Feedback Thread - Infected IPC Balance

[Fluffy]

This is a feedback thread for the infected IPCs currently present in Konyang that is being proposed to be altered by https://github.com/Aurorastation/Aurora.3/pull/18467

 

The following feedback thread aims to gather information from the community about their balance, with the purpose of evaluating between:

• Keeping them at the current threat level in terms of per-unit (mob) damage
• Lowering the current threat level in terms of per-unit (mob) damage

 

Please feel free to express your opinion on the above inquiry indicating:

1. Which option would you prefer
2. The reason you'd prefer said option

 

This feedback thread does not aim to evaluate the values per-se, rather, it aims to evaluate if to reconsider the threat level said mobs pose downward or not, and arguments for either options; as such, details or dissertions on specific details, or things not directly related to the aforementioned, are not in purview of this discussion

 

This thread will be auto-closed in seven days

[DatSamTho]

tbh, if I could, I'd choose the secret third option, that is, keep them as powerful, but lower their numbers. IPCs are meant to be scary when going full blast at you, but the places that infected IPCs spawn in are rural backwaters, it really doesn't make sense for them to spawn in that many numbers.

[Butterrobber202]

I agree with Sam. Keep them dangerous. Keep them threatening. Maps can be designed where a hoard can arrive under specific conditions as desired by the Synthetic Team, when they think it will best serve the story.

[Carver]

I'd want to keep them very dangerous in damage/health but make them slower, if anything. 'Sprinter zombies' doesn't feel fitting with how damaged they appear, and especially with the lack of Z-H frame zombies.

[greenjoe]

I imagine one issue may be
IPCs normally overheat and take damage when they run too much
these simplemobs would not?
so they would run forever
even infected, the IPCs would still overheat and eventually collapse due to damage from the overheating, but that isn't shown here.

[Fluffy]

A reminder that the discussion/pool/feedback is between the two options indicated above:

- Keeping them at the current threat level in terms of per-unit (mob) damage

- Lowering the current threat level in terms of per-unit (mob) damage

 

While some ideas have been expressed that are interesting, this thread specifically aims to collect feedbacks between the two options above as outlined in the OP, so other ideas/suggestions should be evaluated/discussed/proposed in (a) different thread(s)

Edited February 22 by Fluffy
where -> while

[Jasorn]

lower them for fucks sake, they're 4x the armor pen as eels/reavers and are swarming the event planet, if the amount of times i've seen ghost roles get wiped by them is an indication of whats to come of future events related to these infected IPCs, we're fucked

[Carver]

Putting aside my thoughts on speed; I think they should be very lethal when they connect in melee, as they are man-sized machines showing absolutely zero restraint in their intent to harm someone even if it would result in their own destruction. A robot is well capable of more harm than a wild animal given it’s a creature of hydraulics, steel and the like; and truly I’d only expect Geists and similar genuine monstrosities (Greimorian Queens, Warforms, that one giant lizard creature from Moghes) to surpass them without the use of weaponry.

I want to feel genuine fear when it comes to fighting these things, I don’t want it to be some run of the mill ‘oh it won’t matter too much if it gets close’ kind of deal where people start casually racking up ‘kill counts’ or whatever have you. These are effectively zombies composed of metal and machinery, that kind of stuff tends to be mini-boss level in survival horror titles.

[Granodd]

From what I've observed of them, I think their overall threat level needs to be reduced. I don't think it should be neutered, but right now it's just a bit too much.

As for reasoning, I just think they do way too much damage for how fast they move as well as how many you'll typically encounter in one area. I think that focusing solely on their per-unit balance isn't really a good way to look at things as they're not like Cave Geists or the larger Greimorians. They're not a monolithic monstrosity, they come in groups more often than not, and the balance and threat of them should be thought of in that regard.

A single one of them getting close to you should be deadly, yea, but as it is right now if at least two get near you - which is very likely - then you're going to be put into critical extremely quickly. And while that can lend to the narrative of them being extremely dangerous, I think it's a bit too much to have a character die so quickly, and potentially in a canon round to something like that. It'd be like having 3-4 Geists running around.

The PR adjusting their damage I think goes a bit too far with the nerf to the AP. 20 would be a fair number along with their 15-20 damage per hit. But another thing that should be considered is how quickly they can get into that melee with you and how many of them there are in a given area.

[The Stryker]

Speaking on behalf of the synthetic team, it'd be better if this PR gets merged ASAP.

As Fluffy mentioned above, we can debate on specific details later, but right now we only have the perspective of them as hyper dangerous that they can potentially 3-shot even a Konyanger ghost role in heavy armor. By merging this PR, we can see how they feel to play against if they're slightly less powerful, and then we can modify their values again. We don't have to make one big "one and done" change when we only have them in their initial state.

As for the PR in its current state, this reduces the damage of infected IPCs somewhat, but crucially, nerfs their armor penetration. Infected IPCs will still be dangerous but this danger can be reduced if you prepare and actually bring armor. I think this is a good place for them to be since when you factor in how fast they are, they can still pose a threat but don't immediately end your round.

[MattAtlas]

Handled; they will be nerfed damage wise but the speed is remaining untouched for now.