Hacking devices being cheaper is good. Based on C1 I am positive about hacking being much more playable than before.
While it is right that faction balance can not be judged yet, with only around 6 O12 units published, I think comparisons between these units are possible. And if I do something like this, I have to have to say that with ADHL Bluecoat there are some strange maths going on: If I compare the Kappa with the Bluecoat: Both LI, both can form a Core, both BS12, PH10, WIP13, ARM1. Kappa I can take an unlimited amount and from the Bluecoats ... 4. The CR-Kappa costs 12 points. For 1 point more I get: -1 Combi Rifle -1 Shock Immunity +6 CC +3 BTS +Biometric Visor +Courage +Natural Born Warrior +1 Damage in CC +3 Discover +Sixth Sense +2 ADHL (for Burst +1) +1 Heavy Riot Stopper (Large Glue Template) +1 Shock CCW +1 PARA CCW (-6 CC) How many points does a CR cost? Around ... 15? The ADHL looses +3 from 0-8 compared to the CR and 1 Burst, because he has an +1B ADHL. For me, this profile doesn't make sense at all. .... puzzled ...
I think the main culprit is the double ADHL by itself. SMG/HRS loadout is 4 pts more expensive than the Combi. It might be that trooper armed only with non-lethal - and rather short-ranged - weaponry got a hefty discount, might be a typo, might be both. It's also possible that pricing of various weapons, skills, and their combinations scales to a larger degree in N4. But that's just a WAG.
I dunno, 12 points for a normal Hacker is getting dirt cheap, you can easilly plop 3 or more in a list for that price. Geez, can't wait for Baker Module irregulars for Bakunin for 9-ish points or less.
I think he might be getting some extra discounts by having almost nothing for leathal weaponry. Pistol and shock CCW. He can 'disable' enemies but struggles to remove enemy orders. This is compounded in that you can now dodge out of immobilized state at a -6 after you've been stuck
The zenit 7 with marksman rifle is insanely good : a marksman rifle with AP+shock amo, 14 damages on a camo platform will be able to kill absolutely anything. I hope the specialist version will be available in vanilla
So new Frenchies and Caledonians, including resculpts of Wallace and Equipe Mirage. I'm getting pumped for this.
Russian Wulvers in SPAAAAAACE! Caledonia gets shelved, but not removed from Army I hope, just like MRRF in N3? And MRRF is supposed to come back to N4 by the end of the year. WE REMEMBER, CB ;)
More NWI+Immunities, because why not But I'll reserve my judgement until seeing how the full N4 will work in practice. And I'd really like them to use Dodge (-3) instead of Dodge (PH=11), for the sake of consistency.
Ariadna can kinda get away with it, those guys are at least classed as HI and the Voldovolvo look kinda feral, might be some alien involved. I feel that the Skill(Stat=N) is consistent and easy enough to read though. Means one less step applied in the formula.
Complaining that Ariadna get NWI and Immunity on an HI feels like complaining that Haqq get light shotguns or PanO get MSV, it's kind of been a thing for a while.
