Cyber_naut
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Posts
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Quote:I enjoy the 2 new tf's, but you make a good point here. As our characters gain incarnate abilities they should feel more powerful, not less. Instead, it seems the devs goal is to give us new levels of power, but up the powers of our enemies even more, in which case, the net result is our characters feel, and are, weaker.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
One primary reason I was so pissed off is because this does indeed appear to be what the future is about: a future where we gain ever more power and become ever weaker against our enemies. I could fight my own fights alone and come out victorious before I became an Incarnate, but once I became one, then all the new Incarnate content put me as a completely helpless chump who needs seven other people to do anything and even then die about a thousand time in the process, three of which being getting hit by Bobcat for 7300+, 4800+ and 3500+, all on a hit points bar of around ~1800. Of all the ways to make me feel that something is epic, grand and exciting, having an enemy hit me for many times my total hit points three times in a row ain't one of 'em. Especially not when I slapped Bobcat around in a mission the day before.
"Epic" may be a lot of things, but Epic ain't this. Epic ain't an indistinguishable soup of colours like I'm having kaleidoscope dreams. Epic ain't a cacophony of colours like I were listening to music remixed by Neuron humself. Epic ain't a two ficking hour slog though resistant high-level enemies that take ages to kill where I spent half the time one hand on the keyboard and my head resting on my other hand. This is not Epic. This is BORING. It makes me feel like one of the grunts in that Stalingrad level in Call of Duty. It makes me feel like one more Marine in a StarCraft unit. It makes me feel like an insignificant gnat and the fights aren't even any fun because I don't know what the hell is going on.
I have toons that before incarnates came out could solo bobcat. Now these same toons, with incarnate abilities, are now effectively one shot by the same character. That makes me feel weaker, and quite frankly, frustrated. More work, effort and development and my character ends up weaker against the same foes I have always fought? I've been seeing the same thing in tip missions, where some enemy groups appear to have been buffed, the same enemy groups I handle easily in the regular content wipe the floor with my characters in the new content.
IMO, that's a bad strategy/direction by the devs. If you want more of a challenge for players even with increased player strength via incarnates and io's, that's fine. But don't do it by buffing us, then just buffing our old oppenents even more. Offer higher difficulty settings. Make us feel like the av's. Make the old baddies have to gang up on us, rather than our superheroes having to get seven buddies to beat down one villain. And if you want one uber villain threat that requires the avengers, fine, but make it an uber villain, not one of the old villains that you just buffed up (unless theres a great story for why said villain is suddenly vastly more powerful). -
I love the fact that there's something to do that will advance/improve my favorite toons that were already at 50. If you have 'too many' toons to work on, then you're going to be frustrated with any new content that would benefit said toons.
I also enjoy doing task forces, and the improved rewards (incarnate shards/salvage) has increased the opportunities to get in on some tf action. And the new task forces are a reasonable length as opposed to some of the older, ridiculously long ones, and are unique and fun to play.
I tried one of the zone events in praetoria and that too was a fun, new kind of experience.
And inherent stamina is simply great. Leveling up toons will be much less painful, and on older toons you basically get to pick 3 new powers to add. Again, if this is frustrating to you because you have 'too many characters', then really, any content that improves lvl 50s would 'frustrate' you. For me, I pick my favorites and happily improve them.
But overall, I love issue 19 and I hope they keep the incarnate stuff coming along as we go rather than only during big issues which they seemed to imply was their goal. I'm ready for the rest of the alpha juice please... -
Quote:Thunderstrike delivers kb but the mag is so low it just knocks down, unless there is a huge lvl disparity.Originally Posted by Supermax
Thanks for the detailed response mauk. One question: is thunderstrike really knockdown, or knockback?
I am really leaning towards elec/elec now. SD sounds like it relies mostly on defense, and since I already have an SR scrapper, it would be too similar. Meanwhile elec is resist/heal based, which is different from both SR and regen, and most similar to my fire/SS tank, which I consider my strongest melee toon.
So elec's AoE damage is good, right? Would it be safe to say it's #2 behind fire for scrappers? And where would you rate the ST damage of it?
SD is mostly defense, so if you're sick of defense, elec is a great choice because it's mostly resistance with a heal and end recovery/drain powers. And while SD is very popular, sets like elec and fire can boost your offense just as nicely (theres an elec and fire in the pylon thread that do similar damage to the top shield builds), and if built properly can be very survivable.
Elec's aoe dmg is second to none, imo. You have jacobs ladder, thunderstrike, chain induction and the glorious lightning rod. Thats some serious aoe carnage. That gives you more options than fires fire breath and fire sword circle. Where elec falls behind is in single target damage, where fire remains a top contender and elec is more in the mediocre range, though not as bad as some would suggest. -
Tie rewards and prizes to in game activities, you know, to encourage people to play your game rather than visit your twitter page.
