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Changing the Mothership Core

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AusProbe
Profile Joined July 2012
Australia235 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-10-12 11:08:43
October 12 2016 05:11 GMT
#1
Hey guys, my id is Probe, and I am a Australian Protoss players currently on the team ROOT. Regarding my league I currently have two accounts in KR GM, although both aren't very well ranked.

This will be my second topic. You can find my first one about Oracles here: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/starcraft-2/514763-changing-the-oracle

With blizzard making changes to LOTV at the end of this year, now is as good a time as any to think about these aspects of Starcraft 2.

Even if you don't agree with them at all, let's have a discussion!

My second topic is on...


[image loading]


The Mothership Core

History:
At the start of heart of the swarm, as more harass were added to the game (Oracles, Widow mines, Medivacs boost), and with the strength of Protoss gateway units still lacking in the early game, the Mothership Core was added to fill a hole in Protoss gameplay. It revolutionised PvZ, with gateway expand coming back into prevelence, and the combination of recall and time warp allowed for stronger Protoss midgame pushes. It changed PvT, allowing for the Protoss to be greedier in the early game, to get ahead in tech and economy. In PvP it allowed heavy gateway pushes to be defended easier. Overall, the Mothership Core did it's job. It got Protoss safely into the midgame.

Problem:
However, the Mothership Core is probably the most hated unit ever to exist in Starcraft 2. Complaints range from the strength of nexus overcharge, the strength of pylon overcharge, the strength of recall, the limiting factor it has on gateway units, and even the fact that it is a hero unit. Both time warp and photon overcharge got a rework going into legacy of the void in response to these complaints, and overall I would say they were beneficial changes to the game. But still, complaints over "one click defense" and that the "Mothership Core can defend everything by itself" still remain.

Photon overcharge: While photon overcharging pylons has definitely been better than nexus overcharge (due to the ability to snipe the pylon/have less photon overcharge), it is still extremely strong. For the cost of a 100/100 flyer that you can build extremely early into the game, you can completely lock down definitely 1 base, and given enough notice, cover 2 or even 3 bases.

Time warp: In Heart of the Swarm, Time warp was one of the strongest spells in the game. It would activate at full size instantly when you cast the spell, unlike it does currently: which is to grow from the center and then activate. This nerf, combined with Protoss players keeping their Mothership Cores at home for the sole use of photon overcharge has resulted in this spell almost disappearing from the game. The only times I ever actually see this spell is when the Mothership Core is going to die and there are no pylons around to photon overcharge.

Recall: Recall is also under used in the current game because photon overcharge is so strong, and because you need the Mothership Core at home to defend counter attacks. Recall gave Protoss gateway units an escape route. If you think about the other races, Terran has Medivacs and Medivac boost, Zerg has -on the most part- the far more mobile army and can just run home. If you think back to Nony playing at the beginning of Heart of the Swarm, we had a style of PvZ where you would constantly move out with small unit forces and then recall home. Alas, recall still didn't split up the deathball. It's initial goal- at least for me- was that you would do small gateway pushes and then recall. The only times where we now see recall is when you have a big army already and need to escape from a bad situation.

Lastly, the Mothership core is a Hero unit. You can only have one at a time. Many people argue that this does not fit into the grand design of Starcraft 2, and is more suited in a game like WC3. While this definitely has some merit, I am arguing that because it is a Hero unit and is such a massive part of your defense, the entirety of whether you hold this push or not, relies on keeping your Mothership Core alive. I don't believe this is a healthy unit design.

In it's current state, the Mothership Core is balanced. I am not calling for these changes for balance reasons, but for design reasons. Don't get me wrong, without photon overcharge in the current game, Protoss would struggle massively. Let's work on increasing the usage of time warp and recall, while dis-empowering photon overcharge.


Suggestion:

Edit: I will just add that these changes don't necessarily all have to be added to the game. The hero unit change is definitely more out there.

1. Change Time warp to start slowing instantly, but grow from the center.
2. Change Photon overcharge to have no energy cost, but is on a 30 second cooldown.
3. Allow for multiple Mothership Cores to be built.

