First of all, thank you for taking into account what the players have to say. And thanks for updating the game accordingly!
Here's what I have to say (about elite mode):
Laser vs Rocket
I don't like it. It adds a lot of randomness and often gives a second chance to a defenser that has been outplayed by the attacker.
There is no real reward for the attacker when shooting a rocket and the risk of missing it is far too high (he's vulnerable - so he's better off just trying to dodge the rockets). Plus: it removes some fluidity to the game (attacker shoots, starts looking an other place, defenser survives, attacker has to re-aim and re-shoot).
I would love to know why this mechanic was first introduced (and then kept) so we can maybe find a better alternative (or just find a way to make it work). (Suppositions: give variety to the attacker's arsenal? Add some "wow" moments to the game for spectators? Reduce the strength of spam rockets? Some important marketing guy came up with the idea and you had to include it?
)
I am not sure adding the delay before a rocket can be shot at is the solution to this.
- It adds a very specific rule that can be confusing for spectators and new players. (Think: how would you explain this to a new player in a simple sentence?). One of the strengths of SM is that it is very easy play and difficult to master, it should stay that way.
- How would you add good signs and feedbacks?
- You still have to cope with the risk vs reward issue.
Variable jump
I think it is a good idea but it is still too random and difficult to use (I had to bind jump to a mouse button so i have more control). New players won't understand why sometimes their jump heights vary.
Wall jump
This is awesome: Easy to understand and gives a lot of new opportunities to players that are willing to spend some time mastering that new feature.
Charged rockets
The idea is very good but it is not viable yet. Here's some suggestions on what can be tried out: less time to wait, have the charged rockets cost more ammo than normal rockets, have the ammo resplenish slower if you are using charged rockets, use stamina to charge rockets, etc...
Rockets
I don't mind the new rocket speed. I am not really fond of the new faster fire rate. I sometimes accidentally fire 2 instead of just one.
New blocks
Anything that unleashes the creativity of mappers is more than welcome!
One of the big reasons is: the community will be able to chose which ones are good and which ones are bad.
Some suggestions
Things I would love to see in the future:
- Give new opporturnities to the mappers with blocks that impact gameplay and introduce variety (a few examples: fences that let only lasers/rockets/players go through, one way fences, ...)
- Default filters when browsing servers, we very often have EU players connecting to NA servers making everybody lag (or maybe find a way to fix the netcode so that a single player won't make everybody lag)
- Fix the menus and UI! A few examples: Options are in four different locations and give access to different parameters, attacking player is highlighted in red even though he is in the blue team, to play I have to go through 6 different screens, the important information is difficult to get (how many life points has the attacker left? Who's still alive? ...), etc...
Please don't hesitate to contact me directly so I can go more into details!
Thanks!
[CMC]Zell
