Biospark

Legend
  • Posts

    1439
  • Joined

  1. Quote:
    Originally Posted by DSorrow View Post
    That depends on three things, 1) how much Defense and Resistance you have currently, 2) how much maximum HP you have and 3) how much damage per unit of time you're taking.

    Regen is "direct" mitigation whereas Defense and Resistance are relative to incoming DPS. They both also multiply the usefulness of your Regeneration and stack in a different manner. Maximum HP determines how much regeneration in HP/s the percentage equals.

    EDIT: Results will also differ depending on if you try to calculate an "immortality line" or time to defeat.

    A formula you can use for this:

    Time to Defeat = (MaxHP / (DPS * (1 - Res) * (Enemy_ToHit - Def) * Enemy_Acc - Regen)

    If Regen (in HP/second) is higher or equals the DPS (enemy base DPS, power accuracy isn't applied yet) after Resistance and Defense are applied you can sustain that damage "forever". If Regen is lower than the DPS with the same conditions the formula will give you the time it takes to reach 0 HP. You can use it to try different combinations of Defense, Resistance, MaxHP, time to defeat, etc. to see how much Regeneration would get you the same increase in survivability in each situation. It is very important to note that because Regen works very differently from Res or Def there is no real rule of the thumb for converting it to either of those.

    (I hope I got the formula right, a bit sleepy...)
    This is correct.

    For the OP, if your looking for a baseline number (much like your comment about 2% resist = 1% defense) you need to set a time metric. One that I like to use is 60 seconds. So, with 0% resist and 0% defense, you will be defeated in 60 seconds if you sustain 4.17% dps(as a factor of total health) thru that entire time. This does not take all factors into account other than assuming a steady influx of damage (after accuracy) and base regeneration of 0.42/sec.

    1% defense added to baseline will change this value to 4.258%, making 1% defense roughly equal to ; 0.042%/sec regen or 10% regen.

    Hope that helps. Just keep in mind that regen is just like Defense and Resistance in that it becomes more powerful when "stacked" with those other forms. But it ALSO (like resistance) gets alot of benefit from +HPs.
  2. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Scirion View Post
    There was a dev post a while (like, a year or so?) back, I wanna say it was from BAB... If I remember correctly, it amounted to something along the lines of "Not going to happen. Ever.".

    But with any luck, they'll change their mind, because I'd love to have it, myself. Of course, Dark Blast for Blasters would be nice, too. >.>
    I read that post, and will try to dig it up for reference, but HE (BaBs/Castle/Posi ??) did not say that it would not happen. He explained why it was more difficult than just making one set for Dark Control. The post explained how they needed to work out the logistics not just of one set but of FOUR sets ; Dark Assault, Dark Control, Dark Blast and Dark Manipulation.

    Whatever they are planning in the future is still unkown, but IF they do it, you can count on Blasters, Dominators, and Controllers all getting a taste of Darkness.

    Honestly the biggest stumbling block is going to be Dark Miasma for controllers since it already feels very much like a control set, it may be an issue to port it over. My opinion is to just do it. Sets like Gravity will just love it. Fire/Darks will be the "NEW" tanks of the decade.

    DO IT !!!!


    And here you go:
    http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...ration&page=11


    SUNSTORM said on page 11 of the linked thread;

    Actually Synapse and I have been puzzling over the dark sets. Just for fun, I'll shed some light on the subject.

    So, lets start this with a riddle, since the explanation is just as incomprehensible. Why does Dark Miasma overlapping Dark Control powers make a straight port of Dark Manipulation problematic?

    The explanation is, there are a couple powersets that would be sharing an interesting combination of powers. For example, Controllers want Dark Control and Dark Miasma, except Dark Miasma is already a very control heavy set which would supply a lot of Dark Control's powers. Combining Dark/Dark this way could lead to a lot of overlap.

    Dominators would want Dark Control and Dark Assault, so Dark Assault would have to be careful not to include control powers from Dark Blast or Dark melee.

    Blasters are easier, however the powers that go to blasters would likely be included in Dark Assault, which goes opposite dark control.

    Then there are the general AT wide no-no's. Such as: giving armor powers to non-armored classes, or overlapping powers already in patron pools.

    So in the end, it's not designing one powerset. It's designing 3 different powersets:

    Dark Control/Dark Miasma for Controllers
    Dark Control/Dark Assault for Dominators
    Dark Blast/Dark Manipulation for Blasters

    Well, that's enough "dark" for several posts. And no, nothing is in the works yet.
  3. Medicine pool is the only standout for me as well regarding the removal of interupt completely, but everyone has access to green pills, so with the exception of certain types of activity (like AV soloing), medicine pool would not be any better than using Inspies in most fights. Heck it is even worse when you consider that you have to burn a power pick BEFORE you even get access to Aid Self. If the use of Medicine were too large of a concern, they could always up the activation time to 6+ seconds. There would still be folks using it, but consider what 6 seconds of non-dps time would do to their combat tactics.
  4. This whole inter-exchange is the reason that I started a thread regarding "Interruptable" powers awhile back, and also the reason that I am STILL convinced that the whole interruptable mechanic is completely unnecessary. Simply having a LONG animation is more than enough of a drawback on ANY power to effect how often and when it gets used.

    Blaster snipes 4+ seconds, Mecidine pool and Assassin Strike are all similar. Take away the Interrupt mechanic and these powers will STILL be used the way they are now, but they will make much more sense.

    AS could not be interrupted, and presumably, if it was coded right, you will not lose any damage as long as you clicked it before some AoE dropped you out of hide. And if you were desperate for another single target attack, you could use it as such. Honestly, the animation should be LIKE a regular attack. Stalkers are not blasters, why would it take forever and a day to line up a strike against a target your standing right next to ? Doesnt make much sense really.
  5. I am all for a couple of your ideas;

    A) Access to APPs and PPPs : Yes Please

    B) Special costume options on regular costumes : Yes Please


    For the APPs though I would prefer to see them get the Controller/Dominator choices personally.


