Handicaps won't allow for RAISING defense. Just reduce it, which is pointless.
"And if you feel OHKOs are ruining the game, make it so they aren't OHKOs. Simple as that. "
HELLO? I put defense mods on my cannons. Getting killed in too few hits is an inherent problem.
Let's see which of the listed powers will do anything to the Flintlock+Eyetracks combo.
Bumblebee? Nope. That will get ripped apart by rapid fire.
Reflect Barrier? Thanks for using a stationary defense to combat a combination that can do it better. And Eyetracks won't even care about that, especially since the RB will remove the Slip Shot and homing traits.
Aries Armor? Right. Play Advance Wars, experience the trouble with the Infantry+Artillery spammage thanks to lack of suitable 1HK ability on the pests in combination with terrain effects cutting only a percentage of damage rather than a set amount, and then get back to me on this.
Celestial Fireworks? You'll waste all your uses to survive the Eyetracks.
Trade-Off or Brief Invincibility? Nice job, you're doing the exact same thing as the IT abuser. *GASP* The game's magically balanced! (To say nothing that the third player could just as easily have Virus to shut you down.)
Pisces Heal? That extra life isn't going to do any better than Aries.
And your weapon standards are ridiculous. Skyscraper shouldn't have high defensive power? Okay, then how would they survive being kited? And don't say they're going to do the kiting, unless you want to prove that CANNONS are impossible to outcamp at range. Skyscraper NEEDS defensive power to shake off rush pests. Admit it: my Skyscraper is good enough to be above average AT LEAST, and you're only being arrogant.
Also, your point about the game being too defensive? That's exactly what will happen with the Flintlock + Eyetracks combo.
And since I'm on the subject of overly defensive games: you want to know why Advance Wars Days of Ruin toned up offense, to the moderate at best credit I'll give it? Because in the past game Infantry+Artillery spam was DOMINANT, for how painfully slow both unit types were. Infantry could simply meatshield, and if you couldn't 1HK them well enough to cripple the Artillery force, the healthy Artillery pieces would proceed to slaughter your attacking units, especially starting with anything controlling closer spaces to have the backup Infantry retake them to allow for dealing EVEN MORE DAMAGE. Here's the problem: there isn't a single unit costing less than 20K that deals more than 105% base to Infantry, and when terrain kicks in, 96 Net Attack generally becomes impossible to manage ON YOUR PHASE; and anything under 16K deals at most only 80% base to Artillery.
The reason I have issue with Days of Ruin's toning up of offense? Let me list the reasons:
*Damage gaps haven't been handled better. AA Tank VS Infantry is STILL 105% base (when 96 Net Attack is STILL hard to get with the bloody thing), but meanwhile, tanks are STILL susceptible to being killed too quickly. It's a problem when the War Tank is still 4HKed by a 72 Net Attack Artillery, not the hardest thing to manage anymore.
*Terrain cover nerfing. And I don't mean the City's switch with the Forest, which would be fine by its lonesome. I mean that the usefulness of cover is just plain AWFUL now. Percentage damage itself is also bad because it doesn't punish low damage attacks well.
*Infantry are 1500G. Thanks for slowing down games and indirectly nerfing vehicles.
*Mechs are 2500G. Because they weren't spammed in the old games before infantry were found to cost effectively defeat them.
*Light Tanks STILL self-counter. Unless you can explain what besides a staple unit that is inherently good in the early game aggravates FTA to the level of FTA counter necessity.
*AA Tank is the ONLY non-tech direct-fire unit that can 1HK infantry. When it's already necessary for dealing with air units on a funds disadvantage. (Battle Helicopter is a good candidate for infantry 1HKing, because that is rightfully susceptible to self-countering, and already dies instantly if hit by the AA Tank.)
*Artillery are still not reasonably 1HKed. Medium Tank deals only 85% base and anything with only quadruple digits price doesn't deal more than 75% base.
There are probably more idiotic things, but I think I have covered what's necessary.
Point is, too much offense is inherently bad. Some 1HKs are okay, but being able to pull them should require BLATANT OUTPLAYING AND VERY GOOD REASON! Range 1HKs in a game where anti-melee tools are around and even useable does not require considerable outplaying and needs IMMENSE justification.
(Seriously, people are allowed to feel more than one emotion at once. I'm rather annoyed at the scrubbery going on in this thread, but I also kind of enjoy arguing with it. What's wrong with that?)