Nerf/buff recall/photon overcharge to balance the unit.
Reasoning:

1. My first suggestion about buffing the time warp is mainly to make it get used a bit more. In the current design, the opponent's army just move out of it before it finishes and you have essentially wasted 75 energy. While you could argue that you forced him to move out of an optimal position, in reality this is rarely the case. This change buff the spell just a tiny bit, so that you do get some reward for using it. I don't want to revert it back to it's previous iteration because that was strong in every single situation.

2. My change for photon overcharge does two things. Firstly photon overcharge will still be a strong spell that will be able to defend a push initially, but it won't have the effect of saving your base for what can feel like forever. You will still be able to ward off the first oracle, or adepts, but then will have to react with units to defend when the photon overcharge is finished.

Secondly by removing the energy requirement and putting it on a cooldown you are freeing up energy and usefulness for other spells. This will encourage the Mothership Core to travel with the army more and hopefully result in Timewarp and recall being used more freely.

3. The reasoning behind removing the hero unit attribute on the Mothership Core is firstly to relieve the pressure that having all of your base's defense being reliant on a single unit has. Combined with the other changes, if they still want the same level of protection as now, they will also need to commit more money and supply to defending their bases.

Secondly, if you are able to build more than one Mothership Core, I hope this promotes splitting up of the deathball. For example you would attack in two different locations and in each location you would have a Mothership Core to recall if you got in trouble.

A comment about gateway unit strength: This will be an article for a future date, but I will outline some things just quickly here. Gateway units are not bad units, but they definitely are not strong enough in the early game at the moment to handle these changes (probably). They are wanting to test a stalker change, and that is awesome! They are also nerfing shade and I think that is a step in the right direction. Blizzard can then buff adept early game a bit more. I also believe that if you want to buff gateway units even more so that they can hold their own in all matchups, you need to nerf warp prism's warp in mechanic. If you buffed gateway units currently then you would warp in 10 gateway units into their base and just win. This should be looked at.

Conclusion: As the warp in mechanic was nerfed at the start of LOTV, gateway units were able to be buffed, through the addition of the Adept. The Mothership Core should no longer be the sole protector of Protoss in the early game. It can still definitely have a strong role in the game, but by buffing gateway units, let's try and move it to a better place.

A unit that promotes the splitting up the deathball.

The only way to try these changes is to test them in game. Hopefully I will have a test extension mod up by tomorrow!

Do you agree with (any) of my changes? Do you have other changes? Do you disagree completely? Post below and let's all have a discussion.
TelecoM
Profile Blog Joined January 2010
United States10666 Posts
October 12 2016 06:31 GMT
#2
Some nice suggestions I guess, but I don't think multiple Mothership Core's is even remotely a good idea, it would bring about a lot more issues I think. Nice write up, thanks for sharing!
AKA: TelecoM[WHITE] Protoss fighting
mostevil
Profile Joined February 2011
United Kingdom611 Posts
October 12 2016 07:02 GMT
#3
So it's an arbiter on cybernetics. Why not bin the core have each nexus able to cast a plyon overcharge and add something like arbiters in for defensive recall.
The cores a complete bodge to try to fix a series of design failures stemming from a game originally designed and balanced around warp gate and steppes of war. Having a flying unit that early does yet more to make high ground pointless, reducing tactical depth and defenders advantage. Lack of defenders advantage generally is why you need the core. Fixing that might be better.

I think this is another example of a piece of game design only blizzard can love. Protoss is a horrible mess in SC2, any change that isn't ugly as hell means reworking the whole race. I don't think they've the manpower or the skills in the SC2 team for that.
我的媽和她的瘋狂的外甥都
Penev
Profile Joined October 2012
28463 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-10-12 08:53:05
October 12 2016 08:36 GMT
#4
On October 12 2016 16:02 mostevil wrote:
So it's an arbiter on cybernetics. Why not bin the core have each nexus able to cast a plyon overcharge and add something like arbiters in for defensive recall.
The cores a complete bodge to try to fix a series of design failures stemming from a game originally designed and balanced around warp gate and steppes of war. Having a flying unit that early does yet more to make high ground pointless, reducing tactical depth and defenders advantage. Lack of defenders advantage generally is why you need the core. Fixing that might be better.

