Class Overview (Build 130)

I think it's time for an overview of each class, its capabilities, and how they relate to one another.

1. What are the capabilities of each class?
I will be listing unique capabilities, regardless of the skill or time required, as is relevant to combat. If I miss any, please remind me.

Archer
Can attack from a range
Can use arrows as ladders
Can bypass spike traps
Can break Knight's shield
Can tunnel through dirt
Can hide as a corpse (But still has name visible on mouse-over)

Builder
Can build structures
Can navigate the map with ladders
Can use melee attacks
Can tunnel through any material (Aside from bedrock)
Can make spike traps
Can bypass spike traps
Can drop stone on Knights
Can tunnel fairly fast
Can disable spike traps
Can disable drawbridges

Knight
Can use melee attacks
Can use bombs
Can tunnel through any material (This, with the help of bombs, includes bedrock)
Can block attacks using shield
Can tunnel fairly fast
Can throw bombs long distances
Can break Knight's shield
Is invulnerable to Builders (The "is" is important, this is not something that requires skill whatsoever)
Is hardier than other classes (Three hearts. Again, the "is" is important.)

2. How is each class unique?
Capabilities will be marked off to show how unique they are. If another class has a similar and obviously superior ability, the weaker will count as non-unique.

Archer
Can attack from a range
Can use arrows as ladders (Builder)
Can bypass spike traps (Builder)
Can break Knight's shield (Knight)
Can tunnel through dirt (Knight, Builder)
Can hide as a corpse

Builder
Can build structures
Can navigate the map with ladders
Can use melee attacks (Knight)
Can tunnel through any material (Knight)
Can bypass spike traps (Archer)
Can drop stone on Knights
Can tunnel fairly fast (Knight)
Can disable spike traps (Knight)
Can disable drawbridges

Knight
Can use melee attacks (Builder)
Can use bombs
Can tunnel through any material
Can disable spike traps (Builder)
Can block attacks using shield
Can tunnel fairly fast (Builder)
Can throw bombs long distances
Can break Knight's shield (Archer)
Is invulnerable to Builders
Is hardier than other classes

3. How do these capabilities relate?
Some capabilities counter-act one another.

Archer
Can attack from a range (Knight)
Can use arrows as ladders (Builder)
Can bypass spike traps
Can break Knight's shield
Can tunnel through dirt (Builder)
Can hide as a corpse (Everyone)

Builder
Can build structures (Knight)
Can navigate the map with ladders (Archer)
Can use melee attacks (Knight, Archer)
Can tunnel through any material
Can make spike traps (Everyone)
Can bypass spike traps
Can drop stone on Knights
Can tunnel fairly fast
Can disable spike traps
Can disable drawbridges

Knight
Can use melee attacks
Can use bombs
Can tunnel through any material
Can block attacks using shield (Knight, Archer)
Can tunnel fairly fast
Can throw bombs long distances (Archer)
Can break Knight's shield
Is invulnerable to Builders
Is hardier than other classes

Review
In my opinion, it is fairly obvious that the Knight has the fewest abilities that are simply abolished by other classes, while the Archer has the most. The Archer has the fewest abilities.
However, in the Archer's case, attacking from afar is very powerful. The Archer deserves more capabilities, but having anything more in addition to attacking from a range makes them overpowered. Attacking from a range needs to be nerfed slightly.
The Knight is a horrendous multi-tool that can do pretty much everything the other classes can. With bombs, the Knight can destroy blocks better than the Builder, as well as attacking from a range like the Archer.

The Knight is also the only class that has "is" capabilities. They require no skill, and are active at all times. They are passive abilities.
The Archer and Builder have no passive abilities.
That is gruesomely overpowered.
Knights need to have their passive abilities taken away, or other classes need passive abilities of their own.

The Archer is counteracted by pretty much every class, but its unique and powerful features are cancelled out by the Knight.
The Builder is, just like the archer, counteracted by pretty much every class, but its fundamental abilities are cancelled out by the Knight. It is also equaled, if not surpassed, by the Knight in digging power.
The Knight is counteracted by nothing. Except maybe another Knight.

