Version 2.0 Released!
The new version its finally here!! More than 3 years have passed since the last release, and lot of work was made to bring this version up. Thanks all for waiting and keep playing this mod.
Enjoy!
Main Changes
This version adds some UI improvements like workers count, build progress overlays, rally points display, transports loaded units queue and improved tooltips for weapons(includes range) and armors (includes size).
Some previous changes were reverted to keep part of the BW balance. So some units are returning to their default state. Also the damage formula has been reverted, but a new damage type has been introduced to helps defining roles for the new units. Burst damage type deals 50% to large, 75% to medium and 100% to small. Concussive was reverted to 25%, 50%, 100% to keep the BW balance. So Burst is a kind of improved concussive damage.
And as well a lot of balance and design changes:
Introduced Smart Casting!
- All spells benefit from Smart casting behaviour: when multiple casters are issued a cast order, only one will attempt to execute the order.
Game star is now faster due to having additionals workers
Energy upgrades have been standardized to give +50 max energy and +25% faster energy regeneration.
The Sentry has been redesigned as a fighter unit with the blink ability. Functionally, resembles more a stalker from SC2, but focussed against light units. Its increased mobility and high burst damage, makes it great to harass workers, or snipe key units as templars, medics, ghosts and defilers. It can also be used to effectively fight infantry compositions and mutalisk.
The early game support role has been taken by the Warden. A new caster unit that comes from the robotics and help supporting your army. It have the time warp ability to slow down the attack and move speed of ground units, guardian shield ability that improves the shield effectiveness of your ground army. And plasma surge ability that instantly restores shield and hit points to a nearby unit.
The Shuttle, now benefits from an increased pick up range (like LotV) allowing better micro and drop strategies.
Firebats finally found their place as front line units. With increased stats and cost, can stand in fights longer, the medium size modifier makes them stronger against concussive and burst attacks.
Stormraven has been removed. It may be reintroduced in a future version on completely replaced by a new unit
The factory now has a new warmech unit: the Diamondback. A hovercraft capable of fire on the move, equipped with a shield generator that allow it to soak damage for a short period of time. Good to counter slow units, break siege lines or soak damage to defend a strategical position.
Valkyries now have a late game ability: Hunter Mode that allow them to attack any ground unit that moves in a certain area (Like LotV liberators)
Battle Cruisers now can move to any position on the map with the warp drive ability
Dropships shares the cloak tech with Wraiths, unload units 66% faster, and have the Blinding Nova ability, that reduces vision and range of affected units by 2 (range of units with 3 or less is unaffected).
Reactors now works like SC2 allowing to train two units at the same time
Banelings now morph from zerglings, and deals burst damage making them great to deal with groups of small units. But also get a bonus that deals 80 damage to buildings making them also devastating against defensive structures.
Roaches now are cheaper, weaker and morph as single units. Can now be used for infiltration tactics due to the ability to move underground, but also good to soak damage due improved armor and regeneration upgrade.
Can be morphed into Ravagers, a new ground ranged unit that deals burst damage, becoming a good counter to small units. Can also create toxic clouds against air units, and launch devastating fungal bombs against ground units and buildings.
Scourges now morph from zerglings improving the adaptive potential of zergs, especially with the rapid genesis upgrade which allow zerglings strains to morph much faster.
Queen has been finally made the zerg detector unit (Overlords no longer detect but they move a little faster, helping scout in the early game). Spawn broodling has returned as one of her abilities with some tweaks that makes it useful against more enemies.
Guardians no longer spawn broodlings but they now move a bit faster.
Great to see this project is still active! Doesn't matter if 10 years go by; it will always be interesting to follow! Great work!
Thanks for the support!
I love this mod but, it has some bugs!!
1.Zerg key "s" conflict
2.When mothershipcore(Warden) is killed, bug is generated
Thanks! will fix those bugs
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"Firebats finally found their place as front line units. With increased stats and cost, can stand in fights longer, the medium size modifier makes them stronger against concussive and burst attacks."
I disagree, unless you speak about FB in Rev1.6.
Firebat do not work well in front line. To stand in fights longer he need to DO DAMAGE, otherwise he will not chase away anybody. Medium size (transport space), increased cost, barrack reactor (=more marine) reduce Firebat numbers. Also Hydra and Dragoon do now more damage to FB! Sentry outrange FB very easily. Surprisingly Fire is not effective against structures.
Firebat damage are pathetically weak. His 2x9(=double target armor) vs large unit or building will deal 4 dmg or less if large opponent out-armor our weapons.
(9-1[armor])*2 = 16 * 25% => 4
4 -> its better to attack with SCV's !
And damage is the very reason why Firebat is useless.
