Update

It’s hard to believe the last update to TKO was over a year ago but we got to make another TKO update for the Ben 10/Generator Rex cross over.

We added the following bots:

• Upgrade Rex (Ben 10/Rex crossover)
• Bobo Haha (Generator Rex)
• Van Kleiss (Generator Rex)
• Agent Six (Generator Rex)
• Clockwork (Ben 10)
• Shocksquatch (Ben 10)

We also added 2 new backgrounds and music tracks.

Again, we made new bots by recycling and shifting around existing moves but it resulted in some interesting combinations and created whole new dynamics.

As part of this update, though it went out earlier, our engineers fixed a huge lag issue that was introduced with the plug-in version of Flash Player 10.1.

 

Balance Update

There were some minor balance changes made as well to even out the bots

• Vilgax & Ultimate Echo Echo projectile recovery increased slightly
• Chowder’s hitbox for his Kimchi attack is a bit larger
• Zak’s claw has a better hitbox and slightly more damage
• Big Chill’s freeze moves do slightly more damage

Looking at the balance data was very interesting. When we introduced all the new Ultimate Aliens (Release 4 on the chart) for 10/10/10, ALL existing characters’ win percentages dropped sharply. The new bots win percentages were spread evenly throughout. After about 90 days everything evened out again, though new powerhouses like Ultimate Echo Echo remain high.

 

I find this extremely interesting since it’s the exact opposite that I would expect. I would expect players playing the new, unknown bots to lose to players playing their old familiar favorites. I suppose learning the new bots is more difficult for the opponent than the player?

 

Still Fighting

While TKO is an old product for CN.com, it performs very well. I was very happy when a player contacted when about a month before the release asking, “TKO is dead, right?”, and I was able to reply with a resounding “NO! New stuff soon!”

We still have more plans for TKO in 2012!