The current state of pearl bomb is horrible game design. It isn't overpowered and it doesn't completely win fights, yet it ruins the gameplay entirely.
INTRO & TLDR:
Pearl Bomb is in an unhealthy state for the server. The problem is that it constantly produces unreactable, instant deaths if your "unlucky". (but its not rare, see in common arguments) In large fights unlucky explosion timing (common with the large # of pearl bombs) in combination with the large explosion radius often creates situations where players have no time to reasonably react before taking 5–6 hearts. (see clips for repeated examples). This design doesn’t reward skill or awareness, this module is just complete bs where you can randomly just die if your not hiding in the sidelines. It forces players to avoid mid (and inhib) just like the crystal era. If crystals were reworked for these same reasons, Pearl Bomb deserves the same treatment.
In Cryptite's own words when nerfing crystals:
"Despite arguments to the contrary we do not agree that less than one-second of reaction time before taking upwards of 6+ hearts of damage is sufficient, fun game design, or balanced.".
It's insane how this statement applies to both prenerf crystals and current endermites. If he used this exact same line when nerfing pearl bomb no one would notice. In theory, endermites have a couple second detonation time, but when your at a large fight and theres mites everywhere, the moment you see one you can very well just explode. (See some examples in clips section)
Pearl bombs range & damage should be nerfed considerably and its health should be increased to 20. (Or just flatout rework it, its just bad game design)
(the health part is because apparently if a endermite spawns clipped inside a block it just dies and instantly explodes and hits everyone, not sure if true)
Take a look at these clips:
Clip 1:
Here a pearl bomb explodes and from an absurd range deals 7 hearts of damage. Less than a second to react. How is this good game design? Just sit in the back/side?
Cryptite: "We do not agree that less than one-second of reaction time before taking upwards of 6+ hearts of damage is sufficient, fun game design, or balanced.". (lol)
Clip 2:
Here less than a second after seen it explodes and deals 5.5 hearts of damage then another endermite with no time to react explodes and finishes kylaz off (another 5.5hearts of dmg) What was kylaz supposed to do here?
Cryptite: "We do not agree that less than one-second of reaction time before taking upwards of 6+ hearts of damage is sufficient, fun game design, or balanced.". (lol)
Clip 3:
Here there is a pearl bomb infront then one spawns behind, cornered between 2 endermites I try to run fowards and attempt to not die yet I get hit by BOTH endermites from an absurd range then pearl straight into a THIRD ENDERMITE. How is this gameplay what the server wants? No different than crystals genuinely worse even.
Clip 4:
Don't even know what to say this clip is just absurd, people can just sit at mid crystaling (usually useless for kills) but with pearl bomb randomly exploding from behind it insta kills both. Just avoid mid completely I guess? Same issue as pre nerf crystals then lol.
Cryptite: "We do not agree that less than one-second of reaction time before taking upwards of 6+ hearts of damage is sufficient, fun game design, or balanced.". (lol)
Clip 5:
dont even know what to say. just watch. its horrible
Clip 6:
the worst one yet;
Common arguments:
Pearl bomb constantly produces unreactable, instant deaths if your "unlucky". (but its not rare, see in common arguments) In large fights unlucky explosion timing (common with the large # of pearl bombs) and the large explosion radius often creates situations where players have less than 1 second to react before taking 5–6 hearts. (see clips for repeated examples). This design doesn’t reward skill or awareness, this module is just complete bs where you can randomly just die if your not hiding in the sidelines. It forces players to avoid mid (and inhib) just like the crystal era. If crystals were reworked for these same reasons, Pearl Bomb deserves the same treatment.
If were looking at a simulation where your fighting mid, pearl bomb spawns beside you, you can hear/see it and sprint away. This is true, but that's just not how it plays out. You often just get nuked by pre existing endermites. https://streamable.com/b57exv no time to react into 6heart explosion, https://streamable.com/b57exv less than a second to react, or whatever the hell this is https://streamable.com/ye61xm, whatever this was too https://streamable.com/si8fu0. Making it more noticeable will not do anything either and not fix these "unlucky" situations.