    Finally, I want the Quantum vulnerability removed. VEATS don't have such a horible disadvantage, so why should HEATS. If you want them to take more energy damage, then simply don't let them have energy resistance or defense in any of their powers. Its not THAT hard to do. Look at sets like INV and SR. Are they at a disadvantage against certain mob types ? (Yes), Did they need to have extra encounter coding to accomplish this ? (Nope). Come on Devs ! I would play a PB or WS, but I cannot stand the whole Quantum thing. Its just plain annoying.
  6. Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheBruteSquad View Post
    Amusingly enough my mainly SO (kb reducer in hover, and miracle/numina procs in health are about it) dark/dark/soul brute can do anything my IO'd to the gills sm/wp can - except beat a pylon. Darkest Night, cloak of fear, and death shroud combined with tough, siphon life, and dark regeneration do a really good job of reducing enemy attack frequency, damage, and accuracy. I keep meaning to IO the poor girl but since she doesn't really need it she kind of always gets shuffled down the 'IO meh!' list.

    Yes, a lot of that these days is the awesome that is Darkest Night... but long before it was a Patron Power option I was fearless at spawn diving on a team. Usually dark regen and cloak of fear were enough. If not... well, it was an excuse to stun everything while rezzing at full health and endurance.

    I would say on SO's only Dark/Dark/Soul is actually one of the *stronger* defensive brutes.
    I guess that just shows how much better the combo is with Darkest Night. Scrappers do not get that and have fewer hps than brutes, so every little bit helps. Don't get me wrong, Dark/Dark scrappers work fine on SOs, but they are a bit squishy until they get some kind of defense to help absorb alpha-strikes.

    I may have to give a DDS Brute a try one day. DN sounds like a world of fun on a melee character.
  7. The best I have ever seen is Dark/Dark on a scrapper. But after thinking about Darkest Night, I agree with the previous poster that a Dark/Dark Brute would debuff more easily and consistently against more enemies than any other combination out there.

    Fair Warning though: Dark Armor is NOT a great set on just SOs. This set really starts to shine once it starts taking on IO set bonuses. Once you have a fully IOed build, like Dechs says; "Dark Armor SUCKS!".

    you CAN tank anything.
  8. Biospark

    choice

    My Vote would be for ICE/RAD. As Tex mentioned, there are things about Ice that can ignore the "type" of enemies you are facing. Plus I just LOVE Confusion as a means of soloing tough encounters. My highest level controllers have been Mind, Illusion, Ice and now Plant. Yeah, Confusion is that good at helping you solo.

    Another reason I would Go Ice/Rad is that the secondary effect of Earth control duplicates one of Rad's best debuffs (defense debuff). More is always better, but I just think Ice's -recharge secondary works well with Rad's other debuffs. Both sets offer good positional control, which helps with your debuff toggles, so no clear cut winner there.

    Finally, I just like the sound of running Artic Air simultaneously with Chocking cloud (maybe colored a light misty blue) as a moving "hands-free" controller. The endurance issues would be enormous, but basically anything near you would be contained or confused. What's not to like.
  9. I am not convinced that anything needs to be done regarding defense. It is readily available in IO sets, stacks nicely with other forms of mitigation to make you very tough in the regular game. But...

    1) There are literally hordes of villains able to reduce that defense quickly.
    2) As you pointed out, some of the toughest encounters can make even a "soft-capped" character scream for mercy (or their nearest defender)
    3) Finally, on anyone that doesnt have DDR, if they also don't have status protection, it doesn't really provide the tools to avoid incoming damage without other powers to back up that "defense".

    What bothers me about "Defense" is not actually defense at all.
    It's the lack of available options through IO builds.

    Can you "hard cap" resistance on a toon ?
    Nope
    Even if you could, would it be as good as "Soft-capped" Defense ?
    Maybe on a "armored" AT, but certainly not on a "squishy"
    Can you get the resistance or protection from status effects up to a comparable level of survival as "defense" ?
    Nope
    If you could, would the "Squishy" ATs be overpowered ?
    Doubtful


    This is where they should focus any new IO sets on; making additional "Options" for increasing survival in builds.

    Nerf Defense ? Hello No!
    If they thought alot of folks left the last time, just wait and see what a GDN2 would do.
    But I think it is a pretty safe bet though that we will not be getting any "NEW" defense IOs.

    Heck, I will be pretty surprised to see anything +DEF related with Incarnates. (I realize that the alpha slot can raise your defenses, but it only works off actual defense powers, so will help the characters that are designed around defense considerably more than the ones that are not.
    I will also be really surprised to see ANY new IO sets because of all the Incarnates stuff that we should be seeing for the "foresee-able" future.
  10. Quote:
    Originally Posted by shaggy5 View Post
    Of course many different powersets have been offered up since the beginning, so I was thinking today about the sets and, particularly, the combos that used to be staples "back in my day." What are your thoughts about them now? (I started in i3, so I think of the Heroes as the classics. Your point of view may differ)

    Do you still love your Fire tank and think it is "one of the fastest ways to 50"?

    Do Spines/Regen Scrappers still make you want to rip into a villain?

    Is your Fire/Kin Troller always the leader of your team and do fight with him while others doorsit because you are just that good?

    What do you consider to be the classics and do you find them just as fun as you did years ago?
    Some thoughts regarding your original questions would be;

    Only ONE combination that I played back in Issue One is still on my account : Energy/Energy Blaster.
    I only consider a combination a "Classic" if it was part of the original Launch. It doesn't matter whether it received "nerfs" (Fire Armor, Devices) or Buffs (Martial Arts) since launch, just that it was one of the original combinations you could roll.

