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Ultralisk attack AoE - Page 2

Forum Index > SC2 General
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MavercK
Profile Joined March 2010
Australia2181 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-05-22 00:15:40
May 22 2010 00:15 GMT
#21
this is kinda depressing
i figured people would be micro'ing ultras to only attack marauders/armored units so the splash damage would be huge (splash from a marauder being attacked would probably be more than the marine directly being hit) i guess this is why they actually have it reduced to 33% anyway. but just seems more boring
Brood War Remake - SC2BW - http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=145316
fffxc2
Profile Joined May 2010
United States8 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-05-22 01:08:23
May 22 2010 00:38 GMT
#22
Well, with this change I think we can conclude that the ultra did get nerfed in this patch and not the "ehh kinda buff/nerf" that it was before this was discovered. It seems with the reduction in splash at anything more that 5ish units this is actually a dps nerf.


edit: Holy crap, ran the numbers, if attacking only armored units Didn't take into account the radius change. With that it does not look so bad.


Before the change
number of units              dmg to primary              dmg to secondaries             total dmg
1                                  25                                 25*0                                 25
2                                  25                                 25*1                                 50
3                                  25                                 25*2                                 75
4                                  25                                 25*3                                 100
5                                  25                                 25*4                                 125
6                                  25                                 25*5                                 150

Damage changed from 25 to 15 (+25 Armored).
+Stealth 100%->33% splash and 1->2 radius change - This was changed in the editor (just tested), remains to be seen for normal play

After the change
Before the change
number of units              dmg to primary              dmg to secondaries              total dmg
1                                40                               40*.333=13.3*0                         40
2                                40                                13.3*1                                   53.3
3                                40                                13.3*2                                   66.6
4                                40                                13.3*3                                   79.9
5                                40                                13.3*4                                   93.2
6                                40                                13.3*5                                   106.5


So for anything more than 2 units that you are hitting (1+1 splashed) this is a dps nerf. And this is assuming it is against armored, against light the numbers are going to be even worse (a quick run is showing that it is a flat out nerf in all cases 25+25x=5x+15 has a solution of x=-1/2).
phyvo
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States5635 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-05-22 01:04:39
May 22 2010 01:03 GMT
#23
The one thing you're missing is that in 13 it covers more area so you really shouldn't be comparing equal numbers of targets vs equal numbers of targets.

If the terran ball is bunched up and ultras (by some magic) are in it's face, it could still be taking a similar amount of damage, if not more.
"BE A MANGO TO SLEEP LIKE A SNORING TIGER" - Monte
fffxc2
Profile Joined May 2010
United States8 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-05-22 01:17:15
May 22 2010 01:04 GMT
#24
On May 22 2010 10:03 phyvo wrote:
The one thing you're missing is that in 13 it covers more area so you really shouldn't be comparing equal numbers of targets vs equal numbers of targets.


Do we have exact numbers of what the area changed from -> to? If so, that is easy to adjust for. edit: I'm stupid, its much harder because it has to take into account how many can fit in the old space vs the new. My guess is you can fit probably 8-9 marauders/stalkers in the old radius so it caps there. But then you would need a ball of more than 14 in a radius 2 for it to not be a nerf.

Math with those numbers if I didn't fail:
(Assuming 9 in radius of 1 gives you 225 dmg total. 225-40=185 (damage divided by the rest to break even) 185/13.3=13.9 (damaged needed to break even divided by the new splash damage))

It does mean that for smaller numbers that still fit in the radius 1 (as in the table I made) it is still a dps nerf, but for larger numbers it is most likely a buff.
phyvo
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States5635 Posts
May 22 2010 01:05 GMT
#25
It changed from 1 to 2 according to earlier posters in the thread.
"BE A MANGO TO SLEEP LIKE A SNORING TIGER" - Monte
nihlon
Profile Joined April 2010
Sweden5581 Posts
May 22 2010 01:10 GMT
#26
I'm still surprised they didn't make them faster and smaller. Their cost/gain ratio still seems pretty bad.
Banelings are too cute to blow up
roark
Profile Joined April 2010
United States187 Posts
May 22 2010 01:13 GMT
#27
We can also frenzy now.
AmstAff
Profile Blog Joined January 2008
Germany949 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-05-22 01:23:39
May 22 2010 01:20 GMT
#28
why is it a nerf, if the AoE is 2 times bigger now?

edit
ok i saw the other post

editedt
i think they changed it because it was messed up anyway (like HSM or PF), i mean a AoE attack that does deal full damage Oo seriously cant be and must be reduced by logic (even if it wasnt OP or something)
after 2 years i reached it = marine icon
Rictusjames
Profile Joined April 2010
United States11 Posts
May 22 2010 01:21 GMT
#29
Against small groups of infantry, the Ultra now deals less damage than before. Against large groups of infantry, the Ultra deals less damage than before. It dies faster across the board as well.