I also think it is fairly important that KAG has a rock paper scissors deal going on, where each class is required to beat the other, meaning no class will ever become "useless". Right now the Knight can do most anything every other class can do. (Aside from building - otherwise you wouldn't see anyone playing anything but Knight)

Now it's 2 am, and I'm tired. I apologize if I've made a flawed assumption, or there is a hole in my logic somewhere.

I'd like to hear other thoughts on the matter.

 

The knight is not overpowered...

I don't know how i'm supposed to counter your logic. But gameplay experience tells me they're not overpowered. Builders are overpowered.

This is a really nice overview, but logical diagrams cannot tell you everything. The builder is overpowered because both classes at some point require the builder. A knight can get by without an archer, and an archer can (reasonably) get by without a knight. The two classes attacking together induces stalemate. The builder builds the outposts, the defences and the ladders, leading to the biggest map pushes, which is the most important part of winning the game. A good builder is much more valuable than a good knight or a good archer. Therefore, builders are overpowered. However, they are also not, because they require the combat classes to defend them in order to do anything, and both combat classes have a way of gaining land in order for the builder to build upon (arrow ladders for archers, ranged attacks, and bomb throwing and tunneling for knghts). Therefore I feel the game is probably at it's most balanced yet.

 

I agree that the game is at a good balance, but there IS a reason that 50% of the players you see play Knight.
If you have enough time, and enough manpower, you can do anything as a Knight.

To spell out my opinion in plain words:

Archers need to be more "Useful" aside from being able to kill from a long distance. Their other abilities aren't incredibly important. (What if Archers had bombs? Perhaps they could have them instead of Knights, or simply in addition.) Archers need to have their names hidden on mouse-over while crouching. That would make hiding much more useful.
The Builder is in a good place.
The Knight needs to be slower at digging. Knights simply should not be able to destroy castles so easily. They should need builders to help them.

Less terrain-rapey bombs will help the Knight's balance a lot, however. So I'm glad that's coming.

 

The archer needs to be the best at killing, such that having one infinitely increases the chance of a successful push, so far that is true. The knight DOES need to be slower at destroying blocks, but that is planned. I still don't think the flood of knights is NOT due to being overpowered. I think it's because knights are probably the most fun class, because they can be picked up without having any long reward time, you can rush straight into combat. With builder and archer, you must first collect resources. Plus the knights, as you put it, have the most abilities.

Please remember that in the future, knights will be reliant on builders for their bombs. That knight nerf has been spelled out from now. Maybe we shouldn't be planning any major nerfs to the knight, they're already going to get that one.

 

The new build has done wonderful things.
Still wanting Archers to have more utility than pew pew, but I can see that's planned.

I also think Knights shouldn't be invulnerable to Builders at all. If anything, they should be weaker to Builders. Hammer + Metal = ow. Arrow + Metal = meh.
Not only that, but I like the idea that you can't just charge behind the enemy front lines as a Knight where all the Builders are without Archer back-up.
Introduces more rock paper scissors.

Builders and Archers still need "is" abilities. I would say that maybe Archers should be able to jump higher, but that isn't a "is" ability. If you make a chicken play a Knight, it'll have three hearts, and it'll be invulnerable to builders. It wont know how to jump.

For maximum rock-paper-scissors:
I'd suggest making Builders do one heart against a Knight, but with slow strikes. Said strikes should also bypass the shield. (So that large groups are a very scary prospect.)
I think Archers should dodge Builder attacks if they are moving.
I would also like it if Knights were able to One-Hit Kill Archers.

If this doesn't work because the Builder isn't meant for combat, perhaps a fourth class should be introduced.

But I'm just musing over this. I like where we are now.

 

Builder is like Medic in TF2. On paper, he's overpowered with his unique strong ability, but the fact to have use of them there need to be his teammates around levels it out.