[Mutator] ScrnBalance: Balancing perks, money, weapons + GUNSLINGER perk

[Aze]

Nice penetration changes. They all get their own niches. I dunno if TWI would like to change them around (at least similarly) to that, but it's a good idea to balance the shotguns

Now, about the Gunslinger, is there any way you could remove the "no armor" restriction from the Cowboy mode, while also lowering the reload bonus a tad for balancing's sake? As it is now, the Gunslinger is extremely fragile if he wants to perform at his best (sure, high risk high reward playstyle, but alas) and the annoying part about this is that you can't sell your armor. If it was sellable, i could be more understanding of the no-armor-restriction, but as it is, i heavily dislike it.
Furthermore, I'd also allow lasersights for the Cowboy mode. With that said, i think you should scrap 2 weapons: Laser Magnums, and regular MK23. The MK23's niche could instead be that it is the only pistol with lasers (both single and dualwielded) and thus higher accuracy, while it has no penetration. I think that would be balanced actually.

So in short, the only restriction for Cowboy mode should be that you must dualwield pistols. That's a good enough restriction imo.


Now something else:
Is there any way you could make the Firebug have some more things:

1) Reduce cost of Husk Cannon to 2500 perhaps?
2) Reduce weight of the Flamethrower to 8 or 9?
3) Have another version of M79 (that anyone could buy), which is incendiary? That way, you could choose, regardless of perk, if you would like to have explosive or incendiary grenades for the M79. While this is not necessary, it would give the Firebug a new weapon to play with, which i think would be cool

[poosh]

Thanx for your feedback, Aze!

To learn details of the shotgun penetration I've made take a look on calculation table:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...HUzWkYxUTM3dXc

On the first page you can select a weapon from a drop-down list, and spreadsheet automatically recalculates both original and ScrnBalance penetrations for that weapon.

Gunslinger.
It will require just to delete a couple of lines in the code. To make Cowboy Mode working while wearing armor or with laser sights on. But I won't do it!
As it is now, Gunslinger can act in one of two roles:

1. Precision. This role is somewhere between Sharpshooter and Commando perk. Turn on laser sights and make precise headshots. Bullet spread is significantly reduced while laser sights is on and you can wear armor, because lasers will turn off Cowboy Mode anyway. Sharpie has much higher headshot damage, but Commando - much more ammo, which is also much cheaper than pistol bullets. Quite balanced imo.
2. Speed and Damage. This role is somewhere between Support Spec. and Berserker perk. Pistol penetration and moderate damage allows you to kill trash zeds without bothering for aiming to the head (like Support with shotguns). Cowboy mode grants you speed bonus and super-fast reload (like Zerker, which has no reload at all). But Zerker needs a close distance to a victim (=extra danger), that's why he has damage resistance. Gunslinger, from the other side, can kill stuff for a far away. That's why I took out his armor to make him extremely viable.

Allowing Cowboy Mode with armor and laser sights on will outshine all trash-killing perks, including Support and Berserker too. We will end with Sharpie + Gunslingers teams. So - nope. Reducing benefits of Cowboy Mode will make it less funnier and I don't want it.

Here are some tips:

• You can start the wave with armor, but when it depletes, turn off the laser sights and act in Cowboy Mode.
• If you want your armor to deplete, there are zeds and handgrenades to help you.

As a trade-off, I could agree to enable Cowboy Mode, when Gunslinger has less than 20% of armor left.

Firebug
Reducing Husk Cannon's price won't solve anything. You don't need it before the Scrake waves, and due to cheapness of Flamer's fuel you can easy save up 1200 pounds during first 4 waves. Problem is that even after all changes I made to it (Alternate Fire, ammo buff, showing current charge) it still sucks.

I don't see the point of lowering Flamer's weight. It is good as it is. I more like your another idea to buff its total ammo (500 base + up to 50% bonus).

Incendiary M79 sounds nice. It could weight more (5 blocks) to reject its carrying with Flamer - at least one reason to switch to Husk Cannon I don't think it would be too hard to make it, but it will require some time. But I'll definitely think about it later.

[Aze]

Sorry for constant "feedbacking" on you here, but this is really fun, and it feels like we are making lots of progress too

Originally Posted by poosh

Gunslinger.
It will require just to delete a couple of lines in the code. To make Cowboy Mode working while wearing armor or with laser sights on. But I won't do it!

Well, if the perk is ever to be considered as a REAL addition to the game, i don't think TWI would like a perk that has 2 "flaws" in it:
1) Less carry weight than the other perks
2) That you have to get hurt (to lose the armor, if you have it or accidentally pick one up) to perform at your best

You may disagree with my thoughts about the Gunslinger Cowboy mode requirements, but my point is that the perk is a whole lot of fun and has a GREAT potential for an actual addition to the game! After all, it for sure brings life into all the useless dual pistols. I don't want those 2 above points to be what holds it back from being added ya know? :/

Allowing Cowboy Mode with armor and laser sights on will outshine all trash-killing perks, including Support and Berserker too. We will end with Sharpie + Gunslingers teams. So - nope. Reducing benefits of Cowboy Mode will make it less funnier and I don't want it.