    As far as fun factor. Overall, the classic powersets have held their own popularity, but some things were destined to become "new favorites" as soon as they hit the ground running (like Shields). I held the name; "Shieldwall" from nearly launch on the assumption that we would one day get shields. And made him the first day that Shields went live. For me the "classics" that I like are lacking in many ways, due to the "cottage" rule and the fact that the Devs "move on" to other things once something goes live. This is my perception more because I seem to have a tendency to choose the AT/Powers/Class etc with the least likely chance of being FotM. "Let's see here, we have this new MMO to try out. What looks good ? Ahhh my "hybrid sense is tingling about this one, so let's give this a try." several weeks later, I realize I have chosen the most gimp under-performing combination in the entire game ! YAY

    The newer powersets AND archetypes certainly show that the developers understand the game better now than in the begining. Take powersets like Willpower and Shields as examples. Overall, hugely better designs. Willpower blends resistance, healing and defense with few "holes". Compare it to Invulnerability or Regen and you can see some major advantages to its playability over those other sets. Compare Shields to Super Reflexes. Only 2 toggles instead of 3. Developes much earlier and supplements its Defense focused nature with +HP, resistance and +DMG.

    When you look at Villain archetypes next to Hero ATs you see alot of similarities, but also alot of really good adjustments. Corruptors play alot like Defenders, but feel more "super" when you are blasting things. Brutes are a perfect blend of Scrappers and Tankers. Dominators are much better than controllers for the person that only wants ONE job on a team. Masterminds are focused on the Pet using aspect of the game, which is what some folks really enjoy, whereas I was always a "scrap-troller" taking pool attacks to make my controller more fun (bet you didn't know I love Dominators). The Stalker seems to be the only "new" AT that, although fun and designed for specific mind-set, did not turn out subjectively better than its Hero counterpart (Scrappers).

    Final thoughts regarding powersets; I wish the Devs would take a run-through of many of the classic Powersets and give them a "facelift". Screw the cottage rule. Seriously, these classic powersets deserve some consideration. Compare Empathy to Pain domination. Compare FF to Cold Domination. Compare Willpower to Regen. Shields to SR. The list gets very long. Give the classics a decent review to reward the oldest players for their loyalty to these powersets despite teh new "shineys".

    There is one or two "New" powersets that didnt quite make the grade for the majority of players as well. Yeah, I am talking about Sonic Resonance again. You cannot hit em all out of the park I guess.
  11. The following are my original 5 toons of each "classic" AT;

    Forcefield/Radiation : Although, I have since learned to fully appreciate the FF set, I would not play this combination again. I have played FF/Nrg into the low 30s though and had a blast with it. ((First Def to 20 : Rad/Elec, First 50 : Emp/Elec))

    Martial Arts/Super Reflexes : I really, really, wanted to like this combo (sorry, huge Spiderman fan), but it completely sucked in I1. Did not go back to MA OR SR for a long time, but my current #1 is a Martial Arts/Willpower. Willpower was a Home Run for the Devs. ((First Scrap to 20 : MA/WP))

    Fire Armor/ Energy Melee : This combination was really fun for about 12 levels. Every issue that went by made me like it less and less. I prayed for Martial Arts fixes and watched as FA was nerfed instead. Don't think that I would try this one again, because of my favorite blaster being energy. My current favorite Tanker is Shield / Super Strength. ((First Tank to 20 : WP/Fire, First 50 : WP/Fire))

    Energy Blast / Energy Manipulation : Loved this one the first time I played it, and STILL love everything about it. I have no idea why he is not level 50 yet. Hmmm, maybe because he is my testing toon. Defender, no wait Blaster, uhm, yeah Defender, darn it Blaster is more fun. ((First Blast to 20 : NRG/Dev))

    Earth Control / Storm Summon : I really liked this combination (still do really), but the endurance drain is horrible and the lag it created back in the beginning was pretty bad too. I recently tried it again, but I am really enjoying my Plant/Storm many times better. ((First Con to 20 : ILL/RAD ))

    So, only My Blaster and Defender are "Classic" combinations (Only the blaster remains as my original choice, but has been tried as a FF/Nrg a couple times as well). My Tanker, Scrapper and Controller all use newer sets, and my Tanker is a total departure from the original Tanker that I wanted to play.
  12. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gemini_2099 View Post
    Sonic Resonance could use a buff, but I have found it is very tanky, which surprisingly allows you to solo due to the shield. You don't appreciate the tanky nature of the shield 20-30, but once you start to approach 40, and also combine it with other shields, or start building IO set bonus defense, its solo capabilities starts to take off.
    The problem though (for me) is that Forcefield has that same feeling AND can combine PFF with Aid Self AND can get resistance in the 40s through Ancillaries. Oh AND has great mitigation through knockback. After playing both Sonic and FF on a defender, there really is no comparison between them (Solo at least). Forcefield is totally better.

    Devs, Please Buff Sonic !!!!
  13. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Leo_G View Post
    That's the idea though. As is, doms have sets that are mixes of melee and ranged attacks and many (myself included) have shown interest in additional assault sets that are more 'natural' or 'weaponized'. Some suggestions put forth are a combo of Katana/Archery, Martial Arts/Shuriken and a Pistol-fu set. While we still won't get whip or pistol wielding doms, the spirit behind my idea is to hit on as many possibilities with one set.
    Doms could be made to work with this. I guess what bothers me about the assault sets that we currently have is that there is just not enough melee in them. Doms just have more an overall "ranged" feel to them. What I want to see is more of a tactical powerset. One which can string a good melee attack chain together AND have some ranged powers which are "tactical" in nature. Stalker seem like a good AT to attempt this with since they are not (in general) overpowered to the point that a few decent ranged powers will upset the apple-cart, sorta speak.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Leo_G View Post
    And yes, the animations would technically be separate. It would require a more in-depth version of the Swap Ammo mechanic and, rather than changing the chance-of effects from 0% to 100%, it would literally activate another power. Maybe it'd be closer to Khelds attacks (you can kind of get 2 Bright Nova blasts...except they're actually 2 separate attacks. But it shouldn't be impossible to link them)...