If you just hear:
"Oh a pearl bomb spawned behind you and infront of you? Then u tried to run away and blew up then pearled right into another one and blew up again?" (https://streamable.com/ye61xm)
"Oh you ran straight into a pearl bomb and the moment it came in your render distance it exploded you for 7 hearts, instantly dying." (https://streamable.com/4n8mii)
"Oh you fought on inhib then the moment you spotted a mite infront of you it exploded for 5.5 hearts then another behind you also exploded for another 5.5 hearts?" (https://streamable.com/b57exv)
"Oh you got expoloded by a crystal then an endermite 0.25s later?" (https://streamable.com/hwkyfd)
"Oh you just got comepleted erased off the map?" (https://streamable.com/si8fu0)
It'd just seem that they just got unlucky, yet situations like these keep happening to countless people every fight. With the absurd range and just concept of pearl bomb, "unlucky" situations like this are constantly made, its just a common occurrence. I do not agree at all that these are just rare unlucky situations, I would say its extremely common to just randomly face an unreasonable death.
INTRO & TLDR:
Pearl Bomb is in an unhealthy state for the server. The problem is that it constantly produces unreactable, instant deaths if your "unlucky". (but its not rare, see in common arguments) In large fights unlucky explosion timing (common with the large # of pearl bombs) in combination with the large explosion radius often creates situations where players have no time to reasonably react before taking 5–6 hearts. (see clips for repeated examples). This design doesn’t reward skill or awareness, this module is just complete bs where you can randomly just die if your not hiding in the sidelines. It forces players to avoid mid (and inhib) just like the crystal era. If crystals were reworked for these same reasons, Pearl Bomb deserves the same treatment.
In Cryptite's own words when nerfing crystals:
"Despite arguments to the contrary we do not agree that less than one-second of reaction time before taking upwards of 6+ hearts of damage is sufficient, fun game design, or balanced.".
It's insane how this statement applies to both prenerf crystals and current endermites. If he used this exact same line when nerfing pearl bomb no one would notice. In theory, endermites have a couple second detonation time, but when your at a large fight and theres mites everywhere, the moment you see one you can very well just explode. (See some examples in clips section)
Pearl bombs range & damage should be nerfed considerably and its health should be increased to 20. (Or just flatout rework it, its just bad game design)
(the health part is because apparently if a endermite spawns clipped inside a block it just dies and instantly explodes and hits everyone, not sure if true)
Take a look at these clips:
Clip 1:
Here a pearl bomb explodes and from an absurd range deals 7 hearts of damage. Less than a second to react. How is this good game design? Just sit in the back/side?
Cryptite: "We do not agree that less than one-second of reaction time before taking upwards of 6+ hearts of damage is sufficient, fun game design, or balanced.". (lol)
Watch Instant 7 heart explode from max range LOL | Streamable
Watch "Instant 7 heart explode from max range LOL" on Streamable.
streamable.com
Clip 2:
Here less than a second after seen it explodes and deals 5.5 hearts of damage then another endermite with no time to react explodes and finishes kylaz off (another 5.5hearts of dmg) What was kylaz supposed to do here?
Cryptite: "We do not agree that less than one-second of reaction time before taking upwards of 6+ hearts of damage is sufficient, fun game design, or balanced.". (lol)
Watch cant even play objective lol | Streamable
Watch "cant even play objective lol " on Streamable.
streamable.com
Clip 3:
Here there is a pearl bomb infront then one spawns behind, cornered between 2 endermites I try to run fowards and attempt to not die yet I get hit by BOTH endermites from an absurd range then pearl straight into a THIRD ENDERMITE. How is this gameplay what the server wants? No different than crystals genuinely worse even.
