Post by Ron Gaul on Jan 30, 2017 15:45:16 GMT -5
So. The first generation of mechs in War Robots is effectively becoming obsolete. Only the Fury and Griffin are still truly viable in top tier; Leo makes a valiant effort, and in good hands can still be dangerous in Gold tier, but far more prevalent are the WSP bots, Fury, Griff, and now the Britbots.
The new swap bots are going to be interesting, but no more. They won't change the game majorly.
The trouble is that adding any new bot type runs the risk of majorly upsetting the power balance in a bad way, unless the new bot is very carefully balanced. Developing new bots is always good, but...there's only so many different things you can do.
So, why not simply add new versions of some older bots? Not replace the old ones; add updated versions to the game alongside the originals? The Destrier and Stalker are essentially two versions of the same bot; I view the Destrier as the first-generation bot while the Stalker is a late-model advanced version designed to address the weaknesses in the Destrier design. Why not play further on that theme? In the course of any war, nations develop existing weapons, building in the same platform to create what is still very similar to the original but is far superior.
Vityaz Mk II - "Molotok" (Hammer) - 10% higher speed and HP than Vityaz, plus frontal physical shielding to protect Molotok from plasma and gunfire. A stronger, faster Vitz thrown together to defend against the onset of the britbots. Increased stress on it reactor results in 10% higher chance of suffering critical hits. Color pattern: dark red. Cost: 13,000 WSP. MM penalty.
Golem Mk II - "Manalit" (Monolith) - like Molotok, Manalit is armored in front to protect against plasma and gunfire. However Manalit has an additional armor plate on the rear, rendering additional protection against attacks from behind. Manalit has 15% less HP than Golem but has 20% higher speed. Manalit is an assault weapon, designed to storm enemy lines and operate alone if necessary, being able to fight while surrounded. Color pattern: light blue (Golem). Cost: 13,000 WSP. MM penalty.
Patton Mk II - "D.D. Eisenhower" - like the Destrier, the Patton is outclassed. The Eisenhower is the development version of the Patton, making use of the same stealth technology utilized on the Destrier. Ike has the same HP as Patton but is 5% less susceptible to critical hits causing weapons loss, yet it is 10% more susceptible to damage to leg modules, as well as being 10% faster. Stealth ability identical with Stalker. Color pattern: white (Stalker). Cost: 13,000 WSP. MM penalty.
Griffin Mk II - "Gargoyle" - while not outclassed, the Griffin is beginning to show its age. As such, an updated version was created with 10% higher speed, 10% lower HP, 25% less vulnerability to critical hits, and the Stealth ability which activates for 6 seconds as soon as Jump is triggered. Stealth cannot be activated apart from Jump; the abilities are tied together and also require 30 seconds to recharge. Gargoyle is designed to operate from ambush positions, leaping in to attack or else leaping away to avoid an enemy salvo. Color pattern: white (Stalker). Cost: 15,000 WSP. MM penalty.
Leo Mk II - "Panther" - the Leo is a strong, sturdy platform, but against Lancelot or Rhino it is sadly outclassed, more often than not. An improvement was needed, and thus was born the Panther: increased firepower thanks to one light hardpoint being replaced with a medium hardpoint; improvements to reliability decreased the Panther's susceptibility to critical hits to only 5%, and the ability to self-repair during battle and regenerate 50% of current health over 5 seconds. (weapons do not regenerate). This ability has a 30-second cooldown. Speed remains the same as the previous model; however at a cost to armor, which is 20% lower than the Leo. Color pattern: black. Cost: 15,000 WSP. MM penalty.
Natasha Mk II - "Natalia" - the Natasha platform, offering tremendous firepower but sadly inadequate durability and speed, was re-conceptualized as a heavy close-support platform. Heavy weapons hard points were removed and replaced with medium weapons, and the same was done with the light hard points. Natalia was also toughened and fitted with better leg units as well as an inbuilt Ancile shield; however the stress this placed on Natasha's already overtaxed powerplant resulted in 15% higher likelihood of systems failure (susceptibility to critical hits). Health is now 10% higher. The hoped-for speed boost, however, was only 10% greater than Natasha's speed had been. Color pattern: dark red. Cost: 15,000 WSP. No MM penalty.