I think this is another example of a piece of game design only blizzard can love. Protoss is a horrible mess in SC2, any change that isn't ugly as hell means reworking the whole race. I don't think they've the manpower or the skills in the SC2 team for that.

I like the idea of having the nexus initiate the pylon overcharge. If you make it so the pylon needs to be in range of the (or a) nexus it'll remove the offensive pylons from the game as well. Binning the MSC will free up spells for the Oracle which the OP suggested to change its role for in his other thread. Two birds with one stone.

Edit: But most importantly this would increase the chance of Has proxy nexusing which would be the best thing ever obviously

I Protoss winner, could it be?
NutriaKaiN
Profile Joined June 2016
88 Posts
October 12 2016 09:04 GMT
#5
"Photon overcharge: While photon overcharging pylons has definitely been better than nexus overcharge (due to the ability to snipe the pylon/have less photon overcharge), it is still extremely strong. For the cost of a 100/100 flyer that you can build extremely early into the game, you can completely lock down definitely 1 base, and given enough notice, cover 2 or even 3 bases."

Not sure in what a world you live.
JackONeill
Profile Joined September 2013
861 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-10-12 10:45:27
October 12 2016 10:41 GMT
#6
Having multiple MSC would result in recall abuse. Being able to recall is already insanely strong.

About gateway strength, the MSC isn't the reason it can't be buffed, the immortal is. Immortal + sentries with some amount of stalkers or adepts completely shreks bio or roaches. The immortal is such a reliable, high DPS and unkillable unit with good range that you can't have too strong gateway units or the combinaison of the two would roll over every early/mid game comps.
Also, because every twilight upgrade gives insane mobility to gateway units, you can't have them too strong. Adepts go the other way around (native mobility => strength). You can't have units that are very mobile AND very strong in a frontal fight, that's just not the way balance works. Because of the blink mechanic, stalkers would be hilariously broken if their damage was upped too much.

About the MSC, i don't mind the hero aspect of it because it's specific to the protoss race, and has been since WOL with the mamaship. I don't mind. However neither the time warp nor the recall pose a real problem in the game. The overcharge does, and especially the fact that it can be and is professionnally used OFFENSIVELY. Terran build orders are practially dictated by their ability to counter this.
The overcharge should be a spell that transforms a pylon into a shield battery. A spell that HELPS units or static D defend a location, but not a spell that demolishes stuff on its own (3shots a banshee FFS). The ability to summon a static thor is fucking insane.
Coupled with a nerf of the adept's mobility (making the shade's cooldown much longer and uncancellable), a native DPS buff (giving it native glaives) but making them twilight required, it may be possible for the unit to be a quick response defensive unit that would compensate for the overcharge. This way the adept would finally be what it's supposed to be : a core fighting gateway unit, that can use the shade to travel long distances faster and therefore answer attacks much quicker, but which is much less abusive at harassing.
PinoKotsBeer
Profile Joined February 2014
Netherlands1385 Posts
October 12 2016 10:44 GMT
#7
Bad positioning, recall. Defending at home, recall. I hope you see whats wrong with having multiple MSC's with recall.
http://www.twitch.tv/pinokotsbeer
vicml21
Profile Joined May 2007
Canada165 Posts
October 12 2016 10:58 GMT
#8
The biggest issue with multiple mothership cores is that you could potentially have a constant stream of time warps AND overcharges that would prevent balance. I love your ideas trying to split up the deathball, and protoss would greatly benefit from playing that style of retreating with the mothership core.

I wonder if removing the mothership core altogether (but keeping the mothership) and rebalancing gateway units would be a way to work around it?

"Meow" - Probe
InfCereal
Profile Joined December 2011
Canada1759 Posts
October 12 2016 11:04 GMT
#9
So a protoss can now mass mothership cores at the start of the game for ~infinite base defense, while at the same time having risk-free harass potential.

Because protoss wasn't frustrating enough to play against.
Cereal
egrimm
Profile Joined September 2011
Poland1199 Posts
October 12 2016 11:27 GMT
#10
Well the thing is, probably everybody would like to go get rid of MsC completely as it is really "ugly design-wise". However it is impossible to do it because current Protoss design depends too heavily on it.
If any changes are to be made to MsC then it would require a lot of rebalancing and if so then why not go a bit further and remove it all together and increase the rebalancing work only slightly but eventually offering good, clean design?
sOs TY PartinG
Lexender
Profile Joined September 2013
Mexico2623 Posts
October 12 2016 12:14 GMT
#11
On October 12 2016 19:41 JackONeill wrote:
Having multiple MSC would result in recall abuse. Being able to recall is already insanely strong.

