GrimTitan

I... guess not?

Ok, as someone who is mathematically impaired, can someone simplify things to the pre-school level for me? What's being hit and how hard? Defense? Resistance? To-Hit? Damage? Recharge? Heal? etc.?

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“WHY NO EMP FOR CORR?” – ELF_STALKER



Empathy isn’t a villainous trait, generally speaking. From a fiction standpoint, it will likely never be given to Villains as a set.

Back to thematics – Empathy isn’t really a villainous trait. From a fiction standpoint, it wasn’t our first choice to port over and the reason corruptors didn’t receive it in the first place as part of the release of City of Villains. If we were to add an “Empathy Like” set, it would need to be all new and not a port of it, to make it fit into the Villainous theme. As such, that fell out of the scope of Issue 12’s powerset proliferation and is why it wasn’t included.

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Defenders have dark, not very hero like.

Scrappers have dark melee, not very hero like.

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This point can be debated until the end of time. In a game where concept trumps all, not allowing us to decide for ourselves what is evil and what isn't is just beyond comprehension.

Empathy for helping other villians achieve their devious goals? Or perhaps empowering other idiots to do all of your dirty work while at the same time manipulating them into believing that you support their cause.

There. I just made a concept that makes sense. It's not really even that creative. Just saying that it isn't a villianous trait is just an excuse for not wanting to port it over. I can go one step further and say WHY GIVE VILLIANS BUFFS AT ALL? Cold shields, Thermal Buffs, Sonic Buffs, the list goes on. Why would you want to buff other villians? To serve your own purposes in the end, perhaps?

Listen, I am stoked about the new issue, including the VEATS and QOL improvements. But watching you guys try to pacify the screaming of Doom from some of the playerbase is just hurting your original aim. It's no wonder people think the Devs hate villians with responses like this...

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Please note the devs' strategy. Port the quick wins first. There was obviously debate on Empathy, so they picked sets that had less debate. They'll get to it along with all sorts of other sets, INCLUDING the ones even more controversial than Empathy. They're practically screaming hints that Kinetics Masterminds are in the plan. They've just got to figure out a way to balance them out. Patience please. Once you get past the anxiety of waiting, I can nearly guarantee you'll find something you'll like. There's too much new stuff not to. If you have an open mind, I'm sure you'll give it a chance.

Oh yeah, and if they can release essentially 24 new powersets (counting the VEAT branches) on their skeleton crew and a few extra sheckels from formalware sales, just imagine what they can do with all the new devs they're hiring.

Hope.

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- If they were porting the "quick wins" first, and avoiding sets that might cause "debate," why port something as controversial as PSI over to Blasters? Seems pretty contradictory, to me.

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Defiance is the second-most awful inherent in the game. It rewards a player for playing stupidly as well as rewarding a player's team for ignoring their jobs.

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And Gauntlet doesn't even work. Fury doesn't work in PvP. Vigilance is a piece of crap. And a large part of Assassination is borked, as well. Defiance may not be the cream of the crop, but at least it does what's intended of it. What's more, Blasters aren't exactly dependent on their inherent to perform their basic function the way many other ATs are.

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The only things that could be considered marginal are the Kheld inherents. But those are made up for with the forms.

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If you mean to suggest that Kheldians are performing better than Blasters, I have a feeling you'll have a REALLY hard sell on that one.

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And a Scrapper has cleared that same group with relative impunity. And he can go on to the next. And the next. And the next.

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I thought we were comparing Blasters and Corruptors. If you want to go that route, we can get all off-topic talking about what each AT can do better than the next.

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If ONE thing goes wrong, then that Blaster is toast.

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The same could be said for most Corruptors, only they take so much longer to kill most things that that window for things to "go wrong" in is much larger.

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If 'burst' damage is the metric, then Tier 9 nukes aside, Stalkers have it head and shoulders above Blasters. High burst damage combined with Defenses and Mez Protection.

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I have to say I'd like to think you were joking. A Stalker can barely clear a group of THREE mobs in the time it would take a Blaster to obliterate a spawn from a moderately sized team. A Stalker may take down that single boss better/quicker than a Blaster (maybe), but that's one out of a about a hundred or more possible situations. Everywhere else--regular mobs, AVs, GMs, PvP--a Blaster always contributes more.

