Item popularity snapshot - June 2018

True, and I know the stats make it so that Defenders aren't getting buffed any time soon, I'm just salty.

 

I jut want the regular cooldown back on EC, damnit. Is that really too much to ask?!

 

Top 50 is a very narrow sample, thats very true. But we absolutely dont need to look at balance at every level. Endgame balance matters endlessly more than balance during the leveling experience. In a game with ELO matchmaking, like Bb is, imbalance at lower level isnt something you feel directly. I.e. your infamy is perhaps abit lower than it would be in another ship, but its completely irrelevant for your progress towards endgame.
Endgame balance on the other hand is not something you can outlevel, its a situation that you are stuck in until we get the next balance patch. Aside from extremes (at low end) this is the only place dev time and effords towards balancing takes place in any serious multiplayer game.
—-
The top 50 is extremely narrow, but the advantage of using only the very top is that you are looking at the players that has options and the ones that can adapt when the meta changes. Lowlevel players arent very likely to have another boat, other items, etc. that they can change to, they play with what they have regardless of minor balance changes.

The adaptability of high end players is easily observed with the heavy speeder into Enfo migration (and we had the opposite movement when Enfo was nerfed and Speeder was vastly OP last year). Enfo is absolutely overrepresentated, but to be fair this hasnt been the case for long enough to warrant drastic nerfs yet.

A major challenge with only looking at the top 50 is obviously sample size, whilst its easy enough to see which 2 ships dominate & which 2 fails to make a noteworthy presense (and def in particular this season). Its alot harder to say something meaningful about what 7 speeders mean. If it was a massive sample then speeder only having a 70% of its expected showing would be worth discussing, but when its a matter of 7 vs 10 players we need more data before pretending that it means anything interesting. Doesnt take much to turn it into half of an even distribution, but we are also close to the perfect 10.

As for the history, speeder is main a much more healthy place now (in terms of being balanced). 70% is closer to 100%, than 250%+ ever was And speeder is paying the price for the other yellow boat being best, most players that have speeder items also has items for enfo, so some swap to where the grass is greener. Speeder is still better than the two notorious button boats of these statistics, no way does it deserve attention before them, and in particular Big blue.

 

Yes, because it was overpowering. Now it's "only" strong, still the 4th most used weapon among top 50 players.
Keep in mind tho, that Enforcers, that have the biggest number of occurrences, CAN'T equip explosive cannon.
IF they COULD, the number of ships using EC would be even greater.
So it's definitely fine right now.

 

The fact that defender best weapon got nerfed makes it hard for those whose play it solely. @Miathan said that there are 19 weapons but why top enforcers not using the other 15?

 

You’re selective at your discussion. A blast is as good as EC now, even better because defenders are moving to it. Just because you play enforcer so you’re bias against any buffs that can hurt enforcer. High EC # on shooters because the cool down doesn’t affect them much. Why was the cool down nerf needed in the first place? $$$, Rovio wants $$$.

 

A standard cannon would do better than a sniper because it still has decently good range, but it also has super high cooldown and a high arc, which would compliment the railguns.

 

It's big blue time. And in particular a buff to mk.7 and eventually mk8 defenders. Plus enforcers need a slight nerf.

Their are many threads about all this. And facts back it up week after week with top 50.

Kitterini is right. Top 50 players can switch weapons and ships to anything in order to take advantage of meta. They are the try test pool.

And top 50 is where e.sports will happen from. Currently game is imbalanced with enforcers being overrepresented.
It is factual to state that if an enforcer nerf happens these players will migrate immediately. And if a defender buff happens. Top 50 will see more defenders


Many threads have suggested to developers to put together a player and developer council on discord. To make a balancing discussion for all ships and weapons. 1 day chat. Once a month. And this will instantly ballance all ships and weapons.

Once this is done. This game will be ready for e.sports.
But if the imbalance continues... it will never be.
No E.sports game allows such a Top 50 players to looks so heavy by 1 or 2 classes of players. It has to be fixed. Logically. And with input from the players. Nothing suggested here will effect lower mk.boats. reality most of the adjustments needed are for mk6 and mk7 boats. Not below.

