Another_Fan
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Posts
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Joined
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HAHAHA this is delightful.
Let me get this straight
There are 1366 badges in the game over the last few issues the amount available to any badger has increased by on the order of 1000 or at least many hundred.
Over this time period
- 1. 1 Impossible badge has gone from impossible to easy.
- 2. There have been added an enormous number of exploration badges that can only be called easy.
- 3. All the badges of an opposite alignment have gone from impossible to possible.
- 4. The old hardest badges in the MoSTF, MoRSF have gone from difficult to farmable on speed runs.
- 5. The newer hardest badges, MoLGTF, MoITF went to achievable on speed runs by accident
- 6. The newest very hard badges, Master of Apex, Master of Tin Mage have gone from impossible to achievable by accident.
Now we have two trials with marginally difficult badges that but have been reduced in difficulty since their introduction, and subsequent new badges that can be done by accident.
The Above constitutes a "DISTURBING TREND" ??
4 or 5 badges out of a trendline of 1300+ is not a trend, its a blip at best, maybe a dead cat bounce.
Well at least I have my answer to why badgers badge, you all really do like seeing that number go up. -
Quote:Almost all the blaster primaries are in the same boat. The standardization that came with defiance 2.0 fixed the tier 1 and 2 attacks at a pretty poor level. If your set doesn't have a really good third single target attack or the ability to -res or similar effect to bring your damage up you are stuck with really HoHum damage. Well maybe a little hyperbole on the hohum, but certainly not King of Damage damage, or I have given up everything else I can have for damage, damage. Fire has blaze, Ice has bitter ice blast, sonic has - res, the rest are SOL.Originally Posted by PleaseRecycle
Er yeah, it has better DPA than archery, which has reduced DPA to account for its reduced recharge and endurance costs (not a good trade if you ask me), and elec, a set that has deserved a buff for an unforunately large number of years. I assumed that you were using the actual crab powers because unlike the soldier powers those do not have redraw which you also have to factor into your DPS calculation. I don't know what ring of fire has to do with this. Much like sonic, beam rifle will also pull ahead due to its high DPA coupled with its debuffs.
Ring of fire is there because its ranged and has better DPA than most of the blaster attacks that you can get. I know people that take /fire for just ring and build up. -
Quote:Originally Posted by PleaseRecycle
Unless you're counting all of the pets, this isn't even close to right. Crab single target DPA is abysmal with their one saving grace being access to gloom. One good DPA power does not make up for the fact that you need to fill in the gaps with at least two bad DPA powers.
If you are counting the pets, good luck doing that single target damage when there's more than a single target near you.Saving Grace, access to gloom Eh ?Code:Name Dam Cast Dam/Cast Crab single shot 56 1.056 53.03030303 Burst 91 1.188 76.5993266 Gloom 98 1.32 74.24242424 Arch Prim Snap Shot 53 1.188 44.61279461 Aimed Shot 83 1.88 44.14893617 Blazing Arrow 162 1.98 81.81818182 Electrical Blast Charged Bolts 63 1.188 53.03030303 Lightning Bolt 103 1.88 54.78723404 Fire Sec Ring Of Fire 96.34 1.32 72.98484848
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Going to be blunt you are missing must haves on that build
1. No aim
2. Subdual isn't slotted enough to be useful. Its one of the three powers you can use while mezzed. It is also your only non smash/lethal attack
3. The defense powers are overslotted to little effect
4. Not enough accuracy in drain psyche
Here is a build with minimal changes to yours.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Archery
Secondary Power Set: Mental Manipulation
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Aimed Shot- (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (3) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (3) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (5) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
- (21) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
- (21) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
- (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
- (31) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
- (33) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
- (33) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (33) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (34) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (5) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (7) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (7) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
- (23) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
- (31) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
- (A) Flight Speed IO
- (A) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (11) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (11) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (13) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
- (13) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
- (15) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
- (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (15) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
- (17) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range
- (17) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
- (50) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (19) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (19) Gift of the Ancients - Defense/Endurance
- (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (23) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
- (25) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
- (25) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
- (50) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range
- (A) Empty
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (43) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (27) Recharge Reduction IO
- (27) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (29) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (29) Gift of the Ancients - Defense/Endurance
