Zero-K v1.6.2.3 - Balance Update

This is a balance patch that escalated. A Scorcher fix turned into widespread smooth aiming and the investigation of collisions bug lead to fixes throughout the entire collision damage system. Alongside these changes are a number of balance changes informed by feedback and recent tournaments. Ronin has a small nerf and there are buffs for some niche riot and scout units. We've iterated on Lobster design and mechanics to make the unit more reliably useful.

Balance

Units now aim smoothly at their target, with a few exceptions for technical reasons. This will likely disrupt a lot of balance, particularly among raiders and riot units.

Fixed/improved collision damages and velocities:

• Fixed incorrect unit-unit collision damage. There was a bug causing pairs of units to receive a lot of damage if they were of the same type and little damage otherwise.
• Fixed collision speed. Colliding units now collide in-elastically and correctly based on mass.
• Fixed ridiculously elastic unit-wreck collision as well as very low damage.
• Fixed weirdly applied velocity for unit-ground collision. Gravity guns should cause less movement stutter on heavy units.

Ronin:

• 80% movement speed for 3s after firing (55 elmo/s, normal is 69).

The slow stacks with other sources of slow (as normal) and the penalty time is tied to reload time so is increased by status effects.

Phantom:

• Increased horizontal aim speed by 71% (210 → 360 °/s).
• Decreased movement turn rate by 15% (430 → 360 °/s).

Phantom can now aim constantly at static targets. This will reduce instances of friendly fire.

Rogue:

• Slightly reduced precision at leading targets. This may be an improvement as a group of Rogue will spread their shots.

Lobster:

• Always lobs.
• Units reliably take 4.5s to arrive.
• Confers collision damage resistance upon launch. Starts to wear off after 5s.
• Can fire up much higher cliffs than the previous version and is less dependent on map gravity.
• Range 600 -> 660.
• LOS 660 -> 500 (the +10% range rule does not apply above 600 range).
• Increased aim speed by 266%.

Mace:

• Health 1200 -> 1400.
• Increased horizontal aim speed by 25% (600 → 750 °/s).
• Increased acceleration by 7.1% (126 → 135 elmo/s²).
• Increased turn rate by 7.6% (86 → 92 °/s).
• Moved its model forwards slightly (6 elmos) so that it looks more 'balanced'.

Flea:

• Increased range 140 -> 155.

Redback:

• Cost 280 -> 250.
• Speed increased 5.8% (51 → 54 elmo/s).

Recluse:

• Increased ability to lead targets. Actual weapon physics and accuracy should be unaffected.

Dart:

• Damage 55 -> 45.
• Added 135 slow damage.

Commander modules:

• Flamethrower +10% damage.
• Lightning Gun +10% reload time (1.67 → 1.83 s).
• Disruptor Ammo cost 450 -> 300.

Hercules heavy transport (already in previous releases):

• Cost 500 -> 750.
• Health 1100 -> 1800.
• Speed 8 -> 9.

Scorpion (already in previous releases):

• Tail weapon ranges 470 -> 490 so it can reliably fire its tail when its claws are in range.

Detriment (already in previous releases):

• Gauss damage 160 -> 200 (matches Gauss turret).

Interface

Fixed/improved some unit selection:

• Clicking on a unit and releasing the mouse now selects the unit if the unit moves away from the mouse cursor before release.
• Shift clicking selected units now removes them from your selection.
• Ctrl clicking units now selects/deselects all units of that type of the screen.

Misc. changes:

• Added cumulative overdrive metal ingame graph.
• Added a time indicator to construction tooltips that shows the maximum speed at which the selected units can complete the construction.
• Increased the size of most selection hitvolumes by about 35%. Units are now easier to select and target.
• Ally unit selections are shown by default when spectating a team and when commsharing.

Fixes

• Removed the short movement orders that are issued by factories. This fixes some problems with temporary unit blocking.
• Fixed autogroup failing to include units at the end of factory queues in some situations.
• Fixed Raven dive against spherical units.
• Fixed Show All Commands options for showing your own commands but not those of your allies.
• Fixed gravity gun and Archer tooltips.
• Fixed Wind Generator interaction with the water level modoption.
• Default map boxes extend 20% into the map instead of 30%.

quote: Ronin: 80% movement speed for 3s after firing (55 elmo/s, normal is 69).

quote: Redback: Cost 280 -> 250. Speed increased 5.8% (51 → 54 elmo/s).

"must not catch ronin! because riot catching skirmisher might maek zk gameplay collapse"

mace op

This game has so few innovators and just players in general that some units or strategies go completely unutilized till someone comes along and shows everyone that its actually viable

Contrary to popular opinion, I dont think maces were bad at all before but I bet they are pretty damn good now.

yes the amount of things suddenl not working is extremely high.

I think Mace's problem was that it was broadly unnecessary in a factory where everything has a riot sidearm.

This has not changed.

Goober, what do you mean by lack of innovation? I don't really agree with the premise. I don't think there is a lack of innovation it is just we kind of know what works consistently now.

No one sane would start a 1v1 game with a Jack rush because it would you wide open and it would be a giant metal donation if the opposing player had a strong riot like a Reaver or a Mace or if the Jack fails to kill a Commander or a Factory.

quote: Goober, what do you mean by lack of innovation? I don't really agree with the premise. I don't think there is a lack of innovation it is just we kind of know what works consistently now. No one sane would start a 1v1 game with a Jack rush because it would you wide open and it would be a giant metal donation if the opposing player had a strong riot like a Reaver or a Mace or if the Jack fails to kill a Commander or a Factory.

This game is a lot more complex than just knowing that ronin(rocko) and warriors are a pretty good tactic and doing the exact same thing every game because its safe and tends to work.

Its funny you mention jacks, I would naturally think they are a mediocre unit. I go shieldbot and see jack I think "oh thats easy I can just spam bandits and slow them with outlaws and kite them endlessly". Then player like @Godde mix in a few placeholders, some pyros and suddenly the jacks are a real problem but nobody ever made placeholders or did this tactic vs me before so I am left clueless.

There's lots of things to consider. Have anyone tried morphing com to concussion shell to defeat ronin? That used to be a standard move vs ronin spam! Com morph might possibly the best counter move to this ronin meta, who knows. Has anyone tried Lobster in a real game? No its a brand new unit nobody would possibly know if it can be viable in 1v1. Try combining lobsters with pyros and you could potentially use the jump command to launch and land pyros anywhere in your opponents base. It sounds silly but I could see it working.

I agree things seem a bit more figured out these days but I'm really not seeing anybody even trying anything different or interesting ever and I'm about 95% certain there is plenty to be discovered. People always think they have figured everything out especially me and then usually @Godde prove me wrong every time with some dumb new shit lol.

Ronin/Rockos needed a nerf, although I would've gone for a smaller one. Not sure why Mace was buffed that much, though.

I love this patch for the Lobster changes alone, though. Very interesting unit. Can't wait to start throwing Snitches at unsuspecting players...

"Give it radar invisibility" used to be the "give it slow damage" of ZK before slow damage existed. Now that we have slow, we use slow instead.

So now dart has slow.

How are you going to run from my Dominatrix mister Minotaur... if you have no speed?