Spiral Knights - potential fIx for shard bombs

potential fIx for shard bombs

6 replies [Last post]

Tue, 08/14/2012 - 13:39

Rommil

Haven't seen this one suggested yet. This is just another possible solution to fix the new shard bombs to make it serve a function other than just being an inferior bomb. Its not necessarily better than the others, but just an interesting solution that could work even given its current damage. It would also make them an effective party weapon, rather than something that randomly scatters enemies and hurts your party. so now on to it.

Keep the original first part of the bomb (set it down. it explodes and makes the ring of shards. even the delay before the shards explode is fine.)

When the shards explode, anything that registers a hit is pummeled into the middle of the ring, instead of flung randomly about. Thus, you know that anything that takes damage is then concentered tightly together. In this way, it is effective crowd control with decent damage.

So basically, its the cross functionality of damage bomb and a vortex bomb. It has higher damage than a vortex bomb (less damage than other damage bobs) but it clumps the monsters together for only a fraction of the time. Whereas a vortex bomb pulls them to the middle and then holds them fast for a few seconds, the Shard bombs would knock them to the center but they'd be instantly free to move.

Tue, 08/14/2012 - 15:00

Trollingyou

"Damage Bobs" ....Epicness

This doesn't sound like a bad idea after watching Tsu's video. The knockback does seem to hurt it's potential, because it is so random. +1 from me

Tue, 08/14/2012 - 15:03

Eltia

But the bomber would have to

But the bomber would have to get out from the center right after he has laid the bomb. This is ok with Vortex bombs because it does damage at the center (while sucking everything in). Cluster bombs would lose some damage potential because the damage comes from the outer perimeter. As you move out from the center, the mobs move (out of range) also and effectively reduce the coverage of the cluster bombs.

If you look at how real cluster bombs work, they are meant to cover an area because the structure they intend to destroy has a certain geometric formation that the bombs could exploit (e.g. power lines, railways, scattered landmines). In SK, mobs movement are pretty random (they don't have any particular formation). So when you use cluster bombing, it's often hit or miss because the mobs are following the target (you). So it's either you lay the bomb and lead the mobs into the area of effect, or you lay more bombs to overlap more areas (that's Jen's idea in Elite Bomber thread).

Why go so much length to use cluster bombs on targets with more or less no formation, when you can create advantageous (clustered) formation using vortex bombs and slash everything with a charged sword attack (because sword has the best burst damage)? I don't get why these new cluster bombs are supposed to be popular.

Tue, 08/14/2012 - 16:22

Rommil

Elita,

I thought of that,but watching the vid, really you have plenty of time to evacuate after the shards spawn and before they blow up.

You could even lay bomb, switch weapons and start charging it while you weaves out of the middle.
This would even allow a bomb of the wrong damage type to have some use, I.e. all of us who got jobbed by having our elem shards go straight pierce.

Imagine, if you will. Lay down a shard bomb, it lands and crushes all enemies into the center. Meanwhile as you ran out of that zone, you were charging a vortex bomb, so you lay it down right as they start to escape, capturing them once again. Then as they are being vortexes you start charging a third bomb of your choice. You could have a fairly effective three hit combo working.

And it could replace some of the fun elements we lost with the new random unhelpful shard bombs. :)

Just trying to offer some solutions, since I've been very vocal on how bad the new bomb is, as well as their implementation of it.

Tue, 08/14/2012 - 16:27

Canine-Vladmir

i like. my sun shards is just

i like. my sun shards is just collecting dust as we speak.

Tue, 08/14/2012 - 16:44

Eltia

The problem is not escaping

Yes you have ample of time to do that. But by doing so, you also affect the course of the mobs (they would be off the grid a bit because mobs tend to target charging bombers). So meaning instead of hitting 10 mobs, u may miss 2 and hit just 8 mobs.

That's why I said why make life so hard. The vortex bombs are just fine. You lay a vortex bomb, cluster the mobs and you smack them with a sword charge. The main difference is that you control the formation of the mobs. Unlike the cluster bombs, you have to bet on the mobs to be clustered in a certain way. (See how cluster bombs are used in real life. They are usually used on static target with certain desirable geometric formation.) And if the mobs are already clustered together (in close proximity), that's when you lay down a Voltaic Tempest and enjoy the fireworks.

This sounds like a case people have a solution and they try to find a problem that fit into that solution (what OOO has been doing perhaps). That's how I feel about the new cluster bombs right now.

Tue, 08/14/2012 - 16:50

Rommil

Well

I didn't say it was perfect :)
But it would certainly make them more useful then they are now. It would give them some sort of redeeming value then they have now, and would make them more party friendly.

As it is, it has the same problems you already mentioned, but scatters them randomly.

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potential fIx for shard bombs