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (31) Gift of the Ancients - Defense/Endurance
- (34) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (A) Stupefy - Accuracy/Recharge
- (34) Stupefy - Endurance/Stun
- (36) Stupefy - Accuracy/Endurance
- (36) Stupefy - Stun/Range
- (36) Stupefy - Accuracy/Stun/Recharge
- (37) Stupefy - Chance of Knockback
- (A) Coercive Persuasion - Confused
- (37) Coercive Persuasion - Confused/Recharge
- (37) Coercive Persuasion - Accuracy/Confused/Recharge
- (39) Coercive Persuasion - Accuracy/Recharge
- (39) Coercive Persuasion - Confused/Endurance
- (39) Coercive Persuasion - Contagious Confusion
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (40) Recharge Reduction IO
- (40) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (40) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
- (42) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
- (42) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
- (50) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range
- (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
- (42) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (43) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
- (43) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
- (45) Red Fortune - Defense
- (48) Red Fortune - Endurance
- (A) Empty
- (A) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Recharge
- (45) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage
- (45) Expedient Reinforcement - Damage/Endurance
- (46) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (46) Expedient Reinforcement - Endurance/Damage/Recharge
- (46) Expedient Reinforcement - Resist Bonus Aura for Pets
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (A) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (48) Sting of the Manticore - Accuracy/Damage
- (48) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Interrupt/Recharge
- (A) Celerity - +Stealth
Level 2: Swift- (A) Flight Speed IO
- (A) Miracle - +Recovery
- (A) Jumping IO
- (A) Endurance Modification IO
- (9) Performance Shifter - EndMod
- (9) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End
- (A) Empty
Level 1: Sprint- (A) Empty
- (A) Empty
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Quote:I'd love to know what these are as well. My Crab does more single target damage at range Than anything but a fire blaster, Sonic or possibly a procced out Ice blaster. It also has a massive damage continuous AoE attack chain. It does that while having more hitpoints than a blaster, layered defenses, Mez protection and debuffing the enemies and buffing the team.Originally Posted by Wavicle
Here's the thing. It doesn't matter whether or not your think it would be an OP tankmage. The devs have shown via the limitations they put on the Epic ATs THEY believe it would be an OP tankmage. Or they strongly suggest that.
Blasters actually have a damage deficit when it comes to ranged single target damage vs Melee single target damage. The implication is that range + utility from the secondary provides greater survivability than a melee's secondaryQuote:Originally Posted by Miladys_Knight
Blasters are broken, especially in comparison. Most blasters don't take all their attacks because they would sit in the tray unused because they don't animate fast enough to use them all even slotting just SOs. If you slot a reasonable amount of recharge even more of your powers sit in your tray which is why most blaster players select pool powers to fill in the mitigation chasm. You aren't going to get to use another attack power, taking it would be silly, or it sits in your tray unused except as a mule for a set bonus.
The damage difference does not even come close to making up for the mitigation difference.
Having played both scrappers and blasters I have to disagree with both the devs and your assessment of the situation.
When a scrapper or brute can be both self sufficient and out DPS the blaster, and the blaster can't come close to the survivability of melee toon that is the real problem and it is exactly what we have now.Quote:Originally Posted by NecroOmNomNomicon
The thing with this game is that with the advent of IOs and Incarnates you HAVE THE OPTION TO bastardize your AT into what you want it to be. Honestly, if you build a Blaster for recharge and tons of procs, acc, recov, and make a pure glass cannon who's only role is to do massive damage and sustain his own endurance, you will definitely contribute in a team scenario. You fulfill a roll better than the Scrapper does, DPS. Now when you people WANT to make a self sufficient Blaster and aim for Scrapper defenses, that's when you make comparisons like "My ******* Blaster that wants to be a Scrapper is not as good as a Scrapper in X way or Y way... buffs plz." -
Quote:That's an over broad generalization of what I was trying to say. My statement was in response toOriginally Posted by Wing_Leader
Indeed, maybe Ada didn't have that big an influence after all. In my estimation, it certainly can not be credited as having changed how an entire profession did/does its job.
The ADA mandate forced change down a significant portion of the profession's throat.Quote:Name one time ever when a computer programmer error caused a change to the way the profession was managed.
Trick question: you can't, because the profession isn't managed. We are unlicensed, we have no professional code of ethics, we have no professional code of conduct, we have not even a vague nebulous set of professional responsibilities. And that's why no matter how many mistakes we make or how large they are, no one else is required to learn from them or even hear about them except by chance.
The above its even sillier when considered in the light of the discussion that has come after. There really isn't any profession where a practitioners great mistakes are bandied about unless they are too obvious to hide. When we have big disasters that are traced back to software failures changes are made. The problem is in talking about software engineering, or any engineering as one profession. People who write search engines, aren't really in the same profession as people that write software for running a LASIK, and they aren't in the same profession as people who write financial applications for banks.
