Major_T

It's awarded to the whole team.

I never asked for people to feel sorry for me, I want people to support the league leader. I've tried quietly being an example before this thread. This thread is my choice to publicly call attention to the situation.

There are a set of players that more regularly lead iTrials than I do, and when I see them leading a trial when I'm open to doing one, I join and try to bring a toon to help the league succeed because I don't want the leader to fail.

We've all heard the joke before: if the MoSTF fails, it's Imp's fault. However, I'm sure that the reason it failed is not because Imp made a mistake while playing his toon - it's his fault because he organized it. He's the leader. So when the TF/trial/whatever fails, the leader takes the responsibility. I don't want that to happen to those players that I regularly go on trials with (Impyre, Huron, Richter, etc) when they step up to lead a trial.

Failure to complete an iTrials leaves me feeling unsuccessful. It leaves me feeling like the league wasted it's time running the trial. Worse yet, I feel that it tarnishes the reputation of the player that organized the trial. I know I don't feel comfortable going on an iTrial that's led by someone that fails (or has no history to speak of), I want to go with someone that I think can lead the league to victory.

To that end, I bring a toon that I believe can help the league leader succeed. And that is why I continue to do what i do (usually bring a 50+3), and that is why I "complain", because I had seen other players repeatedly abusing the opportunity that the league leader provides and not showing their appreciation (by bringing level shifted toons).

I've been on leagues that employ that strategy and I've been on that team. Even on a 50+3 level shifted stalker (and we both know that I can make that toon crank out massive single target damage) the effect of [Pacify] are noticeable.

But, your experiences and your comments relate to mine only in that they speak to the same iTrial. Your experiences and your comments do not correspond to the strategy, build, nor role that I spoke of.

I understand that you don't like that strategy, but that is the strategy that the league leader chose to work with. I'll take a moment and explain why league leaders choose it: it's less complicated, requires less setup, less organization. It allows most participants to go on auto-pilot and not worry about the quality of their contribution. It allows people to attack with impunity (inside the buildings) without having to worry about using an AoE on the telepathists by accident and defeating the rioters (thereby loosing points, where 0 rating points results in failure). It's also faster (that portion is timed). The downside is as mentioned: the stacked [Pacify] is a nasty debuff, the league is at great risk from rioters (and later Maelstrom) and the chances of getting defeated by them are significant.

The alternative has been used successfully, but more explanation, coordination and time (either in setup or execution) is required to make it work.

NOTE: It has to be experienced first hand. It's hard to describe to stress of trying to coordinate the effort of 11-23 other people (and countless others via tells, etc). This, more than most other things, is the reason why league leaders will opt for using simplified strategies (such as the one described for the TPN).

Are you saying that...
1. you've brought a non-shifted tank/brute/scrapper to a TPN
2. played the role to taunt IDF away from teminal B so that another toon/group can take out the technician
3. successfully moved the IDF away quickly
4. and survived all of the retaliatory attacks from that spawn and any attacks aimed at you from other mobs

Is this what you're saying?

What type of toon were you playing and what was your role?

I thought about that TF, but it has a couple of negatives:
1. it's against Clockwork and very few melee types resist energy damage well.
2. Clockwork are resistant to most damage types, but are susceptible to psionics which most toons won't be using.
3. At the lower levels the players won't have access to all of their attacks (AoEs especially), many armors won't be available to melee types, and enhancements and slots will be on the low end of the spectrum. Also buff and debuff powers either won't be as effective or won't be available at all.

The end result is that the battles will last longer and hurt more. This net effect lowers the efficiency of the XP gain.

My guess would be Citadel: you have many of your good powers available and it's against Council... what more could you ask for?

The ITF would be next on my list: a slightly higher level range but you're fighting against an enemy group that likes to be in to melee.

DA content.

If that's the case, use the classic old-school method and play the non-incarnate content that was used to get to 50 in the first place (but first unlock the Alpha slot), acquire components and shards and notices (from the WST), and create the tier 3 Alpha ability.

Did you mean Astrals?

If you meant shards, I have to ask: why would anyone stockpile shards on a non-shifted toon?

She's been verbed!

The second is worse, assuming that the person in option #1 has no other incarnates. As I mentioned earlier (and as you mentioned in your post) there is more than one way to get that first Alpha shift and I see no reason why not to take advantage of those options. That one level difference increases the effectiveness by 17 percentage points across the board (if you want to get into the numbers side of the game as Trickshooter posted earlier). A flat 50 toon goes from having it's base values being slightly less than 50% effective, to a substantial amount more than 60% at 50+1 against level 54 enemies (a 17 percentage point or 35% increase in effectiveness fro 48% to 65%). For comparison, a 50+3 is operating at 90% (a 42 percentage point or 87% increase versus a flat 50) effectiveness against 54 enemies.

To provide a little more perspective, a level 50+3 Defender would be able to do damage to a level 54 enemy at a rate only slightly lower (6 percentage points) than that of a flat 50 Blaster (and the Defender would still bring all of the benefits that their primary).

Trick, please check my math on the above statement.

I stand by my statement. I will advertise for the Flat 50 Lambda and BAF in the Jello Shooters, Protector Vigilance, and Protector TFs channels.

How many people will step up and show me how useful their flat 50 can be? How many will step up and prove to me that their flat 50 can contribute as significantly as one with level shifts? How many will step up and prove to me that their toons don't need to be "carried" by someone with level shifts? How many will step up and make me eat my words?

We shall see.

But a */Rad Controller can drop rad toggles and has crowd control power (like a Dom), that would fill both of those roles with one toon.

What about a */Rad controller?

Thank you for posting this.

I agree that there were problem learning the trials, and I have seen failures and near failures due to incompetence. However, I also believe that the difference between failures and a smooth and successful trial can be traced to the increased effectiveness of level shifts and the incarnate powers associated with them.

That's why I want to test the theory that flat 50s doing a BAF/Lambda are at a serious disadvantage by arbitrarily taking away that advantage from all participants. Each participant will have to stand on their own without having the support of a level shifted league-mate to carry them.

I've put forward the challenge and I expect everyone here who disagrees with me to show up and see for themselves.

I'm willing to "eat" my words if I'm wrong, so prove me wrong.

It seems that those lessons have been forgotten.

I then clarified my statement with this...

However, it seems that my choice of words were not clear enough.

I didn't say they shouldn't be allowed to join.

Did I say I was "ticked"?



If you're going to react and respond to something you think I said, please make sure I said it.