Gameplay Direction Post 1.4.3

Gameplay Direction Post 1.4.3​

Hi Guys, I am Hexodious - In the last few weeks I've taken over as Gameplay Lead for Moviebattles II and its occured to me that we've never actually told you where we are headed or why we make specific changes in regards to gameplay. I'd like to use this as an opportunity to change that for us as a team to be more transparent moving forwards as we look to improve the game throughout future patches. This will also allow you to know what we are looking to change, and what kind of feedback we are looking for.

In 1.4.4 we are looking to freeze a solid core for Jedi/Sith in place so we won't have to touch these mechanics for at least a few major patches - This includes: Saber vs Saber, Saber vs Gun and Force Regeneration. I've been looking at a lot of the feedback we've received for 1.4.3 as well as playing a lot of Jedi/Sith in this build and given everyone's experience with 1.4.3, we want to improve on the mechanics that were introduced to make them smoother and a lot more engaging. The goal for Jedi/Sith is to improve their staying power while reducing their ability to retreat while under pressure. 1.4.3's regeneration mechanic did allow this to some extent but was too punishing for players who were trying to support their team.

Below I will break down the core changes we are exploring for 1.4.4.
Please note all of the below is subject to change before release.

FP Regeneration and Drains
Based on 1.4.3's feedback we will be tweaking the FP Regeneration mechanics so that you don't have to worry about holding block, in fact we encourage it.

We will still have 3 states of FP Drain:

• Defenseless (Saber Down/Melee/Idle/Meditate): Base FP Drains for weapons.
• Autoblock (Running): Increased FP Drains for weapons.
• Block: Greatly Decreased FP Drains for weapons.

And there will still be 4 states of FP Regeneration, but we have modified them slightly:

• Meditate:
  • FP Regeneration: Highest, Transition: Ramps up over time, Restrictions: Stationary.
• Defenseless (Saber Down/Melee/Idle):
  • FP Regeneration: Base, Transition: Ramps up over time, Restrictions: Can't Block.
• Defending (Autoblock/Holding Block):
  • FP Regeneration: Slightly lower than base, Transition: Instant.,Restrictions: None.
• Deflecting (Actively Being Shot):
  • FP Regeneration: Greatly lower than base, Transition: Instant Debuff, Duration: 3 seconds (duration can be refreshed each shot, and FP Bar's hue is darkened to indicate debuff is present), Restrictions: Only applies while holding Block.

This combination of drains and states allow us to still have the benefits of really low FP Drains while blocking but doesn't needlessly punish you for holding block while you are not being shot at, whether you are dueling the enemy saberists or supporting your back line. We haven't got the numbers quite in place yet, but after initial testing this feels much smoother and allows the Jedi to have much more freedom while still pushing towards a more active responsibility to manage their FP.



Sense
Sense is a highly debated force power, many would like the power removed completely while others see it as a staple ability that should not be touched. Based on the feedback we've seen we have decided to keep the ability largely similar to how it is, but adjusting how its activated and the durations. In 1.4.4 Sense will tie more into the FP management direction we want to see Jedi's moving towards by using a similar mechanic to Force Speed, another toggled ability but where the duration is solely based on your remaining FP pool.

• Rank 1: Activation Cost: 15FP, Tick Cost: 5FP, 20FP grants you 2s of Sense (equal to the current implementation, but you can have it on for longer if you wish to spend more FP).
• Rank 2: Activation Cost: 10FP, Tick Cost: 5FP, 20FP grants you 3s of Sense (an increase over the current implementation, and you can still choose to have it on longer if you wish to spend more FP).
• Rank 3: Activation Cost: 5FP, Tick Cost: 5FP, 20FP grants you 4s of Sense (a large decrease over the current implementation, but you can still choose to have it on longer if you wish to spend more FP).

These changes allow sense to still be used as an information gathering tool, but encourages smart use of the ability only having it on for as long as you need. Having sense on for a long time while setting up that ambush will leave you starved for FP, greatly increasing the enemy's chance to counter you.


