163 replies to this topic

[capnjosh]

What happened over the last 7 days:

 

1. Private servers now ignore MMR

2. Confirmed that players in the starting MMR range lose 3 out of 4 matches

  - yes, this is a big deal

  - it's because the winning team has one player that carries the team

  - the winning team has double the kill spread (between highest and lowest kill number)

3. I had lunch with Khang Le and Aaron (both former devs)

  - they're good people

  - they helped confirm some future design goals ;)

4. Started streaming on Hitbox.tv

  - they're pretty excited to have more Hawken air time, so look for it there

5. Launched a new site that will see more development over the coming weeks: http://streams.playhawken.com

  - tell us what you think

6. Read through patent applications

  - yes, it's dense

 

 

What's happening over the next 7 days:

 

1. Ramping up job posting efforts

2. Begin nailing down a more concrete development schedule

3. My workstation is now directly in the middle of the new Hawken dev area

  - yes, I feel lonely; hoping for new work pals ;)

4. Begin to address the mismatch issues in the new player MMR range

  - the overarching goal is to ensure better match quality for individuals

  - this will be an ongoing hot topic to me (even hotter than the store)

5. Implement additional balance tweaks

  - the goals will be to boost previously underpowered items/weapons/internals

  - Mention specific items/internals/weapons you believe to be underpowered, especially those that are simply not competitive

[Pastorius]

3. I had lunch with Khang Le and Aaron (both former devs)

- they're good people

This made me feel all fuzzy and warm inside.
Khang Le, his concepts and his vision are what nailed me where HAWKEN is concerned. I know that you think their original vision for HAWKEN was too big but I would have loved to see him and the team take it the whole distance. The job is yours now Josh but remember; "With great power comes great responsibility".

 

Great job on taking out the MMR 'range calculator' when joining private servers. As we discussed, this has always been an issue for clan event organisation and has been a constant chore for us. Thanks for listening.

 

The Steaming site is an awesome idea matey and I very much look forward to discussing a KDR slot with you

 

Again, the honesty and the transparency you are applying to the future development of HAWKEN is awesome.

 

Thank you.

Edited by (KDR) Pastorius, 23 May 2015 - 08:31 AM.

[Silverfire]

EOC Repeater is severely under competitive, weak. Just not enough return for slow refire, slow projectile speeds, and blazing neon visual notification of location, plus silly indirect mine damage. Love it to death, it just sucks.

Hellfires are weak. Slow reload, slow dumb fire projectile speed, too-wide dumb fire spread, lowest secondary damage output. Tracking ain't so hot either.

Pn223 is weak sauce. Lousy damage/DPS holds it back.

XT Vulcans could have better damage/heat gen if the G2 Assault is to actually become legitimately competitive (and I want it to be, love love love it)

Turrets could use some buffing, they die too soon, perhaps a sort of damage protector while it's being deployed so they have a chance at survival. It's just durability for them.

Oh and SA Hawkins needs to go on Bruiser.

And glad you talked to Khang, he's a good guy.

Any word on server issues and worse ping?

Appreciate transparency a lot Josh, thanks and keep it up.

Edited by Silverfire, 22 May 2015 - 09:29 PM.

[Draco3]

Josh, you and your team are doing an amazing job of "fixing" Hawken and the transparency you are providing the forums.  Keep up the great work.  Hawken is the only game I play these days it's become an addiction (yes even after 500+ hours - small fry compared to some others).

 

From a weapons point of view, I agree with Silverfire about the EOC Repeater.  I love the weapon (took a while to get used to) but it does seem to need more damage (especially with a six puck hit).  

 

I also feel that there should be some kind of counter for the homing missiles of the Bruiser and Rocketeer.  Not necessarily to stop how they work for those piloting those mechs but for those trying to avoid them.  Yes dodging does mean you can get out of it, but for somewhere like bunker or in the open at Bazaar a counter would be great.

 

The primaries on the Reaper I think need an update.  The Reaper, as I see it, is probably the weakest mech in the game especially with it's primaries.  

 

Might it be possible to get new weapons for the G2 variants of the Assault and the Raider?  Would love to have these mechs as level-able mechs rather than purchasing them at full level 6 rank.

 

Great to hear about you chatting with the old devs and "they helped confirm some future design goals ;)".  

 

Can't wait to see what comes next. Keep up the great work. 

[CrimsonKaim]

EOC Repeater is underpowered. It just is. Buff mine damage (curently 50% of the direct hit damage) to 75-80% (direct hit damage remains unchanged). In addition increase flight sleep of the projectiles. For the tradeoff: increase heat generation as well.

