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Active: 1310 users

Fixing PvP in hots (Shield Batteries)

Blogs > vOdToasT
Post a Reply
1 2 Next All
vOdToasT
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Sweden2870 Posts
September 08 2011 13:27 GMT
#1
We all know how shit PvP is compared to every other matchup, especially on maps without ramps. Because of the warp in mechanic and the lack of a defenders' advantage, PvP on tal darim altar is always 4 gate vs 4 gate. If you try to expand or tech, you will die. On other maps with ramps, you can tech, but you still can't expand until very late, since without the ramp you don't have a substantial defenders' advantage.

The shield battery could solve this if it was strong enough. If it was cheap (75-200 minerals) and built fast, it could create a defenders' advantage in PvP that would let players fast expand. Offensive shield batteries wouldn't be nearly as effective as defensive ones for obvious reasons.

What do you think?

***
If it's stupid but it works, then it's not stupid* (*Or: You are stupid for losing to it, and gotta git gud)
Kassploj
Profile Joined April 2010
Sweden67 Posts
September 08 2011 13:32 GMT
#2
I think they shouldn't have removed it to begin with. Made me angry a year after release when I realized it was gone.
Ghin
Profile Blog Joined January 2005
United States2391 Posts
September 08 2011 13:36 GMT
#3
What are the obvious reasons an offensive shield battery would be less effective?
Legalize drugs and murder.
Salivanth
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
Australia1071 Posts
September 08 2011 13:37 GMT
#4
I don't see it either. When 4-gating, just retreat every time you warp in a new wave of units, use your battery, and re-engage. Shield battery would be cool, but I don't see it fixing PvP.
<@Wikt> so you are one of those nega-fans <@Wikt> that hates the company that makes a game and everything they stand for <@Wikt> but still plays the game <@Wikt> (like roughly 30% of blizzard's player base, maybe much more...)
ranjutan
Profile Joined November 2010
United States636 Posts
September 08 2011 13:38 GMT
#5
On September 08 2011 22:32 Kassploj wrote:
Made me angry a year after release when I realized it was gone.


Maybe that's why they removed it

On topic, yeah I think that could work. It would definitely be very cool, but to be honest I don't really mind PvP anymore, even though expansions still have to be very delayed, I think (especially with 1.4) it's getting increasingly easier to hold off warpgate or blink rushes and I think that eventually the game might evolve naturally to the point where expanding before 10:00 is standard.
http://i53.tinypic.com/1r3j0p.gif
vOdToasT
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Sweden2870 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-09-08 13:48:13
September 08 2011 13:45 GMT
#6
On September 08 2011 22:36 Ghin wrote:
What are the obvious reasons an offensive shield battery would be less effective?


1. Building a shield battery right next to the enemy natural isn't easy. His units will be there to stop it.
2. Even if you manage to do that, the defending player's battery will have more energy since he built it earlier.
3. If you build it farther away, you have to keep going back and forth, while the defender can heal his units during the battle itself without them having to leave.

Imagine if a shield battery started with 100 energy, and that energy grew very quickly so that every second mattered. You could have two batteries with 800 energy total by the time the enemy attacks you. And so what if he puts up shield batteries outside your natural? You'll still have an advantage over him. As the number of units continues to grow, eventually stalkers would be able to one shot each other. This means that the attacking player can not pull back stalkers to heal, but the defending player CAN heal his stalkers, even vs a volley that would "one shot" since not all attacks will land at exactly the same time. Because of this, eventually the defending player would be able to push out and take out the enemy pylon.
If it's stupid but it works, then it's not stupid* (*Or: You are stupid for losing to it, and gotta git gud)
DroneAllDay
Profile Joined April 2011
United States140 Posts
September 08 2011 13:50 GMT
#7
Huge problem that broke PvP? Who knee that it was fixed ten years ago in Brood War and Blizz just removed it? Well I'll be damned that just might work...
Don't pressure me please, I like my drones too much
Ghin
Profile Blog Joined January 2005
United States2391 Posts
September 08 2011 13:51 GMT
#8
On September 08 2011 22:45 vOdToasT wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 08 2011 22:36 Ghin wrote:
What are the obvious reasons an offensive shield battery would be less effective?


