in RTS, Strategy

ZeroK: Zero-K v1.10.8.0 – Rogue, Reaver, Redback and Map Rotation

From ZeroK: link to original post

The Rogue nerfs continue, Redback can now beat a Reaver, and Firewalker has its first change in years. Phantom slows to 66% speed to reload its gun (maybe the auto-loader broke?) to make them a bit easier to find, while Blitz and Pyro are a bit tougher in an attempt to bring them into the raider game. The skin swap 'easter egg' is gone, some animations are improved and some GC fiddling resulted in a performance improvement. A few new or remade maps now have start boxes, and the matchmaker map pool has been updated.

Balance


Ronin is a bit smarter.
  • Steps away from Lotus while reloading (with Hold Position disabled or Attack Move).
  • Updates aim direction more frequently to cut down on friendly fire.

Reaver has slightly less reach and manoeuvrability.
  • Turn rate reduced by 10%
  • Range 275 -> 270
  • Projectile velocity increased by 5.5% to compensate

Phantom is easier to catch.
  • Moves at 66% speed while reloading.

Rogue is costlier and a little easier to hit.
  • Cost 125 -> 130
  • Turn rate reduced by 10%

Thug requires more downtime between uses.
  • Shield regen 14/s -> 13/s

Redback kills Glaive in three shots.
  • Damage 70 -> 80

Pyro is tougher.
  • Health 670 -> 690

Firewalker deals less damage.
  • Direct damage reduced by 15%
  • Ground burn damage reduced by 5%

Blitz is tougher.
  • Health 1250 -> 1300

Emissary takes less time to pack and unpack.
  • Gun turns 14% faster.
  • Increased projectile velocity by 1.6%.
  • Slightly lower arc.

Lance is less likely to be overshot by inaccurate projectiles.
  • Lowered aim position.

Picket is no longer 1-shot by Rogue.
  • Health 300 -> 340.

Previous Changes


Zero-K v1.10.7.0 had some balance changes as well.

Rogue has a slower and less damaging weapon.
  • Damage 345 -> 330
  • Projectile velocity 190 -> 185 elmos/s

Outlaw is faster and deals more normal damage at the cost of slow damage.
  • Speed 57 -> 60 elmos/s
  • Normal damage 27 -> 30
  • Slow damage 81 -> 75

Map Rotation


The matchmaker map pool has been rotated and map bans have been reset. You can set your map bans by clicking 'Set Map Bans' in the matchmaker window or directly on the site here.

The following maps were added to the pool.
  • Reptilian Battlefield
  • Altair Crossing v4
  • Rainbow Comet
  • Eye of Horus
  • Aurelian

The following maps were removed from the pool.
  • Dune Patrol Redux
  • Sertaleina
  • Desert Rumble
  • Frosty Cove
  • Trojan Hills
  • Shimmershore

Features


  • Improved Impaler, Phantom and Tidal Generator animations.
  • Added a reload animation for Phantom (to give it a reason to slow down).
  • Added start boxes for Lava Highground and Pentos.
  • Added start boxes for remakes of Emain Macha, Flooded Valley, and Trefoil.
  • Fixed uninspired name for kamikaze award.
  • Fiddled with garbage collection settings to improve performance.
  • Optimised drawing for morph effects and removed some redundant tables.
  • Increased thickness of antinuke coverage indicator, so it is harder to miss.

Fixes


  • Removed the unintended easter egg where units would occasionally swap skins.
  • Blastwing cloak now breaks when the unit is launched.
  • Reduced the linger of the map erase effect.
  • Fixed the worst cases of units trying to shoot at underwater Amphibious Factories.
  • Fix lights on Mount Dustmore.
  • Fixed Spidermonkey web not rendering.
  • Fix a crash in outline shader error messages.
  • Fixed part of the cloak transition effect that had been disabled for engine compatibility reasons.
  • Fixed geothermal vents not reacting to terrain changes on some maps.
  • Fixed underscores causing issues for abuse reports sent via the ingame playerlist.
  • Fixed inconsistent colours on team endgame graphs for spectators.
  • Fixed ambiguous AI team names in AI vs. AI games.
  • Fixed Missile Silo missiles not being removed from control groups as soon as they are launched (technically they only die after landing).
  • Fixed a rare situation where command queues could be lost by adding a keybind to set units On or Off, then using the keybind with a selection of units that do not all have an On/Off toggle.