In designing MechaStellar VER11 we wanted to make a few Quality of Life improvements, both for readability, usability, and overall gameplay flow. Click here to see the MechaStellar VER11 roadmap.
Updating Skills from MechaStellar VER10 to VER11 took a lot of time, a lot of patience and the ability to try many different methods to find the best fit for each skill with the new “dice roll only” instead of “dice roll + bonus” core mechanic for VER11. Focus and Valor received the most updates so we will cover those indepth in the next post. For this post we’ll cover the remaining skills.
To start, we knew that Morale Point [M] generation (formerly called Momentum) would be smaller and less guaranteed than VER10, so we wanted to make skills as cheap as possible while not making them so cheap they became too powerful. We tried to set a baseline of [M-2] for most skills, with [M-1] reserved for a useful but not super powerful skill, and [M-3] or [M-4] for a very powerful skill. Let’s start with Zeal.
Zeal
Zeal has changed the least moving from VER10 to VER11, it’s still a skill that gives you bonus actions you can use for extra attacks or for utility actions. The biggest change is that Zeal is no longer a pay what you want ability, it’s no longer M-1 for +1 action, M-3 for +3 actions. Instead, it always gives you +2 actions.
While this does remove a little tactical flexibility, it remarkably speeds up decision making by removing a gigantic layer of “ok I could do this, and if I have this many actions I could do this, and then…” which sometimes led to choice paralysis in some players. Now it’s a simple, use Zeal, gain +2 actions.
We’ve also tightened how bonus attacks work, if you attack the same target twice, or attack with the same weapon twice is will not use up both of your 2 actions. Early on, ther ewere some concerns about what happens when you use Zeal and only need 1 action. Since then we’ve added 3 more Combat Actions to the core rules, Lock on, Sensors Sweep, and Battle-Cry, in addition to Accelerate there are many valuable options you can use your 2 actions on besides just attacking.
There was a Brief time where we created an action that would turn one of your weapons into a Support weapon (using the VER10 rules) this way you could live out your Armored Core fantasies, of firing your rifle and shoulder missiles and pulse laser gun all at the same time. Like VER10, this ended up being more trouble than it’s worth, and the ultra simple, ultra effective “Havoc” upgrade covered that “unload all weapons” fantasy much better with significantly less rules and headaches. We’ll cover Boost / Power / Havoc evolution after we do Focus / Valor.
Initially, we set Zeal at [M-3] since it was often the most powerful skill in late VER10. However, as we continued to fine tune weapon balance, and expected unblocked hits dropped to 0-2 Hits we felt comfortable returning Zeal back to [M-2], the small bit of symmetry, 2 Momentum for +2 actions, makes it easier to remember as well.
Flash
We’re going to go over this one more in depth for the Boost / Power / Havoc post. But for now here are the highlights.
We started off with [M-3] Flash = +5 DEF, same as VER10
Then we moved to [M-2] Flash = +3 DEF
While developing Barrage which initially gave you bonus exploding dakka dice = Triggers rolled, we previewed a system where Flash would do the same thing. For example the Flash skill would have a Barrage 7+ effect, every 7+ rolled meant you could reroll those dice.
Later, when Barrage was upgraded to, all hits (not just triggers) are exploding dakka dice, we tried the same thing for Flash.
While mathematically it works out, we did run into a lot of player psychology issues where players were hesitant to use Flash because they didn’t roll that well.
Eventually we settled on the final version of Flash which lets you reroll your entire defense dice pool (hit or miss) making it stronger than barrage. All for the low cost of [M-2]. This was a huge hit with playtesters.
Iron Wall
Iron Wall struggled a lot to maintain an identity in VER10, competing with Flash as a defensive skill and eventually trying to be an Anti-Zeal skill which would give you a decent +3 DEF bonus for the whole turn.
For VER11 we tried with that for a little bit but quickly realized that we wanted Iron Wall to feel DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT from Flash.
While Flash was doing the 7++ Barrage effect, we were considering have Iron Wall give you a 10+ or 9+ DEF Crit option. (One of the bigger changes from VER11 is that there are no longer automatic 10s are Crits). It was ok, but still made Flash and Iron Wall feel very samey.
We came up with an idea during the development of the expanded Saving Throw system, that Iron Wall could provide defense and also improve your saving throw.
Later on, we simplified it further to a very simple “Pass a failed Armor Save”
Now that’s a valuable skill! Iron Wall started off at [M-2] but after considerable playtesting we decided that [M-1] was the best fit.
Alert
This is a new skill, although players of the older Super Robots Wars games will remember this skill name.
Alert was created just to give a little more flavor to Warships and Kaiju monsters, which as of this time we don’t really want them to use Flash. Alert gives you the benefit of Cover (something Kaiju could do in the past) and also improves your Trigger number for counter weapons like your CIWS Anti-Air batteries on Warships, but also counterattacks like Godzilla’s tail sweep or Crimson Typhoons kaiju throw.
Currently, we did setup the mechanics that if we wanted to let Warships / Kaiju to use Flash they could and it would not be unbalancing (both units have super high HP but smaller defense dice pools). We could also let Mobile Suits use Alert. But for right now, we want to preserve the distinction between these weapon types, and Flash / Alert is doing that for us. That many change in the future based on player feedback.
Next post we’ll discuss the evolution of Focus & Valor.
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