For hellfires: improve tracking, make it hard to dodge, every other weapon is harder to dodge since it has either hitscan or a slpash radius that will be actually used.

Maybe buff the Heat cannon as well with shorter charge up time (from 1.25s maybe to 0.75s).

[Undecided_Major]

Give the reaper coolant or remove the spread on the secondary. Maybe both.

 

I really like the reaper but it just plain sucks. No reason to use it right now over the sharpshooter. The concept of a long range A class is stupid. Its increased mobility is completely wasted. Both of these changes would make it better in close/medium range.

[Coboxite]

Weapons that need a buff:

Assault Rifle: This thing is outclassed by the SMC in every way outside of mid range combat, the only mech that can even consider using it is Infiltrator, only because it starts with it and is best to ditch it for the HEAT cannon at the first chance. The best way to buff it is to buff the DPS and/or boost its ROF, so that it can become the mid to long range power house it should be.

 

Vulcan/Vulcan XT: Only on one mech can the Vulcan be considered useful in any way(Grenadier), every other mech has a more versatile weapon(SMC) or a weapon that's simply better than what already does(mini flak). The Vulcan XT is especially under powered, as two XTs only do as much damage as one standard Vulcan, minus a secondary. Two XTs needs to do as much as 1.5 Vulcans, or 1.75 Vulcans, just enough to bring the G2 Assault up competitive level, with out it being over powered. The standard Vulcan also needs its damage brought up, at least up to REflak levels.

 

PN233: Simply outclassed by the Ripper, a simple damage boost or heat reduction should suffice.

 

AM-SAR: On one mech, its redundant. On another, its redundant and outclassed. Not to mention the smoke it produces makes it under powered to almost unusable. A heat reduction would make it a little competitive at least at a least, and lessening the smoke effect would make it much easier to use.

Also, why doesn't the Bruiser have this thing yet?

 

EOC Repeater: Useless next to the other chargeable weapons(HEAT, T32, Breacher), the big problem is the three puck quick shot is simply too weak, as well as the pucks being slow as molasses. Buffing the damage of the three puck quick shot should at least bring it up to the level of the HEAT cannon, but boosting puck speed could also help.

 

Items I feel need to be buffed:

Item regenerator: With the way items are used and the fact that it takes an item slot itself makes this thing completely useless. Unfortunately, the system itself is the problem, there's not much that can be done other than changing the whole thing or removing it.

 

Heat charge: Needs to have friendly fire on it removed, as its way to unwildly to use effectively.

 

ISM Disruptor: Needs to have its effect last much longer, as its outclassed by the EMP right now.

 

As for internals, pretty much all of the, except the repair kit, extractor, air compressor, and (arguably) reconstructor. All others just don't provide enough a bonus to justify equipping them. The replenisher is especially bad, as the bonus is simply not worth the three slots it takes up.

[wolfrock]

The primaries on the Reaper I think need an update.  The Reaper, as I see it, is probably the weakest mech in the game especially with it's primaries.  

 

I really like the reaper but it just plain sucks. No reason to use it right now over the sharpshooter. The concept of a long range A class is stupid. Its increased mobility is completely wasted. Both of these changes would make it better in close/medium range.

 

this sentiment is why i love using am-sar reaper. it's fine the way it is.

 

thx for the update capn

Edited by wolfrock, 22 May 2015 - 10:29 PM.

[JackVandal]

EOC Repeater is severely under competitive, weak. Just not enough return for slow refire, slow projectile speeds, and blazing neon visual notification of location, plus silly indirect mine damage. Love it to death, it just sucks.

Hellfires are weak. Slow reload, slow dumb fire projectile speed, too-wide dumb fire spread, lowest secondary damage output. Tracking ain't so hot either.

Pn223 is weak sauce. Lousy damage/DPS holds it back.

XT Vulcans could have better damage/heat gen if the G2 Assault is to actually become legitimately competitive (and I want it to be, love love love it)

Turrets could use some buffing, they die too soon, perhaps a sort of damage protector while it's being deployed so they have a chance at survival. It's just durability for them.

Oh and SA Hawkins needs to go on Bruiser.

And glad you talked to Khang, he's a good guy.

Any word on server issues and worse ping?

Appreciate transparency a lot Josh, thanks and keep it up.

i didn't know i needed this, that is awesome, swap out the assault rifle for the Hawkins.

 

everything else, spot on.

[Lussaphi]

 

5. Launched a new site that will see more development over the coming weeks: http://streams.playhawken.com

  - tell us what you think

 

That site reminds me some kind of a security room. whoa.

Anyway, lots of love for all the works you have done!

 

aaaaand, I have some personal thoughts:

 

- Think that the internal Air 180 is literally useless among all other options to pick.