1. Building a shield battery right next to the enemy natural isn't easy. His units will be there to stop it.
2. Even if you manage to do that, the defending player's battery will have more energy since he built it earlier.
3. If you build it farther away, you have to keep going back and forth, while the defender can heal his units during the battle itself without them having to leave.

1. It would be just as hard to build a shield battery in the natural as it is to build a pylon there (not very hard). There is a very common build PvP called the "Korean 4 Gate" that makes multiple pylons in the opponent's main.

2. This is probably true

3. See #1. You can build a shield battery in or near his base just as easily as he can during a 4gate.

Legalize drugs and murder.
vOdToasT
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Sweden2870 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-09-08 14:02:22
September 08 2011 13:52 GMT
#9
On September 08 2011 22:51 Ghin wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 08 2011 22:45 vOdToasT wrote:
On September 08 2011 22:36 Ghin wrote:
What are the obvious reasons an offensive shield battery would be less effective?


1. Building a shield battery right next to the enemy natural isn't easy. His units will be there to stop it.
2. Even if you manage to do that, the defending player's battery will have more energy since he built it earlier.
3. If you build it farther away, you have to keep going back and forth, while the defender can heal his units during the battle itself without them having to leave.

1. It would be just as hard to build a shield battery in the natural as it is to build a pylon there (not very hard). There is a very common build PvP called the "Korean 4 Gate" that makes multiple pylons in the opponent's main.

2. This is probably true

3. See #1. You can build a shield battery in or near his base just as easily as he can during a 4gate.



If I build a shield battery right after I make my gateways, my battery will have way more energy than yours. Especially if Blizzard makes it grow fast. I'll have a shield battery there before you even start building your own. And while your battery is building, I'm healing my units there and killing your battery. There's no way you could possibly do it.

Also, before your battery is done, I can send my units back to heal while you are still waiting for your battery to complete, if you choose to build it far away and not in my face.

As for the korean 4 gate, what if I open 3 stalker rush? that would kill your probe and the pylons it is warping in, right?

Gateway core gateway gateway shield battery shield battery, with chrono'd stalkers.

Remember that you can start building batteries before warp gate tech is done. Before warp gate tech, there is a defenders' advantage, meaning that I can get shield batteries up to defend much earlier than you can get them up to attack. By the time you CAN build shield batteries at my front, I already have the advantage of a shield battery, which makes it hard for you to put up your own.
If it's stupid but it works, then it's not stupid* (*Or: You are stupid for losing to it, and gotta git gud)
CreationSoul
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
Romania231 Posts
September 08 2011 13:56 GMT
#10
they removed it because the shield mechanic was changed as well. In BW shield could also regenerate in battle also, but very slowly. now shields don't regenerate at all in battle, but they do very quickly after a few seconds away from the battle.

i have to agree that it might actually help PvP.
Quitting is the easy way out...
WightyCity
Profile Joined May 2011
Canada887 Posts
September 08 2011 14:08 GMT
#11
would be a great idea. i was saying this since the beginning
90% watching it 8% talking about it and 2% playing it - sc2
Mobius_1
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
United Kingdom2763 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-09-08 14:21:30
September 08 2011 14:20 GMT
#12
OK, theory crafting time then. Let's say Tal'Darim PvP (since that epitomises the 4 gate), opponent 4 gates you, you 3 gate and get a Battery instead of a 4th gate, possibly later than his 4th gate and therefore allow you to build a couple more Probes, but still fast enough to have it done in time for the attack. Well, having an undying Zealot (or very very slowly dying Zealot) or Stalker can truly turn the difference in such a case.

And it'd make defending easier, too, but there is the possibility of it being abused somehow by really clever people. But this is one of the better ideas on the internet.

EDIT:
On September 08 2011 23:08 WightyCity wrote:
would be a great idea. i was saying this since the beginning


Hipster
Starleague Forever. RIP KT Violet~
Kassploj
Profile Joined April 2010
Sweden67 Posts
September 08 2011 14:54 GMT
#13
On September 08 2011 22:38 ranjutan wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 08 2011 22:32 Kassploj wrote:
Made me angry a year after release when I realized it was gone.


Maybe that's why they removed it

On topic, yeah I think that could work. It would definitely be very cool, but to be honest I don't really mind PvP anymore, even though expansions still have to be very delayed, I think (especially with 1.4) it's getting increasingly easier to hold off warpgate or blink rushes and I think that eventually the game might evolve naturally to the point where expanding before 10:00 is standard.