Wall-grab
This ability is a real life-saver while moving around a map and dropping to lower levels, especially on maps like Deathstar. But there are certain players who like to use its ability to hang onto walls forever, often in unreachable locations that cause it to be used in ways we do not intend or to setup lengthy ambushes. As such, the new wall-grab mechanics will actively drain FP slowly while holding onto a wall, automatically drops you upon reaching 0 FP. Also, wall-grab can no longer be used to regenerate FP after bunny hopping.

These changes will still allow the ability to be used as a safe-fall but should prevent poorly planned ambushes. Players will need to better manage their FP pools by choosing the right moment to setup an ambush.


Saber Perks
We've been here before. While Saber vs Saber perks offer a nice diversity between the styles the Saber vs Gun perks adversely change the gameplay dynamics we'd like to see during Saber vs Gun fights. For this reason Saber vs Gun perks won't be included in future builds. Expect refinements to the Saber System and updated Saber vs Saber perks in 1.4.4.


Deflect
This is another ability that greatly benefits from the reduced Block drains and as such we've made some tweaks while updating the mechanics to be less ping dependent. In 1.4.3 Cyan had the ability to deflect by simply holding attack while blocking, this allowed the player to focus entirely on aiming but was too powerful with continuous FP regeneration (even at slow speeds). We liked the quality of life this provided and have applied it to all ranks of deflect (with the Cyan deflect perk being removed). Deflect is in all cases activated by holding attack while blocking and pauses FP regeneration.

• Rank 1: Rapidly Drains FP while held, Cannot be used inside IDR.
• Rank 2: Slowly Drains FP while held, Can be used inside IDR, Cannot be used inside Flinch range.
• Rank 3: Does not Drain FP while held, Can be used inside IDR, Cannot be used inside Flinch range.

Deflecting fits the Jedi fantasy perfectly and gives them a great way to support allies at range beyond push and sense. Now the Jedi must make an active choice to pause their FP regeneration completely in order to reflect shots at the enemy. This still makes Jedi want to wisely time their Deflects as holding it down during a full barrage will quickly deplete your FP pool, but is much more friendly for players of higher ping. We didn't like how in previous builds deflect could be used to facehug someone to death, and while this issue still remains in the form of random deflects, we are able to minimize it greatly.


What about Gunners?

We are mostly happy with the way a lot of the gun classes work. While there are a few things we'd like to look at *cough* SBD *cough* the following are being changed in 1.4.4:

Projectile Rifle
The initial reason behind the Projectile Rifle FP change was to allow Jedi to survive a pop snipe from around a corner, but pop sniping was very fun to do. In reflection of this we've decided to bring back the protection for running Jedi outside of IDR and allow shot-gun snipes to exist vs running Jedi only. A blocking Jedi will be able to protect against a sniper rifle at any range.

• FP Drain Inside IDR while running: Uncapped.
• FP Drain Outside IDR while running: 40.
• FP Drain Inside IDR while blocking <40.

ARC Westar M5
The ammo on this thing has been too low for too long, we heard you. We are increasing the max ammo capacity of the Westar M5 to be inline with other weapons of its type.

• Ammo 1: From 240 > 360.
• Ammo 2: From 360 > 480.
• Ammo 3: From 480 > 600.

This change is very self-explanatory, we feel that ARCs are in a good place at the moment and are very versatile. But the extremely low ammo count was causing too many issues - especially on higher population servers, where the ARC felt like he couldn't provide supporting cover.

Dodge
While the new dodge mechanic does what we want it to, it feels a bit too cumbersome by forcing you into a movement state based on rank and having to hold a button at the same time. We want Dodge to be used to get through chokepoints and suppressed areas, but not to let you tank huge amounts of shots for free. We also thought it was too hard to glance at your Dodge Points while they were being drawn as small numbers and have re-introduced the Dodge Bar.

In all cases, dodge is activated by holding it and has no movement restrictions.It also cannot be used while scoped.