You can just do that with a better mouse, or simply raising the mouse sensitivity of the system.

I feel like it can be combined with Air Compressor,

but that would just make it too useful for skilled players.

How about combining Air 180 with Shock Coil?

 

- The activating time of the Reconstuctor internal is too long, I think.

Out of fight for 10 seconds? You have to like, completely abandon the combat area

and hide fuuuuurther back from it to get free 10 secs.

I personally think 5 seconds for activation is good, but honestly somewhere between 5 ~ 10 secs is reasonable.

 

- I heard from somebody that the synergy of the Repair Charge item + Repiar Kit / Extractor internal is

far too overpowered, saying;

"you just need to find safe place to hide for few seconds. no need to actually repair."

Can't personally determine since I never used those combos, but you might want to look.

 

- The Vulcan XTs. Yeah, those on the G2 Assault. I believe they are quite underpowered.

It's just an Assault Rifle with Vulcan's aim and effective range,

and I've heard that the either DPM or DPS of 2 Vulcan XTs is VERY SLIGHTLY higher than ONE Vulcan.

I kinda understand the lowered spec since G2 gets one on each arm, but seems it's too much.

I think buffing the Vulcan XT by; 

Lower damage - maybe similar to SMC?

Lower heat generation, faster firing speed - just like the normal Vulcan

would be reasonable change.

 

- It's about G2 Raider itself - Corsair XT is okay,

but I think giving it Reflak XT or Mini Flak XT instead of Bolt XT would be better.

To me, Bolt is more like a charge - sneak - fxxk enemy from behind,

and the main strategy of G2 Raider is pewpewing Corsair from far

and run into opponent's face with that crazy speed when you have chance .

It doesn't feel like the Bolt is an appropriate weapon for G2 Raider.

 

 

and that's about it from my head. Thanks for reading.

Edited by Lussaphi, 22 May 2015 - 10:43 PM.

[Xacius]

EOC Repeater is underpowered. It just is. Buff mine damage (curently 50% of the direct hit damage) to 75-80% (direct hit damage remains unchanged). In addition increase flight sleep of the projectiles. For the tradeoff: increase heat generation as well.

Agreed, actually.  All good points.  The heat gen doesn't need to be modified all too much though. The weapon's dps is already pitiful.  

[MomOw]

5. Implement additional balance tweaks

  - the goals will be to boost previously underpowered items/weapons/internals

  - Mention specific items/internals/weapons you believe to be underpowered, especially those that are simply not competitive

 

As I understand the purpose is "boosting" (and not boosting and nerfing), and target only items/internals/weapons :

 

 - Hellfire : I want them to be more usefull in dumbfire mode, they are useless when people know how to dodge or take cover.

 - Vulcan XT : just buff its DPS, compensate with higher heat gen, the G2A DPS is too low.

 - AM-SAR : outclassed by RPR, semi-auto don't add what it should (more efficient for burst), the smoke is a pain in the neck as this weapon is found on Mechs with scopes.

 - RE-D0X : ouclassed by RPR, increase projectile speed so that at least hitting targets should be easier (I don't mind a low DPS as it is supposed to be a support weapon)

 - PN223 : ouclassed by RPR, reduce heat generation so that it could be a tactical option for the tech (more beamy, less shooty).

 - any shootgun due to drastic falloff damages (increase minimum damage or falloff, the spread already nerf them at range)

 - EOC : I dunno but I don't fear it

 

Internals, many internals are underpowered as said above :

 - failsafe : increase damage reduction to -30% and -60%

 - fuel converter : increase damage converted to fuel to 2% and 4%

 - replenisher : make it a 2 slots internal

 - reconstructor : make it a % of armor instead of a straight number and slight buff : lets say 2%/s and 5%/s

 - power surger : make it increase both walk and run speed.

 

Items :

 - detonator / HE charge : make them more different and buff them

 - heat charge : make it sticky if you successfully hit an ennemy mech

 - hologram : make it somehow appear as ennemy on radar and have muzzle flash

 - ISM disruptor : make it last longer

 - MG turrets / R. turret : they need a HP buff, and make them thrown (lobbed) items that can stick to wall/ceiling for more usefull deployements.

 - Item regenerator : move it to internals where it belongs

Edited by MomOw, 22 May 2015 - 10:51 PM.

[Nept]

That's a good list, Mom0w.

[Undecided_Major]

this sentiment is why i love using am-sar reaper. it's fine the way it is.

 

thx for the update capn

 

You use it because it sucks? You being a contrarian doesn't make the mech balanced.

