EPTOracle Update from Dayvie (10/17) - Page 6
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Anomi
Sweden149 Posts
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Markwerf
Netherlands3728 Posts
Just make it an interesting caster that has abilities that work well for harass and have some use in fights but don't give it abilities that promote deathball play (for example some defensive AoE ability like it had before). For example I really like the suggestion of some combination of defensive matrix / lightning shield. It buffs defense and does (friendly!) damage to units around it, so you could either use it on your own unit and make sure it's mostly surrounded by enemy units (blink a stalker in etc.) or you could just use it on enemy units (probes, ranged units in a line). It would interact well with other protoss abilities making for cute combo's (trap some roaches with FF, lightning shield one of them OR use it on blink stalkers etc) and would require good micro to be used most effectively. It still would be a fine harass ability, on lower levels just cast on probes at higher levels in combination with other units for example cast on a hallucination. The revelation imo is utterly boring especially now it doesn't detect anymore but i guess they want to keep it, imo protoss has enough scouting already especially if hallucination is buffed to usefulness but we will see. A cool single target kill spell would also be cool, for example just some high energy ability that does 500 dmg to one target, crap vs all low food units but very powerful agianst high end stuff like colossi. Anyway It's good to see blizzard isn't married to their idea's. As long as they are willing to give up on idea's they've spent a lot of time on they will eventually find a good mix of spells that will be fun. | ||
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hobbidude
Canada171 Posts
As the the oracles battlefield spell it could be something allong the lines of just an small aoe spell that simple restored shields to full health (some like with like the radius of a colloseus and 75-100 energy cost). Shield healing ward i think tho is a better and more fare one; if the oracle has sometime like the prism morph like that casted a shield of sorts that allowed toss units under it to regen in battle at an increase rate while make the oracle invulerable with a slow acceleration afterwards but cancellable that would be just about perfect. That way a toss player would have to decent when to cut the field if he's going to loose an engage or instead loose the oracle if he leaves for the opponent to clean up. Maybe even make it uncontrollable with a cooldown like the beta pheonix overload ability. | ||
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MoonCricket
222 Posts
For instance, Time Warp: 75 Energy, 2.5 Radious and all targets within the radious of Time Warp are rooted for 20 seconds. Guaranteed economic damage vs workers and it'd be an extremely powerful and positional spell in combat. | ||
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Salteador Neo
Andorra5591 Posts
Void Ray is terribad, Phoenix is only decent when massed, Carrier and MS are only viable in the very late game. | ||
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gedatsu
1286 Posts
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archon256
United States363 Posts
On October 20 2012 04:18 gedatsu wrote: I still think the best idea would be to rework Entomb into a Stasis Field (removing Vortex). You'd normally throw it on workers, but can also use it in fights. Stasised units aren't completely gone, only until you break the entombing thing. Make it work on friendlies too, so that you will be punished for a bad cast and you can also use it to temporarily save some units from damage (like protecting HTs against mutas). Way too strong, TBH. With this not only would Protoss be able to split enemy armies in half with Forcefields, they'd also be able to ensure that half of the army cannot do any damage. (I know it worked in BW, but the Arbiter was a late-game unit and late-game BW did not rely upon deathballs) | ||
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Salteador Neo
Andorra5591 Posts
On October 20 2012 04:33 archon256 wrote: Way too strong, TBH. With this not only would Protoss be able to split enemy armies in half with Forcefields, they'd also be able to ensure that half of the army cannot do any damage. (I know it worked in BW, but the Arbiter was a late-game unit and late-game BW did not rely upon deathballs) TvP in BW is all about harrassment while building a mech deathball tbh. A flying reaver sounds pretty awesome. Maybe make it go to ground mode to be able to fire, to balance it a bit?  (prism + reaver all in one). Probably too awesome to exist | ||
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Ender985
Spain910 Posts
Next step: collossus. | ||
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Zio
United States48 Posts
EDIT : very similar to the "Stasis Field" suggestions earlier. Make it about the size of forcefield (and can even use same graphic, or thereabouts), traps all units inside the forcefield, making them unable to attack or be attacked for X time. The time would obviously have to be balanced, if a good time cant be established could make it break after being attacked a certain number of times, the number of times could even be a function of how many units are actually trapped inside it. This would allow it to be used offensively - trapping a few key units in a fight, the ghosts or vikings for instance, Defensively - save your own units that are in danger or slow pushes down as they are moving across map. If its used as time there is no way the length would be long enough for it to be effective harassment, but if its broken by attacks you could lock a base down. Energy cost, time, size of the AoE is obviously subject to balance but the concept is a good one imo, just wish I could post it on the beta forums. | ||
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gedatsu
1286 Posts
On October 20 2012 04:33 archon256 wrote: Way too strong, TBH. With this not only would Protoss be able to split enemy armies in half with Forcefields, they'd also be able to ensure that half of the army cannot do any damage. (I know it worked in BW, but the Arbiter was a late-game unit and late-game BW did not rely upon deathballs) Protoss already do that. At least this way, you'd be able to free your units, and not have them splashed to pieces in an instant when they return. And I thought we wanted to give incentives for people not to use a deathball? That's the reason spells like storm and fungal exist. | ||
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dragonblade369
Canada464 Posts
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archon256
United States363 Posts
On October 20 2012 05:47 Salteador Neo wrote: TvP in BW is all about harrassment while building a mech deathball tbh. A long line of tanks strung out and surrounded by fields of spider mines is hardly a deathball. On October 20 2012 06:31 gedatsu wrote: Protoss already do that. At least this way, you'd be able to free your units, and not have them splashed to pieces in an instant when they return. And I thought we wanted to give incentives for people not to use a deathball? That's the reason spells like storm and fungal exist. Vortex already exists, so you're compounding the issue by adding a similar spell that this time can be cast by multiple units instead of a single unique one? I still think Stasis would be too strong, but maybe you're right and it should be tested first. | ||