About gateway strength, the MSC isn't the reason it can't be buffed, the immortal is. Immortal + sentries with some amount of stalkers or adepts completely shreks bio or roaches. The immortal is such a reliable, high DPS and unkillable unit with good range that you can't have too strong gateway units or the combinaison of the two would roll over every early/mid game comps.
Also, because every twilight upgrade gives insane mobility to gateway units, you can't have them too strong. Adepts go the other way around (native mobility => strength). You can't have units that are very mobile AND very strong in a frontal fight, that's just not the way balance works. Because of the blink mechanic, stalkers would be hilariously broken if their damage was upped too much.

About the MSC, i don't mind the hero aspect of it because it's specific to the protoss race, and has been since WOL with the mamaship. I don't mind. However neither the time warp nor the recall pose a real problem in the game. The overcharge does, and especially the fact that it can be and is professionnally used OFFENSIVELY. Terran build orders are practially dictated by their ability to counter this.
The overcharge should be a spell that transforms a pylon into a shield battery. A spell that HELPS units or static D defend a location, but not a spell that demolishes stuff on its own (3shots a banshee FFS). The ability to summon a static thor is fucking insane.
Coupled with a nerf of the adept's mobility (making the shade's cooldown much longer and uncancellable), a native DPS buff (giving it native glaives) but making them twilight required, it may be possible for the unit to be a quick response defensive unit that would compensate for the overcharge. This way the adept would finally be what it's supposed to be : a core fighting gateway unit, that can use the shade to travel long distances faster and therefore answer attacks much quicker, but which is much less abusive at harassing.


That is not the reason, warpgate is, every time gateway units get stronger warpgates and warp prisms make it broken.

It doesnt matter how much of protoss design you want to change (stronger gateway units, less deathballing, more mid game presence, less reliance con MsC) you cant because of warpgate alone.
JackONeill
Profile Joined September 2013
861 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-10-12 12:30:19
October 12 2016 12:25 GMT
#12
On October 12 2016 21:14 Lexender wrote:
Show nested quote +
On October 12 2016 19:41 JackONeill wrote:
Having multiple MSC would result in recall abuse. Being able to recall is already insanely strong.

About gateway strength, the MSC isn't the reason it can't be buffed, the immortal is. Immortal + sentries with some amount of stalkers or adepts completely shreks bio or roaches. The immortal is such a reliable, high DPS and unkillable unit with good range that you can't have too strong gateway units or the combinaison of the two would roll over every early/mid game comps.
Also, because every twilight upgrade gives insane mobility to gateway units, you can't have them too strong. Adepts go the other way around (native mobility => strength). You can't have units that are very mobile AND very strong in a frontal fight, that's just not the way balance works. Because of the blink mechanic, stalkers would be hilariously broken if their damage was upped too much.

About the MSC, i don't mind the hero aspect of it because it's specific to the protoss race, and has been since WOL with the mamaship. I don't mind. However neither the time warp nor the recall pose a real problem in the game. The overcharge does, and especially the fact that it can be and is professionnally used OFFENSIVELY. Terran build orders are practially dictated by their ability to counter this.
The overcharge should be a spell that transforms a pylon into a shield battery. A spell that HELPS units or static D defend a location, but not a spell that demolishes stuff on its own (3shots a banshee FFS). The ability to summon a static thor is fucking insane.
Coupled with a nerf of the adept's mobility (making the shade's cooldown much longer and uncancellable), a native DPS buff (giving it native glaives) but making them twilight required, it may be possible for the unit to be a quick response defensive unit that would compensate for the overcharge. This way the adept would finally be what it's supposed to be : a core fighting gateway unit, that can use the shade to travel long distances faster and therefore answer attacks much quicker, but which is much less abusive at harassing.


That is not the reason, warpgate is, every time gateway units get stronger warpgates and warp prisms make it broken.