The Hyatt regency disaster itself didn't affect the entire engineering profession or even all the civil engineering profession. I don't know for sure but I would bet that few if any states other than Missouri changed their laws because of the disaster, if even Missouri did.
In software , the big mistakes were taught even back when I was learning the craft and we didn't have as many to study yet. If you want to hear about them you can just read any of the software engineering journals. Why software fails is a perennially big topic
So did the ADA mandate have an effect ? It certainly made many people think about concepts they wouldn't have otherwise. There are many industries that embrace ADA and the methodologies that went along with it now, life critical applications come to mind.
On the other hand we live in a world where COBOL won't die. -
Quote:OMG you are actually uncertain about something. Isn't that a first.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
I have a theory about that which I haven't specifically discussed with the devs, so this is just a theory and not the devs talking here. But there is a certain amount of overhead to addressing any bug: you have to check out the right code or resources and fire up the right tools or other utilities necessary to view them, edit them, document the changes, etc. A ten second spelling error could take ten or fifteen minutes for a dev to get into the right "position" to fix. So single spelling errors are actually far more costly to fix than they might appear.
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Quote:ADA was certainly part of the wave that was going on at the time. You had serious work being done on provably correct systems, there was IIRC a microprocessor built for the British military that had a provably correct instruction set. Maybe ADA didn't have that big an influence, I can't look at java and not see the misbegotten child of ADA and C++.Originally Posted by Wing_Leader
We weren't involved in the aircraft industry. We were involved in the airport security industry.
I think this gives too much credit to Ada. Those concepts were well established within the discipline long before Ada became a ratified standard. Back when software design encompassed much smaller applications, fewer interacting modules, and much simpler hardware architectures, ideas like standardization, code re-use, and self-documeting code were easy to institute on a company-by-company basis. No governing body was required, nor was it available. By the time Ada came to the show, it had already started and was well under way, so to speak.
I certainly see ADA's big philosophy of preventing the programmer from having detailed knowledge or the ability to exploit the platform they are programming to all over the place.
The product (line) was a series of X-ray machines that detected the presence of plastic explosives (and more comprehensive bomb-like devices). If the fact that they were coded in C and C++, by programmers of all skill levels from extraordinary to barely competent, keeps you up at night wondering if you really should fly anywhere ever again, I don't blame you.
When you said real time life critical, I thought avionics.Quote:And, no, the FAA did nothing of the sort to mandate production practices on anyone in that particular branch of the airline security industry. We were not government contractors to the FAA or the US Government. We were merely a vendor that the airlines bought product from. All the FAA did, and it took them almost a decade of constant harrassment from the very Congress that mandated them into action following Lockerbie, was institute a dubious process (defined mostly by politics, not quality performance criteria) for certifying systems purchaseable by airlines in the US. -
Quote:Sure why don't we have every programmer working on a project use their own somewhat idiosyncratic method of having their modules talk to everyone else's and while we are at it, lets not document them or write anything down.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Standardization is a quality issue? Ahahahahaha. Unfortunately, I can't punish you for your stupidity, so I'm just going to have to take it out on the next idiot that suggests it. Standardization can be a tool to improve quality, just like documentation can be or pencils can be. But standardization does not, in and of itself, promote or enhance quality. In fact, a higher degree of standardization doesn't correlate to higher quality except extremely weakly: those that enact standardization efforts in some areas tend to have better habits in others.
That is what I said glad you agree.Quote:The problem was the change was signed off on by the engineering team without *any* review.
So the way you do things, is when the people putting your design together tell you its unworkable, and propose a change you don't even check ? I suppose it should bother me I find this believable.Quote:But to focus on the calculations is not understanding the lesson of the event, which is supposed to be obvious enough that anyone that doesn't shouldn't be talking about it much less be in a position to reproduce it . The change should have been rejected without a single calculation being made.
No doing the calculations would have told them they were way out of building code requirements for the design and had a design that was inadequate.Quote:The only thing calculations would have done is remind them that they were not supposed to do something that dumb in the first place. You do not "accidentally" sacrifice 50% of your design strength because you forgot to whip out your pocket calculator. -
Quote:Not to put to fine a point on it, but for somebody that writes civil aviation software its pretty amazing you never met a programmer from BoeingOriginally Posted by Wing_Leader
Well, despite the size of the DoD-related government contract industry, the impact of their practices appear to have had little to no effect on programming in general, at least not in the US. Of the hundreds of programmers I've met and/or spoken to in three decades, not one of them has ever programmed a single line of ADA, been subject to the standardization methods articulated by ADA, or known anyone affected by them. The view from my 30-year perch is that ADA was created for, and used by a single isolated industry (non-financial government programming) and had virtually no bleedover into other software domains. Not scientific, not educational, not commercial, and certainly not entertainment. C and C++ dominates computer programming the world over; and I see no evidence that there are any hard and fast rules for best practices adopted by the majority of those paid to do it.
http://archive.adaic.com/projects/atwork/boeing.html
,
or any of these compainies.
