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Enhancements to Hound and Kickback

Greetings, Commanders!

This transmission is to inform you of a few enhancements being made to the Bots designated Hound and Kickback. These will be in TODAY.

HOUND

Hound has great versatility with his two ammo types, allowing him to cause Burn damage or ignore Evade abilities. His toolbox of abilities allows him to change things up depending on your opponent, but it could end up feeling like Hound was not as strong as a less versatile Bot.

We also want to encourage players to use Hound as a ranged bot, but many players felt like there wasn’t enough reward for landing ranged combos.

Finally, we wanted to give expert players a chance to really shine with Hound in longer fights, so we’ve modified his Special Attack 3 in a way that should allow skilled players to maximize Hound’s damage.

With these changes, we hope players will make Hound feel more like a heavy weapon, dealing damage from a distance.


(NEW) Inferno Ammo:
• 3rd hit of a Ranged Combo has a 100% chance to refresh the timer of a Burn Debuff.

(NEW) Precision Ammo:
• The 2nd hit of a ranged combo has a 60% chance to remove a Shield Buff from the opponent
• The 3rd hit of a ranged combo has an 80% chance to remove a Shield Buff from the opponent

(ADJUSTED) Special Attack 3:
• Autobot Hound has a 100% chance to inflict a Critical Resistance Debuff, increasing the chance for Critical Hits against opponents by 40% for 20 seconds and proceeds to fire every gun in his inventory. (Timer was 28 seconds, now it’s 20, but doesn’t start counting down until the player hits or is hit by a melee attack)

(ADJUSTED) Signature:
• When Autobot Hound rolls to avoid a Ranged Attack he gains a 50~200% Ranged Bonus for 5 seconds. (was 3 seconds, increased to 5)

BUG FIX:
• 5-Star Hound was not gaining his Armor Buff when performing a Heavy Attack. This has been fixed.

KICKBACK

Kickback is overall a strong bot, but he gets outshined by the other Scouts. He is particularly strong against opponents who Shock or apply Power Debuffs, but he was limited more than we like.

These changes may seem small, but they lean heavily into the benefits that Kickback gets from Power Leaks. Increasing the number of Power Leaks affects his Heavy Attack, Special attack 1 and Special attack 3.


(ADJUSTED) Critical Hits:
• X% chance to inflict Power Leak, draining 4.8~9.6% of an opponent’s power over 10 seconds. (Maximum 5) (Max was previously 3)

(NEW) Opponent Heavy Attack Transforms:
• 55% chance to Evade Melee Heavy Attacks.

(ADJUSTED) Signature:
• Heavy Attacks: 35~80% chance to infect an opponent with T-Clog, lowering the opponent’s power rate by -30% for 10 seconds. If the infected bot uses a Heavy Attack, T-Clog is removed and their Transformation fails, Stunning them for 2 seconds. (Increased upper limit to 80%)

WINDBLADE

This change isn’t for the Bot herself, but for the AI that controls Windblade when she is the enemy. Currently, she plays too much like a ranged Bot, when she is not. Moving forward, she’ll be more likely to use Melee attacks, and will use her Special 2 Attack from closer.
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Comments

  • zufmq67q5b2o.jpeg

    Hound has got buffed!
  • The hound buff might not be enough. But we'll see tomorrow. And why buff Kickback instead of Soundwave? KB was fine whereas Soundwave is long due for a buff.
  • The hound buff might not be enough. But we'll see tomorrow. And why buff Kickback instead of Soundwave? KB was fine whereas Soundwave is long due for a buff.

    Just wait until you see everyone using Hound in the spotlight missions and LOC missions
  • DrShotgunDrShotgun Posts: 2,157
    This is GREAT news. I've seen players really shine with Hound as a ranged bot, this is even better.
    And Kickback was already a badass, this is awesome.
  • FirebotFirebot Posts: 525
    Really wish they'd buff Hot Rod
  • Bi1b0BagginsBi1b0Baggins Posts: 1,049
    Red_Eyes wrote: »
    The hound buff might not be enough. But we'll see tomorrow. And why buff Kickback instead of Soundwave? KB was fine whereas Soundwave is long due for a buff.

    Yeah, what a disappointment. You want to touch up Kickback, great, but to ignore Soundwave after all the buffing that KB had already gotten, just a mind-boggling disappointment. At least give him a 100% chance to Power Drain with SP1 or 100% chance to Power Lock with SP3.

