RSPN_JayBiebs

u/RV-Devan can attest, I literally started every balance meeting with, "They're still using Bloodhound over Seer, I don't know why. He should be busted in comp."

We absolutely theory-craft and try to predict how the meta will shift, and I can't remember the last time something has flown completely under the radar. We definitely over/under estimate things though... I've personally been surprised by the amount of Conduit usage in scrims, but I love to see it.

I do think their are a couple niche picks that are on the precipice of gaining popularity. Maybe I'm off the mark, I'll let y'all continue to explore that yourselves :)

No set time... I think it depends on the specific meta and how well it's being received. Gibby meta for example... that's one that stuck around for awhile because we deemed it "healthier" than Caustic meta. Bubble fights were super engaging and interesting, even though they eventually became stale. Sometimes certain balancing changes require more overhead to get right... how do you nerf Horizon tac correctly without gutting the ability or making her unfun to play? Is it a numbers change or will it require other departments? There is hesitation sometimes, not because we're not thinking about/working on it, but because we want to get it right.

The “LMG identity crisis” is something we’ve discussed quite a bit lately. Turns out removing reloads a la L-STAR is all we need!

But seriously, you bring up a lot of the same observations we've had internally. So I'll flip it back to you: How would you like to see LMGs change to make them more viable, unique, but not oppressive in higher skill bands? It can be tricky to make weapons with that big of a magazine feel fair on the receiving end, especially with our TTK hovering around a lot of classic reload moments for most meta ARs/SMGs.

I didn't see others have already answered this for me while I was crafting my response, but I'll reply anyway!

I think adding glint would hurt the identity and power fantasy quite a bit. Lurking from afar and patiently waiting for the right moment for that first shot is unlike anything else in Apex. Once that's been fired, the cat's out of the bag. I think the Skirmisher perk added some counterplay here as well. Pinging a looted Kraber already has the squad on high alert, but the thrill/panic of that uncertainty is palpable.

The rise of the Bang meta, while decreasing visibility for everyone, has increased visibility for us when it comes to thinking about the Digi Threat in Apex. “I can see you, but you cannot see me,” is the main reason we’ve dismissed any ideas around adding a digi threat to AR optics. As it stands now, at least you have to be up-close and “involved” in the fight before taking damage through smoke from an SMG/Shotgun (or deep af with the Sniper Digi where you're likely not even able to capitalize anyway and are probably being a menace with or without smoke). Getting sprayed from 150m meters from a 2x digi 301 would likely create more moments of confusion/surprise on a loot item that already has poor readability. Anecdotally, I can generally get a sense if a Bang has a digi based on their smoking habits... "We're in a Bang R9 meta and she's smoking my way while closing the gap from 40m out," triggers the same spidey sense as when someone is giving me the "Kraber stare"... I don't know...

Re: Shotguns vs. SMGs

I think SMGs are still a little strong overall, namely in their versatility and the fact that they're more forgiving than shotties at the moment. Definitely less likely to see controller players running a PK with a 3030 secondary... too easy to be caught out at an awkward range where an SMG will have you covered and be more consistent up close.

This is something I think about as well as Apex matures. I actually do think we are shifting more towards a hero shooter in high skill bands, but I think it's somewhat inevitable and just a natural evolution. I think we'll always be a competitive FPS first with the high TTK and rich gunplay/movement systems. But given a strong mastery of those core elements, top teams will be the ones with the most proficient legend flexibility from season-to-season or map-to-map. Unlike your weapons/loot, the Legends that you drop-in with are the constants in a sea of ever shifting variables. For players that solve that equation quickly, it makes sense to just choose the best constants given the season's variables. I suspect theory-crafting and experimenting with Legend comps early and often will become more indicative of success, especially as we add more maps to comp. I think top-tier coaches will become more valuable.

I think it’s had its fair share of time in the limelight. Any “I can’t see sh*t” meta does not make for a great viewer experience or player experience. Bang and Cat’s rise over the past year was a slow shift that started back when there were intentional efforts on our end to create more diversity during the Gibby Mastiff meta (even though now we might look back at elements of that fondly).

Gibby could’ve fallen off for a multitude of reasons… Seer’s release, the CAR a season later, Valk maturing in the meta and edge comps evolving. We saw Shiv and the SoloQ GOATS raising Bang visibility, while competitors were thinking, “How can we increase survivability without a 360° dome of damage protection?”

That same question was a common theme for us during Cat’s development. Apex as a game was maturing, players were getting better, third-parties were happening quicker. How can we provide players a sense of relief for a couple beats in order to make a decision for th...

If something's problematic at the comp level, it's probably only a matter of time before it rears its head in some way down the chain in Ranked. We want to preserve parity between comp and the main game so that spectators don't feel a disconnect: "This could be YOU one day."

Great question. We don’t have a steadfast rule around which abilities get two charges. It’s easy to turn on as a balancing tool, but two charges have big, potentially scary consequences. However, I do think we have a history of being overly cautious when shipping new Legends with tacticals that have potential to be “aggressively imposing” in good players’ hands.

It’s preferable for players to feel like they got outplayed by their opponent, not that they simply died to a tactical. Tacticals that restrict the ability to fight back or inflict damage on a low cooldown are much more viscerally connected to the latter. (“Where’s the skill expression in Knuckle Clustering a rock?” or “I couldn’t move/shoot/use my abilities!”) A lot of Assault abilities creep towards this slippery slope. If we’re doubling the cadence at which you can use those abilities, sure, it’ll add power and open up a bunch of new gameplay opportunities, but at what cost?

Similar to the response from ...

Yes. I think it's short-sighted and naive not to think about how we can affect the meta with system-level changes to breath new life into the ever-growing cast of Legends. We've learned a lot from the Legend Class Rework!

What do you have against charcuterie?

You’re hired Mr. 69_420

I prefer interview/podcast format. Less likely for snippets of text to be taken out of context and more of a conversational back and forth that I can be fully focused on. That’s harder over a keyboard for me (and takes less time).

Unfortunately people can be quick to dogpile on socials… it can be mentally taxing at times, so I pick and choose when to engage. I am a frequent lurker though, and I keep my DMs open and read everything even if I don’t respond.

I’m not going to reply with a wall of text, partially cuz I did so recently re the CAR and I hate this medium for more nuanced discussions.

I just wanted to say I like the way you think about weapons :D

1v1 me bro.

Nah but seriously, when we get to the final tuning stage, it makes sense to lean towards the strong side. Couple reasons: (1) hype new thing should be fun, and (2) if it’s fun to use, players get more reps in with it sooner. This helps a ton for properly diagnosing the specific fun/strength/frustration factors that emerge when the new gameplay thing is put in the spotlight by millions of players in the live game. Would rather release strong and nerf than release weak and buff. (NOTE: There needs to be a compelling gameplay reason to add the thing in the first place. With the CAR, we want that to be the magazine/loot versatility... that's always been its cornerstone. Change for the sake of change is blah.)

I remember playtesting the CAR close to release and essentially thinking, "damn, the mag versatility + strong hipfire + DPS make this thing a beast. Our last SMG had much more manageable recoil at range, and I suspect while people may eventually realize...

This gave me a good chuckle. I’m stoked to see some clips of the Kinetic Feeder in action… it was designed with the hot drop frag movement psychos in mind, and I know the weapons team was excited to roll it out alongside Mad Maggie

I actually really respect raven’s takes. He’s not afraid to theorycraft and experiment with unusual comps

Same dude

No words
.
.
.
This is the greatest thing I've ever seen