Beechcraft, Fokker, Lockheed Martin, The Tupolev aircraft company, The Ilyushin design bureau, BAE ?
Its pretty big for life critical aircraft systems.
But anyway, how many people do you know doing commercial coding in Haskell, Refined-C, Algol 60 ?
Then you have been affected by the process and thinking that went into creating ADA . Standardization, heavy use of code review all came out of the methods the D.O.D were pushing with that.Quote:I used to work for a company that made very specialized real-time hardware for the civial aviation industry. In many countries civil aviation is actually a government-run entity, subject to whatever standards those countries have chosen to impose on such things. Not a single one of them, as a customer, dictated the language to use, the coding practices to employ, or the testing procedures to undertake in order to win a contract. And this included U.S. airports under the aegis of FAA custodianship. We programmed in C and C++, we adhered to our own (certified) ISO9000/9001 documentation requirements, and we had our own in-house QC department with its own testing protocols. The existance of ADA did not have a single bit of influence over how we wrote our code, and I am pretty sure nobody on the team, aside from myself, even knew the language (though I'm sure some of them had heard of it).
Oh and btw don't take this the wrong way, but what was your product ? I have no wish to get anywhere near an airplane that is reliant on C or C++ code.
I am sure that has nothing to do with the fact that the FAA mandates such practices on anything that flies.Quote:The only reason we had any stringent practices at all, such as they were, was because without a reputation for reliability and performance, we had no customers. Contrast that with the entertainment industry that I work in now where any "professional practices" remotely like I knew from my previous experience(s) are utterly alien concepts. I can only conclude that ADA had a profound and lasting influence on professional programming only in the minds of its architects, who nurture a fantastical notion of its legacy. -
Quote:O'rly ?Originally Posted by Arcanaville
It was a response to the Department of Defense wanting to impose a standard programming language. It had nothing specifically to do with quality control.
The national research council didn't get a memo from you, perhaps you should send them one.
http://sw-eng.falls-church.va.us/nrc/nrc-contents.htmlQuote:Additional criteria for assessing software quality that are crucial in supporting DOD's critical missions and ability to respond rapidly to changes include high assurance and real-time performance, a set that covers reliability, security, safety, survivability, and real-time performance; and ease of change, a capability that enables rapid response to changes in threats, technology, or mission requirements.
Nice that you can get government docs as ebooks these days. I still remember paying through the nose for the standards and working off xeroxed copies.
What a gift for understatement you have. ADA, isn't just designed to be more structured and modular, its designed to make it nearly impossible to write unstructured code, and difficult to write non modular code.Quote:To the extent the language was designed to be more structured and modular, the intent was for the language itself to promote better coding practice. But 1815 didn't specify *how* Ada was to be used, and there was no corresponding standards ever drafted for best practices in system design that incorporated the language.
If you could why don't you explain how having the largest customer for software in the world demand that all its new software be written using a language that forces certain practices on the programmer doesn't affect the profession ?
You would have to be insane to think they weren't pushing software engineering methodologies forward.Quote:There *were* standards of project management at the time, but anyone who's seen those in the DoD for this period of time claiming they improved the methodology of software engineering is insane.
Must be nice to be able to speak ex-cathedra. Especially when standardization is a quality issue, for software. ITs also great that you have completely missed what the impact and lasting effects of the mandate were and are.Quote:To be specific, the Ada directive:
a) didn't impact the profession overall, just one of its clients
b) didn't actually specifically address any quality issue, only standardization
c) just forced us to code in Ada, for one client, for a while.
The problem was never the change, the problem was that nobody bothered to do the calculations relevant to the change.Quote:Err, no. First of all, the hanger rod change doubled the load on the lower box beam connection point. To say it would have been fine if the beam were stronger would be like saying everything would have been fine if the walkways were made of adamantium. That design would not have supported the load with a small change in materials: it would have required a radical rethink of the system.
