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Archer Balance [371]

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by allknowingfrog, May 3, 2012.

?

The archer...

  1. is already well-balanced.

    31.9%
  2. is over-powered.

    23.3%
  3. needs adjustment, but is not over-powered.

    44.8%
  1. Gofio

    Gofio Gunwobbler x3

    Messages:
    1,090
    to think they'll add about ten pretty soon... OP'S EVERYWHERE!
     
  2. BlueLuigi

    BlueLuigi :^) Forum Moderator Donator Tester

    Messages:
    3,620
    Actually it makes all the sense and I would rather Knights reformed to their former glory, but attempting to get them to recant something that was as silly as the recent knight nerfs would be even harder to do than getting them to nerf something else.
     
  3. cykalu

    cykalu Shopkeep Stealer

    Messages:
    51
    Well, fox did go a little over board with the radius on the nukes :3 but it does serve its purpose of breaking through giant defences. But at the same time, it created giant holes in flat lands which made the round shitty and impossible to play over time.

    Shortening the building phase helped tremendously in making the game more fun, not having to go against a 10 block thick, 50 block high towers in the early phase, but in addition to the lack of ticket count, it made the game stretched far too long to be fun. The nukes tried to fix this problem but in the end, it was worse ;<
    Perhaps it would have been better if there was more variable to tweak.
     
    Fate likes this.
  4. Gofio

    Gofio Gunwobbler x3

    Messages:
    1,090
    I dunno what server it was...
    but they had the most awesome kegs ever!
    little radius, but HUGE power!
    I was just creating small holes in the ground, and in other people.
     
    Harold7 and Chrimi like this.
  5. Fate

    Fate Studying seashells

    Messages:
    593
    Give archers a sub-weapon like bombs for knights. That way they have more than one weapon to use, and can be more useful.
    Something like slings or weighted nets that can snare enemies, but have a small range, so it prompts the archer to go to the front lines. It retains it's usefulness when one wishes to remain at a tower as well, as it can simply be flung from above.

    Edit: Shortening the build phase seems like a neat idea as well, but that would promote more bunker-ish gameplay.
    Edit2: Or give archers a chance to go melee. Give them a lightweight blade such as a knife/kukri/rapier which can only jab and do downward thrusts from height (like shield slam, except with sword and pointy end downward)
     
    Harold7 likes this.
  6. Chrimi

    Chrimi Shark Slayer

    Messages:
    23
    Archers: Cannot spam arrows.

    Make them have to charge to half in order to shoot... Or hold down the button for a tiny bit before it starts charging.

    Something like that.

    Next: Give Archers something more useful. Take bombs away from knights, give them to archers.

    Knights have so many useful abilities and Archers only have their arrows, so why not give archers bombs? It fits the class better than to have knights throwing bombs.
     
    Harold7 likes this.
  7. BlueLuigi

    BlueLuigi :^) Forum Moderator Donator Tester

    Messages:
    3,620
    Please keep your subweapon talk to the 'give archers a knife' aka other classes or some crap thread.

    That isn't an answer to balance, and in fact disturbs the balance considering archers you know, already are fine at close range. That if anything throws the game into further disarray.
    I really hope that was sarcasm, if not you should go see your doctor, you might be clinically retarded.
     
  8. Chrimi

    Chrimi Shark Slayer

    Messages:
    23
    I really hope you're not that guy who likes to insult everybody and is popular throughout the community for it >.>

    Making fun of people's ideas isn't really motivating for new users to submit their ideas, btw.
     
    Harold7 likes this.
  9. Fate

    Fate Studying seashells

    Messages:
    593
    What's your problem? He was stating a suggestion in a polite and mannersome way. I can see your point but it is not constructive to present it in a threatening and demeaning way, if anything, it helps to steer the thread off-topic. To correct the problem you brought out, the charge time needed to fire an arrow could be increased so they won't have a chance to fire an arrow at close range with a knight incoming.

    So far every class apart form the archer has a sub-function that can be implemented with outside elements.
    Knight: main function is to stab and shield (no items required)
    sub-function is throwing bombs (needs to buy bombs)

    Builder: main function is building (needs to collect materials)
    sub-function: can hammer people if necessary (no items required)

    Archer: main function is shooting arrows (needs to collect arrows)
    sub-function: none

    Edit: Also, the reason I suggested a subweapon for archers is because right now they CANNOT do anything else than shoot arrows. If they had another option, I'm pretty sure players would take advantage of it.

    Edit2: I really should learn to read, I thought you were quoting my message. Still, doesn't make my answer invalid though, just in wrong context in regards to the recipient.
     
    Harold7 likes this.
  10. Chrimi

    Chrimi Shark Slayer

    Messages:
    23
    I agree with fate.

    If Archer got some sort of sub-function then it would make players want to use it to be more helpful. Archers spam arrows because it's all their class can do.

    Make them have to charge their shots or something, give them a sub-function and I think it's problem solved. Fate was just suggesting a sub-function (a knife)
     
    Harold7 likes this.
  11. Fate

    Fate Studying seashells

    Messages:
    593
    Actually archers already have to charge their arrows, but that's beside the point. Also, it doesn't even have to be a knife. It does not even have to be damaging, it could even just be a debuff such as a snare like a sling/bola/weighted net. A thing that does not cause any harm but is a useful thing to have anyway.