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Because of the debuffs or buffs the Corruptor can operate in relative safety, as well as in at least four of the cases (Dark Miasma, Kinetics, Thermal, and Radiation) heal themselves of damage taken. A Blaster can only do so after spending two power picks and even that can be interrupted.

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Anything that would kill a Blaster (especially one with Aid Self), would just as surely wipe out a Corruptor. Corruptor's really don't have much more damage than Defenders, and their buffs are considerably inferior. You don't hear anyone talking about Defenders being overpowered compared to Blasters.

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Stalkers. Plain and simple. They account for the most kills in PvP, then followed by Blasters. If you can't see the Stalker, then you can't get the Stalker. The ONLY Blaster build that can get a Stalker is a /Dev with Targetting Drone and Tactics, if the Stalker is a PvP build.

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I don't mean to make assumptions, but you obviously don't PvP enough. Go into any moderately populated PvP zone and watch for a while. You don't see Stalkers showing up and completely clearing out the zone. They may get a single kill and run away, but they don't mow through things with impunity the way all those Ice & Fire/Em Blasters do. Now go watch some high-level, arena or team PvP and compare the Stalker population to the number of Blasters you see. Stalkers may be infamous for their ability to frustrate people, but only an absolutely expert Stalker is a real threat to even a moderately seasoned PvP'er, and the forums and in-game chat confirm this.

I'm sorry, but your posts seem very skewed to favoring one particular side (Heroes) and one AT in particular (Blasters) as deserving of highly preferential treatment from the Devs, when really almost half the ATs are currently suffering from some serious problem, balance issue, or other form of under-performance.

I would hardly describe /Dev as "weak." It may lack Build Up, but other than Energy Melee, it's at least as potent (and in many cases moreso) than the other secondaries.

And since when was Defiance useless? Perhaps not the best ability, but it has its uses. What's more, there are at least 3 or 4 ATs whose inherent is either MORE useless than Defiance or just downright glitched with no sign of a fix in sight.

Frankly, this game still comes down to DPS in the end: who can deal the most damage to the most targets in the shortest amount of time. Blasters put every other AT utterly to shame in this department. In the time it takes a Corruptor to properly debuff an enemy (mob or player) with their secondary, a Blaster is likely to have completely cleared the same enemy.

And don't even get me started about PvP. No AT on either side of the game can even come within spitting distance of the threat a Blaster represents.

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People complaining that Controllers and Defenders need new powersets need to think that Scrappers and Tanks have been waiting longer than them for new powersets. All in due time. And Brutes/Stalkers are getting them just to widen the appeal, methinks.


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The problem with this is, Brutes and Stalkers have already gotten new powersets. In Issue 7, Brutes got Electric Melee & Electric Armor. Stalkers got Dark Melee and Dark Armor.

Scrappers and Tanks have gotten nothing since the start of the game, while two other melee ATs are now getting their second boost.

Doms have gotten nothing.

Corruptors have gotten nothing.

Edit - And yes, I realize it it somewhat simplistic comparatively to port over sets. But that should mean Tanks also get Energy Aura, Blasters get Traps, Controllers get Plant Control, etc. We don't however, see that happening. Villains can get Heroes powersets, but Heroes don't see any reciprocation.

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OK, I have to disagree on one thing. Blasters and Traps...Traps would be defenders. Traps is a buff/debuff set.

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It was just an example, not necessarily a 'Blasters need Traps' kinda thing. Blasters already have a good portion of Traps in /Devices. Though it would be nice for /Dev to get the Force Field Generator.

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Yeah, 'cause Blasters are so much weaker than Corruptors and such that they NEED inherent mez protection. /eyeroll

I think what you define as "signature" is a bit too limiting. By that logic, any set that shares animations, regardless of skinning, is not "signature." This includes everything that uses the Total Focus, Bone Smasher, Ice Bolt, Smite, and etc. animations. That reduces the number of signature sets in the game to like... nothing... since the ones that have totally unique animations by necessity (Assault Rifle, Archery, Sonic, Martial Arts, etc.) are all shared by more than one AT.

