues were introduced. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the competitive players didn’t know about this change, because they were testing Skyhammer’s rifle, and Sawbonez SMG. Not that there is anything wrong with that!

The balance to her improved ability is the tell-tale light that comes off the lens of the camera.

(Humate) #46

Even with those improvements to the 3rd eye camera it cant be triggered off mouse1, and you have to be in camera mode.

(Anti) #47

We’re not finished tweaking the TEC yet, we are already working on making it more responsive. A similar pass is going on with Arty’s artillery as well.

(Humate) #48

Fantastic.I will definitely play aimee, when that functionality is implemented.

(Kl3ppy) #49

Are there any thoughts about removing the slowdown when using the defi? I usually like to sprint, take out my defi while sprinting, revive made and keep on sprinting. Or do I just not revive properly?

(Anti) #50

We’re testing things like throwing not interrupting sprints, to see how it feels, we might be able try defibrillator use with that as well.

(Kl3ppy) #51

nice Anti :slight_smile:

(Hundopercent) #52

As long as you have to stand still and fire that thing it will probably never work the way we want. The reason it worked before is because we could predict ahead of time and use it early. In it’s current iteration you will die prior to it even going off.

Cut the painting time by 50 - 70% and see if it’s more viable.

(shaftz0r) #53

[QUOTE=strychzilla;484695]
Cut the painting time by 50 - 70% and see if it’s more viable.[/QUOTE]

i personally really like the new arty compared to how obvious it used to be, but i could handle the paint time being cut a little

(RasteRayzeR) #54

Mhhh, why can 1 enemy block the EV when there are 3 people escorting it ??? We lost on White Chapel because of that, doesn’t seem logic.

(Protekt1) #55

I think the fps drops were a problem on my end that was fixed by restarting my PC. Probably nvidia driver issue like usual.

(DB Genome editor) #56

Safety feature so it doesn’t run over kids and little old ladies? :tongue:

I actually like that a single defender can stop the beast, it nullifies the boring tactic for the attackers of safely sitting behind the EV and simply pushing it along.

(Mustang) #57

Actually I think it would be nice to include enemies in the EV speed calculation rather than stopping it completely.
e.g.
3 allies - 2 enemies = x1, EV moves at normal speed
4 allies - 2 enemies = x2, EV moves at first boosted speed

Of course the boosted speeds should also be reduced to compensate for the change.
i.e. If before the speeds were 100%, 140%, 180% for successive additional allies, perhaps it should now be 100%, 120%, 140%.

There is also a “bug” where the EV moves at different speeds depending on map location, i.e. the first stage of Whitechapel at x4 is not the same speed as the last stage at x4, at least that’s how it feels when playing/watching.

(INF3RN0) #58

So if the main negative thing I see from these updates is the future of new mercs. Rhino, it fits a generic FPS role and isn’t OP- but does that make it right? What I really dislike is these mercs that have no feeling of a skill cap. There’s nothing to really practice or get better at with certain weapon types and abilities simply because they weren’t intended to work that way. When that happens you end up with all these “theoretically balanced” loadouts, but when it comes to actual player involvement… that’s where the problem arises.

Basically what I’m trying to say is, new weapons, new abilities, new mechanics, etc- I’m all for it. However these new things need to present intuitive use and high learning curve mechanics. If you want melee combat, you need to present a system to the player that forces them to spend countless hours perfecting their efficiency through things within their physical control. What should not be happening is a scenario such as “well I guess it’s balanced because it only works 50% of the time for most players, even if there’s not much to it”. All weapons and abilities that function as a primary damage source should always involve extensive player involvement and effort. You can make these things more difficult to use as a counter to potentially greater reward, but please at all costs avoid taking away control from a player or creating cheap auto-mated mechanics for those who don’t want to put in the effort. It’s the dividing line between this game having the image of a highly competitive skill based shooter and just another casual experience that avoids the risk of challenging its players in all aspects.

(Ashog) #59

[QUOTE=Mustang;484735]Actually I think it would be nice to include enemies in the EV speed calculation rather than stopping it completely.
e.g.
3 allies - 2 enemies = x1, EV moves at normal speed
4 allies - 2 enemies = x2, EV moves at first boosted speed

Of course the boosted speeds should also be reduced to compensate for the change.
i.e. If before the speeds were 100%, 140%, 180% for successive additional allies, perhaps it should now be 100%, 120%, 140%.

There is also a “bug” where the EV moves at different speeds depending on map location, i.e. the first stage of Whitechapel at x4 is not the same speed as the last stage at x4, at least that’s how it feels when playing/watching.[/QUOTE]

Good idea with the enemies reducing speed. But different speed on different parts of map - imho feature, not bug, tho I might be wrong.

(Anti) #60

[QUOTE=INF3RN0;484741]So if the main negative thing I see from these updates is the future of new mercs. Rhino, it fits a generic FPS role and isn’t OP- but does that make it right? What I really dislike is these mercs that have no feeling of a skill cap. There’s nothing to really practice or get better at with certain weapon types and abilities simply because they weren’t intended to work that way. When that happens you end up with all these “theoretically balanced” loadouts, but when it comes to actual player involvement… that’s where the problem arises.

Basically what I’m trying to say is, new weapons, new abilities, new mechanics, etc- I’m all for it. However these new things need to present intuitive use and high learning curve mechanics. If you want melee combat, you need to present a system to the player that forces them to spend countless hours perfecting their efficiency through things within their physical control. What should not be happening is a scenario such as “well I guess it’s balanced because it only works 50% of the time for most players, even if there’s not much to it”. All weapons and abilities that function as a primary damage source should always involve extensive player involvement and effort. You can make these things more difficult to use as a counter to potentially greater reward, but please at all costs avoid taking away control from a player or creating cheap auto-mated mechanics for those who don’t want to put in the effort. It’s the dividing line between this game having the image of a highly competitive skill based shooter and just another casual experience that avoids the risk of challenging its players in all aspects.[/QUOTE]

I think we agree in principle that all characters should have their own learning curve, but some need that curve to be shorter than others for the sake of accessibility. We see Rhino as a more user friendly character, to help new folks settle into the game, whilst ultimately Phantom (when finished) will actually take quite a bit of learning and skill to get the most out of.