Zem

Found it!

For some reason now having the chat log enabled is causing me to lag severely whenever I do something that generates a lot of messages. That's why /cmdlist was freezing me for 5-8 seconds or so. With chat log disabled, I experience no lag at all using /cmdlist or Full Auto. Stays rock steady at 60fps now.

Weird. I tried deleting the chat log file. It was 2MB at the time. Made a very slight difference but still was generating lag in combat and with /cmdlist. So even a clean file wasn't helping.

When I get a chance I guess I will take another look at chipset drivers... maybe see if I am having a file access speed problem. The AV software isn't *supposed* to be scanning while I am gaming but.... I dunno.

Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 8:29:06 PM, on 6/25/2009
Platform: Windows XP SP3 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v8.00 (8.00.6001.18702)
Boot mode: Normal

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\BitDefender\BitDefender Update Service\livesrv.exe
C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009\vsserv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Creative\Shared Files\CTAudSvc.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\msco rsvw.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\CTHELPER.EXE
C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009\bdagent.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\RUNDLL32.EXE
C:\Program Files\Creative\Volume Panel\VolPanlu.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\CTXFIHLP.EXE
C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
C:\Program Files\nHancer\nHancer.exe
C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009\seccenter.exe
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CTXFISPI.EXE
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
O3 - Toolbar: BitDefender Toolbar - {381FFDE8-2394-4f90-B10D-FC6124A40F8C} - C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009\IEToolbar.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [CTHelper] CTHELPER.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [BDAgent] "C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009\bdagent.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [BitDefender Antiphishing Helper] "C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009\IEShow.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nwiz] nwiz.exe /install
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvMediaCenter] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [UpdReg] C:\WINDOWS\UpdReg.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [VolPanel] "C:\Program Files\Creative\Volume Panel\VolPanlu.exe" /r
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [CTxfiHlp] CTXFIHLP.EXE
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MSMSGS] "C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe" /background
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [nHancer] "C:\Program Files\nHancer\nHancer.exe" /tray
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: @xpsp3res.dll,-20001 - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O16 - DPF: {6414512B-B978-451D-A0D8-FCFDF33E833C} (WUWebControl Class) - http://update.microsoft.com/windowsu...?1245869519811
O16 - DPF: {6E32070A-766D-4EE6-879C-DC1FA91D2FC3} (MUWebControl Class) - http://update.microsoft.com/microsof...?1245872035375
O16 - DPF: {D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000} (Shockwave Flash Object) - http://fpdownload2.macromedia.com/ge...nt/swflash.cab
O16 - DPF: {F6ACF75C-C32C-447B-9BEF-46B766368D29} (Creative Software AutoUpdate Support Package) - http://ccfiles.creative.com/Web/soft...5108/CTPID.cab
O23 - Service: BitDefender Arrakis Server (Arrakis3) - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Common Files\BitDefender\BitDefender Arrakis Server\bin\Arrakis3.exe
O23 - Service: Creative Audio Engine Licensing Service - Creative Labs - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Creative Labs Shared\Service\CTAELicensing.exe
O23 - Service: Creative Audio Service (CTAudSvcService) - Creative Technology Ltd - C:\Program Files\Creative\Shared Files\CTAudSvc.exe
O23 - Service: BitDefender Desktop Update Service (LIVESRV) - BitDefender SRL - C:\Program Files\Common Files\BitDefender\BitDefender Update Service\livesrv.exe
O23 - Service: NVIDIA Display Driver Service (nvsvc) - NVIDIA Corporation - C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe
O23 - Service: BitDefender Virus Shield (VSSERV) - BitDefender S. R. L. - C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009\vsserv.exe

--
End of file - 4736 bytes

Here's CoHelper.... as I mentioned, I have tried various graphics and audio settings so what is shown below is what I happen to be set at right now. I have also tried it with very minimal settings and it only has a minor affect on the minimum framerate I see in combat when I use Full Auto on a spawn of 10 enemies. I've also tried both of my onboard LAN connectors, which are from different manufacturers and thus running different drivers, just to see if maybe it was a LAN driver problem. While I see a spike in packet times on /netgraph during Full Auto, I think that's related to my client lagging rather than the actual trip times of the packets involved.