[SatelliteJack]

What happened over the last 7 days:

 

3. I had lunch with Khang Le and Aaron (both former devs)

  - they're good people

  - they helped confirm some future design goals ;)

 

 

What's happening over the next 7 days:

 

1. Ramping up job posting efforts

 

 - Mention specific items/internals/weapons you believe to be underpowered, especially those that are simply not competitive

 

3. Great news! There was much rejoicing!

 

1. Where do I apply? No, really, where?

 

Now, onto that list you mentioned...

 

Spoiler

Weapons

• Hellfires: Pitiful damage, insane RoF, too dodgeable.
• PN-223: GARBAGE, outclassed by the RPR in every way (#ShareTheBreacher).
• VulcanXT: Pathetic damage. Compounded by the total lack of burst options, barring the Det.

Items

• Holograms (no not the taunts): Great idea, but could use some work. Someone mentioned them making them shoot.
• Turrets: either boost their health, or give them a deployment shield so they can build in peace.

?Internals

• Fuel Converter: Too little reward for too much risk.
• Composite Armor: Why does this even exist?
• Air 180: Pointless
• Air Compressor: Not underpowered by any stretch of the imagine. Is actually very powerful, and should be unlocked from the get go on all axes.

?Bonus Round! Axes

• Reaper: It's my favorite mech, and I hate everything about it. DPS, health, ability, etc. The only good thing about it is its speed and fuel regen.
• Scout: I get the "glass cannon" balancing, but it even then, it seems just a little fragile.
• G2 Assault: Weak damage from Vulcans, one burst options that's only good for one use, and an underwhelming ability (should remove all heat)

[talon70]

Great!

 

If the large capacity servers are still on matchmaking, I think  they really should not be. They are not reflecting the game well imho.

[ThatDamnedBoedy]

Under powered weapon: KLA-XT - 3.75 sec reload is absurd.  You die 90% of the time with your weapon in reload.  Yes you can 1 shot an a-class but a dodgy enough player will simply wait until you're in reload and...you sit there doing no damage.  Ever.

 

T32-XT - Not sure what's XT about it but it could use a damage per shot buff so when uncharged it is a bit better...that or have the weapon cycle faster so it charges up and discharges much faster.

 

AM-SAR seems like it could use a bit more but I could be wrong.  

 

Mines (in general) should be invulnerable to friendly weapons fire.  Or on the flipside friendly fire is on by default...because I am tired of losing half my health when a teammate dodges in front of me blindly.

[DeeRax]

- It's about G2 Raider itself - Corsair XT is okay,

but I think giving it Reflak XT or Mini Flak XT instead of Bolt XT would be better.

To me, Bolt is more like a charge - sneak - fxxk enemy from behind,

and the main strategy of G2 Raider is pewpewing Corsair from far

and run into opponent's face with that crazy speed when you have chance .

It doesn't feel like the Bolt is an appropriate weapon for G2 Raider.

Weapons on G2 Raider are perfect for how it should play, IMO (t-32 is awesome, leave it alone). Just give the G2R more armor, or make it faster (One or the other, not both). And fix it's ability so that it doesn't make you show up on radar (And maybe have it consume fuel at a slower rate). <-But I think all of that is beyond the scope of tweaking "items & internals."

As far as items & internals go..... Well, for one thing, SOMETHING obviously needs to be done about the scanner.

Edited by DeeRax, 22 May 2015 - 11:44 PM.

[DerMax]

EOC Repeater = increase projectile speed by 35% and mine damage (when on the ground) by 25%

TOW = decrease the splash radius by 10% and projectile speed by 15%

Corsair = decrease cooldown by 0.20s and make the firing animation match the cooldown; halve the time it takes to switch between the Corsair modes

 

Remove the Composite Armor from the game.

[DeeRax]

^ I dunno about stat tweaks for the Corsair (slight cooldown reduction seems legit, tho), but the animation definitely needs to be fixed, for sure.

[Nept]

EOC Repeater = increase projectile speed by 35% and mine damage (when on the ground) by 25%

TOW = decrease the splash radius by 10% and projectile speed by 15%

Corsair = decrease cooldown by 0.20s and make the firing animation match the cooldown; halve the time it takes to switch between the Corsair modes

 

Remove the Composite Armor from the game.

 

I agree with everything asides from the TOW changes. 

 

*Edit* Yeah, I misread that.  Would still leave projectile speed as is, though.

Edited by Nept, 23 May 2015 - 12:20 AM.

[Dew]

EOC repeater as already stated.