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Quote:Exactly. I love melee due to style, but in terms of effectiveness, especially at lvl 50, it underperforms, so the trend I see where it seems the devs are making melee even less useful defies reason, imo. The most powerful thing in this game is stacking buffs/debuffs, by FAR. Whenever I'm on a team of really good players, it's almost always a team packed with corruptors, because they bring a great combo of buff/debuff and ranged damage. And when you couple their epic and pool powers, io set bonuses and their buff/debuffs, they end up having ridiculous survivability to boot. So if the devs cripple melee's only real strong point, survivability, due for the most part to defense, melee becomes even further gimped and even more useless on teams.Originally Posted by Deus_Otiosus
You do realize that a team full of support ATs is already more powerful than any team of all melee?
There are no other options.
For melee the choices are:
- Build for Defense and be extremely survivable and then try to squeeze in as much Recharge as possible.
- Squeeze in as much +HP & recharge as possible on a resistance based set - have a self heal, or a self rez - or both - because you will be using them often.'
There is simply nothing else to actually build for in any meaningful amount other than DEF & Rech. HPs help, but not as much as DEF. -
I haven't tried the tf's yet, but it has been noticed that the devs have been tinkering with defense busters in the tip missions. It's fine to use them with rare opponents to keep softcapped toons on their toes, but if they become too common, defense reliant builds are going to be gimped.
Obviously building for defense is very popular now, because it works. But its not something that is achieved until late game, and through a fair amount of work and effort in most cases. The problem with defense is, lower levels of defense and become almost useless, especially against the defense busting tactics this game employs. So overusing them would really over-gimp builds that have only defense as damage mitigation. I understand the devs are reacting to a popular tactic, but I hope they don't over-react like they did in the past in some cases. -
If you NEED the extra recharge to make your attack chain work, then you have to put it in GFS. If you don't need the extra recharge, you'd be better off putting them in the power you use the most often because you'd then get the most use out of the dmg proc.
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I'm also loving this issue so far, and I haven't even gotten to the 2 new tfs or zone events or new tip mishes yet. New content that allows you to improve your best characters (ie lvl 50s) equals pure win. More please.
I agree with the previous post in that I was suprised and disappointed to see that set bonuses were removed from the info screen. I liked to see what was on my toon, and I also liked to look at other players toons to see what they did to them.
Looking forward to leveling up a toon with inherent fitness, and hoping that it dimishes the painful stop and go and stop again experience it was, especially on toons that rely on toggles in the early going.
Merging the trains was also a great idea and saves a lot of traveling pains, especially those experienced by rogues and vigilantes when in the opposing zone, especially for rogues. Especially. Just wanted to get the especially hat trick there.
But again, overall, great issue so far devs. Keep the incarnate juices flowing! -
Quote:LOL, the first thing I went after were the tentacles.Originally Posted by Shred_Monkey
I'm doing something that makes you skeptical? Guess, what... you just stroked my ego. (you can goggle shred monkey and still find my videos. no.. not that guitar playing monkey... that's someone else.)
That first mission was awesome. Did anyone else kill everything in the map.. and then swim out hoping to kill the octopus arms in the water? -
Am I late for the party? Geez, you even speed through birthdays...
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Go full offense and dip into the fire epic for fireball. SC, FSC and fireball is epic devastation, lol.
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I like your idea hero - but like the last poster said, make sure you're in the middle of the group so AAO is saturated, and SC them. The kd takes a big bite out of the groups alpha. Then build up your PS by wailing on a boss or lt, and burst to take out whats left. If you are on a team and wait to use SC, you're going to lose out on a lot of kills and waste a lot of mitigation, imo. That's something I didn't like about KM, while you are building up your PS, the rest of your team is killing your targets that you're just dying to unleash a built up aoe on, lol.
If you are solo, and you have your survivability built up, then I'd save SC for after you've built up your PS. -
Quote:Oh man that drove me crazy, not only are you dead due to slowness, you're mocked by the game by losing the power as you rez in shame, lol.Originally Posted by _Pine_
Another thing that bugs meh is that I hit DP and then die, with no heal... but now DP is gone =( that usually makes me cry, swear, or both.
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I just got done playing a regen to fifty, and IMO, the set is underpowered, even moreso with upcoming free fitness. One of the sets biggest draws for me is the fact you get quick recovery so early on, now that everyone gets stamina for free even earlier, that advantage has been reduced greatly. And the biggest problem with the set, again imo, is that it really only offers survivability, and yet it falls behind most of the better sets, especially those that offer defense that can be built up even further with IOs.
The regen I built up, had softcapped defense to s/l and even with that, and IH up a LOT, I didn't feel nearly as sturdy as I do on other built up secondaries, even while running IH. Granted, I might not be the most skilled regen player, but I would expect a secondary that only provides survivability AND requires more skill and activity to use effectively, to provide superior mitigation, much less inferior mitigation, even if the gap isn't enormous.