    Edit: One thing I forgot to mention is that this is a public Alpha version of the game, strictly speaking a bare-bones version if going technical. This is a test version, which means features need to be tested, not just theorycrafted to see how players react to a new feature, how they adapt to it, counter it, develop strategies for it, maybe see if it could be tweaked. Of course it will upset the balance of a game, but that's what testing is for, to iron out issues.
     
    Harold7 likes this.
  12. Chrimi

    Chrimi Shark Slayer

    Messages:
    23
    I said we should make them HAVE to charge. As in, can't spam anymore.

    Sorry if that wasn't clear the first time.
     
    Harold7 likes this.
  13. Harold7

    Harold7 Arsonist

    Messages:
    60
    I think archers need more long range not close range arrow spamers.
     
    chickennugget22 likes this.
  14. Exid

    Exid Shark Slayer

    Messages:
    139
    I think the reason why archers don't have a sub-function is because you can use arrows in many different ways (ex: arrow climbing, medium power arrows, spam arrows, full power arrows)
    Nobody uses medium power arrows anymore:QQ:
     
  15. BlueLuigi

    BlueLuigi :^) Forum Moderator Donator Tester

    Messages:
    3,620
    You are literally suggesting to take away bombs from knights the only thing that makes them decent and give them to archers that have arrows already which work at all ranges.

    It is about as stupid as suggestions for balance goes and is akin to the crap that happens in the class suggestion thread, yes I would insult you for something like that, no it doesn't make me cool. You also weren't clear with whether you wanted them to spam more or not, it seemed as if you were directing a problem as 'Problem: Archers cannot spam arrows", and then a solution, the wording of which was vague leading it to be a believable 'solution' for allowing archers to spam more as opposed to not allowing them to spam.

    Archers do not need a close range attack and should NOT have one.

    Once again the main problem of archers versus knights is distancing.

    AvK > 10 tiles - Archer wins
    AvK 5~10 tiles - Archer wins most of the time
    AvK 0-5 tiles - Knight wins 50%~ of the time

    The balance is simple, either Knight needs to be able to win more times in the midrange and far range 1v1 or the knight needs to win 100% of the time at 0-5 tiles and a good 20-50% of the time midrange.

    Current build bomb radius is bugged, but before it became bugged with the new way that bomb damage scaling works you have to hit an archer almost spot on to actually kill him with a bomb, realistically a bomb will only stun him usually actually making him fly farther away from you thus ensuring his victory, with no proper midrange attack a Knight will almost always lose to an Archer of equal skill in midrange or longrange battles, in close range it's a toss up between the two honestly as an archer can move very easily, can use trees if they are around to their advantage, any sort of ledge, ladders, difficult terrain, flat terrain.

    It can be argued that eventually with much much less lag (won't happen any time soon) a knight would have to shield against an arrow for only a very small amount of time and thus could catch up to archers, but until then you have to basically block as he is charging up and not let go until the shot hits, meaning he will always get away and ensure more distance between the two.

    Good Archer v Good Knight wins in more than 80% of the circumstances. Archer is a support class, but even if they were a real fighting class in such a way, that is terribly unbalanced. Pleaase feel free to find a realistic scenario on a map where a knight always wins 100% of the time, and then try and come up with enough of these to mean that the knight wins just as many times as the archer in the long run.

    Factor in that archers destroy builders with ease, and they are easily unbalanced and OP as fuck, they do not need any buffs at all, they either need nerfs or knights need buffs/removal of previous nerfs.
     
    Cheesemaster66, Fate and Beelzebub like this.
  16. Exid

    Exid Shark Slayer

    Messages:
    139
    I can only kill archers that are too stupid to move.
    Archers that move and shoot at the same time are impossible to hit because of how slow melee is.
    The amount of skill to spam a arrow is very low and almost everyone can do it. A knight cant slash a archer because of the charge being stopped by a low power arrow, and spamming jabs don't work because archers can spam faster.
    So the only thing that works is a bomb (which has been nerfed into something useless) which also has the chance of missing.
     
    Beelzebub likes this.
  17. potatomcwhiskey

    potatomcwhiskey Undercover Griefer Donator Tester

    Messages:
    385
    Archers are currently unbalanced. Anyone who plays a good mix of the classes knows this. I'm going to call it and say that if you think they are balanced you're dead wrong.

    I am a fantastic knight, a good builder and a mediocre archer. I get at least 2-3 times more kills as an archer than knight.

    Its especially made worse in this build. Before bombjumping was completely screwed in the ass by a big clown wearing a tutu it was my way of dealing with them. Before I could bombjump into a tower and clear it out of archers in seconds, now as a knight I feel like my only option is to join the shiledbashless stab fest that is knight combat now. Just mindless running into a meatgrinder.

    For anyone who didn't get it.

    Knights are broken.

    Archers are OP.

    I kill great knights in melee combat as an archer all the time, and archer is my least played class. When I use bombs, I use them only on archers. Its literally the only tool I have to deal with them as a knight.

