Tanks and tiers: balance

[Althend]

As Exodus told, I create this threat to talk about position of tanks in game's timeline.


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Tiers vision

I currently see the tank subdivised by tiers:

Tiers 1 : tanks between 0 to 3500 gold (0 to 20 min)
Tiers 2: tanks between 3500 to 7500 gold (10 min to 40)
Tiers 3: tanks between 7500 to 13000 gold (20 to ...)
\ artificial barrier due to requirement
Tiers 4: 14k to 25k (50 to...)

The idea is that a tiers 1 cant handle a tiers 3. Each tiers can at max handle one tiers higher.
It is qui natural that a tank in highest price of one tiers can handle a tank in lowest price of tiers above.

Each new tiers appearance has an impact on players psychology. When in early game, tiers 2 appears all tiers 1 get more careful. Apparition of demon and hunter doest a great psychological impact.

Looking the structure this way, we can see that some troubles:

1/ Concerning air tank


Summary:
- Each air is in lowest price of his tiers (4,5 for airship, 8k for sky tanks and sky fort at 14k)
- Sky fortress meet artificial barrier making in high cost but frost can handle it
- There is no air tank based on high mobility in end game. Sky fortress is slow.
- Gap between airship and sky tank is low
- Air tank are quit popular (maybe do we want the game keep being Battletanks and Battleaireships tank by limiting them?)
- Air tanks have already a penality by reducing their Hp
- In late game everyone has telep and speed so advantage of being air is much more reduced.
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2/ Gap between tiers 2 and tiers 3

- If we dont take account of sky tank, we can see that there is a weird gap between earth tank (7k) and hunter (9k). The difference of power between these tank is quit much more than 2k. (it is my opinion)
- The psycological impact of tiers 3 is much more higher than tiers 2. (Do people are afraid about sky tank appearing? When demon appear, people get much more careful)


3/ Gap between tiers 3 and tiers 4

- Between sky fortress and frost, there is only 1k difference. Theses 2 tanks can handle each other... But the artificial barrier make it much more higher. Should the sky fortress be in tiers 3 or 4 ?

4/ Spreads of tanks:

- Number of tanks by tiers:
Tiers 1: light, heli, antigrav, medi, shredder, tinker, exploder, demolisher, scout ---> 9 tanks
Tiers 2: thunder, airship, ghost, heavy, earth, goblin, gardian ---> 7 tanks
Tiers 3: sky tank, hunter, demon, frost ---> 5
Tiers 4: sky fort, infern, titan ---> 3

Each tiers has lower amount of tanks. So more the game last, more the variety decreases.
Facing to that there is 3 ways:
1) leaving as it is
2) make fusion of tiers 3 and 4 (decreasing power of tiers 4 tanks) so end game is more based on skills than saving for tiers 4
3) increase amount of tanks in tiers 3 and 4.


5/ Random stuff
- Players always do better choice by saving for tank than buying hull (most of the time)
- There are "special" tanks (i mean by special tank, a tank that has ability that remains interesting in all game: for ex: antigrav ulti, guard heal, hunter cloud/ulti, medivac ulti, shredder ulti, scout rune)
Keeping these tanks when other players are 2 tiers above is quit bad choice since the difference of hp is too high. Hp factor/item slot is much more important.
- There is no real "support" tank at tiers 3-4
- Making a tiers 3-4 tanks with shredder ulti, guard healing and anti grav ability would be quit interesting. :p
We like these skills, these are already implemented, isn't it sad that for competitivity we have to play them only at start-mid game ?


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Opposition to "tiers" vision: Linear vision

Each tanks has a power that depends on his price and its specialization.

1/ Linear constant differential
Keeping this vision, we can say an average differential of price that makes your tank not being a disadvantage to handle the other: Something like 3500. So heavy can handle without being an handicap all tanks above his price until 5500 + 3500 = 9000. Heli: 4500,

2/ Increasing differential
More the price of the tank is high, more the differential is high.

3/ Decreasing differential
More the price is high, more the differential is low


--------------> following the linear vision, how should be the differential?
The hp of each tanks is equal to his price (not for air) but skills get stronger so.... What do you think it should be?


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Chaos vision

Each tanks has his specificity, there is no general guideline. The specificity of each tanks make it has his own advantage and weakness. So it is better to focus on the concept and later balance. Players who are able to see some trick/advantage should use it. It is some part of skill. If all bt players follow a trend concerning an abnormal behaviour, it is a case of unbalance that we should fix.

All that based on hypothesis that players are rationnal and play with efficiency without taking account of "coolness/lolness/fun/style" of specific strategy



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So so what do you think about all this crap? ^_^