Siolfir

Except that's not the random logout bug that's being talked about, which is apparently (I've been told) a load balancing issue. What happens then is while the browser is still open, it logs you out as you change pages - which is really annoying after you write a post and hit submit, and it logs you out before actually posting it.

I haven't had the random logout in a while, but I have had to log in each and every time I close the browser pretty much ever since they went to the new forum software (I don't remember the last time I didn't, and I hit "Remember Me" each time).

Which is what I said earlier - you'd need to add a check in the middle that currently does not exist.

Mobs that have things go off when they die have those things go off after every effect on the power that made them die happens (and independent of which power caused it). This means the extra check listed above is still required, because you have to apply the damage and then go back and check the rest of the effects. When I said "all effects are applied", I mean the damage is applied at the same mob state as the knockback - so it would either always do the extra knockback or it never would, due to timing.

Now that's impossible; nobody in this community would ever be sarcastic to make a point!

Martial Arts + mini skirts. Storm and Crane Kick, and Eagle Claw.

You'd like to think that, but that's what I'm saying - I can't think of a single case in the game that I'm aware of where some/most of the effects are applied and then conditions are checked for other effects on the same power activation. So no, there almost assuredly is NOT something that handles this already. Thus, engine change; thus, unlikely to happen soon if at all.

That's still an "at activation, check <condition> and apply all effects" case, though.

Malta Titans.
Robots MMs.
A large variety of costume parts.

This sentence brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department.

I very seriously doubt that it's the same thing that I'm talking about, but a grantable pseudopet could probably simulate the effect with some potential glitches (see my previous post). My assumption on how that works is an autopower that activates at the end of the countdown (checking the status of the other at that time, before any effects are applied).

That could work but KB is an instant effect while other mez types have durations (which is why it's so rare to stack it). Summoning a pseudopet could work but could potentially cause some really messed up effects depending on where it places the pet and how that affects the direction to send them flying (it could come flying back at you).

Look on the bright side... Corruptors outdamage Controllers (that don't have pets and can't set Containment), Masterminds (if you ignore all of their pets), and (once Scourge kicks in) Defenders!

The problem is timing.

Example:

• Mob has 30hp left, attack does 50 damage and does KB.
• Checks on power for valid target are done - mob is still at 30hp and is alive, so it applies all line items checking for living mobs.
• Effects are applied. Mob is knocked back while hit points are reduced to -20 (0) while mob is still alive.
• Mob is now dead and at 0 hp, after being knocked back at base knockback. Dark Extraction could work now, but the extra KB can't check since it's already applied (and if applied earlier the mob won't be dead!).

It would have to do something like the following:

• Mob has 30hp left, attack does 50 damage and does KB.
• Checks on power for valid target are done - mob is alive (valid target) and at 30hp.
• Apply damage effects ONLY prior to other effects.
• Another round of checks to see which line items happen to select which secondary KB effect to use.
• Mob is dead after applying damage, so higher KB value is used.
• Mob is dead and has been sent flying. Dark Extraction could be used now.

It's an extra round of checks but it's not impossible. But it's probably an engine change, and those aren't likely to happen quickly.

It's not "Soon(tm)" yet.

Because Energy Aura exists, you just look like a singularity instead of bubble boy.

But that's the thing - if you're only using a couple of the armor toggles (Rock + Rooted or Minerals + Rooted), it's not more expensive than Dark Armor because the armors are more specialized. If you try to maximize protection, it's not more expensive than Dark Armor. In either case, you're not using as much endurance.

If you want protection from S/L/E (the most common types) you can choose Rock and Crystal Armors and leave Brimstone off - or completely untaken - and Rooted for mez protection - total cost of 0.728/sec. Dark has Dark Embrace, Murky Cloud, Obsidian Shield for mez, and Cloak of Darkness for a total cost of 0.884/sec.

The damage aura is far more expensive for Stone Armor than for the other armor sets, but it's lower than Hot Feet which has a similar damage + slow effect and Hot Feet doesn't have the mag 2 immobilize (although it has a much larger AoE); yes the cost could be lower, but if you're using it you're going to be attracting attention and probably will want the extra protection from Granite.

Any other armor set would work better in the same situation. I reiterate, if you picked Stone Armor and aren't using Granite, you picked the wrong armor set. The rest of the set is pretty terrible.

Sorry, just wanted to quote that. It's not heard often enough.

If you picked Stone Armor and aren't using Granite, then you picked the wrong armor set.

But to play the game, substitute Rock Armor for Granite and add in Crystal, Minerals, and Brimstone (not that it's of much use) at 0.26/sec each. Now you're at 1.248 + 0.26 (x3) = 2.028/sec and you'll have less protection than you did at the much lower endurance cost.

Running all of the toggles in Dark Armor pushes you to 2.002/sec and you actually pick up some extra protection while doing so.

So yes, if you're an idiot, you can sacrifice protection and increase the endurance cost on your Stone Armor character just for the sake of proving a point. I think I can count on one hand the number of characters I've seen that were of a level to get Granite Armor and ran around with every other toggle turned on instead (usually it's Stone + Minerals, and they skip Brimstone entirely).

Granite (0.26/sec) + Rooted (0.208/sec) + Mud Pots (0.78/sec) = 1.248/sec.

Dark Embrace (0.208/sec) + Murky Cloud (0.208/sec) + Obsidian Shield (0.208/sec) + Cloak of Darkness (0.26/sec) + Death Shroud (0.52/sec) = 1.404/sec.

That's without Cloak of Fear (0.52/sec) and Oppressive Gloom (0.078/sec) in Dark Armor.

As far as I'm aware of, all of the delayed effects are set at the activation time of the power - that is, all of the checks are done right away and the effect is set to go off <x> seconds later (which is why Scourge doesn't kick in during the middle of a true DoT, only rain powers that activate frequently - it just checks the target's hp right at the time the power is activated). So you'd still have the same issue - the target would be alive when the check was performed and you'd have to set an arbitrary threshold value that may or may not reflect whether or not the target dies.

That's not saying that it couldn't ever do this - it's just saying that it most likely would mean some changes to when the power effects are calculated and/or applied.

I was referring to a Brute build that had been floating around a while back... mostly because I didn't want to figure out the Tanker numbers.

*shrug* Or they've already announced the changes that they're going to make in another location and have been testing them internally to see how they work - didn't Zwil comment on a recent ustream that he forgot that the changes to Stalkers aren't live yet because he'd been testing the new trials on a Stalker?

I would guess that thread was getting looked at for the powers team to work after Stalkers get their changes - and a couple of the suggestions from the "So... Stalkers" thread were rolled up and incorporated into the announced buffs including making Assassin's Strike a viable and uninterruptible out-of-hide power and increased hit point cap, and I think the Assassin's Focus was more or less a modification of one of Leo's suggestions.