It doesnt matter how much of protoss design you want to change (stronger gateway units, less deathballing, more mid game presence, less reliance con MsC) you cant because of warpgate alone.


The warp mechanic in itself is in a decent position, but the warp prism is an issue. If the warp prism was nerfed too (way less HP/gaz cost/no range pickup), gateway units could be buffed. Or more precisely, the frontal strength of adepts could be buffed.

But overall in LOTV protosses rely much more on gateway armies, which help them secure more bases and have better defensive capabilites with warpins. Overcharge was allowed to be less overwhelming than the nexus version balance-wise because of this.
If protoss was able to warpin a strong fighting unit that's not very good at harassing, the overcharge could be transformed into something better designed. This role needs to be fitted by the adept, especially since adept harass is an issue in LOTV since the begining because it's so abusive.
Gwavajuice
Profile Joined June 2014
France1810 Posts
October 12 2016 12:32 GMT
#13
NIce post, but isn't #2, just coming back to HotS, but in a worst state, because pylons have much less durabiltiy than a nexus and 30 sec is damn long.

I mean : PvT, you overcharge, I snipe the pylon, you cry. PvP, I one base rush you, you cast OC, I wait 11 sec, I attack, you cry. PvZ I runby glings ion your natural, you over charge, I go in the main, you cry.

Last, about the energy, I'm not sure it's the energy that prevents the Moma core to get out on the map, it's more the time it takes to actually teleport back and the speed of the MSC that is even slower than your average protoss army, and that means something

Anyway, the ability to make multiple mothership cores you are suggesting is already giving you the ability to get one core on the map and one (2? 3? more?)in your base, so this point is kinda redundant.

I think that before looking at solutions, we need to think more about the "problem" here : people saying OC allows the mothership core to defend everything by itself.

1- is it really true? haven't we managed to learn how to avoid overcharged pylons when dropping or rushing the protoss?

Take PvT for instance, the most trendy build is 1-1-1 (see Maru against classic in KeSPA cup). It shows 2 things :

- first if 1-1-1 are working so well, it must mean MSC is not that strong.
- then, if you look at the answer from Protoss, it is actually by delaying the MSC that protosses manage to stay alive, because an extra stalker is way better than a overcharge in this scenario

I recommend PiG's daily about the matter.

So to me, saying MSC's defence is too powerful is 80% whine. I don't think anybody would say that it's stronger that the mass queens defence or a bunker being repaired behind a full wall.

2- now, let's get back to the need that MSC is the answer to.

The need :
  • What is it for? inbase defence to allows protoss to tech more freely and to take extra bases safely.
  • Who is it for ? for protoss that want to tech up more agressively or get a better economy
  • When is it needed? early game, against heavy rush : cyclones/tanks, 1 base gateway push, big zerglings all ins. Late game, to defend against runbyes and doom drops.
  • What does it impact : the builds and economy of the protoss
  • Why is there this need ? because if you macro well, you won't have a warp in available when a drop hits your base and canons are expensive and are slowing you economy by a great deal.
  • What are the constraints ?

    -it must be cheap and obtainable quickly enough to survive early game
    -it must be limited in its use to not break balance (for instance making it srong offensively may break balance)
    -it must be strong enough in case of doom drops or nyduses

  • What would end that need :

    - Make more warp ins available so you can get enough units to defend a doom drop or an early push : this would make no sense for balance reasons
    - allow the protoss to make more canons : getting more static D is not that good plus it would break the canon rush balance
    - or just make every protoss play ultra agressive early game (you don't need MSC with proxy adepts or canon rushes) but is it the meta we want to have?


What I did here is to quickly list the basic functions and requirements (main function, constraints function, ...) a system must have to answer the need. The mothership core we know fulfils this functions.

Now if for whatever reason, it was sure that MSC had other impact on the game than just answering the need and if this impact was 100% bad, we would need something else, but this something else would still have to have this functions covered.

And it is not the case of what you're proposing : you forget main functions (cheap defence both early game and late game) and add another one (offensive use, which is cute but not needed)

You're a good player and you're smart, this is why your post are a good read, but you're missing your target because you forget the requirements and think about new solutions before analysing the problem deeply enough.

