Could we please open the testing game panel so I can complete the “Balance of Power” achievement?
Pretty please
2 Likes
Here’s what must have happened in the balance team discussion…
Balance expert 1: “Okay guys, next on the agenda - protoss is absolutely cakewalk dominating almost all tournaments results. Any suggestions?”
Balance expert 2: “How about extremely severely nerfing terran in TvP again?”
Balance expert 1: “Sounds good. Let’s go with that. Break for lunch”.
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maybe harstem or another from the balance team makes a video or writes a comment about the thoughts.
Example: I look at Ravager, weaker for cheese/early stuff. at mid push opponents have more counters against it. On the other side SB-Overcharge weaker, disrupter weaker. The overall picture is just more interesting.
When is going to be released? what’s the due date? 
Regardless of the changes I just want to leave my appreciation! Thank you!
Big thanks to the “intern”
Patch notes, let’s see what I have as GM poster (Terran)
(just of posting like the other GM posters, not of actual one)
ZERG
Creep Tumor
- Cooldown increased from 11 to 13 seconds.
- Sight range reduced from 11 to 10.
Hatchery, Lair and Hive
- Creep spread interval decreased from 0.3 to 0.25.
- Sight range increased from 10,11,12 to 12.
Viper
- Added 0.71 second Cast Finish Time to abduct (can not move or use other abilities during this time).
Ultralisk
- Reduced size by 12.5%.
- Increase range slop from 1 to 1.4 (range target can move before miss).
Hydralisk
- Muscular Augments move speed bonus increased from 0.79 to 1.05.
- Damage point reduced from 0.15 to 0.1.
All of these can have impact on pro gaming but little to none for others. But maybe a bit help for Terran when spotted by the creep now slightly harder. Welcome changes.
PROTOSS
Shield Battery
- Battery Overcharge recharge rate reduced from 200% to 150%.
Much needed this ability was some ez pass for late game, any reduction to it is good.
Observer
- Move speed increased from 2.63 to 2.82.
- Model size increased by 17.5%.
Were they not fast enough already? Not nice but not a huge deal.
High Templar
- Move speed increased from 2.63 to 2.82.
Probably will not matter much but also it is again helping lower APM protoss when they forget them.
Disruptor
- Purifier Orb radius reduced from 1.5 to 1.35.
MUCH needed but also too little. I mean radius may not reduce more but from how it was changed to damage on impact, damage after rolling something there could change like the Movement Speed of the ball. Better than nothing…
Carrier
- Interceptor shields reduced from 40 to 30.
- Interceptor attack target priority reduced from 20 to 19.
- Interceptor flying radius around target increased.
A good one, less lazy builds
Sentry
- Build time reduced from 26.4 to 22.9 seconds.
Forge
- Level 1 upgrades research time reduced by 7 seconds.
- Level 2 upgrades research time reduced by 9 seconds.
- Level 3 upgrades research time reduced by 11 seconds.
The unit is underused, neutral to Sentry change, the last change is I was going to say Pro matches but not only, with chronoboost, do you REALLY need faster upgrades? Sometimes battle is decided who has the higher upgrade first. Not like
TERRAN
Ghost
- Enhanced Shockwaves upgrade removed.
- Base EMP radius increased from 1.5 to 1.75.
I am ok with EMP change. Yes it is nerf because upgraded EMP > base EMP after this patch but maybe Im used to the crappy 2018-19 years of Terran before upgrade even existed so I see this as a plus? (that from no upgrade will get better base upgrade)
- Steady Targeting is canceled if the target moves more than 13.5 range away from the ghost while casting (Cast range is 10).
Not like. WHY?? You compensate it with movement of HT and Broodlord in other changes.
Banshee
- Hyperflight Rotors upgrade time reduced from 121 to 100 seconds.
- Hyperflight Rotors cost reduced from 150/150 to 125/125.
There were some speed banshee builds, maybe more of this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pgCjeqBSOU
Cyclone
- Mag-Field Accelerator damage bonus changed from +20 vs armored to +10 vs all.
The mass cyclone build faded and I never liked it, this may be seen as a nerf, so I dont see how with less damage vs some will be used.
Sensor Tower
- Radar range reduced from 30 to 27.
Only helps in TvT but again why? Zerg vs Mech this will affect badly. Not like
Raven (rework)
- Gas cost reduced from 200 to 150.
- Build time reduced from 43 to 30 seconds.
- Starting Energy increased from 50 to 75.
- Interference Matrix duration reduced from 11 to 8 seconds.
- Anti-Armor Missile armor reduction reduced from 3 to 2.
- Corvid Reactor upgrade removed.
- Auto Turret energy cost increased from 50 to 75.