The only concrete buff I'm seeing is that it kills single armored units like Tanks and Thors better than before -- if it can reach them in the first place with it's reduced health.

So what I'm wondering is, why does the Ultra have cleave at all? It's better than not having cleave, sure, but it doesn't seem to mesh with the Ultra's role at all anymore. If it's best at killing Thors and Tanks, give it something that lets it reach the Thors and Tanks reliably, and remove cleave?
Never. I will never be consistent. I will be consistent when I feel like it.
epik640x
Profile Joined May 2010
United States1134 Posts
May 22 2010 01:21 GMT
#30
Ultra sure doesn't appeal to me. It's hard enough surviving at ling/roach/hydra level, maaaybe reaching infestor but teching to hive and then ultra and then those long expensive upgrades, two of which exist, before ultra is even viable? Yeah no thanks.

I'm just gonna mass up MM and kill people under 5 minutes. Plan B, SIEGE MODE lololol
baeracaed
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
United States604 Posts
May 22 2010 01:23 GMT
#31
Does the range increase also mean the Ultra's melee range is increased? As in, he doesn't have to get quite as close to cleave?
(☞゚ヮ゚)☞ Cookies! ☜(゚ヮ゚☜)
Wr3k
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Canada2533 Posts
May 22 2010 01:25 GMT
#32
On May 22 2010 10:20 AmstAff wrote:
why is it a nerf, if the AoE is 2 times bigger now?


I don't necessarily think it is a nerf. We have lower DPS over a larger area now. It could very well be a buff. We need objective calculations that take into account how many units fit into this new AOE size and if the larger aoe with less damage does in fact deal less, or more overall DPS. One thing is for sure, the ultralisk got a huge buff against large armored units.
Rictusjames
Profile Joined April 2010
United States11 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-05-22 01:27:31
May 22 2010 01:26 GMT
#33
whoops double post!
Never. I will never be consistent. I will be consistent when I feel like it.
fffxc2
Profile Joined May 2010
United States8 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-05-22 01:31:03
May 22 2010 01:27 GMT
#34
On May 22 2010 10:25 Wr3k wrote:
Show nested quote +
On May 22 2010 10:20 AmstAff wrote:
why is it a nerf, if the AoE is 2 times bigger now?


I don't necessarily think it is a nerf. We have lower DPS over a larger area now. It could very well be a buff. We need objective calculations that take into account how many units fit into this new AOE size and if the larger aoe with less damage does in fact deal less, or more overall DPS. One thing is for sure, the ultralisk got a huge buff against large armored units.



I don't think you can call it a huge buff with the 25% reduction in hp. Though if it can actually engage larger balls is definitely a buff.


edit: also, as someone noticed on the first page, the damage that is splashed is not calculated by the damage dealt to the primary target, it is instead calculated by each unit taking damage individually, so against light units this probably does makes the damage only break even if that.
phyvo
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States5635 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-05-22 02:12:26
May 22 2010 02:11 GMT
#35
According to the spreadsheet that I worked out, DPS wise it's pretty much a buff vs everything armored.

It does worse vs marines and meh-ish vs hellions. Outside of that the DPS is just a significant buff just because you can hit 4 times the number of units you could hit before, and when there are fewer units that extra 15 damage to the initial target makes a bigger difference.

Basically, the old ultra was better vs marines, hellions, 3 marauders, and 3 vikings. The new ultra is better vs everything else. Ultras should do about 2.5 X as much damage vs marauder balls, tank balls, thor balls, 2 X damage vs viking balls, 0.75 X damage vs marine balls.

I kinda only approximated the number of possible units that could fit into the area of effect, but the way I approximated it should only have helped the old ultralisk compared to the new one I believe.

I kinda don't have to go and find some place to upload the spreadsheet on this, so... sorry. I guess if someone wants to they can just verify this themselves.