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BachHo
United States170 Posts
I really like the Phoenix's ability to pick up units, I think the Oracle could use a variation of that that actually picks up units and allows you to carry the unit briefly to a different location, approximately a second or so, in the same way phoenix picks up units and then drops it. Unit dropped is left in neutral position. Air unit grabbable. Can grab cloaked units that are visible. This would enable it to keep it's harass abilities, but also open up new ideas and strategies. This has several micro possibilities. Some ideas: - You could pick up workers and delay slightly and annoyingly, having to make the user micro the worker back to minerals. Even better on gas harrass, forces player to keep tabs. - On an offensive or defensive attack, you could micro a key unit of theirs out of the way in a close battle, or micro one of your units away and save it, like a sentry. - In late game, raises possibility of taking a colossus out of play briefly, taking an ultra or infestor out of the way, or moving a tank or thor to you like a viper. - In conjunction with phoenix, it could move dangerous units like the queen or a stalker out of the way briefly allowing for more phoenix harass. - Allows you to fling units into their bases for harass, or perhaps even speedy high templar/dark templar drops. - Cute plays: can stop harass by using ability to pull incoming harass to your stalkers/defense, or away to buy you time. Also may be able to pull units from xel'naga tower so they lose sight briefly. Notes - This would mean the oracle would have to be somewhat cheaper to be effective, as it does not do damage and wouldn't be used if it cost as much as it does now or more. - Possibly adjust so it comes out of robo to allow air play. Denying phoenix building time is unacceptable, unless build time of oracle was decreased to approximately same as observer. It needs to be able to come out fast enough to be worthwhile unit to use early mid game. - Unlike Viper,it's range is limited. More micro involved as well as you have to point to location to carry unit. | ||
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CyberSurfer409
1 Post
Psionic Siphon Drains energy from opposing units/buildings. Energy is converted to the Oracle for other abilities. Can be used to 'steal' energy from Orbitals, Infestors, Medivacs, Ghost, Queens, etc. Unstable Stasis (Harassment) Places units within a given area (1/2 to 1/3 size of Mineral line) inside individual stasis fields (think 'Maw of the Void'). These stasis fields are destructible but collapse after X seconds destroying units within. (could be just workers, or all non-massive units) Mobile Shield Generator (Army Support) Recharges shields of nearby units using stored energy (yes, like a medivac). This provides the Oracle with some alternate role usage. OR Mobile Resurrection While cast receive a Stalker for every X units killed. This allows the Oracle to still have a combat support role, while being something different. Thoughts on in game usage: I think the Unstable Stasis would be exciting to watch, because similar to a storm/baneling drop your waiting to see if the player will react in time to avoid losing their probes. I also see this as being a great distraction as your opponent is now focused on saving his workers leaving you free to attack/drop/etc. I think the Psionic Siphon would work great with Unstable Statis. Cast Unstable Stasis, then charge off his Orbital, then send in some DTS. By the time he frees his workers, you've stolen enough energy that he doesn't have a scan free. The Mobile Shield or Resurrection are my thoughts on how to give the Oracle some sort of role when harassing is no longer viable. Resurrection would fit in nicely with Starcraft lore as Dragoons and now Stalkers (my understanding) are fallen warriors resurrected in mechanical bodies. | ||
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GoldenH
1115 Posts
Tells you just how worthless they want protoss harass to be. | ||
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Kevoras
United States105 Posts
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SnareSpectre
United States25 Posts
It could be used for worker harass - teleporting workers to a place you already have units waiting to kill them (Looper style!), or possibly teleporting key units like HTs/Ghosts/Infestors quickly away from their respective deathballs. This would be a great way to utilize the spell in very diverse ways, and would be very spectator-friendly, with everyone biting their nails over whether the player could pull off that huge teleport to cripple the other guy's army. Just my two cents, but I sure would love to see something like this implemented, and would have a blast playing around with it! | ||
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SarcasmMonster
3136 Posts
On October 21 2012 01:18 SnareSpectre wrote: I read an AMAZING idea in another Oracle-related forum that could work as both harass and an offensive ability; let the Oracle teleport enemy units to different locations. The thread suggested it teleport workers to random locations around the map, but I think a better idea (to take out luck mechanics) would be to have the Oracle use energy to plant some sort of timed radius down, then activate a teleporter beneath the Oracle it in a small area that teleports all enemy units to that radius. This spell would be very different from anything else in the game, which I think the game needs to stay fresh and interesting. It could be used for worker harass - teleporting workers to a place you already have units waiting to kill them (Looper style!), or possibly teleporting key units like HTs/Ghosts/Infestors quickly away from their respective deathballs. This would be a great way to utilize the spell in very diverse ways, and would be very spectator-friendly, with everyone biting their nails over whether the player could pull off that huge teleport to cripple the other guy's army. Just my two cents, but I sure would love to see something like this implemented, and would have a blast playing around with it! Sounds like AOE abduct? | ||
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gedatsu
1286 Posts
On October 21 2012 01:18 SnareSpectre wrote: I read an AMAZING idea in another Oracle-related forum that could work as both harass and an offensive ability; let the Oracle teleport enemy units to different locations. The thread suggested it teleport workers to random locations around the map, but I think a better idea (to take out luck mechanics) would be to have the Oracle use energy to plant some sort of timed radius down, then activate a teleporter beneath the Oracle it in a small area that teleports all enemy units to that radius. This spell would be very different from anything else in the game, which I think the game needs to stay fresh and interesting. It's not very different from anything else, in fact it's very similar to Abduct. | ||
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