For your next article take the time to ask : what is it for? who is it for? When? what/who does it impact? what are the constraints? what would end the need? before proposing a solution you'll improve greatly the quality of your work (which is already good, but still)
Dear INno and all the former STX boys.
LSN
Profile Joined December 2010
Germany696 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-10-12 13:44:08
October 12 2016 12:59 GMT
#14
Multiple cores with cooldown of 30 seconds and 14 second ability duration would allow 2 cores to keep up overcharge permanently on a single pylon and position. Having ~3-4 cores later on would be standard for protosses and they could tp everywhere and put 3-4 pylons on overcharge at the same time or in chain. This is no good and would make protoss pretty much unattackable at any position on the map where there are enough pylons (with a nexus) with harrassments, drops and even larger non full-commitment attacks.

Also the MSC isn't a purely defensive unit and pylons + overcharge can be used for sieges quite nicely. What you want is basically getting rid of the risk/reward thing of the MSC. You want it to support your offence and then be able to tp back at anytime and create overcharges for free in multiple numbers (and that is how it is gonna be used).

No offense man but I really wonder how something unbalanced and op like that can come out of the mouth of a pro/semi-pro gamer at all. Supports my thesis of bias and not that much sense for what is good for the game again.


Other than that (the multiple core thing) the suggestions are good and should be considered.
And I make that in fat letter to emphasize that I like the other suggestions and don't want to put as much weight as lines written on the criticism above. Though they as well would have to be put into balance as it just comes down to spamming timewarps and teleports then, which isn't enough to make MSC energy valueable. But...



But as everything is going to be changed this has to be rethought at the end of the process of the current redesign/balancing. Maybe SC2 can entirely get rid of this unit. SC2 redesign should and can defenitely not be wrapped around a MSC redesign but the other way round and then it will be seen which niche it has to fill and if it is still needed at all. So yeah, lets consider this again when the redesign is close to be finished.


In general I support solutions that make the MSC obsolete (which are nerfs of the stuff that brought up the requirement for a MSC and PO in the first place).
NutriaKaiN
Profile Joined June 2016
88 Posts
October 12 2016 13:16 GMT
#15
On October 12 2016 21:32 Gwavajuice wrote:
NIce post, but isn't #2, just coming back to HotS, but in a worst state, because pylons have much less durabiltiy than a nexus and 30 sec is damn long.

I mean : PvT, you overcharge, I snipe the pylon, you cry. PvP, I one base rush you, you cast OC, I wait 11 sec, I attack, you cry. PvZ I runby glings ion your natural, you over charge, I go in the main, you cry.

Last, about the energy, I'm not sure it's the energy that prevents the Moma core to get out on the map, it's more the time it takes to actually teleport back and the speed of the MSC that is even slower than your average protoss army, and that means something

Anyway, the ability to make multiple mothership cores you are suggesting is already giving you the ability to get one core on the map and one (2? 3? more?)in your base, so this point is kinda redundant.

I think that before looking at solutions, we need to think more about the "problem" here : people saying OC allows the mothership core to defend everything by itself.

1- is it really true? haven't we managed to learn how to avoid overcharged pylons when dropping or rushing the protoss?

Take PvT for instance, the most trendy build is 1-1-1 (see Maru against classic in KeSPA cup). It shows 2 things :

- first if 1-1-1 are working so well, it must mean MSC is not that strong.
- then, if you look at the answer from Protoss, it is actually by delaying the MSC that protosses manage to stay alive, because an extra stalker is way better than a overcharge in this scenario

I recommend PiG's daily about the matter.

So to me, saying MSC's defence is too powerful is 80% whine. I don't think anybody would say that it's stronger that the mass queens defence or a bunker being repaired behind a full wall.

2- now, let's get back to the need that MSC is the answer to.

The need :
  • What is it for? inbase defence to allows protoss to tech more freely and to take extra bases safely.
  • Who is it for ? for protoss that want to tech up more agressively or get a better economy
  • When is it needed? early game, against heavy rush : cyclones/tanks, 1 base gateway push, big zerglings all ins. Late game, to defend against runbyes and doom drops.
  • What does it impact : the builds and economy of the protoss
  • Why is there this need ? because if you macro well, you won't have a warp in available when a drop hits your base and canons are expensive and are slowing you economy by a great deal.
  • What are the constraints ?

