Apex Legends Dev Tracker

This rules :D

But now i'm wondering how a zipline can work in both directions at once...

Originally posted by TVR_Speed_12

Wow that's a eye opener. It's kinda like how Wraith for awhile was the must pick due to her hurtbox and tactical. At a high level of play you was really pressured to go Wraith or lose. (My highest is plat so I don't think it ever applied to me but I get the concept. Also great job on the Wraith changes she feels so much more fun to play now!

I see now why the intent is too strengthen current tools rather than introduce new ones into the mix. Hearing the thought process behind game development is fascinating especially on the never ending battle of balance.

Also out of curiosity in World's Edge I think Loba can teleport anywhere that was added in S4 but S3 surfaces are a no go, does that sound about right?

That does seem like a bug! I'm not working on this one, but I definitely heard chatter about it. My understanding is the design intent is that Loba can go anywhere, within reason: we might exclude "RETURN TO THE BATTLE" triggers and slip triggers (where you can't stand on a thing because it constantly pushes you off).

Thank you for the kind words! Do remember that game design is not a precise science; I've been doing it for nearly 8 years now, but I'm still constantly double-guessing myself: is this actually true or do I only think it's true because it would make a neat pattern if it was true.

Originally posted by MawBTS1989

This was an interesting comment - thanks for the "if you can, you must" idea.

We've seen this exact pattern occur several times through Apex's life, particularly in high-end play where money is on the line.

- Unlimited zipline jumping

- Lifeline heal drone camping outside zone

- Super long Wraith portals that go around in circles to avoid late-game zone damage

- Caustic gas traps spammed like grenades

- Abuse of golden res shields to avoid elimination while knocked

- Dropping your armor to avoid damage from Crypto's EMP

All of these were "glitch in the matrix" type things, not intended design. They would have been fine as occasional tactics, but because they conferred an advantage, they swiftly became the dominant meta until they were patched out of the game.

Pro players can't not do stuff, even if it's cheesy or abusive. That's leaving money on the table.

Those are all great examples, yes! I think the dropping armor on the ground thing got fixed before I started--IIRC EMP now also damages armor on the ground. I'm glad my design thought made sense! Whenever someone says "here's a nice thing that players can do" I immediately double check if it falls under this heading.

Originally posted by TVR_Speed_12

If I may make a suggestion? Ok so one of the reasons I really like Loba is for her scouting capabilities like Bloodhound but it's with loot instead of other legends.

I feel like whenever I'm not Loba I don't really see others use her passive to let the team know where all the good loot is. When I play her I try to use a sniper scope to scan as much as possible .

Maybe there's a way to incentives players pinging out loot and make it easier? (Idk tho, it's really easy enough as it and now that I'm typing it's more of a player issue than a design issue?) I will say pinging 2 items next to each other is impossible with her(while scoped with a sniper at range) as the pings will overlap each other.

Pings having more precision... Maybe a small bonus to CD for every item pinged?

Alternatively you could always just buff her teleport however I don't think that'll be the best move for the overall health of the game or herself.

Her passive remain t...

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Ah, great, I'll use this comment to talk about one of my pet theories. I call it "if you can you must", and it's what we call a "degenerate pattern" in competitive multiplayer games. Here's how the pattern goes:

You put in a small incentive that gives the player meaningful power in a competitive environment, expecting them to use it sometimes / when it makes sense. The player discovers that doing X thing gives them power, and because they CAN use it all the time, they MUST use it all the time or they're not playing the character at their highest power level.

(Sidebar: this is actually one of the reasons why mana costs in League are such a liberating mechanic; I've never designed a character without them, and this is a big reason. By adding a resource cost to an activity you gate the payoff behind a cost; now it's no longer a no brainer to always do it whenever the game lets you, and you can design incentives without worrying about "if you can you must").

Let...