Sniktch

Hmmm... Sig powers, well thought out, with checks and balances added in...it WOULD require a new UI piece, some new code(especially on the animation changing; the activation times have to juuuuust about match the anim, and IIRC, there's NO way to change an animation on a power sans a server patch at the moment), but...if it can be done, wow. Very flexible, very cool, and given the points-buy system you can have a double-check system involved; either hardcap points spent in any category, or add a heavy diminishing returns on high investment...or both.

I like it.

Disclaimer: I despise PvP, and do not participate in it.

Devs: Fix the bug. This is a major balance issue for the PvPers...and moe importantly in my opinion, according to Iakona's testing...this is broken PvE as well.

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One caveat I'd apply here, some players moment-to-moment fun may come *more* from improving the functioning of the team then purely from faster XPs. They enjoy the "middle M" part of the MMO. This probably comes more from players of defenders and controllers then, say, scrappers, but it does exist, and it provides some reason to take an "explain first" approach rather than just a quit.

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I'm not sure I understand the first part of your caveat; moment-to-moment fun does derive from team magnification for many, including me-- it's what I like best, matter-o-fact.

Also, I'm not sure if you're arguing in favor of explain-and-stay, or explain-and-quit. I assume the latter, since that's what the rest is discussing.

Preferring it to quitting without explanation, as my guide describes, is a gamble; it's a game of skilled gambling, not of chance, to be sure. If we must, I'm sure we can agree to disagree about the odds on that particular gamble, but if somebody's doing something egregiously stupid on your team already, and nobody else's doing anything about it, I'm saying, I think the odds are poor, and for the majority of players, who have somewhat less experience with PuGs than I, it's certainly a losing gamble.

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Oh, and if you're wondering, [my list of objections that are always unreasonable] is what triggers the bloviation detector.

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The proposal you call absurd and unreasonable is, in short: Use your powers the way you think it's best to use them.

And you really just don't have many alternatives to offer to my "absurd unreasonable" approach: I mean, I *could* ask Brillig every time before I use a power, or I could just not use any powers at all... Or, I could exercise my own judgement about how my powers are best used. My proposal, the latter, clearly wins by a wide margin.

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...So long as your judgement does NOT infringe on the ability, fun, or health of another player; however, by your own declaration, you have decided all "this buff does not help me, it harms me" explanations are invalid out-of-the-gate. If someone says that Speedboost messes their playstyle up, AND understands the other effects of the power - but still chooses to forgo it because they are MORE effective when their controls don't feel like they've been dipped in butter, does it really hurt your ego so much to NOT put it on them as requested? If someone says that a Sonic shield gives them a pounding headache, then yes, I'd agree they MIGHT want to talk to a physician before playing more; I'd finish the mission without bubbling THEM alone, and then either quit or kick, with a polite /tell to that effect. No person's ego is worth another person's pain.

Just as a note:

Your corollary example has one thing that bugs me - the utter dismissal of other's playstyles and health issues.

Yes, Speed Boost is a GREAT buff, and I'll take it ...on everyone but my Stalker. Because for everyone but my stalker, position, placement, momentum, etc....don't matter much; they just either stay back and blaze away, or they're right in the middle of the pack, smashing. My Stalker moves. A LOT. And position, placement, momentum, are VERY important to my playstyle...so the extra speed is in fact a SERIOUS detriment, especially given that I'm Claws, so I am FRIGHTENINGLY End-efficient and have a full attack chain ready at hand. I'd rather not lose an AS because I had enough extra momentum from that SB to interrupt it or put me out of range to start.

And as to the Sonics...while the devs DID do a fantastic job reducing the effects, and I will take the shields since I'm not susceptible to it...it DOES still cause some folks REAL PHYSICAL problems. As such, declaring that you're going to keep doing it anyway...well, you'd be kicked from any team of mine. Your ego is not worth someone else's pain, nor is mine.

