Fuzun

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
My favorite moment in CoV (think I was around level 10 at the time):

25% Health, very low Endurance, high Fury, only a single Inspiration left (Defense), spawn of 3 minions in front of me. Rest is recharge and I'm about to hit it when I think screw it, I'm going in. Luckily the first guy dropped a Heal Inspiration. Not sure if I wouldn't made it without it. Fury makes you do dumb things.

[/ QUOTE ]
Dude, I do that ALL the frickin' time! THIS is why people like Brutes so much, not because they're "uber."

[/ QUOTE ]
I always end up paying more attention to my fury bar then anything else.

/looks up fury bar almost full
/drools
/OMG 10% health why didn't I notice that (always happen after I get to the next group)

[/ QUOTE ]

Brute Combat Checklist

1. Full Fury Bar - CHECK
2. Health > 1 - CHECK
3. END for 1 attack - CHECK
4. SMASH!!!

Note: Items 2 and 3 are Optional.

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Ballista is a Toggle Dropping *******!

[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, he is. He was designed to be as close to a Player Hero as we could make him. How do you guys like the Toggle Drop on him? Is it too nasty or does it add a nice challenge?

[/ QUOTE ]

That in and of itself no I don't think so...BUT combined with with his single minded pursuit of me (my Mastermind) t the exclusion of all else if he could at all attack me; and that Force Bolt with the kick of a Missouri Mule, the range of a 6 slotted 50% Hamidon Enhanced Snipe, and a very high Accuracy; and having Tanker class defenses, just about (if not completely) puts him over the top, for a character at that level range.

My Robotic/Traps MM could not take him in Beta or in Live. I tried every trick I knew and even one I invented on the spot. Now that my MM reached level 31, I was finally able to defeat Ballista in a Nerva Archepilgo Contact mission. Although, I sort of doubt, it's the exact same Ballista one fights in the Sharkhead mission.

I've got a level 27 Robotic/Traps Mastermind. The extra damage and accuracy with SO's is definately noticable. I can definately tear through a group of 7-8 +0/+1 Freakshow minions faster. The speed by which a Freakshow LT was dispatched was jawdropping.

But as to whether we are now too powerful? Hard to gauge. It would help to know what our target base damage is for our collective firepower. But I would say we aren't too powerful. The DPS is definately higher but I don't think it puts MM's that much out of whack from everyone else.

And for Robotics MM, we have a few presents in this patch as well. Pulse Rifle Burst finally has a sound effect. And our Robot have learned how to swim. (But that begs the question, how do they float with all of that amor plating? )

Yippie!!!! (And first post I hope).

I'll definately test it. I'm at a good point with maximum Bot numbers and fully SOs out on the Bots.

I'm seeing a lot of uncertainly in how you and the other devs percevie the Tanker. We know you have spread sheets and equations are used in balancing the game. The players do have a good idea of what the numbers as well. But how do those numbers translate into game play for a Tanker? How longer is a Tanker expected to last? How many mobs is a Tanker expect to be able to handle on his own without support?

In my case I want to know how a Tanker is expect to perform in corner cases: large number of mobs the Tanker is weakest again, virutally no support from the team, and/or large damage source the Tanker is weak against. In my mind I see two different situations for my Invuln Tanker Fuzun since I know the power sets do well. The first is the Infernal Portal mission. Invuln not so tough vs Fire and large potention numbers of mobs that will overwhlem even Invincbility. How many is too many and how long is too longer for a Tanker to survive? Another situation is a very skewed team? A Tanker w/ 7 Blaster vs an ArchVillian or Monster? No suppose and 7 very vulnerable teammates. Is such a fight winnable vs most (or all) Archvilliians in the game?

