Now the majority of people have their copy of Battle for Earth it’s time to explain how the ‘Living Document’ for the unit stats will work.
Hi Dropzone Commander players. I hope you are all having fun with the new rules and getting some good games in. I know it’s been a little frustrating that unit stats seem very fluid at the moment, however that stops as of today.
You may have noticed on the app that there is now a Unit version and App Version. The App version is simply the version number for the App code itself, the unit Stats have a separate version number, and will also have their own place in the Changelog.
We said we’d be using a living document for the stats so we can keep the game balanced and fresh. The process for this will be as follows:
Players playing the game:
Ultimately the important thing. The players play games of Dropzone Commander with the unit stats as they are on the Army Builder. These are now locked and won’t change for 3 months. This gives us time to analyse the feedback from players and see where things need changing. During this phase we will also be working on stats for any new additions to the game to make sure they have a place within the faction they are for.
Feedback:
There are multiple ways of players to give feedback, directly via the contact form on this site, if it’s popular enough we may even add a form for Dropzone Unit feedback. We monitor the community pages on Facebook and Discord servers too and of course you can mail us on Facebook. Or send us an email to info@ttcombat.com. All we ask is for feedback to be constructive, explain why a unit needs to be looked at. Examples of why in your own games would be appreciated of course. Feedback from games on tables take precedence here!
Usage of units:
One of the benefits of the Army Builder is that when people save their armies to the database we can use that data to evaluate what units are being taken and which ones aren’t. Although it’s not a complete picture, it can help us to see where a unit really needs some work. So if you make a list, saving it helps to evaluate this data. No personal information is saved to the builder, just the units you’ve chosen for your army so never worry.
Unit Updates:
After 3 months we will make some changes, we’ll announce the day this occurs, the Unit Stat Version number will change. The updates will be entered into the changelog and the unit stats will be updated. They will then be locked again for 3 months.
By doing this we feel we will be able to provide a game that stays fresh, balanced and makes sure all units are viable. The App will still be updated for functionality and for usability in these 3 months. Feedback on that will always be appreciated.
What About The Rules?
The new version of Dropzone changes up some rules in big ways! We based these changes on feedback from the beta testing and from the feedback from our awesome playtesters (names in the book!). Some of these changes have been very positively received, and some are a bit more controversial!
Oh and of course there are a few Traffic Jameses in the book too! Unfortunately with such a big new edition there will always be things that slip through the cracks.
We’re listening to feedback on the rules too, and will be putting out an FAQ and errata document once everything has settled down. Clarifications on rules, and a couple of changes based on others (you all have done things we weren’t anticipating!). These will be available online first, and we’re currently working on a small format book with just the Dropzone rules (no more carrying around the massive BFE every game) which will incorporate any tweaks into it.