From a93f7c3897cac7f88f7cff846b668f3fdfd84fe6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Malte Langkabel Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2026 22:10:06 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] Arena round 6: revert railgun_m damage, correct playtest record Arena re-run after the playtest-1 adjustments: - spam-cruiser arena landed at par (default +9%) - the range buff alone priced out the small-gun-spam meta, so revert railgun_m damage 16 -> 14 (range stays 80). The buff had regressed drone-swarm-vs-cruisers to +47%, largely via a hit-count breakpoint (60 HP drone: 5 hits at 14 dmg, 4 at 16). - battleship +30% / dreadnought +29% vs pure railgun_s fleets accepted as reach-doctrine texture (the l gun's 130 m standoff working as intended); repair kept at 4 HP/s (below par in-fight is the correct price for free between-wave sustain). Also corrects the playtest-1 record: it was two FULL playthroughs won in ~40 min each with cruisers only (not two pushes) - a 2.5-3x run-length gap. Pacing knobs deliberately deferred to playtest 2, since those runs predate the repair nerf and the l-gun siege range. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01DyCu8vwChKMbLJQ3xosYEN --- bin/app/data/config/modules.toml | 5 +++- docs/balancing/README.md | 11 +++++---- docs/balancing/derived.md | 10 +++++--- docs/balancing/history.md | 42 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--- 4 files changed, 54 insertions(+), 14 deletions(-) diff --git a/bin/app/data/config/modules.toml b/bin/app/data/config/modules.toml index 27a2888..30ace80 100644 --- a/bin/app/data/config/modules.toml +++ b/bin/app/data/config/modules.toml @@ -56,8 +56,11 @@ production_time_seconds = 3 fill_color = "#FF8040" glyph = "Rm" +# damage 14 keeps a 60 HP drone at 5 hits — 15+ crosses a breakpoint that +# silently adds ~25% effective DPS vs drones (docs/balancing/history.md, +# round 6). [module.weapon] -damage = 16 +damage = 14 attack_range_m = 80 attack_rate_hz = 1.5 diff --git a/docs/balancing/README.md b/docs/balancing/README.md index e5258dc..b4eed93 100644 --- a/docs/balancing/README.md +++ b/docs/balancing/README.md @@ -21,11 +21,12 @@ REQ-* ids in [../requirements.md](../requirements.md). First full balancing round complete (2026-07-06): targets → tree → numbers → threat-calculator parity → combat stats (arena-converged) → -pacing. Playtesting in progress: playtest 1 (first two pushes) found the -railgun_s-spam-cruiser meta and confirmed repair as overpowered — combat -stats adjusted, see `history.md`. Next: re-run the arena suite against -the adjustments, then continue playtests against the run-shape targets -in `targets.md`. +pacing. Playtesting in progress: playtest 1 (two full ~40-min wins, +cruisers only) found the railgun_s-spam-cruiser meta, confirmed repair +as overpowered, and exposed a 2.5–3× run-length gap; combat stats +adjusted and re-checked in arena round 6 (see `history.md`). Next: +playtest 2 with the new stats — pacing knobs (station scaling, threat +rate, win pacing) wait for its result. ## Open action items diff --git a/docs/balancing/derived.md b/docs/balancing/derived.md index 6b34687..764933a 100644 --- a/docs/balancing/derived.md +++ b/docs/balancing/derived.md @@ -98,10 +98,12 @@ geometry-validated against the hull grids) see `history.md`) **Weapons:** railgun_s 2 dmg × 2.0 Hz (4.0 DPS), range 50 m; -railgun_m 16 × 1.5 (24), range 80; railgun_l 52 × 0.8 (41.6), range 130. -DPS per threat: s 0.62, m 0.55, l 0.41 — the concentration tax softened -after playtest 1 so the ladder reads "pay some DPS efficiency for reach"; -railgun_l deliberately outranges stations (120 m) to buy the siege role. +railgun_m 