Auto Assault Interview
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Category: News ArchiveHits: 911
Q: Update 4 seems heavy on fixing things in the game. Why were major issues like the skill system, race balance and other tweaks targeted and how have these changes improved the game?
A: They were targeted as a result of player feedback. Most of the items that we are focusing on now, were prioritized based on observing the player's experience, reviewing statistics from within the game, and from listening to what players have to say. We not only listen via the forums, but we also many times listen to the chatter in-game. The /suggest and /bug submissions also go a long way to telling us what they players want.
The skill system in its initial state was a great setup. It is difficult, however, to quickly balance the system when most skills had no real 'common denominator' as far as cost vs. functionality. The new 10-rank system adds that common denominator and makes it far easier for us to make small incremental changes to skills, as needed, to further balance them. We are putting a lot of effort into making sure that this iteration is more balanced between races than ever before. We do know, however, that there will be a few items that make it through testing and to the live servers. This is just a reality with so many factors at play. We are committed to reacting attentively and thoughtfully to any such issues as they arise. This new system makes it much easier for us to react quickly.
The new 10-rank system also allows new players to more easily understand the cost of each skill and how that relates to their character's relative power. In many ways, this puts more power in the player's hands; especially the new or casual player. With an easier to understand system, we believe players will be able to wrap their heads around the 'whole picture' more quickly and build widely varying skill sets that fit their own play style.
