4 Step to Make Wave Generation Better

[Akemisora]

This post is made to actualize this

Why SSH is hard but it isn't considered that way: How to simply solve the problem

I understand why you said that SSH is more like “seasoned”, because the game design itself relies too much on strong enemies to make the game harder, such as cowards, slobs, armored chicken, chickenaut, ufo chicken… When they’re nonexistent then it’s easy. When they exist, it makes harder. But the problem, the game loves to spam those “strong” enemies and make the difficulty fluctuate to nearly impossible without dying/special weapons. There should be some limitation of spawning those guys s…

1. Give spawning a limitation for strong enemies

For example:
10% of Gatling Gun
15% of Chickenaut
15% of Armored Chicken
15% of Slob
25% of UFO chick
25% of UFO chicken
25% of Coward
25% of Assassin
25% of Toxic

Why?
To get rid of formerly known as “epic” wave. Spamming strong enemies (e.g. 100% Chickenaut wave) can lead to “unfair” difficulty. Maybe some of you find it fun, but it’s bad having a difficulty spike from the expected difficulty range.

Some waves are exception, like Armored Division, Technological Advances etc.

2. Let there be variety in previously homogeneous wave

For example, Military Parade or each row/column in Treble Trouble etc. (There’s too many to be mentioned one by one)

Why?
This kind of wave that might be too easy or too hard, with the ban of spawning a wave full of strong enemies, these waves will become easier as only weaker enemies are spawned. This change is meant to let it be harder by introducing variety to the formation.

I found heterogeneous wave like Chicken Geometry more enjoyable than homogeneous “epic” waves.

3. Buff ordinary chicken firing rate

This includes chick and its variants, chicken and variants.

Why?
As I said, the biggest contribution to the difficulty of a wave is from strong enemies. Ordinary chickens just didn’t shoot enough egg/waste/laser. That’s why some waves are too easy.

4. Coward and Slob rework

The troublesome duo. I’ll make this rework simpler than previous one.

Coward

• Attack up to 2 wastes, at 100% and 25% (was 4)
• Stay at position, start to flee when triggered
• Will back to position after 3 seconds

Why?
Attack nerf makes them less punishing than before, while positioning rework could let them reintroduced in waves where they’re banned.

Idea about play both side

There are 170 wave types in total (not including variations). Waves where Cowards are exclusively disabled are: Yolk-Star, Terminator chickens : because they make awful terminators Play both sides, Vending machine: because they might end up inside the barriers Single digits, Tangled mess: because they mess up the pattern The strongest link, Energy fences: because they leave their post So, all in all, not as bad as one might think.

Cowards won’t show that they’re coward at first glance.

Slob

• Shoot only when it dies

They will be another death bomb.

Why?
One word, consistency. It gives certainty to player, unlike now. With the spawning limitation, there should be no wave full of death bomb again.

[InterAction_studios]

@Akemisora

Coward

• Attack up to 2 wastes, at 100% and 25% (was 4)
• Stay at position, start to flee when triggered
• Will back to position after 3 seconds

Changed in v.53 (incomplete) Idea

[Traveller]

For the record, as far as the now-applied coward changes go, I ſtill ſtick to the arguments I made in the dedicated topic.

I am ſtill of the opinion that many of theſe difficulty changes mainly make the hardeſt difficulties eaſier, and are mainly propoſed by people who wiſh they could fly on SSH without the ſlighteſt hiccup. This goes directly againſt the old philoſophy of “above 100% anything goes”. As it is, I’ve ſtarted goïng for the medal of unpreparedneſs every miſſion, as that’s the only way I can make it a challenge to ſurvive.

Difficulty changes ſhould work like capitaliſm: the hard miſſions get harder, and the eaſy miſſions get eaſier.

[Akemisora]

I agree hard mission should be hard, but I believe there’s another way rather than spamming hard enemies. Step number 3 is the way to compensate step number 1. And step number 2 will reduce the chance a wave being too easy or too hard.

@Traveller

how does this reconcile with vaſtly nerfing the cowards?

Since most of weapons now do higher damage, it might not be noticable that they shoot less. Things that get benefit from it are just riddler and co.

[Traveller]

I would not be againſt increaſing firing rates, but how does this reconcile with vaſtly nerfing the cowards?
And what about the lack of epic waves theſe days?
If you look in the epic waves topic, you’ll that while once they were a dime a dozen on SSH, now they are actuälly quite rare.

[InterAction_studios]

One of the upcoming changes in the next few (?) months is an enemy health rework that will in all likelihood scale back all weapon damage (or, equivalently, increase enemy health). This will re-calibrate all missions around the “100% is only for experts” level, and make them equally as hard without relying too much on ‘elite’ or ‘miniboss’ enemies.

[kokokokos]

@Traveller

If you look in the epic waves topic, you’ll that while once they were a dime a dozen on SSH, now they are actuälly quite rare.

Or you’ll see that this topic is no longer exclusively made for “Epic waves”, but also interesting waves.

You said that you were gonna make a difficulty rework topic. Where is it? I would like to finally read it because you just keep saying “hard must be hard” even if we’re talking about unfair hard.

[Traveller]

@kokokokos

Where is it?

…Yeah, I need to finiſh it. I initially put it off due to 1) lack of time and 2) there were a lot of other developments goïng on (or at leaſt thoſe are the excuſes I made to myſelf), but I never finiſhed. I have ſtuff to do between 15.00 and 17.00 UTC+2 (i.e. central European time), but I ſhould be able to complete the topic by tonight. I’ll let you know in the chatting topic if I can’t.