I would like to request some sort of Q&A with developers regarding what factors are being analyzed to determine the need for balance changes, because I myself am having a very difficult time understanding it.
As a developer myself, post market (live) changes are generally viewed as a last resort, only if program integrity is at a risk of being compromised. Now, I also understand that the mobile app game pay to play model will be different from licensed software, which is why I would like this discussion, so that we can reconcile what I feel is not so much apples and oranges, but apples and lawnmowers.
Recently, developers released a list of the 5 strongest performing heroes on offense and defense. Absent from that list?
Telluria
Bottom of the list on defense: vela
Top of those lists? Costumes and event heroes.
From my perspective as a player, I see a few things that may contribute to this.
Heroes like jabberwock, finley, costume magni, rabbit, and killhare are event or seasonal heroes which have a far lower saturation rate. Which also means the players that have them will tend to be heavier spenders. And will therefore have better troops, on average.
That aside. Is there anyone who has a hero like say, Finley who does not use this hero on defense? He is so strong on defense that most of the top alliances will use a second blue hero on defense just to get him in there. Personally I have him too. But is this not a clear example of actual Imbalance? Is there any tank color (even blue), under which he would not be placed on defense? Same question for jabberwock or killhare. If the meta shifts to yellow or purple tanks, would vela in her previous inception be on everyone’s defense? Personally I feel the answer is a resounding no. But heroes like gravemaker. Finley, killhare, jabberwock will be in virtually every setup to anyone who has these heroes.
To me, the concept of diversity should be trumped by game integrity. And I feel it is not. Why not release similar level tank heroes in every color to create diversity? If you did, the issue would easily be solved without the need to constantly upset and then undercompensate players for their frustrations.
Why not look at balancing those heroes you just declared as actually being the most powerful rather than the ones that are not on such lists? I understand that those other heroes generate continued income for you where the ones you constantly look at nerfing do not. Even the nerfs seem half hearted. Vela supposedly is slightly more powerful than zeline. A simple side by side comparison of those heroes in their current form would be a clear illustration that whoever thought up the design changes did not even look at existing heroes to see they were creating a color fungible hero that was a little sister to a better and older option that already exists, which seems apathetic at worst and careless at best.,
In the end, I guess what I’m trying to say is I’d like to hear from developers themselves what kind of data they are mining that determines not only the need to change but what to change it to, because right now, my feeling as a gamer and a programmer is that the developer mentality has completely lost focus on game integrity, and is half heartedly applying leaky band aids in quick fix form in order to devote their time entirely to additional revenue streams. And that’s not a good feeling to have the people providing the revenue stream in. I’m hoping at least some of the developers at some point used to be gamers themselves. Put that old gamer hat on, and try to make sense of this to us. Right now, some openness on your part might go a long way in keeping yourselves from being a 4 letter word or Voldemort within the community of those that actually provide your income.