Watch bomb behind, bomb infront, 1 on pearl | Streamable
Watch "bomb behind, bomb infront, 1 on pearl" on Streamable.
streamable.com
Clip 4:
Don't even know what to say this clip is just absurd, people can just sit at mid crystaling (usually useless for kills) but with pearl bomb randomly exploding from behind it insta kills both. Just avoid mid completely I guess? Same issue as pre nerf crystals then lol.
Cryptite: "We do not agree that less than one-second of reaction time before taking upwards of 6+ hearts of damage is sufficient, fun game design, or balanced.". (lol)
Clip 5:
dont even know what to say. just watch. its horrible
Clip 6:
the worst one yet;
Common arguments:
This is an argument players also used to defend crystals. It was pretty easy to just avoid crystals yet they were gutted. You could completely avoid both crystals and endermites by playing in the side and backlines and never die to them yet this isn't the gameplay the server wants- It's simply bad game design.
As said in my introduction:
Pearl bomb constantly produces unreactable, instant deaths if your "unlucky". (but its not rare, see in common arguments) In large fights unlucky explosion timing (common with the large # of pearl bombs) and the large explosion radius often creates situations where players have less than 1 second to react before taking 5–6 hearts. (see clips for repeated examples). This design doesn’t reward skill or awareness, this module is just complete bs where you can randomly just die if your not hiding in the sidelines. It forces players to avoid mid (and inhib) just like the crystal era. If crystals were reworked for these same reasons, Pearl Bomb deserves the same treatment.
If were looking at a simulation where your fighting mid, pearl bomb spawns beside you, you can hear/see it and sprint away. This is true, but that's just not how it plays out. You often just get nuked by pre existing endermites. https://streamable.com/b57exv no time to react into 6heart explosion, https://streamable.com/b57exv less than a second to react, or whatever the hell this is https://streamable.com/ye61xm, whatever this was too https://streamable.com/si8fu0. Making it more noticeable will not do anything either and not fix these "unlucky" situations.
Crystals also got nerfed multiple times before the current state, not much more to be said.
You can sometimes tank multiple explosions without dying, but the issue is the extremely common “unlucky” situations where you have no time to react before exploding. This isn’t skill based, awareness doesn't help- it’s just bad design that forces players to avoid mid/inhib if they dont want to randomly die.
If you just hear:
"Oh a pearl bomb spawned behind you and infront of you? Then u tried to run away and blew up then pearled right into another one and blew up again?" (https://streamable.com/ye61xm)
"Oh you ran straight into a pearl bomb and the moment it came in your render distance it exploded you for 7 hearts, instantly dying." (https://streamable.com/4n8mii)
"Oh you fought on inhib then the moment you spotted a mite infront of you it exploded for 5.5 hearts then another behind you also exploded for another 5.5 hearts?" (https://streamable.com/b57exv)
"Oh you got expoloded by a crystal then an endermite 0.25s later?" (https://streamable.com/hwkyfd)
"Oh you just got comepleted erased off the map?" (https://streamable.com/si8fu0)
It'd just seem that they just got unlucky, yet situations like these keep happening to countless people every fight. With the absurd range and just concept of pearl bomb, "unlucky" situations like this are constantly made, its just a common occurrence. I do not agree at all that these are just rare unlucky situations, I would say its extremely common to just randomly face an unreasonable death.
Did crystals help anti HL win any fights? We abused it harder than anyone else yet it never helped win, it just resulted in horrible gameplay. Helian league always won but crystals did not make the game fun. The issue is not that it's a win condition, the issue is that you have to completely avoid sections of the map, constantly have to deal with randomly taking 6 hearts of dmg if playing mid/inhib. Yes, you can avoid ones that spawn beside you due to the glowing/noise but its not that simple. In large fights unlucky explosion timing in combination with the large explosion radius often creates situations where players have no time to reasonably react before taking 5–6 hearts. (WATCH THE CLIPS).
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