Neither good, nor bad, just in the middle. The Raven needs to be more used and not just in some niche opening. But the thing is this will reduce the matrix on Colossus and make them less powerful to deal with them. Also the IM was good for breaking turtling in TvT and I had a build that really is to out micro the Terran early, now this gets nerfed. So While good to see the unit cheaper and more use, the IM nerf also gives the bad
You have HT increase movement, Steady target cancel if unit escape, Observer even faster than before and with the EMP upgrade remove you want even less damage.
We went from (nearly) all balance changes being bad to only some being bad. That’s progress, for better or worse. Only took a couple of years
EMP should keep 1.5
StarCraft is not LOL
A unit with 4 skills like Ghost should be remove
3 Likes
As much as I love the QOL changes at the end.
Terran has way less late game utility now and Zerg/Protoss got some nice permanent stat changes.
If your goal is to make Terran all-in better with this 1 special use raven case scenario. Congratulations you have accomplished that. However, I think the fun and interesting games come from Macro which this patch just butchered.
2 Likes
First things first : thanks to said community members for their dedication, and thanks to Bli² for allowing it to translate ingame. It’s not every day one sees a twelve years old game still get some love after all this time. Thank you for that. 
Okay, so those are balance changes, so obviously lots of reactions. Without going through every one of them, but only the main ones :
TERRAN
Ghost - Base EMP radius increased from 1.5 to 1.75. - Steady Targeting is canceled if the target moves more than 13.5 range away from the ghost while casting (Cast range is 10).
Cyclone - Mag-Field Accelerator damage bonus changed from +20 vs armored to +10 vs all.
Sensor Tower Radar range reduced from 30 to 27.
Raven (rework) - Gaz cost reduced from 200 to 150. Build time reduced from 43 to 30 seconds. Starting Energy increased from 50 to 75. Interference Matrix duration reduced from 11 to 8 seconds. Anti-Armor Missile armor reduction reduced from 3 to 2. Auto Turret energy cost increased from 50 to 75.
Okay, so lots of Zerg players complained about the Ghost being too allround, countering too many units in TvZ. While the first claim is untrue, it’s true that current snipe could indeed get efficient against most Z units. Nerfing it so that fast units can get away from the snipe’s range, but slower ones can’t is one way to add both counterplay and refine the units the ghost will actually be able to counter : fine. 
The sensor tower’ nerf might look like one, but will in fact reduce the turtling in a match-up where it’s always unpleasant to play a turtle : TvT. So this change is welcome to me, a bio terran player.
Now, regarding the raven, it has been said that it had arguably the worst quality/cost ratio of all casters. There, you improve its overall cost by 15%, but do worsen its assist Aoe by 33% (while it’s already one of the least damaging in the game), worsen its paralysing targeted spell by 33%, and worsen it’s summon spell’ cost by 50%. So overall, particularly in lategame, you in fact worsen even more its quality cost ratio. Just… why ? 
As for the cyclone, it deserved some kind of buff… but I’m unsure how to qualify that change.
And the banshee’s buff is in fact very minor (who goes for speed banshees anyway ?). But hey, any buff to an underused unit is good to take anyway.
ZERG
Viper- Added 0.71 second Cast Finish Time to abduct (can not move or use other abilities during this time).
Ultralisk - Reduced size by 12.5%. - * Increase range slop from 1 to 1.4 (range target can move before miss).
Hydralisk - Muscular Augments move speed bonus increased from 0.79 to 1.05 - > * Damage point reduced from 0.15 to 0.1.
Brood Lord - Move speed increased from 1.97 to 2.3. - Broodlings duration reduced from 5.71 to 3.57.
Lots of Zergs have asked for the Ultralisk to get more useful, claiming its size was the main obstacle to its DPS. The size reduction and slop range increase follow that wish, without going to previously proven dangerous armor buffs, nor increasing an already quick moving speed : fine to me. 
The Viper nerf was never asked, yet most unit tiers describe it as the best one in the game. And it’s true current abduct offers little chances to counterplay. So for me, this mirrors the snipe nerf, and is a good change.
Broodlords have been described as currently unimpressive by some Zergs ; yet they’re still a powerful lategame option, even if they have more counters. The buff here seems partially offset by the broodlings nerf : fine to me.
Now, Hydras are quite the versatile unit, specially since they gained mobility and power through the addons. To the point they were overbuffed, and then nerfed to a compromise. So for me, it’s not an issue if we see other compositions used just as much currently : it doesn’t means hydras are weak, just that there are other options, and so the metagame is in a good state. I’m not sure why one should change that. And it that change was meant to offset the Void rays’ speed buff, then address the void rays, not the hydras.
PROTOSS
Shield Battery - > Battery Overcharge recharge rate reduced from 200% to 150%.
High Templar - Move speed increased from 2.63 to 2.82.
Disruptor - Purifier Orb radius reduced from 1.5 to 1.35.
Carrier- Interceptor shields reduced from 40 to 30. - Interceptor attack target priority reduced from 20 to 19 - Interceptor flying radius around target increased.
