Playtest 222: Unique Upgrades for Every Unit!

TreiskTreisk Member, Administrator
in Patch Notes

Playtest 222: Unique Upgrades for Every Unit!

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SUNDAY PLAYTEST TIMES

- Sunday Playtest time: 2:00 - 4:00pm ⇒ 12:00pm - 2:00pm PST

Of note: For the next few weeks, we're seeking additional feedback on your experience playing with/against Bots! Also, just having more bot games played in general will give us replays we can examine to find/solve potential issues. Get out there and slay those bots!

General Gameplay

  • ALL UNITS now have one Unique upgrade! Please read the Units section of the notes for details on what upgrades were added!
  • The Auto-Production feature has received tuning and has been expanded on. Try this feature out and let us know about your experience!
  • Fixed a bug where channeling units would get pushed around and turn the wrong direction.

Units

  • Unique upgrade costs and build times have been restructured

    • Tier 1 unit upgrades

      • Required tech level: 2
      • Scrap cost: 80
      • Research time: 180 seconds
    • Tier 2 unit upgrades

      • Required tech level: 2
      • Scrap cost: 80
      • Research time: 180 seconds
    • Tier 3 unit upgrades

      • Required tech level: 3
      • Scrap cost: 120
      • Research time: 240 seconds

Blue

  • Glacial Ranger

    • Attack range: 8.5 ⇒ 7.5
    • Movement speed: 4.4 ⇒ 4.3
    • NEW UPGRADE: Ice Floes - Increases the attack range of Glacial Rangers by 1.5.
  • Plated Warrior

    • NEW UPGRADE: Gusset - Improves the Plate capacity of the Plated Warrior by 5.
  • Shield Slug

    • Stock cost: 6 ⇒ 5
    • Ice Shield

      • Now once again absorbs damage rather than converting it to healing
    • NEW UPGRADE: Heal Shield - Now converts damage absorbed into healing
  • Kingpin

    • NEW UPGRADE: Jet Propulsion -- Improves the speed and duration of the Kingpin's projectile
  • Shadow

    • NEW UPGRADE: Void Channeling - Improves the radius of Nether Zone by 25%.
  • Aquadillo

    • Cannonball

      • The Aquadillo is now invulnerable while airborne during Cannonball
    • NEW UPGRADE: High Vault - Increases the casting range of Cannonball

Green

  • Howling Commando

    • NEW UPGRADE: Brash Monkey - Improves the Howling Commando's attack range by 1.5
  • Toxin Alchemist

    • NEW UPGRADE: Deadly Poison - Increases the damage of Lethal Toxin by 50%.
  • Bramblethorn Goliath

    • NEW UPGRADE: Efficient Synthesis - Increases the healing rate of Protosynthesis by 60%
    • Protosynthesis

      • Cast recovery time: 0.0 seconds ⇒ 1.6 seconds
  • Abominable Sludge

    • No longer leaves a lingering 10 DPS DoT to units that exit the Sludge's radius
    • Inner DoT damage: 10 damage per second ⇒ 24 damage per second
    • NEW UPGRADE: Oozemosis -- The Sludge heals for 25% of the damage dealt to units inside it.
  • Rustborn Rhino

    • Size increased by 30% (Note that this is with the new model)
    • NEW UPGRADE: Unstoppable Force -- Improves the range and speed of Trample
  • Trebuchet

    • NEW UPGRADE: Advanced Trajectory - Improves the range of Trebuchet Barrage by 30%.

Red

  • Vex

    • Pyroblast

      • Cast recovery time: 1 second ⇒ 2.2 seconds
  • Beetle Fighter

    • NEW UPGRADE: Beetle Revenge - The Beetle Fighter spawns two Beetles when killed.
  • Lavaspitter

    • NEW UPGRADE: Cinder Core - Reduces the Lavaspitter's attack cooldown by 0.2 while burrowed.
  • Scarab

    • NEW UPGRADE: Epimorphosis - Now regenerates 20 health per second while burrowed.
  • Apocalyte

    • Removed the Meteor Shower upgrade
    • NEW UPGRADE: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy - Reduces the cooldown of Destructive Prophecy by 2 seconds per target struck by Destructive Prophecy

White

  • Raptor

    • NEW UPGRADE: Sharp Focus - Improves the base attack range of the Raptor by 2.
  • Sprinter

    • Sprint

      • Cooldown: 22 seconds ⇒ 25 seconds
      • NEW UPGRADE: Endurance -- Increases the duration of Sprint by 5 seconds
  • Precognitor

    • NEW UPGRADE: Smokescreen - Improves the radius of Blinding Smoke by 25%.
  • Windray

    • NEW UPGRADE: Carry the Wind - Improves the radius of Accelerating Winds and Lifting Winds by 3.
  • Conduit

    • NEW UPGRADE: Lightning Rod - Improves the range of the Conduit by 2, and the range of Drill Laser by 4.