The reason I didn't notice until a short while back was that I don't play SC2.

But yeah, not like I use it alot in BW either, happens like once every fifty games if even that. I have won a few matches solely because of the shield battery though, and I love them to death.
vOdToasT
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Sweden2870 Posts
September 08 2011 15:00 GMT
#14
On September 08 2011 23:54 Kassploj wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 08 2011 22:38 ranjutan wrote:
On September 08 2011 22:32 Kassploj wrote:
Made me angry a year after release when I realized it was gone.


Maybe that's why they removed it

On topic, yeah I think that could work. It would definitely be very cool, but to be honest I don't really mind PvP anymore, even though expansions still have to be very delayed, I think (especially with 1.4) it's getting increasingly easier to hold off warpgate or blink rushes and I think that eventually the game might evolve naturally to the point where expanding before 10:00 is standard.


The reason I didn't notice until a short while back was that I don't play SC2.

But yeah, not like I use it alot in BW either, happens like once every fifty games if even that. I have won a few matches solely because of the shield battery though, and I love them to death.


Shield batteries are great for expanding in PvP! :D

When you're going 1 gate expand then robo, if the enemy goes 2 gate robo, he will have reavers and a shuttle. You won't have the shuttle since you expanded, so to compensate for the lack of a shuttle you have a shield battery to heal the reaver instead of picking it up and dodging enemy scarabs.

Stork won a game vs Bisu on Tau Cross exactly that way in IEF. It was 1 gate expand vs 2 gate robo.
If it's stupid but it works, then it's not stupid* (*Or: You are stupid for losing to it, and gotta git gud)
Probe1
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States17920 Posts
September 08 2011 15:17 GMT
#15
Sounds great. Would you take a shield nerf on all units in trade?

All of these fix Protoss suggestions always sound terrific. The problem I find is they fuck up PvZ and PvT while fixing PvP. Or any other order. Balance is pretty tough

Good luck though if this is something you want to put more detail into. It would be very nice to find PvP entertaining.
우정호 KT_VIOLET 1988 - 2012 While we are postponing, life speeds by
vOdToasT
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Sweden2870 Posts
September 08 2011 15:29 GMT
#16
On September 09 2011 00:17 Probe1 wrote:
Sounds great. Would you take a shield nerf on all units in trade?

All of these fix Protoss suggestions always sound terrific. The problem I find is they fuck up PvZ and PvT while fixing PvP. Or any other order. Balance is pretty tough

Good luck though if this is something you want to put more detail into. It would be very nice to find PvP entertaining.


If shield batteries would be too good in PvZ or PvT, there is one way to fix that.

Make it so that when you use a battery on a unit, it increases the shield regeneration by a LOT. But it doesn't instantly heal shields. So large numbers of units will still one shot them, but smaller numbers of units will be repelled.

This will make it so that it's really only useful for PvP.
If it's stupid but it works, then it's not stupid* (*Or: You are stupid for losing to it, and gotta git gud)
TiTanIum_
Profile Joined August 2011
Brazil1335 Posts
September 08 2011 16:49 GMT
#17
Make a custom map where SBs are available and test it in different MUs. Probably the best way to figure out the balance issues with it, instead of the whole theorycrafting.
arsenic
Profile Joined January 2009
United States163 Posts
September 08 2011 16:55 GMT
#18
If you are for adding in the Shield Battery, I don't think you've considered its implications in ZvP... You'd need to nerf some things about Protoss if you were to do this. =/
PassiveAce
Profile Blog Joined February 2011
United States18076 Posts
September 08 2011 17:11 GMT
#19
I would love to see a modified version of the shield battery, but I don't think that the BW Shield battery is appropriate in this game. I do want them to play with the shield mechanics more.
Call me Marge Simpson cuz I love you homie
Lomak
Profile Joined June 2010
United States311 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-09-08 17:22:20
September 08 2011 17:21 GMT
#20
I don't understand how people think PvP is so wrong when ZvZ barely ever gets past baneling / speedling tech. Not complaining , but I see a lot more variance in PvP beyond 4 gate than I do in ZvZ past hatch tech, from a spectator standpoint.
Some see the glass half full, others half empty. I think the glass is just too big.
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