The set also has some glaring weaknesses that are not all that rare to run into. Obviously -reg creates some problems, and while its not very common in the old game, the new content seems to use it more often. And -rech can really cripple the set.
If I were in charge, I'd buff regen by lowering the recharge on IH, and making it more possible to have perma with enough investment, while giving the set -reg and -rech resistance/protection. -
Thanks bunny, killer and deus, great replies and that was the info I was looking to confirm from people who have played the set. Mace appeared to have some advantages mid to late game, especially in the aoe department, but having never played either set, I wanted to confirm it from players who actually played the sets. I'm glad replies didn't stop after the gem in post 2.
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Which do you like better and why?
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I'm not into farms or exploits, but I don't understand why some get so upset about what other people are doing. If someone wants to run the same mission over and over again to get to 50 on some toon really fast, I couldn't care less. That guys money is going into the game and getting me continued support for the game and new content (soon...).
Then on top of that, the devs usually crack down on the exploits when they're found, so again I don't see what the big deal is.
I think the biggest problem in this game is that so many players need to 'game' a game to get what they want. The best example of this imo is the markets. There is no way to get what you want by simply playing the actual game at the same rate you would if you just play the market system. I think the devs have improved the situation with tip missions and hero merits, but they have a long way to go if they want to stop players from feeling they need to farm for loot or use exploits to get what they want. None of my toons would be IO'd out the way they are if I didn't work the market system. And I'm not bashing the markets, I'm simply saying that you should be able to achieve similar gains in similar time by simply playing the actual game, and as of right now, that is nowhere near the case. -
Quote:Brutes don't have 70% resistance to S/L, so wp on brutes and scrappers benefits greatly from going for softcap on s/l damage. Capping E/N and F/C and not worrying about S/L can work too for most of the game, because WP has nicely layered defenses, and it's a lot cheaper than trying to cap S/L. But if you have the dough, you'll be more survivable on a brute or scrapper wp if you softcap S/L in most situations, because the vast majority of damage in this game is at least part S/L, and the base defenses of WP already give you pretty decent E/N and F/C defense without even trying to add to them.Originally Posted by DrMike2000
Lets see. Your powers give you:
Combat Jumping (default slot for defence): 2.25%
Weave (slotted) : 6%
Indomitable Will (slotted): 12% vs Psi
Heightened Senses (slotted): 4% vs S/L, 15.6% vs F/C/E/N
Add in the Steadfast proc: 3% to all
15.25% S/L
26.85% vs F/C/E/N
23.25% Psi
You also have a smidgin of To Hit debuff in RttC - call it 2% vs +2's?
You can fit in 3 PBAoE's, 2 Melee sets, 3 Resist sets (Tough, MoB and HPT) and 2 Defence sets.
PBAoE Options:
3 x Eradication: +9.4% E/N, +4.6% F/C
3 x Scirroco's: +9.4% Psi, +4.6% F/C
Resist Options:
3 x Reactive Armour: + 3.75% S/L/E/N, +1.875% F/C
3 x Impervium Armour: +5.5% Psi
3 x Aegis: +14% F/C
Melee Options:
2 x Kinetic Combat: +7.5% S/L
2 x (Pulverising Fisticuffs/Pounding Slugfest, 3 of each): +5% E/N
What do you wnat to try and cap? I'd ignore S/L - you already have 70% resistance, and can buy the Kinetic Dampener temp power for an extra 16% for emergencies like a really heavy S/L AV.
(Or use the Duellist accolade power if you can be bothered loggin in an arena every night after 21 days in a PVP zone... done this and its a drag...)
Energy is next most common, and Psi as you point out is a pain in the butt often, not just Ringmistresses but also Tarantula Mistresses pack a heavy Def debuff on a Psi vector.
Eradications, Reactive Armours and the hybrid melee option gives you 45% vs E/N.
You'll end up with:
19% S/L
45% E/N
33.3% F/C
23.25% Psi
Now, Psi Defence also comes in temp powers. Elusive Mind is 10% Psi Defence, and the Vanguard Shield is 15% (or is it the other way round?). These should take care of Psi emergencies.
This option lets you fight Rikti much more safely, probably Circle of Thorns too (negative, fire and cold).
Or, you could rack up around 38% Psi resist by choosing the Impervium Armours and Scirroco's Dervish, and specialise in fighting Carnies and Arachnos. Maybe 40% with a full set of Miracle in there somewhere.
I'd try to cap Energy and Negative if I were you.
EDIT: 2 sets of Red Fortune in Weave and Heightened Senses is a further 2.5% vs E/N. That frees up say 2 Reactive Armours to be something else, say two Aegis for a further 9% F/C, bringing that up to 42%.
