Update 1.7.2

The second balance patch for version 1.7 is here! As we mentioned in previous balance patches, in the coming weeks, we will continue to make frequent and fast balance adjustments based on the collected data and feedback. In addition to this balance adjustment, we have also stated some of our thoughts on future updates at the end of this post. We welcome you to leave your opinions and suggestions in the comments section of this post, Reddit, Discord, or the Steam Discussion Forum!

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Balance Adjustments

Building Layout

Buildings now grant EXP when destroyed.

• Defense Wall: 6 EXP per segment

• Rapid-fire Cannon: 60 EXP

• Anti-Armor Cannon: 60 EXP

Developer's Note

In the previous version, buildings did not grant any EXP when destroyed, which made attacking buildings not very rewarding. After today’s change, units that destroy buildings will receive a small amount of EXP. We hope this will make destroying enemy buildings and avoiding enemy buildings both have their respective advantages. In the future, we will continue to adjust building mechanics based on collected data and feedback.

Crawler

• HP 277 → 263 (-5%)

Developer's Note

Among units that cost 100 supplies, Crawlers have the highest pick rate. The adjusted Crawlers will be more easily killed by units such as Fangs. Changes to basic units like Crawlers will have a relatively large impact on the meta, and we are likely to further adjust Crawlers based on feedback and data.

Hound

• Incendiary Bomb Price 300 → 250

Developer's Note

The usage rate of the Hound’s Incendiary Bomb in the previous version was extremely low. We hope that the Incendiary Bomb, with a slight price reduction this time, will become a more viable option against light chaffs.

Tarantula

• HP 13683 → 13273 (-3%)

• Armor Enhancement HP modifier +40% → +50%

Developer's Note

As one of the two most effective chaff-clearing units in the previous patch(the other being Vulcan), Tarantula has a high usage rate. We hope to slightly nerf Tarantula’s early-game survivability while slightly strengthening its late-game tankiness without changing its effectiveness against chaff. At the same time, we have also buffed Tarantula’s competitors, such as Arclight. In the future, we will continue to monitor Tarantula’s situation and are likely to further adjust it based on statistical data.

Vulcan

• ATK 90 → 88 (-2%)

• HP 35332 → 33566 (-5%)

• Ignite 200 → 250

• Scorching Fire 100% → 85%

Developer's Note

Vulcan, as one of the two most chaff-clearing units in the previous patch (the other being Tarantula), had a high usage rate. And Vulcan was also too strong against medium units. The goal of this adjustment is to lower its effectiveness against medium and heavy units while maintaining its suppression of light units. And we have also buffed Vulcan’s competitors, such as Arclight.

Arclight

• Range 93 → 95

• HP 4204 → 4498（+7%）

• Electromagnetic Shot 300 → 400

• Elite Marksman ATK modifier per rank +22% → +17%

Developer's Note

The usage rate of Arclight among units that cost 100 supplies is relatively low. In the past, to prevent Arclight from being too effective against medium and heavy units, we have made multiple nerfs to it. This time, we have significantly buffed Arclight, hoping that it will be more effective against light units, while slightly nerfing its ability to fight against medium and heavy units. In the future, we may further adjust Arclight based on collected data and feedback.

Stormcaller

• Unlock cost 0 → 50

Developer's Note

After this change, Stormcaller, like other non-initial units such as Rhino, Phoenix, and Wasp, now also costs 50 supplies to unlock. We will closely monitor the strength of the Stormcaller after this change and may slightly buff it in the future.

Steel Ball

• Armor Enhancement Price 350 → 300

• Mechanical Division Price 350 → 300

• Energy Absorption Price 250 → 200

Developer's Note

Steel Balls have a relatively low usage rate among units that cost 200 supplies. We hope to encourage more use of Steel Ball by reducing its technology price.

Void Eye

• HP 1371 → 1509 (+10%)

• Energy Shield price 300 → 250

• Aerial Mode price 250 → 200

• Charged Shot price 200 → 150

• Suppressive Shots price 150 → 100

• Energy Absorption price 0 → 50

Developer's Note

Very surprisingly, the usage rate of the Void Eye in the mid-to-late rounds ranks last among all 31 units, only relying on the 0-cost Energy Absorption to maintain a decent usage rate in the early rounds. Therefore, we have decided to give multiple buffs to the Void Eye and slightly increase the cost of Energy Absorption.

Wasp

• Elite Marksman price 300 → 400

Developer's Note

Wasp’s Elite Marksman is too cheap compared to most other units’ Elite Marksmen tech, so it needs a nerf.

Fortress

• ATK 6213 → 6524 (+5%)

Sandworm

• ATK 8906 → 9352 (+5%)

Raiden

• ATK 5304 → 5570 (+5%)

Developer's Note

The usage rates of giant units such as Fortress, Sandworm, and Raiden remain relatively low, and we hope to make minor enhancements to them.

Mountain

• 【Saturation Bombardment】 Price 400 → 500, Attack Interval 100% → 120%

Developer's Note

Saturation Bombardment was too powerful after buffs in the previous patches, so it needs a nerf.

Abyss

• Swarm Missile Price 450 → 500

Developer's Note

We are planning significant adjustments to the Abyss’s attack pattern. Before the planned adjustments arrive, we hope to slightly nerf the Abyss’s most powerful technology to make it more balanced.

Unit Reinforcement Card

• Reduced the rank of Rhino, Steel Ball, Mustang, Fire Badger, Fang, and Crawler in unit reinforcement cards.

Combat Speed

Now the speed-up button will show 20 seconds earlier during combat.

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Bugfixes

• Fixed an issue related to Mountain.

• Fixed multiple building-related issues.

• Fixed multiple tournament-related issues.

Some Thoughts on the Future

Looking back, the biggest issue with the patch 1.7 update was insufficient testing. Although we conducted a 3-week Closed Beta Test for the patch 1.7, the number of participants in the Closed Beta Test was too small compared to the hundreds of thousands of players who are active in Mechabellum every month. The small number of test players meant that we were unable to collect statistically significant data, which made it difficult for us to make data-driven adjustments during the testing period. Right now, we are actively revamping our testing process and server architecture. Our goal is to open the test server to all players, which will take quite a bit of time, but we will do it as soon as possible. Regarding unit balance, many players have expressed their desire to utilize fewer chaff units, such as Crawlers and Fangs. We understand this desire, as everyone loves giant robots! However, light units are a very important part of the game’s counter loop, so what we can do is add more options for players to counter light units. Several months ago, we began to rework the models, stats, and techs of Fire Badger and Typhoon. And they will become core units that can be freely recruited after the rework, which will significantly increase players’ options for countering light units. About the update pace, in the past 12 months, we have probably been adding new content to the game too fast, which has led to us not having enough time to test new content or optimize old content. In the coming months, we will slow down the addition of new systems and focus more on balance adjustments, QOL improvements, and existing content remakes. In terms of collecting feedback, there was many useful feedback in the comment section of the last balance patch, and we have also collected a lot of feedback from Reddit, Discord, and Steam forums, which we are currently studying. Previous feedback has helped our development a lot, and we hope that you will continue to leave more of your opinions and suggestions in the comment section of this article this time.