As Expected, The Changeling Nerfs Only Affect the AI

[IonizedMercury]

Because CA can't ever bear to make the game less boring and risk offending the scrubs on reddit. The Changeling has been neutered when an AI opponent, but remains as broken as ever when used by the player.

Chaining cult detection to losing battles is moot because, well, the player never loses. The Changeling starts with way too strong an army already and cults still conceal armies without any way of detecting them, so you have to be actively trying to suffer any setbacks at all ever.

The AI of course, being beholden to the crap garbage AR will lose battles. Sometimes even right away which means the AI Changeling can knock itself out turn one. Smooth.

Also, you can completely avoid the "All cults are revealed if the Changeling loses his last army" if you simply hire a lord before the turn ends. So even that one theoretical weakness is rendered irrelevant for the player (the AI won't use this workaround because the AI can't ever be allowed to be a threat).

The Changeling campaign remains an utter snoozefest with zero stakes.

I thought Tzeentch was the Chaos God attracted to smart people? Then why are all three of his campaigns so freakin' dumb? Almost dumber than Khorne even and that's the god with zero standards concerning mental capacity.

[SBA77]

You're right, CA needs to really grow a backbone. Thought to be fair, I don't recall anyone was saying he was too hard or OP under the AIs control. Everybody said his campaign was easy mode or "had no lose condition" was "auto-win" as some people said.

[IonizedMercury]

Originally posted by SBA77:

You're right, CA needs to really grow a backbone. Thought to be fair, I don't recall anyone was saying he was too hard or OP under the AIs control. Everybody said his campaign was easy mode or "had no lose condition" as some people said.

The complaint was that you simply couldn't deal with the Changeling if he set up shop elsewhere due to the 100% unbreakable stealth and the fact that the AI never actively looks for cults/undercities.

But instead of making the stealth not completely unbreakable or allowing the AI to actively search for infiltration, they just tied it to a condition that will simply never apply to the player unless someone goes out of their way to make it happen.

It's always the same. Player retains all the brokenness, the AI is denied it.

[Commisar Jon Fuklaw]

Originally posted by IonizedMercury:

It's always the same. Player retains all the brokenness, the AI is denied it.

Except it isn't. The forum still has people crying about things that were hit with the entire Nerf™ bat factory years ago. Some rightfully so, others less so.

[IonizedMercury]

Originally posted by Commisar Jon Fuklaw:

Originally posted by IonizedMercury:

It's always the same. Player retains all the brokenness, the AI is denied it.

Except it isn't. The forum still has people crying about things that were hit with the entire Nerf™ bat factory years ago. Some rightfully so, others less so.

Scrubs from reddit don't count.

[Aleera]

Name me 1 campaign which isn't a autowin if you're even remotely competent at the game?

Even on the highest setting you actually have the purposefully throw to lose.

[IonizedMercury]

Originally posted by Aleera:

Name me 1 campaign which isn't a autowin if you're even remotely competent at the game?

Even on the highest setting you actually have the purposefully throw to lose.

And...?

Doesn't make the Changeling any less of a snoozefest just because it ain't the only one.

Also, they could have tied their detection means on conditions that aren't so easily avoided by the player regardless.

[Aleera]

Originally posted by IonizedMercury:

Originally posted by Aleera:

Name me 1 campaign which isn't a autowin if you're even remotely competent at the game?

Even on the highest setting you actually have the purposefully throw to lose.

And...?

Doesn't make the Changeling any less of a snoozefest just because it ain't the only one.

*Shrug*

Wasn't a jab at you. Just saying the entire game is actually easy as heck.

I mean, look at me, I'm a mediocre gamer at best. And I just rolled all the Very hard campaign completions. The worst the Ai did was destroy 2 towns in my tombkings playthrough. And that's only because it took me 16 turns to get a second army.

[Malaficus Shaikan]

The changing was overpowered?
That is news to me.

[IonizedMercury]

Originally posted by Aleera:

Originally posted by IonizedMercury:

And...?

Doesn't make the Changeling any less of a snoozefest just because it ain't the only one.

*Shrug*

Wasn't a jab at you. Just saying the entire game is actually easy as heck.

I mean, look at me, I'm a mediocre gamer at best. And I just rolled all the Very hard campaign completions. The worst the Ai did was destroy 2 towns in my tombkings playthrough. And that's only because it took me 16 turns to get a second army.

I've constantly been complaining about the game being so effin' boring.

The Changeling just takes the cake when it comes to boring campaigns. It feels like playing with even more cheats on, none of which you need to earn.

[Commisar Jon Fuklaw]

Originally posted by IonizedMercury:

Scrubs from reddit don't count.

Based, but doesn't address my point.

The Nerf™ cannon is more often fired indiscriminately than solely at the player or the AI. If you want to talk about SP vs MP, then we can have either total agreement or a rip-roaring argument, seeing as how there's a very clear disparity along those lines.

[IonizedMercury]

Originally posted by Commisar Jon Fuklaw:

Originally posted by IonizedMercury:

Scrubs from reddit don't count.

Based, but doesn't address my point.

The Nerf™ cannon is more often fired indiscriminately than solely at the player or the AI. If you want to talk about SP vs MP, then we can have either total agreement or a rip-roaring argument, seeing as how there's a very clear disparity along those lines.

I can't think of even one example where the nerfs were meaningful at all.

When they did it to Taurox, they immediately pedalled back thanks to scrub whining and that was pretty much the last ever serious attempt to rein into any brokenness.

[KeiranG19]

Originally posted by IonizedMercury:

Originally posted by Aleera:

*Shrug*

Wasn't a jab at you. Just saying the entire game is actually easy as heck.

I mean, look at me, I'm a mediocre gamer at best. And I just rolled all the Very hard campaign completions. The worst the Ai did was destroy 2 towns in my tombkings playthrough. And that's only because it took me 16 turns to get a second army.

I've constantly been complaining about the game being so effin' boring.

The Changeling just takes the cake when it comes to boring campaigns. It feels like playing with even more cheats on, none of which you need to earn.

You don't have to keep playing if you're constantly disappointed and not having fun.

[Commisar Jon Fuklaw]

Originally posted by IonizedMercury:

snip

Ikkit.
Khornate factions.
Taurox.
High Elves.
Dark Elves.
Vampire Counts/Coast (several times).
Magic in general.
Too many units to remember while sleep deprived.

I can keep going.

[Mazisky]

Originally posted by KeiranG19:

Originally posted by IonizedMercury:

I've constantly been complaining about the game being so effin' boring.

The Changeling just takes the cake when it comes to boring campaigns. It feels like playing with even more cheats on, none of which you need to earn.

You don't have to keep playing if you're constantly disappointed and not having fun.

But he is allowed to give criticism and negative feedback wheter you like it or not.

[IonizedMercury]

Originally posted by Commisar Jon Fuklaw:

Originally posted by IonizedMercury:

snip

Ikkit.
Khornate factions.
Taurox.
High Elves.
Dark Elves.
Vampire Counts/Coast (several times).
Magic in general.
Too many units to remember while sleep deprived.

I can keep going.

That's why I said MEANINGFUL nerfs.

Ikit for example is still way too powerful. He still got every tool Skaven get plus a bunch of overpowered buffs on top of it at a completely negligible cost as Warp Fuel isn't used for anything but enabling those buffs.,

He's actually a fine example of why colorful UI a good mechanic doesn't make.

Also, as I said, Taurox WAS a meaningful nerf, except they backpedaled.

And magic? Really? Magic's still as broken and overpowered as ever, and the AI still can't wield it effectively. It's pretty much the poster child for CA making broken tools exclusive to the player.