Further explanation on why I feel these changes would make for a better Balanced game: - Engineer*
Global: Repairs 25% of the drillers you lose in combat (rounded up) after each combat you win. Local: 25% are repaired after combat taking place where Engineer is present (rounded up). A Maximum of [75-100%] of drillers can be repaired per battle.
Without a doubt, the Engineer shouldn't be able to repair over 100% of the drillers lost, as is currently the case. I'm not 100% set on this change being the right one for the Engineer, but it's a good start.
I'm currently thinking that the engineer may benefit from a double-agentish ability where he switches sides if he is captured.
- Pirate*
Sub carrying Pirate can target another sub. When targeting a sub, the Pirate's sub travels 2x faster than standard sub speed, then travels at 4x normal speed to nearest friendly outpost. - (Standard subs, not ordinary. Admiral gives the pirate a small boost, which helps with targeting other subs with a speed boost in the mid-late game)
There's a number of specialists that become less useful the longer the game goes on. The pirate is one of those thanks to the Admiral. And Admirals Stacking. In order to keep the pirate as a useful specialist in the late game (right now he's only useful for targeting Nav-Ships) I'd like to see the pirate's speed boost be based off of your standard subs.
What this would mean is that the pirate would travel at a speed factor of 2, if you don't have an Admiral. And would travel at a speed factor of 3, if you have an Admiral. And since I've also eliminated the Admiral Speed Stacking, (further down) The pirate would again become useful at what it's meant to do. Ambush subs.
- Princess*
Increases her outpost's sonar range by 50% of standard range. If you lose control of your Queen, the closest Princess becomes the new Queen. - Intelligence Officer*
Increases your sonar range by 25% of standard sonar range. Shows you the type of all outposts that are outside your sonar range.
Vision Specialists: Depending on the number of players in the game, I believe you can see the entire map if you have 3-4 vision specialists hired. I'm not sure on the exact number of specialists to player count, but fog of war is an extremely important element in the game. And stacking a few specialists and being able to see the entire map takes away from the spirt of the game.
So the changes to both the Princess and Intelligence Officer eliminate their abilities to stack their abilities independently multiple times. But still allow them to stack together as a couple.
ALSO: Since the Intel Officer increases standard sonar range by 25%, he would increase the range on the martyr slightly as well.
- Infiltrator*
Local: Drains 20 from the shield charge of any outpost it attacks. Global: Each additional Infiltrator drains an additional 10 from the shield charge when attacking an outpost.
Combat priority: 4
The Infiltrator is another specialist who is very useful in the early game, and then quickly dies off in usefulness. This change would make the Infiltrator like a General, but the Global effect would only apply to Infiltrators. This change would be a counter to shield stacking. But only if an infiltrator was on the sub attacking. Which helps create balance between it's strengths and weaknesses.
- War Hero*
Destroys 20 enemy drillers when participating in combat. Every 5 days this amount is increased by 15.
Combat priority: 7
Another specialist devastating in the early game, but relatively useless in the later game. Increasing the amount of drillers the War Hero Kills over time would increase his value to continue making him useful as the game goes on.
15 Drillers every 5 days may be a bit much, so 10 may be a better option. But again, this is about starting the discussion to better gameplay balance than it is offering a fix.
- Tinkerer*
Increases your electrical output by 3 times Tinkerer's outpost's maximum shield charge. Tinkerer's outpost's shield charge is drained at 3 units per hour. Tinkers hate each other, and as such, only one Tinker can boost production per base.
Promotes to: Minister of Energy
The Tinkerer is an incredibly valuable solution to supply cap issues. I don't want to change what he does, but with the nature of the game, each player typically has a base where the shield level is 2-5 times higher than the rest of their bases. As such, running a tinker on a base with a shield of 50 equates to 150 additional supply per Tinker. That's equal to three generators.
If you stack another Tinker on that base, you have the same boost in supply as you would from an Minster of Energy, but without the loss of production. Yes, you won't have any shields, but thats relatively a nonissue because your base should be protected.
So I would like to see only 1 Tinker able to increase your supply cap 3x the maximum shield count per base.
- Tycoon*
Global: Speeds up your driller production rate by 50%. Decreases supply cap by 50. Local: Produces 3 additional drillers with each production cycle while at a factory.
