KT v1.45 is now out :) 1/14/2017

With kobold classes, I hope to be able to push the diversity in roles. Items give subtle modifications to a direction in which a kobold can be played. But at the core of the classic kobold, is an all-rounder type of character. It has a bit of magic damage, bit of defense, a bit of mobility yet it specializes in absolutely nothing. The role of a 'mage' as it stands, is someone who deals a lot of magic damage - through Vengeful Murloc Skull, Affliction, Siphon Life and Frost Armor. Isn't a magician an archetype defined by casting spells and magic? The role seems absolutely lack luster to me. But it's not just the mage role; The warrior/tank, rogue, and beastmaster (pet-build) - share similar flaws. The rogue (crit dealer), is just someone who does a lot of burst damage; Not what I wanted, they should be a class that relies on timing, guerilla tactics, and stealth; Not a playstyle that instagibs another and runs away forever. The warrior currently is just a fat kobold, with a lot of foraging - they take a lot of hits and can do nothing else. A beastmaster is someone with maille/bearShroud and maxed pet upgrades. The second reason, is to make the gaem more exciting . The next patch will include 4 classes - Dabbler (original), Magi, Warrior, Rogue - they are all currently playable in the KT TEST map. They require a bit more balancing - but some players and I have been actively testing them to smoothen all the crooks and rugged areas.

Why another meta-rebalance, isn't the game fine? I have to disagree, there are some serious cookie-cutter builds that can instantly destroy another kobold. Which might be understandable, if there were skill differences between players. But it's real easy to see that there are builds that overpower others regardless of play-level. Every build, should be reasonably comparable to other builds within it's artisan scope and time-frame. There are also some builds that are just annoying to play against, like super-high speed invis builds that can weave in and out of team fights with minimal consequences. There are little counters against certain builds and others end up being a bulldog fight with outcomes depending on certain luck factors, or a chase 'til death/who gets bored first.

Examples of powerful equip sets include but are not limited to, maille + offensive equip gear (allowing 2 dank pets and equip power of other non pet builders); I have nothing against pet builds, but it's scope should start and end within pets - nothing less, nothing more. Other strong ones: Sawtooth + Javelin/Savage, Stiletto + Mantle, Twin Axes + Parapet, S.Harness. Stuff like stiletto/mantle/cloak + adrenaline rush/forestry, makes you able to run... forever. By itself, they are nothing - but when together - the scaling is too powerful. I will be nerfing mobility stacking, so individually they will give the same boost, but together they will give diminishing returns. Either that or put in more reasonable counters from other abilities/items. There are some others flaws community members have mentioned, like zephyr being able to drag people forever; parapet's palisades blocking pathing for too long - issues like these have been or will be resolved as well. I also intend to tweakup a lot of the lesser/unused items to be more viable.

The last 2 points (revival/arena) kind of go together. I want death - to be more acceptable and thus reviving to be more convenient and rewarding. BUT, given limitations - that way the game won't last forever while at the same time forgiving early game mistakes (without hindering the growth of early aggression). Currently, death/reviving has no limitations - but at the same time it's such a drag. The most memorable phenomenon is when a single enemy/ally is alive and they play a cat and mouse game until they either get caught in the shrines or ambushed. Or when you die, and you're just waiting to be revived - the resolution can take anywhere from a few to 15 minutes. Sure even with my patches, the revives have been made easier - but it's still no where near enough. Do I really want to play a game where most of my time is spent in death... does the average person, an enthusiast gamer, or even a professional competitor? Another food for thought: the game is so heavy on early game mistakes - rarely do I win in a comeback where I've lost the early game. If it happens, it's because the enemy gave us an entire galaxy's worth of time and began to wander alone.

In combination with the limited amount of revives, the arena will help define and limit the game's duration, to balance the lost of difficulty in reviving. A new arena will be introduced, in the south east corner and the original north east arena has been made slightly bigger - with some sight blockers. Each arena will have its own environmental effects to provide a little bit of variance in the form of luck and timing. Furthermore, it will allow for more than just 1v1's, possibly even up to 6v6's. I have not fleshed this last part out yet.

I am not sure when I will release the new patch, but I will need a bit more time. Also, what you saw in KT TEST yesterday most likely be won't you see today and might not be what you see tommorow. The KT TEST is being heavily modified, to help achieve a satisfactory balance.