Personally, I have a mixed feeling towards both the player base and the devs regarding this new set.

On one hand, I relate to the majority of the players in that a dual swords set DOES seem cool. On the other hand, I abhor the common denominator that got us ANOTHER sword/lethal set for melee types, when we could've had something far more unique and different from what we already have available. In other words, while Dual Swords seems like fun, I think it pales in comparison to what we COULD have had.

As far as the devs, I actually feel bad for them because of how constantly they get lambasted with criticisms no matter what they put out for us. I genuinely believe we have a dev group that cares about their player base, and it's a shame they receive so much flak. On the other side, I share the feeling that a lot of players do that we do often end up getting the "easy fix" with things like repeat animations, certain game mechanics and un-fixed problems (Fury, Placate, the Market, defense-based sets, etc.), the over-abundance of smashing/lethal, the perpetual gimpage of certain sets, and so on.

It's a mixed bag, really. Overall, I sure would've liked to see a more innovative set like War Hammer, Psionic Weaponry, or Street Fighting, but assuming the actual powers of the set are decent, I'll give Dual Blades and Willpower their due. Now, if we wind up with another Claws-type or DPS-based attack set, or a defensive set that gimps itself by trying to be jack of all trades, master of none, then to hell with 'em.

Happened to me at least a dozen times tonight. I'd Placate someone after an attack (EM) & they'd just keep blasting me as if nothing happened.

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1. Actually, we've tweaked SS in the past; the issues with SJ have slowly evolved over time.


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Statesman, I applaud the way you have handled many of the controversial changes of late, but that is the most vague & evasive answer I've ever seen you give. You didn't address the reason for the changes, nor even identify the problems that have been "evolving." Please, enlighten us.

Ya know, I often get together with SG mates in PI or the RCS & we just split up & hunt the zone for xp. This tactic completely eliminates that opportunity, & from that perspective it's pretty annoying. I don't suppose anything I have to say will get any attention, but I thought I'd share that anyway.

Something I've recently be come quite concerned about is the damage/range boosters. With 4, 5, or 6 of them, Blasters can shoot people who are literally outside of visual range. This is a BIG problem from a PvP perspective.

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This technically isn't possible with our engine. It would have to be a huge animated texture refreshing at 20+ frames per second.

We did think of it, but the engineers' eyeballs popped out of their sockets when we suggested it.

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What about a new TV-themed arch-villain nemesis for Positron: Jumbotron!

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You guys said before the HOlidays "balance and bug issues make i3 not ready before jan 1." Then nothing. You guys come back, say nothing, change nothing... then BAM release it. SO if nothing changed, nothing was said... why didn't you release it BEFORE the holidays. You released the same version on the Live servers, that 10 days before "wasn't ready" on the Test server.


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Because the changes we made are not necessarily things you would notice. Stability. Networking. Databases. Just because a power wasn't changed didn't mean there weren't people working on the game.

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You did not just say "bugs" were the problem. You specifically cited BALANCE issues. If you already noted that things were unbalanced (Re: Kheldians) then why would you not change anything?

Here's the deal, States: just look around the boards. For every positive post about the update (Khelds, Epics, etc.), I bet you can find 5 or 10 showing vehement disapproval. How can that be considered a success? Something needs to change.

Agreed. I see a serious nerf coming down the pipeline for Controllers.

Well since he seems to at least be reading this thread, I'll ask this here:

Statesman Clause, can you please give us an official address in the Kheldian Powers thread on the Training Room forums? We've been working very hard for apparently nothing.

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To the Devs: I thank you for trying to put out such a unique game which has brought enjoyment to many, but I will not give you another dollar to let me play-test a game for you. You remind me of a mother afraid to let her child go to college. It's time to cut the apron strings & start using our hard-earned money to put in new content, not frustrate us with a game of leveling cat & mouse. Good day.

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This is about as myopic a statement as I have seen on these forums. For some reason people seem to labor under the belief that any game that is released will be "complete". The whole purpose of MMPGs is that they are ever evolving and ever changing persistant worlds. The notion that the game shouldn't change, or that devs will never make a mistake, or that players will never find a way to abuse the game world rules is laughable. Everything has flaws, ever system has loop holes. The dev's try to fix them where they can for our enrichment. To maintain a healthy game both nerfs and buffs are necessary to some extent. Why people believe otherwise is a mystery to me.