---System information gathered by CoH Helper version 0.1.1.7---

DxDiag gathered at June 25, 2009 20:31 (-05:00)
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: P5K Deluxe
BIOS: BIOS Date: 06/15/07 10:58:07 Ver: 08.00.12
Central Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E6850 @ 3.00GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 2048MB
.Net Memory Report: 1676MB out of 2047MB available
Page File: 3573MB (366MB currently in use)
C Drive: (WDC WD1500ADFD-00NLR1) 19958MB out of 29996MB (66%) free
D Drive: (WDC WD1500ADFD-00NLR1) 97979MB out of 101065MB (96%) free
E Drive: (Memorex 52MAX 325216AJv2) zero-size drive
Windows directory location: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DirectX Diag version: 5.03.2600.5512 (32-bit version)

Display Notes: No problems found.
Sound Notes: No problems found.
Input Notes: No problems found.

Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor's Max Resolution: 1600,1200
Video Device Name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260
Manufacturer / Chip: NVIDIA / GeForce GTX 260
Video Memory: 896.0 MB
Driver Version: 6.14.0011.8618
Driver Date: 6/10/2009 6:03:00 AM
Driver Language: English

Sound Device Description: SB X-Fi Audio [EC00]
Driver File: ctaud2k.sys
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.1368
Driver Date: 10/8/2008 1:21:50 AM


WMI Information
Motherboard Manufacturer: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
Motherboard Model: (empty)
Motherboard Product: P5K Deluxe
Motherboard Version: Rev 1.xx
BIOS Manufacturer: American Megatrends Inc.
BIOS Name: BIOS Date: 06/15/07 10:58:07 Ver: 08.00.12
BIOS Version: A_M_I_ - 6000715
BIOS Release: 20070615000000.000000+000

Registry Information for Current User
Resolution: 1280x720
3D Resolution: 1280x720 (Not using renderscale)
Full Screen: Yes
Maximized: No
Screen Position: 0, 0
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Vertical Sync Enabled: Yes

Physics Quality: High
Maximum Particles: 20274
Max Particle Fill? 10.000
Physics Card Enabled: No

Anti-aliasing: None
Anisotropic Filtering: None
Texture LOD Bias: Smooth
Water Effects: High Quality
Bloom: 1.000 (turned off)
Depth of Field Enabled: No
Desaturation Effects (Sepia) Enabled: No
Shader Detail: High

World Texture Level: Very High
Character Texture Level: Very High
World Detail Level (Vis_Scale): 0.902
Entity Detail Level: 1.000
Shadows Enabled: Yes
Gamma Correction: 1.000
Geometry Buffers (VBOs) Enabled: Yes
Suppression of Extra Player FX Enabled: No
Suppression of FX When Camera Close Enabled: Yes
Close Suppression Range: 3.000
Show Advertisements: Yes

Audio Mode: Compatiblity
3D Audio: Yes
FX Sound Volume: 0.245
Music Sound Volume: 0.202

Show Advanced Graphics Options: Yes
Overall Graphics Quality: 0.600
Reverse Mouse Buttons: No
Save Login Username: Yes
Transfer Rate: Unknown bytes/second
Current Game Version: 18.20090422.5T
Installation Directory: d:\Games\CoH

Mod files in the Data directory
No modifications found

Okay this is a weird one. I just did a full system wipe and reinstall of XP, got it all patched up to SP3 and all the critical updates. Have Bitdefender AV going (in game mode when I'm full screen in CoH). Latest drivers for the X-Fi gamer and GTX260. Clean install of CoH from the ground up with the updater (slooow download and all).

Now, I'm seeing something I didn't see before. Regardless of graphics settings, AA, AF, vsync, texture qualities, world/character details, water, etc.etc. I am getting severe lag whenever I do something that produces a lot of text... or so it seems. If I do a /cmdlist for example, my client literally freezes for a good 8 seconds or so before displaying the output. Actually... that happens whether I have a window open that *can* display the output or not. But I first noticed the problem with my AR corruptor's Full Auto power. Doing that to a spawn of 10 cimerorans at the wall sinks my framerate all the way from pegged at 60fps to about 3fps. I can turn physics off, particles to 100... nothing. I've tried zeroing the volume of sound and music to eliminate audio but I'm not sure if that actually disables sound for real. Anyone know?