Jaws

@The Grim Repair

 

Now I really can't take you seriously anymore.

 

Sick sick work and hats off to you for this extravagant information my friend! Love it and gone through all of your thoughts :3

weso

 

Defies expectations. Many defenders have done this before. Doesn't last long. None of em get past 4.2k with that setup.

And bay expectation is for defender to be front line. If I didn't charge. The earth would stop rotating. And people would lose their....sh.iz....lol.

 

The ship is at its weakest when engaging at range. Defenders have the biggest hitbox and the least mobility, meaning its easier for other ships to hit you at range than it is for you to hit them, so they might as well get close since they are going to get hit anyway. At least when you are up close you partly nullify the long range weapons effectively reducing the number of weapons an enemy ship can use against them. This then allows the Defender to leverage their higher health to bully other ships.

 

Funny how you just say something without ever back it up with any explanation. Everything Rovio introduced have been for money grabbing. Power cells never improve the game in anyway. I can say that Guild rivalry has been good for the players. TDM is still in the early stage. All those are to generate revenues but power cells are just ridiculous.

Now back to the EC discussion, please provide a great setup for defender without EC. A setup where it can carry a defender high in NM.

 

That was how I played with 2 snipers and cannon, anytime you go in range with defender you are going to take a ton of damage. You will have slow cooldown with the railguns I think. Lemme know how it goes.

 

The problem with that defender setup is that there are far better similar setups. A shooter can have 3 railguns and 2 snipers. An enforcer can have 3 snipers and dual shields and that enforcer would be untouchable by the same defender.

I had a friend (I think he quits the game) who played defender exclusively with carro and dual ECs. He wrecked havoc in the middle of the enemy team. No one wants to get close to him. When I fleeted with him in a fixer, if a speeder chased me, I ran to him and he would punished that speeder. That's is the best way for defender. They need to be bruiser and punisher when they are in your face.

 

LOL you can't include OaTo Wdk in this group! He's kitted out for the event, not for infamy climb.

 

Defenders really only excel at close to mid range fights.

There are maybe 7 viable weapons for Defender. EC, BC, Flare, Carronade, Grenade, Sniper Cannon, Standard cannon. I list sniper and standard here as they are useful for the approach to the enemy, and to hit fleeing enemies. Once the defender is in close the preference would easily switch to one of the other weapons to lay on the hurt...

Mortars and torps are out. Torps are good, but with either of these weapons, as soon as enemies recognize your kit, they'll get in close to render your weapons useless. Defender can't get to range to use these effectively once that happens. As for mortars overall, they are only useful to hit defenders.

Defenders are at a solid disadvantage in long range battles. Railguns, missles, sniper cannon fights they will consistently be beat because they are big, slow and easy to hit. Any other ship has an inherent advantage due to size and speed.

Mines might have a use, but the defender really lacks the speed and agility to put them where they would be effective.

 

I mean you could easily make the argument to me to trade reversing the cooldown nerf for something else. It just disrupted the whole rhythm of firing and reloading in a really unpleasant way.

I've actually had this thought for a while, waiting to get another Epic Sniper dupe and I'm gonna try it. I L O A T H E railgun, though. So hard to find the right shot between all the waves and your target moving between rocks and whatnot. I'd rather just swap in something for close-in fighting, an EC maybe or a flare gun for extra sniper damage if they're silly enough to get in range. The basic concept actually makes a lot of sense, though, and I think I'll also work on getting a decent bandage or two to swap out for my turbo(s), since a mobile turret doesn't need much speed. Of course, given my luck, as soon as I get my second Sniper they're gonna nerf it with their typical lack of moderation.

 

What you don't seem to realize is that a free game needs to bring in money. That's not "money grabbing", that's creating a source of income so that the people working on this game can have their salaries paid. And yes, this means there has to be a way to spend money in every feature, like guild quests or events. That's just how F2P games work.