New Balance Update: some BUG fixes and tweaks (Stage 5)

[theotherhiveking]

Are there still plans to add crossbows?

I was dissapointed when i seen than marksmen had more in common with mages than with war engineers , no mechanical warfare at all.

[Kyrottimus]

Originally Posted by chilko

This is just not true... as game developers we are more interested in creating a coherent fantasy and keeping with player expectations than mathematical perfection.

We are trying to make the hunter class something that is more resembling of its actual leit motif class (ranger, scout, assassin) not a god like mess (that has the best defense, invisibility and also may carry a pet).

I agree with you 100% (or +100%, depending on who is doing the math )

Seriously, I think that archers in general needed a lot of scrutiny in regards to their base attributes. Hunters especially needed a reformat. And so far, I think the general direction for them is better.

While no two people will ever see 100% eye to eye on everything, in this update, this instance regarding hunters, after playing mine a bit, I am overall feeling it will be a step in the right direction for balance and for hunters as a whole.

Regarding Marksman, I think (if in the near future, after hunters, you put your tweaking-caps on to focus on them), they need some scrutiny as well--in the regard of "making this class more fun to play". For starters, their mana-consumption should be looked at as well as some of their sub-class specific abilities.

I also hope you're not done with Barbs (or knights too, for that matter).

I would be remiss to hang up my (biased) position as an advocate for Barbarians (and warriors in general), but I do have to recognize improvements when I see them, and regarding Hunter, I see steps in the right direction. If hunters will truly have to choose between using a pet and using camo, then so far the balance feels right for them. I am a little tentative regarding the loss of their speed. I still would return old escapist to its former function.

[Yttrium]

Originally Posted by Gideon_Slack

Same with Hunters having speed taken away and replaced with purely defensive buffs like SotW and Escapist (which were once both speed buffs)

I don't know if you remember playing a hunter before onslaught was nerfed, but it was a lot more fun to be a hunter when barbarians were dangerous. As it stands now on Amun, barbarians can catch hunters again. This is a good addition; hunters shouldn't only have to worry about enemy hunters when running around the warzone.

Since you're a fort-hunter, you're probably used to attacking out of camo and using your speed to get away. You have been given plenty of tools to attempt the same thing: low profile, sotw, escapist, ambush, dist shot, caltrops, hinder, etc. All you need to do is not use all your mana and you have a chance at a hit and run.

I'll guess that you currently have max mobility and max wild spirit so that no one can catch you. I agree that this is fun, but it is completely unfair that you're able to approach the battle unseen, attack, then get away without any risk of being killed.

Originally Posted by chilko

We are trying to make the hunter class something that is more resembling of its actual leit motif class (ranger, scout, assassin) not a god like mess (that has the best defense, invisibility and also may carry a pet).

If you want to give hunters some love to take the sting out of the update, many would love to have tracking fixed (so that it at least shows the closest enemies instead of the farthest.)