Rhino Mk II - "Black Rhino" - while the Rhino itself is not obsolete, it is of limited versatility. Also it is lacking when operating alone; the Rhino must be supported in order to survive. Thus, a support unit was developed from the pre-existing Rhino chassis, to support the Rhino in combat and provide heavy fire-support. The new Black Rhino also redressed the issue of vulnerability to plasma fire by fitting twin permanent shields where the light weapons had been mounted on the Rhino; the Black Rhino was then limited to three hard points for weapons, mounted behind the heavy frontal shield. The two medium hard points were consolidated into a single heavy hard point, and the remainder of the Black Rhino's firepower consisted of two light hard points. Like the Rhino, the Black Rhino's frontal shield blocks the guns when in Assault mode; unlike the Rhino, the Black Rhino's entire battery is blocked by the shield, thus completely preventing the BlackRhino from firing while in Assault mode. The Black Rhino offers the same speed as the Rhino, but the flaws in the Rhino's reliability were addressed in the Black Rhino, rendering it 25% less vulnerable to critical hits. The durability of the frontal shield was also increased by 10%. However this upgrade, coupled with the additional armor on the sides, resulted in some of the Black Rhino's durability being sacrificed to retain the Rhino's speed. As a result the Black Rhino's health pool is 17% lower than the Rhino, starting at 100k. Color pattern: black. Cost: 15,000 WSP. No MM penalty.
Schutze Mk II - "Jaeger" - The Schutze, an obsolete weapon from the early days of the war, and one of the first mechs to see widespread use, was reimagined as a close-support unit. The limitations of the type were clear; it simply could not hope to defeat the modern mechs equipped with far heavier weaponry and armor, and even the Schutze's once-superior speed was not enough to save it. However, breakthrough advancements in teleportation technology breathed new life into the Schutze as the ideal support weapon: waiting at long range, watching the battle, then hopping in where needed to support friendly units in trouble before disappearing to assist elsewhere. The Jaeger was born, a robot with increased speed thanks to being fitted with power reactors and motors from the American Stalker, as well as the hull being streamlined and reinforced. Still mounting a single heavy weapon, the Jaeger utilizes Hyperleap abilities to instantly teleport to any friendly bot on the battlefield. Jaeger must lock on to friendly bot, and then teleportation takes 1 second. Ability recharge is 7 seconds. Speed is 50 at base level, reaching 62 at L12. HP is the same as the current Schutze. Color pattern: Cost: 7,000 WSP. Minor MM penalty.
Boa Mk II - "Python" - The same Hyperleap technology used on the Jaeger was utilized to turn the aging Boa into the more powerful Python, a teleporting support unit with identical speed to the old Boa, but with an additional inbuilt Ancile shield and 20% lower armor. The Python has the same teleportation ability as the Jaeger; however teleporting a larger bot requires more energy and consequently a longer recharge time (12 seconds). To compensate for the increased time in the target area, as well as the lowered durability, improvements were made to the reliability and ultimately lowered the Python's chance of critical systems failure to 3%. Cost: 13,000 WSP. Minor MM penalty.
So, to recap:
Molotok - faster, up-armored Vityaz; stronger against plasma, weaker to rocket fire. MM penalty limits Molotok to higher levels.
Manalit - faster, armored Golem, stronger against plasma but weaker against rocket fire. MM penalty limits Manalit to higher levels.
Eisenhower - faster, stealthy Patton. Less prone to losing weapons but more prone to having movement disabled. MM penalty limits Eisenhower to higher levels.
Gargoyle - faster, more fragile Griffin, though less prone to losing weapons. Strong while jumping and cloaked; however extremely long ability recharge time and lower health leaves Gargoyle highly vulnerable against counterattacks. MM penalty limits Gargoyle to higher levels.
Panther - Leo with increased firepower and lower health pool. Designed to counter Lancelot; burst firepower is the same as Leo, but protracted firepower is improved thanks to one heavier weapon slot. Stronger on attack, weaker on defense. MM penalty limits Panther to higher levels.
Natalia - Natasha with higher speed and armor but even more vulnerability to critical hits. Ancile shielding makes Natalia stronger on ambush and against rockets but weaker to plasma and on defense. No MM penalty other than weight class.
Black Rhino - armored Rhino with less firepower. Stronger against plasma but weaker against rockets. No MM penalty other than weight class.
Jaeger - advanced Schutze; stronger all-around, strong only in support of other units. Weak when operating alone. Minor MM penalty prevents Jaeger only from entering Rookie and Bronze tiers.
Python - advanced Boa; stronger against rockets but weaker against plasma. Strongest in support role, fairly weak when operating alone. Minor MM penalty prevents Python only from entering Rookie and Bronze tiers.
These bots would add significantly to the viable bot options in Silver and Gold tiers, which, once the Leagues system is implemented for MM, will make a huge difference.
None of these would require completely new models to be built, as they are all developments of existing platforms. Thus there would be a vastly reduced development time. That would be nine additional bot options - aka versatility. These would be something new to spend WSP on, without affecting any bots or weapons currently in the game.