[ QUOTE ]
Are you positive these events were not Ambush related? Some reports sound like that could be the case, others I am not so certain about.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can confirm it is not Ambush related. I had a case of 2 mobs chasing my new Mastermind from the Oil Spill area to the Arena before the Drones solved my problem. I had no active missions and 1 complete Newspaper mission. My MM as level 6/7 at the time. I had an orange con Wolf Spider Enforcer and a purple con Level 10 Hellion (whatever) Buckshot chase me. Both times I ran until I has lost target lock and was definately out of Line of Sight.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
This makes me wish I was in beta

I wonder if ol' Emmert will actually be in front of the computer or if Statesman will just be an NPC. WOW that would be cool to open unlimited bottles of kick butt on the lead designer of CoH.

[/ QUOTE ]

There's nothing to say either way.. though if I remember reading correctly about the Rikti Invasion during the CoH Beta, the devs were playing Rikti bosses..

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh yes. This will probably be like Siren's Call but with devs and GM calling the shots.. And I know the GM's will revel in the glory of gaining revenge on the players (all in good fun fun of course). Oct 26. The GM's Strike Back!

[ QUOTE ]
Any ETA from a Redname PM on this hitting Test?

TTR

[/ QUOTE ]

Well based roughly on past performance, I'd guess 9 days from when Statesman posted they they check in the change.

I don't really like that idea. It's too easily abused. No matter how sophisticated they try to get, they will not out do what players can do on their systems. They have no control outside of their game client and servers.And I doubt that datamining will be of much benefit. I really doubt they store more than a couple of months of the kind of detailed data. Handling that much data is never easy. Unless they make an annoucement long before bases go in, you are going to have a classic case of haves and haves not in the game.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hibernate (Tanker and ancillary): Reduced its End Cost. Your toggles will not drop. It has a Recovery Boost. Fixed(improved) its Cast time. You can only stay Hibernated for 45 seconds.

[/ QUOTE ]

Stranger and stranger...

Ok, so assuming "New Tech", with a limited time Toggle, and what do we gain? Another power that recovers endo. Isn't that what EA does now? Isn't that the only thing EA does now, at all well? And it STILL causes you to stop Tanking. Of course, in light of Issue 5, and the death of our defenses, I'm sure it'll be more useful since true tanking is dead. Tanks can't survive to hold aggro, so I suspect we'll see more "Lone Wolf" types. This saves our rears, tells the rest of the party to scatter or die, and we'll get some additional endo back.

* Woot *

And what if it's a click power now (which I'd bet it really is)? You must stay in, and you can't come out. How can that possibly be better then it currently is. It would become even less effective then it is now.

Circ, I seriously hope that Statesman asked you to keep quiet on other changes to Hibernate. Like the fact that it's been turned into 45 second Granite Armor for Ice Tanks. Or has an unbelievable taunt aura. Or something equally redeeming for the Ice Tanks who still play those toons.

Or shall we start playing a game where we guess how next they will hurt Ice Tanks...?

- edited for typo -

[/ QUOTE ]

Well it just occured to be that me that there might be another subtle (or major) change to Hibernate. The 45 second time limit is suspiciously the same as Energy Absorptions duration. No toggles are being dropped. And why another End Recovery boost? That got me to thinking...

It might be there is a change to Hibernate that Statesman didn't let out. The Phase Shift aspect is being gotten rid up. Your toggles will continute to work and affect the mobs around you. You aren't taken totally out of the fight, the Health and End boosts give you recovery and help mitigate the mobs beating on you. (And out of the blue they might be some +DEF added also.) But you are frozen, you can't attack nor Taunt. The time limit ensure that you can't maintain that state forever. You've got to come out and face the music eventually. Those changes would make Hibernate worthy of being a 9th Tier Primary Power, in my humble opinion of course

And the above is totally a SWAG (Scientific Wide Asinine Guess).

[ QUOTE ]

Statesman, this has been the third time that your math has been obviously wrong. Please get it right, or at least make sure your developers have it right. I am serioulsy doubting your ability to balance the game if you cannot even add up the bonuses on paper correctly. This is not difficult, but it is essential.