    Totally agree. His unreliable sp1 is the sole reason I stopped using him.
  • GeneralZ9GeneralZ9 Posts: 185
    I get the Hound buff but Kickback?! Really?! You had the chance to rework Soundwave and you blew it! I do appreciate the buff to Kickback and Hound tho, but you had a chance to rework a bot (Soundwave) that was long overdue for a rework and you didn't take it!
  • Red_EyesRed_Eyes Posts: 994
    edited April 2020
    As far as Kickback's melee heavy evade, in my opinion this serves to first and foremost, make it harder to fight against him, not easier to fight with him. Maybe KB gets outshined because he is clunky and slower than other scouts not because he lacked abilities.
  • FirebotFirebot Posts: 525
    edited April 2020
    Red_Eyes wrote: »
    As far as Kickback's melee heavy evade, in my opinion this serves to first and foremost, make it harder to fight against him, not easier to fight with him. Maybe KB gets outshined because he is clunky and slower than other scouts not because he lacked abilities.

    Fight Kickback with Kickback then T-Clog will prevent activation of opponent Kickbacks Evade
    (or simply bring Hot Rod(deceleration so...))
    (Just what I would do)& also a joke.
    OR BRING THE NEW AND ENHANCED HOUND!
    (again joking)
  • Decimus234Decimus234 Posts: 677
    DID SOMEONE SAY HOUND BUFF?!?!
  • GeneralZ9GeneralZ9 Posts: 185
    edited April 2020
    It's SHOCKWAVE and not Soundwave everyone. @Kabam Vydious made a typo. And the enhancements are live today.
  • JIMMY_SABJIMMY_SAB Posts: 1,008

    WINDBLADE

    This change isn’t for the Bot herself, but for the AI that controls Windblade when she is the enemy. Currently, she plays too much like a ranged Bot, when she is not. Moving forward, she’ll be more likely to use Melee attacks, and will use her Special 2 Attack from closer.

    All the comments about KB, Hound, & lack of Soundwave rework but I bet this is the bot change will be most impactful. Admittedly, her AI was in fact to range centric but her melee bleeds are gonna be a wake up call to many players. Especially those that run the 1.4 path in room 1.

  • MystaJayMystaJay Posts: 135
    I hardly see ANYONE having high level hound or kickback, so balancing them to entice more ppl to use them makes sense. Despite all the cries about soundwave i still see a lot of ppl using him

    And yes windblade is prob one of the easiest scout AI to fight, next to jazz. Not looking to fighting kb though, he's prob the most unpredictable evade bot imo. Then again his evade hardly triggers when i use him, but against AI... smh

    Any buff is better than no buff, esp in this climate, just saying...

    Thx kabam for this
  • KillMasterCKillMasterC Posts: 3,105
    edited April 2020
    Glad to see some long-waited rework done to Hound, but it doesn't look like a very solid buff to the warrior.

    Firstly, it's good to make the bot dedicated to range play. But without a ranged heavy, you don't have enough benefit trading shots with the AI. Take a look at IH, Shockwave and Megatronus, and you know why.

    Secondly, being able to refresh a burn debuff certainly contributes to Hound's damage. But if you make the 3rd hit the refreshing one, that means we'll sacrifice an opening (where we could do a 'doubletap - dash 5 combo - special') just for a refresh. Why would we do that when a special can mostly apply a burn or some bleeds anyway?


    Finally, what's the point of nullifying shields? Can his shots bypass Soundwave's reflection? Does he has enough shots to melt all the shields of Rhinox? Mirage? He only activates his shield against specials. In the end, the only viable use of this nullify ability, is against Wheeljack.
  • Gunz0Gunz0 Posts: 2,949
    What’s next? You’re gonna remove the duration of KB’s Power Leaks completely next time? How about giving him a 24/7 Evade passive?
    Nice to see Hound is still a great Away Mission bot though
  • KillMasterCKillMasterC Posts: 3,105
    So I've tested Hound 2.0 and my points hold. I've dance-shoot for a long time in order to remove some shields from a Tech shark. There's no indication when a shield is removed, some "nullified" text would be good. More often, Hound's ammo switches when you didn't intend to. Making the shield removal even harder.

