News: New Patch Notes - Test Server 13-06-13

[Ruffdog]

https://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/...s-6-13.133746/

Test Patch Notes 6/13

Please take some time to check out a few of the things that went to the test server in the latest build. Let us know if you find any bugs and what you think of the changes. Thanks!


Map Tutorial

• New map tutorial! It is accessed by clicking the question mark button at the bottom right corner of the map. This can be accessed by anyone at any time. Note that the help button that opens the map tutorial will be moving to a new location and will get new icons.

Interactive Tutorial

• Tutorial Intro now includes a list of topics that will be covered and an approximate ETA.

• Infiltrator segment now also mentions holding breath to stabilize scope sway.

• Warpgate Terminal now highlights the highest non-queued continent instead of always Indar.

• Several minor tweaks and fixes to the tutorial to improve usability.

Continent domination thresholds

• Domination requirement lowered from 100% to 75% of the territory on the continent.

• The point where a domination benefit will be lost increased from 0% to 15% of owned territory.

Our goal is to make continent domination and denial during prime time a tough but reasonably achievable goal and to reduce the situations where entire empires would hold up in one facility.


Instant Action & Reinforcements Adjustments

• Less emphasis on fights where your empire is dominating.

• More emphasis on fights where your empire has a small disadvantage

• Optimal IA fight is now a bit bigger than platoon vs platoon.

• Lowered maximum population allowed for an instant action / reinforcement point to be active.

The intent of these changes is to be a better reinforcement mechanic and to help support and balance the medium-sized fights.


MAX Ability Tuning

• Increased Zealot Overdrive armor debuff to 30%

• Added a fuel cost to the Zealot Overdrive, allowing up to 8 seconds of sustained use

• Reduced the indirect damage buff for Bursters when using Zealot Overdrive
  Indirect vs ESF
  Rank 1: +5% (~93 damage)
  Rank 2: +7% (~95 damage)
  Rank 3: +9% (~97 damage)
  Rank 4: +12% (~100 damage)
  Rank 5: +15% (~103 damage)

• Reduced the rate of fire/reload buff for Bursters when using Lockdown
  Rank 1
  Refire: -13
  Reload: -10%
  DPS: +5%
  
  Rank 2
  Refire: -25
  Reload: -20%
  DPS: +10%
  
  Rank 3
  Refire: -36
  Reload: -30%
  DPS: +15%
  
  Rank 4
  Refire: -46
  Reload: -40%
  DPS: +20%
  
  Rank 5
  Refire: -55
  Reload: -50%
  DPS: +25%

Squad Browser Improvements

We’ve made several additions to the squad screen, including:

• Continent column and Continent filter

• Outfit Tag column

• Squad Leader column

• Description text will now show platoon subsquad coloring and information

• Page number display

• Squad Manager Improvements

We’ve made several additions to the squad management screen, including:

• Battle Rank column

• Location column (in meters or continent name depending on if you’re on the same continent)

• Outfit tag column

• Vehicle icon callout if the player is in a vehicle

• An area to drag and drop a member to create a platoon

• Toggle to show the outfit tag of the squad leader

Squad and Platoon Improvements

• Added an icon callout for friends in the Squad and Platoon windows

• Leaders names are now highlighted and have an icon callout in squad and voice chat listings

• Added a drop down option for the platoon leader to set a member of their squad as the leader of that squad

Loadout Screen Improvements

• Added a dropdown selector instead of arrows for global tint selection

• Now displays locked, unlocked, and upgradable cert items

• Now displays un-owned slot items

• Added quick weapon switch arrows

• Will display the last used loadout per profile by default

• Better Visibility for Friendly Explosives
  The IFF range for friendly mines and explosives has been increased.

AP Phalanx Turret Changes

Xiphos Anti-Personnel Phalax Turrets

• Increased maximum turn speed for quicker aiming

• Will now fire empire colored tracers (instead of always being yellow)

Quick Action Menu Polish

• Increased tracking speeds for vehicles and infantry.

This should keep the menu in the center of the screen and track on the target much faster. Having the menu stay in the middle of the screen will make it much easier to select the menu option of your choice.
Control should not be inverted if mouse control is inverted


Tank and Fighter Superiority XP

• Added Tank Superiority Bonus: 100 xp bonus for killing an enemy tank with a tank

• Added Fighter Superiority Bonus: 100 xp bonus for killing an enemy ESF with an ESF

Other Fixes and Improvements

• Added visual effects when a player ejects from an air vehicle (using ejection system certification) or drops from a Galaxy to call out they are falling safely

• Pulled third person camera of MBTs and Lightnings out about 1 meter

• Ammo Towers should properly render in the VR training zone

• Cosmetic items for infantry and vehicles are now accessible in the VR zone

• Zealot Overdrive distortion FX have been reduced to one quarter of their previous size

• Region Names will display when mousing over a waypoint HUD indicator

• Experience reward text will still appear, even when an experience threshold has been hit

• Revives remove the death stat received

Discuss.....

ZOE Burster/Lockdown Burster nerf was inevitable.

The end to unlimited ZOE - what the hell took so long?