• Increase projectile speed. Without a doubt.
• Buff mine damage significantly and reduce impact damage by the same amount. This is to make it easier to get decent damage off of indirect hits. You can't really do it any other way because if a charged EOC volley does much more damage than it does now, Infils are going to start instagibbing A-classes, which is no fun for anyone.
• Increase rate of fire if you're going to buff EOC DPS. This is really the only safe way to go about increasing EOC DPS.

Hellfires

• Buff damage. Pleeeease buff damage.
• Change tracking so they curve again. I'm not sure what the exact mechanics on hellfire tracking are, but one of their strengths used to be the ability to hit enemies behind cover by curving your shots. Now they curve for a short while before making a beeline straight for the enemy, which is more "reliable" in general, but also a bit dumber and it drastically lowers the skill ceiling for the weapon.

AM-SAR

• Pleeeease remove or tone down the muzzle smoke. Makes it impossible to see while scoped in and firing.
• Improve accuracy. The spread on this thing is terrible.

Power Surger and Evasive Device

• Used to increase both walk and boost speed, and were changed at one point to be walk speed only. Completely neutered them and made them useless. Put boost speed back on them, but maybe at a lower percentage than walk speed.

Replenisher

• Momow's idea for a 2-slot Replenisher actually sounds pretty cool. People might bother using it then.

 

MG and Rocket Turrets

• Reduce deployment time. Biggest weakness of both of these IMO is that they're useless in a direct confrontation due to time to deploy. Typically they're dead from splash damage before they even get to fire.

Bruiser and Rocketeer

• Increase air dynamics. Give us aaaaall the air dynamics. Both mechs used to be very adept fliers, which jived well with Hellfires and made them fun to play.

Infiltrator

• Either remove fuel consumption from cloak or reduce the cooldown significantly. I'm more in favor of reducing the cooldown since the fuel consumption makes it require a bit more thought to use.

Reaper

• Special ability should ensure pinpoint accuracy. Right now it only seems to buff accuracy by 50% or so...

Edited by Dew, 23 May 2015 - 12:22 AM.

[BaronSaturday]

Vulcan Xts need a buff or tweak. Either lower wind up or buff damage.

G2A recomendation. Assault Rifle xt and Vulcan xt.

This would give the mech some range options, open up corner play, and possibly make it more competitive. Doing this would make changing the Vxt unnecessary.

[Dew]

On-kill/assist Buffs in General

• Put separate timers on the buff for kills and the buff for assists. Make the buff for kills override the buff for assists, but not remove it. Ideal example with Advanced Armor Fuser:
• 0:00 - Kill triggers 20% healing over 20 seconds.
• 0:05 - Assist triggers 13% healing over 20 seconds. Player continues to receive benefit from the 20% buff only.
• 0:20 - 20% buff wears off. 5 seconds remaining on 13% buff, which the player will now benefit from.
• 0:25 - 13% buff wears off.

Right now it sucks that if you get a kill and an assist immediately after, you get no benefit from the superior on-kill buff because it's immediately overwritten by the lesser assist buff.

Edited by Dew, 23 May 2015 - 12:35 AM.

[BIsmuthZornisse]

From my thread(https://community.pl...ted-16-05-2015/):

 

Items:

HE-Charge: Increase damage to at least grenade launcher level, since it can only be used up to three times per life.

ism disruptor's effect should last about 1 second longer, additionally should be able to be manually triggered (like the HE-Charge). with this change the emp should maybe require an additional slot. The ism also should also disable homing capabilities of hellfires and seekers.

Holoprojector: moves around like a bot, "heals" when user does (unless holo is in midair), has a little drone in center that can be destoyed. Hologram vanishes when drone is destroyed

Turrets: They should be invulnerable while setting up

The rocket turret should either have its projectile self-detonate at the position of the target at the time the rocket was fired (similiar to TOW) or should be replaced with a seeker (with damage adjusted, since the turret appearantly doesnt have to deal with overheating)

Heat charge needs to transfer heat to target faster to successfully disrupt enemies, especially enemy incinerators.

 

Internals:

They shouldnt have such a uniform slot system, some internals, ESPECIALLY the air compressor, are much more useful than other ones while having the same number of slots. Instead, have them vary more and have the "basic/moderate/advanced" just be indicative of when you unlock them.

 

Weapons:

EOC Predator

If the firing button is held, the mines should come out much faster than if tapped in the"rhythm" of the current firing rate, but each mine fired this way after the first has increasingly more heat, causing overheat if you started at 0% heat and place all 8 mines this way (and dont use your left weapon in the mean time). The weapon should also not show up on the minimap unless rapidfired.

PN-223

Slightly decrease damage per shot or slightly increase heat generation, have the shots deal eather 1% heat or apply the mama-bears debuff to the enemy.

Babybear:

Increase damage dealt per shot and effective range.