    So the melee tiers would probably be named some japanese version of 'Fierce Attack', 'Area Strike' and 'Devastation Attack' and each actually calls on a power depending what weapon you have equipped.

    The *main* problem I see with this, tho, is customization. There is currently a limit of 3 weapon customizations per character which includes the epic pools. This set start with 3.
    Sounds like they would need to stay with two then. Bow and Sword ? 2-Hand weapon/1-hand weapon ? I could get behind a 2-weapon toggle system, but the coding would be a nightmare. The swap ammo mechanic basically used the same weapons, same animations, but swapped the particle effects and the power's secondary effects. So what you are suggesting would be, uhm, more difficult. Especially since I would expect the secondary effects also to change with the weapon just as swap ammo does for Pistols.


    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Leo_G View Post
    Well, I still question the need for Ankle Chains, as it is simply a cone immobilize. Doesn't really have any particular synergy with Tow Line.
    Hmmm. Well I must be strange. It does damage, its an AoE, it could have a secondary effect added to it like -resist to make them more vulnerable. Its not caltrops, but it does keep things where you want them, and since it would not have KB protection, Tow line could pluck the most dangerous target out of the group for you to beat on. Heck, on a team, you could Immob everything around the tank, use Tow line to pull that boss off a squishy, etc...

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Leo_G View Post
    But the main reason I tried making another suggestion is because the 2 powers that would make the set unique are not possible in this game's engine. But I particularly don't like how the set copies powers from another. I don't recall any other melee set doing this. Sure, they use similar mechanics but they have different animations and usually differing additional effects.

    That said, I'd simply ask you to try and come up with alternatives for the effects we can't create (like Knock-toward and Teleport-to-target).

    But besides that, the set I proposed wasn't a replacement for your Ninja Melee set but more an exercise in what alternative attack types that may or may not work 'like' a ninja but is more a 'Snare Melee' set...Hmm, what *could* I call my set? Sneaky Melee? Trap Attack?

    Also, your suggestion has 9 powers but no Build up.
    Absolutely. As I always do, these threads are just about tossing around ideas.
    The current game engine may not be able to produce "Tow Line" or "Shadow Step", but they sure would be fun as hell, and very Ninja-like.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Leo_G View Post
    Well, in practically every video game with ninjas, they have the ability to use/control elements. A Fire/Ninja Assault or Ice/Ninja Assault or Earth/Ninja Assault would work perfectly fine, IMO, for a concept. We just can't do that *now* because no melee set gives any type of martial arts feel what so ever.

    As for a Gadget Control set. That's fine, but I imagine it'd have several high tech-looking powers (look at Trick Arrow...not very 'Ninja-y' IMO). While it'd fill the need for some Natural/Tech control concepts, it's not required for a Ninja Dom.
    You are correct about the elemental aspect of these concepts, but control powers (for the most part) don't have that "in your face" explosiveness that I want. The assault sets do. Mind Control does. Some specific control powers also have it, but the "feel" of the Dom primaries overall is hmmm, how should I say it, "mellow". Fire control and Mind Control are close, but I really, really, really dont like pet using. One of the main reason why I have suggested new ATs, so we can pair Assault with Defender primaries for instance. THAT would be right up my alley.

    Ultimately, some of my most interesting concept characters will require "stretching" the field of choices to their limits. Doms have the potential to get me the Tactical Warrior which has both Ranged and Melee attacks. Blasters have that potential as well, but currently we have no Martial Arts style manipulation sets. We can only hope though.
  14. I really like the Swap Weapon concept Leo.
    Unfortunately, they would probably require seperate animations for each weapon style in order to look right.

    You are right, the idea for the set WAS to have a hybrid, weapon/ranged/martial/tactics powerset. The only weapons that would allow this versatility AND use the same animations would be "fist-type" weapons. If you made your weapons Brass Knuckles, for instance, you would look almost totally martial art-sy, with Fury, Barrage, Shadow Step, CK, and DT. You could have claws, or punching daggers if that was your "thing" or my personal desire to have Bo Sticks. All these options for weapons would let you customize your Ninja's weapons without a "swap weapon" mechanic. They would just need to have custom animations to help tailor the combat better.

    I am not sure if everyone is missing the tactics that are present or if I am just overstating their effectiveness. Ankle Chains plus Tow Line, means that you would have the bad-guys all bunched up taking damage but unable to beat on you while you take out the guy you "pulled" (literally) to you. Then there is the Crane Kick plus Tow Line combo; "Wait... get back here !". Combine in the powers from Ninjitsu like Smoke Bomb and you have some interesting ways to divide and conquer. And of course there is Shadow Step. This ONE power would be worth all the effort to create it. It may seem like the tactical advantages are small, but they are enough combined with the cool-factor of the animation, that I would love to have it.

    As for making it a Dominator set. Well, I like dominators, and have been playing them alot lately, but Doms have one problem; their Primary. Seriously, they don't have enough choices. There are so very few controller primaries that I like and Doms don't even have all of the choices. When they add Dark Control and some form of Gadget Control (Crowd Control), THEN maybe a ninja assault would work great for them. Until then, I guess me and Mind Control are just gonna have to be happy together.
  15. Quote:
    Originally Posted by StratoNexus View Post
    ...

    The damage output of stalkers looks very good to me. The only reason I would think of scrappers or brutes as outdoing stalkers is due to AoE damage on top of aggro control. There is probably room to further increase stalker damage, but my preference lies in increasing them in other ways, as I have mentioned.
    I feel this way as well Strato, just as I did with regards to defender improvements. More damage would be a simple and boring fix. I would not turn it down, but I definitely want to see something more Unique to stalkers for finally solving the concerns of the AT.

