everdream

Gotcha.

@ Dr. Snyder I suppose you have a good point there. From a basing stand point, it really wouldn't be good to pick 1 Alien over 2 Sigs because of AD, although I think that just speaks volumes about how broken Anti-death is. Nobody picks 1 3Mil Alien Tech over a 1 60k Sig + Anti-Death as it is right now for basing (it's almost pointless rushing without AD). I was thinking more along the lines of how it affects ship balance from a ?shipstatus point of view. Instead of having Alien Techs as a 'novelty item' it could be brought more in line with the other items in the game. 2 Signatures are comparable to 1 Alien Tech from a ?shipstatus standpoint as energy/recharge and other stats are more or less equal. @ Vegetta64 If 2 Sigs were brought into play making non Alien Tech users balanced with Alien Tech users I would have to agree that the cost of Alien Techs should be cut in half to 1.5 Mil. I disagree with Alien Techs being balanced with 1 Signature ships. The energy and recharge bonus alone makes it quite obvious that nothing even comes close to something like a Temporal Core.

I wasn't complaining really. More of an observation, and an attempt to offer constructive criticism to improve the zone, as I did enjoy very much playing here. I've only read that there have been some issues with Alien Techs from the league forum and such and I wanted to help find a solution for it.

I see what you're saying. As annoying as a Quad rep weasel with solid nut would be, I'd imagine players would adapt by making their own or perhaps they'll have other options with the additional Signature. That's pretty much how basing works in this zone anyway... When another team sends in their Quad rep weasel/lanc. You send your own to counter theirs. I suppose we're arguing both sides of the same coin here. I can't say for sure how it would affect gameplay without testing in-game.

As of now there are currently 8 Slots from which to pick 1 Signature (Not including Alien Signatures). Even if it was increased to 2 Signatures the difference wouldn't be very much imo. If you choose Sigs from the Engine/Guns, someone else can pick Reactor/Guns, Addon/Bombs, or so on and so forth. I'm only speculating since one can't know for sure without testing, but I don't see Standard Sigs being overpowered. I see them as bringing them in line with a player who can afford an Alien Tech.

hi everdream. Long time no talk. I feel two signatures grants players too much power, especially in the gun/engine department. How would you escape a warbird with flash drive and mass driver Hello BZAP Temp Core WB would have a Flash Drive/Mass WB beat in the energy/recharge department hands down. The Temp Core WB could also use Exoskeleton. Keep in mind, everyone would have a choice between their own 2 Signatures or 1 Alien Tech. You'd have plenty of options for beating just about any build you can think of. More choices, more balanced, more fun.

Just from theorizing, since I can't be sure how balanced it would be without trying it in-game... I find the numbers of 2 Sigs to be fairly equal to 1 Alien Tech. For example: Temp Core: 7 energy 8 recharge = roughly 1 Naquadah Gen. + System Optimizer + Oracle System: 6 energy 6 recharge along with the bonuses System Op and Oracle bring... They're quite comparable. Baryon Injector stats are fairly close to 1 Omega + System Optimizer. Baryon could probably use slight adjustment. Adamantine could maybe use some adjustment, but somewhat equal to Solid Nutronium + (insert sig here) The standard sigs are very well balanced for the most part. The Alien Techs could use some small adjustment.

Yes, the other topic about boosting/nerfing items is what made me think about Alien Techs and Sigs in the first place. The fact that people are having an issue with Alien Techs in league show just how imbalanced they are. I thought this could bring more variety of ship builds to the zone by increasing the sig slots (which has been suggested before), but for the purpose of balancing Alien Techs users with Non Alien Tech users.

As this reset goes further along, many players are accummulating the funds and XP for Alien Techs. This of course brings about the issue of zone balance as Alien Techs are currently the most desirable items in the zone. With Alien Techs, the overall balance of the zone is completely thrown off as you have only 3 choices to be competitive (assuming players of equal skill). Who wants to play in a zone where everyone needs to have a 3 Mil item to level the playing field? Of course, the solution at this point has been to 'Nerf Alien Techs'. Which I hear has happened several times already. I wouldn't know, I haven't played here that long. Although, I did finally save up for an Alien Tech and they were just as overpowered as everyone said they were. Which lead me to lose interest in the zone for the time being. Back on topic though, Alien Techs are not the problem. The problem is the fact that they're at the top of the 'Item Chain'. They need some kind of equivalent so you don't have to 'Buy Alien Tech or die'. Bottom line, a 3Mil Item should be better than a 60k Sig Item so nerfing Alien Techs only defeats the purpose of having them in the first place. So how about making a 3Mil Item comparable to 2 Sigs? This preserves the uniqueness of Alien Techs while giving players many options to stay on a level playing field. So there you have it, players have the choice between 2 Signatures or 1 Alien Tech. Alien Techs would be Non Signature and could not be bought with Signature Items. (Alien Techs may need a slight buff or adjustment, but that's for another Topic) Currently, the progression in the zone follows this formula: Standard Items -> Signature Items -> Alien Tech. -Leads to a big imbalance in the end game. A single Sig will never be comparable to an Alien Tech when 2 players of equal skill compete. Also less active players currently have no chance against a skilled player with a Temp Core as of now. My suggestion for resolving the current dilemma is to follow this formula: Standard Items -> 2 Signatures or 1 Alien Tech. - More Balanced as less active players still have a chance to compete against Alien Tech users. The end game is balanced and the zone benefits from more variety in ship builds. What do you think? Comments or suggestions appreciated.