Domination alert win criteria may be a strange one. I've seen alerts trigger even when an empire holds near 60% already

Revive eliminates death from the counter?? The KDR pukes will be mucho happy I guess

[Crator]

Some nice quality of life fixes in there.

My favorites:

• Instant Action & Reinforcements Adjustments
• Squad Browser Improvements: Continent column and Continent filter
• Revives remove the death stat received

[Rbstr]

The lockdown/ZOE burster thing was eneded.


But the rest...while the damage buff on the ZOE never mattered that much but they gutted the rest instead, neato.

So now it's 8 seconds of buffed movement speed and even more damage taken. (everyone else gets something permanent, why don't we?)

Thanks but no thanks, back to charge we go.

[Shamrock]

Never used ZoE, probably wont bother trying it at all now, why the hell would i swap out charge that improves my survivability with an ability that increases the damage I take as a bullet soak MAX; yes a nerf was inevitable with the colossal amount of whingeing from the TR.

[maradine]

Yeouch.

[Ruffdog]

Originally Posted by Shamrock

Never used ZoE, probably wont bother trying it at all now, why the hell would i swap out charge that improves my survivability with an ability that increases the damage I take as a bullet soak MAX; yes a nerf was inevitable with the colossal amount of whingeing from the TR.

The limitless on/off switch capability was a mistake. Everything else in ZOE's nature I can live with. Didn't need extra damage vulnerability I don't think.

[NUKABAZOOKA]

Back to 20% pop we go!

[Ghoest9]

Why wont they let us alter the triangle colors for squads?

[Malorn]

Originally Posted by Ruffdog

Domination alert win criteria may be a strange one. I've seen alerts trigger even when an empire holds near 60% already

Those thresholds are for securing or losing the 'lock' benefits and are unrelated to alerts. I'll make sure the notes are updated to be more clear on that point.

Terminology changed to be more accurate. You're dominating the continent and getting a benefit. Previously it was all-or-nothing, now it's easier to get a lock and to deny it.

[Wahooo]

Originally Posted by Ruffdog

• Increased Zealot Overdrive armor debuff to 30%

• Added a fuel cost to the Zealot Overdrive, allowing up to 8 seconds of sustained use

When will they stop nerfing two variables at once? I hardly play VS, when I have i've barely spent time in a max and didn't spend any certs I did have on ZEO because I wanted to wait and see how hard it was going to get hit with the nerf bat but I need to agree with others... not the right amount.

One or the other of these changes but not both at the same time. *edit* but I guess that is why it is on the test server not life huh?

Revive doesn't count on death stats will encourage me to accept that random revive even when I think it might be a bad idea though.

[GeoGnome]

Originally Posted by Malorn

Those thresholds are for securing or losing the 'lock' benefits and are unrelated to alerts. I'll make sure the notes are updated to be more clear on that point.

Terminology changed to be more accurate. You're dominating the continent and getting a benefit. Previously it was all-or-nothing, now it's easier to get a lock and to deny it.

So is there any explanation behind the PTS Mini chain gun changes? It's a pretty sizable change, with nothing that anyone has observed to back up why a nerf was needed for that weapon?

Also, will the spin up be removed, as was stated a while back now?

[ChipMHazard]

A lot of interesting changes, especially looking forward to seeing what you've added to the tutorial, Malorn. Too bad I'm away from the game for about a week

I don't really agree with making the ZOE take even more damage, a duration timer should be enough to balance it out.

About the burster balancing, obviously needed but I would rather have had the burster itself be tweaked than the bonuses it recieves from ZOE and Lockdown. The reason is that I don't really think it will help all that much when it comes to ground vs air balance, it was still dominated by bursters before the MAX abilities were introduced.

Also I don't agree with a revive removing ones death. Pretty sure I know why they made this change, I just don't agree with it being needed. I thought SOE was moving away from K/D being showed as an important stat.

Oh and I almost forgot about the improved mine IFF. Thank you

[Stanis]

I know a nerf to ZOE was coming.
It seems to have been reduced to worthlessness
More importantly its also had 'fun' completely removed.


The timer makes it seems as though its now a case of "can ZOE help me in this fight?"
ie: am I killing the enemy without getting shot .. yay 8 seconds to kill them faster.

Can we a different variant of ZOE?
No damage penalty. Disable weapons.
A toggled movement mode -> ie we can move fast or shoot. toggled on/off.

[Wahooo]

Originally Posted by Stanis

The timer makes it seems as though its now a case of "can ZOE help me in this fight?"

To be fair that is actually what it was supposed to be, instead of a DUH why would you NOT have ZOE active all the time?

NC shield and TR lockdown are both very situational even though they don't have a timer. The ZOE from the start was supposed to make you choose as well but the good outweighed the bad by so much you hardly noticed.
Also it is on the test server so maybe the data and feedback from that will get it more properly balanced when it goes live.

[Kiten]

ZOE was a bit too much; but with these changes I doubt it will retain some real appeal to a player. If it has to function like charge, the reduced armour for the period of activation kills a lot of movement options you could otherwise get in that 8 second timespan. I guess they want it so people can't start sidestrafing runs without facing the chance of being downed by the enemy?

I guess the fuel recharge rate, not mentioned in the patch notes, will be the real deciding factor here. Waiting for people to try it out on the test server before commenting further.