    I love the demoralize effect personally, but it needs to be more consistent and give the Stalker more of that scrapp-trolling feel. This would offset the defensive losses that stalkers suffered by having Hide replace one of their defense powers. Making the effect last longer and/or tailored to the defense set (below I reposted one of your proposals in this thread) would be a very interesting way to improve Stalker team functionality.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by StratoNexus View Post

    DA - Premonition of Doom - 30' radius, 16 target, -10% to-hit debuff for 8 seconds, -40% perception for 8 seconds, does not alert enemies and does not break stealth, 40 second recharge, 1 to 2 second cast time. (accepts to-hit debuff and accurate to-hit debuff sets)

    ElA - Unseen Leech - 30' radius, 16 target, -15 end, 60% chance of -100% recovery for 8 seconds, does not alert enemies and does not break stealth, 60 second recharge, 1 to 2 second cast time. (accepts end mod sets)

    EnA - Kinetic Trip - 30' radius, 16 target, -10 end, 80% chance of 0.67 KB, 50% chance of 5 second placate, 4 second delay and then another 80% chance of 0.67 KB, does not break stealth, 60 second recharge, 1.5 to 2.5 second cast time. (accepts end mod and KB sets).

    Nin - Poison Blossoms, 30' radius, 16 target, -12% damage, -40% move speed, -30% recharge for 10 seconds, does not alert enemies and does not break stealth, 60 second recharge, 1 to 2 second cast time. (accepts slow sets)

    Reg - Glory for All - 30' radius ally buff, +50% regen, +20% recovery, +50% stun resistance for 30 seconds, 1.5 to 2.5 second cast time, recharge 120 seconds. (accepts healing and end mod sets)

    SR - Who, Where, Huh? - pet summon. You are so agile, it seems like there are many of you. 3 or 4 second cast time. Summons 3 indestructible pets (that can be walked through, like Singularity), with a 10 second duration. Each pet has a 10 foot taunt aura that hits up to 5 people. The pets have one brawl attack that deals no (or very low) damage. Does not break stealth for the stalker, 90 second recharge. (accepts pet recharge sets)

    WP - We Shall Overcome - 30' radius ally buff, +10% to hit, +30% damage, +15% resist to all for 20 seconds, 1.5 to 2.5 second cast time, recharge 120 seconds. (accepts to-hit buff and resist sets)
    Excellent Ideas. These could be rolled into HIDE without the need to make it inherent as well, as long as the effect did not suppress when you were not hidden.
    They would need to be modified somewhat from the click versions, but overall, the flavor they would add and the team effect would be excellent.
    I would probably change Ninjitsu to -Dmg and -Res, and make SR have a -Speed -Rech debuff (Call it "dizziness" because the foes are having trouble focusing due to your insanely quick reflexes). Have each Aura basically proc the debuff (50% every 5 seconds. For the Ally Buffs, just reduce the effect by an appropriate amount that makes sense for a constant buff effect.

    Changes I would like to see:
    A) Make the Demoralize occur even if you kill the target.
    B) Make Hide recharge faster based on the number of teammates

    Caltrops for All ? I will say /unsigned sorry, I want more variety, not less
  16. Moved thread to Suggestions forum. Thanks for your input
  17. The following Stalker Primary powerset was inspired by several recent threads including an interesting one started by Leo_G here;

    http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=237766

    With this powerset I am attempting to capture a Ninja assault set full of tactics and visually appealing animations. It would require new tech within the game, and may seem to be a hybrid Ranged/Melee set, but next to sets like Dark Armor and Ninjitsu, I think it would fit the bill as a versatile and unique "controllery" primary with many possibilities.

    So, without further ado: NINJA ASSAULT

    The following powers are not in order, but arranged simply for presentation. Consider how they would interact with each other and in-game playstyle tactics.

    The basics:

    This is a dual handed weapon set, but due to the nature of the animations, the weapons would be small "fist-style" weapons like ; Claws, Knuckle-dusters, Punching Daggers, Cestus, Reverse Grip Kamas (Mantis Blades), Bo-Sticks (with Baton-style grips), etc...

    The Powers:

    (1) Placate : Standard Stalker power

    (2) Assassin Strike : Animation and effect just as Dual-Blade version. Another standard Stalker power

    (3) Ninja Barrage : 1-2 Punch attack with good damage, recharge, and animation similar to Energy's Barrage power. Tier 1 or Tier 2. Since the powerset is light on melee single targets, this power should require a minimum of recharge bonus to tighten up an attack chain.

    (4) Ninja Fury : A flurry of blows using either the Shadow Maul or 1K-Cuts animation. This long-ish animation should come with a very good DPA/DPE ratio and together with Ninja Barrage should form the core melee assault of the powerset. This should NOT be an AoE like Shadow Maul due to the other powers I am presenting here (which include 2 AoE powers).

    (5) Crane Kick : Straight copy of the Martial Arts attack with great damage and knockback. Alternate animations should include the Storm Kick option to allow the player to better customize their assault style.

    (6) Dragon's Tail : Straight copy of the Martial Arts attack with similar damage activation and effect. This is one of 2 AoE attacks, but due to the lower damage of the AoE powers would not make the set an AoE powerhouse, but simply add AoE capabilities that combine damage and mitigation. Refer to the next power for comparison.

    (7) Ankle Chains : Using the ball lightning animation you throw several spinning ball-and-chains in a cone at your enemies lower legs. These should do damage similar to (or less than) the Dragon's tail attack above, but in a 90deg cone with a medium range 30-40 feet. The damage could be a dot or single hit and have high magnitude (Mag 3 min) immobilze as well as NO -KB protection (refer to the next power for the reason why).