Neutral

  • Chiller

    • NEW UPGRADE: Zeotropic Refrigerant - Improves the Chiller's movement speed slow by 10% and increases its duration by 2 seconds.
  • Engineer

    • NEW UPGRADE: Structural Integrity - Improves the healing of Engineering by 60%, and improves the range of the Ion Cannon by 15.
  • Healer

    • NEW UPGRADE: Field Medic - Healers regenerate Auto-Heal charges 2 seconds faster, begin with 10 more charges, and hold up to 10 more charges.
  • Sentinel

    • NEW UPGRADE: Vigilant Sentry - Improves the movement speed of the Sentinel by 1.
  • Teleporter

    • Tech Requirement: 4 ⇒ 3
    • Movement speed: 4.6 ⇒ 3.8
    • NEW UPGRADE: Warp Thrusters - Improves the movement speed of the Teleporter by 1.
  • Transport

    • NEW UPGRADE: Magnetic Bearings - Improves the movement speed of the Transport by 1.
  • Trapper

    • Context time!: We want to try an experiment here where the primary cost of a unit isn't actually Stock or Scrap, but rather the deck slot used to include the unit in your composition.

      • Stock Cost: 4 ⇒ 2
      • Scrap cost: 50 ⇒ 25
      • Unit cap: 5 ⇒ 3
    • NEW UPGRADE: Fossil Genera -- - Reduces the cooldown of Slow Trap and increases its radius

Comments

  • wondiblewondible Member

    I started a bot game, saw a client upgrade flash, quit the game and relaunched client. No upgrade notice and next bot game started okay. When I was done I came back to the upgrade notice and now it's downloading.

  • CycleCycle Member, Moderator

    bug: Ion cannon range upgrade is not properly reflected in its indication radius nor vision radius

  • tedstertedster Member
    edited June 25

    I'm a little worried about the Apocalyte buff since they already feel like the strongest thing in the game that I've personally played around with, but it will be fun to play with for sure!

    There will be a lot of armies erased this week.

  • wondiblewondible Member

    If I click on a gem/pile, I'd like to see how much it's going to give.

  • FoambornFoamborn Member

    NEW UPGRADE: Fossil Genera

    I approve of this name.

  • ItanoCircusItanoCircus Member

    Interesting update! Here's my feedback thus far:

    I don't feel strongly either way about Vex's casting recovery from Pyroblast. However, I dislike the visual change on Pyroblast. It looks very similar to the Tendril Slam of the Pitcher Plant instead of being distinct and is much harder to dodge as a result. Though it can feel frustrating seeing people neatly dodge Pyroblast, I don't feel that making it harder to see makes me feel rewarded as a Vex player. I have gotten good flanks and positional Pyroblasts, and the fact that it shows a bright red line of "Standing Here = Smoldering Corpses" makes the occasional wave of gained experience very satisfying. Hiding the effect of an ultimate "feels" more White than Red to me thematically.

    While the Lavaspitter upgrade is undoubtedly good, when I click on the Lavaspitter both burrowed and unburrowed I don't see any numbers change on the unit to reflect the upgrade, but it's is entirely possible I'm not looking at the right part of the unit's stats.

    The Apocalyte's "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy" upgrade is very interesting. When I target my own units after the upgrade is made, it doesn't seem to affect the CD of "Destructive Prophecy". I'm fairly certain this is intentional, but wanted to bring it to up all the same.

    I have not seen the Engineer be created often in games of PvP or against bots. The reasoning I heard from other players is that the Ion Cannon deals very little damage, doesn't have a great deal of range, and provides a good amount of experience despite doing comparatively little. I do not know if the new upgrade will affect this aspect of the unit and will bring it up again after more tests.

    The changes to the Trapper are excellent and I can't wait to test it out. The lower Stock and Scrap (Bioshards?) with the cost being a deck slot seems promising for neutral units in general.

  • ItanoCircusItanoCircus Member

    More specifically for Vex's Pyroblast, I don't like the feel of Vex's targeting visual for Pyroblast. The startup image of the fire and how the Pyroblast looks as it travels is a vast improvement.

  • wondiblewondible Member

    I had a game this morning with several examples of units getting hitched up on the edges of the ramp to the hard camp by my nexus when when crossing between the healing towers. It was one of the ones where I played blue, but both replays are crashing (bug reports submitted) so I can't narrow it further.

