Balance opinions

quantum_mechani · #1 December 15th, 2007, 03:57 PM

The key thing with nerfs is to not actually disrupt strategies, just bring them into a better cost/benefit ratio. Making a pretender chassis or recruitable unit cost a little more does not break any strategies as long as it is not overdone. Nerfs that change a option's functionality or accessibility are the ones that have to be really carefully examined. So those are what I've tried hardest to avoid, but sometimes the constraints of thematicness and modding tools make it difficult.

llamabeast · #2 December 15th, 2007, 04:08 PM

I would like to give CBM another go. To me the massive turnoff last time were the changes to dwarven hammers and boosters. Unlike with spells, you can't see the requirements for items until you can actually make them, so you can spend ages trying to empower e.g. an E3 mage so you can make a hammer, only to find you can't! Quite upsetting. To my mind there should be no nerfs to items at all, since there's simply no way at all of seeing the problems coming.

The other thing I didn't like was the lack of 'overview' documentation. I don't desperately need a load of documentation, but it didn't say anywhere what the overall thrust of the changes were - that would be really appreciated.

With a bit of explanatory documentation and no item nerfs though, I'd be really keen to give CBM another go (I have actually been intending for some time to try it, with the item changes off). I very much agree with Sombre that there's no end of interesting stuff in Dominions which is not feasible to use, and it would be amazing if it was.

KissBlade · #3 December 15th, 2007, 04:11 PM

I think that most issues brought up against CBM was one of the first versions made for Dom III where it was somewhat still untuned and untested. If anyone played the dom II final cbm draft, I really have a hard time picturing how anyone can not support cbm over base. I think the best idea is just to think of cbm as a "patch" of sorts since it generally requires a few drafts before it comes into it's own.

Edi · #4 December 15th, 2007, 05:24 PM

KissBlade's totally right on that. The Dom2 CBM is the one that should be looked at as the template here. Look at how that developed (starting with just the pretenders and then expanding from there). Dom3 is an order of magnitude bigger due to all the new nations, so it will take a while to settle. The Dom3 CBM is also cycling through drafts much slower than the Dom2 one. Give it time, people.

The DB wasn't built in a day and this is a far more ambitious project because instead of just listing stuff, it requires detailed knowledge of every aspect of the game and analysis of what each change entails as well as testing.