It needs reduction in the reload bonus anyway. It outshines Commando by far due to that. Sure, it's a lot of fun, but it is too powerful (Especially Dual HCs with a near instant reload)

Firebug
Reducing Husk Cannon's price won't solve anything. You don't need it before the Scrake waves, and due to cheapness of Flamer's fuel you can easy save up 1200 pounds during first 4 waves. Problem is that even after all changes I made to it (Alternate Fire, ammo buff, showing current charge) it still sucks.

At least it would be more accessible with a lower price. As you said, it still sucks. Maybe, on top of a price reduction, a projectile speed increase (so it travels faster and thus is easier to aim with) and a faster rate of fire for uncharged shots could make it a better weapon?

I don't see the point of lowering Flamer's weight. It is good as it is. I more like your another idea to buff its total ammo (500 base + up to 50% bonus).

I saw that you just increased weight of the Husk Cannon to 10, from 8. That's the wrong way to go imho. Why should the Firebug not be allowed to have some kind of potential for carrying a backup pistol or machete, while the other primary trashkiller, Commando, has that ability?

Incendiary M79 sounds nice. It could weight more (5 blocks) to reject its carrying with Flamer - at least one reason to switch to Husk Cannon I don't think it would be too hard to make it, but it will require some time. But I'll definitely think about it later.

I tested your Incendiary M79, and it was nice (at 4 blocks). If you were to increase it to 5 and still kept Flamethrower at 10 blocks (to restrict them from one another) you are once again limiting fun and variety. Husk Cannon + M79 being the only other "heavy loadout" would be kinda pointless, as they are both AoE-weapons. I'd rather say that you should keep it as it as atm with 4 in weight. It felt like a VERY nice, balanced and fun addition to the Firebug!

[poosh]

Version 2.30 is out:
+ New Firebug's weapon: M79 Incendiary [Aze]
+ Husk Gun's weight lowered back to 8
+ Shiver kill with FNFAL gives +2 to Commando progress (planning to add this feature for all Commando's weapons in the future).
- Healing rate lowered 20% for non-medics (10 -> 8 hp/s)
+ Medic now receives healing rate bonus same as healing potency (up to 75%, i.e. 14 hp/s for level 6).

[DMN666]

I wanted to ask, but can I just get the gunslinger perk and not add all this other stuff.
I just want to play it on solo.

[poosh]

Originally Posted by DMN666

I wanted to ask, but can I just get the gunslinger perk and not add all this other stuff.
I just want to play it on solo.

Yes, you can. But you need ServerPerks installed to allow custom perks. If you haven't, you can download a bundle package (ServerPerks + ScrnBalance) from here (it weights ~500KB, so don't worry about word "Bundle").

Unzip the package into the KF directory, launch the game, Choose Solo -> Mutators and add both "ScrnBalance" and "Server Veterancy Handler". Then press a "Configure Mutators" button and turn off every feature you don't want under the ScrnBalance group.

[poosh]

Version 2.35 is out:

• Husk Gun's price dropped down to 3000 (from 4000) [Aze]
• Gunslinger's Cowboy Mode can be activated if Armor drops below 25%
• Gunslinger's weight cap raised by 1 block (11 -> 12)
• Laser MK-23 prices raised from 2000 to 2500 to match Laser-44 price
• M4 3-bullet fixed burst mode (now it has 3 fire modes)
• M4-203 primary fire changed to 3-bullet fixed burst mode
• M203 explosion radius raised to 450 (up from 400)
• KSG shotgun fire rate increased to 0.943s per bullet. Now it is a half between original and previous (nerfed) values.
• LOW AMMO WARNING displays if ammo amount in magazine drops below 25% of the magazine size.
• M79Inc base damage lowered from 80 to 50.

[DDC1234]

Which mod changed the burn rate of zeds knew there was one think it was this one or ?

[poosh]

Originally Posted by DDC1234

Which mod changed the burn rate of zeds knew there was one think it was this one or ?

I haven't touched burn mechanics. But I made incendiary M79 and alternate fire for Husk Gun to make Firebug more useful on later waves in HoE games.

[DDC1234]

Sorry i mean there was a mod that changed the burn mechanics but i can't remember which one it was thought it was this one but now i see it isn't ?

[FluX]

Originally Posted by DDC1234

Sorry i mean there was a mod that changed the burn mechanics but i can't remember which one it was thought it was this one but now i see it isn't ?

I remember what you are on about. It was made by Scary_Ghost but I can't remember the name of the mod.

[DDC1234]

Nevermind found it
forums.tripwireinteractive.com/showthread.php?t=52521
https://github.com/scaryghost/KFCommBeta/wiki < Main site
https://github.com/scaryghost/KFCommBeta < source code

[poosh]

Originally Posted by FluX

I remember what you are on about. It was made by Scary_Ghost but I can't remember the name of the mod.

