Twitchy Questioning 9: War for the Twitch of the Questions

INTRO

As is traditional, I have gathered up questions from fellow players on BSN (the Bioware Social Network forum, BSN-dot-boards-dot-net).


RECENT IMPROVEMENTS - FOLLOW-UPS

Last week there was some confusion over whether a Game In Progress (GIP) indicator was feasible or is being considered. Players are still hoping for this feature!

The Host Ping Indicator is a great addition, but it raises a few questions.
Host Ping question 1 of 2: What does the indicator mean for the Host? (ex. you receive < 4 bars to yourself)
Host Ping question 2 of 2: For non-Hosts, could you explain what the bars mean in terms of latency, packet loss, etc?

compare XBL Detailed Network Statistics which shows: DL/UL speed, DL/UL packet loss (percentage, > 5% is problematic), MTU (1384 needed by XBL), latency, wireless strength (percentage)
support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/networking/network-settings


USER INTERFACE

Why does the points shown in the lobby no longer count points from medals? Does this have any effect on XP/Cr earned for a game?

Can the U.I. text size be made adjustable, primarily for console users? The current text size is too small to read on TVs from more than a few feet away.

Could you look at more consistency in U.I. button use and related screen focus?
For example, squad view on PC changes from ‘V’ to ‘spacebar’. Another example, on XB1 after you exit squad view, focus moves to a character instead of saying on squad view.

Would you consider adding an optional, more detailed killfeed with damage information and timings? This would make testing much easier for both you and the dedicated fan community.

Why can you not see kick votes on yourself? Sometimes players use that as a way to communicate ‘please hurry up’ or ‘you’re too low level’ or so forth.

On Apex missions, ‘Combotastic’ awards less XP/Credits than normal. Is this intentional? If so, shouldn’t the XP/Cr penalty be listed in the Mission Modifiers?


GAME DESIGN

What is the design intent behind the 4-second cooldown on detonating combos of the same type? (Enemies don’t receive damage from the same combo type for 4 seconds after that type of detonation.)

Given the existence of the 4-second combo detonation cooldown, why does Shockwave (alone among powers) have a combo detonation *damage* penalty, in addition to its slow animation, lack of lock-on, slow travel time, and long power cooldown?

Weapon reload speeds in MEA feel sluggish (esp. compared to ME3 reload speeds which were faster across the board). Could you please explain the design intent for MEA reload speeds?
(comparison between ME3 and MEA reload speeds on my Google Drive)
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BX29W1BSeD3gR7f23U9yoqtLk-dkA98I9rYXeLxn0lI/edit?usp=sharing

Related question: why was reload canceling removed from the game?

Two questions on ammo priming.
Ammo Priming question 1 of 2: The Dhan uses the same formula as other pellet-based shotguns even though it does not fire pellets -- is this intended?
Ammo Priming question 2 of 2: Why does Cryo Ammo have penalties to the number of bullets it takes to prime certain enemies, but Incendiary and Disruptor Ammo don’t have such penalties?
(link to relevant thread)
www.reddit.com/r/MECoOp/comments/6dhrvx/correlation_between_rof_and_ammo_priming_rate/

Related question - in ME3, some types of weapons (ex. Falcon, Scorpion) automatically ammo-primed enemies, which gave those weapons a special niche. Would you consider making the same modifications to those types of weapons in MEA?

Are you looking at the balance among Sniper Rifles? Currently some of the URs feel weak (ex: Black Widow, Valiant) compared to lower rarity weapons. Also, all single-shot Sniper Rifles suffer hugely due to enemy shieldgate mechanics.

Due to high enemy health and shieldgate, a Cobra RPG will often *not* one-shot even basic enemies, and it certainly won’t kill bosses. What is the intended niche for Cobras?

Fortify’s movement speed penalty seems too high compared to the amount of DR it offers. Being slower means you take more damage, vitiating the DR. What is the design intent behind this power?

In ME3, the Ammo Pack equivalent (Thermal Clip pack) granted bonus weapon damage for a short time, which made them more useful. Could a similar bonus be added in MEA? This would encourage players to use this consumable.

In ME3, the First Aid Pack equivalent (Ops pack) granted brief damage and stagger immunity (i-frames), which made it more useful for skilled play. Could a similar bonus be added in MEA?


BOOSTERS

Why do Premium / Arsenal / Reserves Packs include level 1 and level 2 Boosters? Shouldn't there be only top notch Boosters available in the most expensive packs?

Would you consider adding a pack that guarantees elemental ammunition Boosters, or allow such ammo to be purchased using MF? Many players enjoy using ammo but cannot reliably obtain it.

Just noticed this was already asked & answered last week.
Matobar: DiscoBabaloo Mods in the Item store were really well received, but people keep asking for more Boosters. Specifically, Rail Amps and Ammo Boosters having more availability. Can we expect changes in this area?
DiscoBabaloo: we're talking about that - can't promise but something we're looking at

Are there plans to change Cyclonic Mods to make them a more viable choice of Booster? Because of the low base shields, adding 10% / 20% / etc. doesn’t help much.

Will there be more Boosters added to the "Defensive" category in the future?

Why can you only equip 2 Boosters in MEA, when in ME3 it was 3? This is particularly limiting when you equip an XP Booster, which doesn’t improve character effectiveness during the game.

Is there an upper limit on the number of Consumables a player can own? In ME3 the limit was 255, which made it easier to obtain Boosters once we had a large supply of all four Consumables.


RANDOM OTHER QUESTIONS
Would you consider increasing the drop rate of Respec cards, or decreasing the MF cost of them? Some players enjoy re-spec’ing over and over.


BUGS
(These are low priority. There is already a way to report bugs.)

Can we get an update on the audio bug on PC? You previously stated it is related to the Frostbite engine and that another team was looking into this.

Why do I keep getting matched with people I've blocked on Origin?

Avenger Strike: currently *power* damage evolutions / mods / boosters / equipment do nothing for this power, other than the 4A Bleeding Strike DOT. However, *melee* evolutions / mods / boosters / equipment do affect Avenger Strike. Is this working as intended?

There is a bug with Barricade where the visual representation of the power has disappeared even though it is still active due to passive power duration increases. Are you aware?

The Targeting VI booster does not affect Lance weakspot hits. Targeting VI implies it should apply to *all* weakspot hits, not just weapon damage. Is this a bug? If not considered a bug, then Targeting VI’s description ought to be updated.


OUTRO

Thank you very much for answering our questions! Keep up the good work.