Stratagem

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CoH:

* Supergroup Name: The Pocket Protectors
* Website (if any): None
* Global Chat Channel (if any): None
* Leader: Riot Girl
* Preferred Method of Contact: [?]
* Guild Description: "Though small we are yet mighty." (In existence since CoH went live; several members are the smallest possible build, though there are "mascots"; all are friends/family IRL)

CoV:

* Supergroup Name: The Chalice
* Website (if any): None
* Global Chat Channel (if any): None
* Leader: Master Sgt. Russell
* Preferred Method of Contact: [?]
* Guild Description: "Drink deep." (In existence since CoV went live; several members are vampiresque, though there are "mascots"; all are friends/family IRL)

[?] Would need Riot Girl's input.

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Update: Leader of The Chalice (CoV) is now Reve Noir.

OMG, I love you guys.

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- the Bridal skirts have secondary colour options for the pattern, but Bridal tops and sleeves don't.

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Agreed - I'd love to see the option added for the latter two.

CoH:

* Supergroup Name: The Pocket Protectors
* Website (if any): None
* Global Chat Channel (if any): None
* Leader: Riot Girl
* Preferred Method of Contact: [?]
* Guild Description: "Though small we are yet mighty." (In existence since CoH went live; several members are the smallest possible build, though there are "mascots"; all are friends/family IRL)

CoV:

* Supergroup Name: The Chalice
* Website (if any): None
* Global Chat Channel (if any): None
* Leader: Master Sgt. Russell
* Preferred Method of Contact: [?]
* Guild Description: "Drink deep." (In existence since CoV went live; several members are vampiresque, though there are "mascots"; all are friends/family IRL)

[?] Would need Riot Girl's input.

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I don't know WHAT it's for, but it isn't that. Rest assured there is no glitch.

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Thanks - I won't bug it, then.

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Arch Mage of Agony is from completeing the 3rd Shard TF

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If so, there must be a glitch somewhere; my scrapper has that badge but has never completed any of the Shard TFs.

Edit: Never mind - my scrapper has "Arch-Mage of Agony", not a Death Mage gladiator badge as I mistakenly thought.

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When my healing rate is decreased yet again, and his ability to heal is decreased, where does that leave us?

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Unfortunately, it goes further than just healing. I also regularly team with an Empath buddy and we were discussing it the other night. Fortitude takes a hit, Recovery & Regen Auras and Adrenaline boost will all be available less often too.

Due to the defence and resistance nerfs you will take more damage. Due the damage output nerfs, the mobs will take longer to kill. So we take more damage and the mobs give that damage over a longer period. Which means more healing is required... except healing got nerfed too so even more heals will be needed. Which will eat more endurance. Except Stamina got hit too.

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Bet my Empathy friend has already thought of these little gems; they hadn't yet occurred to me.

That's a good first step; next steps should improve recharge rates, damage output, defense/resistance powers including healing ...

EvilGeko wrote:

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My account is paid through January 3rd, 2006. I was going to keep recurring billing going so that I could post, but in hindsight, I think it's time to let these boards and CoH go. It was fun for a time, but these devs are...well I don't have words.

Good luck guys and take care, I'll be lurking.

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I also wanted to point this out to Alida, though it's entirely possible he might elect to write something up before he leaves. I certainly wouldn't blame him if he's tired of it all; I know I am.

Sorry, Alida ... this is Fanboy's guide:

"Do what ever the hell you want. It doesn't matter."

That sums up my feelings as well.

LOVE the new avatar. Love it. And your guide is right on point.

Here I was thinking about the changes, yet again, to my favorite character's healing powers. Then I clicked on this thread, and a sudden realization - Stamina isn't the only endurance recovery power affected by ED - smacked me right between the eyes.

It makes sense, now, why Defiance was introduced (though it hasn't worked for my blasters beyond level 15ish); why scrapper and controller damage output was increased; why Dark Armor toggles' endurance burn was decreased ... and some of us Regens were enjoying arguably the only good thing about IH being changed to a click power: no endurance burn over time, translating to less need for Stamina with some primaries.

Well. I guess we can kiss all of those positives goodbye.