Casting about for likely culprits. Same machine and hardware before I wiped it did not have this problem. I can post more info but I thought I'd see if anyone had encountered this problem before first. As I said, it's a clean machine and I'd expect any background shenanigans to slow everything down but I can cruise around Grandville at 60fps. This happens very specifically only when I do stuff that seems to display a lot of text.

[ QUOTE ]
Now SS/ every brute loves it but foot stomp and thunder strike (from elec) well knock back alot stuff out side the aoe death zone and the toggle range. but just my 2 cents take it or leave it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Brute Footstomp and Thunderstrike are both knockdown, not knockback. They won't send anybody anywhere except as noted above the various exceptions that can increase the KB mag (stacking, KB vulnerable enemies, lower level enemies, yaddayadda).

[ QUOTE ]
AR has as many AoE powers that cause knockback as Energy Blast, outside of Nova. Why isn't that set given the same weak analysis given in this thread? I'd love to see people harp on Buckshot or M30 to get those powers changed to KD.

[/ QUOTE ]

Asked and answered in this thread already. M30 is, indeed, every bit as bad as Explosive Blast. Same power really except for the damage type. Buckshot is MUCH lower mag KB than Energy Torrent and won't throw enemies nearly as far. Against higher level foes it is often knockdown.

Also, AR has two more AoEs (three if you count the tiny sphere of Ignite) that don't cause any knockback at all. Still, I'd very much welcome them changing M30 and Buckshot to KD. I would actually respec and pick up M30 were that to happen.

Read this to learn more than you ever wanted to know about Defense and the mechanics of hitting something in this game.

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry, but I don't buy the argument of turning KB into KD to make the set more appealing.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's okay, I don't buy that you're actually sorry.

I could have said 2 AoEs or even just "fire one AoE any time you want without screwing up a teammate's AoE in the process". 60% partial chance of high mag KB is a virtual 100% chance of splitting the spawn roughly in half if you're not in a situation where you can hover 40 ft over the spawn. And without herding first, which almost no one does anymore, very few spawns are actually close enough to a wall or corner that you won't still be sending half of them outside the radius of most AoE effects your team might be using. Not with mag 3-5 KBs.

I'm not saying you can't succeed or that you can't avoid pissing off teammates by pulling your punches when the KB could cause trouble, but stop telling me that makes EB every bit as good as a set that has none of these concerns. KB isn't THAT much of a compensation for the trouble.

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for that great breakdown! I didn't realize SS was THAT much faster than other ones!

[/ QUOTE ]

It isn't. That should read 92.5mph/148.9kph.

[ QUOTE ]
What is capped vs uncapped? That's quite a large difference on the SS speeds. Is that just the effects of ED or is there some sort of speed cap?

[/ QUOTE ]

There is a hard cap on movement rate for the various travel types, except for Teleport, which is limited only by how much you can enhance the range (I think).

[ QUOTE ]
The set is fine. If people are spamming their AoE's and annoying their team with knockback, then blame the moron doing it; don't blame the set.

[/ QUOTE ]

Being unable to spam AoEs IS the problem with the set. Compared to a set that can fire away and put together a 3-AoE chain hitting all targets each time... EB loses BIG TIME on damage output. It's not at all a subtle difference.

[ QUOTE ]
It happens. Targets generally die so fast that I don't pay attention to which particular enemy has a toggle on it.

[/ QUOTE ]

As a toggle debuff user, if this happens to me or if I just plain lose track of my toggle anchor, well... I just quietly detoggle that sucker and if a whole crowd shows up, I yell "Ambush!".

Yeah it's only slightly less endurance-efficient than most single-target blasts, which makes it phenominally good if you manage to hit even just TWO targets with it and not much of a penalty for hitting just one.