This is a revised version of bots I originally proposed several months ago. These are rebalanced and updated versions.
Thoughts?
The new swap bots are going to be interesting, but no more. They won't change the game majorly.
The trouble is that adding any new bot type runs the risk of majorly upsetting the power balance in a bad way, unless the new bot is very carefully balanced. Developing new bots is always good, but...there's only so many different things you can do.
So, why not simply add new versions of some older bots? Not replace the old ones; add updated versions to the game alongside the originals? The Destrier and Stalker are essentially two versions of the same bot; I view the Destrier as the first-generation bot while the Stalker is a late-model advanced version designed to address the weaknesses in the Destrier design. Why not play further on that theme? In the course of any war, nations develop existing weapons, building in the same platform to create what is still very similar to the original but is far superior.
Vityaz Mk II - "Molotok" (Hammer) - 10% higher speed and HP than Vityaz, plus frontal physical shielding to protect Molotok from plasma and gunfire. A stronger, faster Vitz thrown together to defend against the onset of the britbots. Increased stress on it reactor results in 10% higher chance of suffering critical hits. Color pattern: dark red. Cost: 13,000 WSP. MM penalty.
Golem Mk II - "Manalit" (Monolith) - like Molotok, Manalit is armored in front to protect against plasma and gunfire. However Manalit has an additional armor plate on the rear, rendering additional protection against attacks from behind. Manalit has 15% less HP than Golem but has 20% higher speed. Manalit is an assault weapon, designed to storm enemy lines and operate alone if necessary, being able to fight while surrounded. Color pattern: light blue (Golem). Cost: 13,000 WSP. MM penalty.
Patton Mk II - "D.D. Eisenhower" - like the Destrier, the Patton is outclassed. The Eisenhower is the development version of the Patton, making use of the same stealth technology utilized on the Destrier. Ike has the same HP as Patton but is 5% less susceptible to critical hits causing weapons loss, yet it is 10% more susceptible to damage to leg modules, as well as being 10% faster. Stealth ability identical with Stalker. Color pattern: white (Stalker). Cost: 13,000 WSP. MM penalty.
Griffin Mk II - "Gargoyle" - while not outclassed, the Griffin is beginning to show its age. As such, an updated version was created with 10% higher speed, 10% lower HP, 25% less vulnerability to critical hits, and the Stealth ability which activates for 6 seconds as soon as Jump is triggered. Stealth cannot be activated apart from Jump; the abilities are tied together and also require 30 seconds to recharge. Gargoyle is designed to operate from ambush positions, leaping in to attack or else leaping away to avoid an enemy salvo. Color pattern: white (Stalker). Cost: 15,000 WSP. MM penalty.
Leo Mk II - "Panther" - the Leo is a strong, sturdy platform, but against Lancelot or Rhino it is sadly outclassed, more often than not. An improvement was needed, and thus was born the Panther: increased firepower thanks to one light hardpoint being replaced with a medium hardpoint; improvements to reliability decreased the Panther's susceptibility to critical hits to only 5%, and the ability to self-repair during battle and regenerate 50% of current health over 5 seconds. (weapons do not regenerate). This ability has a 30-second cooldown. Speed remains the same as the previous model; however at a cost to armor, which is 20% lower than the Leo. Color pattern: black. Cost: 15,000 WSP. MM penalty.
Natasha Mk II - "Natalia" - the Natasha platform, offering tremendous firepower but sadly inadequate durability and speed, was re-conceptualized as a heavy close-support platform. Heavy weapons hard points were removed and replaced with medium weapons, and the same was done with the light hard points. Natalia was also toughened and fitted with better leg units as well as an inbuilt Ancile shield; however the stress this placed on Natasha's already overtaxed powerplant resulted in 15% higher likelihood of systems failure (susceptibility to critical hits). Health is now 10% higher. The hoped-for speed boost, however, was only 10% greater than Natasha's speed had been. Color pattern: dark red. Cost: 15,000 WSP. No MM penalty.
