Hello everyone!
First of all, thanks everyone for being so polite and patient while waiting for this patch. Simple things I thought would be done by January dragged out sooo long. This is something I never thought would happen. I was not expecting my kids getting sick that much, and neither being so tired from new work (sausage stuffing as it is apparently called in Sweden, when you are given tons of new things to learn). So it has been really hard getting work into the game.
But now finally done! So coming years, will only (at least mainly) be of minor-patches, one new ability, building, unit, etc. Even if it comes in a pack (frost- & fire magic, *hint hint*). So hoping 2-4 weeks patches as max, otherwise I will push up half-baked stuff if it still needs more time.
Patch 0.7 (Experimental)
This patch is for the experimental version of the game, so if you want to try it out, you'll have to switch the game-version to Experimental.
The Patch log/info is what was announced in the previous post, so those of you that have already read it, don’t have to read it again. But I also have some more changes as well:
Game versions
I’m adding a third game-version - Experimental branch! (Thanks @光天辉夜)
Branch - Experimental
This version (branch) will always be first in receiving new stuff, so this is the branch if you want to try out the latest stuff that I'm experimenting / working with, which can be super-unbalanced and buggy. But on the other hand, faster for me to implement suggestions from the community, and will also have rough balancing.
Branch - Testing
This branch will be for those that also want to try new stuff, but don't want them to be game-breaking (if so by bugs or balance), and can't wait until they reach the release branch.
So here comes the “approved” & with rough balancing - stuff from Experimental-branch, and will focus on balance and (hopefully) fix remaining bugs. (this was previously the "beta"-branch)
Branch - Release (Live / no-beta))
And lastly this branch is when things should be bug-free and well-balanced, for those that prefer to wait to play the game in "stable version". Couldn't rename it :.(, so it is the "None" in beta-participation (the default one).
Equipment
Equipment stats is now applied last, so if you have 100 mana *2.0 from Meta-upgrades (those in main-menu “Progress”), +25 mana from gear and lastly a *1.25 mana from in-game talent, so will it now be calculated: 100 * 2.0 * 1.25 + 25 => 100 * 2.5 + 25 => 250 + 25 => 275.
As it felt more natural that both meta-progression and talents "boosts your character, not his gear". It will however make talents in game look like they give wrong value, e.g. previous example so would you have 225 mana, and with x1.25 talent feel like it should be: 225*1.25 = 281.25, but instead give 275. It's more or less, you as a character grow stronger, so e.g. you agility-training shouldn’t change how much agility a gear gives (if it makes any sense?).
Maybe I will rethink how to use multipliers in game, or maybe gear won't give "flat" bonuses, and only multipliers. It is something I wanted to give a try at least, so please let me know your feedback and suggestions.
pro's
- more "world-logic" (as mentioned above)
- Much easier to balance
- Cleaner numbers (275 instead of 271.25 with example above (OCD approved! :P))
con's:
- weird calculations with multipliers gained in game (as mentioned above)
Semi-rebalance
Semi, as in the game is playable, but I'm working to change the game's "strength"-progress, to be additive multiplication, instead of multiplied multiplication (is that how you say it?).
Example: Atm. so are the player AND units growing in strength by x*y*z, so say you have 100hp, get x2 talent, now you have 200, then you get a x5 talent, so 200*5 => 1000hp. I've been trying to have it so, as it is read more naturally. But the issue appears much more the further it goes, e.g. the growth is extreme (exponential growth?) compared to a diminishing return for addition-bonuses.
For an example, enemies at start deal 6 dmg, have 70hp, at endgame 500dmg 5000hp, This is a big issue with making "everything else" keep up, e.g. your towers can hold for a good time vs first enemies, but crumbles soon as a end-game enemy looks in their direction, and can only tickle that enemy (An arrow should still hurt a super-strong enemy imo.).
And I don't want your buildings & units to have upgrades that you manually have to "keep up" such big gaps, (e.g. go from 70 -> 5000hp upgrades).
It also gives a game-issue facing low-"tier" enemies later, say you can push/attack two fronts, west & east. Both have increasingly tougher camps the further you go in respective directions. And when you finished go one way (and thus able to defeat tier 3 enemies), and then start to go other way, you will face Tier 1 enemies, then their units and structures will insta die from you & your allies, as you are so strong to be able to handle tier 3 enemies, which felt wrong.
So I’m Instead going for the "additive multiplication" (or what it is called), e.g.
100 hp +100% +400% +450%
=> 100 * (2.0 + 5.0 + 5.5)
=> 100 * 12.5
=> 1250 hp
before with multiplication (same example)): 100 * (2.0 * 5.0 * 5.5) => 5'500.
And as always, if anyone has another solution, suggestion or any feedback at all, so am I open ears and will I gladly discuss it. Bet there is bunch of better approaches that I’m not familiar with.