The industry neither grants nor revokes professional engineering licenses. They are issued by individual states and are under their regulatory control. Which in Missouri's case means a politically appointed board.Quote:And its worth noting that even in the absence of that industry directive, the engineers responsible were punished by the industry (by having their licenses to practice engineering revoked).
Edit: Its amazing how much the post I am replying to resembles the OSI onion. I read it and was completely overwhelmed by the first layer while letting the mention of the OSI layers hit my personal snooze button. How can you can you compare a conceptual model to mandated programming language is beyond me. I can build network application that violate the OSI layer willy nilly. TRY to write an ADA program or A java program that violate their modularity models and you have real problems. -
Quote:MIL-STD-1815 AKA The ADA mandate.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Name one time ever when a computer programmer error caused a change to the way the profession was managed.
Trick question: you can't, because the profession isn't managed. We are unlicensed, we have no professional code of ethics, we have no professional code of conduct, we have not even a vague nebulous set of professional responsibilities. And that's why no matter how many mistakes we make or how large they are, no one else is required to learn from them or even hear about them except by chance.
Which was the response to the profession's lack of quality control and standards. So no particular error just an overwhelming number of them.
Edit: Your commentary on the Hyatt beam is also off. That engineering change would have been fine if the beam were stronger. The problem was that no one had bothered to do the calculations to see if the beam could take the load. -
Quote:Interesting.Originally Posted by rsclark
Ease of communication to anyone not being pedantic?
If someone you asked for directions said the place you were looking for was a stones throw down yonder and someone else said it was exactly 1 mile down a road and you could expect to find it at the intersection there which would be better ?
And if the person who gave the very precise directions was completely wrong ?
Because that is what happened here. The only communication that was made easier was the idea you should be upset about the super packs. Which was very funny because the people perpetrating the misrepresentation of the situation were upset about NcSoft using manipulative tactics on them. -
Quote:I had to laugh. You are correct, obviously correct, correct beyond argument, but welcome to the forums. Here the angry cyclops with an attitude is kingOriginally Posted by Mazey
Defintions, and using them precisely, are the most important thing there is in maths. If you fail to do that, you are failing to do maths.
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Quote:You aren't insinuating that the playerbase in anyway resembles marine mammals are you ?Originally Posted by Party_Kake
targeting VIPs in a predatory manner? Like, with a harpoon gun? I'm not seeing that.
If there were an in-game mechanic that caused "free" enhancements and recipes and costume parts to stop dropping for VIPs so that VIPs were forced to spend more money to play, THAT would be predatory. -
Quote:This seems exceptionally reasonable.Originally Posted by Zwillinger
In the interest of making this information more readily available (the other thread , while a great conversation, is nearing 1300 posts), I'm going to summarize some details we've shared since the Pummit regarding Super Packs, as well as let you in on the results of our continuing internal discussions.
First to recap:- The price for Super Packs has been set at 80 Paragon Points Each. There will be a discount for buying in bulk, ala a box of packs, which is TBD.
- We are still discussing/considering concerns expressed regarding the exclusivity of costume pieces. We're open to the idea of making them available through an alternate method in the Paragon Market, however a decision has not been made regarding this particular topic.
- ATOs (Archetype Enhancements) will be purchasable from the Reward Merit Vendor, for a combination of Reward Merits and Inf, and from Astral Christy, for a combination of Astral Merits and Inf. There will be a cooldown timer on the purchase of these items. The amount of Inf and duration of the cooldown are still being discussed and will be evaluated once all of this hits beta. This is in addition to their availability in Super Packs.
- Enhancement Catalysts will be added to the game as rare drops from enemies defeated during Incarnate Trials and in the upcoming newly Incarnated Dark Astoria. Like ATOs, this is in addition to their availability through Super Packs.
Thanks!
-Z
If it hasn't been asked and answered yet, will the uncombined booster crystals be trading at Wentworths or purchasable with some combination of merits and inf ? -
Quote:Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Actually, honestly no. And its not like they are easy to miss when they are around.
Here these might help
Because they are all over the place. -
Quote:/TimeOriginally Posted by Arcanaville
Corruptors and Dominators aren't "defensively strong" although they can have a lot of offensive mitigation: also already discussed. If you want ranged survivability in general its hard to beat mind control dominators. But that's not really aligned with what the OP seems to be talking about.
really disagrees about defensively strong, softcap to all position without IOs and having two powerful self heals. But almost all corruptor secondaries provide much higher levels of personal survivability than anything a blaster can hope to achieve.