[ QUOTE ]
Flamethrower. Good damage, but it takes over SEVEN seconds to deal that damage.

[/ QUOTE ]

It should deal damage as fast as Fire Breath. Not sure why it doesn't.

[ QUOTE ]
Full Auto. Cool power but extremely long animation time and a narrow cone. The new animation is shorter, but it's still LONG.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm fine with the animation time now but it needs damage comparable to Rain of Arrows. I wouldn't even mind if they raise the endurance cost to match RoA either. I'd rather have the damage.

[ QUOTE ]
M30. Only good targeted AoE in the set but it's smash/lethal and has tons of KB.

[/ QUOTE ]

Worst AoE in the set. Does half the damage over time as Buckshot and nearly 3 times the KB mag. Just terrible.

[ QUOTE ]
Buckshot. Good animation, average damage, annoying KB.

[/ QUOTE ]

While I wouldn't mind if it did KD instead, it's only 1.2 mag KB so it's not all that bad really. Best AoE in the set in terms of DPA and DPS.

[ QUOTE ]
Ignite. Wow you used to SOMETIMES be able to make it work under the correct circumstances but now it's been painfully nerfed, even further reducing it's practical applications.

[/ QUOTE ]

I never played AR before the recent animation time changes so I really can't understand the complaints about it now. I gather it used to be stackable, but just looking at the potential damage output of this power and the fact it is STILL at least permable... hell yes I took it. To be fair, it needs an immob for full effect and thankfully Black Scorpion provides one. Really is great to have against lethal resistant foes.

[ QUOTE ]
Burst and Slug are...average ST attacks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Entirely comparable to any other tier1/2 attacks in any other blast sets. The problem with AR's ST damage isn't anything wrong with these two powers, but lack of a big-hitter like Blaze.

[ QUOTE ]
Beanbag has some good uses but it doesn't help you kill anything. In an AT with an entire secondary dedicated to support and buff/debuff and survival tools it's use is extremely limited. Better on a blaster.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah I skipped it. A Cosmic Burst clone would have been nice instead.

[ QUOTE ]
It's still a decent set, but I don't have the patience for it, no matter how many different AR characters I've tried. As mentioned earlier, the KB is not reliable. You can't avoid scattering mobs. Some are gonna get KBd, some won't. It's a random percentage and it's unpredictable even by the best of players.

[/ QUOTE ]

Without M30 in the build, the only real issue is Buckshot and it's really not that big a deal. I suppose someday I'll have to level up a Fire/Dark just to see how it compares.

[ QUOTE ]
So why isn't there as many complaints about AR though? Between slug, buckshot, and M-30 that is a lot of frustration for your team.

[/ QUOTE ]

Slug is 25% chance of mag 1.2. Buckshot is 50% chance of mag 1.2. Even if they do cause KB, they don't send the target far and against higher level opponents it's sometimes reduced to knockdown. M30 is worse. It's essentially the same thing as Explosive Blast. I skipped it.

Buckshot's really the only one I ever worry about and then only when I'm using Web Envelope + Ignite to slow-roast something (Web Envelope doesn't prevent KB, sadly). I'd still prefer it if Buckshot were strictly KD, since it's actually excellent DPA and DPS in a fast-recycling cone AoE.

[ QUOTE ]
The set is as good as any other in the hands of anyone with half a brain. Oh wait, maybe I just figured out why so many people in here seem to think it underperforms.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure you think you have.

The KB isn't a huge deal on the single-target attacks. The big problem is the AoEs. I don't care how skillful you think you are unless you've got 40ft or so of airspace above a spawn, your 60% chance of nearly mag FIVE knockback is going to send a little more than half the spawn out of the area of effect of teammates' AoEs (not to mention your own).

Heck, I'm annoyed enough at Buckshot's 50% mag 1.2 KB, but at least I can hose down a spawn with Flamethrower and Full Auto first without scattering them. A Fire Blaster has no such problems at all. If you think the damage difference between scattering a spawn and being able to stack three AoEs on a tight group is "marginal" min/maxing then you need to go over the math again.

