Memphis_Bill

Eh, I'm not so sure about that. After all, that's one of the reasons given for masterminds being upper tier/purchased ATs. And possibly the AI involved for each.

Honestly, for all the so-called "problems" pre-I13 supposedly had* (and that is when I did the majority of my PVPing - after all, there were people in zone to PVP *with,*) there's some now that even a reversion couldn't fix.

From the introduction of COV and PVP, PVP was accessible. Yes, you had people that did it all the time, tweaked and tuned their builds, etc. but still, someone could just walk in the zone and at least be able to (a) expect their character to work the same, and (b) be - to varying degrees - competitive. Even, no, but the answer was pretty much given - "Get a team, PVP is geared toward teams."

Now, there are two hurdles to overcome. One, the learning curve has gone up *dramatically* with I13. Heal decay? Travel (and regen) suppression for taking an inspiration? Teleport not working? Mez protection being mez resistance?

Once you hit that... well, look at Neuronia's list. And one sentence needs emphasizing (admittedly I just repeated part of what was said there, in essence)
... I'm also going to add that, IMHO, the SSKing system (where you get powers up to 5 levels above your exemplared level) is just another "bad thing" for the lower zones (BB and Siren's) that skews things a bit too far.

*Note, I know this list will change from person to person, as will the severity of it. But - aside from bugs and geometry holes - there's little that just teaming couldn't trivialize - and some of the binary-ness of it, well, we have that in PVE too.

Hey, I already admitted I don't know.

Though I think it's less "Added" than "Used an unused one."

Honestly? Yes. It looks like they actually have room under all that *for* said armor - and figure that in such a world, and in such a specialized team (anti-supers) they're going to design and pay for precisely what they need and against what they'll face.

I mean, after all, that's what armor *does.* It evolves for the threats being faced - from paper or leather armor to chain mail to plate to kevlar and ceramics. Why would it need to "look" any different in the COH universe on a fairly well funded, specialist group?

Unfortunately, the exchange rate stinks.

I should note that this will *only* tell you about the +1 Alpha shift, even if you have additional shifts, unless you're in Incarnate content. Simply because it's the only one applied at that point.

(*also points to the signature and the combat attributes miniguide there.)

I'm not sure that didn't use the last one.

After all, it's the reason given, as I recall, for not having arm/leg/thigh details (apart from gloves.) Which is really the basis for what I brought up.

Just going to link this since it's a fairly big forum breaking image.

For once, baggy (well, "bulky" really) and lots of pouches aren't really out of place.... don't forget, the ones I showed before weren't out "in the field" but in a parade and doing calisthenics (or a dance number, not sure.) They don't have their gear, body armor, etc with them.

So you have no actual argument, and have to drop to rather pitiful personal snipes, huh.

Except, of course, that that's part of their baseline. Not 4x8. If they were using 4/8 as their baseline... they'd bump up spawns to be that by default.

I do nothing particularly special except pay attention. No billion inf builds, IO'd to the hilt. If *I* can do it, anyone should be able to, quite frankly. WIthout relying on IOs, only fighting certain enemies, etc.

However, there's no reason to read you any longer. You have no argument, just poor assumptions. Ta ta.

You are - unless I'm misreading - asking for another to be added, as I understand it. (I make no claim to being an expert here, either.) It can't have the same point because it's a new, additional detail. (Or rather an old one being split off into its own detail.)

Heck, it may even conflict with the current one. *shrug* I don't know. Like I said - just giving the most likely reasons I can think of why it could be problematic.

I think it's:
- Lack of anchor points
- More time futzing around with the UI - which, as far as developers go, apparently is fairly scarce.
- Somewhat limited appeal... unless we find other things to put in there as well.

I don't disagree with the idea, mind you. I'm just pointing those out.

(That and my only argument is "Ugh, I see myself spending hours fixing costumes... again" because of the changes it would probably do. But I have 300+ characters.)

I'm not going to say for certain anything about how I felt issues upon issues ago, at least with specific issues, other than (a) feeling Defiance 1.0 - especially how it was presented (remember Statesman's "Tell them not to heal you!") - was silly and counterproductive and *was* a problem for blasters, and (2) feeling 2.0 was, frankly, right.

1.0 encouraged gameplay that was either too aggressive for what the AT was by people that really shouldn't have been trying to play that way - leading to far more defeats than should have been around - or far too *cautious* of gameplay because mezzing actually was still an issue - and a damage buff for getting low on health when you cannot use it (after all, we didn't have insp combining for a while) really isn't useful in the least.