• Rank 1: Cost: A full bar drains over 1 second. Cannot be used up close.
• Rank 2: Cost: A full bar drains over 2 second. Cannot be used up close.
• Rank 3: Cost: A full bar drains over 3 second. Can be used fairly close.

These changes still allow Dodge to be use as a cover breaker while requiring a manual activation to complete. We wanted to keep the current Disruptors(Stationary/Hitscan) vs Projectile(Mobile/Pop-snipe) balance in Sniper vs Sniper engagements but wanted to still provide an alternative option to fight back. Dodge will allow you break the usual corner-play and press the offensive or fallback into cover while you are being shot at. We are still exploring the Hold mechanic over a form of Toggle, similar to what we've introduced for Sense.

Dash
Bringing dodge into a more manual ability was causing conflicts with Dash and Dodge Points. We want players to be able to Dash freely and not to worry about their remaining Dodge Points, at the same time we didn't like the gameplay double dashing in a row would cause skewing balance in the favour of the Hero. Dash has been changed as follows:

• Rank 1:
  • Dashes a short distance in the current movement direction.
  • 2.5s cool-down.
  • Doesn't share a cool-down with Melee moves.
  • Same activation.
  • Unlimited uses.
• Rank 2:
  • Dodges any incoming blasters for the duration of the dash animation.

The cool-down still allows Dash to be used as an intended quick escape or combat positioning tool but prevents double Dashing to escape instances where you may poorly used the ability. At the same time we didn't want to interrupt fun combos such as Dash into Flying Kick, similar to how Blob and Flying Kick function as independent cool-downs.



Final Thoughts

We are excited to get these changes out to you as soon as possible and are committed to continuing progress of the game. The above items are unlikely to change bar number tweaks, but now that we've been able to give you an insight into the direction we are taking we would love to hear back from you on new features, weapons, abilities and mechanics you'd love to see included into Movie Battles II in future builds following 1.4.4.

 

[Fang]

Think like this but instead you have alternate view models for your E-11,Proj,Pistol.
For example the T21 could look like the Imperial Repeater, the normal blaster pistol could be Leia's pistol from deathstar FA

Weapon customisation yeaaaaaaaaaah

While we're at it, let's go COD style and add emotes

while we're at it, let's start skin market for e-11's and t21's starting at £300

*sarcasm*

Solving donation problems in seconds

 

[DaloLorn]

*stares confusedly at Fang*

 

[Evian meme]

buy more people to play this, also make a merchant model for me. thx

 

[Fang]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THE MAN TO MAKE MB2 GREAT AGAIN HAS RETURNED

all serious though, might be interesting to see.

 

[RG4]

You want me to throat punch you fang?

 

[Fang]

One thing though @Tempest since I've only really seen you reply
Have you re-looked the head shot multipliers?

Nerfing the Pistol 3 base damage doesn't mean jack shit when the HS Multi's make P3 strong af

 

[MoonmanMoonman]

You want me to throat punch you fang?

I'd like to see you try kid, you're bringing brute force into a meme fight
*tips fedora*
*longboards away*

 

[RG4]

What the frick did you say to me?

 

[GoodOl'Ben]

This is good quality stuff. I'll comment on the stuff I don't entirely see eye to eye with.

FP Regeneration and Drains
Based on 1.4.3's feedback we will be tweaking the FP Regeneration mechanics so that you don't have to worry about holding block, in fact we encourage it.

We will still have 3 states of FP Drain:

• Defenseless (Saber Down/Melee/Idle/Meditate): Base FP Drains for weapons.
• Autoblock (Running): Increased FP Drains for weapons.
• Block: Greatly Decreased FP Drains for weapons.

