2.2 Balance Changes

TimTrain

Big Huge Games
Joined
Jul 24, 2015
Messages
18
This post is brought to you by Lead Designer John Hawkins. Enjoy!

Hello Leaders!

The Animal Blessing and the Demolition war tactic have been hot topics of late, and we wanted to address concerns that have been raised about them. We read these forums, and your posts do not fall on deaf ears.

Apologies for the failure to fully explain the balance change to the Animal Blessing in the update notes. We do want to explain changes when they happen, and we dropped the ball with this one. We will be doubly sure not to let this happen again in the future.

As for the why of the change itself – we changed it because the game was not intended for players to get more resources from using blessings than they do from combat. We think the game is most fun when it rewards PvP battling, and wanted to be sure we were giving appropriate rewards from attacking. We went with cutting the duration of the blessing because most other potential fixes involved changing the balance of the hunting system itself, and we didn’t want to mess with that.
The balance of Animal Blessing is currently in flux. Even in its current state, it is still much more powerful than other Blessings. While we may end up reducing its current value, we have no plans to make it useless. Our goal is to make every tool at your disposal - Blessings, Tactics, etc. - useful in its own way.

On the lameness of losing battles without a single troop being placed – we agree it is not fun. We understand that the Korean nation power exacerbates the existing problem where five Demolition spells can destroy any Town Center. We plan on fixing Demolition damage against Town Centers as soon as practical. We just have to make sure that whatever change we make doesn’t have a big effect on other strategies.

We also wanted to share a few other balance things in process:
  • Angkor Wat healing Generals will be adjusted. It pretty much makes higher level Generals invincible, which is not intended or fun.
  • Expect some changes to raiding. It’s a little too easy to take resources from players this way . Yes, it’s fun to take a bunch of resources for little to no work, but it’s not fun to lose them that way.
  • We are looking at nation balance. It would be easy to buff the British power, or give them an additional one. The Greeks are a little bit harder – their refund power is extremely good…at least until you run out of upgrades. Their free under X minutes power is less cool later in the game as well, so we’ll see what we can do. The Chinese are also a bit underpowered, so we’re discussing options for them, and possibly the Germans as well.
  • We may try out Revolution requiring fewer citizens.
There will be additional Industrial content coming in the next release.

Please keep on sharing your thoughts with us. While positive feedback is enjoyable to read, criticism is just as important for us to make the game as balanced and fun as possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding, and hope you continue to enjoy the game as it evolves.

- John Hawkins
 

Swtor Crafter

Approved user
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
Messages
15
honestly, getting alliance wars in the game is probably the smartest thing you guys can do for your game at this point.

people are bored and they are leaving the game everyday.

put alliance wars in so clans can have something to do together.

right now just donating troops to each other and talking in a chat is getting stale....

alliances need something they can do together to make them feel like they have a purpose.

after you put alliance wars in, then worry about fixing crap while the alliance's beat on each other.
 

CarlosSuarez

Approved user
Joined
Aug 15, 2015
Messages
49
aye! the nerf hammer is coming guys :) RIP raiders. Try to end lvl 10 wallas before the nerf
 

Nathan Win

Approved user
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Messages
842
Thanks for the info and update. Are you implying a nerf to the raiders???? Please no more nerf.
  • "Expect some changes to raiding. It’s a little too easy to take resources from players this way . Yes, it’s fun to take a bunch of resources for little to no work, but it’s not fun to lose them that way."
 

Nathan Win

Approved user
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Messages
842
Yeh my friend quit the game because he said it got boring. We need more to do in alliance.
 

Bodack Scythe

Banned
Joined
May 31, 2015
Messages
18
John Hawkins,

Currently, since the implementation of the algorithm and the explosion of cheat accounts on the game, the upper levels of the game are unplayable for non-cheats. As I previously mentioned, the algorithm has given an incentive to sand bag with your account. Because the algorithm rewards High Level, Low Medal players. It has become the perfect tool to foster the cheaters and decimate the non-cheats who put in the time, money and effort to build their accounts legitimately on your game. The cheat accounts are favored heavily in these match ups and even given preferential treatment.

Without banning all of the cheaters (And I know that's not happening, I've tried to my wit's end) the only way to combat these cheats would be to install a new match making algorithm which incorporates Level instead of Medal. I don't mind being attacked, it's a fun part of the game. But when I am level 114 and can only attack levels 140-200 for 1 medal while risking -39 medals in these match ups. Yet I can be attacked by level 140-200 level players with maxed up capabilities for -14, -21, -26, -31, -37, -39. It kind of deflates and defeats any competition balancing purpose you may have intended in the first place. PLEASE FIX THE ALGORITHM OR BAN THE CHEATS!!!! Or prepare for the Exodus!

Sincerely, a concerned Dominations Player!
 
Last edited:

maggiepie

Approved user
Joined
Jul 13, 2015
Messages
447
Interesting.... just interesting..... 'Not sure why it's "obvious"' comes to mind....

Oh, but also, raider spam hasn't taken down my base (not even IA lvl raiders)- I'm not saying I've got best base design ever, but maybe decent base design helps. I see scores and scores of terrible bases. Not sure why decent players should be punished for other's poor base designs getting wiped.
 
Last edited:

Mohammed Bakry

Approved user
Joined
Aug 29, 2015
Messages
7
The huckers....I hate them ....their are many ways to hack and save ur hack please try to stop them....I know u can stop them without banned. ...make an unti-hucker tool in the game without any one hack it
 

Eddie F1

Approved user
Joined
Aug 6, 2015
Messages
1,057
Expect some changes to raiding. It’s a little too easy to take resources from players this way . Yes, it’s fun to take a bunch of resources for little to no work, but it’s not fun to lose them that way

The quickest and fairest way to achieve that would be too remove all the maxed IA bases that have 700k+ of each resource lying around mostly in caravan droppings and farms. Whilst I realise there are credit card warriors out there it's surely not 50% of the bases I get to see.