Well in regard to being able spam AoEs, that would be a death rate that was low enough that it wasn't slowing up progress noticeably or was more than offset by the kill rate.Quote:What is "typical blaster survival levels?" When I'm playing blasters, I'm generally aiming for "not being dead." But more importantly, the OP originally mentioned a problem with staying alive, so surviving at "typical blaster levels" doesn't sound like what the OP is looking for.
I build for survivability its important for me. I consider death a failure.Quote:Because actual blasters don't tend to have a lot of mitigation: for most of them taking one shot instead of two is meaningful.
Well except the parts where you have me presenting it as an intractable problem and your comparison of apples to kumquats that's almost accurate.Quote:Lots of things have sleeps. Controllers have sleeps. Dominators have sleeps. We all solve this problem you're presenting as intractable just fine.
There is a world of difference between stackable sleeps and non stackable sleeps, and there is also a world of difference between a doms control abilities and a blasters. -
Quote:Originally Posted by Kioshi
Hey dark blast/MM, the only blaster I got past 30!
AoE cone chain early on, Drain Psyche for survivability, recovery and -regen on AVs, and a blast that heals you too - oh and the hold in DB does good damage. Plus the blasts do -tohit.
Was a great pairing for me because I usually find blasters and scrappers too one dimensional when basically all they do is damage.
This might just be it. It certainly looks good enough on paper to get me playing the game again instead of nagging the wife, to join me on the virtual links.
Softcap to range, 2 good heal, AoE immob to keep things at range, Very solid AoE sequences, Very Good recharge, and all without being horribly expensive. Est cost
Edit its minor to swap in force mastery or electrical mastery and have the same or better builds. I just enjoy LRM.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Dark Blast
Secondary Power Set: Mental Manipulation
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Munitions Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Dark Blast- (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
- (3) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
- (3) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
- (5) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (5) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (42) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Recharge
- (19) Trap of the Hunter - Endurance/Immobilize
- (19) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Endurance
- (21) Trap of the Hunter - Immobilize/Accuracy
- (21) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Immobilize/Recharge
- (40) Trap of the Hunter - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
- (7) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
- (7) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
- (9) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (9) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (42) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
- (31) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
- (31) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
- (33) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (40) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (34) Recharge Reduction IO
- (36) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
- (11) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
- (11) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
- (15) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (15) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy)
- (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
- (13) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
- (13) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
- (17) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (17) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy)
- (40) Range IO
- (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range
- (46) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance
- (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff
- (36) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge
- (36) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance
- (37) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance
- (37) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance
- (37) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up
- (A) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
- (23) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold
- (25) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Recharge
- (25) Basilisk's Gaze - Recharge/Hold
- (A) Numina's Convalescence - Heal
- (48) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Endurance
- (50) Numina's Convalescence - Endurance/Recharge
- (50) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Recharge
- (50) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (23) Defense Buff IO
- (A) Empty
- (A) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (27) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (27) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
- (29) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
- (29) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
- (42) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (A) Coercive Persuasion - Confused
- (43) Coercive Persuasion - Confused/Recharge
- (43) Coercive Persuasion - Accuracy/Confused/Recharge
- (43) Coercive Persuasion - Accuracy/Recharge
- (46) Coercive Persuasion - Confused/Endurance
- (48) Coercive Persuasion - Contagious Confusion
- (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (33) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (33) HamiO:Enzyme Exposure
- (A) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All)
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (39) HamiO:Enzyme Exposure
- (A) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
- (45) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (45) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
- (45) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
- (46) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy)
- (48) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
------------
Level 2: Swift- (A) Empty
- (A) Miracle - +Recovery
- (31) Numina's Convalescence - +Regeneration/+Recovery
- (A) Empty
