It is more than a question than a suggestion because obviously a lot of people thought about this, but still... Why doesn't Tripwire risks more balance changes? I DO know Killing Floor 2 is mostly player as PvE and therefore does not need some precise balance since no one will be affected by it, yet at the current state, I do believe it is starting to became a drawback, mostly due the community's response regarding the new weapons.
To put it short, I'll simplify what I've seen about Rhinos and SWAT Nailgun:
Rhinos: Is it a new weapon? Yes, fresh new. Is it unique? Yes, it does give the DPS class Gunslinger a very intereseting trash-cleaning option. Will it be used often? Well, Deagles and AF are better, so no.
SWAT Nailgun: Is it a new weapon? No, just a reskin old one. Is it Unique? Not really, it does give some penetration and ricochet to Swat, but is still a trash cleaner. Will it be used often? Strong weapon, yes.
Sure, this might not be true or popular belief, but it got me thinking about many other weapons and perk skills that no one uses simply because they're weak and off the meta. Very few uses Pulverizer. Ever saw a serious Berserker player NOT using Parry? Old Commando class NOT using recoil reduction or being called 'trash perk until 20'? I mean, just look at how different Firebug became from before! It is now a welcome and useful trash cleaning perk from KF2's version of that annoying old uncle that shows up uninvited to your family parties.
Many weapons, perk skills and perk itself has less playtime than other just due how unbalance the game is, and that truly rips off some replayability since most people won't use it at all. Tripwire can give us 10 weapons per patch, but only 1 will be used because it suits the main classes or perks. What does it matter if all classes has 2 perk skill choices, if one is OP and other is pure trash? Unbalance just kills the concept of adaptability, full use of perk's weapons and class.
And here is why I believe balance changes should be made more often and more daring:
1) It is cheap.
Twipire is a company, thus need money. But balance changes are little more than changing numbers in a code, and some changes can truly make a old perk or weapon feel new, because it will be. No need to invest time modeling weapons, skins, voice actors, etc.
2) More use of PBE.
Of course it can't just throw changes at random, but that's what PBE is about. Instead of pretty much using it when seasonal events rolls in, and community often gives their opinion to balance it. Throw more changes on PBE and see what it works. Takes so long for every minimal change that it surprises me.
3) Personalization.
Instead of just going meta, most classes will have choices about team composition and personal preferences, making it more rewarding to invest on favorite classes and strategies. They'll use ALL weapons and perks, instead of usual 3 weapons and forget all the others.
4) Bring constant news to the game
Even if not every change goes through, it will make people interested in every update, wondering what changed and try it out, making some people come back just to try them.
So...yeah, please TW consider making some smaller balance changes along the weeks, it'll show you guys care about the game, bring people to play the game outside the season events, and maybe even fix some issues.
To put it short, I'll simplify what I've seen about Rhinos and SWAT Nailgun:
Rhinos: Is it a new weapon? Yes, fresh new. Is it unique? Yes, it does give the DPS class Gunslinger a very intereseting trash-cleaning option. Will it be used often? Well, Deagles and AF are better, so no.
SWAT Nailgun: Is it a new weapon? No, just a reskin old one. Is it Unique? Not really, it does give some penetration and ricochet to Swat, but is still a trash cleaner. Will it be used often? Strong weapon, yes.
Sure, this might not be true or popular belief, but it got me thinking about many other weapons and perk skills that no one uses simply because they're weak and off the meta. Very few uses Pulverizer. Ever saw a serious Berserker player NOT using Parry? Old Commando class NOT using recoil reduction or being called 'trash perk until 20'? I mean, just look at how different Firebug became from before! It is now a welcome and useful trash cleaning perk from KF2's version of that annoying old uncle that shows up uninvited to your family parties.
Many weapons, perk skills and perk itself has less playtime than other just due how unbalance the game is, and that truly rips off some replayability since most people won't use it at all. Tripwire can give us 10 weapons per patch, but only 1 will be used because it suits the main classes or perks. What does it matter if all classes has 2 perk skill choices, if one is OP and other is pure trash? Unbalance just kills the concept of adaptability, full use of perk's weapons and class.
And here is why I believe balance changes should be made more often and more daring:
1) It is cheap.
Twipire is a company, thus need money. But balance changes are little more than changing numbers in a code, and some changes can truly make a old perk or weapon feel new, because it will be. No need to invest time modeling weapons, skins, voice actors, etc.
2) More use of PBE.
Of course it can't just throw changes at random, but that's what PBE is about. Instead of pretty much using it when seasonal events rolls in, and community often gives their opinion to balance it. Throw more changes on PBE and see what it works. Takes so long for every minimal change that it surprises me.
3) Personalization.
Instead of just going meta, most classes will have choices about team composition and personal preferences, making it more rewarding to invest on favorite classes and strategies. They'll use ALL weapons and perks, instead of usual 3 weapons and forget all the others.
4) Bring constant news to the game
Even if not every change goes through, it will make people interested in every update, wondering what changed and try it out, making some people come back just to try them.
So...yeah, please TW consider making some smaller balance changes along the weeks, it'll show you guys care about the game, bring people to play the game outside the season events, and maybe even fix some issues.
