On April 21 2010 12:53 Half wrote:
I totally agree with your analysis on the zergling problem, heh, I was actually making a thread about it and was looking for replays that illustrated it very well -_-.

/shoehorns what I wrote into this thread?

Zerglings in SC2.

1)Units clump more making surround less viable while at the same time making it easier (Lowers skill cap + Lowers skill scaling...lolwut...)

2)Zergling dps nerfed by ~20% due to easier early game surround (While late game surround becomes much less viable)

3)Zergling are now are obsolete meatsheilds due to the existence of the statistically superior roach

4)Zerglings are now obsolete as efficient dps due to the existence of the buffed hydralisks, who while doing much less dps per cost, scale effectively into lategame with higher dps per space (aka will be able to fit more in in a concave to attack) and ranged attack (same as prior+more versatile).

5)Need to tech to t2 for antiair.

6)Zerg now have effective anti-building units in the form of the hydralisk, which will actually outdps zerglings after getting enough hydralisks (As no more lings will be able to fit in)

7)Dark Swarm

8)npd narco has recently coordinated a massive drug bust on cocaine usage by zerglings. (~25% crackling dps nerf)

-Why this is bad-

As a result, zergling no longer fulfill their iconic roles as damage dealer with darkswarm and ultralisks, nor their iconic usage as disposable meat for the zerg army. Instead, they've been relegated to early game defenders and timing pushers, and lategame harrassers at best.

The lack of zerglings in the zerg army have removed the dynamic control factors of having to micromanage unit groups with wildly different movement patterns (Mutalisks, lings, lurkers), and instead, unit group that are able to succinctly coalesce into this big blob of shit (Hydraroach)

I would suggest a massive buff on crack for lings, and a slight nerf to speed. Crack>Speed. :o


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In addition:

The zerg suffer so much from overlap right now. Ultralisks overlap with roaches (as tanks) and broodlords (as t3 "ultimate" units). Zerglings can't find a place as damage dealers because of the predominance of hydralisks and the relative effectiveness of roaches (which food wise, are more effective at doing damage then zerglings once you get enough). Corruptors are finding a hard time doing anything considering the versatility of the mutalisk and the lack of a specialzied role.

In fact, the corruptor probably has the single most boring, mundane role in the game, and is only used to counter mass collosus.

This is incredibly strange because the zerg have the least units. Logically, they should have an easier time ensuring they all see play, but due to sloppy design and the inability to find a cohesive role for the roach, they see the least.

The biggest issue is Hydralisk/Roach, which are simultaneously too different to conflict with each other, yet at the same time, too alike to instigate inventive playstyles. A hydraroach army does not play differently then a mass roach army does. Both simply try and from good concaves and positions, and autoattack (In large numbers). The roach desperate needs to be scrapped or returned back to its original role, and the role of tank given to the ultra while the hydras power raw power as dps unit needs to be given back to the zergling. The broodlord on the other hand needs to remain extremely powerful, but needs major vulnerabilities such as low HP which it currently does not possess.

I feel like the treatment (lower dps) given the speedlings (A unit intended to dps and be meat) would be better served on the on the mutalisk, which instead receives better stacking abilities. The viking gets more of its damage shifted to +armored (just a bit) to compensate.

After these changes, mutalisks should be made to effectively stack like they did in bw. Theirs no reason not to reward this kind of skill heavy, engaging, entertaining (both to spectators and to players) play, one which requires heavy micro. The mechanics should be changed however, the current situation requires constant clicking at the mutas feet. Keeping this, but increasing the amount of time until the units drift apart would be an effective solution and maintains engagement despite multi-select.

At the same time, it wouldn't just be an -apm requirement. Spamclicking at the units feet drastically alters the way they move and behave, and requires a different kind of movement pattern on behalf of the player. Currently it does not provide enough gain, by providing more incentives, it doesn't just result in more skilled, yet objectively mindless play, it also results in creative usage of a unit as spamclicking air units requires you to move and position them in certain ways (For instance, you need to to make a judgement call between movement speed and how bunched your mutas are. spam clicking reduced the speed you can move them. It also rewards you if you make a bunch of small micro movements, instead of making longer movements across large areas, and thus, alters your playstyle and requires critical thinking on a situation by situation )

I'm afraid blizzard isn't taking these issues at face value though. I really wished they would rework several fundamental flaws in racial design, particularly in zerg, though I fear that they won't. I don't think its (entirely) out of finance/higher level decisions to mandate a june shipping date, I think a lot of the developers are just too fixated and attached to the things they made. Thats certainly understandable, but some things just aren't working. I remember reading that Dustin really has this personal attachment to the Roach. I do too actually, in its original incarnation. However, it no longer resembles the roach it was originally created as. Currently, some aspects of zerg play are simply not entertaining or engaging at all, like hydraroach.