Like the Engineer, the Tycoon is not currently used much thanks to the King. But sooner or later, players will realize he's extremely powerful. Arguably more powerful than the King. So the lack of a negative ability is crazy.
However, adding a decrease in supply cap directly affects his massive boost in production. Making you make the choice between faster production, or higher supply cap.
- Navigator*
Owner may change course of sub carrying Navigator. Subs with Navigators travel at .75x of the maximum possible Speed. Navigators can target ships.
Promotes to: Admiral
This is the biggest change of all the specialists. It does a few important things...
(1) It decreases the strength of early queen hunter subs
(2) It increases the strength of late game queen hunter subs
(3) It gives a second option for targeting Nav-Ships
- Admiral*
Global: Increases speed of all your subs that aren't carrying specialists by 50% of ordinary subs. Local: Admiral travels 2x faster than ordinary subs.
Slight change in wording results in the elimination of Admiral speed stack. I love stacking admirals, but But anything over a 1.5x speed assault on a base results in successful, undetected, overnight attacks. In the spirit of the game, you generally should be relatively safe with 8-12 hour absences.
Yes, theres the exception of an Admiral or Helmsman attack traveling at 2x Speed, resulting in the possibility of a travel time of 3.5-4 hours between two bases over night, but this requires a specialist be present and that the bases be extremely close together. So it should be easily accounted for it.
- King*
Global: Destroys 1 enemy driller for every 3 of your drillers that remain after specialist phase in every combat you are involved. Reduces supply cap by 50.
Each King proves each sub with an additional 33% of free drillers. Decreasing supply cap decreases the driller count which decreases the amount of free drillers possible. It should also decrease the desire to, but not eliminate, stack multiple Kings, since it would take a heavy toll on supply cap.
Unchanged Specialists:- Diplomat
Releases all captive specialists you own that are being held at an outpost within Diplomat's outpost's sonar range.
- Revered Elder
No other specialists participate in combat, unless both sides have a Revered Elder.
Combat priority: 2
- Foreman
Produces 6 additional drillers with each production cycle while at a factory.
Promotes to: Engineer - Lieutenant
Destroys 5 enemy drillers when participating in combat, travels 50% faster than ordinary subs.
Combat priority: 7
Promotes to: General
- General*
Global: General destroys 10 enemy drillers after the specialist stage in each combat in which you have a specialist present after the specialists phase. Local: Travels 50% faster than ordinary subs.. (Only the description is changed to explain when the 10 drillers are killed) - Sentry
Fires on an enemy sub once every 2 hours while at an outpost. Each shot destroys 5% of drillers rounded up. Sentry's range is half of its outpost's sonar range. Target is chosen to maximize damage.
Promotes to: War Hero - Minister of Energy
Global: Adds 300 to your electrical output. Your factories produce 1 driller less each production cycle.
- Saboteur
Redirects enemy sub to its owner's nearest outpost when participating in sub-to-sub combat.
Amount: 2
Combat priority: 3
- Assassin
Kills all enemy specialists present when participating in combat.
Amount: 2
Combat priority: 6
- Inspector
Fully charges the shields of a friendly outpost upon arrival and after every combat while he's present.
Promotes to: Security Chief
- Security Chief
Global: Adds 10 to max shield charge of all your outposts. Local: Adds 10 to max shield charge of Security Chief's outpost.
- Double Agent
When participating in sub-to-sub combat, drillers on both subs are destroyed, subs swap ownership along with any specialists aboard, and combat ends.
Combat priority: 5
- Queen
Adds 20 to her outpost's maximum shield charge. If you acquire another Queen, she becomes a Princess. Queen may periodically hire specialists.
- Thief
Converts 15% of enemy's drillers (rounded up) to your side when attacking an outpost, or in sub to sub combat.
Combat priority: 4
- Smuggler
Travels 3x faster than ordinary subs while heading for one of its owner's outposts.
Promotes to: Tycoon - Martyr
Destroys all subs and outposts within Martyr's blast radius when participating in combat. Blast radius is 20% of standard sonar range.
Combat priority: 1
- Helmsman
Travels 2x faster than ordinary subs.
- Hypnotist
Takes control of all captured specialists present at his outpost.
Promotes to: King