It was KF Community Beta mutator. But, due to burning mechanism implementation in the KFMonster class, it isn't possible to change it without overriding every zed class, that's why I haven't and won't touch it.
Beside that, even if I will change the behavior of standard zeds, custom zeds (like Brute, Shiver etc) still will burn in an old way.

So lets join together in spamming TWI to make changes in the original KFMonster class.

[Cowguy666]

Looks sweet, especially the multicolour laser :3 def gonna try this out with some of my buds

[FluX]

Originally Posted by poosh

It was KF Community Beta mutator. But, due to burning mechanism implementation in the KFMonster class, it isn't possible to change it without overriding every zed class, that's why I haven't and won't touch it.
Beside that, even if I will change the behavior of standard zeds, custom zeds (like Brute, Shiver etc) still will burn in an old way.

So lets join together in spamming TWI to make changes in the original KFMonster class.

Yeah I remember and I also have asked if it's possible to change the KFMonster class to affect all specimens that derive the KFMonster.uc but there isn't a way I wont touch this file due to this problem as my server uses the official zeds and wave system.

[zy154641833]

This Mutator looks great, but the download link doesn't work for me, what a shame.

[poosh]

Originally Posted by zy154641833

This Mutator sounds great, but the download link doesn't work for me, what a shame.

Hm, just checked the links, both works.

Link to ScrnBalance (for those, who have ServerPerksV5 installed):
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/70213558/KF...ance-v2-35.zip

Link to Bundle package (fully configured ServerPerks + ScrnBalance):
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/70213558/KF...rks_Bundle.zip

[zy154641833]

Originally Posted by poosh

Hm, just checked the links, both works.

Link to ScrnBalance (for those, who have ServerPerksV5 installed):
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/70213558/KF...ance-v2-35.zip

Link to Bundle package (fully configured ServerPerks + ScrnBalance):
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/70213558/KF...rks_Bundle.zip

Thanks, after I tried several times, it finally worked. It is a great mtutor, I am enjoying it. But there are things i want to mention:
First, every time I changes perk, my weapons drop to ground automatically. I don't know whether it is intentional or not.
Second, it seems "ScrnBalance.int" hasn't been updated, since I can buy M99 at a discount when i choose sharpshooter, but in the perk description, there is no M99. What about damage bouns for M99? Did it have damage bouns as crossbow ? In the perk description, there is no M99 too.
Third, when i am a sharpshooter at level 6, I see "60% headshot damage with Pistols, Rifle, Crossbow, and M14", but when i am level 7, i get "145% headshot damage with Pistols, Rifle, Crossbow, and M14". It increases so much just for one level, is it a bug?

[poosh]

Originally Posted by zy154641833

Thanks, after I tried several times, it finally worked. It is a great mtutor, I am enjoying it. But there are things i want to mention:
First, every time I changes perk, my weapons drop to ground automatically. I don't know whether it is intentional or not.
Second, it seems "ScrnBalance.int" hasn't been updated, since I can buy M99 at a discount when i choose sharpshooter, but in the perk description, there is no M99. What about damage bouns for M99? Did it have damage bouns as crossbow ? In the perk description, there is no M99 too.
Third, when i am a sharpshooter at level 6, I see "60% headshot damage with Pistols, Rifle, Crossbow, and M14", but when i am level 7, i get "145% headshot damage with Pistols, Rifle, Crossbow, and M14". It increases so much just for one level, is it a bug?

Thanks for a feedback.

Your weapons drop to the ground probably because you have not enough space to hold them. Notice that Gunslinger's carry weight is limited to 12 blocks, so he can't hold such weapons as M99 or LAW. If you had 13+ blocks weight before switching to Gunslinger, your extra weapons will be dropped. It isn't a bug, it is a feature

Sorry, I forgot to change perk description to include new IJC weapons. Sharpie has the same bonuses for M99 and Crossbow (including ammo discount). Fire rate bonuses removed from both of them.

Actually level 6 sharpshooter has 140% headshot damage bonus with perked weapons (+50% for all weapons + extra 60% for perked weapons = 1.5 * 1.6 = 2.4 = +140%). So level 7 receives only +5% additional bonus. Anyway, ScrnBalance mutator was created for purpose of balancing vanilla game (max perk level 6). Further perk progression designed to be "visual only", without granting extra bonuses.

Extra bonuses for level 7+ were taken from ServerPerks mutator. Currently I'm not planning to maintain / balance them.

[zy154641833]

Thanks for your replay.

I have a suggestion about Commando, can you make him only see the health bars of big zeds such as flesh pound, hust, scrake and final boss? Because most of time their health are really matters, and in the dark area, commando can spot monsters by their health bar more easily than seeing the monsters themselves, it feels like some kind of cheat, as for big zeds, it is not big deal since they are already big enought to be seen very easily.