    The game currently has a HUGE balance problem.

    I don't know where the solution lies, but the massive nerf knights have recieved (bombjump/Shieldbash broken) was a big step in the wrong direction. Not to mention all the other bugs with knights.

    Maybe we should double the HP and damage of knights, give builders an extra heart.

    In all serious though, something that would help knights deal with archers and buildings is have them spawn with 1 bomb by default. Server owners I'm looking at you!
     
  18. Thithle

    Thithle Builder Stabber

    Messages:
    4
    I feel that Knights should take reduced damage from arrows as they are in armor. So grey-charged arrows either do 1/4 heart or no damage at all, with the other charges being 1/2 and 1 heart damage. Builders are squishy, so arrows SHOULD hurt them alot. This way, spamming is useless against knights but still can do something against builders and other archers (who are squishy as well). Also un-nerfed knights would help.
     
  19. Kouji

    Kouji Cold, Uncaring, Sadistic, Evil and Cruel Meanie Administrator Global Moderator Forum Moderator Tester
    1. MOLEing Over Large Estates - [MOLE]
    2. REKINS OF SEAS: Super Crew of Ultimate Havoking 2: Return of King of KAG: Chapter 420blazeit - REKIN

    Messages:
    2,910
    Knights aren't broken, you guys are all just terrible knights.

    Stop being wusses and jab spam more.
    I've been thinking about this a lot and I think BlueLuigi put the problem pretty well:
    To fix the 0~5 tile range issue, I think you'd just need to fix that jabs don't register and remove the push back that it causes. For a double slash, the stun from the first hit, should just stun and not push back. This would allow knights to take out archers at close range rather reliably simply because jabs are very quick and do 1 heart of damage and without the push back, they'd get hit a second time very easily (also would be nice if the hits registered consistently but it's kind of hard for that to happen with lag). Anyways, at this point, if a knight can't win close range, it's probably their lack of skill. Of course, if this isn't enough, you could allow knights to jab while shielding, just make it take time for each hit and slightly decrease the area the shield protects you from (if you don't know what I mean, it'd be sort of like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QbH3HqfUYY but not the glitch part). I guess the counter to it could be that stabbing a shield or getting stun while doing this will keep you stunned a little longer.

    To allow knights the ability to win mid range, allow them to carry a single throwing axe or spear/javelin. It can be launched up to 10-12 squares, and requires a slight charge to throw. Since you can only carry 1, it can do 2 hearts of damage and causes stun, but it can be shielded. They can also be picked up again. Not sure if every class should be allowed to pick up thrown ones, but if they do, builders should be unable to build since they'll have their hands full and archers won't be able to use their bow since one hand is carry something other than the bow, or can't use arrows. Now, in order to not have be considered a cheap items that require no skill, increase archer mobility at the slight cost of firing rate as I stated before. This allows more skilled archers the ability to dodge and but it also prevent mid range from going to archers mainly since they wouldn't be able to spam arrows.

    I feel these change would fix 1v1, but the problem of mass archers would still remain and with these changes.

    Basically archers in towers are really the problem and as Contrary said, buildings are an issue. In order to fix this we need stronger siege weaponry. Now since in free KAG, only catas are going to be allowed, I think we need to find a way to improve their power slightly. My first idea is that a cata should be allowed 3 different firing modes that all cost the same amount of stone
    1. Scattershot: smaller rocks, but more of them. Basically it shoots 10 small rocks that do 1 heart of damage. It barely damages castle wall, but it's rather effective against backwall and people. Knights can shield to block these though.
    2. Standard: firing as it now (except backwall firing fixed).
    3. Stoneshot: Fires a single rock. Instakills anyone who gets hit by it, and cause more damage castle block (breaks a single castle block in 2 hits and damages castle block in a 1 square radius of the impact). Basically fire power is more concentrated, although only a single boulder is fired meaning you have to aim well. Very ineffective against people because it can only hit a single person.
    Now, this would allow the ability to have more strategy to firing a cata and allow attacking to be a more viable option. However, it may not be enough, so my proposal is this, allow the use of gold (not coins) to upgrade a Siege Workshop to something like a "Heavy Siege Workshop" which allows the construction of a regular catapult but at the cost of some gold (not coins), you can also create a "Heavy Catapult". This heavy catapult is more resistant to damage, and doubles the damage done, however, it's slower to move to the battlefield (since it's heavier, you take about an additional 10% penalty to movement speed when carrying one) and it costs 20 stone to fire. Basically this cata provides "rapid fire" since you are basically making the equivalent of 2 shots per each shot and it allows taking down a building faster. However it takes more resources to get. It also allows the use an additional use of gold.

    Anyways, those are my ideas, feel free to rip them apart if you find them terrible.
     
  20. Exid

    Exid Shark Slayer

    Messages:
    139
    Arrows stop charging, which stops jabs. The only melee attack that can beat the spam is the hammer :p
    Also knights are broken in balance and combat.
    Ex: I was fighting an archer and everytime I went to spam a jab at him, but every time I went to hit him a arrow was there to stop me.
    Its almost like clashing but the arrow wins.