Loading...
  OR  Zero-K Name:    Password:   

Post edit history

Old New Player Opinions

To display differences between versions, select one or more edits in the list using checkboxes and click "diff selected"
Post edit history
Date Editor Before After
5/30/2023 2:46:13 PMAUrankAdminGoogleFrog before revert after revert
Before After
1 The thing about faction diversity is that it doesn't place any hard limits on teamgames, and 1v1s don't tend to reach lategame units. In a team game people can share constructors, or just go and fill the role their faction is good at. So BA-style faction diversity is only mechanically relevant in FFA and the rare 1v1 that goes late. One side having tacnuke and the other having a better Bertha (or whatever the distinction is) is not that impactful because lategame structures are mostly made in team games. 1 The thing about faction diversity is that it doesn't place any hard limits on teamgames, and 1v1s don't tend to reach lategame units. In a team game people can share constructors, or just go and fill the role their faction is good at. So BA-style faction diversity is only mechanically relevant in FFA and the rare 1v1 that goes late. One side having tacnuke and the other having a better Bertha (or whatever the distinction is) is not that impactful because lategame structures are mostly made in team games.
2 \n 2 \n
3 Now the difference between BA and ZK goes back to design philosophy. While designing ZK we imagined the sorts of mindless/tedious things involved in "optimal play" and tried to remove them. Optimal play is clearly theoretical, but the idea was that it would future-proof us against people breaking the game in unfun ways as they improved. Or at least, we would be set up to deal with it when it did happen. This influenced the choice to go from two factions to one, since sharing constructors around to make the best version of each unit seems tedious. 3 Now the difference between BA and ZK goes back to design philosophy. While designing ZK we imagined the sorts of mindless/tedious things involved in "optimal play" and tried to remove them. Optimal play is clearly theoretical, but the idea was that it would future-proof us against people breaking the game in unfun ways as they improved. Or at least, we would be set up to deal with it when it did happen. This influenced the choice to go from two factions to one, since sharing constructors around to make the best version of each unit seems tedious.
4 \n 4 \n
5 Some thing were lost. Factions don't do much mechanically but can still be relevant psychologically. We're also not taking into account people who play far from optimally. A competitive 1v1 effectively has factions because an extra factory is almost always expensive, but in a laid back 1v1 against chicken or AI gives players enough space to build everything. That said, I think we do better on faction feel in competitive team games. Factories-as-factions gave us the space to create many more factories than BA has factions so each player is more likely to have a unique start and role in the game. Technically players can share units around ( and now make plates) , but in practise it doesn't happen to a great extent. The unique factory plop at the start of the game gives people the momentum to maintain their niche within a team, much like a faction would. 5 Some thing were lost. Factions don't do much mechanically but can still be relevant psychologically. We're also not taking into account people who play far from optimally. A competitive 1v1 effectively has factions because an extra factory is almost always expensive, but a laid back 1v1 against chicken or AI gives players enough space to build everything. That said, I think we do better on faction feel in competitive team games. Factories-as-factions gave us the space to create many more factories than BA has factions so each player is more likely to have a unique start and role in the game. Technically players can share units around ( and now make plates) , but in practise it doesn't happen to a great extent. The unique factory plop at the start of the game gives people the momentum to maintain their niche within a team, much like a faction would.