- (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End
- (39) Performance Shifter - EndMod
- (39) Endurance Modification IO
- (A) Empty
Level 1: Sprint- (A) Empty
- (A) Empty
------------
Set Bonuses:
Thunderstrike
(Dark Blast)- 2% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% Defense(Energy,Negative), 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
- 7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 4% RunSpeed, 4% FlySpeed, 4% JumpSpeed, 4% JumpHeight
- 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative)
(Subdual)- 5% Enhancement(Immobilize)
- 22.59 HP (1.87%) HitPoints
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- MezResist(Held) 2.75%
- 3.13% Defense(Ranged), 1.56% Defense(Energy), 1.56% Defense(Negative)
(Gloom)- 2% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% Defense(Energy,Negative), 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
- 7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 4% RunSpeed, 4% FlySpeed, 4% JumpSpeed, 4% JumpHeight
- 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative)
(Telekinetic Thrust)- MezResist(Immobilize) 3.3%
- 18.07 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
- 3% DamageBuff(All)
- MezResist(Held) 3.3%
- 3.75% Defense(Ranged), 1.88% Defense(Energy), 1.88% Defense(Negative)
(Psychic Scream)- 2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery
- 1.58% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 6.25% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Tenebrous Tentacles)- 2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery
- 1.58% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 6.25% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Super Speed)- 1.25% Defense(Ranged), 0.63% Defense(Energy), 0.63% Defense(Negative)
(Concentration)- 5% JumpSpeed, 5% JumpHeight, 5% FlySpeed, 5% RunSpeed
- 22.59 HP (1.87%) HitPoints
- 2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% DamageBuff(All)
- 2.5% Defense(Melee), 1.25% Defense(Lethal), 1.25% Defense(Smashing), 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative), 2.5% Defense(AoE), 1.25% Defense(Fire), 1.25% Defense(Cold)
(Abyssal Gaze)- 2.5% Defense(Energy,Negative), 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
- 2% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Drain Psyche)- 12% (0.6 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 22.59 HP (1.87%) HitPoints
- 6% Enhancement(Heal)
- MezResist(Held) 3.3%
(Combat Jumping)- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Life Drain)- 2% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% Defense(Energy,Negative), 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
- 7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 4% RunSpeed, 4% FlySpeed, 4% JumpSpeed, 4% JumpHeight
- 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative)
(World of Confusion)- 4% (0.07 End/sec) Recovery
- 4% Enhancement(Confused)
- 4% DamageBuff(All)
- 10% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 5% Defense(Ranged), 2.5% Defense(Energy), 2.5% Defense(Negative)
(Tough)- 3% Defense(Melee), 3% Defense(AoE), 3% Defense(Ranged), 3% Defense(Smashing), 3% Defense(Lethal), 3% Defense(Fire), 3% Defense(Cold), 3% Defense(Energy), 3% Defense(Negative), 3% Defense(Psionic)
(Weave)- 10% (0.5 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Body Armor)- 3% Defense(Melee), 3% Defense(AoE), 3% Defense(Ranged), 3% Defense(Smashing), 3% Defense(Lethal), 3% Defense(Fire), 3% Defense(Cold), 3% Defense(Energy), 3% Defense(Negative), 3% Defense(Psionic)
(Maneuvers)- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(LRM Rocket)- 2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery
- 1.58% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 6.25% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Vengeance)- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Stamina)- 5% JumpSpeed, 5% JumpHeight, 5% FlySpeed, 5% RunSpeed
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Quote:Crabs/Huntsmen/Fortunatas/ Many Varieties of corruptors/ Dominators if you go the active defense route.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
There is no such thing as a ranged-AoE heavy defensively strong combination without entanglements. If there were, we'd all be playing it. The farther you go in the direction of ranged offense, the more you're going to lose damage mitigation, outside of corner cases like going to a ranged mastermind like bots, which I don't think the OP's looking for.
Pretty much its blasters that sit in that survivability divot.
There are plenty of blasters that do spam AOEs and survive at typical blaster survival levels. The problem is that there are other ats that can spam aoes and achieve higher kill rates while surviving at much higher levels.Quote:On the specific subject of Sirens, when playing for real, and not for giggles, I use Sirens and AoEs all the time. If I could spam AoEs on large spawns constantly as a blaster and not get dead from the return fire, I'd write a book. Sirens is good for cutting the odds, even if you intend to use AoEs. The notion that blasters can literally vaporize everything in just a couple of AoEs is 99% hyperbole. Stuff is going to be still alive, or you'll have to kill time while BU and Aim are recharging. During those times, being able to take out an entire spawn of minions and LTs in one shot, and then hit a manageable subset of them with AoEs and single target attacks, is still tactically useful. Its comparable in difficulty to properly aiming knockback with an energy blaster.
In the game range is not the magic, the game treats it as.
Back to sirens, if you wake up the enemies you have put to sleep you have negated its utility. If you have a build that can survive the damage from what you have woken up why did you bother in the first place ?
That is of course the point, sonic is aoe poor, and even using the ones you have undercuts its big survivability tool.Quote:In either case, the AoE objection to Sirens is mostly theoretical, especially during leveling, because Sonic's AoEs are not particularly good either way. Not using them constantly is not that big of a deal. Sonic is more of a single target attacker I've found. -
Quote:It really doesn't take a new AT. What is needed are changes to blasters so they aren't a giant divot of survivability.Originally Posted by Eldagore
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=278037
You are not the only one that is looking for something not represented well in the game.