Even dbukalski, who appears to have played this game 24/7 since release has only got to Level 11 walls (luxurious they may be) so resources aren't easy to come by, unless you have unlimited crowns in a Developer account or install one of the various cheat hacks. Playing this game in real-time to raise 4-5m for an upgrade is tedious enough, making it harder/frustrating isn't going to win many friends.
 

Lord Adahn

Approved user
Joined
Aug 5, 2015
Messages
15
My roommate did a blessing last night that gave only one leather and zero fur. And that costs one diamond and three metal. I can't think of any word to describe that other than "useless". Further changes will render it even more so if that's even possible.

With the troop donations being broken more often than not, with storage and tower blessings staying on the board for days after obviously having been attacked countless times, with a new issue that cropped up yesterday and has persisted today: almost every battle being seeing a network connection error where I lose all troops, tactics, etc, not receiving loot and the battle counting as a loss and my medal count plummeting even though, before getting kicked I'd actually won, and the battle not even appearing under the attack listing (and this connection issue only happens when I go into battle), and the ever popular animal blessing debacle... there's no incentive to stay, playing is now frustrating, not fun. My roommate and I aren't your biggest spenders but we buy crowns bi-weekly, dropping $25-$50 so you're receiving $100-$200 a month from us. We really did enjoy this game. Sadly, not now.

I'd rather drop $50-$60 one time for a properly patched and playable pc or console title that I don't need to spend anything further on. I'm inclined to agree with Bodack Scythe in regards to the coming Exodus.
 

Eddie F1

Approved user
Joined
Aug 6, 2015
Messages
1,057
Reminds me of the one and only time I bought trade goods in the Storehouse for 10 crowns - 2 leather and a fur and I was already maxed on one of them. For 10 crowns I want, nay demand, 10 diamonds!
 

Nathan Win

Approved user
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Messages
842
It's funny how the devs said they listen to us, but very few things we suggested they consider. It's like nerfing is their only solution to every issues.
 

Denquin

Approved user
Joined
Apr 30, 2015
Messages
251
Hooray, they're making the game fun again!
But honestly, I didn't think the chinese are underpowered. Maybe they are. I picked the British.
 

Redgar

Banned
Joined
Apr 9, 2015
Messages
1,394
Vroom! ;)

1. Close-app/traps issue needs to be adressed. Blessing recharging your traps 3-5 times would help alot.

2. making loot harder should come only TOGETHER with walls prices decrease/making them for food, economy buff, training blessings for factory/airfield/tactics so combat is fun, otherwise it's gonna be wrong, quit-making approach. You change training blessing = I quit.

2.1 Consider 1st production hour buff of farms/caravans, so e.g. you get 500% bonus only if you collect often.

3. You should combine valuable nerfs and buffs in each update, not just nerfs

4. Nation switch should not grow on crowns or be earned as 1 free switch per month

4.1 single power nations need the second one

4.2 Since a lot of people switches to France, it would help if you confirm that you're not gonna nerf it. you don't want all ex-greeks blow up this forum, right ? :)

5. Anti-hack note is missing. You should not share your activities, but you could share when, let's say we will see at least twice less cheat accounts?

All the nerfs we had may be real nothing to what's coming, bit dialog is always better, so thanks bgh for that.
 

Mohammed Bakry

Approved user
Joined
Aug 29, 2015
Messages
7
Go ahead.....u created a great game before. ..and it is easy to direct like that game....I know u can
 

Hiebosch

Approved user
Joined
Jul 24, 2015
Messages
2
As for the why of the change itself – we changed it because the game was not intended for players to get more resources from using blessings than they do from combat. We think the game is most fun when it rewards PvP battling, and wanted to be sure we were giving appropriate rewards from attacking.

I'm a little disappointed that all this nerfing is to manipulate the way people are playing the game. For me the fun of strategy games comes from putting a lot of variables in place and allowing the players to determine for themselves how to use them. If there is an out and out goof that means with a particular combination you can win 100% time against all enemies - sure, fix it.

This goes too for the as yet unspecified raiding nerf. Yeah - it's not fun when you get attacked and lose your resources, however it is done. Defensively I can get cleaned out with a massive "archer" or "foot" attack. My job is to come up with a flexible and secure defence, using any and all tools at my disposal.

Many in my alliance use the heavy raider attack for resource grab at cost of losing the battle. They all acknowledge that a different attack strategy is needed when they want to medal climb. Me - I've never really found using the all raider attack as much fun. I like to work with a balanced army.

It's the outright cheating and hacks that drive players nuts. Let's work a little harder in that area first, before doing the "hey, guys, you're playing my game wrong!!" changes.
 

maggiepie

Approved user
Joined
Jul 13, 2015
Messages
447
Yes- I think nerfing is just the quickest, simplest, solution. Also find it ..... coincidental.... how so much love goes out to the training blessing and now a new topic appears regarding what blessings are over used- oh, I mean, uh, just liked by people for no particular reason whatsoever.
 

Brown Bear

Approved user
Joined
Jul 18, 2015
Messages
85
All I want to say is.... FIX THE GREEKS! Sure it's nice to have some extra money in a bank after upgrades, but come on! How can they compare to an offensive nation like the Romans who have a scaling power making them stronger through the ages. Furthermore, removing cheats should be your biggest priority. And the global age can wait, most players need something to come back to, cough cough alliance wars. Thanks for your time, I wronte this in a rush
 
Top