[dumbluck]

Originally posted by Taera:
Yet i consider the changes being done rather logical. ... Allegiance Subverter - how in name of god can you convert a destroyed computer??? Makes sense, too. ...

I agree with that, and I think Q does too. However, the issue I have with this particular fix is that it was done.... rather sloppily. We've gone from one extreme (crewless ships could be converted) to the other (crewed ships with a destroyed computer are still protected).

Now, I don't even pretend to be a computer programmer (or even a vague semblance of one), it seems to me that this should be a simple boolean test:

IF an Allegiance Subverter hits the target
AND the target has Crew Quarters present
AND there is no functional (destroyed doesn't count) Master Computer present
THEN the target is converted.

Simple, right?

As to the change in focus by MM, I must admit that I see it too. Whether it is intentional or not, only MM knows for sure. But the Last official patch made a significant hard-code change to the Ion Dispersers. Granted, another change made them more powerful (weapons won't fire if out of supplies), so that balances out some. But the ID definately doesn't hit as hard and fast as it did before, and that is an important change.

Now there is the (much needed and well balanced, IMHO) changes to the Organic Armor, and to the AS. Both of these will affect ship design somewhat, but the AS was a SIGNIFICANT shift in effectiveness.

So, in short, the Last patch and the current beta have 3 big changes in them (well, 4 really, but 2 of them are interconnected.)

The ID and supply issue: Well balanced, if a bit heavy handed. Multiple damage types would fix this nicely.

(Note: I'm not a beta tester, so therefore can only speculate about the following)
The Organic Armor fix has been on players To Do list for MM for a long time. I think it is probably pretty balanced out, although OA may need a damage structure boost to keep it competative w/other protection measures.

The Allegience Subverter, on the other hand, seems more like it is just MM's first step towards balancing this weapon. If he can make it follow the Boolean test above, it should be balance fairly well.

PS. I disagree with some of you on one major issue. Yes, I think he should be working on fine-tuning the game balance, but except for extreme cases (ie PPB, which needs to be stretched out over similar ranges and damage levels to APB) he shouldn't waste his time with editing txt files. That's what modding is for! I think he is right on focusing on the Hard Code changes needed to balance the game. After all, he's the only one that can make those changes!