Testing Mode

[disc]

I think it would be far easier to make balance conclusions if players had access to a testing mode.

All hulls and modules would be unlocked, and the player would be able to save designs for use on the enemy team. The player could assign a design to be the "enemy," and one to be player controlled. A more complex test might include several player-designed ships of different kinds. The player could have a limited control of enemy behavior -- such as a feature to force the enemy to sit still and not shoot back.

Naturally this could function as an expansion of features in the current Custom mode.

I think this would make it much easier for players to input balance feedback, as right now we're working with disparate data. An after-action report would be useful in all game modes.

[madham82]

You got my vote. Eliminating the random factor will go a long way finding and eliminating bugs/balance issues. 

[Bigjku]

1 hour ago, madham82 said:

You got my vote. Eliminating the random factor will go a long way finding and eliminating bugs/balance issues. 

Agree if we can control all the ships in a battle it’s easier to see what works and what doesn’t.  Even if I can’t control their actions if I can just make sure that I don’t end up against a ship I outweigh by a factor of 2 (or vise versa) it would help.