Vulcan XT:

Replace (atleast one of them) with Burst vulcan G2as

There is no spinup, instead first shot deals increased damage and builds much more heat than the shots afterwards. Maybe reduce overall damage per second a little bit.

[LEmental]

Predator: (I know you said Weapons/Items/Internals, but you gotta look at the whole package.  I have well over 300+ hours in game time with the predator, so I would like to think I know a thing or two about it).

 

Overall, I would say the the Predator is in a great place.  Many people under value it because they don't know how to play it.  I think the numbers are fairly spot on.  Maybe the only thing I would change is some more health.  Most of the issues I have is sound oriented.  The predator should be more sneaky and high level players use hearing to detect other mech's positions.

 

Ability:

1. Remove the change is hearing while cloaked. (everything becomes quieter)
2. Make the shimmer easier to see (impossible against blank backgrounds like test arena) but it should still be difficult to see when the predator isn't moving.
3. Make the walking sound quieter (Right now, it's impossible to sneak up to top players *shakes fist at hestoned*)
4. Hellfire lock-ons should take longer
5. Fall damage shouldn't knock them out of cloak

Breacher:

1. Make the charge up sound quieter (loudest gun ever)

T32:

1. Needs some love, I dunno what (higher burst?).  I find it quite awkward for the Predator's kit.

EoC Repeater:

1. Buff the damage on indirect hits (rather than 50% make it like 75%)

EoC Predator:

1. Make the puck sounds quieter (when it hits a wall)
2. Fix bug where pucks don't explode when fired upon by the enemy while on awkward terrain, or only some of them explode and the enemy thinks it's safe but they only got 1 puck.
3. Make it so teammates can't detonate your pucks but you still can with your shots
4. Have an indicator for number of pucks still active (it sucks not knowing when your trap is gone)

Edited by LEmental, 23 May 2015 - 01:17 AM.

[n3onfx]

Changes I think are the most important:

 

• EOC Repeater: In need of some serious love. The maximum damage (as in the amount when all 6 pucks hit) should not be touched, but it could seriously use at least an increase in projectile speed and maybe an increase in mine damage as well (the second part is less important than the first). A faster loading speed would also increase DPS without increasing the alpha strike damage.
• Hellfires: Buff the dumbfire part of the weapon, one solution would be to make them spread a bit less and travel faster.
• Infiltrator Cloak: There are many ways to go about this change, the underlying problem is always the same though, it consumes too much fuel currently for what it does. Also I'm pretty sure this is result of some coding that didn't get changed after the fact, but currently the Incinerator's SAARE and the heat gen item break cloak on the Infiltrator. I'm supposing the way the game tests if a player is shooting to knock them out of cloak is through heat generation, and since the Incinerator and heat item were added to the game after the Infiltrator cloak, it had the side effect of that weird situation and the dev team didn't have the time to fix it before going AWOL.
• Corsair KLA: Reduce the time it takes to switch between two modes. It's almost as long as the reload time on it currently (which is already the longest in the game) and artificially limits adaptive and smart play. 

 

Changes that require more thinking:

 

• T32: As LEmental said the T32 could use some very slight tweaking, but I think the burst is fine where it is. An increase of the fallout range would be nice, right now it starts doing its minimum damage on direct hits (around 15 damage) really not that far off. An increase in falloff range only on charged mode (so that it still requires some time and planning) would be a good thing to test. It won't increase alpha damage and won't increase dps up close which I think is in a good place for the T32.
• AR and SMC: A very small decrease in damage could be tested, the strength of sustain could use another topic (and its been discussed a lot already) but a 2 - 5% decrease in damage for both weapons could be a place to start. I think this one is the change that needs the most testing. 
• TOW: Very small changes to start with since it's such an important part of the game and I don't think it require big changes anyways. Either decrease speed or splash slightly or both.
• Orblord: Nerf it

 

I'm so excited to see changes happening to the game 

Edited by neon, 23 May 2015 - 02:21 AM.

[Dawn_of_Ash]

 

Predator: (I know you said Weapons/Items/Internals, but you gotta look at the whole package.  I have well over 300+ hours in game time with the predator, so I would like to think I know a thing or two about it).

 

Overall, I would say the the Predator is in a great place.  Many people under value it because they don't know how to play it.  I think the numbers are fairly spot on.  Maybe the only thing I would change is some more health.  Most of the issues I have is sound oriented.  The predator should be more sneaky and high level players use hearing to detect other mech's positions.

