[ QUOTE ]
Some folks in the US have crunched the numbers... See here
[/ QUOTE ]
If they weren't playing this I swear they'll be trainspotting.
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Some folks in the US have crunched the numbers... See here
[/ QUOTE ]
If they weren't playing this I swear they'll be trainspotting.
[/ QUOTE ]
Maybe they take laptops to the trainstation with wifi cards and play there while waiting for the trains?
"Sorry afk one sec, train incoming!"
"Train?!" - Rest of team
It appears that the MoG changes survived the new TR patch..me happy 
I've done a little testing of the version of AS. The live version of AS does +600% base damage, fully buffable.
The previous build had AS doung +400% base damage, +10% of the mobs max hp. This last bit was unbuffable, but could be resisted.
The current build has AS doing 550% of base damage, + some % of the mobs hp. Unfortunatly unless someone can tell be where to find the hp of level 9 minions and lts I can't tell you exactly how much. I suspect quite a bit less than 10% (I would guess 5% at most). However (big change), this appears to be fully buffable (so it works with BU for instance).
Anyway, total live damage vs lvl 9 minion (at level 10) = 262.43.
Current test build vs same minion = 250.75.
So a small nerf vs minions.
vs lts, the live build did the same damage as against a minion, 262.43. On test it did 260.19, so a tiny nerf.
Use of buffs like build up makes no difference to the ratios in this build.
I haven't tested on bosses and above yet, but they will certainly be buffed.
I really should do something about this signature.
[ QUOTE ]
Unfortunatly unless someone can tell be where to find the hp of level 9 minions
[/ QUOTE ]
Just target the mob in question and right-click and hover on their HP bar in the target window and it pops up doesn't it?
I dunno, I've never tried it! Unfortunately I'm stuck at work now. 
I really should do something about this signature.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Unfortunatly unless someone can tell be where to find the hp of level 9 minions
[/ QUOTE ]
Just target the mob in question and right-click and hover on their HP bar in the target window and it pops up doesn't it?
[/ QUOTE ]
I dont think it does
PVE numbers are one thing ...^^...but not tell us everything I think
I agree that the 'AS/scrapp or go/placate/AS/scrapp or go ...' is life of a stalker ... but there is other few contribution a stalker can add to his team ; i think it completely depends of the playing style .
For exemple my favorite Stalker secondary is ninjutsu ... well, many of my gadget can help a team ... caltrops or smoke flash have great defense utility .
So, your secondary have no defense use...perhaps some pool can be usefull : concealment with grant invisibility can have a great use (because of the usefull phaseshift); medecine : stimulant from the medecine pool (because of taking aidself;i prefer have 2 personal heal for my stalker^^) can be a great help for the teamates ...
one more example ?
TP foe : I TP the Boss on me, I use caltrops, I placate him and yeah, every teamate is safe from him during 10 seconds^^
I don't understand why the only stalker use in a team have to be 100% offensive task ... well, the people on vigilance (yeah, i'm French)whom I have PvE with knows that now ! ^^
no, a stalker is not alone (I love play it alone, but use his defense potential in team is a real pleasure for me)... even if we don't often see him ^^!
[ QUOTE ]
For exemple my favorite Stalker secondary is ninjutsu ... well, many of my gadget can help a team ... caltrops or smoke flash have great defense utility .
So, your secondary have no defense use...perhaps some pool can be usefull :
[/ QUOTE ]
The point is, apart from AS all these other jobs can be done better by another AT.
I really should do something about this signature.
[ QUOTE ]
Just target the mob in question and right-click and hover on their HP bar in the target window and it pops up doesn't it?
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, that works. It's definatly 5% of max hp, enhanceable, now. That's actually much better than the previous version, since with just enhancements and BU you would have about +175% enhancement - 14% of max hp. With the damage caps, I think you could theoretically do 25% max hp, with insps or external buffs.
I really should do something about this signature.