    (8) Tow Line : Using a two handed animation, you throw a line that wraps around the neck of your target and applies a reverse knock back effect. Normal KB attacks push the target away from the caster, but what I envision is that the target is knocked toward the caster. Where they land is un-important, but this power and Crane Kick are the reason that "Ankle-Chains" should not have a Knockback protection component. The damage could be anything from low to high depending on how much dps would be considered fair after taking all powers into consideration. My gut says this would hit like a Tier 2 attack, but have a long-ish recharge (14-20 sec). Consider the 1-2 effect of ; Ankle Chains + Tow Line, followed by : Barrage + Fury + Crane Kick. "Did that Hurt ? It sure looked like it hurt."

    (9) Shadow Step : What is it ? The signature move of a true Ninja. You animate in a half-turn plus a fade-away/smoke-cloud effect, and reappear next to your target cmpleting the attack with the two-handed "ripping" attack from Claws/Thorns (minus the somersault). The range should be the same as Ankle Chains (30-40feet) and would involve some clever coding for line-of-sight and teleport options. Because of the combination of Half-turn+Fade to Grey+Eviscerate the animation would be rather longish so the damage and critical chance should be similar to Eagle's Claw. Your weapons would be visible in this attack.

    ***I tried to minimize the re-draw possibilities within the set by using 2 kicks combined with the 2-fisted melee attacks (Barrage, Fury, Shadow Step). Depending on how the attacks were animated, "Tow Line" and "Ankle Chains" would not necessarily cause the fist weapons to be put away. Additionally, my thoughts are that the basic weapon attacks should apply some consistent debuffs. Perhaps something like "Swap Ammo" could be applied here to simulate various toxins that the ninja has applied to their weapons. Slow Toxins, -Regen Toxins, -Def, -Dmg, etc...

    Thoughts ??
  18. The following Stalker Primary powerset was inspired by several recent threads including an interesting one started by Leo_G here;

    http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=237766

    With this powerset I am attempting to capture a Ninja assault set full of tactics and visually appealing animations. It would require new tech within the game, and may seem to be a hybrid Ranged/Melee set, but next to sets like Dark Armor and Ninjitsu, I think it would fit the bill as a versatile and unique "controllery" primary with many possibilities.

    So, without further ado: NINJA ASSAULT

    The following powers are not in order, but arranged simply for presentation. Consider how they would interact with each other and in-game playstyle tactics.

    The basics:

    This is a dual handed weapon set, but due to the nature of the animations, the weapons would be small "fist-style" weapons like ; Claws, Knuckle-dusters, Punching Daggers, Cestus, Reverse Grip Kamas (Mantis Blades), Bo-Sticks (with Baton-style grips), etc...

    The Powers:

    (1) Placate : Standard Stalker power

    (2) Assassin Strike : Animation and effect just as Dual-Blade version. Another standard Stalker power

    (3) Ninja Barrage : 1-2 Punch attack with good damage, recharge, and animation similar to Energy's Barrage power. Tier 1 or Tier 2. Since the powerset is light on melee single targets, this power should require a minimum of recharge bonus to tighten up an attack chain.

    (4) Ninja Fury : A flurry of blows using either the Shadow Maul or 1K-Cuts animation. This long-ish animation should come with a very good DPA/DPE ratio and together with Ninja Barrage should form the core melee assault of the powerset. This should NOT be an AoE like Shadow Maul due to the other powers I am presenting here (which include 2 AoE powers).

    (5) Crane Kick : Straight copy of the Martial Arts attack with great damage and knockback. Alternate animations should include the Storm Kick option to allow the player to better customize their assault style.

    (6) Dragon's Tail : Straight copy of the Martial Arts attack with similar damage activation and effect. This is one of 2 AoE attacks, but due to the lower damage of the AoE powers would not make the set an AoE powerhouse, but simply add AoE capabilities that combine damage and mitigation. Refer to the next power for comparison.

    (7) Ankle Chains : Using the ball lightning animation you throw several spinning ball-and-chains in a cone at your enemies lower legs. These should do damage similar to (or less than) the Dragon's tail attack above, but in a 90deg cone with a medium range 30-40 feet. The damage could be a dot or single hit and have high magnitude (Mag 3 min) immobilze as well as NO -KB protection (refer to the next power for the reason why).

    (8) Tow Line : Using a two handed animation, you throw a line that wraps around the neck of your target and applies a reverse knock back effect. Normal KB attacks push the target away from the caster, but what I envision is that the target is knocked toward the caster. Where they land is un-important, but this power and Crane Kick are the reason that "Ankle-Chains" should not have a Knockback protection component. Consider the 1-2 effect of ; Ankle Chains + Tow Line, followed by : Barrage + Fury + Crane Kick. "Did that Hurt ? It sure looked like it hurt." Placate + Assassin Strike/Shadow Step.

    (9) Shadow Step : What is it ? The signature move of a true Ninja. You animate in a half-turn plus a fade-away/smoke-cloud effect, and reappear next to your target cmpleting the attack with the two-handed "ripping" attack from Claws/Thorns (minus the somersault). The range should be the same as Ankle Chains (30-40feet) and would involve some clever coding for line-of-sight and teleport options. Because of the combination of Half-turn+Fade to Grey+Eviscerate the animation would be rather longish so the damage and critical chance should be similar to Eagle's Claw. Your weapons would be visible in this attack.
  19. Quote:
    Originally Posted by AnubisForm View Post
    Hi,these are powers that I have never even touched the whole 15 months plus of playing this game.How are they normally slotted on trollers?How much does it make a difference in the squishyness of a troller besides being a mule for -Kb.Yes this is for the dreaded fire/kin but i also want to see if they work in my Earth/Storm and fire/rad as well.Thanks for any input
    For your Fire/Kin, the fighting pool could possibly be squeezed in, but I would think the Fire/Rad and DEFINITELY the Earth/Storm would have even more endurance issues trying to run them.

    My opinion on the fighting pool is they are powers I really like to add to my characters, but after having tried them on every type of Hero AT and gone without as well, I am dubious about how useful they become.

