Dev Diary: Amping Up Alliances

Summoners!

We've got some big plans for the future of Alliance Quests and Alliance Wars! From QOL updates, to changes with AQ Timers, find out what's coming in the Future of Alliance Modes in our latest Dev Diary!

You can read it on our blog here!

Please Note: We are still collecting Feedback on Alliance War Nodes. There won't be any updates on those in here at this time.

Comments

Madman_marvin

Can’t we go ahead and get the 45 minute timers now?

Madman_marvin

One question. Why can’t we see other’s current energy in AQ? That would solve a lot of problems with players having to worry about other movements.

Rwj_2

I maybe missed if this was mentioned. Will the timer change be live for the next round of aq? It just said July in the dev update.

Carmel1

the small things like reduced timer in AQ\ undo steps and so on are nice because i don't see how they can mess it up.
but regarding the bigger things like changing nodes, new game play etc... they lost my trust after what I happened with AW season 19.

by the way, the attacker tactic is a great example how they took a great idea and turn it into nothing... the attackers buffs are so useless, like using EXP boost after level 60.

so i guess i was right... now after they released the announcement to AQ it seems like they are keeping the same mistakes they made in AW by increasing the difficultly A LOT.
the new EPIC modifier are nightmare.
i know that unlike in AW, we don't "have to" choose them but it still had stress.
why cant you just increase difficultly in small steps?!?!

Menkent

My alliance isn't doing epic modifiers ever. We don't even run master modifiers all five days as it is. Anyway, I see no point in these roadmaps if they immediately contradict them. It hasn't even been 24 hours.

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Gamer

Who thought these new modifiers would be a good idea? Crit me with your best shot, where you can only do damage via crits, so you're just going to degen to death now? Do you guys even know your own maps?

Where’s do u de that’s node in AW

Pharted

At least they made the Epic AQ modifiers optional to let the alliances decide if they want to try for extra points with the harder content. Seems like they could have used the optional modifiers approach to defense tactics in AW. Let us decide whether we want defense tactics when we sign up for matchmaking, with alliances getting a points bonus if they opt into tactics.

The new AW nodes are still trash though.

pseudosane

At least they made the Epic AQ modifiers optional to let the alliances decide if they want to try for extra points with the harder content. Seems like they could have used the optional modifiers approach to defense tactics in AW. Let us decide whether we want defense tactics when we sign up for matchmaking, with alliances getting a points bonus if they opt into tactics.

The new AW nodes are still trash though.

It makes it "non optional" to hold your place in aq.

Gamer

At least they made the Epic AQ modifiers optional to let the alliances decide if they want to try for extra points with the harder content. Seems like they could have used the optional modifiers approach to defense tactics in AW. Let us decide whether we want defense tactics when we sign up for matchmaking, with alliances getting a points bonus if they opt into tactics.

The new AW nodes are still trash though.

That’s the problem there doesn’t if u don’t use this’ll mod u wil fail down in point mean rank rewards

RogerRabs

At least they made the Epic AQ modifiers optional to let the alliances decide if they want to try for extra points with the harder content. Seems like they could have used the optional modifiers approach to defense tactics in AW. Let us decide whether we want defense tactics when we sign up for matchmaking, with alliances getting a points bonus if they opt into tactics.

The new AW nodes are still trash though.
It makes it "non optional" to hold your place in aq.

I love how they say they don’t want us competing with other alliances in AQ but then keeping adding stuff that you need to do in order to keep up with other alliances

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Carmel1

i don't know if they thought about everything or they treat us as lab's rats.
the new epic nodes that apply healblock, armor break, weakness, exhaustion are crazy if you have void on your path (there is void in one of the map6).
even today, with the 1 second it takes to shrug the debuff the damage it high... with all or some of these new debuffs the degen is too high.
if you are playing slow to avoid triggering these new debuffs, you won't be able to shrug off his build-in debuffs.

this is a poor design.

Markjv81

Way, way, way back when AW was being "adjusted" in the Issue 14-16 period, this came up. Back then I said something that I still don't know why it has never been acknowledged or implemented. It seems so incredibly obvious that either I'm an idiot, or the Kabam devs have a massive blindspot to it. If you're concerned about ties, then why, in *years* of AW development, have you never, ever, EVER attempted to implement a tie breaker for war?

Kabam described defender diversity as a "tie breaker." It is not a tie breaker. It is a scoring option. Calling defender diversity a tie breaker is like calling field goals in the NFL a tie breaker. Diversity might decide a war, but it is not a tie breaker. A tie breaker is something that only comes into play in the event of a tie. The shoot out in soccer is a tie breaker. In the NFL, there are rules that determine who goes into the playoffs if multiple candidate teams have the same win/loss record. Those are tie breakers.

Alliance war has never had a tie breaker. We let both sides fight the war, and if and only if there is a tie score we look at this thing, and which ever alliance has the better version of that thing wins. If it is still a tie, we look at a second tie breaker. But if the war is won or lost on the battlefield none of these things matter. That would be a tie breaker.