 

Ability:

1. Remove the change is hearing while cloaked. (everything becomes quieter)
2. Make the shimmer easier to see (impossible against blank backgrounds like test arena) but it should still be difficult to see when the predator isn't moving.
3. Make the walking sound quieter (Right now, it's impossible to sneak up to top players *shakes fist at hestoned*)
4. Hellfire lock-ons should take longer
5. Fall damage shouldn't knock them out of cloak

Breacher:

1. Make the charge up sound quieter (loudest gun ever)

T32:

1. Needs some love, I dunno what (higher burst?).  I find it quite awkward for the Predator's kit.

EoC Repeater:

1. Buff the damage on indirect hits (rather than 50% make it like 75%)

EoC Predator:

1. Make the puck sounds quieter (when it hits a wall)
2. Fix bug where pucks don't explode when fired upon by the enemy while on awkward terrain, or only some of them explode and the enemy thinks it's safe but they only got 1 puck.
3. Make it so teammates can't detonate your pucks but you still can with your shots
4. Have an indicator for number of pucks still active (it sucks not knowing when your trap is gone)

 

 

 

I think that we need more of this. Anyone else specialize in any mech and could shed light upon their problems?

[Meraple]

T32:

1. Needs some love, I dunno what (higher burst?).  I find it quite awkward for the Predator's kit.

I personally don't think the T32 should be the Alternate Primary for Predator.

It's alot easier in use compared to Breacher, so I don't get why it's unlocked later.

For more experienced pilots however it's pretty useless compared to Breacher.

 

Therefor I think it should be replaced by something else as Alternate Primary,

and be included with the Predator for free as a special "practice weapon" for newer pilots.

I'm not sure how that'd work with the coding/menu, but those are my thoughts.

(Or just switch the Breacher and T32 on Predator in terms of unlock positions.)

 

 

As for higher burst on the T32, it's already at 120 in effective range when all pellets hit - the Raider doesn't need more hitscan burst, imo.

Edited by (KDR) Meraple, 23 May 2015 - 02:02 AM.

[LaurenEmily]

I agree with pretty much every point made by LE and Meraple about the predator.

 

The bolt is useless as an alternative since the breacher is so much more effective. I personally used the bolt as 'training wheels' for the predator as soon as i unlocked it, but it doesn't make much sense to use otherwise.

 

On the other hand, the breacher is what makes the predator and so it makes sense for it to be the first weapon you get.

[JeffMagnum]

I think that we need more of this. Anyone else specialize in any mech and could shed light upon their problems?

I can do a rundown on things I'm comfortable playing.

 

A-Classes

Scout: mostly fine, but a 5% armor buff might be something to try out. Flak and Heat are in a fairly good place balance-wise, but not much can be done with Miniflak since it just doesn't fit Scout's play style well. TOW needs some sort of minor nerf, possibly a reduction in its blast radius to up the level of skill it requires.

Infil: EOC needs some fairly heavy rebalancing; I'd probably increase flight speed, mine damage, and ROF while leaving burst untouched. Heat and AR are fine. GL is usually just a worse TOW right now, but I'd rather make adjustments to just that instead of trying to make changes to both at the same time. Cloak needs to have its cooldown decreased by a good bit, and imo fuel use could be dialled back some even with that change. Give it a 5% armor buff too.

Zerker: likely the best overall A-class currently, but I'd leave it alone for now if TOW and AR/SMC are getting nerfs. Flight speed might possibly need to be decreased a bit if it's too strong even after the first round of balance adjustments.

Reaper: AM-SAR should be more accurate and shouldn't obstruct vision through scopes like it currently does, RPR is fine-ish, and Slug is pretty good. Reaper's ability should increase accuracy far more than it currently does, but ideally it'd be replaced entirely. 5% armor buff here as well.

 

B-Classes

Assault: wait and see where it stands after AR/SMC/TOW/orblord nerfs. I think it'll be fairly balanced if those happen, but I can't say for certain. Consider nerfing its armor by a really small amount if those don't fix it entirely.

SS: AM-SAR needs to be changed like I specified above, but SA and Slug are in a good spot for the most part. Having SA here as well as on Brawler makes me hesitant to nerf its damage since it'll be useless on SS if much changes. SS itself is in a fairly good place overall right now, but a little buff to movement speed would be nice.

Bruiser: Hellfires are always going to be its biggest limiting factor. They honestly need a complete redesign instead of a simple stat adjustment, because a straight buff to make them viable higher up is going to make them OP at lower levels. I'm not sure how to handle Bruiser in the context of sustained nerfs, but there needs to be a buff of some sort to compensate for that.

Raider: Reflak is weird and could use a little reduction in heat gen, T32 would do well if the start and end of its falloff range were extended, and EOC needs a significant amount of love. Corsair shouldn't take nearly as long to switch modes as it does now.