And there will still be 4 states of FP Regeneration, but we have modified them slightly:

• Meditate:
  • FP Regeneration: Highest, Transition: Ramps up over time, Restrictions: Stationary.
• Defenseless (Saber Down/Melee/Idle):
  • FP Regeneration: Base, Transition: Ramps up over time, Restrictions: Can't Block.
• Defending (Autoblock/Holding Block):
  • FP Regeneration: Slightly lower than base, Transition: Instant.,Restrictions: None.
• Deflecting (Actively Being Shot):
  • FP Regeneration: Greatly lower than base, Transition: Instant Debuff, Duration: 3 seconds (duration can be refreshed each shot, and FP Bar's hue is darkened to indicate debuff is present), Restrictions: Only applies while holding Block

I fear this distribution is kind of wonky. I assume Defending counts any state with the lightsaber up? I would keep the current baseline regeneration rate we have while running, the Defending state should have the same value. The difference being a debuff that you receive when shot at which will last 1-2 seconds that halts FP regen completely or reverts it to similar levels as the current Defending state.

This way being out in the open and supporting your team will be as solid as it was in patches prior to 1.4.3, but it gives a nice dynamic of dampening the Jedi's regen partially or even completely by shooting at them. This would be an easy-to-understand mechanic if signaled properly.

The suggested deflection behaviour would of course need to be adjusted accordingly.

Dodge
While the new dodge mechanic does what we want it to, it feels a bit too cumbersome by forcing you into a movement state based on rank and having to hold a button at the same time. We want Dodge to be used to get through chokepoints and suppressed areas, but not to let you tank huge amounts of shots for free. We also thought it was too hard to glance at your Dodge Points while they were being drawn as small numbers and have re-introduced the Dodge Bar.

In all cases, dodge is activated by holding it and has no movement restrictions.It also cannot be used while scoped.

• Rank 1: Cost: A full bar drains over 1 second. Cannot be used up close.
• Rank 2: Cost: A full bar drains over 2 second. Cannot be used up close.
• Rank 3: Cost: A full bar drains over 3 second. Can be used fairly close.

These changes still allow Dodge to be use as a cover breaker while requiring a manual activation to complete. We wanted to keep the current Disruptors(Stationary/Hitscan) vs Projectile(Mobile/Pop-snipe) balance in Sniper vs Sniper engagements but wanted to still provide an alternative option to fight back. Dodge will allow you break the usual corner-play and press the offensive or fallback into cover while you are being shot at. We are still exploring the Hold mechanic over a form of Toggle, similar to what we've introduced for Sense.

I would still urge a form of toggle or an "Activate and Forget" type of ability that stays active for a given duration. I will not be able to hold down my F key while pressing WASD + C buttons. Please look at how Genji's deflect behaves in Overwatch. That's the perfect setup for the ability. The cooldown can be substituted by the time it takes to regen your Dodge Points back.

 

[RG4]

I would still urge a form of toggle or an "Activate and Forget" type of ability that stays active for a given duration. I will not be able to hold down my F key while pressing WASD + C buttons. Please look at how Genji's deflect behaves in Overwatch. That's the perfect setup for the ability. The cooldown can be substituted by the time it takes to regen your Dodge Points back.

You mean how sprint works for ARC and Clones

 

[Bob-Billy]

Can you add more alien species ? Still waiting for my Sullustan model

 

[Evian meme]

add bith or any jewish-like model

 

[RG4]

add bith or any jewish-like model

Send in a picture of yourself and I'll get to it.

 

[Stassin]

I fear this distribution is kind of wonky. I assume Defending counts any state with the lightsaber up? I would keep the current baseline regeneration rate we have while running, the Defending state should have the same value. The difference being a debuff that you receive when shot at which will last 1-2 seconds that halts FP regen completely or reverts it to similar levels as the current Defending state.

This way being out in the open and supporting your team will be as solid as it was in patches prior to 1.4.3, but it gives a nice dynamic of dampening the Jedi's regen partially or even completely by shooting at them. This would be an easy-to-understand mechanic if signaled properly.

The suggested deflection behaviour would of course need to be adjusted accordingly.