Oh well at least we got a damage+range alpha at last -
Given what you described as your goals Sonic isn't going to be your friend. The aoe sleep winds up being a brake pedal not an accelerator pedal. Its a sleep that you can't stack and precludes using AoEs.
For small spawns at low difficulty settings it works but those are the same spawns that other blasters can destroy with 2 or 3 AoEs. The set seems much more corruptor or defender friendly, than tank mage oriented -
Quote:Keep the kinetic combat. It takes the set.
I'm not seeing any KB sets that would make up the defense lost in TK thrust dropping the kinetic combat in flurry. -
Quote:My fault on these, I rarely take the time to lay out all the details. Drain psyche is great when you have it you saturated but when you are fighting only one enemy and have to worry about misses its still great but not great enough that you have lost all your concerns.Originally Posted by TwoHeadedBoy
Yea I know that hover has a higher end cost but with perma drain psyche I hardly expect to have end issues (plus recovery is already more than covered anyways) I like to hover above spawns on my blaster mostly out of habit, (edit to clarify- That's slightly above, to the point where I'm still in melee range, really. I just enjoy the extra mobility.) I like watching things melt while I stand on their shoulders.
Looking at your build, i made the assumption that you were building a blaster to do stupid scrapper tricks. (GMs, Pylons, AVs, solo, no temps, no insps, nothing but net)
Sorry once again I didn't go through all the details when I said drop flurry and fully slot subdual and take tactics. I also meant to say put another rectified recticle in tactics. That puts you at 45.8 %def. Its a little buffer, not much but a little.Quote:Flurry is just a set mule, I have no intention of using it, it just provided an extra kinetic combat set to reach the s/l softcap.
That sounds right, but the Nucleo still manages to enhance damage to the ED cap while still enhancing accuracy, which Decimation always feels pretty light on to me.
That's a good idea, though it nets slightly less defense (as in less than 1%) it's basically picking up a tohit bonus and losing a mule though, I probably should have thought of that.
Also TK thrust works just as well as a set mule but can actually be useful. Flurry maybe in pvp ?
It does when you are fighting a single target. Especially with that attack chain. I have a very similar build, without incarnates end can be very painfulQuote:Originally Posted by Bonnes
@Another_Fan
I suspect his melee attacks are there only as set mules. THB probably has a very specific attack chain in mind and everything else just supports it, which leads to power and slotting choices that may otherwise look odd. I think he'll be in melee range most of the time, but Hover is still useful for those times he won't want to be. Besides, with his Recovery, Combat Jumping doesn't provide a useful savings. -
Quote:Don't sweat it. There is very little succeeding with blasters. You need redefine your victory conditions before you start playing them. I like to think of them, when I am feeling charitable, as pitching wedges or putters, you could use them to play an entire course but you really wouldn't want to.Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion
Seriously, I really really suck at it. Thanks for all the build help, suggestions on tactics, etc. I just am not a Blaster. I am back on Brutes, and the old SS/Invul Brute type I started with to boot. (Although with 4 years cash this one has bling I never even heard about when i started, some of it didnt exist lol)
I am posting for 2 reasons, one is to express my gratitude to all of you for the tips.
The second.... I want advice on a ghetto Tank Mage lol. I want to take a Brute or Scrapper, or heck, even Tank, and try to cram as much Ranged attacks on them as possible. I know the damage will not be near what a "Ranged" class can put out, but it seems my only solution for playing the character I want. I also realize that I will probably be throwing good attack chains out the door and probably mucking the armor up some as well. But I have this Ranged character in my head, and I will find a way to get the sucker into the cities lol.
So, what power sets, (Primary/Secondary/Ancillary/Epic) would be good suggestions from the Scrapper/Tank/Brute pit? (Crab soldiers are right out conceptually, although I know they have many of the strengths I'm asking for) This will be a project toon for now, which for me means I wont be trying to 50 it in under a week. But I want to start penciling some stuff in, with the hope of having a good concept down when I want to alt. Thanks.
Anyway top of the hit parade for tank mages is SS/Fire/Mu/Spiritual/Ageless brutes, another high damage and able to survive whatever is thrown at it would be either a fire/shield/fire scrapper or an electrical melee/shield/fire scrapper.
The damage output is as good as anything you will get with a blaster and survivability is off the scale in comparison.
Seeing as they are talking about making resistance meaningful relative to defense, the brutes and scrappers will just be pulling even further ahead in terms of survivability.