    For instance, on a Controller or Defender you can get over 60% resistance to S/L by combining Tough with an Epic Shield. That is a very noticeable amount of protection. However, this does NOTHING to help you avoid mezz effects, which are the bane of any squishy AT as far as I am concerned. The end result is that an epic resist toggle will do plenty to help "toughen up" your character. You just will not have that resistance when de-leveled below 40.

    Then there is Weave. A great way to get some defense, but requires you to take two other "dubious" powers. Granted Tough can be a decent set-mule, the same can not be said about the attack you are forced to take, unless you 4-slot it with Kinetic Combat. Weave will actually help you avoid "mezz" attacks, but for 2 less power picks you can take Maneuvers which does nearly the same amount of defense, but for your nearby teammates as well. Add in Hover and/or combat jumping and you are doing even better on defense, while using less endurance (than combined tough/weave).

    My instinct says that you do not really want the extra endurance issues with your mentioned combinations, but without seeing the builds, that's just a guess.
  20. Other stance names that occurred to me were ; Open Stance, Closed Stance and Balanced Stance. I believe these are used in some form of martial arts but not 100% certain.
  21. Great idea for giving this powerset a unique flavor

    I really like the concept. The variations are quite plentiful when you start thinking about it.

    From a min-max perspective, this would work to promote it's usage with every Defense set if the stances were varied enough to assist in improving the set.

    For example, Super Reflexes would "love" to have a "resistance-boosting" stance, while sets like Dark/Fire/Elec would like something that gave a small "defense" boost.

    Staff melee seems a great way to offer something different than shields from a defensive minded playstyle. So my stances would be more like the following;

    Earth Stance : Your knowledge of leverage and resistance allows you to reduce the impact of incoming attacks, but at the cost of speed on offensive attacks. ***grants a resistance boost with a slight -recharge penalty***

    Cloud Stance : Your use of speed and movement allows you to easily move into attack positions of opportunity, but at the cost of lower damage. ***grants a boost to recharge and accuracy with a slight -dmg debuff***

    Wave Stance : Your knowledge of combat movements allows you to move in and around your foes like water, never giving a clear target, but at the cost of attacks of opportunity. ***grants a +defense boost but with a slight -Acc penalty***

    Fire Stance : Your relentless attacks combined with your knowledge of enemy weakness allow you to rain blows upon their heads, but at a defensive cost. ***grants a boost to damage, but at a small penalty to defense***
  22. Quote:
    Originally Posted by seebs View Post
    I wouldn't at all mind trip mine getting a much shorter to nonexistent interruption period. I don't think I'd want it changed as much as "click button to scatter several". Placement matters, and I like to be careful with it.

    Time bomb is actually useful if you can be invisible or have a long enough and reliable enough sleep. (You'd need a non-aggro sleep in case you missed too many targets with it and needed to try again...)
    One of the best suggestions I have heard for these two powers (my apologies for not remembering who to credit with the idea) is to make trip mine a power where you throw a satchel bomb. Short range targeted AoE with no interupt, just toss it and watch the fun. Then change the setup and interupt time on time bomb to be like trip mine. This way you don't spend as much time in interuptable animations on teams, but can utilize the two powers a little better. The fuse time on Time bomb could be a little less as well.

    As to my vote for the worst of the worst, that is an easy one; Sonic Resonance
    Not enough protection, not enough versatility, and experimental game mechanics make this set a "dog" in my opinion. If they made Devices a defender primary, I could solo it better than a Sonic defender.
  23. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ashtoreth_NA View Post
    All really good points. :[

    I finally found what computer I'd hidden the Mids program and Test updater on, so I had a chance to look at this more analytically. (Currently in the process of making copies of myself onto the test server so I can try out things.)

    Oppressive Gloom seems to have low accuracy, making it comparable to World of Confusion, which is what I use on my team build. Useful for keeping people off, but it would be impossible to use my interruptible Heal Other and Heal Self with.

    One of the standouts seems to be Power Mastery. While stacking Holds is one tactic for Elite Bosses, if the Force of Nature lasts long enough, it might be a way of handling them.
    Thanks for posting your build

    I see two big concerns for your build with regards to going after hard targets.

    a) Your attack chain, once the fight is on in ernest seems to be X-ray + Cosmic. These are both serviceable attacks, but it seems that you could use more single target attacks to chip away at something like an EB.

    b) Your endurance recovery/usage ratio is really low. I assume you dont run tough, but even just running Manauvers, Dispersion and Weave is gonna leave you out of endurance on longer fights. I would consider looking into IO sets and attacking your recovery by getting some +recovery from set bonuses.

    Power Mastery is a good set. Conserve power is definitely something that would help you in the EB fights. Force of Nature OTH, is a terrible power for defenders for two reasons. First of all, it does not offer any kind of status protection, so you don't gain anything but a little resistance. Secondly, because of your low damage, it can wear off before the fight is finished, and that is death for certain. Total focus might help your damage out, but it would really shine as a 1-2 combo with Cosmic Burst. Finally PBU is a pretty fun power. There are alot of fun ways to use this one.

    Some other build advice would be to consider adding some damage into other powers, or even adding some more damage powers. Irradiate, Electron Haze and Neutron Bomb can all be used successfully to give you alot of AoE potential. Before trying for that though, I would really, really try and add some recovery to avoid running out of endurance.

    Here is a simple adjustment to your build that adds three 4-piece thunderstrike sets and improves your single target damage, your AoE damage and your endurance usage with only minor loss to defense. Also, I personally love Force Bolt. It is a great damage mitigator, expecially against hard targets that want to come up and smash your face. It makes me smile to push them into a corner and blast them while they try and stand up continually.

    Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.91
    http://www.cohplanner.com/

    Click this DataLink to open the build!

