Zero-K v1.3.11.3

These changes bring a nerf to some heavy static defenses and a bunch of fixes. Non-rectangular starboxes continue to be applied to more maps. Zeus is slightly more accurate in an attempt to tune Cloakybots.

Balance

*DDM*:

• cost: 1200 → 1600
• power now required to use heatray
• open/close approx. time: 4s → 15s

*DDM, Annihilator, Behemoth*:

• power required to aim weapons and open/close.

*Stardust*:

• minimum firing angle 30° below.

This has no effect on flat land but elevated Stardusts have a sizable minimum range depending on height.

*Zeus*:

• inaccuracy 2.8° → 2.4° [?]

Miscellaneous

• Wait pauses non-free Stockpile. [?]
• COFC camera scrolling obeys Smooth Mesh option and is FPS independent.
• Units undergoing an orbital drop [?] can no longer jump.
• Added a startbox creation tool for mappers. Consult [Startboxes the wiki] for usage.

Fixes

• fixed non-dedicated Radar sources [?] being blocked by minor terrain irregularities.
• fixed EMP timer being inaccurate [?].
• fixed facplop being wasted when resurrecting a factory.
• fixed fall damage not being applied if the drop was perpendicular to the ground.
• fixed Outline effect not working on machines without shader support
• fixed Outline effect and X-ray effect to be more consistent with above water rendering when underwater [?].
• fixed the SI notation for tooltips and space-click menu.
• fixed Retreat causing a desync when used by a skirmish AI.

Scalpels are not overpowered. Just learn how to counter them banana_Ai

BSS meta lives. Sonar lives.

The Stardust and DDM nerfs very welcome. I approve of this update. Those question-mark notes are also very, very cool.
Too bad this new forum interface doesnt work in IE 9 or 10, which i am forced to be using at work.

spamming fleas doesnt kill scalpels because running away is what scalpels do.. but it freaks em out.. not really a solution tho..

some factories have a very hard time vs scalpels..

most of the time iv lost some of my initial army realizing my enemy is using scalpels but need to quickly make counter.. aslong as i dont have amphibs or im dead..

cant do most light units or scalpels run away and hide in llt + not that bad vs light units. cant do most heavy.. so im forced to monospam a good counter or facswitch to counter monospam.. they are not op but they are the bulk of hover and i expect them the moment i see a dagger

It is OP, its just a unit type that is not capable of winning games unsupported that has the achilles heel of being nested in an otherwise unremarkable factory.

"It beats 90% of unit types and requires very narrow counters, often from different factories" is pretty much the definition of OP in ZK.

The worst part is not that it's OP, however. It's that the non-strider mobiles that actually manage to counter it (Buoy, Wolverine, Firewalker, ...) are also all skirmishers, often of that specific kind that has a raider-killing sidearm.

That, and porc.

quote: How do non-bulshitty-but-long-ranged skirms like Rogues and Recluses handle it? Not that recluses are generally good against much.

They just fail utterly iirc