14 × 1.5 (21), range 80; railgun_l 52 × 0.8 (41.6), range 130. +DPS per threat: s 0.62, m 0.48, l 0.41 — the concentration tax stands; +reach is the bigger guns' compensation (ranges raised after playtest 1, +which alone priced out the small-gun-spam meta). railgun_l deliberately +outranges stations (120 m) to buy the siege role. railgun_m damage is +breakpoint-sensitive: 15+ drops a 60 HP drone from 5 hits to 4. **Hull HP** (15/threat prior + empirical trims): drone 60, frigate 300, destroyer 550, cruiser 1500, battlecruiser 2400, battleship 6300, diff --git a/docs/balancing/history.md b/docs/balancing/history.md index 804647d..a836f1b 100644 --- a/docs/balancing/history.md +++ b/docs/balancing/history.md @@ -95,11 +95,14 @@ range 200). - **First full balancing round complete.** Next: full-game playtests against the run-shape targets. -## 2026-07-06 — playtest 1 (first two pushes) +## 2026-07-06 — playtest 1 (two full playthroughs) -First real run: two enemy stations destroyed in ~40 min game time -(~80 min real time with heavy build-pausing) — roughly on pace for the -≤2 h game-time target, so pacing untouched. +Two complete runs, WON in ~40 min each with cruiser fleets only — never +needing capitals. (Initially misread as "two pushes in 40 min, pacing on +target"; corrected in round 6.) That is roughly cycle 8 against the +win-cycle target of 20–24: a 2.5–3× pacing gap. Pacing knobs deliberately +untouched this round — the runs rode 9 HP/s repair and stations nothing +outranged, both nerfed below; playtest 2 measures the remaining gap. - **Meta finding: cruisers filled with 12× railgun_s dominate.** Predicted by the numbers in hindsight: the concentration tax makes railgun_s the @@ -125,3 +128,34 @@ First real run: two enemy stations destroyed in ~40 min game time - **Open:** re-run the arena suite to check the range/damage changes against the round 1–5 results; next playtest should verify big guns now feel worth climbing to and repair is merely good. + +## 2026-07-06 — arena round 6 (checking the playtest-1 adjustments) + +Mirrors healthy (5–8% margins, durations 24/66/91 s). Results: + +- **Spam-cruiser arena: default cruisers +9% — the meta is priced out**, + and the range buff alone did the work. +- **Regression: drone swarm vs cruisers +47% for cruisers** (was +14% + swarm in round 3). Besides the wider range gap, the damage buff crossed + a breakpoint: 14 dmg kills a 60 HP drone in 5 hits, 16 in 4 — a hidden + ~25% effective-DPS gain vs drones. Change: **railgun_m damage 16→14** + (range stays 80); the tax stands, reach is the compensation. +- Battleship +30% and dreadnought +29% vs pure railgun_s fleets: + **accepted as reach-doctrine texture** (BS was already accepted at + +23%) — the l gun's 130 m standoff is exactly what the range buff + bought; the counter is your own reach or 2:1 numbers, not equal-threat + small guns. Watch, don't tune. +- Repair escort flipped to raw +16%: **kept at 4 HP/s deliberately** — + the arena cannot price the free between-wave top-offs, so slightly + below par in-fight is the correct price for a module whose run-value + includes them. Playtest 2 decides; 6 is the fallback if repair feels + dead. +- Station assault: the 3× swarm cracked the fortified position keeping + 45% EHP. No knob this round touched it; together with playtest 1's + trivially easy pushes it flags **station strength as the first pacing + lever** for the next pass. + +**Pacing deferred:** playtest 1's 40-min wins predate the repair nerf +and the l-gun siege range. If playtest 2 still wins by ~cycle 10, the +levers are enemy station scaling (`3000 + 1500*x` likely too shallow), +the threat rate, and possibly `artifact_win_count`.