Balancing Relay

By Jamborinio, in Star Wars: Armada

We've been playing a few games over last year - using Rieekan aces with Yavaris and 2 VCXs, using Gozantis with Jendon and all the various combos that provides, and we're beginning to think relay is a bit overpowered. Both of us reckon this is slightly more pronounced for the Empire where Jendon is not only relay 2, but also has a really good ability and is seriously hard to take down with his double braces. Playing with relay has also made Boosted Comms rather redundant and we all know it gives the flotillas free reign to fly outside of the melee.

So it got us thinking. I know others have put the idea that relay should be restricted to normal fighter control ranges, but for me this makes relay pretty dull and meaningless and hardly worth the bother. However, what would happen if relay could only be used once per round per fighter with relay?

We think it could work quite nicely in keeping relay quite useful but not totally dominant and we'll probably give it a try next time out.

Anyone had any success trying out some alternatives for relay?

27 minutes ago, Jambo75 said:

We've been playing a few games over last year - using Rieekan aces with Yavaris and 2 VCXs, using Gozantis with Jendon and all the various combos that provides, and we're beginning to think relay is a bit overpowered. Both of us reckon this is slightly more pronounced for the Empire where Jendon is not only relay 2, but also has a really good ability and is seriously hard to take down with his double braces. Playing with relay has also made Boosted Comms rather redundant and we all know it gives the flotillas free reign to fly outside of the melee.

So it got us thinking. I know others have put the idea that relay should be restricted to normal fighter control ranges, but for me this makes relay pretty dull and meaningless and hardly worth the bother. However, what would happen if relay could only be used once per round per fighter with relay?

We think it could work quite nicely in keeping relay quite useful but not totally dominant and we'll probably give it a try next time out.

Anyone had any success trying out some alternatives for relay?

This would make Relay absolutely worthless. Why would I pay 15 points from my squadron allotment for a 1 use a turn? On top of that tracking that during a game would be a nightmare.

I think a squadron's Relay should only be allowed to be used once a turn... But that's such an insig nerf as to not be worth adding to the game probably.

Do we really need another thread on this...

Relay is balanced by the drip feed effect of activating 2 squads at a time against the massive alpha capacity of a decent carrier with flight controllers etc.

The only time it’s unbalanced is when you both have minimal investment in squads except one of you has relay and the other doesn’t... so try changing how you play rather than waiting for a change which clearly isn’t coming at this point....

For anyone who wants to jump on the relay is OP bandwagon I think at this point you need something concrete from comp results. Rather than just more anecdotal commentary

Good ******* lord, ANOTHER ONE!!!!!!!!!

I wish i could start reporting these, if you want to complain honestly theres too many other threads to cpunt, you dont need to start a new one,just go bump one of the others with your concerns and worries!!!

I'm fine with people making new threads, since it's more likely to keep coming up in FFG's attention and being seen for the big not-fun it is

14 minutes ago, DerFurst said:

I'm fine with people making new threads, since it's more likely to keep coming up in FFG's attention and being seen for the big not-fun it is

Seeing one gigantic, huge thread where the issue is constantly being discussed at the top of the page shows it is a problem without a solution.

Many small threads that go on for less than a couple of pages and ends with the topic being shot down till the next new thread?

That shows the opposite of it being a problem.

It just shows that people are salty over losing a match the previous day. (Generalisation and not neccasarily true)

Plus big threads get more notice, for myself at least, im more likely to pay attention to a 30 page thread with 10,000 views about "flotillas are a menace" that has a refined argument from multiple contributers.

Instead i see variations of

10 hours ago, Jambo75 said:

We've been playing a few games over last year ........... we're beginning to think relay is a bit overpowered.

^ this in entirely new threads, followed by variations of

8 hours ago, Blail Blerg said:

I think a squadron's Relay should only be allowed to be used once a turn... But that's such an insig nerf as to not be worth adding to the game probably.

^ this, the argument goes on for, what, max 2 pages, someone shows data from regionals or worlds or whatever which is apparently the only way too get data (i know its the easiest, but im a casual player, id like to see more data sets from other than tournament play) then dissapears till a new thread pops up and the exact same arguments are rehashed.

Maybe theres a problem, maybe theres not, i dont really care cause im having fun playing the game as a casual player. But please, keep the arguments to one thread, like how the SSD lovers have their thread or the article predictions have theirs, even the painting thread now has a grand something something thread.

/rant over.

28 minutes ago, DerFurst said:

I'm fine with people making new threads, since it's more likely to keep coming up in FFG's attention and being seen for the big not-fun it is

I would bet big money that's not how it works.

30 minutes ago, Drasnighta said:

I would bet big money that's not how it works.

Thankfully there are multiple highly skilled players who admit they don't like how relay works, and those people even use relay as the centrepoint of some of their best lists. There's both quality and quantity of complaints on the subject going on at the moment

36 minutes ago, DerFurst said:

Thankfully there are multiple highly skilled players who admit they don't like how relay works, and those people even use relay as the centrepoint of some of their best lists. There's both quality and quantity of complaints on the subject going on at the moment

Ill give you the quantity part

After reading relay first, I thougt it was a sort of boosted comms. If the relay squad had to be in command range of the ship wanting to relay through it I think it would be absolutely fine.