I prefer tells first for a few reasons:

1. If your tell looks like an alphabet soup factory just exploded and/or contains more leet than a hacker BBS, I'm not interested in teaming with you.

2. I LIKE knowing that I'll need a mentor. I LIKE knowing that you're expecting me to Mal. Both ahead of time, so I can rearrange powers in my trays and buy extra insps. I LIKE knowing that you're seeking me as a bridge...so I can put you on IGNORE.

3. If I'm in a fight, that "has invited you to join a team" box....can get me KILLED. THat polite beep that means I just got a tell? I can finish the fight, THEN respond.

4. I like knowing that you're gunning for an AV/EB/TF/SF before I accept; not everyone has time for a Respec Trial.

5. While I DO accept blind invites, it's only long enough to scream hideous curses at the inviter before putting them on ignore...as is stated in my search message. If you are incapable or unwilling to pay ATTENTION to something I took the time to type out, letting you know I am hostile to blind invites...then you deserve all the grief I can and will give you, because you're OBVIOUSLY not going to pay attention to anything I say in the team itself.

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Question: An Archery/Dev blaster using Targeting Drone and Tactics or a TA/A defender using Tactics...is it possible to skip Accuracy enhancers in total? I'd almost think so, since ToHit Buffs have so much more power than Accuracy, but I'd like an expert's opinion. On a Defender, Tactics is a +10% ToHit buff at base, unless I'm mistaken; slotted, that's about a 16-18%THB - enough to almost totally counteract most DEF buffs on its own. Combine with careful use of Aim for hard targets(DRONES), and I think you could end up ignoring ACC enhancers.

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Answer: Only if you plan on missing Defense based builds like SR/ICE/NRG/NINJITSU/FORCEFIELDS/ETC. but to be honest who knows, take ur toon on test and respec it to try it out. if you like the outcome then copy that build to live, but i would always have the acc.

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...Let me try this a different way...

For a character that will NEVER enter a PvP zone or Arena match under any circumstances, can ACC be skipped with Tactics and Targeting Drone, and Aim to cover enemies with obscene Defense(again, DRONES)? Also, since I'm planning to avoid the ever-popular "respec dance", building up to that level, copying, respecing, etc. are not part of the plan; I'm going to build up, not PL and then make the character.

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Y'know, they COULD just apply the Dom change; they've got a boost where every attack from their Secondary adds an extra 8 points to Domination in PvP if it hits. Make it work for Brute Primaries, and add it to "when hit by players"...and DONE. PvPers get their cookie, and ONE hero/villain imbalance is addressed.

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Question: An Archery/Dev blaster using Targeting Drone and Tactics or a TA/A defender using Tactics...is it possible to skip Accuracy enhancers in total? I'd almost think so, since ToHit Buffs have so much more power than Accuracy, but I'd like an expert's opinion. On a Defender, Tactics is a +10% ToHit buff at base, unless I'm mistaken; slotted, that's about a 16-18%THB - enough to almost totally counteract most DEF buffs on its own. Combine with careful use of Aim for hard targets(DRONES), and I think you could end up ignoring ACC enhancers.

Personally, I would STILL like to see the "old" Swipe anim be placed on Eviscerate; I HATE the "backflip to the moon, and while landing, hit you with the DULL side of my claws in the hope that it suprises the guts out of you" anim, and think the frenzied, tearing, spazzy shredfrenzy catching stupid suckers close to the main target in the bladestorm look of the "old" Swipe is MUCH more like an Eviscerate. And I don't give a damn about the .16 seconds longer animation time.

Actually, on Blasters, someone else gets your bar moving TOWARDS pegging and kills you BEFORE it gets there.

Net effect of Defiance at low levels: Slightly positive; it gives a minor increase to the chance of winjing a fight gone somewhat bad.

Effect of Defiance at level 14+: None. At this point, you are green, mezzed, or dead. In none of those conditions does Defiance matter.