Are they (the few) actually “breaking” the game? Or just exploiting holes? If the latter, who is forcing them to do so? As I said earlier, if it hurts when you do that, stop doing that. Find a way to enjoy the game within it’s framework and stop doing what one can to easily avoid “breaking” the game. If one doesn’t have the will power to do that, find a better game to play. But, no, the game is forcing me to OP it, so I have no other choice but to do that.
Nothing is about “forcing”, it’s about the very human laziness; why do something complicated and difficult when you can find a loophole that just skip it completely? Not so long ago we could dash run-kill over and over, making the game stupidly easy. Yeah, some players did avoid doing it, but the temptation is there, especially when the odds are against you. But then, once we fall to abusing loopholes in a game, we start discarding a lot of it’s content as “useless” as we can’t abuse of it as much. And for people like me, it’s pretty much like cheating and that soon makes the game far less interesting to play (i’m the “explorer” kind of players, i like to learn and try new things, hate when there is an unavoidable meta that makes everything else pointless).
The Queen in Chess is the most powerful piece on the board, but she is not OP because she has a specific set of limitations which governs her behaviour: she cannot jump over pieces on the board, she can only move in straight lines, and - crucially if you are comparing her to PP - she can only do this once per turn!
Now a new developer comes along and decides to create ‘PP Chess’. He buffs the Queen so that she can jump over pieces with Jet Jump, Dash across the board 4 times, and gain an extra move every time she takes a piece.
Now she’s OP, because once she starts moving, she can’t be stopped, and she can wipe the entire board in one turn. And the White player has to do this, because if (s)he doesn’t, the newly-introduced DDA Mechanic gives the Black Player 2 reinforcements for every piece it lost, each needing to be Taken twice before they are removed from the board, with a RF mechanic which means that they Take any piece that Takes them.
If you want to use Chess as an analogy, that’s what PP is currently like.
Yeah, gotta agree that when you can make a bionic augmented Berserker. /Heavy with close quarters specialist and support that unit with Rally, that “Roy” does break the game. I have exactly this type of unit in my current game. Because it was the first or second unit I recruited it’s been on so many missions it’s stats are maxed. Totally unfair on turn one, especially if you are able to scout the key enemies. Bigger maps, better fog of war, and nerfing would really help.
The thing is there are many builds like that - the key is high damage output (heavy weapons and/or damage buffs), mobility/accuracy buffs, and AP refunding (either rally the troops, or rapid clearance).
Infiltrarors with echo head/melee bionic with x2 sneak attack damage (also vanish for melee) and rapid clearance…
After Leviathan these builds are even more common because you get way too many SPs.
There is no doubt that the devs are aware of this (excessive mobility having been specifically mentioned in the last Q&A), but they are obviously reluctant to do a big overhaul as that alienates many players who are no aware of the balance issues/don’t mind them.
So it’s a question of doing the least possible changes to get the balance where it has to be, and to add new content. For example, Firaxis changed the gameplay radically with Enemy Within by adding meld canisters, which acted as timers for the missions.
Limit range of fire for all weapons. So you can’t fire from one edge of map to another. May be only with one or two end-game sniper rifles.
Re-work some OP skills:
RB work only with automated weapons (with limit range of fire you can’t shoot with minigun to far away). But it still greate to kill someone very big in close range.
priest’s skill don’t buff speed, but add mind control immune or resistance to will attacks instead of it.
berserk’s passive don’t add speed with HP loss, but give something else. 10% HP regen of lost hp, for example.
assault’s skill that grant 2AP for killing must reduce speed to 0 till end of turn. So it’s still cool to clear enemies in small area, but prevent whole map kill in one turn. Espesially with melee weapon.
Almost all armor must debuff speed. So speed 25 can be reached only with the lightest armor (or armorless mutations and augs) and soldiers speed at 25 points.
But don’t forget to cap range for Chirons and other Pandarans and make debuff to speed for armored atrons to prevent they from alpha-strike PP squad in one turn…
You’e preaching to the converted on this thread, but there are many out there who would accuse you of trying to ruin their fun/ability to survive in this game, which is why I suspect @VOLAND is right when he says:
Preventing alpha-strikes IS easy - convincing the devs that it’s absolutely necessary for the long-term survival of this game is not.
Because there is also alpha strike on the enemys side (at least unfair conditions).
Changes that make BOTH sides survive only make it fair. Then why is the “fun” destroyed? There will always be players who will cry after a “win now” button or who demand overwhelming advantages on their side.
The developers have to know for themselves which players they are designing the game concept for.
But if you want to take both with you, then I see no other option but to introduce a game mode.
It would look like this:
fantasy mode: like now, only that the opponents are weakened as with the thread “nerf everything”.
tactical mode: implement “nerf everything”.
DIFFICULTY would then change typical things like number, type of enemys and leveling up …
But what do I know …
We can ONLY draw attention to the possibilities for improvement, nothing more
