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Because the Pros know balance better than EA.
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Get it Here!
A Full Change Log Here.
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Changes:
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Global faction changes
All tanks and Dragon Tanks now more resistant to toxin
This change reduces the effect of toxin rebel ambush, allows tanks to counter tunnels more easily, and allows China to stand a better chance against toxin tunnel spam. Toxin tunnels are now have roughly the same effectiveness against Dragons that regular tunnels do.
All tanks are more resistant to rocket soliders
In general, Zero Hour suffers from too much rocket based firepower and not enough tank based firepower. This changes solves that problem. Applied to GLA and USA as well. For China, this means killing quad/rpgs from GLA is easier with a mix of gatts and tanks.
All China dozers are now slightly more resistant to rocket soldiers
A small change was made to help China preserve its dozers against tech/rpg harrassment from GLA. This gives you more time to run away OR run over a couple of RPGs dropped off by a technical.
All China dozers no longer drop scrap
A major problem for China's early game was a single technical getting in and scrapping up to the rocket. This made it impossible to recover from. Simply dealing with proper tech micro and supply harassment prevent China from being able to deal with tunnels being built on the flank.
All China supply trucks no longer drop scrap
Again, another change to alleviate the harrassment of China by GLA. It's much harder to scrap up a technical early on which helps China considerably.
All China helixes are now slightly more vulnerable to gatts and quads
Helix spam was occassionally a problem for GLA, and now that China's early game has been helped, it was important to curb helix spam a bit. It also solves Infantry Helix rushes against GLA and even China to an extent.
All China helixes gattling upgrades now cost less and research faster
This allows China to counter fast-tech MDVees with a gattling helix more easily. Before, China had absolutely no hard counter to a USA player who fast-teched with a couple S&D MDvees. Now they do.
All China helixes are now more resistant to Laser Lock
This helps increase the survivability of the helixes when using them to deal with fast-tech humvees. They now have a chance to deal with the MDs without being shot down.
Decreased reload time of regular napalm migs
Now they can actually be used more often prior to being upgraded. Also note that humvees are more vulnerable to napalm now. They can be used to slow down humvees prior to being upgraded, giving you time to move gatts in to finish them off.
Removed explosion damage of Black Napalm migs and increased reload time slightly.
They are slightly less effective against anti-air units now, and are not overpowered against humvees given the changes to humvee vulnerability to napalm (see below). Two BN migs will still bunker a battlebus and kill a humvee.
All internet centers have double the hitpoints
Since China's entire late game economy is dependant on the survival of the internet center, it made sense to make this much stronger. It will actually have a fairly significant impact on China's late game as it will require a very strong focus of firepower to destroy the internet center. Hackers will thus survive longer and stay promoted longer.
Vanilla China changes
Troop Crawler now costs $1200
V.China's inherent strengths are infantry and napalm, this changes was made to give V.China a solid bonus. Veteran troop crawlers are good against non-toxin tunnels, defenses, and pressuring Humvees. They're also good against Infantry General if used correctly. Now V.China doesn't have to break the bank to get them.
Outpost now costs $700
This is one of V.China's solutions to Nuke BM spam. It can effectively use these to pressure Nuke and stave off Nuke BMs/Gatts while it assembles some airpower or techs up.
V.China now has access to 1 chev BM training as level 1 genpoint
Veteran BMs to start, combined with the new resistance to rocket soldiers and toxin tunnels, actually makes V.China BMs useful against GLA.
Nuke changes
Overlords slow down in the red
Helps V.China and Tank deal with Nuke Overlords more easily. Also slightly helps USA and GLA considering that Overlords are now more resistant to rocket soldiers.
Tank Changes
Hackers now cost normal price
There was no reason why Tank's late game economy should be worse than the others, especially since it doesn't even get a level 3 bomber or Nuke Cannons to deal with camping.
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Global faction changes
All tanks more resistant to rocket soldiers
Part of the global change to makes tanks more useful in ZH
All radar van scan upgrades moved to the Palace
The key to beating comanche spam from USAF is to have the ability to detect comanches. GLA has a unique strength in that they can have unlimited numbers of scans. The problem is the fact that surviving long enough to save up for and build ANOTHER $2500 structure even after you've built a palace is not feasible. Moreover, detecting stealth comanches with radar scans requires more skill than if we were to have just made comanches weaker or quads better. It also doesn't ruin USAF's ability to start off with Comanches. Countering comanches is now directly proportional to how much effort you want to put into it, which is how it should be.
Toxin upgrades (beta and gamma) moved to Black Market
Since Gamma was overpowered anyway, it made sense to make this less accessible, and make radar scan more accessible. These two upgrades were essentially swapped between the palace and black market. Anthrax Beta upgrades for Stealth and GLA needed to be moved to the black market as well since it didn't make sense that they get easier access to a toxin related upgrade than Toxin General does. Moreover, Stealth and V.GLA will rely more on the radar scan to win than they do Anthrax Beta. Demo's upgrade was not touched, as that's one of its only true stengths. It does however benefit from early radar scan.
Marauder scrapped up rate of fire reduced
It's good that Marauders were made more useful in version 1.03, but after they get scrapped up, they were far too strong, often surpassing even the power of an Overlord. The rate of fire was the issue at hand, so this has been reduced.
Movement speed of terror cars reduced
Terror cars harassing China was a central issue in the early game balance between China and GLA. Slower moving cars allows China to react and move in counters to deal with them.
All rocket buggies now have more ammo to start with prior to the upgrade
Rather than starting with 6, they start with 8 missiles. This allows buggies to be more useful before you're able to research the upgrade. This will help against humvee spam as well as battle busses in GLA mirrors considerably
Toxin changes
RPGS no longer exhibit "stinger tracking" properties.