  • TreiskTreisk Member, Administrator

    @Cycle said:
    bug: Ion cannon range upgrade is not properly reflected in its indication radius nor vision radius

    Known issue. We decided it was better to ship with the upgrade functioning for now, and oops'ed out on the vision radius part. Range indicator not updating will require a bit more work, hopefully won't take us too long.

  • TreiskTreisk Member, Administrator

    @Foamborn said:
    NEW UPGRADE: Fossil Genera

    I approve of this name.

    I was hoping you, specifically, would see this. We've got a couple BTBAM fans in the office and thought this was a cool idea for this upgrade. :D

  • TreiskTreisk Member, Administrator

    @ItanoCircus said:
    Interesting update! Here's my feedback thus far:

    I don't feel strongly either way about Vex's casting recovery from Pyroblast. However, I dislike the visual change on Pyroblast. It looks very similar to the Tendril Slam of the Pitcher Plant instead of being distinct and is much harder to dodge as a result. Though it can feel frustrating seeing people neatly dodge Pyroblast, I don't feel that making it harder to see makes me feel rewarded as a Vex player. I have gotten good flanks and positional Pyroblasts, and the fact that it shows a bright red line of "Standing Here = Smoldering Corpses" makes the occasional wave of gained experience very satisfying. Hiding the effect of an ultimate "feels" more White than Red to me thematically.

    Passed this on to art. Thanks!

    While the Lavaspitter upgrade is undoubtedly good, when I click on the Lavaspitter both burrowed and unburrowed I don't see any numbers change on the unit to reflect the upgrade, but it's is entirely possible I'm not looking at the right part of the unit's stats.

    Yeah, unfortunately the info cards don't update with upgrades just yet. Upcoming feature with no clear ETA

    The Apocalyte's "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy" upgrade is very interesting. When I target my own units after the upgrade is made, it doesn't seem to affect the CD of "Destructive Prophecy". I'm fairly certain this is intentional, but wanted to bring it to up all the same.

    Note to self: Be more specific with wording. That upgrade should say "enemy," not "target." :P

    I have not seen the Engineer be created often in games of PvP or against bots. The reasoning I heard from other players is that the Ion Cannon deals very little damage, doesn't have a great deal of range, and provides a good amount of experience despite doing comparatively little. I do not know if the new upgrade will affect this aspect of the unit and will bring it up again after more tests.

    Buffs to the Ion Cannon are on our to-do list for sure. Right now the DPS is pretty not-great. It's actually roughly the same DPS as 2 Wisps, haha. It's on our radar.

    Thanks!

  • MilleaMillea Member

    Just so you guys know

    Beetle displays as R_CoreMelee_MoreBeetles

    Teleporter upgrade is nonexistent

  • CohLysionCohLysion Member
    edited June 26

    UX

    Game Summary Upgrade Grid Rollout
    (1.1) - First time I noticed this, nice touch. Might suggest sorting the upgrades in a different way than game chronologically, or otherwise, include each tech level upgrade in their place on the timeline (currently just shows when the highest level occurred). This is a very minor thing, though, with no significant impact on gameplay or out-game UX.

    Splash Video 08
    (2.1) - Love it!

    Upgrades

    Green
    (3.1) - I dig the unit upgrades coming back. I especially like that it adds a bit more of a build layer on top of the squad picker. In a nominally matched game, tailoring towards particular units at the expense of some of the strengths of others (through resource availability) played as nice choice in games today. As an example, Trebuchets still feel useful with the starting range, and then giving them range to hit cross-map through an upgrade changes how they play, with the corresponding cost. 'Course, I just flat out lost them, so that sucked.

    Blue
    (3.2) - The physicist in me humbly requests that High Vault increase both damage and pull radius. The Blue main in me nods agreement from behind and to the right of the physicist. There are exits to the east and south. You see a shovel.

  • TreiskTreisk Member, Administrator

    @Millea said:
    Just so you guys know

    Beetle displays as R_CoreMelee_MoreBeetles

    Teleporter upgrade is nonexistent

    Teleporter upgrade was an oops that we haven't fixed yet. Beetle upgrade was an oops that we fixed, but didn't publish in time. Or, in short: Oops!

  • TreiskTreisk Member, Administrator

    @CohLysion said:
    The physicist in me humbly requests that High Vault increase both damage and pull radius. The Blue main in me nods agreement from behind and to the right of the physicist. There are exits to the east and south. You see a shovel.

    If I pick up the shovel, do I hear the voice of Triple H threatening to bury me?

  • CohLysionCohLysion Member

    @Treisk said:
    If I pick up the shovel, do I hear the voice of Triple H threatening to bury me?

    Yes, though, strangely, it sounds like it is coming from an 8" tall Triple H toy figure, like a cross between Elmo and Quentin Tarantino.

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