I think tie breakers could have prevented a lot of misery.
I've also never understood why a tie counts as a loss for both teams. If they didn't want to do tiebreakers, which I think is a superior option, they could also just split the Win bonus and be on their way.
You can't do that because teams would tie on purpose.
Why would people tie on purpose to get half the win points? Plus it’s not always possible to engineer a tie.
I know you're probably in a low level alliance and have no clue how smart people are at this game if you think you can't engineer a tie.
The issue is that he said the tie people shouldn't lose any points so it basically like a double win. Then teams would just buddy together especially towards the end of the season and make sure everyone wins.
Can’t see where he said shouldn’t lose points, he says split the win bonus so yes you would be loosing points to those alliances that win wars. There’s no way people in masters are agreeing to tie.

TheTalents

You have got to remove the parry curse modifier. I'm willing to try the other ones but the parry curse modifier has possibly got to be the worse you've introduced into the game so far and it will continue to encourage people to timeout learning how to deal with these circumstances. You claim you're trying to get rid of timeouts and using odd methods to get through matches, this takes you completely backwards.

Why always 1 step forward and two steps back?

KnightZero

I'm in a Map 6 alliance but man that G99 mini on Map 5 is rough. If you aren't good at intercepting, might as well say goodbye to your champs. Soft Guard+Combo meter increase is a terrible combination. Also the way you've added these new mini's goes against the fact that you want to diversify AQ in the future.

Crine60

What does changing map 5 AI to what is used in 6 and 7 mean? Is the AI being made harder or easier?

Menkent

Easier. It will actually attack now so you can parry or intercept or whatever. Recently defenders would essentially just back up and hold block the entire fight.

Championcritic

It's matter of perspective i suppose. I for one am content with the amount of glory i am getting per week doing map 5 so i see no reason for me or my alliance to punish ourselves by doing all the epic modifiers. The most i am willing to try is so sayeth doom and cascading failure because those will impact us the least.

Markjv81

Kabam continues to against what they say, how is replacing the easiest mini boss in map 5 with one that will now be the hardest in line with any of the road map stuff? Also you’ve essentially made 1 iteration of map 5 harder but not increased any rewards? This is madness.

Mike_Hawksore

Are we going to get any compensation for the emergency maintenance as AQ was ending on day 2?

Mr_Platypus

What does changing map 5 AI to what is used in 6 and 7 mean? Is the AI being made harder or easier?

It means it doesn’t stand and block/do nothing for 2 minutes until you throw 1 hit in which the AI pulls off a perfect light intercept.
In general, it should be easier

KnightZero

Kabam continues to against what they say, how is replacing the easiest mini boss in map 5 with one that will now be the hardest in line with any of the road map stuff? Also you’ve essentially made 1 iteration of map 5 harder but not increased any rewards? This is madness.

Same for Map 6. Replace the easiest mini with Aarkus.

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KnightZero

Kabam continues to against what they say, how is replacing the easiest mini boss in map 5 with one that will now be the hardest in line with any of the road map stuff? Also you’ve essentially made 1 iteration of map 5 harder but not increased any rewards? This is madness.
Same for Map 6. Replace the easiest mini with Aarkus.
all you need is one or 2 people to bring in doom per bg and I dont think Aarkus will be an issue

Need to consider how many people have Doom as well. Like my BG unfortunately doesn't have many. We have 2-3 and one uses him on war attack and other two on defense. Since their AQ lanes don't match him up. Sym was easy since you could just crush him with Blade/Gulk/HT/Thing etc. So many counters to him. Aarkus is more limited.

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pseudosane

Wish they kept an sp1 bias on him. That would make it better.

KnightZero

Kabam continues to against what they say, how is replacing the easiest mini boss in map 5 with one that will now be the hardest in line with any of the road map stuff? Also you’ve essentially made 1 iteration of map 5 harder but not increased any rewards? This is madness.
Same for Map 6. Replace the easiest mini with Aarkus.
all you need is one or 2 people to bring in doom per bg and I dont think Aarkus will be an issue
Need to consider how many people have Doom as well. Like my BG unfortunately doesn't have many. We have 2-3 and one uses him on war attack and other two on defense. Since their AQ lanes don't match him up. Sym was easy since you could just crush him with Blade/Gulk/HT/Thing etc. So many counters to him. Aarkus is more limited.
Symb Supereme should also work .. Longshot, Mojo, Claire and Morningstar as well. His nodes actually facilitate mystics.

Not saying that there aren't counters. Obviously there are. But it's the fact that the easiest mini is always removed for a more harder one when they say they want to promote more diversity of champs being used.

Gamer

Im sure alest one there or doing map6 Hav a doom or sym for that matter. Ofcasse power controls is really not the best but he can be controlled it just not esay at all but doom when he’s doom wil get sp3 really fast

2_Wheeler

So what are you doing for newbies, I’ve been here for sometime and most enhancements work for the whales and “expert” gamers. Seems to me you would be doing something to ease the frustration of those who will become the new whales and “experts” Not everyone was created Seatin or 3D.