Black Market: alot of the new BM items add fun variety to the game. However, it also creates some un-fun situations where the BM dictates the endgame, such as when there is no protection (too risky offworlds) or there is no sabotage (no way to impede offworlds). Overall I like the new options.
Scientific gets wrecked by magentic storm and Pirates. Expansive/Scav wins easy when theres no way to slow them down, or destroy the offworlds when it gets to end game. If theres no goon squads, its easy to shut down robotic.
Suggestion: The BM items should probably be grouped into pools of similar sabotages/boosts and then the game should draw a few from each pool to create a better balance. Such as:
Pick one from each group, and 1 extra from each class for 8 BM items.
Offensive:
Single tile: mutiny/dynamite/underground nuke
Area of effect(shipments):magnetic storm/pirates/**
area of effect(buildings): Network Virus/powersurge/emp
Defensive:
Miscellaneous resource: Claim/Core sample/mule
Miscellaneous: goon squad/cook the books/adrenaline boost.
Miscellaneous 2: hologram/spy/auction
**Engine Malfunction: Shipments speed for player is halve.
Power balance: Power is extremely spiky right now. The changes to adjacency make it even more important to claim triangles/rectangles which reduces the claims available for power at level 2 or 3, as well as decreases the net output of the same amount of claims due to power consumptions. It also reduces the output of power triangles, so midgame the power prices tend to shoot up dramatically.
Example - The awkward robotic situation: This weekend I've been playing robotic power (found silicon, 2xSolar 1xAlum) to create a no debt sitatuion. It works very well and thus, others have been doing the same. However, The problem is, that if 2 people do it, both players lose as they kill the power price, and have no money. I haven't really noticed robotics doing anything other than this strat, since they create the least debt from life support.
However, it does not work well against scavengers. The change to adjacency doesnt really seem to affect this. As such I think that there should be a bit of an adjustment to power.
Suggestion: Power consumption should be normalized a bit for mid tier production: steel and electrolysis should be lessened slightly, as these buildings are the major drivers
Other Comments:
- The resource pricing seems pretty good for the most part over the course of a game.
- Expansive seems really strong since they get the most claims (less adjacency issues), faster blimps?!, and more claims. They are hard to stop
- Scav/scientic vary significantly based on the map and BM items.
- Robotic is unknown. I strategy works really well, but is vulnerable. No idea how they really play.
- The debt ratings is very nice. The stock/buyouts seem better.
- The life support is a bit weak production wise since theres no price support early any more.