I am pretty sure part of your opinion includes the fact that these changes make the class less noob-friendly than before and that it is not a good thing, and i want to answer that part. It's true, i agree it's not directly a good thing for people who play for their first time of first few times, but it also has a positive side-effect: because the running drains are so high and the blocking drains so low, newbies will catch on to the fact that blocking at the correct time is advantageous much quicker than before, simply because it is much more noticeable than before. Thus it will compel them to use blocking much quicker over the course of their mb2 playtime, in other words compel them to play at a higher skill level than they would before - and once they do they'll be able to get even better results than they would with the previous system, because in that system they wouldn't understand how to play better as quickly since it'd be much less obvious and they'd be able to get passable results anyway with low-level play. And on top of that, getting much better results with the previous system was very difficult because you just didn't have the tools for it - blocking was too weak - but with the current system, there is more room for skill to be applied through proper blocking timing/deflecting and along with that, more room to get results you would never be able to with the previous system (it is less forgiving but has higher skillcap along with greater potential).

 

[{Δ} Achilles]

Stassin: my changes are great, gitgud.

No, the FP changes is not a 'git gud' factor, the FP changes are just forcing everyone into a specific playstyle.

 

[Onysfx]

Or they could just balance SBD, and make it more like the Republic Commando SBD. A slower, more terrifying weapons platform, and not just some OP penguin-wobble tank.

I liked this post not because I agree the SBD should be slower, but the Penguin-wobble tank lol. Now that's a phrase I'm going to be using when playing, along with pesky glowstick wielding wankers.

 

[Vongs]

newbies will catch on to the fact that blocking at the correct time is advantageous much quicker than before, simply because it is much more noticeable than before. Thus it will compel them to use blocking much quicker over the course of their mb2 playtime, in other words compel them to play at a higher skill level than they would before - and once they do they'll be able to get even better results than they would with the previous system, because in that system they wouldn't understand how to play better as quickly since it'd be much less obvious and they'd be able to get passable results anyway with low-level play. And on top of that, getting much better results with the previous system was very difficult because you just didn't have the tools for it - blocking was too weak - but with the current system, there is more room for skill to be applied through proper blocking timing/deflecting and along with that, more room to get results you would never be able to with the previous system (it is less forgiving but has higher skillcap along with greater potential).

There's a lot of crucial assumptions in your opinion there. The biggest one imo is that you're VERY disconnected from what the experience is from a newbie's perspective. Not saying that I understand it perfectly either, been a year since I've been playing and it was mostly during a different version but I assume you've played for longer than I have.

Already I feel 1.4 with flinch, although on paper a good idea for most gunner classes but poorly implemented made the game more friendly for gunner newbies, it made it a LOT more difficult for all saberists, newbies especially.

On top of flinch, this new version has severily crippled saberists' movements.

Blocking is currently anything but newbie friendly; it's not something most newbies do because it feels counterintuitive for beginners. Furthermore, it forces saberists to be a lot more static and thus a lot more vulnerable to weapons such as grenades, rockets and especially blobs. I cannot understate how blobs are now more than ever devastating for siths.

Most newbies need time to assimilate all the options gunners have: slapping, kicking, grenades, rockets, blob and so on. What that means in practice is that you need to fully now what the gunners' strategies are to know precisely when to strafe, when to jump. I've seen quite a few newbies getting destroyed because they were relying wayyy too much on blocking: they were simply walking in almost straight lines and seeing their fps go down fast because they didn't know when to retreat, when they were outgunned and so on. Besides most gunners are experienced, if they let saberists get close to them it's usually because they have options like blobs or grenades available. Again, if you don't know when to move or you don't have the option, you have to rely on pushing at the right time. That again takes practice to know WHEN to push, especially given how messed up the pushing physics are.

Scoring kills with saberists also requires you to swing. Already it's easier said than done with flinch but now, if you get flinched or if you miss, you might get shot but even if you swing-block (which again, requires you to both be aware of that and to know how to do it, not the easiest thing), you'll take some serious fp damage because you were running.

All of this combined makes it that, in my opinion, it takes A LOT more knowledge and attention to play saberist.

