[PTS] Test Server Update - Sept. 18, 2020

[PSNews]

PTS has been updated with the following changes.

Test Server installation can be found here: http://launch.daybreakgames.com/installer/PS2_Test_setup.exe

The Shattered Warpgate (PTS Update 3)

We're getting closer. As mentioned in our previous PTS updates, we're preparing The Shattered Warpgate to come Live once we've got it into a good state. Until then, we're continuing to patch PTS to focus test different aspects of this update.

• While on PTS, you'll find an interactable object next to the new campaign vendor on Sanctuary handing out FREE STUFF. Interacting with this holographic Flash will provide you with currency and certain campaign items for testing purposes.
• Campaigns will be disabled in this initial update, and a limited pool of missions will be available to test.
• Esamir (and all continents) will be unlocked 100% of the time for this testing.

There will be no official playtests this week, due to the scope of the changes, though we encourage you to continue sending feedback on missions, bases, and any bugs found thereabouts.

Environment changes

• Shattered Warpgate Shallows - Fixed the northern shallows area so that it doesn't dip beneath the water plane.
• Jord Amp Station - More cover has been added to the C point.
• The Traverse - The capture point for this base is now placed on the bridge, and the bridge itself is shattered, creating a sort of jumping puzzle that players will use to reach the point.
• Nott Communications - This base is now almost entirely underground, built into a faster than normal 3-point capture with a unique gameplay loop.
• Echo Valley Substation - There is now a sunderer garage east of the base. Vehicle shield is no longer opaque. Adjusted cover.
• Mattherson's Triumph - Sunderer no-deploy zone has been moved to allow attackers to deploy a Sunderer in the west-most tower.
• Eastwake Harborage - Significant updates to capture point area. Additional cleanup.
• Andvari Ruins - Is now a three-point vehicle capture base.
• Eisa Tech Plant - Extended capture timer on this base.
• Grey Heron Shipping - Broken door to the underground can now be easily crouched beneath, and defenders from the spawn room can now reach this area more easily. Various cover additions and fixes.
• Excavion DS-01E - Changed the A capture point building location. Using the tunnels now brings you to a covered, indoor location. Sunderer no-deploy is now visible. Various cleanup.
• Vidar Observation - Now has a vehicle terminal.
• BL-4 Recovery Point - Now has working spawns/terminals/shields, and has also been given a vehicle terminal.
• Jaegar's Fist - Fixed the trench's size to allow for easier passing beneath. Outer spawnroom shields are now one-way, allowing defenders to shoot out.
• Genudine Gardens - Vehicles should no longer be able to enter from the gap in the southeastern wall. Fixed various height issues throughout the base.
• Electrical Storm - We're currently working on getting more accurate UI indicators of the storm's size integrated into the map. Some additional fixes are needed, but its work-in-progress state is now available.
• Various cleanup of floating grass, trees, textures, and very likely a bunch of base changes that weren't listed here.

Known environment issues:

• Kill planes beneath the water are currently inoperable in most places, and will be fixed in a later update.
• The Crown's D point has been removed (intentionally,) but still appears on the map and HUD.
• Ceres Hydroponics continues to have missing assets in the capture point room.
• Jord Amp Station has a floating shield on the second story.
• Snowshear Fort remains unfinished.
• Mani Lake Processing will receive changes in the future.
• Tapp Waystation and Untapped Reservoir will receive hardspawns and vehicle pads in a later update.

Vehicles

Colossus

• This vehicle should now be more likely to render over extreme distances.
• Deployment Shield damage has been reduced by 50% across the board.

Dev Note: We're increasing the survivability of the Colossus' deployment shield significantly, though there will likely need to be additional tuning on a per-type basis following this change.

Liberator

• Maximum health from 5000 to 4500.
• Resistance to aircraft noseguns (type 8) from 85 to 80.

Dev Note: These changes bring the Mosquito's Needler, as an example, from 22.4 seconds to kill to 14.4 seconds to kill at optimum range. Tomcat A2A Missiles go from an 8 shot kill to a 7 shot kill, or from 6 shots to burning to 5 shots to burning. Dalton goes from a 4 shot kill to a 3 shot kill. These changes, especially the nosegun resistance, are a fairly significant modification to the current power balance of ESF and Liberator. We will continue to monitor feedback and adjust as needed.

Nanite Costs

• Harasser nanite cost from 150 to 300
• Lightning nanite cost from 350 to 300

Dev Note: Overdue housekeeping change as Harasser/Lightning have been balanced along similar lines in recent years, and should result in slightly fewer Harassers on the field at any given time.

Aspis Anti-Air Phalanx Turret

• Projectile lifespan from 1.2 seconds to 2 seconds.

