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[D] Widow Mine Fundamentally Flawed - Page 4

Forum Index > SC2 General
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monitor
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
United States2408 Posts
July 30 2012 19:16 GMT
#61
On July 31 2012 04:12 JinDesu wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 31 2012 04:00 Nightsz wrote:
I wonder if we'll start seeing intentional dt drops into widow mines. that make you blow up ur own units. Just like how spider mines did.


Brilliant! And it'd be easier too!


I don't think widow mines do friendly damage.
https://liquipedia.net/starcraft2/Monitor
TheFrankOne
Profile Joined December 2010
United States667 Posts
July 30 2012 19:19 GMT
#62
On July 31 2012 03:57 s1ege wrote:
it's still in beta..lmao. but if it was a release thing, I'd say the widow mine is stupidly underpowered. whatever it attaches itself to, that one unit can just be micro'd away and money wasted. Maybe if Blizzard made the thing like 3 second (or 5 blizz seconds) time, then it would have use. as of now, it is the most underpowered new unit


Its not even in beta yet! It's alpha still. The thread title and tone is way over the top for the complaints. Obviously there are going to be tweaks, but "fundamental flaw" is seriously overstating the problem, all the OP wants is a couple minor changes, cooldown before explosion being decreased would fix the problem but we've got to all pretend like we have PhDs in game design so even the tiniest things are blown way out of proportion.

Just wait for the Beta to come out.
chip789
Profile Joined June 2010
Canada199 Posts
July 30 2012 19:20 GMT
#63
What do you guys think of giving the mine...to the reaper? It shouldn't have a countdown timer, just instant detonation like a baneling. Good for defending bases from ling run by's n such. It would also give the reaper an actual job other then harassing a zerg mineral line. Say give the reaper a mine upgrade at factory tech... and the reaper will go out lay mines. Just a thought what do you guys think of that idea?
Dude....I love Starcraft.
larse
Profile Blog Joined March 2012
1611 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-07-30 19:21:22
July 30 2012 19:20 GMT
#64
The OP totally got it wrong.

It is what Blizzard wants it to be.

They don't want you to use it in an engagement.

They want you to use it elsewhere, outside the deathball.

It's their attempt to reduce the deathball problem.

It's a successor of shredder. You can't use it in an engagement.

Sadly, this is not spider mine. It's just as simple as that.
Yoshi Kirishima
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States10351 Posts
July 30 2012 19:25 GMT
#65
On July 31 2012 03:42 Roe wrote:
Blizzard said they want mines to control space, and they previously said about the shredder that it should break up the deathballs and be away from the main force. Blizzard is simply putting these together I think.


I have a huge concern about this.

If it is to control space... HOW does that BREAK UP the deathball? Sure that gives terran good incentive to put supply elsewhere in the map, but... unless the unit is bad, why would the opponent then have the incentive to harass? And if he's still able to harass despite good widow mine placement, then isn't it kind of a shitty unit then? Does it not only encourage deathballs? Terran would have some supply away from the army, but the opponent would still have a deathball army (if he chooses to go deathball).
Mid-master streaming MECH ONLY + commentary www.twitch.tv/yoshikirishima +++ "If all-in fails, all-in again."
Fu[G]u
Profile Joined August 2010
United States187 Posts
July 30 2012 19:27 GMT
#66
I like the idea of a mine as a concept, but I find it odd and unprecedented that it would be a unit unto itself, and not an ability put onto an existing or new unit. Wouldn't it be bad ass if they gave the widow mine to the reaper or something? to make up for the weaker building attack, and to pair with the new regen for harrassment, it could make reapers much more involved in the metagame. Having them as just a unit to build out of the factory make very little sense to me.
Perception
Profile Joined August 2011
United States26 Posts
July 30 2012 19:28 GMT
#67
On July 31 2012 04:20 chip789 wrote:
What do you guys think of giving the mine...to the reaper? It shouldn't have a countdown timer, just instant detonation like a baneling. Good for defending bases from ling run by's n such. It would also give the reaper an actual job other then harassing a zerg mineral line. Say give the reaper a mine upgrade at factory tech... and the reaper will go out lay mines. Just a thought what do you guys think of that idea?