    -it must be cheap and obtainable quickly enough to survive early game
    -it must be limited in its use to not break balance (for instance making it srong offensively may break balance)
    -it must be strong enough in case of doom drops or nyduses

  • What would end that need :

    - Make more warp ins available so you can get enough units to defend a doom drop or an early push : this would make no sense for balance reasons
    - allow the protoss to make more canons : getting more static D is not that good plus it would break the canon rush balance
    - or just make every protoss play ultra agressive early game (you don't need MSC with proxy adepts or canon rushes) but is it the meta we want to have?


What I did here is to quickly list the basic functions and requirements (main function, constraints function, ...) a system must have to answer the need. The mothership core we know fulfils this functions.

Now if for whatever reason, it was sure that MSC had other impact on the game than just answering the need and if this impact was 100% bad, we would need something else, but this something else would still have to have this functions covered.

And it is not the case of what you're proposing : you forget main functions (cheap defence both early game and late game) and add another one (offensive use, which is cute but not needed)

You're a good player and you're smart, this is why your post are a good read, but you're missing your target because you forget the requirements and think about new solutions before analysing the problem deeply enough.

For your next article take the time to ask : what is it for? who is it for? When? what/who does it impact? what are the constraints? what would end the need? before proposing a solution you'll improve greatly the quality of your work (which is already good, but still)


wow pretty good post, long time no see a good post
Edowyth
Profile Joined October 2010
United States183 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-10-12 13:26:21
October 12 2016 13:25 GMT
#16
On October 12 2016 14:11 mGGrinehart wrote:
But still, complaints over "one click defense" and that the "Mothership Core can defend everything by itself" still remain.


I think the only way to end these complaints is to get rid of PO entirely and just buff gateway units defensively sufficiently that they can be the answer to early aggression.

This would have the effect of limiting the number of expansions you can effectively defend based off of your composition and army strength instead of energy on MSC (or available POs, if your changes went through).
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weikor
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
Austria580 Posts
October 12 2016 13:27 GMT
#17
In WOL there was an interesting interaction with the sentry as the prime defensive unit.

If you saw a push coming, and opponent was trying to attack you on 1-2 base - you had to make sentries for forcefields.

The problem : each sentry cost you 100 gas, gas you wanted on tech. So protoss were trying to get away with as few sentries as possible.

The opponent on the other hand could "force" you into making sentries / delaying your tech. Faking an attack was also possible.

It was a very clever dynamic in the early game for protoss.

In HOTS it became, Make a mothership core and youre safe from anything.

So my suggestion :

Sentries gain Pylon overcharge, they must channel it and cant cast other spells. Attackers might try to snipe the sentries to deal damage. Or the probes.
Players with 8 sentries would be safe, but their tech would be delayed severely.

New support air / ground unit with recall and timewarp recalls units to current position, or recalls to the nexus.

maybe even give the colossus a new role, it can teleport units away from itself sacrificing itself if the enemy is close.

remove MSC

Probe1
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States17920 Posts
October 12 2016 13:45 GMT
#18
All I know is the mothership core ensures 1 or 2 base timings are easily deflected in ZvP. That sucks.
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loko822
Profile Joined January 2015
54 Posts
October 12 2016 14:05 GMT
#19
Just out of curiosity, am I the only one that thinks pylon overcharge is stronger than nexus overcharge in most situations? I feel like pylons are doing a better job at defending small early harass which I guess is the reason for overcharge beeing in the game. Even when armies get bigger what was a nexus cannon really doing against a (semi)doom drop or a full frontal attack? Sure the pylons arent doing much there either, but they have more potential if well placed and/or the enemy makes a mistake ie dropping 4-6 Medivacs right where multiple pylons are with core around.
The nexus cannon I assume was better to delay certain strong timings due to its length and health behind the cannon. Idk hard to say just feels like good Protosses are taking less early/midgame damage these days compared to hots.
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BisuDagger
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Bisutopia19214 Posts
October 12 2016 14:10 GMT
#20
I think the addition of the campaign shield battery combined with photon cannons would be a better option for defenders advantage. No one ever discusses photon cannons
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