This is really helpful, thanks for the information in the other thread. Assuming you're right though, would this really be a sign of power creep? SAA and NCA are both top ten on that list, before these changes. If RTF reach top 15 it would be the highest ranked Haqqislam faction, compared to three PanO sectorials inside the top 10. As others noted, USARC and TAK are surprisingly tied. So even the scary new TAK isn't tearing it up next to the comparatively older faction.
Is it power creep or a change in design philosophy? It looks to me as a change in the way they're designing armies and it looks as if every faction is getting or going to get some of that treatment which also makes it seem like not being power creep.
I would maybe have agreed if this treatment was seen in other factions, but as it currently stands, the re-works that came alongside the past 3-4 major releases did very miniscule things by comparison. It's a bit hard to compare relatively cheap Burst 5 Fatality Level 2 access with <Insert generic HI now being able to be taken in cheaper fireteams>. Don't get me wrong, I'm generally a buffs before nerfs kind of guy, but this is starting to look silly even to me...
I know that some other systems have acclimated us all to the idea that "power creep" is something which makes the newest book always best and creates a spiral of chasing the newest biggest units, but it can take other forms. If things are continually getting better and better mechanically, even if it's fairly well distributed between the Sectorials (and it's not THAT well distributed...), then that is still power creep.
Yes, I knew that already. Just saying it's a bit hard to compare having access to that skill at an effective BS higher than 13 to having two Brigadas in an Alguacil link. One's able to brute force results with a staggering reliability at most every range. The other is an HI HMG with +1B and +3 to hit.
But will the sectorials with those units dominate every tournament? The data from @Teslarod says they aren't now, so we'll have to wait and see. Infinity isn't balanced unit to unit, but faction to faction. Again, PanO has three of the top ten slots on that chart. I don't quite get the complaining.
We ran some tests in the past and Limited Insertion is probably the worst balanced part of the game, where alpha strikes reign supreme and a lot of games effectively end after the Lt roll. Still these games are part of the statistics I posted, if I remember the numbers correctly a quarter of all games are Limited Insertion, the more spammy Factions like Haqq and Ariadna might be struggling a bit because of that. The Core Mechanics can't keep up with that. When I started Infinity 3 years ago I would happily leave out Linked Fusilier MLs. I really don't recommend that anymore. With core mixed Links including MOD, Kriza Boracs and such around that's just 5 points and 1.5 SWC that could be more useful invested in other things. Helots come to mind. In the past CB kept the powercreep "inhouse". When the Sukeul was added he was by far the best gunner Tohaa had access to. But while relatively speaking very good, a "Haris" BS13 HMG isn't the most scary thing in the game. BS15 FAT2 with a Core Link on the other hand is unprecedented damage potential. It's downright obscene. Same for the Kamau MSR's ARO threat, it's the best ARO piece in the game by numbers and all you need to set that up are 4 Fusiliers. Compare that to Grenzers being able to link with Securitate, which seems a little underwhelming. These troops didn't have Sectorials by then. Neither Ramah nor new Shasvastii are part of those numbers. Wish I could tell you the average TP for Tarik Vanilla lists though, that would probably help a lot to put things in perspective.
Honestly, after the November update I felt like PanO was in a pretty good spot – Varuna was great, ASA was a decent contender and the NCA update sounded semi-promising. It felt like our sectorials, except for MO, were all at equal levels more or less. They all had similar links with corresponding flavor and their own spin on how to deal with camo/infiltrators/link teams etc etc. All of our tricks included a strong ARO piece coupled with a flexible active turn link team and some splash negative mod shooters to boot. After yesterday's update it all feels so quaint now. Most, if not all of the troopers that came out yesterday that push the boundaries of what we know as "balanced" infinity troopers are mid cost hyper-aggressive attack pieces, usually coupled with a movement skill and/or negative mods. This totally shits on PanOs play style. The excess of visual mods and visors being given out to multiple troopers in a single sectorial means that for us, our usual strategy of tipping the scales in our favor in a straight-up gun fight with superior BS paired with mimetism is no longer going to cut it. I'm ultimately feeling woozy about PanO's current state not because of certain FAT2 units insta-gibing our strong ARO pieces, but our overall lack of visors in sectorials armed with high-burst weapons. This means dealing with those viral rifle/smg/spite fire wielding negative mod troopers will be a nightmare.
For all the hate I have for the usual 100 point Haris, this one warms my cold dead heart. Neoterran Capitaline Army ────────────────────────────────────────────────── 3 AQUILA FTO (Specialist Operative) MULTI Rifle / Pistol, Shock CCW. (0 | 59) BOLT (Fireteam: Haris) Boarding Shotgun, Drop Bears / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 19) BIPANDRA Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 23) 0 SWC | 101 Points Open in Infinity Army There is so much in this that helps NCA doing stuff it just couldn't do before. Heck there is a Bolt and Bipandra in it and they're worth running to boot.
Aquila FTO is certainly an interesting counter to some of the things recently released. I know you can't sit here and tell me that a 100 point 0 SWC haris is really all that effective though – especially one so vulnerable to the now various impersonators or units that ignore high ARM with Mono/k1/crits. The NCA updates are fun, and I would have even argued good an update ago – the problem is they have no defense. Which really I tried to get across in my original post – everything short of the Kamau sniper is now just going to be blown away near instantly