    Suggestion:
    • make the shield removal happen even when the enemy blocks.
    • instead of refreshing the burn debuff: add a stack of burn when you land 3 shots with Inferno, and a stack of bleed with Precision.
    • With Precision ammo on, ranged shots will not be reflected, absorbed or unstoppabled.
  • Gunz0Gunz0 Posts: 2,949
    Firebot wrote: »
    Really wish they'd buff Hot Rod
    Your wish has been granted
  • FirebotFirebot Posts: 525
    Gunz0 wrote: »
    Firebot wrote: »
    Really wish they'd buff Hot Rod
    Your wish has been granted

    Really??
    I don't think so.
    And if so what are the improvements?
  • Gunz0Gunz0 Posts: 2,949
    Firebot wrote: »
    Gunz0 wrote: »
    Firebot wrote: »
    Really wish they'd buff Hot Rod
    Your wish has been granted

    Really??
    I don't think so.
    And if so what are the improvements?
    Firebot wrote: »
    Red_Eyes wrote: »
    As far as Kickback's melee heavy evade, in my opinion this serves to first and foremost, make it harder to fight against him, not easier to fight with him. Maybe KB gets outshined because he is clunky and slower than other scouts not because he lacked abilities.

    (or simply bring Hot Rod(deceleration so...))
    (Just what I would do)

    It’s an indirect buff but still a buff regardless. Congratulations! Hot Rod now has more uses
  • MystaJayMystaJay Posts: 135
    9a53u3y1ejlr.png

    Minor typo, the THIRD hit... 80%...
  • FirebotFirebot Posts: 525
    Gunz0 wrote: »
    Firebot wrote: »
    Gunz0 wrote: »
    Firebot wrote: »
    Really wish they'd buff Hot Rod
    Your wish has been granted

    Really??
    I don't think so.
    And if so what are the improvements?
    Firebot wrote: »
    Red_Eyes wrote: »
    As far as Kickback's melee heavy evade, in my opinion this serves to first and foremost, make it harder to fight against him, not easier to fight with him. Maybe KB gets outshined because he is clunky and slower than other scouts not because he lacked abilities.

    (or simply bring Hot Rod(deceleration so...))
    (Just what I would do)

    It’s an indirect buff but still a buff regardless. Congratulations! Hot Rod now has more uses
    Using my word against me?
    Not the answer I was expecting.
    And I WAS JOKING.
    (But I want something else for Hot Rod)
  • Hound needs a knock back ability , like cyclonus when MM charges in , to keep the opponent at (Michael) bay.

    It could be called belly-bounce or something like that

    I agree about his firepower needing to apply effects regardless of blocking

    Inferno should apply burn regardless of block, precision should be unblock able and unreflective
  • FirebotFirebot Posts: 525
    Hound needs a knock back ability , like cyclonus when MM charges in , to keep the opponent at (Michael) bay.

    It could be called belly-bounce or something like that

    I agree about his firepower needing to apply effects regardless of blocking

    Inferno should apply burn regardless of block, precision should be unblock able and unreflective

    Hold it right there pal, You're making him from not useful at all to a god?
    Even megatronus cannot apply armor break when opponent is blocking.
  • Gunz0Gunz0 Posts: 2,949
    Firebot wrote: »
    Gunz0 wrote: »
    Firebot wrote: »
    Gunz0 wrote: »
    Firebot wrote: »
    Really wish they'd buff Hot Rod
    Your wish has been granted

    Really??
    I don't think so.
    And if so what are the improvements?
    Firebot wrote: »
    Red_Eyes wrote: »
    As far as Kickback's melee heavy evade, in my opinion this serves to first and foremost, make it harder to fight against him, not easier to fight with him. Maybe KB gets outshined because he is clunky and slower than other scouts not because he lacked abilities.

    (or simply bring Hot Rod(deceleration so...))
    (Just what I would do)

    It’s an indirect buff but still a buff regardless. Congratulations! Hot Rod now has more uses
    Using my word against me?
    Not the answer I was expecting.
    And I WAS JOKING.
    (But I want something else for Hot Rod)

    Hot Rod is unironically great against KB and all other evaders, though. Now that KB’s buffed with a permanent melee heavy evasion, there are 2 ways to counter him: 1. Use a ranged heavy, 2. Use an anti-evader like Drift or Hot Rod


    Firebot wrote: »
    Hound needs a knock back ability , like cyclonus when MM charges in , to keep the opponent at (Michael) bay.