I adore this unit, nevertheless it have a very, very limited application. 3 to be precise:
1. Base defense against early Zerglings (deceptively, hopefully with not too much Banelings),
2. defense against Zealot rush,
3. drop to kill exp workers.
Vanilla flamethrowers are only good vs zerglings. Versus zealots they at most mediocre.
did I mention his other weaknesses? noAA, melee range, gas req.?
from Rev1.6 I remember how nicely useful become Firebat with Incinerators. They start to do some damage. Normal 18 damage were a little too high, for a group of 8 unit with stims, but Firebat was useful at overcoming base defenses and razing structures at deep landing rides. And he was not ridiculously IMBA, because has no-AA, melee range, low HP, bio make them susceptible to lots of skill - there were tons of counters.
First of the vanilla Concussive damage threshold is **** up. 100/50/25% type for only 3 terran unit. small unit has low HP, why give some unit such a big boost against it? On the other way, you end with little damage vs large unit and buildings.
when you think about it, explosives 25/50/100 and Concussive 100/75/50 make more sense. SiegeTanks from 55 do only 12 splash to zerglins? ling would have chances at least. I would ditch Concussive all over, and balance ghost,vulture and firebat around burst 100/75/50. Firebat 2x8*, Vulture 16, Ghost 10 (he has Sniper skill).
*incinerator gauntlets granting normal dmg type was fine upgrade
but if it has to stay "old way":
If Firebat have native, passive damage (+10) boost versus buildings (like Banelings), it would stay useful at overcoming bunkers, sunken colonies and photon canons. Fire demolishing structures feels right.
some other solution could be changing FB initial damage into Explosive type
Due to banelings, firebat could not remain as small unit, as they would not stand a chance against bane/ling.
With larger HP pool and medium size they could stand more banelings hits.
Damage may be an issue. But there is a thing that makes firebats hard to balance: they actually make 3 attacks with splash in a line. dependant on the target size and distance, how many of they hit (most buildings ans some large units take 3 hits, and small units mostly take 2 hits), but also also each hit have splash areas individually of 100 50 and 25% damage. So damage its sometimes "random"
An additional bonus to buildings could be a nice buff.
I could try base damage type to burst and normal after upgrade. (like prev version). But then, shileds didnt take full damage from conc. So some protoss units may get **** off to easyly from firebats...
Medium FireB, its nice touch (even if I dont like it :) ).
One firebat do about 4/5 damage for the enemy building, not ~12.
Shields not take full dmg? You want to reduce FB dmg if its burst? I would refrain from that. Take into account double victim armor.
Rather FB will have a chance to kill some protoss units other than Zealots.
is there other difference between burst and concussive, than dmg threshold 100/75/50 ?
Shields take full damage from conc, and burst, but no in the previos version.
No other difference than dmg moddifiers
I have played 1.6 few times recently.
small FB with 14 burst=>normal dmg are OP. I manage to kill 12x dragoons (produced one by one in enemy unguarded base) with single FB with 1x Medic support.
BUT it would be more balanced in 2.1 if medium* Firebat get back his previous damage.
*Size small=>medium is a significant nerf, that reduce FB tanking capabilities a lot. FB taking more damage from all core range units (explosive: dragoon, hydralisk, siege tank). Range unit can easier concentrate many attacks at single target, so HP boost is not helping FB as much as % dmg reduction. Dragoon using Overload behind obstacles (in base) with range upgrade, hurts red arsonist even more.
it would end with FB taking more damage, and dealing more damage.
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Dragoon
1.
let range upgrade give +1 range vs ground units/ +2 vs air. To be more anti-air and less frustrating to deal with for ground forces. +2 jump is a lot.
2.
Move dragon to Robotic Facility, and let sentry with Burst take early, range role in Gateway. Currently with overload, explosion dmg & AA it fit a lot better as mid game unit. Robotic Facility would gain visually attractive unit (animated limbs).
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Medic
Give 2.0 Dropship blind skill to medic. Optic Flare reducing range.
I very often has nothing to do with Medics (like with Dropships) and see here a good gap to insert some funny micro application. Like counter insane Dragoons, Hydras, Tank range during base attacks. Or work out an advantage for air combats (when Medic is idle).
Dropship
1.if with repairing nanobots
I was thinking about how interesting would be to repair protoss enemy mechanical units. Like severely damage dragoon is Nanobot'ed to stop shooting at cargo drops, which is somewhat beneficial in the same time to him and his opponents :).
2. cloak - this skill remove all the risk from doing deep landing. Enemy can not at all intercept terran transports, nor hunt them down.