Is it life or death? Of course not. Yeah, the game is easy enough that you don't NEED to be at tip-top performance to win, but it's a lot more gratifying, in my opinion, if you are. I LIKE being able to contribute significant AoE damage to a team with my Corruptors. Don't kid yourself. We're not talking about a 5% difference in damage output. It's a lot more significant than that if you're pooching the AoE effectiveness of the entire team.

There's just no way to call 50-60% chance AoE KB of that magnitude a peformance benefit. Were it knockdown instead, it would be great damage mitigation without screwing up your (or anyone else's) offense. Were it 100% chance KB you could at least count on it not scattering enemies. But 50-60% is just begging to gimp your own AoE damage output and that of any teammates you happen to be with at the time.

[ QUOTE ]
On reflection I realise that the Mercy Bank is a very popular levelling tool for lowbies, but at no point during recruitment or during the mission itself did I, or anyone else, use the word Farm.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you are in Mercy and you used the word "bank" anywhere in your broadcast, people will be 99% certain you mean to farm it. You may not wish this to be so, but it is the reality.

[ QUOTE ]
Having to explain and justify why I wasn't farming it was something I could have done without.

[/ QUOTE ]

Broadcast you are forming a "mission team" and if the bank mission comes up, make a point of saying "we aren't farming this." If anyone asks why, you say, "Because this isn't a farm team." I can understand if you didn't know this, but the only person in your story who was unclear about how things actually work in Mercy nowadays... was you.

I avoid the whole thing by soloing to 5 and then leaving for Port Oakes as soon as I possibly can. I only return to Mercy to watch the Rikti bomb it.

[ QUOTE ]
I remember joining one farming team that all got themselves killed in a few minutes. Nobody disagreed that the Meow farming attitude was to blame.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah for the good old days before Meow farming when PuGs NEVER got themselves all quickly killed out of sheer incompetence.

[ QUOTE ]
Actually timing, choosing "not" and to pause before u strike after the teamates do certain things is being skillful

[/ QUOTE ]

Compared to someone who has the same attack without KB and can just fire at will, you do less damage over time. This isn't the martial arts where a single well-placed strike can end the fight. Here you win the fight when you remove all the target's hit points and any he might gain while you're busy doing that. If you're pulling punches, you're doing less damage.

That is, if you're pulling punches to avoid KB. If you're spending a litte extra time to line up a cone AoE or to let someone collect up a spawn for AoE carnage, that's different. Waiting can sometimes mean more damage. But if you're all lined up to fire an AoE and have to decide not to because it might punt someone out of a debuff cloud or -res patch or AoE rain, all you're doing is... less damage of your own. Compared to someone who doesn't have KB as a side-effect that is, and can just fire away as soon as their powers are recharged.

[ QUOTE ]
In an AoE, it's a better chance to scatter than it is now, since you not only have the %chance for the secondary effect, but then the effect itself may or may not move the mob.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually that means an overall lesser chance of scattering the spawn since there'd only be 1/3 the chance of knocking back rather than up or down. Not that I like the idea. I think it would look silly to have some knocked back and some pop into the air. Also, I don't think they can do mutually exclusive random power effects unless it is hard-coded into the engine as a special effect, kind of like the Fortune power from the Magic booster. So it wouldn't just be a change to the powers database.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
An attitude against Energy Blast consists of the simple habit of people to assume they are dealing with a bad powerset rather than a bad player.

[/ QUOTE ]

This. But people have to blame some "thing", instead of an actual person, in order for their lives' to continue safely and without confrontation.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, I'm quite happy to blame people when they are to blame but blaming an Energy Blast user for knocking things back is blaming them for using their attacks. They could certainly have "skillfully" not used an attack in an unfavorable KB situation or spent time repositioning but either way I think it's fair to lay some of the blame on perhaps the ONLY attack power side-effect in the game that CAN have a downside.

It's both the player and the powerset. I know people here like to go on about skill and such, but skill doesn't rearrange spawn locations or ceiling heights. If skill means knowng when NOT to use a power all you're really done is learned how to self-gimp your own damage output to avoid screwing up the team's. How is this not ALSO a powerset problem?

