Okay.
I've been playing 1.1 since it came out. I've been saying since 1.2 development started
"I hope to god they don't fuck up the balance".
After having played 1.2 for a few days, i have to say, it hasn't been messed up, so to speak, but everything that made tremulous tremulous has been shifted to the point of it being a new game that i don't like. Obviously my opinion will be discounted instantly because it's only the opinion of one person, but i would like to put it out there.
1. Tyrants die too fast AND deal too much damage (with charge)
This one should be obvious. The tyrant is supposed to be the big dicked warrior alien who rampages through the level scaring humans. Instead, in 1.2, a Tyrant is the EASIEST class for me to solo with simply a shotgun. I'm not nearly the best player by a long shot, but i am pretty good at dodging. Tyrants are now as tanklike as i wished they would be in 1.1, but really this only makes it harder to hit humans,and without their old regeneration, they die quickly. Also, charge is just stupid. It seems almost like the devs were looking for a reason to justify leaving the Tyrant in the game, since it's old spot has been taken by every other class. It just frankly does too much damage. A single tyrant SHOULD be able to kill a bsuit, but with the new charge mechanic a tyrant can camp a hall and charge spam, killing everyone that enters it, and you better pray to god there isn't a basi standing around, or else it's invincible as well.
2. Humans have been slowed too much.
Obviously there is a really fine line between too much and too little. Well, they've been slowed too much and i think the speed should be closer to 1.1 speeds. Although i'm rather like a republican in that i fear change, if someone can justify to me why this is useful (considering it makes a single human WEAKER, forcing them to stay in packs, which in pub games often means "camping" in the general area of the base) then obviously i don't mind at all.
3. Adv goon to s2 didn't doesn't do shit for camping.
Humans now just stand by the doors, away from their base. Of course, they can't go out into the hall because of tyrants with charge. Forced camping l0l0l0l.
4. The whole game just "feels" different
Obviously, This isn't really a valid complaint. A major overhaul of a game is going to feel different. But shifting from trem 1.1 to trem 1.2 is a major change. Humans just seem all around... slower. From the turrets to the movement speed. They seem less mobile and make fighting multiple aliens at once really disorienting. For this reason 2 dretch can now easily take down most humans.
Aliens, on the other hand, feel kind of "faster". They just seem to die way quicker though, too. In groups, they're unstoppable. Basically it almost seems like the group dynamic in tremulous was changed completely. It used to be 1 Human < 1 Alien, and All Humans > All aliens. Now it's more like 1 Alien < 1 Human (unless you're a tyrant) and All Aliens > All Humans.
However, there are sooo many more things i like in 1.2. the upgraded graphics and ui are really refreshing. The dev team really did an awesome job on this game.
Finally, WHY THE HELL IS LIGHTMAP CONSIDERED A CHEAT NOW?
Thanks for your time.