I really think this is a great idea. If Blizzard did this, the reaper would be useful for so many things. First off, it regenerates health over time so one could send reapers in early game to do drone harass. Then once the enemy gets its defenses against the reapers, the reapers can then start taking map control by placing mines. Heck, I think it would even be better if the reaper has to stay in the same spot for 5 seconds to place the mine. That way you can't just place it in the middle of a fight. That would remove the "deathball" aspect of mine usage. This would not only make reapers USEFUL, but it would also mean they have some sort of usage past the "harassment" phase. I feel that even with reapers being able to regain health slowly over time, they will still be underused because they have no use in the mid-game. But with the widow mine spell given to the reaper, it would really make things interesting:

"Do I make more marines and marauders for a deathball? Or do I make reapers to split up my army and take map control with mines?"

┻━┻ ︵╰(°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Mrvoodoochild1
Profile Joined June 2011
United States1439 Posts
July 30 2012 19:28 GMT
#68
Wait for the beta! You don't know if the units have been changed so discussing an uncertainty is ptless.
"let your freak flag fly"
Stratos_speAr
Profile Joined May 2009
United States6959 Posts
July 30 2012 19:41 GMT
#69
On July 31 2012 04:20 larse wrote:
The OP totally got it wrong.

It is what Blizzard wants it to be.

They don't want you to use it in an engagement.

They want you to use it elsewhere, outside the deathball.

It's their attempt to reduce the deathball problem.

It's a successor of shredder. You can't use it in an engagement.

Sadly, this is not spider mine. It's just as simple as that.


It's their attempt to reduce deathball play but it won't. Blizzard is fucking clueless when it comes to the deathball problem. Hell, their entire design philosophy with this game is one gigantic mess.
A sound mind in a sound body, is a short, but full description of a happy state in this World: he that has these two, has little more to wish for; and he that wants either of them, will be little the better for anything else.
larse
Profile Blog Joined March 2012
1611 Posts
July 30 2012 19:44 GMT
#70
On July 31 2012 04:41 Stratos_speAr wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 31 2012 04:20 larse wrote:
The OP totally got it wrong.

It is what Blizzard wants it to be.

They don't want you to use it in an engagement.

They want you to use it elsewhere, outside the deathball.

It's their attempt to reduce the deathball problem.

It's a successor of shredder. You can't use it in an engagement.

Sadly, this is not spider mine. It's just as simple as that.


It's their attempt to reduce deathball play but it won't. Blizzard is fucking clueless when it comes to the deathball problem. Hell, their entire design philosophy with this game is one gigantic mess.


Yep. All the wrongs about SC2 originated from the sin called deathball.

They cant change the movement system now, so the only thing they can do is unit.
Stratos_speAr
Profile Joined May 2009
United States6959 Posts
July 30 2012 19:46 GMT
#71
On July 31 2012 04:44 larse wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 31 2012 04:41 Stratos_speAr wrote:
On July 31 2012 04:20 larse wrote:
The OP totally got it wrong.

It is what Blizzard wants it to be.

They don't want you to use it in an engagement.

They want you to use it elsewhere, outside the deathball.

It's their attempt to reduce the deathball problem.

It's a successor of shredder. You can't use it in an engagement.

Sadly, this is not spider mine. It's just as simple as that.


It's their attempt to reduce deathball play but it won't. Blizzard is fucking clueless when it comes to the deathball problem. Hell, their entire design philosophy with this game is one gigantic mess.


Yep. All the wrongs about SC2 originated from the sin called deathball.

They cant change the movement system now, so the only thing they can do is unit.


They could easily change it because the changes don't require a change in the engine; all they require are some values to be changed that can and have been changed in the map editor. Blizzard is just too arrogant to do it.