I'm going to *generally* say that yes, I felt Blasters needed "something else" at that point instead of essentially "here, go die for your buffs."

Defiance 2.0 I feel is, for the most part, right. There are historic complaints about mezzes being too binary - and though it takes away some of the uniqueness of my Electric blasters (being able to "attack" via voltaic sentinel regardless of mez,) retaining some capability while mezzed - to me - is a step toward eroding that binary-ness overall. It gives you two attacks and a utility power which in most instances will keep a melee attacker out of the (typically higher damage) melee attack range, keeping you alive longer. (The ones that *don't* have that immob, IIRC, have something to push the attacker away.)

The only things I see needing tweaking aren't really specific to blasters - things like agreeing Snipes need a buff, and nukes need looking at (and I will still say along with it that Judgement powers need to be toned down in non-Incarnate content at the same time.) The first, to be blaster specific, to *encourage* starting at range and working your way in. I hear so many say "I don't take snipes" and, even with current time and damage, still can't help but go "why?" The second to make sure that crash and (for most non weapon nukes) risk of being in melee range is worth it.

If I *had* to make a change to blasters, specifically - yes, put a gun to my head and say "Do something that will probably be seen as an overall positive," I'd probably revisit the "Range is defense" bit and make it true. Your attacks give four seconds of some percent of defense (overall, ranged, melee, somewhat depending on type.) Up to a max of... oh, 15-17.5%.

For instance, you snipe - you get ranged defense. You use your T1 and T2 blasts, hold, etc. The defense builds up. As you get to the 40' blasts, you're getting less ranged defense, more melee defense. Start using the immobilize and your melee attacks, you get more melee defense, less ranged (though still a little.) Nuke? "The air still hums with the energy you released, making you hard to target and making attacks do less damage if they do hit." Bit of a spike in defense (past that 15-17% I mentioned, maybe a 20%, but further attacks won't buff it) for 5-6 seconds... enough to combine and take some blues and keep going.

Do I think it's needed? Absolutely not. But it would, among other things, change attitudes toward the secondaries (to varying amounts, admittedly) as far as their usefulness and maybe get some of those who dismiss them offhand to actually reexamine them.

It's part of a cunning plan. I mean, c'mon, would YOU take seriously someone saying "Yeah, I'm part of a secret paramilitary organization. This is our robot, bob. Say hi, Bob. Our secret plans are to..."

While true - and stalkers are actually a fine example of when an AT as a whole DID need a change since they didn't really line up with gameplay (and I say that as someone who enjoys them - and enjoys them more now,) or Dominators with the major swing in gameplay on a non-permadom getting changed- I'm referring to direct competition.

In other words, it sounds to me like people are trying to say it's *bad* a Blaster (for instance) can't just rush into a spawn like a brute, like at the end of the quarter the Devs are going to say "Well, Brutes finished more missions in X time than Tanks, Controllers or Blasters - they get the next new power set!" Like there's something to *lose* by taking a little more time, or not being designed to have 50 enemies dogpiling you.

I'm being literal with that because, quite frankly, it's how some people act - that X AT is going to "lose" for taking a minute longer or something. I, with my massive altitis and running between pretty much every AT at every level, just don't see this massive difference in (reasonable) ability.

I wouldn't - or wouldn't just - put the sonic resonance graphic change there. That ended up as a good year plus fight to get done. And really less a "suggestion" than "Hey, devs, this part of your game is causing *physical pain and illness* to a part of your playerbase, and those affected can't just avoid the issue by not taking the set as others can cast this on them, this should be getting at least as much attention as actual coding bugs."

I've still got people I refuse to associate with because of their attitude toward that - either thinking triggering someone's migrane (sometimes for a few days) was "hilarious," or going on and on about how everyone complaining about it was a liar and a hypochondriac because it didn't affect *him.* (Want to seriously piss me off, tell me that while (a) it's affecting me and I've basically hurt myself ruling everything else out - note I normally don't GET affected by this sort of thing, and (b) it's making friends sick.)

After all that, BAB had basically said "We can't change it." Which just about had me drop the sub... but the changes showed up on test in less than a month after he'd said that. I don't know what happened there, but I'm not arguing...

Anyway, that was less a suggestion than a campaign and rather a lot of fighting. >.>

Why are you so obsessed with "doing it faster?" Do you win something more if you "do it faster?" No. So who effing cares if you "do it faster?"

Takes less damage - again, learn to manage the mob.

There is no competition between ATs.