3. Starport - I would really welcome no-techlab req. for faster access to dropships. All bio drops are limited by time. The later you do it the less efficient they are.
Currently you rather flying with your facilities than transporting units. Is odd that I cannot use my units that I create at another islands and need to rather fly over with my factory.
After my base is attacked, if I escape with Starport. I'm time penalized to do ground counter-strike, by need to creating Starport add-ons to produce transports.
Personally; medium FB is taking more cargo space, and quick 1st dropship desant is no longer an viable option. Which force me to stick with Marine+Medics.
Zerg race is awsome! All changes are really well thought out, balanced and just feels good. It's best designed race in Rev mod.
Roach with sneaky movement - i love it. Roach morph to Ravager, complete this new unit. Ravager has right skills. Fungal bomb is a great tools with many applications and also with defenses against it. Toxic cloud its divine to contaminate air unit cluster (Muta, Overlords).
However, I would increase Fungal energy cost and reduce Toxic Cloud, to make Toxic come to use sooner. You can plan your Fungal attack. With Toxic Cloud you very often want to use it in defense, when your taken by surprise, so you dont have enough energy. Also fungal is more powerful IMO.
Ravager range upgrade. +2 is a lot, if its to increase AA capabilities then why not +1Gnd/+2 Air?
It would be good to have energy upgrade for Ravager (unless I'm missing something that is in another structure).
Zerglings versatility = morph to banenlings or scourge is great and useful a lot. I always adjust my army composition before attack/defense, and this is great, I love it.
Queen - its understandable that zerg need detector. But building queen nest after already gain access to this unit is odd.
Some story is with terran Science Vessel, and here is no reason (comsat) to allow building "Egg" without SFacility, all the more SFacility dont require Starport anymore.
I think it would be funny to give zerg some interaction option with map creeps (yellow circle). Dont know eat to gain heal? hatch larva eggs inside? It would be as often use as infesting terran :D.
Dragoons are somewhat balanced with their collision size and clumsy movement. The +2 range is a must to make this unit useful.
Moving dragoons to robotics is not as bad idea. I often build sentries early game because they deal better against tier 1 units (that are mostly small/medium). But that also would limit the dragoon production, as robotic is more expensive and comes later(not necessarily a bad thing as it can foment different builds) and limits options early game (only two units to choose)
Im considering giving medics some offensive skill. Returning their old spell could be an option
For Ravagers, Im also considering giving two different attacks for ground and air (with different ranges), and range upgrade only affect air weapon (kind of goliath)
It doesnt have a energy upgrade because it wasn't planned as a spell caster. They get only fungal bomb originally but i ended giving it also spore cloud to see how the spell could work and complement anti air
Queen was made accessible without queen nest to give zerg early access to detector, Zergs have the most expensive static defences (means less area covered with detection than other races) so the need detection to be available early. Else, you should always rush for queen nest after Lair.
Science Facility was turned into Bio last tier building (unlocking ghost and advanced infantry upgrades), having nothing to do with science vessels (only the name...). If they come too early (which i dont think is the case) coul require Fusion Core. The drawback of science vessel is their high gas cost compared with other mobile detectors.
3rd protoss early unit to choose among would be very welcome. Dragoon and Sentry are doubling each other role currently. I would vote to move Dragoon to mid game (range upg, overload, explos dmg, could be more bulky +HP/shield, mid-game= rarer appearance =less micro problems).
3rd unit should take support role. Maybe High Templar? With psionic storm and archon morph coming late game. Hard to say if hallucination as only function is a good step. Or add new early unit for Gateway? If you are capable of doing so/ or have some unit source. You could mix protoss infantry GRP to gain new model.
optic flare for medic, yes please.
Let me ask about "Restoration" - is canceling enemy Stimed infantry with Res an option?
[or removing other enemy buff. Cleaning air from Defilers cloud would also open new counters.]
Ravager split range proposition is a good change. Toxic Cloud is rad. Ravager is not half as fun anti-air without it.
understand Queen gameplay reason - change is good.
Maybe Queen Nest could become basic structure? Liar require Queen Nest instead of spawning pool? And to do all upgrades in Nest you need Liar evolved?
Awesome mod!
I'm maybe being a bit ambitious but it would be great if we could make custom maps for it, as in, put the new units, etc...
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I think the Protoss are a bit overpowered or maybe the AI is too aggressive. They take control of the board very quickly. They will overwhelm you with their carriers relentlessly.Just about every single game I played except for maybe one, they wind up knocking out all the other races. The Zerg are are very well done, however i have been able to exploit them with stealth units. The AI sends the overlords to the area but they are no longer detectors. perhaps you can adjust the AI to have them send the queens instead of the overlords. Besides that I think this is a great mod.