On topic, I fully agree with the OP. The Widow Mine (and the Swarm Host, Tempest, Battle Hellion, and Warhound) is terribly designed. It's like Blizzard is groping around in the dark, hoping to find some kind of solution to the current problems.
A sound mind in a sound body, is a short, but full description of a happy state in this World: he that has these two, has little more to wish for; and he that wants either of them, will be little the better for anything else.
larse
Profile Blog Joined March 2012
1611 Posts
July 30 2012 19:50 GMT
#72
On July 31 2012 04:46 Stratos_speAr wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 31 2012 04:44 larse wrote:
On July 31 2012 04:41 Stratos_speAr wrote:
On July 31 2012 04:20 larse wrote:
The OP totally got it wrong.

It is what Blizzard wants it to be.

They don't want you to use it in an engagement.

They want you to use it elsewhere, outside the deathball.

It's their attempt to reduce the deathball problem.

It's a successor of shredder. You can't use it in an engagement.

Sadly, this is not spider mine. It's just as simple as that.


It's their attempt to reduce deathball play but it won't. Blizzard is fucking clueless when it comes to the deathball problem. Hell, their entire design philosophy with this game is one gigantic mess.


Yep. All the wrongs about SC2 originated from the sin called deathball.

They cant change the movement system now, so the only thing they can do is unit.


They could easily change it because the changes don't require a change in the engine; all they require are some values to be changed that can and have been changed in the map editor. Blizzard is just too arrogant to do it.

On topic, I fully agree with the OP. The Widow Mine (and the Swarm Host, Tempest, Battle Hellion, and Warhound) is terribly designed. It's like Blizzard is groping around in the dark, hoping to find some kind of solution to the current problems.


You forgot Viper, the most terrible unit in HOTS. :D

I think Blizzard's game designers became pretty incompetent after the second expansion of WOW. And D3 is the best example of how their game designs reached the lowest point.
McKTenor13
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
United States1383 Posts
July 30 2012 19:53 GMT
#73
It looks like you put a lot of work into this thread, but you should probably wait until the beta to really make a decision on it.
If you can chill. chill. - Liquid'Tyler
NemesysTV
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
United States1088 Posts
July 30 2012 19:54 GMT
#74
Dont rely on the HotS custom map for testing, even though its the closest thing we have to knowing what to expect, the numbers arent 100% correct, blizzard could have changed these numbers drastically for what we all know by now
Stratos_speAr
Profile Joined May 2009
United States6959 Posts
July 30 2012 19:56 GMT
#75
On July 31 2012 04:50 larse wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 31 2012 04:46 Stratos_speAr wrote:
On July 31 2012 04:44 larse wrote:
On July 31 2012 04:41 Stratos_speAr wrote:
On July 31 2012 04:20 larse wrote:
The OP totally got it wrong.

It is what Blizzard wants it to be.

They don't want you to use it in an engagement.

They want you to use it elsewhere, outside the deathball.

It's their attempt to reduce the deathball problem.

It's a successor of shredder. You can't use it in an engagement.

Sadly, this is not spider mine. It's just as simple as that.


It's their attempt to reduce deathball play but it won't. Blizzard is fucking clueless when it comes to the deathball problem. Hell, their entire design philosophy with this game is one gigantic mess.


Yep. All the wrongs about SC2 originated from the sin called deathball.

They cant change the movement system now, so the only thing they can do is unit.


They could easily change it because the changes don't require a change in the engine; all they require are some values to be changed that can and have been changed in the map editor. Blizzard is just too arrogant to do it.

On topic, I fully agree with the OP. The Widow Mine (and the Swarm Host, Tempest, Battle Hellion, and Warhound) is terribly designed. It's like Blizzard is groping around in the dark, hoping to find some kind of solution to the current problems.


You forgot Viper, the most terrible unit in HOTS. :D

I think Blizzard's game designers became pretty incompetent after the second expansion of WOW. And D3 is the best example of how their game designs reached the lowest point.


Hell, I don't even think WoW is very badly designed. It is an MMO that is well-designed for its audience; a huge playerbase. However, Diablo 3 and SC2 are for niche crowds (different niches) and they've failed their respective crowds.