[/ QUOTE ]

Breaking the thread rule and the Nth hundred response to this. But I got to respond . Give Statesman, Jack, a break. Jack is apparently like me. He's very bad with ad hoc (off the cuff) basic math. I'm the same way. Ask Circeus, he can back me up on this.

I come from a software development background. I'm to the point where I can scope out and develop complex software programs in my head. I boggle the other Admins in my group with my one liner programs. Yet when it comes to basic math. I have to check, double check and sometimes even triple check my math because I know I stink at it. Statesman had the right numbers. So he had the right details in mind. He just misplaced an operation or two. And I agree with a previous poster, I'd rather have a prompt and responsive (and sometimes wrong) Statesman rather than a belated, polished talking head. (I get enough of those in my day job.)

Edit: Spelling and Syntax (I stink at those too thing, to )

I like the changes, you have now provided a nice foundation to build future contect which I know is coming. (I want to fight Rularuu the Ravager!!!) But I agree with some of the other poster. I think the new new zone portals sort of destroy the story line/feel you started with the Mole points. I think it would be much better if new Mole Points to be opened up. The requirement to actually travel to the end Mole Point before being able to use it is a good introductions to the zones. Once the Mole Points are opened up, a player can travel to any they have travel to before with a pop-up menu like the trams stations.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
- Mu attacks Oranbega, and Oranbega loses. Close to defeat, the Oranbegans ask for demonic help, and the demons give them the Thorn Blades, among other "gifts".

Any comments?

[/ QUOTE ]

Right, right, that’s the part I was not remembering. Making deals with Demons and then being locked underground (with them?) for a few thousand years is bound to generate a few revisions to the Code of Ethics handbook.

Ok, so now I understand the change from Oranbegans to CoT and the CoT not being on the side of good at all, but it still seems like Ermeeth was looking out for humanity and that Tielekku her pantheon was not.

Even if Hequat was operating outside of normal mission parameters when using selective breeding & eugenics on an entire empire of people which Hequat founded solely to destroy Oranbega, by all accounts Tielekku still did not want humanity to learn magic but rather wanted humanity to stay depended on / worshipers of the various pantheons of gods.


[/ QUOTE ]

I believe the there is a lot more to the war between Mu and Oranbega than Mu=good guys and Oranbega=bad guys. SPOILERS
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Remember from various threads we learn that Oranbegans of our world were originally peaceful. And there is the dimension where the Oranbegans are still peaceful. Tales of downfalls are rarely as straight forward as they are told afterwards. The full stories as much more interesting anyways.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
While I enjoy all the speculation, I don't think Incarnates in general will have direct ties to gods, because really, who would believe that there were 1000 incarnations of gods running around in one city? That would be obscene. Plus, the public tends to be touchy about having gods in games. Incarnates definitely could be products of ancient magical rituals, though -- rituals dating to the Classical period, or to even longer ago.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a thought i have toyed with for a while. What if the greek gods weren't actualy gods? What if they were simply people who had come into, or were given, some sort of power? The Greek gods certainly ACTED human enough. Easy enough to fool someone into thinking you are a god when you throw around lightning bolts or control the very seas.

Incarnates simply carry on that power.. or something like that.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is an interpreation that I was going to bring up. It may be Incarnates are just the latest incarnations of primal powers. Justice, Strength, Death, Discord, War, Love, etc. The power "chooses" an individual by what every process. And that individual gains immense power and possible an attitude to goes along with the nature of the power.

These incatnations happen in waves. That last wave was during the Greek/Roman era. The start of the next wave happened when Marcus Cole or Lord Recluse got chosen.

Well they did reduce the effectiveness of End Drains in PvP (Since they are so uber in PvP). It may be the reducation made it's way into the PvE code.

[ QUOTE ]

The whole reason that EA works as well as it does in PvE is because of Taunt and/or Punchvoke. The taunting effects from this powers forces the AI to move close to the tanker, thus maximizing their potential defense gain.


