Topic: Kid Icarus: Uprising Spotpass Weapons

Expand

Hello world.

Since I'm glad I'm not breaking any rules by all indications of the latest replies to this topic, I made a 7000 word blogpost about how busted weapon modifiers here:
https://warriorsuprising.wordpress.com/2014/04/15/weapon-modi...

While I still say Evasion+ and Shot Range+ are the most broken weapon modifiers by and far, attack power boosts in general are simply way too high, and that also goes for the powers that provide them.

I may as well respond with my input about each of the banlist entries with weapon modifiers being a mess unto themselves in mind:

-Taurus Arm - oh yes, this thing actually is busted. 86 base damage is still stupid high for a non-club melee combo, managing an easy 3HKO on anything that doesn't lug around Super Armor and enough melee power to deter close range attacks. Taurus Arm also has among the better mobility of Arms as well, so there's no playing keepaway against this nuisance. Verdict: broken.
-Magnus Club - while Magnus Club actually is only slightly weaker than Taurus Arm on paper, what hurts it is the lack of utility in the shots. Taurus Arm can actually manage lingering protection with its charged shots. Magnus Club? No such luck, the shots die too quickly, other than the ever so passive backshot. That mobility is needed to catch people exploiting this. Verdict: deserves a second chance.
-Eyetrack Orbitars - ah yes, everybody's favorite mod-loaded nightmare. I think it becomes simply a GREAT example of how much of a difference Shot Range+ makes. I have no objections to looping as a concept because it provides subtle melee reward. It's mid-range looping that's ridiculous. Verdict: deserves a second chance.
-Gemini Orbitars - similar to Eyetrack Orbitars, with the added point that Gemini Orbitars shots deal less damage over distance. Verdict: deserves a second chance.
-Predator Cannon - the infamous backshot does become undodgeable with Shot Range+. Without it, the homing backshot wears off right as it gets close to the ground. I think that would be dodgeable without needing to rely on Super Armor. Add to it that the backshot can't even 2HKO with full Energy Charge unless Libra Sponge (lol), Trade-Off (lol), or weapon modifiers are involved. Verdict: deserves a second chance.
-Capricorn Club - another weapon that gets mid-range looping shenanigans from weapon modifiers. Verdict: deserves a second chance.
-Needle Palm - I don't think Needle Palm stood out to me, and looking at its stats, it seems to be a Fragile Speedster weapon, which the ridiculous amounts in attack power boosts favor--I can provide the math if you're interested, but I'd rather just get this post done first. Verdict: deserves a second chance.
-Compact Arm - ah yeah, we have all experienced being cheesed by a 3 base damage attack being spammed. I suspect Compact Arm would not be nearly as busted without weapon modifiers, especially the attack power boosts. Compact Arm's only flowchart is the neutral rapid fire to begin with. I doubt anything else is a remote problem. Verdict: deserves a second chance.
-Raptor Claws - even without any weapon modifiers, Raptor Claws melee and mobility are both so good that stamina is a non-issue. Verdict: broken.
-Brawler Claws - even better Raptor Claws, yummmm... Verdict: broken.
-Ninja Palm - another reason weapon modifiers pull stupidity is that they allow walking to be easy, rather than simply risk-reward. Like with the Compact Arm, Ninja Palm's only real flowchart is the neutral rapid fire. Ninja Palm may not be lacking in the mobility to kite, but barring weapon modifiers, Ninja Palm's power feels questionable. Verdict: deserves a second chance.
-Altus Club - a club with no innate Slip Shot on the neutral shot. Need I say more? Verdict: not broken.
-Angel Bow - hasn't shown up on on my radar, but if I had to guess, looping shenanigans, which I mentioned about before. Verdict: deserves a second chance.
-Babel Club - wait, how is Babel Club broken? It's too freaking immobile. Verdict: not broken at all.
-Libra Sponge - this thing eats up at least 12 spaces on the grid and suffocates at least 2 center spaces. However, the attack power boosts are still ridiculous even for requiring being hit. If L2 instead suffocated 3 like the other levels do, the attack power boosts could resemble justified, but no, the L2 shape is convenient and it's impossible to determine which level of Libra Sponge an opponent has without getting hit, and even that has to still be actively calculated in an arbitrary manner. Verdict: broken.
-Aries Armor - I'm tempted to just call out the division defense and leave it at that, but Aries Armor costs a full row and column, which at least means you can rule out Bumblebee, Power Thief, and Mega Laser, and the usage of any of those 3 provides the reverse. I don't think it's perfectly balanced, but the general stupidity tends to warrant Libra Sponge deserving blame. Verdict: deserves a second chance.
-Playing Dead - this thing eats up a lot of space. The easybake stalling is a legitimate issue and it's a wonder how neutral rapid fire doesn't forfeit the duration, but regarding the lack of punishment for using neutral rapid fire, Playing Dead/Energy Charge/Slip Shot is so suffocating to the grid that all you can fit on minimal levels of those 3 is maybe a single 4-space power or two 3-space powers. Verdict: deserves a second chance.
-Trade-Off - while the invincibility is needlessly obnoxious, I feel it does at least have the drawback that TO requires a full row and column, eliminating the chance of it being paired with Slip Shot, so you'd only ever see this nuisance on a melee set. No, what makes TO too stupid is, what else, the attack power boost. EC Predator Cannon can't 2HKO with the unmodded backshot and EC still should be nerfed if the game were ever rebalanced. TO Predator Cannon's unmodded backshot actually 2HKOs. It may not be able to Slip Shot at all, but there's probably other abuses of TO that while not coming to mind can still be OTT easily. Verdict: busted.
-Pisces Heal - eats through grid space like candy and you expect to be hit if you're using this. Doesn't even provide offense. Verdict: deserves a second chance.
-Bumblebee - while Bumblebee does have some idiocy, it does require a full line, forcing Slip Shot to be at minimal level. Moreover, Bumblebee when it trigger causes forced-clockwise movement around the attacker, so the opponent can just look to their right and likely tech-chase the user. Verdict: deserves a second chance.
-Slip Shot - while I can see how Slip Shot can get really obnoxious, I think as a whole the only reason Slip Shot gets needlessly good is attack power boosts themselves being so high. And as I indicated, leveled Slip Shot requires a full row and column, immediately contradicting Bumblebee and thus minimizing the protection on Energy Charge. Verdict: deserves a second chance.

I do also have to bring up 4 powers that are stupid good that aren't on that list:
-Lightweight - provides RIDICULOUS mobility that makes it easy to kite even without lag armor
-Warp - a ridiculously cost-effective way to instagib distance closure, in a manner that is objectively better at it than Super Speed
-Celestial Fireworks - provides instant intangibility that WORKS THROUGH INTERFERENCE. Also has a stupid high number of charges for its costs
-Brief Invincibility - inexpensive for how it instagibs burst damage

I think KIU has some severe depth problems anyway, not the least of which is lack of proper incentive to control space. However, it doesn't mean there aren't things that aren't imbalanced on their own. I'd rather clear up some of the things that are going on, because yes, weapon modifiers do nothing to help the way they are.