Oh, and I actually think that the Viper is the most interesting unit out of the entire bunch in HotS. At least Abduct and that cloud can make the game dynamic. The Tempest, Warhound, Battle Hellion, and Swarm Host don't really add much at all to the game. The Widow Mine is just going to be useless. The Oracle will be interesting as well, although I think an energy-draining cloak for the Protoss is all kinds of fucking stupid.
A sound mind in a sound body, is a short, but full description of a happy state in this World: he that has these two, has little more to wish for; and he that wants either of them, will be little the better for anything else.
Synk
Profile Joined April 2010
United States297 Posts
July 30 2012 20:00 GMT
#76
I'd really love to see a "bronze level apm" player pull 4 zealots that get a widow mine on them out of their death ball before they go off in the middle of a battle. It's a fuckload harder than you guys are trying to make it out to be. Or pulling 4 lings out of a pack of muta ling bane? You seriously think that's an easy task? Try clicking on 4 specific zerglings in a pack of 100 sometime, or better yet, just try microing ling bane vs ling bane for a little bit then come back to this thread with the knowledge that you gain. So much ignorance here.
Don't argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Bommes
Profile Joined June 2010
Germany1226 Posts
July 30 2012 20:02 GMT
#77
This thread is a huge misconception. You think it is "flawed" design, when in fact it is intended design and the way Blizzard wants it to be played out. Maybe they will change the way it works once again, maybe they won't, but the way it functions right now is how they want it to function right now.

There is no "flawed" design, there is just bad design and good design. Bad design is usually one-dimensional and hard to balance, while good design can work in different directions depending on how it is used and can be balanced very naturally.

For example I personally think Reapers and Void Rays are pretty bad from a design perspective.
As for the Widow Mine, I have no idea. Has to be tested. All I know is that it has little synergy with working together with different kinds of unit inside an army. But that doesn't automatically make it a boring or hard to balance unit. The more concerning thing in that regard is the amount of damage and the amount of time it takes until it explodes, also the build time and the building costs.
boomudead1
Profile Blog Joined June 2012
United States186 Posts
July 30 2012 20:04 GMT
#78
yeah i agree. whats the point of a mine if it just die if u kill the unit. i also think they shud just let the mine goes off even if the unit dies. and about the observer/overseer i was thinking the same when the idea came out. might as well just give us the spidermine
Grapefruit
Profile Joined November 2010
Germany439 Posts
July 30 2012 20:04 GMT
#79
On July 31 2012 05:02 Bommes wrote:
This thread is a huge misconception. You think it is "flawed" design, when in fact it is intended design and the way Blizzard wants it to be played out. Maybe they will change the way it works once again, maybe they won't, but the way it functions right now is how they want it to function right now.

There is no "flawed" design, there is just bad design and good design. Bad design is usually one-dimensional and hard to balance, while good design can work in different directions depending on how it is used and can be balanced very naturally.

For example I personally think Reapers and Void Rays are pretty bad from a design perspective.
As for the Widow Mine, I have no idea. Has to be tested. All I know is that it has little synergy with working together with different kinds of unit inside an army. But that doesn't automatically make it a boring or hard to balance unit. The more concerning thing in that regard is the amount of damage and the amount of time it takes until it explodes, also the build time and the building costs.


If it is promoted to do something that it doesn't is is flawed.
Starcraft 2 is funny, everybody picks the race, which he considers to be the weakest. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
0neder
Profile Joined July 2009
United States3733 Posts
July 30 2012 20:06 GMT
#80
Browder doesn't want HotS to have a high skillcap that's exciting to watch because silver players like myself are more important, so he basically turned the spider mine into a ground HSM that costs money and supply.

Yeah...and this is why these threads keep getting made. If you're going to rehash something, make it better and more exciting, don't neuter it until it's barely worth anything.

Why does terran have a buildable suicide unit now? This overlap is getting silly. Give mines to a unit, make them detonate almost immediately.
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