G2A: dumb mech; buff its DPS so it's at least slightly viable. It'll probably always suck.

 

C-Classes

Brawler: very strong but not broken. It's been difficult to balance in the past because of the weapons it shares (particularly Flak), so I'd hold off on making changes until everyone gets a chance to play with the post-nerf/buff versions of everything. Part of me wants a slight armor nerf, but I don't know if that'd erode the role it fills. Turret mode is lame in general, but at least this one is situationally useful.

Gren: mostly in a good spot balance-wise after the ability revision. I don't have many complaints.

Incin: desperately in need of a nerf. Do something with SAARE to keep it from being so ridiculous--I'm leaning toward reducing its AOE radius by a good amount and reducing the heat it transfers to enemy mechs over a straight DPS decrease to start with. Tone down the heat siphoning as well so the Tech synergy is less of an issue. No single mech should be this much of a force multiplier, especially when someone decides to pocket Tech it.

G2R: change Corsair-XT and T32-XT in the same ways that the normal versions would be modified. Reduce the fuel consumption on its ability by a little too.

Edited by JeffMagnum, 23 May 2015 - 03:49 AM.

[BIsmuthZornisse]

Incin: desperately in need of a nerf. Do something with SAARE to keep it from being so ridiculous--I'm leaning toward reducing its AOE radius by a good amount and reducing the heat it transfers to enemy mechs over a straight DPS decrease to start with. Tone down the heat siphoning as well so the Tech synergy is less of an issue. No single mech should be this much of a force multiplier, especially when someone decides to pocket Tech it.

Since it is allegedly a support mech, i'd rather have the SAARE's damage output greatly reduced, so that it is focused on transferring heat onto enemies.

I don't know if there needs to be a special change for the Incin/tech interaction, the Tech's healing beam simply should heal less when the target is not in repair mode.

[Ker4u]

so i shouldnt expect  gameplay changes in next 3 months?

Edited by Ker4u, 23 May 2015 - 03:39 AM.

[JeffMagnum]

Both of those seem a little heavy-handed, especially the second change. I'm not necessarily opposed to a DPS nerf on SAARE, but I don't want to risk nerfing Incin into obsolescence. The issue with nerfing the Tech/Incin combo via the Tech is that it's not problematic with anything except Incin, and reducing Tech's utility in combat even further will promote boring gameplay and simply just make it too weak. I'd rather it not be a walking orb that can only heal you effectively if you're stationary.

Edited by JeffMagnum, 23 May 2015 - 03:45 AM.

[BIsmuthZornisse]

actually, speaking of the technician,

i'd like the Redox-O₂ to deal slightly more damage and lose the splash effect, because a redox-tech doesn't seem able to reasonably defend itself.

 

 

Both of those seem a little heavy-handed, especially the second change. I'm not necessarily opposed to a DPS nerf on SAARE, but I don't want to risk nerfing Incin into obsolescence. The issue with nerfing the Tech/Incin combo via the Tech is that it's not problematic with anything except Incin, and reducing Tech's utility in combat even further will promote boring gameplay and simply just make it too weak. I'd rather it not be a walking orb that can only heal you effectively if you're stationary.

i think the incinerator deals way too much damage for a support type mech. i don't think a damage reduction to the SAARE will make the incinerator obsolete, because it should still be able to shut down the enemy by overheating it.

[DerMax]

Guys, please make sure you only comment on the things you use extensively.

[Pastorius]

so i shouldnt expect  gameplay changes in next 3 months?

lol. CapnJosh for the majority of those three months...
 

Spoiler

It will take him most of that time to process this thread. Serves him right for asking I guess...  

Edited by (KDR) Pastorius, 23 May 2015 - 04:10 AM.

[BaronSaturday]

One more thing. Please bring Khang and Aaron on board. Please. I'm not sure if that's implied, but I really feel the old hands would help a lot and not just from a back end, but for a direction perspective. With meteor no longer around, they wouldn't be pressured like before and with you leading the team it would be nothing but good. Khang is an incredible artist. His design philosophy and eye are incredible.

[LaurenEmily]

Speaking of original artists, what about these guys:

 

William Tyler Buser http://www.williamtylerbuser.com/

 

Wesley Griffith http://www.wesley3d....HawkenPage.html

 

Darren Quach http://www.artofdq.com/

 

They have all left their mark in Hawken and everything they've done looks incredible.

[Loglino]

Wow I don't have anything to add. Everything has been said.

+1 for Reaper rework though.

+1 for Hawkins Bruiser

+1 for less DPS, more heat per-hit Incin.

Edited by Loglino, 23 May 2015 - 05:07 AM.