    Level 48 Magic Defender
    Primary Power Set: Force Field
    Secondary Power Set: Radiation Blast
    Power Pool: Leaping
    Power Pool: Flight
    Power Pool: Leadership
    Power Pool: Medicine

    Hero Profile:
    Level 1: Personal Force Field -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 1: Neutrino Bolt -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(11), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13)
    Level 2: X-Ray Beam -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(5), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7)
    Level 4: Force Bolt -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 6: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(9), DefBuff-I(9)
    Level 8: Hover -- EndRdx-I(A)
    Level 10: Irradiate -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(13), Dmg-I(15), Dmg-I(15), EndRdx-I(39)
    Level 12: Dispersion Bubble -- EndRdx-I(A), DefBuff-I(17), DefBuff-I(19), DefBuff-I(37)
    Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I(A)
    Level 16: Maneuvers -- EndRdx-I(A), DefBuff-I(17), DefBuff-I(31), DefBuff-I(34)
    Level 18: Aid Other -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(19), IntRdx-I(21)
    Level 20: Aid Self -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(21), IntRdx-I(23)
    Level 22: Electron Haze -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(23), Dmg-I(25), Dmg-I(25), EndRdx-I(27)
    Level 24: Aim -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(27), RechRdx-I(29)
    Level 26: Repulsion Bomb -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(29), Dmg-I(31), Dmg-I(31), EndRdx-I(39)
    Level 28: Cosmic Burst -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(33), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39)
    Level 30: Deflection Shield -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(34), DefBuff-I(34)
    Level 32: Insulation Shield -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(36), DefBuff-I(36)
    Level 35: Proton Volley -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(36), Dmg-I(37), Dmg-I(37)
    Level 38: Resuscitate -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 41: [Empty]
    Level 44: [Empty]
    Level 47: [Empty]
    Level 49: [Empty]
    ------------
    Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A)
    Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 1: Vigilance
    Level 4: Ninja Run
    Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
    Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
    Level 2: Health -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(3)
    Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(3), EndMod-I(5)
  24. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ashtoreth_NA View Post
    My main is a 50 Force field/radiation blast defender. Her powers were chosen for roleplaying purposes. While my team build is perfectly fine at supporting a team, I decided to go villain and pick up a patron power pool for my solo build. (I'm going to explain it later as possession by a space parasite...)

    I like soloing, I do okay on the lowest difficulty settings, but it's extremely frustrating to try and solo elite bosses, such as many Architect stories have.

    So that is my aim when looking at the PPPs.

    My usual m.o. is to either Snipe + Nemesis Staff or drop a Epic power Hold and/or lock someone up in a Detention Field, then Cosmic Blast (with the disorient effect) et cetera. (I have all the Vet powers)

    My aoe powers are rarely used because even with the solo damage bonus + Buff Damage Pet + Assault and most of their extreme short range, it takes too long to take mobs down.
    What you are looking for seems to be two things.

    1) Which Patron powers will be the best suited to your needs

    2) How to address you ability to fight EBs


    I think these are seperate issues and you need to identify WHY you cannot take down EBs first.

    Before talking about which Ancillary/Patron pools to go after.

    One of the best tools for dealing with Elite Bosses is an Immobilize power. Looking at all the pools choices (not just villain ppp) your choices are Leviathan, Mace and Electric. The patron choices have a base 20 second cooldown making them MUCH more difficult to leverage on a single hard target. Electric Mastery wins hands down with Electric Fence and is THE reason my main was able to solo Honoree in the Alpha unlock mission.

    Your second way of dealing with EBs will be more single target damage. Sadly, nearly all of the epic pools will do little to assist you here, but there are some powers that can add to your damage in nearly every pool. You would have to judge for yourself their effectiveness, since (to me) they have been deliberatly adjusted (long recharge) or chosen (long animations) to not be dropped easily into an attack chain.

    Finally, one of my favorite power combinations can be yours thru Dark Mastery; Oppressive Gloom + Any Stun power. This little gem of a power works well with radiation blast, although with your primary being FF, you may not like the constant HP drain.

    Since we have not seen your build and cannot give you specific advice about what you already have chosen, my gut tells me that you don't necessarily have to even dip into the patron pools in order to fix your concerns. I chose to unlock them with my empath specifically for one power (Scorpion Shield) and found that it did help me for the most part. However, losing resistance and powersink hurt me more than it helped. Each of the Patron pools has some good things to offer, but in the case of defenders, I really feel that our existing Ancillary powers seem better suited in most cases.
  25. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Megajoule View Post
    It sounds like what you really want has little or nothing to do with AE, and more with "instant 50s on Test" (for example).
    In a way they are two seperate ideas, but I am rather disappointed in how the AE seems to be falling into non-use by all but the most avid mission creators. Even my own missions have not been worked on because I am getting really tired of fixing my custom critters every time we get a new patch.

    My original hopes for what the AE system could become have been "soured", so to speak, by the many issues created from it's use and mis-use. Being able to use it to improve on my ability to make and build characters seems like a good way to breath life into the AE. And if folks are only able to run these avatars through AE missions, there is a good chance they might "discover" some of the hidden gems that AE mission architects have spent a lot of time creating. Its a win-win for alot of people, not just a way to satisfy one of my needs.

    Finally, I think the idea can stand on it's own merit, if it makes sense to implement. You could see it as a means of bringing a "test" tool to the greater game, but I prefer to see the AE system's possibilities for creating new types of missions, and since it is clear (to me) that the AE is not going to be allowed to reward players as well as running regular game content, what purpose does it serve.

    Why would a non RP-er use the system at all? I like to view the AE just like the star trek "holodeck" and understand that it could serve a new purpose in helping players not only craft unique and involved stories, but also explore alternate roleplay options.

    Because I don't have high level alts of every pursuasion, if I wanted to test a mission that is designed to test the capabilities of a wide range of characters, this must involve other people taking their time to do so. My personal experience is that most of my friends have busy schedules and when I do see them, we (including myself) would prefer to run a TF for incarnate supplies. I expect that this situation will become more prevalent in the future. So again I ask, what purpose does the AE serve for a casual non-farmer like myself?