[/ QUOTE ]

I'd like to point out this is not how Taunt works. Taunt only make the mob exclusive attention to the Tanker. It doesn't not force the target(s) to close on the Tanker unless it's a behaviour of that mob's AI. If a Taunt'ed target isn't inclined to close on the Tanker nothing, not even Taunt, will make a mob close in.

[ QUOTE ]

And to Archmedes: 2 things. 1) When did Geko say that the End Drain would only affect 5 enemies? I read that we would receive a Def buff from only 5, but we can only end drain 5 now? Hmmm.

[/ QUOTE ]

Geko never said that. Circeus and Achimedes tested QA out on tht test server. Their Tankers only drained the END on the 5 targets they affected.

[ QUOTE ]
OK, Circeus, and anyone else.
I went and re-read Circ's calcs, and finally my mind realized it needed to work and I realized what we were comparing.
Between my skewed thinking on what we were comparing, and those calcs, I think I may have realized what the missing component is here.
Gonna burp it out then see if it makes any sense raw.

When we are comparing Ice, we are flat comparing to another set. Usually, Inv/*. BUT, the set has something Inv doesn't, Damage, Icicles. The game is 2 way. Damage in, Damage out.


[/ QUOTE ]

Invuln Tanker here. I support some buff'age to Ice Armor. You are right in your assessment, but Invuln has one ability that other sets don't. An ACC buff. That indirectly leads to more damage in two ways. An attack that would have missed but didn't is more damage. And it allows an Invuln Tanker chance out an ACC Enhancer for something else. For example, in the case of my Tanker Fuzun, it was for damage. But it can easily be for a Stun Enhancer if I were to slot my Total Focus for Crowd Control.

As everyone has been saying to have to look at the entire set(s) if you want an accurate picture. The ACC buf for Invinc gives will more than make up for the Icles damage.

Actually the gap widens as the level gap increases. The amount of damage an Ice Tanker takes grows ot DMG * 95% (DEF down to 5% floor). Where as an Invuln Tankers the amount of damage is DMG * 95% - (DMG * 95% * 90%) (with the 90% damage cap). But that is pure theory. You should probably focus on a 6 (or better, 5) level difference as the outside boundary condition.

[ QUOTE ]
Would you consider the extra aggro and of CE and the damage of Icicles to balance out that extra 17%? It seems like it should at least be good for something. Not sure if its the whole 17%. Also, doesn't some testing show that Tough hide doesn't stack with Invince. You can check Dark Golem's post in the Tanker forumn if it isn't buried by PvP stuff.

[/ QUOTE ]

Tough Hide more definitely should stack with Invincbility. If it doesn't it's a serious bug and should be fixed.

[ QUOTE ]

My point is that Kheldians serve no purpose other than to plug a hole. If you're happy with that role, then more power to you, but as an epic AT I think Kheldians are ill concieved at best.


[/ QUOTE ]

Sheesh. Who is everyone concerned about AT's roles? This is a freakin' GAME people. We play it to have FUN! There are no written or unwritten rules on how people much play or build their characters. If a Blaster want to build and play a Blapper, let 'em. Anyone that can reach the upper levels with miminal use of their ranged attacks is welcome on my team. IF a Defender wants to be an Offender, let 'em. If a Tanker wan't to play a Scranker, let 'em.

The other point I want to make is that even an AT played it "properly" by you definition isn't necessarily going to be fullfulling his "role" on a team. For example there have been many times that my Tanker Fuzun has been the main damage dealer on the team. The teams had been lopsided in terms of now having a Scrapper or Blaster. And the mission were not cakewalks by any means. Several times it was going against Archvillians and Monsters. OMG! A Tanker taking out Archvillians?!?!?!? The world is ending!!!!! Or is that ice I hear crackling from down below the groung?!?