The idea that deflecting will solve the problem is also one that is very removed from reality: you need to know how to deflect in the first place. Again players pick up knowledge gradually. Hell I only learned how to deflect properly after a WHILE because I read the library. It's a risky move consdering you use extra FPs and it costs class points. Deflecting is vital almost now considering it's much harder and longer to make your way towards the enemy guners now but again you need to know the option exists.

These changes in my opinion don't make saberists less noob-friendly, it's straight up saying "f*ck off newbs*. It must be infuriating for newbs to get absolutely destroyed ALL the time without understanding why because they don't know the game mechanics, weapons, tactics and so on. This update requires you to KNOW more things and drastically reduces the room for skill regarding movements.

I even disagree with your idea that the current system gives more room for skill and greater potential for saberists. The VERY high force drain when moving as I've said cripples drastically the saberists' movements. You're a lot more static when moving. Even if indeed you have a serious reduction for incoming gun shots, you get shot more often. Saberists aren't as much the attackers than run in front of the team to push the enemy team in my opinion, they're more like very slow walls that need a long time to regen their defense.

I think I'm a slightly below-decent saberist (against gunners, still hate 1.4's dueling) but even to me who knows most of what there is to know for a saberist, I don't nearly play saberist as much because it's not nearly as fun, you need to dedicate time to just regen fp on the side, you need to stick a lot more with the group because you're a much more vulnerable target against groups and of course you're a lot more static in combats.

From what I got from your posts Stassin, I agree with Achilles: you don't consider other people's opinions. I find that very problematic for someone who is a project leader, especially considering changes that affect how easy a class to play for new players. You are no longer a new player and while you might think about how it would affect new players on paper, it might be a good idea to actually listen to the new players' opinions.

You said that you wanted to make saberists harder to play with the new updates but I believe I'm far from being the only one thinking that saberists were already hard enough to play with 1.4..

I like better what Hexodius is proposing in that, even though I don't like what has been done with saberists and I don't agree with many elements, it's balancing the system a bit more and giving some classes like arc their due.

From just my perception of things, I seems the development was very chaotic recently with the emphasis on implementing HUGE changes implemented that were not thought through regarding how they would interact with other mechanics. I feel balancing, although better regarding saberists who aren't nearly as strong as in 1.3 are nerfed (too much imo), is now worse than in any other version. Instead of tweaking various problems, it's just been adding more and more mechanics that keep creating MORE and MORE problems regarding balance. I understand the drive to create new things for MBII but I feel it has almost too much to the point it's hard to keep everything balanced.

In my personal opinion a conservative approach would be more suited for MBII at this point. Instead of making massive changes due to a very volatile direction, sticking with one version and polishing it might be better. A lot of the new changes end up interacting with more mechanics than originally thought (I'm thinking for instance of the deka class or wooks with the newest update making siths more static). With each update, some groups within the community are pleased while others hate it. I believe that while changing the way the game is played is part of the reason for the reactions, the imbalance that results of all these changes that keep pilling up and do not interact well with other mechanics creates a lot of frustration.

Working on a version that will last for a longer time would allow for finer tweaking that results, in my opinion, in a more enjoyable and more populated game. With balance gradually improving, it makes the game less frustrating and with the versions changing less often, people don't need to go through learning the game all over again. This results in vets staying longer because the game doesn't massively which could result in so much disappointment that they end up quitting and it also results in more newbies staying as the game is more balanced.

With all that being said I just wanted to thank all the MBII developers for the work they've done on the mod. I still can't believe this is a mod of a game created by fans on their own time.

Of course all this is just my opinion influenced by my perception.

 

[Evian meme]

Send in a picture of yourself and I'll get to it.

Consider it done.

 

[DaloLorn]

I'm inclined to agree with @Vongs, for the most part. (As I've said in the Dueling Compendium, 1.4.2 had a much smoother learning curve than 1.3 or 1.4.3 - especially the latter - and I can see the purpose of flinching in the current balance scheme even though I'd prefer a different course from the one being taken. Doesn't change my opinion on the rest of his post in the slightest.)