    It could be called belly-bounce or something like that

    I agree about his firepower needing to apply effects regardless of blocking

    Inferno should apply burn regardless of block, precision should be unblock able and unreflective

    Hold it right there pal, You're making him from not useful at all to a god?
    Even megatronus cannot apply armor break when opponent is blocking.
    He’s not going to be a god. Barricade and Hot Rod can already inflict debuffs through shields, and yet they’re not gods.
    The main tactic in this game is avoiding as many hits as possible, so Burn triggering through blocks won’t affect the players as much as it affects AIs (maybe except Shockwave users).
    Besides, his Burn does wetnoodle damage and is only used as a bonus for Precision Ammo crit damage so it won’t make him overpowered or anything.
  • FirebotFirebot Posts: 525
    edited April 2020
    Gunz0 wrote: »
    Firebot wrote: »
    Gunz0 wrote: »
    Firebot wrote: »
    Gunz0 wrote: »
    Firebot wrote: »
    Really wish they'd buff Hot Rod
    Your wish has been granted

    Really??
    I don't think so.
    And if so what are the improvements?
    Firebot wrote: »
    Red_Eyes wrote: »
    As far as Kickback's melee heavy evade, in my opinion this serves to first and foremost, make it harder to fight against him, not easier to fight with him. Maybe KB gets outshined because he is clunky and slower than other scouts not because he lacked abilities.

    (or simply bring Hot Rod(deceleration so...))
    (Just what I would do)

    It’s an indirect buff but still a buff regardless. Congratulations! Hot Rod now has more uses
    Using my word against me?
    Not the answer I was expecting.
    And I WAS JOKING.
    (But I want something else for Hot Rod)

    Hot Rod is unironically great against KB and all other evaders, though. Now that KB’s buffed with a permanent melee heavy evasion, there are 2 ways to counter him: 1. Use a ranged heavy, 2. Use an anti-evader like Drift or Hot Rod


    Firebot wrote: »
    Hound needs a knock back ability , like cyclonus when MM charges in , to keep the opponent at (Michael) bay.

    It could be called belly-bounce or something like that

    I agree about his firepower needing to apply effects regardless of blocking

    Inferno should apply burn regardless of block, precision should be unblock able and unreflective

    Hold it right there pal, You're making him from not useful at all to a god?
    Even megatronus cannot apply armor break when opponent is blocking.
    He’s not going to be a god. Barricade and Hot Rod can already inflict debuffs through shields, and yet they’re not gods.
    The main tactic in this game is avoiding as many hits as possible, so Burn triggering through blocks won’t affect the players as much as it affects AIs (maybe except Shockwave users).
    Besides, his Burn does wetnoodle damage and is only used as a bonus for Precision Ammo crit damage so it won’t make him overpowered or anything.

    'God' was a reference to megatronus
    And I was just pointing out that a just reworked bot doesn't need another rework
  • Red_EyesRed_Eyes Posts: 994
    Hound needs a knock back ability , like cyclonus when MM charges in , to keep the opponent at (Michael) bay.

    It could be called belly-bounce or something like that

    I agree about his firepower needing to apply effects regardless of blocking

    Inferno should apply burn regardless of block, precision should be unblock able and unreflective

    Concussive Bounce? :D
  • Red_EyesRed_Eyes Posts: 994
    edited April 2020
    So I've tested Hound 2.0 and my points hold. I've dance-shoot for a long time in order to remove some shields from a Tech shark. There's no indication when a shield is removed, some "nullified" text would be good. More often, Hound's ammo switches when you didn't intend to. Making the shield removal even harder.

    Suggestion:
    • make the shield removal happen even when the enemy blocks.
    • instead of refreshing the burn debuff: add a stack of burn when you land 3 shots with Inferno, and a stack of bleed with Precision.
    • With Precision ammo on, ranged shots will not be reflected, absorbed or unstoppabled.

    Is it not 3.0 now?

    Switching between Inferno and Precision still leaves you open to being a sitting duck and taking hits. Why not just combine them to eliminate that risk? Are we worried about making Hound too OP or something? Lol.
  • Gunz0Gunz0 Posts: 2,949
    Have KB’s healing buffs always been capped at 6 stacks?
    gje71kln6cgb.png
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