Funny, I seem to recall mobs deciding they want to try to get close and use theirs on me whether I wanted them to or not. At which point I'm glad I *have* those melee attacks.

And who cares if someone does want to get in and use them? It's not "wrong." They should realize they're at a higher risk, depending on who, if anyone, they're working with at that point. They're not forced to use them. If all a blaster had (and I don't mean by choice) was melee attacks, with everything else the same, then yes, they'd need some serious work - work I'd expect to have seen done before the game was released, or at least LONG before issue 23. You'll note that isn't the case.

If you feel you need more defense on a blaster in melee - bring purples or IO yourself to do so. Don't insist the AT needs changing.

And there we go again. "X at vs Y AT." It's not a competition.

I don't care if a Scrapper "does it easier." Scrappers do pretty much *everything* easier. It's why I rarely play them - boring as hell. With a blaster, YES I need to pay attention to what's in the spawn. A mezzer? Gee, what am I attacking first, probably with my snipe? Or with the holds I have available, or whatever other tools I have to neutralize that threat instead of just ignore it and faceroll on the keyboard again?

And the comments about blasters having useless secondaries is just foolishness at its highest. (I know it wasn't yours. Commenting here.) If you're not taking advantage of your secondary, guess what, you're going to have trouble. That goes from the T1 immobilize (remember, managing the spawn - and hey, use it while mezzed to keep something with harder hitting melee attacks from being able to close and use them) to the utilities and attacks. Again, do some have problems? Sure. (See time bomb.) But that's not the same as "having no secondaries" or "the secondaries are useless."

Except, of course, that the wrong comparisons keep being made. "I can't play like a brute" .... well, you're not supposed to. Why do they have mez protection? Because they'd never get to 90% of the spawns in the game without it.

Not necessarily, no. And I don't care about IOs or Incarnate powers. Frankly, I think they're a bigger part of the problem with the game as a whole.

You haven't paid attention, then. That's not the "metric" used. They've talked a few times already about having scuttled that.


I do have a similar ability to succeed. I have yet to run into something any particular AT encounters and sees as impossible to finish, running base settings (no, saying "+4X8" is not base) that any other AT can. In the same time? No, but that doesn't matter.

... funny, I seem to recall hearing people whine about how hard Mender Ramiel's arc is on their IO'd characters, when I've walked through just fine on SOs. And by the way, I tend to use SOs/common IOs for the majority of most of my characters lives.

And yet I don't seem to have these surviviability issues or other complaints. Perhaps because I'm not trying to say "My blaster has to do this like a brute!" or seeing myself in "competition" with other ATs for some silly reason.

When did ATs not have enough damage to solo? Not "Solo fast enough for Miladys_Knight's taste," not "Solo fast enough to end any mission in 5 minutes," but solo? I seem to recall soloing with *every* AT all the way back in Issue 3. Was I rounding people up to pre-load the map for 6-8 people on my controller? Of course not. That doesn't matter.

No.


Like I've said, sure there are little tweaks that can be done here and there, like on snipes and nukes (and I still feel Judgement needs to be severely dialed down in non-Incarnate content.) But that's vastly different than "the entire AT needs to be reworked." Especially when, again, the argument against it is basically "it's not X AT."

I'm waiting for a reason other than "It isn't X AT" to revamp the AT as a whole. And most of the arguments end up sounding exactly like that. I mean, hell, EG wants them to be Dominators. Some people seem to want them to be VEATs. You're busy comparing your Blaster to your wife's Brute. Well, guess what, you're not a Brute. You play differently. That's kind of the point of different ATs. Do I take longer to finish a map? Who cares? I'm managing spawns. It's how I survive as a blaster. So what if they're not "monkey pound keyboard" easymode? Not everything should be. If mezzes are so bad to you, use the tools at your disposal, team, or play a different AT.

I swear, it seems the forums in general just want everything to be a grey AT. Everything gets the same resists, damage, damage scale, recharge. Tanks, scrappers, stalkers and brutes can get pets and major ranged AOEs from level 1. Squishiess get melee level mez protection and defenses - and what the hell, let's throw team buffs in there, too. Everyone gets Hide level stealth with bonus damage. Oh, and plenty of control, too, can't let the controllers and doms have a niche. Everyone gets controllable pets with bodyguard. Let's reduce that AT icon to the worthlessness of the origin icon. Would everyone be happy then? Because that's the direction these freaking "OMG, X AT is worthless, it needs to be revamped!" discussions go - with *every* *single* AT. (And yes, I did basically just describe the result of Incarnate powers. Part of why I don't particularly care for the system.)