Aleflippy;n2329539 said:
That's a huge "meh" from me... I really saw Spring updates as some sort of "clean-up" compared to the other three (which are focused on events). Seeing as we're getting yet another one, I'm a bit bummed out. Even more so when it's focused on Cyberpunk... Don't get me wrong, I love this subgenre and its aesthetics, but I always pictured Killing Floor as set in the "near-future" and not some crazy neon-soaked ****... It's even more ironic since this update's map is NOT a futuristic lab or spaceship.
And I totally join
PurpleFanta here... This is NOT what we wanted for the Survivalist at all. It's not the stats of the skills that bothers us but the skills themselves. Hence why we've been speaking about a REWORK instead of balancing. We'd rather have a tenth perk that isn't the lame duck anymore...
Yep and yep, the whole cyberpunk event thing just doesn't work as a seasonal event, and honestly it would be much nicer if this was just open season for normal zeds without any more seasonal confusion/chaos like skin changes (which aren't even present this time anyways), zedconomy changes, tickets, DLC, etc. And also yes, the survivalist changes just don't quite make up for the problems that are already in place. While I like seeing new content it has gotten to the point where I'm kinda just bummed with how much has been added that's actually taking AWAY from the experience;
This downhill slide started with the 2017 update (I presume it was in 2017, can't even remember) where the King Fleshpound was officially added as a boss despite the fact that it was extremely lacking in terms of ranged attacks and quicker perks can simply outrun him, and the only REAL threat is the horde of quarter pounds that get in the way (equally annoying as the Abomination Spawns, and I think something is wrong if a boss is somehow more annoying to fight than entertaining -- that's not how a game is supposed to be) --> (I'll get back to the Abomination in a minute here).
Then again, the threat mainly applies to anyone who's not a Berserker, Gunslinger, or Medic simply due to the fact that speed boosts mean everything in this game. That, and the Berserker/Medic perks have ABSURD regenerative properties and defensive properties that make them impenetrable in comparison to other players.
Next to the Survivalist and the Firebug, I'd say Demo is the next most useless perk because of severe ammo deficiency and zero defensive properties. They're really slow movement wise and in terms of BOTH reloading & fire rate, so considering how careful you need to be to make every shot count
--> (definitely more so than the sharpie, who has access to plenty of quicker fire rate weapons with larger, more accessible ammo pools and no threat of self damaging, in addition to generally easier kills with head health values being easier to break down on, AND YOU KNOW, FREEZE NADES).
This divide between perks is what's really killing the game for me, and the biggest issue is that it's rooted within the gameplay itself. The game is EXTREMELY dependent on running and gunning, especially since holding out can only last you so long, and higher difficulties introduce more speed for the zeds, which means ALL THE OTHER PERKS are going to be quite easily overwhelmed where the GS/Med/Zerk all have convenient defense and speed mechanisms that the others lack. Firebug's only upside is that they aren't IMMEDIATELY doomed by this thanks to the elements of fire panic effects and fire spread which make crowd control quick and efficient (but if we're changing how panicking works, it may get even more dire for Firebugs).
In addition to that, there's the simple notion of the perk skills themselves being rather one-sided for many people. Speed is always better so most people will pick speed benefits over anything else, some skills are kind of obscure or difficult to make the best of (especially the Demo AOE skill, nobody really likes that one), and while I'm glad that this has been acknowledged around one of the more recent betas, it still means even more changes to be made.
Upgrades are trash, everyone has got to agree to this: They ruin the hierarchical structure of the weapons system, they make people way less interested in sharing dosh for the sake of self-upgrading, they COST way too much in the first place, and they HARDLY optimize weapons to begin with... a little bit of a damage increase isn't enough to compensate for a price that's OVER THREE TIMES the cost of smaller weapons, and larger weapons in the T4 - (already controversial, though upgrades are unavailable anyways thankfully) T5 range are NOT AT ALL in need of such buffs, it'll just take away from the experience for others and make the good weapons stand out even more over anything else.
The Abomination is also commonly accepted as a generally unlikable and unenjoyable boss fight. Allow me to reiterate as to why:
>Uninspired design and appearance, most boring boss to look at (what can I say, he's just fat... what's so intimidating or exciting about a bigger bloat? Bloats are already the silliest and most unintimidating zeds by themselves)
>Some players find that this boss is simply so easy that it makes higher difficulties a joke when he spawns
>His ranged attacks are still really pathetic, since his only REAL ranged attack is his gorge which barely works half the time
>OTHER players like myself argue that this boss is too easy (though fighting the actual BOSS itself isn't the hard part); We'd argue that it's just really damn annoying to deal with a relentless swarm of fecal embryos when all we're trying to do is get through to the guy who's spawning them. THE GAS HE LEAVES IN HIS PATH IS SO ABUNDANT AND DEADLY THAT IT OBLITERATES PLAYERS THAT TRY TO CHASE THE ABOMINATION, so not only does this boss take a noticeably longer amount of time to fight (in online games, anyways), but you can't go after him once he picks a player to chase... you'll die in a matter of seconds. This is literally the only actual threat of this boss-fight, but it's also the most frustrating part, and takes away from any enjoyment that was there to be had
>Again, really unintimidating and at the end of the day he's a bore to fight. The King Fleshpound was where I drew the line, because he's a broken boss to begin with but I actually like him conceptually (a lot of people don't): I have ZERO reason to enjoy the Abomination fight though.
>I'm noticing that with these two newer bosses, the influx of extra zeds is uncontrolled and chaotic to compensate for their lack of health regeneration. Can't we just make the four health bars a universal thing? It would make the other two bosses much more interesting. Giving the King Fleshpound a shield doesn't really excite anyone;
You know what WOULD be exciting? Say the KFP has four health bars like the Patty / Hans (Hans technically has one health bar but he has a defensive comeback for each segment of health lost where the other two bosses just get pissed and that's it)…
--> Once the KFP's health reaches the red, what if he just goes endless rage mode? No more extra enemies spawn in, but instead, the KFP goes berserk and takes after all remaining survivors with terrifying speed. AND I MEAN, SPEED, FASTER THAN THE ZERK EASILY, otherwise it wouldn't even work. The health would probably be easier to degrade at that point, but it's where the risk gets much higher. That would be much more invigorating than what we have now. (Just an idea, but like, see what I mean by all this?)
So many new weapons left unchecked, upgrades are futile, maps are boring -- prove me wrong, EDARs COMPLETELY RUIN THE GAME (TRAPPERS ARE ABSURD AND CAN INSTANTLY SCREW YOU OVER FROM THEIR SPAWN), perks are completely unbalanced, cosmetics are a nightmare, and the enemies have been generally unintimidating from the beginning of the game's initial release...
Sorry, but no, the Fleshpound's new voice audio and constant rage mechanics weren't and still aren't scary at all. They make him a blundering idiot who runs like an equally dimwitted idiot, the audio itself is dull and doesn't have that shocking echo and depth it used to have, they're generally easier to kill, and most importantly, SUBTLETY is gone. They used to be quiet, creeping toward you often without notice, and while the roar definitely helps players figure out what they're doing it ruins the threat of the enemy. The horror element can't be held up if everything is predictable and watered down. Fleshpounds just run at you no matter what, so there's no real sense of trouble and more just a sense of "great, now he's in THAT phase."
How did you ruin my favorite enemy?
But these are issues I don't think will be changed any time soon. Simply too much to change and too much at stake with what's already here now. I suppose it's just at the point of no return.