One of my dearest friends plays an Empathy defender; I've teamed with him regularly, trying to help him reach L50, and happily benefitting from his buffs and heals. When my healing rate is decreased yet again, and his ability to heal is decreased, where does that leave us?

Having spent time collecting debt on Test after the Defiance adjustments were made, I won't try to use it again. Even with the adjustments, I still find it considerably more effective and logical to do as I've always done when my blaster's health dips into the red: heal, be healed, or get out of range.

I determined that while Defiance was useful for my L1-4 Archery and Sonic blasters, it wasn't discernibly worth the risk of utilizing at L41. Each time my Ice blaster's health redlined to flashing, I had to immediately decide whether to use a heal inspiration before my opponent's next blow landed or visit the hospital; I chose the inspiration.

In its current state, Defiance won't benefit my blasters beyond lower levels.

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What Mr. Emmert should realize is that for HIM rising to a challenge is fun, for others having lead weights added to our feet until rising becomes a challenge is not fun.

The 30s game may not be balanced in his view. But in mine, it is fun.

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Very well written - my sentiments exactly.

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Well ultimately both amount to the same thing, which is why a real fix to blasters needs to be more than just more damage, although that would certainly be part of it.

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My main focus was on comments being made in this thread - and many others - about blaster damage output compared to everyone else's. Simply stated, I worry that the devs' reaction will be to "nerf" everyone else rather than visit more elegant solutions.

I admire the poster who wrote:

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So how do you fix it?

#1) Keeping us dependent on leveraging range to be safe is a smart decision in my opinion, but please, make range more leverage able as a defense tactic. There has to be more leverage to range than the current simplicity of, "we both can shoot", "one of us can shoot", "neither of us can shoot", ESPECIALLY on indoor maps.
#2) Let us fortify our positions so the decision to close to melee range becomes as tactical for our opponents as it is for us.
#3) Fix aggro so that in some cases proximity trumps damage dealt. Combat is confusing, and ranged attacks should be able to take advantage of that.
#4a) Give blasters a wider variety of attacks so they are more likely to find one that can penetrate the resistance of their opponent's defenses. Making them the king of damage because more of their damage GETS THROUGH
#4b) See #3)
#4c) Let us leverage this opportunity better by decreasing animation times for blasters and raising recharge times to break even. That way a well-built blaster can build up to a better attack chain than his Scrapper cohort at exactly the place in the game where Blasters are currently hurting.

* - Scrapper at 75% DMG RES, 115 HP, absorbing 60 HP attacks every 8.5 seconds, from 3 minions with 10% DEF vs. Blaster 0% DMG RES, 100 HP, absorbing 40 HP attacks every 9.6 seconds from 3 minions with 10% DEF. (Both with 0 regen). Scrapper lives 42.5 seconds, Blaster 19.2 seconds). Comparison of Tanker to FF Defender/Controller produces similar ratio.


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The aggro issue is one of my pet peeves ... my husband has played his main, an AR/Dev blaster, for nearly a year and finally reached L50 yesterday. I've teamed with him often, and my attempts to draw aggro away from him were an exercise in frustration; his character spent most of his "life" working off debt. All of our SG mates who play blasters have expressed similar issues. There's something wrong when tankers post to these forums to say that even with punch-voke, auto-taunt auras and Taunt itself, they can't keep their blaster friends from visiting the hospital.

Several responses mention blasters' damage versus that of scrappers, tankers, controller pets and defenders. My fervent plea to the developers is not to take this as a reason to decrease everyone else's damage, but rather to increase blasters'. I've found it very disheartening each time statements about X being subpar to Y were translated into making Y less enjoyable (offensive, or defensive, capabilities reduced). In my opinion, improving X is far and away the better solution.

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Which you could have EASILY accomlished by allowed just that: dropping a mish if you don't like it or it's too hard and you don't have time. Rolling back the Boss changes is exactly caving into whiners.

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You will be able to "roll back" boss roll-back by selecting a higher mission difficulty level for your characters.

EASILY accomplished.

I could not be more thrilled! Best game ever, happiest superheroine ever - thank you!