Cult-Faction-Design

[DanteOne]

I though about the faction design. In general the cult should be made for high dmg but less hp than others. so i think its kinda a hit-and-run-faction, but now its kinda useless and can be beaten easily even with humans (Assaultbots + Constructors). And they stand no chance against tribes at all.

The stupid thing about this faction is that they were meant for dmg and got some nice dmg-units BUT most units are close-combat. the only real ranged unit is the arbiter but it only has about 350hp... so quarter get killed if its running to enemy.

why is this faction weak and only got close-combat units?

[Arnica]

Yeah I noticed that this faction is the worst of them all... Now humans vs tribe is something I would rather see then AVP but when I see cult jump into the game its like.... let the adults play and why don't you just lay down and die?

[Scrutized]

the only thing is that cult players are the adults xD not he humans ...for me i love cult because it s the underdog and you can make very various strats but now its on th epoint where any strat of cult doesnt work any more

[Frujin]

but now its on th epoint where any strat of cult doesnt work any more

Why do you think that?

[DanteOne]

well against humans its still quite balanced but against tribes its mostly GG... no chance.

but this is not about balance. its more about the faction and how it should be played

[Rynn]

I don't see them as the DMG race, rather than the hit&runners. They got fear, stun aswell as a passive damage buff - every rogue-class player will yell out "Sneak Attack!" here.

However, their tricks are incredibly underpowered. They last for a pitifully short amount of time, and their effect does by no means justifies the huge cooldown timers.

In a 1v1 DM, cult units tend to get slaughtered, if they are not near a dmg-reducing tower. This is because the support powers can by no means hold the incoming jumanji-stampede in place for a decent amount of time. The 4-second dimension chain gets a ... what's it? 30 second timer? More? It feels like ages, compared to the duration. ;(

In Co-op, the poor cult can atleast rely on teammates to do the creeping, whilst they try to terrify and hold the incoming forces at bay. That's how it looks on paper. In execution, it is just as mentioned above. Too many enemies, too short skill durations. Yes... harvesters and upgraded Tritechs do decent damage (Critical hits) but they don't last long enough. Guess why? Yes? Right. Skills like slows don't last long enough to make repositioning a viable option.

And don't get me started on trisats. They are as helpful like fleas on a dog, cause they splatter before even reaching their target. If they had atleast a teleport skill, to justify the quick splattering....



So what to do?

Suggestions:

Make the skills power regeneration, not cooldown dependant. If my memory serves me right, another big RTS does it no differently... short cooldown timers (anywhere between 1-20secs) but appropriate energy consumption.

This adds more strategy to each battle, as the player has to carefully weigh the skill usage vs regeneration. Make a big alpha strike and try to clean up afterwards? Or a steady support? Last minute option? Far more interesting than twiddling thumbs til the timer mercifully recharges the second before your unit dies. :bash:

Plus, it makes recharger-units way more useful. Maybe they need to be toned down after such a change, but atleast they would have granted themselves a first-target priority. Poor critters....

Now you ask: "What! Let them spam those skills? This is imba!!!"

Yes and no. They do get themselves the so much needed advantage, but there would be counters for that. Dimension Chain doesn't stun, only root, so that ranged units can still fire. Close combat units should have the armor to withstand a few hits, but they are at disadvantage in such a situation, so you bring more ranged units on the second attempt, making the battle more even. (It's also called forcing the opponent to play by your rules. Old Rock, Scissors, Paper principle. )

Cult can still cast a fear spell, but it should keep its short duration and/or high energy cost, as it is much stronger as DC.

Right now, I can't see any negative effects from changing the mechanics into this direction. Only testing can verify this assumption, so I won't insist on 100% accuracy here.