According to Castle, its actually 4% max hp. that's what comes of testing on -1 mobs I guess!
Even 4% seems a bit high to me though. I suspect I could solo an AV with this, with a bunch of red insps, and a team of 5-6 stalkers, 1 Stone Brute and 2-3 /kin corruptors could make short work of MoLRSF.
I think the maximum should be 100/8 = 12.5%, which means the base value should be 2.5% enhancable.
I really should do something about this signature.
Any ideas yet as to when this is coming on live? Cant wait to do some serious damage in the LRSF.
Apparently it's being changed again from 4% buffable to 7% unbuffable.
Should still be fairly powerful though, and if my maths is right (fat chance!) it's going to work out as a slight damage buff against normal critters. Though "Build Up" won't add quite as much damage now.
I think what they need to do is keep it buffable, but cap it. Maybe at 12% of a typical equal level AV hp.
You see, what happens if they decide to add something really tough, like an attackable Rikti Mother ship? Even with millions of hp it could still be ganked by a handful of stalkers. so what will the devs do? give i an autohit aura or some such that will make it completly immune to AS, thus making stalkers worse off then they would have been without the buff.
In addition, if the cap was applied after resistance had been applied, any excess buffage would counter damage resistance, countering all the complaints about AVs with high S and L resistance on the US boards.
I really should do something about this signature.
[ QUOTE ]
In addition, if the cap was applied after resistance had been applied, any excess buffage would counter damage resistance, countering all the complaints about AVs with high S and L resistance on the US boards.
[/ QUOTE ]
See here:
[ QUOTE ]
In short:
1) I will almost certainly never have the time to go back and re-balance 5 years worth of critter design to correct "imbalances" in resistance types. (Why does no one ever mention the imbalances in Defense types? Oh yeah, players compensate for that.)
2) The changes to Assassin Strike damage types were NOT made (although, I did fix Energy Melee and Martial Arts damage types since they were inadvertantly markes as Lethal.)
3) The extended critical is being changed again -- from 4% buffable to 7% unbuffable. The Scale 5.5 base critical damage will remain as is on test currently.
4) I'll look into the impact altering Lethal AS to Toxic would have. I dislike it thematically, but it ought to work mechanically.
[/ QUOTE ]
Also here:
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
1. AS costs No Endurance, or very little Endurance.
2. Placate Recharge to match AS's Recharge
3. Build Up +Damage Increased to 100%
4. Damage Modifier Increased to .90, or 1.00
[/ QUOTE ]
1) No.
2) And PVPers everywhere lynch me. As there is no way to decouple PVE/PVP in regards to recharge on a power, this cannot be done.
2a) Adding AoE to Placate steps on the toes of a Ninjitsu power, which I'd personally like to avoid doing. Very conditional 'Maybe'.
3) Again, No.
4) Very conditional Maybe.
Most of these increase Stalker PVP performance, and since they are extremely good in that realm, I can't do them. If you want to provide suggestions, focus on suggestions that increase PVE performance while leaving PVP performance untouched OR decreased.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, I've seen Castle's posts. I've also seen the one where he says he is very learly of any % based damage system. No doubt because of the Rikti Mothership example I gave earlier.
GMs aren't common villain side, but they are designed to require more than 8 players to defeat. If stalkers get the 7% damage without a cap, most GMs will be easily defeatable by a tean of 6 stalkers. This becomes a bigger issue when the "going rogue" system is implemented later this year.
I don't think a cap would be that hard to do. You simply set the maximum damage any attack can do (at a given level) as (say) 12% avarage even con AV max hp. Since only stalkers AS could get to the cap, it would in effect be a cap on AS damage only.
Overcoming resistance with damage buffs migh appeal to Castle more thematically than toxic damage.
I really should do something about this signature.
[ QUOTE ]
This becomes a bigger issue when the "going rogue" system is implemented later this year.
[/ QUOTE ]
Eh?? When was this announced?