-Senturion

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The game can be ever-changing without altering old things. That's what the concept of adding new content implies. And as someone so poignantly pointed out, what does it hurt if a few players find a way to "abuse" (which I think is a subjective term) a certain ability? Who is hurt by that? Not a single soul.

First of all, Child of Sin hit the nail on the head. What are the negative effects of leaving things alone? I heard no complaints before all the nerfs started, but they've sure popped up in force since then. Ok, a power set makes it easy to solo, so what? The people who want to power level & solo will take that & have fun. The people who don't want to will pick whatever suits their tastes & have fun. I just don't see the point. It's not like it's enabling people to destroy the gaming experience for other players.

More to the point, I think I'm done. I know nobody cares, but please read on because I feel the reasoning behind me leaving this game is important. I looked forward to this game with great anticipation. I reserved my copy in advance & was sitting at my computer watching the count-down clock on release night. I have spent many days playing 5 or more (sometimes up to 10) hours just sitting at my computer playing... and I've had fun. Lots of fun. But it's not THAT fun. The goal of having stats in a game (like an RPG) is so that you can make your character more powerful. That's the way the game works. In some games your skills get better, your reflexes & ability with the controls improves, & that's what makes you better. In an RPG-esque game your stats are what make you better. Your reflexes don't allow you to deal more damage or avoid taking more damage, your stats do. In that same vein, the goal of selecting your character's powers & what areas to specialize in is to build the most effective character possible. I feel that I can strategize around any situation. I can build a character that will accel in any given area I decide to target it for: lockdown, DPS, healing, etc., and I can build a character that will be able to handle any kind of enemy under the appropriate circumstances (level balance, group size/composition, etc.), but there is one enemy I can't beat: god. The devs are the gods of this game, & there is nothing I, or anyone else, can do to beat them. I can spend dozens, even hundreds, of hours building a new character to be effective under the new patch rules, but why should I? The instant I get them up to a respectable level where they truly start to become effective some modification will be put into place that will make it worthless again. My last character was a Fire/Devices Blaster, & before that an Ice/Axe Tanker. My latest one was a Fire/Storm Controller. With the nerf on slows my secondary set has already become worthless, & at this point I see no reason to continue on to reach Fire Imps, because by the time I get to L32 they'll have been nerfed as well. Considering the newly added decrease to XP rewards & the fact that it's made grouping almost pointless, it'll take even longer. So I sadly say "I'm done" to this game. Not because I'm angry at the idea of trying to "balance" the game, although I don't see why the supposedly "unbalanced" issues from before were a problem, but because I'm bitter that I've spent my money (& more importantly my time) on a game which should still be in beta testing. I will not waste one more dollar of my money, or one more hour of my time, on a game which will force me to try to fight "god" to be an effective fighter. I may come back once the game settles into a state where I don't have to be unsure of what I'll log into every single day.

To the Devs: I thank you for trying to put out such a unique game which has brought enjoyment to many, but I will not give you another dollar to let me play-test a game for you. You remind me of a mother afraid to let her child go to college. It's time to cut the apron strings & start using our hard-earned money to put in new content, not frustrate us with a game of leveling cat & mouse. Good day.

To Geko: Thankyou for being so involved with the gamers & listening to what we have to say. I would ask you to take what I (& many others) have said here to heart & try to enlighten your colleagues to the fact that they are killing this game before it escapes infancy. And why? So the AI won't be cheated out of a few kills? Thankyou again.

To the gamers: I encourage you all to consider the truth of what's going on here. This game was released too early. You pay a monthly fee to play because server upkeep costs money & (primarily) to receive new content to keep this game new & fresh. What new content have you received? How many of you cared enough about the state of the game before all the patches? How many of you have been frustrated since? If you're enjoyment level has gone down as time has passed, or even if it has stayed the same (rather than increasing) then you are not getting what you are supposed to be paying for. Thinking on that a while.

To everyone: Good Hunting.