Supreme Commander 2

So, Im going to make an effort to balance this game by editing the game files. I dont know if I can edit abilities and research trees, but the nice people at gpgforums have told me how to edit structure and unit stats.

So, if you have GOOD and SPECIFIC balance suggestions, or want to help playtest, send me a message/post here.


I'd also like to know how I can record my screen while playing (perhaps FRAPS?) in a way its SMALL and VISIBLE. Good quality, small size. Perhaps ill put it on youtube just for GPG. Perhaps ill upload the files for future use by others who like playing a balanced games.

Issues noted:

Shotja nerfed into being a good counter for mml/mobile arty, I will let GPG fix this one. I would like to see their position in the tree switch with the torpedoes.

AC1k might need 1 or 2 more RP to get

Cybran land range needs a slight buff

[Naval balance complete overhaul] UEF land speed upgrade might need higher cost (energy/RP) or nerf
Naval needs to be edited. I think projectile velocity should be increased, yenzoo torpedo range and damage increased (because the projectile speed increase will make it unable to dodge, yenzoos will depend on torps in a naval fight), submarine nerfed. This requires the Aeon torpedo upgrade switched with the shotja.

[Air balance complete overhaul] Make cybran air faster, make them scale up a bit better/stat boost, nerf mega fortress a bit (build speed? honestly when you get these on a big map there is no good way to counter)

Nerf ACUs: It needs to be even harder to ACU rush. Its counterable, yes, but people have to learn because they just keep doing it. Im hanging towards nerfing aeon ACU range upgrade a bit, and maybe nanogun range to what Aeon ACU range is now, upgraded. Also make Cybran ACU pushback better if I can.

TML needs to cost more (RP/mass+energy/build time)

Maybe buff cybran carriers, more useful AA on them as well so you can use them as cruiser/factory

Make intellitron a hell of a lot cheaper RP wise. Like 1 RP. I will have to be able to edit research for that tho..

Maybe slightly decrease electrocute (aeon PGEN) range? Maybe increase damage/decrease cooldown in return? This could just be my own preference tho...

Maybe nerf UEF battleship damage?

Maybe nerf UEF arty range? They already have the best shields now, and structure guns... Even soviet cant outwank that...

Buff UEF ACU, or at least just nerf the others: Lets face it, its almost useless xD


Feedback highly appreciated!

This post has been edited by Nephylim: Sep 29 2010, 23:16 PM

Let me just check if I got that correctly. You want to balance it and send the result to GPG or do you want to create a personal mod?

If it's the first case, I'd support you one hundred percent.

This post has been edited by -Sebra: Sep 29 2010, 23:42 PM

Both. I would call it the community balancing project, but Ill have to get a release for that and people liking it first

I want to enjoy the game fully, so balanced. Its going to be both for my own good and whoever likes it.

And as stated, I intend to make vids and send to GPG, if I can find a way to do that with my sloppy upload speed. Youtube would work perhaps, but maybe something like rapidshare to upload the actual file would be easier?

Come on Steam tbh..

I think YouTube would be a lot easier than Rapidshare.

I'd like to see mobile AA buffed for UEF and Illuminate. Honestly I would like to see area of effect anti air available, because all we have at the moment is the Bomb bouncer. As it stands mobile AA breaks even with gunships per mass cost. I understand fighter planes are supposed to be the counter for gunships, but that leaves bombers for mobile AA, which it still is bad against because they get area of effect damage and mobile AA doesn't. At the very least I'd like to see the build time of Crahdows and Archanists get reduced substantially.

As for submarines, I think their range needs to break even with the Salems, and the Salem's torpedo damage needs to be doubled to break even. That would make the Salem twice as strong as the Tigershark at still over twice the cost. That way UEF navy is at least on par with UEF air in that its cheaper and more dedicated.

I disagree with the mobile AA. You can split up your blob and not take any AOE damage. A buff would make them OP. I cant possibly add AOEAA, so thats out of the question. My modding skills are like 0.000001. I can change numbers. Thats about it.

A build time decrease *might* be good, but it removes the element of surprise from an air attack since you can repel it more quickly, making gunships even less useful.