Toxin's RPGS had the ability to follow aircraft until they hit, rather than running out of fuel after chasing a plane for a short while like other rocket soldiers do. Now you can feasibly use migs, raptors, and helixes against things like Battle Busses and various mixes of RPGs.
Four terrorists are now required to take down major structures like WF and supply.
This was a major problem in the balance between Toxin and all Chinas. It's now a unique strength of the Demo General.
Demo General
Technical now costs 500
Since the nerfs to the demo upgrade in 1.03, it's no longer necessary that Demo General has more expensive technicals. This helps level the early game playing field a bit.
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Global faction changes
Laser lock missile weapon now requires two PDL zaps to kill
This helps balance betweeen USAF and other USA armies considerably. It means you stand a better chance in chinook drop wars. Paladins and Avengers will be affected by this but this is not a balance concern. USA mirrors will never be decided by the effectiveness of an Avenger or Paladin against rocket infantry.
TOW missile only attacks air units
This solves TOWvee spam vs V.China and GLA factions. It means you can effectively use RPGs to tunnel pop and kill Humvees without an entire group of 8 RPGs being killed by two TOW rockets.
Flashbangs research in 20 seconds instead of 30.
This will offset the lack of anti-infantry capability from TOW, and force mixing. Now decisions are strategic. Rather than spamming TOWvees to counter both infantry and air units, you have to pick which upgrade you want depending on what strategy your opponent is using.
Pathfinders do much less damage
Now it takes 4 shots to kill a hero, 2 shots to kill a rocket soldier, and anywhere from 3 to 4 shots to kill basic infantry. Keep in mind that Pathfinders get promoted quickly, thus increasing their damage and ROF significantly. You can also just build more pathfinders to increase the lethality of your pathfinder force.
Humvees more vulnerable to napalm and radiation
This allows nuke BMs to counter non-S&D humvees, allows nuke migs to help slow down humvees, and increases the usefulness of non-black napalm migs. China now has solid mid-late game counters to even S&D humvees with its air power.
Composite Armor researches faster
Easier access to this upgrade will help offset the diminished usefulness of humvees by making tanks a more viable option
All regular comanches more resistant to gatt/quad fire
There are two reasons for this change.
1.) We made USAF comanche countermeasure armor weaker (actually now it's the same as the other USA comanches), and since the USAF comanche without countermeasures was stronger than the regular USA comanches, it made this upgrade LESS cost effective for the USAF general. It doesn't make sense that the USAF general has less cost effective counter measures. As such, we equalized the initial armor of comanches for all four USA armies.
2.) Other USA armies never really use comanches, and it would be nice to see more mixing. Now other USA's can viably use comanches before even upgrading countermeasures. This will be particularly useful against GLA.
All comanches take twice as long to get promoted
Makes it harder to get to 3 chev comanches, which posed a big problem to GLA and China.
V.USA changes
Paladin health increased from 500 to 600 and composite armor affects it the same as a Crusader
Since humvees are now less useful against China, it was important to give USA a boost to offset the diminished usefulness of their humvees. Since Paladin was not worth the genpoint, two birds have been killed with one stone. After Composite armor has been researched, a paladin will have 800 HPs, well worth the $1100 price tag and gen point.
SW changes
Powerplant now only costs $800 and provides 6 units of power instead of 5 (upgrade changed from 15 to 14 to compensate)
This change was made to help alleviate SW's startup costs and to make it more feasible to make an early EMP patriot. SW should be using EMP patriots. Not using an EMP patriot as SWgen is like not using Stealth Comanches as USAF. It's a unique strength, and it's crucial.
Humvees now cost $800
The extra $50 was reducing early game accessibility. The change will not encourage spam mid-late game, simply help early game
Ambulances now cost $600 rather than $700
Again, the first MDVee/Ambulance combo to stop gatts/quads and other things is crucial. It was simply too expensive for SW to start up. Cheaper ambulances will in no way encourage MDvee spam as you only need ONE to heal!
Comanches now cost $1500
SWG should have options. An $1800 comanche is NOT an option. This combined with the improved initial armor of the Comanche will give SWG some mid-game flexibility.
Alpha FAB blast radius reduced
Now if you're paying attention, you'll have a chance to scatter your AA units without losing them all. They can then counter the Alpha after it drops its bomb.
Laser changes
Crusaders do not go offline with low power, and do not consume power
This, combined with the fact that Composite Armor is more accessible, will actually allow Laser to substitute Humvee spam with laser crusaders in more situations.
USAF changes
King Raptor PDL ROF reduced to that of other USAF aircraft
This change combined with the fact that it takes two zaps to kill a LL missile will drastically improve balance between USA and USAF, especially in team games or on larger maps.
Comanche countermeasure armor reduced
Before countermeasures, comanches are fine. Making ANY changes to USAF comanches before countermeasures would make them useless. They can just barely be used in substitution of a WF now, but it was after countermeasures that caused problems. Now they're the same as other USAs
Carpet bomb not available until level 3
Still requires a strategy center to launch. Will level the early game playing field a bit.
Spectre level 1 and 2 removed
Now you can only get the full spectre at level 5. The sensible level 3 options are pathfinders and A-10s, neither of which are as devastating as the rapid recharge time of the Spectre. This sufficiently nerfs USAF's genpoints.
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Hopefully, EA Will listen to us and make some changes. ZH Community Patch 1.05 Testers are to meet in the 2v2 Lobby, where these matches are to be held.
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