Finally, all this was based on the assumption that the old ultra had AoE of 1.
"BE A MANGO TO SLEEP LIKE A SNORING TIGER" - Monte
Occas
Profile Joined April 2010
Australia18 Posts
May 22 2010 03:18 GMT
#36
+25% for Frenzy if used...
synapse
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
China13814 Posts
May 22 2010 03:25 GMT
#37
On May 22 2010 10:20 AmstAff wrote:
why is it a nerf, if the AoE is 2 times bigger now?

edit
ok i saw the other post

editedt
i think they changed it because it was messed up anyway (like HSM or PF), i mean a AoE attack that does deal full damage Oo seriously cant be and must be reduced by logic (even if it wasnt OP or something)


Storm?
Blizzard just hates ultralisks.
:)
phyvo
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States5635 Posts
May 22 2010 03:51 GMT
#38
On May 22 2010 12:25 synapse wrote:
Show nested quote +
On May 22 2010 10:20 AmstAff wrote:
why is it a nerf, if the AoE is 2 times bigger now?

edit
ok i saw the other post

editedt
i think they changed it because it was messed up anyway (like HSM or PF), i mean a AoE attack that does deal full damage Oo seriously cant be and must be reduced by logic (even if it wasnt OP or something)


Storm?
Blizzard just hates ultralisks.


Blizzard doesn't hate ultralisks. As I pointed out (by calculation), their DPS has been buffed vs everything except hellions and marines. For armored units there isn't really a situation where you'd want the old ultralisk instead of the new ultralisk, at least ZvT in terms of DPS.

Still, the real weird thing was the HP nerf. Maybe Blizzard is more like love/hate with ultras...
"BE A MANGO TO SLEEP LIKE A SNORING TIGER" - Monte
DaggerRage
Profile Joined April 2010
United States30 Posts
May 22 2010 04:05 GMT
#39
I tried to get ultralisks to work earlier today against a turtling Terran. I had 3/3 and they were going down like flies to thors, I had frenzy up but it made no difference. Being Melee and having the same ammount of health as a Thor makes these units still unviable. Maybe this will be different against Roaches but I will no longer be making them on Ladder lol.
Xeken
Profile Joined May 2010
United States77 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-05-22 04:31:54
May 22 2010 04:29 GMT
#40
Ultra does more damage, but it's more spread out. Prior to this patch, ultras took out 4-5 units at a time very quickly. In patch 13, it's significantly slower, which mean each enemy unit has much higher potential damage.

Me and my friend ran simulations against 80 supply MMM ball (1/1 ratio marine marauder + 6 medivacs), followed by a MM ball (marauder 6 medivacs). A trigger for stim was implemented. The only problem is we couldn't find a way to cause focus firing. Although that problem isn't as major in the choke tests because only 2 units were available for choosing at a time.

The following were tested.

Patch 13 ultras-
6 ultras, rest in hydra
7 ultras, rest in hydra
8 ultras, rest in hydra
all of the above were tested with open field and choke point (able to fit 2-3 ultras).

Patch 12 ultras (with 450 hp)-
6 ultras, rest in hydra
7 ultras, rest in hydra
8 ultras, rest in hydra
all of the above were tested with open field and choke point (able to fit 2-3 ultras).

Custom ultras (1 AoE, 100% cleave, 15+25 dmg)
6 ultras, rest in hydra
7 ultras, rest in hydra
8 ultras, rest in hydra
all of the above were tested with open field and choke point (able to fit 2-3 ultras).

For ultras, the custom ultra yielded the best results, the patch 12 ultras being second (not far behind), and the patch 13 ultras being the worst (most of the time having none left alive).

For army composition, a 10-12 supply of enemy to 1 ultra ratio appears to be the most efficient. In this case, 7 ultras yielded the best efficiency (least units lost and least amount of resource difference between the 2 armies). This was true for all ultra cases.

Basically, while more damage is being dealt, things are dying slower, so ultras (along with their 450 hp) are actually not killing things as fast over the course of a fight. It's much better to kill 2 small groups of units quickly then to kill 1 group of units slowly.

Also, the overall effect of frenzy was marginal due to the AoE change. 125% of 33% is not much. It's a much better 25 energy skill for the infestor, but you would never build infestors just for frenzy. The gas is better spent elsewhere, and frenzy is only after you have used all the NP/FG that is necessary, and happen to have energy left.
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