Rhino Mk II - "Black Rhino" - while the Rhino itself is not obsolete, it is of limited versatility. Also it is lacking when operating alone; the Rhino must be supported in order to survive. Thus, a support unit was developed from the pre-existing Rhino chassis, to support the Rhino in combat and provide heavy fire-support. The new Black Rhino also redressed the issue of vulnerability to plasma fire by fitting twin permanent shields where the light weapons had been mounted on the Rhino; the Black Rhino was then limited to three hard points for weapons, mounted behind the heavy frontal shield. The two medium hard points were consolidated into a single heavy hard point, and the remainder of the Black Rhino's firepower consisted of two light hard points. Like the Rhino, the Black Rhino's frontal shield blocks the guns when in Assault mode; unlike the Rhino, the Black Rhino's entire battery is blocked by the shield, thus completely preventing the BlackRhino from firing while in Assault mode. The Black Rhino offers the same speed as the Rhino, but the flaws in the Rhino's reliability were addressed in the Black Rhino, rendering it 25% less vulnerable to critical hits. The durability of the frontal shield was also increased by 10%. However this upgrade, coupled with the additional armor on the sides, resulted in some of the Black Rhino's durability being sacrificed to retain the Rhino's speed. As a result the Black Rhino's health pool is 17% lower than the Rhino, starting at 100k. Color pattern: black. Cost: 15,000 WSP. No MM penalty.
Schutze Mk II - "Jaeger" - The Schutze, an obsolete weapon from the early days of the war, and one of the first mechs to see widespread use, was reimagined as a close-support unit. The limitations of the type were clear; it simply could not hope to defeat the modern mechs equipped with far heavier weaponry and armor, and even the Schutze's once-superior speed was not enough to save it. However, breakthrough advancements in teleportation technology breathed new life into the Schutze as the ideal support weapon: waiting at long range, watching the battle, then hopping in where needed to support friendly units in trouble before disappearing to assist elsewhere. The Jaeger was born, a robot with increased speed thanks to being fitted with power reactors and motors from the American Stalker, as well as the hull being streamlined and reinforced. Still mounting a single heavy weapon, the Jaeger utilizes Hyperleap abilities to instantly teleport to any friendly bot on the battlefield. Jaeger must lock on to friendly bot, and then teleportation takes 1 second. Ability recharge is 7 seconds. Speed is 50 at base level, reaching 62 at L12. HP is the same as the current Schutze. Color pattern: Cost: 7,000 WSP. Minor MM penalty.
Boa Mk II - "Python" - The same Hyperleap technology used on the Jaeger was utilized to turn the aging Boa into the more powerful Python, a teleporting support unit with identical speed to the old Boa, but with an additional inbuilt Ancile shield and 20% lower armor. The Python has the same teleportation ability as the Jaeger; however teleporting a larger bot requires more energy and consequently a longer recharge time (12 seconds). To compensate for the increased time in the target area, as well as the lowered durability, improvements were made to the reliability and ultimately lowered the Python's chance of critical systems failure to 3%. Cost: 13,000 WSP. Minor MM penalty.
So, to recap:
Molotok - faster, up-armored Vityaz; stronger against plasma, weaker to rocket fire. MM penalty limits Molotok to higher levels.
Manalit - faster, armored Golem, stronger against plasma but weaker against rocket fire. MM penalty limits Manalit to higher levels.
Eisenhower - faster, stealthy Patton. Less prone to losing weapons but more prone to having movement disabled. MM penalty limits Eisenhower to higher levels.
Gargoyle - faster, more fragile Griffin, though less prone to losing weapons. Strong while jumping and cloaked; however extremely long ability recharge time and lower health leaves Gargoyle highly vulnerable against counterattacks. MM penalty limits Gargoyle to higher levels.
Panther - Leo with increased firepower and lower health pool. Designed to counter Lancelot; burst firepower is the same as Leo, but protracted firepower is improved thanks to one heavier weapon slot. Stronger on attack, weaker on defense. MM penalty limits Panther to higher levels.
Natalia - Natasha with higher speed and armor but even more vulnerability to critical hits. Ancile shielding makes Natalia stronger on ambush and against rockets but weaker to plasma and on defense. No MM penalty other than weight class.
Black Rhino - armored Rhino with less firepower. Stronger against plasma but weaker against rockets. No MM penalty other than weight class.
Jaeger - advanced Schutze; stronger all-around, strong only in support of other units. Weak when operating alone. Minor MM penalty prevents Jaeger only from entering Rookie and Bronze tiers.
Python - advanced Boa; stronger against rockets but weaker against plasma. Strongest in support role, fairly weak when operating alone. Minor MM penalty prevents Python only from entering Rookie and Bronze tiers.
These bots would add significantly to the viable bot options in Silver and Gold tiers, which, once the Leagues system is implemented for MM, will make a huge difference.
None of these would require completely new models to be built, as they are all developments of existing platforms. Thus there would be a vastly reduced development time. That would be nine additional bot options - aka versatility. These would be something new to spend WSP on, without affecting any bots or weapons currently in the game.
This is a revised version of bots I originally proposed several months ago. These are rebalanced and updated versions.
Thoughts?