So to sum up, that's:
2 x Red Fortune (6 pieces)
2 x Aegis (5 pieces)
1 x Reactive Armour (5 pieces)
3 x Eradication (6 pieces)
2 x (3 Pounding Slugfest, 3 Pulverising Fisticuffs)
to cap E/N and almost cap F/C.
Rely on temp powers (or luck pills) when you need to boost S/L or Psi. -
Quote:That was her mentioning the thanksgiving holiday period. From what I understand, if the bug is fixed, the earliest they'd release would be tuesday this week. They didnt want to release the bugged version during the week of thanksgiving because if there were massive problems, their whole crew was on vacation from the 25th-28th.Originally Posted by ZanderCross
So anyway... with all the girly fighting aside... In the past, have Issues been released on a Sunday? Tomorrow is the 28th and WW said it should be released between the 25th and 28th, but it seems unlikely to me that they'll release this on a Sunday... Thoughts?
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Does anyone know if the bug that prevented release was fixed yet?
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Claws/SR is great late game, but very squishy as you level up. WP will give you a better overall leveling experience, but it's obviously harder to leverage defense late game, though it offers much better layered mitigation than SR does. As far as which secondary will leave more room for attacks, they're about even, each set has 2 pretty much optional powers, and you'll probably want to go into the fighting pool for both sets. Overall I'd give the advantage to WP.
As far as hasten coloring goes, no, you cannot color pool powers. -
Quote:Originally Posted by GMan3
Not only did they miss the date, but the "apology" post from WW was put out a day AFTER the tentative live date. At least when they (Positron if I remember right) announced that the Alpha Slot would not go into GR as previously promised they said something a good LONG time before hand, not the day after it was supposed to go live.
To be honest I am still OK with them holding this until they get it fixed, I am just not so happy about the history of tardiness this company has.
Why did she apologize, according to some posters here, they're not late on anything... lol.
If you go back, you'll see that I too understand that the delay was necessary, because you cant release an update that cripples an entire AT. Of course that doesn't mean they're not late releasing the incarnate material, and even later still after this bug, and it doesn't make being late ok and something that doesn't deserve some criticism.
And to be fair, this company is not unique in being late on release dates, it's actually pretty common in the software industry, but as a customer that also doesn't really make it OK.
Again, not a huge deal, but lets not pretend there's nothing here to discuss. Glad to see that I'm not the only one who sees an issue here. -
Quote:And on these forums, I seem to run into even more posters who claim the devs can do no wrong, even to the point of trying to claim they are not late on things they clearly are late on.Originally Posted by Schismatrix
Don't worry, you'll eventually encounter some of the posts by people like Championess who do in fact insist that the current Dev team is doing nearly everything wrong.
[Citation needed]
They said they were shooting for 4 updates this year. At best we're going to get 3, and two of them consisted and/or will consist of parts that were originally supposed to be in GR. The biggest part of i17 was ultramode, which was released to stall for time to finish GR. GR was supposed to be out in july, but ended up coming out in august, minus the promised incarnate level, which was delayed to i19. A big part of the free i18 content that was released with GR was the repaired COP trial, that's been broken and out of the game for... 4 years.
Again, not claiming its the end of the world, but they have been late with releases, and not connecting on their goals and promises. I can see an argument as to degree, but seeing people imply that they don't see the devs missing their marks defies reality.
I love this game and think the devs overall do a great job, but I don't think its blasphemy to criticize them for missing on goals they themselves set. -
Quote:Point of order, lol?Originally Posted by Nethergoat
point of order:
as the people who set the agenda and given their historic reluctance to specify dates they can't really be 'late'.
can they produce content at a rate you personally find unimpressive?
yes.
does that make it 'late'?
no.
OK, your honor, the devs clearly indicated the alpha slot would be in GR. It wasn't. Now it's in i19 (whenever that releases), and late. They said they were shooting for the 16th. They missed that date, now it's later still. So, yeah, they absolutely can be 'late' on stuff they tell us they are releasing, and they are most certainly late in getting out the first incarnate slot.
Is it the end of the world? Of course not. But to claim they're not late on something when in fact they clearly are, is nothing less than fantasy. -
Quote:But they won't, because no company will stop advertising the new stuff they've got coming because they want to retain their customer base. Maybe they'll stop giving specific dates, and keep using stuff like 'after thanksgiving' instead (like they've done in the past with phrases like 'first quarter', 'late summer', etc. But even in those cases, if they say 'after thanksgiving', it would need to come out soon after thanksgiving, not some time in january or february. Sure, captain semantics can say 'hey they said 'after thanksgiving' and february is after thanksgiving', but the implied meaning is still clear, and they'd still be late in delivering on their implied release date.Originally Posted by Bloodspeaker
Yep, you're absolutely right; they SHOULD stop giving us release dates.