 

[Stassin]

@Vongs and your opinion is very disconnected from what it feels like to play gunner, especially as a newbie apparently (i want to doubt it, but you give that impression given how little you speak of the gunners' point of view). I know, because i used to play jedi all the time like most people, then one day tried gunner and realized "oh crap, this is hard" (maybe that's not the case for someone like Achilles who apparently is a veteran gamer and already had alot of experience with shooting and aiming prior to playing mb2, but that's not representative of the average mb2 playerbase or its usual newbies), especially back in the time things like flinch didn't exist (pre-v1.4) and jedi could randomly instaswing you (pre-v1.1). Even with all these changes jedi is still easier to play by a good margin, we're just trying to make it more even and maybe someday jedi class will finally be the famed "hardest class to play" - it's already probably the most complex one to play but there is a layer of mechanical skill requirement it is lacking, which even a class like deka isn't lacking (managing your mobility with respect to your offensive/defensive power, and aim). That layer of mechanical skill requirement doesn't need to be as high as humanoid gunner classes, since jedi class has good complexity (and anyways the very way jedi class works won't allow that without breaking the class); but the gap used to be just too massive.

You said it yourself:

Besides most gunners are experienced

That, is the core of the of the problems you are mentioning, which is why i can't agree with pretty much any of your points, as well as any of the points of the others who speak the same line. A newbie jedi, versus a newbie gunner ? Will the gunner/clone hit any of his blobs, will he even hit 1/10 of his blaster shots ? Will he even walk ? These are the things you fail to consider, i tend to assume the weaknesses of newbie gunners should be obvious for people who speak so freely of the weaknesses of newbie jedi, but apparently that's not the case (well, i have no doubt it is the case, but due to your experience on public servers where most gunners aren't newbies, you tend to implicitly forget it). Instead, you assume the clone will hit his blobs, the ET will know where to aim to hit his secondary nade which has a parabolic trajectory (though that's easy at close range), the soldier will know the exact timing to charge his conc nade based on his distance to the jedi - and so on. Just for the record, all of these things are harder to do than holding the lightning button, pressing push or MT. Jedi need to strafe and time their push, yes well gunners also need to strafe and time their nade and the jedi can just jump or quick getup to pretty much negate the nade - a weapon with very limited ammo unlike push. There aren't that many newbies playing gunners, but there still are, and when you watch them these things are obvious. They tend to panic and not know what to do, especially against jedi/sith, because the pressure those put on you is so high, at similar skill level.

Newbie gunners had better learn to walk (which makes them much easier targets) quickly when facing jedi; well now jedi had better learn to block quickly too.

Given the state of public open mode gameplay these days (and for some years - not 10 years ago because then the skill difference was smaller between players on a server), i understand what kind of experience you base your opinion on, and it is unfortunately quite a skewed experience. And you realize it too, you said it, again: alot of the gunners playing have more experience at the game than alot of the jedi playing - and a little bit of that is in fact symptomatic of the gap in skill requirement between gunner and jedi, who wants to play BH if it means they're going to get sniped, pushed and sabered, ambushed, etc. within 30s of the round and then wait 3mn to respawn ? With jedi they can automatically block snipes, force push and saber swings, their survivability is just on another level. And on top of that there is the fan factor and coolness of jedi from star wars lore which means newbies will always choose to play jedi first.


EDIT:

Stassin: my changes are great, gitgud.

No, the FP changes is not a 'git gud' factor, the FP changes are just forcing everyone into a specific playstyle.

Just like gunners are forced into a specific playstyle of walking whenever there are jedi around. Nothing wrong here; in fact jedi are still much more mobile than gunners with force jump and auto-blocking, which is fine because that's how the class should be.
And these are not my changes, the only reason they got through is because they got accepted, and they still are since what Hexodious is proposing are improvements upon them, not their removal.