It hasn't, but my intuition says it's coming, and my intuition is usually pretty good.
Reason 1)
This AS change. It seems to me that they are trying to balance stalkers and scrappers, and put more clear blue water between the two.
2) The RWZ co-op zone used to collect datat on the performance of ATs working together.
3) Axing keldians as the villain epic AT. villain keldians will be available by going rogue.
4) "Going rogue" was planned from the start of CoV, but couldn't be implemented do to lack of resources. NorCal now has those resources.
I really should do something about this signature.
Looks like the changes aren't happening for the time being... here from Castle.
Not suprising really. I think my Mothership example earlier illustrates why this was always broken.
I think it could work with a cap though.
The trick is to make stalkers great vs bosses, and good against AVs. The % system makes them ok vs bosses and uber vs AVs, and super-uber vs GMs.
I really should do something about this signature.
I hate this, but Stalkers are good at solo rubbish, its an MMO nothing should be built SPECIFICALLY for solo
Regards
Spider
Heh i would like to really see the stalker class fixed for several reasons. One reason is PvE where on mayhems ambush's instantly know where the hidden person is that they had no chance of spotting normally, Odd how a typicaly blind longbow agent has x ray specs and thermal tracking systems attached to his spandex!
Most stalkers play solo for the sole reason that most other AT's typicaly ignore what a stalker actually does, Every other blighter is in a rush and can't be bothered to wait for the stalker to re-hide and get into position.
Anyhow fixing assassins strike might be the answer but still would not want to make me team with people that have no common sense on how a stalker works, I have seen mind sets of people that switch from playing a stalker to i don't give a flying hoot you have stealth and the ability to disable a annoying boss or luitenant.
If you truly want to fix the class i would suggest looking at why it's broken and why all stalker builds are so annoyingly tight to make, PvP wise you need to have stealth + Hide and stealth IO to even pretend your a stalker even though your class dictates thats what you do.
With this new "fix" i am sure most stalkers will say bugger off i am not teaming with you cause you need me now for that AV/GM/Hero when two weeks ago you never glanced at me cause it said stalker as my AT.
Much more can be changed to make this class even more flexible and much more useful in teams and PvP, Besides tanks don't loose their hit points, scrappers don't lose their crits...and all the other AT's keep their powers in PvP zones yet a stalker gets stitched up. I don't think a simple assassins strike fix will make the class more desirable in teams, I for one feel much more can be done to make this class more useful.
Of course all this above is my own opinion if ya don't like it fair dues. 
One of the leaders of the Harlequins villain group and currently on defiant.
[ QUOTE ]
Much more can be changed to make this class even more flexible and much more useful in teams and PvP, Besides tanks don't loose their hit points, scrappers don't lose their crits...and all the other AT's keep their powers in PvP zones yet a stalker gets stitched up.
[/ QUOTE ]
i strongly agree with this. However i do acknowledge that people still think we stalkers are the scum of the earth in
PVP zones
What could be a nice idea is perhaps adding a Proc for fear into assassin strike as an AoE?
I for one would be quite fearful if a mate of mine was assassin striked, could give stalkers a bit more usefulness in PvE for teams?
Of course, have this effect disabled in PvP.
In-game and now on Twitter @Tsumiju Zero "The Nightmare of Dra'Gon"
"The flow of battle can only be influenced, not by realtime tactics, but by strategy."
Proud resident of the Union EU Server.
B.A.F. Trial Guide
Well I did the LRSF on my stalker last night with his new PvE build, and really enjoyed it. I had my uses in terms of ghosting, and managed to finish off the Orastes Rifle mish by jumping into the last room, full of spawned bots when the AV was down, get the rifle and not get hit, while the rest of the team had been killed. Did similar things a few times too, speeding up the SF considerably.
When a buff to Hero/AV killing comes in, especially when I can get off a proper AS, goes live, that will make me really enjoy playing him on SFs, and feel even more usefull.