Get over your hangups about roles. The important thing is: Is the character you created fun to play? If not, why are playing torturing yourself? You will not find any controllers on any server among my characters. Why? Because they aren't fun for me to play. It's pure torture to work one through the lower levels. Am I calling for controllers to be scrapped or overhauled? No. Because other people play controllers and have fun doing so. (Although I feel that Controllers need a little bit of a damage boost to even out the pre-pet/post-pet levels. )

Ya'll have fun...

[ QUOTE ]
Now that I'm playing Kheldians, I'm really not looking forward to having my hit points drop to blaster levels. Right now, I have a lot of hit points...sure, solo or on a small team, that's offset by the resistance debuff. But on a larger team, I really feel the survivability difference.

I feel like - if it's necessary to have blaster hit points as a consequence of losing the resistance debuff, that maybe this is one of those short term changes that will make some people happy, but ultimately hurt the AT's performance in the long run.

[/ QUOTE ]

In the long run it's going to be a gain. Human survive ability is going to be about the same. A Nova is going to bit a bit squisher than before. And hopefully the Dwarf form will be a wash also with an increase in Health or the equivalent.

In large teams, a Kheldian is going to be just as powerful as now. But when solo or in a small team, a Kheldian will be better than one is now. Remember you aren't going to always be able to get on a large team with your Kheldian. (Well you might be able to, but not me ).

And another thing to consider is that the higher level character is going to have more and better enhancers. A 10th level character with a six slotted attack with Generic Enhancers with have a 6 * 8% or (rounded up) 50% damage boost. And a 40th level character is gonna have 6 Single Origin enhancers so 6 * 33% = 200%.

200% vs 50%. Ouch!!!! But 8 teammates at 50% = 400%. The lowbies do have have a chance.

[ QUOTE ]
Now about those Mind Controllers...

[/ QUOTE ]

Off topic to say the least, but I don't see what everyone is complaining about Mind Controllers. If people would relax a bit and let Mind Controllers flex their muscles you would be amazed at what they can do.

I team a lot with an SG mate named Farmaide. When things like mezz'er and Sappers are about I let him have first crack at the mobs. I've seen him Farmie have mobs under his control disabling and taking the rest of the groups. There are atimes I ask myself, "Why am I even here?" But then he aggro's somebody and I have to go save him.

And at times when we want to clear the minions around the ArchVillia? Farmie asks the Archvillian (say Mother Mayhem) very nicely and they almost always will clean them out for us.

/RANT ON

No. Slow as molasses when using unyielding stance is not satisfactory. It leads to cookie cutter tankers. You have to be ON THE GROUND and STAY ON THE GROUND to use US as it is now. No travel power to speed things up?!? Then had better a Teleportation to list. No more blinking around the battlefield. Remember no travel power to speed things up.

There are 4 travel powers that players can choice from.Not one. My main Fuzun is a FLYING Tanker. I've invested fully in the Flying pool. I've taken every single power. I have commited to 6 slotting Hover.I love using Hover to move around. But to get status protection (and an extra 20% Damage REsistance which is very nice ) I have to land and root myself. Riiiight, makes perfect sense to me. NOT! You might as well change the Invuln summary text to add "Take Teleport as your movement pool otherwise you pretty much out of luck".

If it's a choice between status protector or rooting, +20% Restitance and status protection. Just give me the status protection. Make it a toggle like Temp Invuln that uses a god awful amount of tend per tick. I'll limp along with the extra damage resistance.

/RANT OFF

Yes this is a rant. I've got too much blood in my caffiene system. IMHO, Unyielding Stance is the one "small" wart in an otherwise very good, balanced power set. The ironinc thing is that I really like the idea of Unyelding Stance. It's really cool. But the price for low level status effect proection is too high.

The only compromise that I'd be williing to accept is if you HAD to use a travel power in order to move. You would have to turn on Sprint, Hover, Flight, Combat Jumping, etc. to move around. That would give equity to l of the movement pools when using Unyelding Stance.