For the subs, yes, i agree. Although im still not sure about how to balance them vs yenzoos. Say, i swithc shotjas and torpedoes, buff its range to like almost sub range (to avoid kiting ftw with dense blobs), and since subs need to come out of the water, I'd suggest buffing their cannon...

Ok the good news is we have figured out how to change ALL stats of ALL units. We can also mess with abilities, but only to a limited amount. For instance OC we can nerf cost, time, and cooldown but not AoE or range from what I can see.

So it's gonna be a learning process, and we will stick to basic unit stat changes for a while until we can get the other stuff nailed down without destroying the game files

Cutting the build time in half for Crahdows and Archanists would just make them break even with Adapters. Maybe it's just because I don't find air combat too interesting that I want to see AA buffed.

I don't think you need to buff the direct fire on submarines, mostly because there's no reason to make them against Illuminate in the first place, and I don't think there needs to be one. I haven't tried much Illluminate land vs Navy before, so I won't comment too much on their balance.

I think I have a few ideas with AA. Make them more front loaded to counter the air ability to be in and out quickly. Ofc this would leave them with like 1HP

More ideas welcome!

As said, im going to completely overhaul the naval balance:

- destroyer, cruiser and sub projectile speed tripled or doubled

- sub cost increased, direct fire buffed to be able to face yenzoos

- yenzoo torpedo range and damage increased

- nerf UEF battleship OPness

I think you should start with finding isolated issues and solving them, rather than trying to do a bunch of stuff.

Choose a single issue to start with, like Cybran land, or ACU rush, or naval balance. (although naval balance interacts with air balance so its tougher.)

Zeech has a great idea...

I have worked with mod teams before a LOT.. We always used subversion as our version control system, and the this project should be no different...

Neph, I hope you don't mind that I've created a subversion and trac based control system on a website for this very project... I'm interested in joining you in your quest for balance, so I figured it'd be ok...

I'll provide you with details later...

Make the aeon colossus actually useful. I have never had a situation where the rp, money and time spent on this thing was worth it.
Seriously, late game a uef attacks you with AIR or fatboys. Colossus also die to just about every half-assed base defense. And they die to fully upgraded tanks army in a matter of seconds aswell, while not killing a single tank themselves.

EDIT: Ah and yes, the mod is not going to work. Modding is not supported. Every single player will need to copy paste the files and backup their old game files. No significant amount of players will ever do that. Not even in SupCom1 balancing mods ever took off, even though some were really useful. Nobody likes to playtest balancing mods, it just takes too much time off actually playing.

This post has been edited by Meai: Sep 30 2010, 06:11 AM

Personally i think AA is perfect at the moment, I even think the adaptors are slightly too powerful considering you get tmd, shield, and AA in one units for 6 rp while u need 9 rp just to get the UEF tmd.

I agree. I dont see how we can front-load mobile AA without making flares powerful again... IMO theyre fine. Learn to spread them out.

Unicols are awesome at this point. They eat any land experimentals and base defence. No issue at this point.

Meai, its not a mod. Its a balancing project, for the ones who like to play a balanced game and to send to GPG mostly. We can make it so a single shortcut on your desktop toggles it on or off, or something like that, way in the future, but at this point there are no plans for mass distribution. If you dont like it, thats not our problem.

Well Iron, I don't think you have any idea how this game works. Have you ever had 10 soulripper air fighters attack you? You cannot possible build enough anti air EVER to counter that.

Meai, if that happened to you, you are the one that doesnt know how this game works, not iron.

Hit me up with a steam message if you need a guinea pig.

Oink Oink. **Pew Pew** Squeelz.

- brahmasmi

I'm talking about late-late game. If you went to specialize on ground tech and he is on air tech with 10 soulrippers, you cannot possibly counter that anymore with mobile anti air. It's siimply too weak.

I know Iron_Commander is decent in rush games, but the balance I'm talking about is overall unit balance. Let 10 soulrippers fight against 200 mobile anti air on an empty map and the soulrippers will win.

This post has been edited by Meai: Sep 30 2010, 07:54 AM

Changing the UEF shield mechanics is probably not possible through simple LUA changes, or is it?