Forge - > upgrades research time reduced
To me the most significant change to a vast majority of players here will be the Carrier’s nerf : interceptors messing with AI attack priority was abused by lots of players, as it made setting a carrier composition much easier than countering it. This change extends a previous one, which buffed the carriers HP, but made the interceptors weaker. It is most welcome to me.
The disruptor felt as one of the most powerful splash option ingame, to the point one disruption could even change a PvP. So having it nerfed will be a welcome change, in PvT and PvP alike.
I understand the High templar buff is designed to offse the consequences of the disruptor’s nerf in PvZ. Okay, fine to me.
Now, just like Miro I don’t get the upgrades being quickened, as they already can be the quickest in the game (and the most impactful, as protoss units often get more than +1 dmg/upgrade, and often have base armor points)…
Same for the observer. Sure it’s frustrating to get one shot. But hey the thing is already hard to catch for base marines, and already has been buffed speedwise, vision wise, and QoL wise with the sieged mode. Why would it need more ?
3 Likes
Observer wasn’t buffed. It got 3.1 speed, then was nerfed to 2.63 for the reason, because of whine. Now they are again giving it a middle 2.82. It got the sieged mode, but its vision range was never changed.
1 Like
In other words, it got buffed, the buff was reverted, and now its been buffed again, but slightly less, with a size increase to offset the buff slightly and make them easier to spot.
Also the stationary mode increases its vision range massively. What are you talking about?
4 Likes
Did not say I want to go back to how it was. I think there should be something that changes with the unit later in the game. I won’t make suggestions but it is easy to guess several options.
I should note that there’s a clever reason behind the Creep Tumor vision nerf… if you’re against a zerg player and you consciously stay off the creep, you’ll be in their fog of war, whereas before, the vision range was one greater than the creep’s edge. This actually ties in with the lore where creep has nerve fibres embedded in the stuff that detect when something steps on it.
4 Likes
I see, but I don’t think there is a reasonable change.
The first problem stems from the Terran tech-tree itself. Any Terran tech or upgrade can be rushed, so it is very difficult to design an upgrade that will only apply in the late game. The main barriers to reaching the Terran late-game are actually the resources and production capacity needed to support that late-game army, as most late-game Terran units need to be massed to some extent (or massed alongside similar or supporting units) to be effective.
The second problem is what to change. The Tank’s transformation time and friendly fire are important parts of its balance, so I am skeptical that you could reduce either. The Siege Tank’s combat stats are also in a good spot, so I’m also skeptical if you could reasonably buff the damage, health, range, radius, armor, or anything else.
Maybe I am just being too negative.
4 Likes
HURRAY! crybabies of the community have won! ghost is finally nerfed! of course, why should terran have a late game? why should people wonder why terran players relied on them so much? maybe, and i say MAYBE, there are no other alternatives? and of course you nerf the only late game unit without any compensation at all lol, literally 0 compensation
ok guys remember my words, now you’re going to see in upcoming tournaments how much this affects terran games, and how much terran late game is doomed
3 Likes
He says that it got vision buff and stationary mode for vision buff on top. Maybe I understood him wrong, but it felt like he was speaking about 2 different vision buffs.
Maybe I didn’t express myself clearly then. I mentioned the speed buff which had to be reverted, and the capability to get in surveillance mode. The thing is that in surveillance mode the vision of the observer increases by 25%, so while this was presented like a pure QoL change (it allows to F2 without suiciding your obs), it constitutes in fact simultaneously a significant vision buff. 
2 Likes
Yes it is a buff in terms of vision, but at the same time observer got animation to make it more visible as tradeoff.
It’s most likely too late and too minor to consider this, and may go too far with the Raven rework, but would it be possible for Overlords and Overseers to be given the Psionic tag? The reason behind this is twofold:
- In terms of lore, they relayed signals from the Cerebrates, and later Kerrigan and the Broodmothers, to the rest of the swarm, which is why they give supply, named “control”. In essence, the number of Overlords dictates how many lesser zerg you could safely have remote control over. (Reference: starcraft (dot) fandom (dot) com/wiki/Overlord)
- It would allow Interference Matrix to affect them, meaning that, like against terran and protoss, Ravens can disable zerg transports and mobile detectors for a short time, especially now that the duration is less.
One thing I am not sure on, without any additional changes, is if an Overlord/Overseer affected by Interference Matrix would stop giving supply for a short time. I’ve been asked that question a few times and I don’t have the answer.
1 Like
Awesome patch! Thanks for the hard work!
I just feel like the speed buff to Hydras needs a number adjustment-as a zerg main even, they are lightning fast with the upgrade.
Carriers should still be good late game as toss needs a way to win late game, and they are very expensive. Maybe Just the attack priority nerf was enough, I don’t think the interceptor shield nerf was necessary.