Dev Note: This returns some of the range that was lost in a previous update, increasing the maximum projectile distance from 450 meters to 750 meters.

Misc. Changes, Fixes, and Additions

• Added hover-over tooltip for Campaign Standing currency.
• Made adjustments to Join Combat to target better locations.
• Cleaned up text in various Missions.
• All three holo-globes in the Expeditions vendor on Sanctuary can now be interacted with.
• Representative Foster in Sanctuary now has custom idle animations.
• Fixed an issue where water would be rendered over the environmental fog at long distance.
• Esamir water now renders for clients on low graphical settings.
• Revisited loading screen tips to ensure accuracy, and added new ones related to Bastion, Colossus, Missions, and Campaigns.
• Reduced the rate at which the animated Mission indicator pulses on the HUD.
• Improved the hitbox on the Depot button, so it doesn't interfere with clicking on Accept Mission.
• Fixed a misspelled word on the Sanctuary news prompters.
• Skyshield Modules now prevent Lightning Bolts from spawning nearby.
• Explosions from Lightning Bolts and Lightning Grenades are now blocked by Construction objects.
• Reclaimed vehicles no longer despawn while at Eisa Tech Plant or an allied Warpgate unless you are on a Mission asking you to return them.
• Reclaimed vehicles no longer float away on death.
• Reclaimed Sunderers' equipment terminal can now be interacted with.
• Fixed an issue related to reclaimed vehicle HUDs.
• Adjusted objectives dialogue for completed Missions on the Mission screen.
• Sunderer textures should no longer appear as all black when spawning the vehicle.
• Camos should now appear properly on characters, instead of sometimes showing missing.

Source: Test Server: Announcements

[Fallengud]

The lib and nanite cost changes seem... interesting. For me it seems that they went a bit too extreme in both cases

[TowerC]

They killed the Lib. From now on, I will go only ESF farming, as BLING will just gank with AA missiles all day.

[Fallengud]

The nose gun buff is much more significant, they decreased time to kill with cc 30%. Probably this is not the final version

[TheTry]

The nanite changes to harassers and lightnings are completly justified though. It is currently almost impossible to run out of nanites using harassers

[Fallengud]

The nanite changes to harassers and lightnings are completly justified though. It is currently almost impossible to run out of nanites using harassers

I can manage it, even with membership, suicide harassers + c4-s are not cheap

[Smekis256]

They killed the Lib. From now on, I will go only ESF farming, as BLING will just gank with AA missiles all day.

yeh, the liberator will only be able to survive 99 ICBMS instead of 100.
honestly these changes are a long time coming but i'm disappointed not to see any buffs to Bursters etc.
and the lightning change is unnecessary, combined with ASP 30% discount and module another 30% is gonna be bonkers.

[PandaFraHelvete]

IMO the liberator should have either fire supress or composite armor, but if they do that, all vehicles should get the same treatment, so the nerf was needed, never understood how that vehicle was able to withstand AP rounds and AA at the same time.

[TheTry]

Smekis, asp and modules don't stack... and considering that lightnings aren't exactly dominating vehicle gameplay the impact should be rather small.

[Smekis256]

Smekis, asp and modules don't stack... and considering that lightnings aren't exactly dominating vehicle gameplay the impact should be rather small.

they do stack how else do you explain my 225 nanite vanguard?

[Nico101]

About fucking time, The Lib is just a power house compared to an MBT, Should be like it used to be, Strong Firepower but easy to shoot down. Fed up of shooting the lib with 2 ap shells and it just pisses off with no fucks given.

[IntegrityNC]

As someone who has done a lot of libbing and was actually pro- its nerf, this is way too far. The nose gun resistance alone is a huge change that would drastically alter the power balance in air play. add in havoc missiles, health pool reduction and the buff to phalanx turrets, and the lib (and rep gals) basically won't exist next patch.

The funny thing about it is, when there's no ESFs/phalanx around, tanks will still be just as vulnerable to libs. The a2g balance hasn't really changed at all. Off-hours libs will still be just as annoying. It's just that all heavy air is now going to get bodied on prime time and be completely useless.

[MrFFF]

I guess that the hp reduction will help skyguards and all other A2G out though. Even if its not substantial enough its better to do the changes incrementally over multiple patches. Personally i would like if the ESF would be an actual air superiority fighter not not only a jousting rig and a ground ponder
Poor libs though...

[IntegrityNC]

With the other changes also in mind I'd say the lib nerfs are too substantial, not the opposite. I think we're going to see a serious reduction in diversity in the air game with this patch. Pretty much only the ESF seems practically viable now. And even then, you're going to get sniped at render range by turret mains, 24/7. The changes honestly just seem very poorly thought-through to me.

[Fallengud]