Fact is, there is almost no situation where I'd prefer KB to KD (or better yet, KU). And there's no good reason for "chance of" KB in AoEs. All this means is "chance to spread out the spawn" which is NEVER a good thing.

High mag knockback is FUN, I will grant. And KB is occasionally useful for positioning mobs, but it is more often a hindrance, in my experience. On my AR corr, for instance, I'd love to use Buckshot early and often, but if it spreads stuff out so Flamethrower doesn't hit them all? I end up using it last. If that sucker did knockdown instead, I'd practically put it on AUTO, and it would be more valuable. Powerset problem.

[ QUOTE ]
Here's a leveling build I created for an Assault/Rad corrupter..

[/ QUOTE ]

Needs more Buckshot. I'd even suggest switching out M30 for it if you've got nowhere else to put it. M30 has twice the recharge time for the same damage and its higher target cap isn't something you'll exploit very often. Longer range is nice, but you need to be in closer for Flamethrower anyway, so Buckshot isn't hurting you there. Both of them have 50% knockback, so they'll cause some unwanted spread which is bad for your toggle debuffs. Buckshot's KB mag is *much* lower however. Fast animation too. Best DPA AoE attack in the set, actually.

Rad Infection has too many endrdx. One is enough. You may hear otherwise on these forums, but do the math.

RI with:

1 SO endrdx: 0.39 eps
2 SO endrdx: 0.31 eps
3 SO endrdx: 0.27 eps

Even that second endrdx is only saving you a whopping 0.08eps over slotting a single. Very few toggles in the game deserve 3 endrdx, and even Enervating Field and Choking Cloud aren't among them. A typical attack uses 0.8 to 1.0 eps if used as often as it is available and that gets *worse* as you load up on global recharge from IOs and... from AM and Hasten. AM does give a little back but the recharge boost eats some of that. If you ever have extra room for endrdx in your build, ALWAYS look at your attacks first, if there is any room left there.

Also, given all the -tohit you've loaded up RI with, consider Black Scorpion for his defense-based shield. You also get access to Web Envelope, which is sweet to use with Ignite later on. Something to think about anyway. After you drop Concealment pool, consider Leadership. Assault+Tactics or Maneuvers+Tactics. AR lacks Aim, so when you need to hit a defensive enemy, Tactics helps a lot. It can also be six-slotted for a nice boost to Def(ALL) with Gaussian's set.

[ QUOTE ]
Anyone with experience with both of these have any gameplay opinions? I'm the type of guy who likes to pop Darkest Night on something REALLY far away, pop tar patch around a corner, and go to town.

[/ QUOTE ]

Assault Rifle.

DN + Tarpatch + Corner. Waaait for it. Scary Face! Web Envelope! Ignite + Flamethrower + Full Auto + Buckshot + M30.

Repeat every 45 seconds until nothing is left on the map.

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure Buckshot is such a great help in AoE capacity, at least not in my experience. Yes, it has a somewhat large cone (not as big as most Blaster cones, but still) and it does SOME damage, but... Honestly, when the set has Flamethrower, Full Auto and M30...

[/ QUOTE ]

M30 does the same damage as Buckshot but with TWICE the recharge time and nearly double the animation time. For added lulz, it also has nearly three times the knockback magnitude causing greater spread and reduction in followup AoE efficiency than Buckshot.

If anything contributes the least to AR's AoE damage output, it is M30. Granted, it has twice the range and you can hit 16 targets max, vs. Buckshot's 10 but if you've got 16 huddled that close you better be hitting them from the air with M30 or have someone -KB immobilizing them or... there might be tears.

Still... I'd rather have all those AoEs, even M30. If I want a single-targetter, I'll pick something else. My 2-bits anyway.

Not sure I follow the "accountability" problem. They're held accountable for everything they do, so how is this different than any given day on the forums?

An earning rate cap actually makes them less accountable for exploits people find, provided those exploits aren't able to circumvent the earning rate cap. It's automatic, so they don't have to babysit and enforce as they would a verbally specified earning rate limit. The only problem is technical. i.e. Whether or not it could be implemented without eating up too many additional server cycles.