City of Heroes: Live Forum Archive

The Unofficial Powerset Revamp Suggestion Box

AquaJAWS

By AquaJAWS,
Posted on: 2009-08-10 12:16 in Archetypes and Powers General Discussion

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by SinergyX_EU View Post
And a big I AGREE! to the aoe buff/bubble thing. At start of the mission everyone is buffing, halfway u only do when u notice.. near the end, nobody ever buffs. (except SB :P).
Actually something as simple as using Herostats can solve that problem, because it puts a timer on powers. I've found it to be very useful since I have a lot of Corruptors (/Cold, /Sonic, etc.).

 

Posted

If I was a dictator in charge of Blasters, I'd do something like this:

* Fix all Snipe powers. Reduce interruption to 1s as mentioned and increase damage.
* Fix all Nukes that cause endurance crash. Make them something in between the new VEAT nukes and the old Blaster nukes; slightly less damage, no end crash - but no end recovery for 15s.
* Fix the Blaster version of Frozen Aura. Make it similar to the Tanker version with Blaster scale damage.
* Fix Time Bomb to make it more useful. A self only Blaster scale Force Field Generator would be fantabulous.
* Give Gun Drone Heavy Burst. Rebalance recharge as needed.
* Give Voltanic Sentinel Lightning Bolt. Rebalance recharge as needed.
* Increase damage of Short Circuit.
* Shuffle powers in /Mental Manipulation. Make Telekinetic Thrust tier 1 and give the Defender Subdue (all damage up front, 6s rech) instead of Subdual (slow DoT, 4s rech).
* Increase damage of Psychic Shockwave. A Tanker Foot Stomp have almost the same damage.
* Remake Total Focus to a mag 4 stun. It is quite inferior to Knockout Blow or Seismic Smash as is.
* Remove Blazing Aura from /Fire Manipulation. Replace with Greater Fire Sword.
* Remove Build Up from /Fire Manipulation. Replace with Fiery Embrace.
* Remove Conserve Energy from /Energy Manipulation. Replace with Energy Absorbtion w/o defense or the new Energize power (proposed for EA) w/o heal.
* Reduce animation of Energy Burst.
* Reduce animation of Shout.
* Introduce Defiance to epic powers.

 

Posted

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
If I was a dictator in charge of Blasters, I'd do something like this:

* Fix all Snipe powers. Reduce interruption to 1s as mentioned and increase damage.
Damage yes, interrupt no. Ideally a snipe should be something you use as an opener. A snipe with such a short interrupt that you can use it in combat isn't a snipe. I would dramatically increase the damage of snipes, but not mess with interrupt. Something that's actually WORTH using from far away as an opener would be good. Right now, I can get more mileage out of opening with Total Focus.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
* Fix all Nukes that cause endurance crash. Make them something in between the new VEAT nukes and the old Blaster nukes; slightly less damage, no end crash - but no end recovery for 15s.
Not all. I sort of like my ability to kill all badguys in one go. I think the nukes are okay how they are. Some are different, like Archery (which I also like), but I still enjoy Nova and Inferno.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
* Fix the Blaster version of Frozen Aura. Make it similar to the Tanker version with Blaster scale damage.
This I would like. Kind of a crappy tier 9.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
* Fix Time Bomb to make it more useful. A self only Blaster scale Force Field Generator would be fantabulous.
Something more useful yes. +DEF, no. Devs don't like to replace powers. They'd probably, if anything, make a similar power. Omega Maneuver would be the perfect replacement though.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
* Give Gun Drone Heavy Burst. Rebalance recharge as needed.
* Give Voltanic Sentinel Lightning Bolt. Rebalance recharge as needed.
* Increase damage of Short Circuit.
These I could get behind. But there's another thing I'd like to do for the pets. Increase duration to 4 minutes, with recharged changed to match. Having to resummon pets every 90 seconds is just an annoying pain.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
* Shuffle powers in /Mental Manipulation. Make Telekinetic Thrust tier 1 and give the Defender Subdue (all damage up front, 6s rech) instead of Subdual (slow DoT, 4s rech).
This would probably never happen, and Subdual was changed to be in-line with the other Blaster immobilizes. Changing it would be unfair to the other sets.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
* Increase damage of Psychic Shockwave. A Tanker Foot Stomp have almost the same damage.
Ehh, I don't think so. Foot Stomp and Psy Shockwave both have stats higher than they're supposed to be already. Buffing either one is probably not going to happen. The power has merits of its own anyway, like recharge debuff and stun. And the end cost is comparatively low.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
* Remake Total Focus to a mag 4 stun. It is quite inferior to Knockout Blow or Seismic Smash as is.
I always thought that myself, since KO Blow has TWO secondary effects. I think, though, the reason it was changed is because KO Blow has no other holds to stack, while Energy has tons of stuns to stack. You can already hit mag 4+ easily with other attacks, so having a power that does mag 4 off the bat is a little nutty.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
* Remove Blazing Aura from /Fire Manipulation. Replace with Greater Fire Sword.
While I don't like the fact that a Blaster gets not one, but TWO AoE "kill me" toggles, I don't think they'll replace one. Also note that no Blaster set has a "tier 9" attack in it, because they'd do a tremendous amount of damage with it.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
* Remove Build Up from /Fire Manipulation. Replace with Fiery Embrace.
Ew, no. FE has a way longer recharge for just an added +25% damage. And if your primary isn't also fire, you lose damage.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
* Remove Conserve Energy from /Energy Manipulation. Replace with Energy Absorbtion w/o defense or the new Energize power (proposed for EA) w/o heal.
Wishful thinking. I never did like Conserve Power. Without the heal it might be doable.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
* Reduce animation of Energy Burst.
* Reduce animation of Shout.
These I can agree to.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
* Introduce Defiance to epic powers.
Probably wouldn't hurt. Although the way inherents work with epics is kind of hit and miss. I'd like it if inherents worked with all epics on all ATs.

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Originally Posted by PRAF68_EU View Post
Dispari has more than enough credability, and certainly doesn't need to borrow any from you.

 

Posted

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Originally Posted by Dispari View Post
Not all. I sort of like my ability to kill all badguys in one go. I think the nukes are okay how they are. Some are different, like Archery (which I also like), but I still enjoy Nova and Inferno.
What's not to like with total annihilation? Still, way too often do I find myself not using my nukes as I do more consistant damage w/o the pause the end crash enforces. The nukes are bad game design, something I believe the devs have acknowledged with the introduction of crashless VEAT nukes.

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This I would like. Kind of a crappy tier 9.
"Kind of" is kind of an understatement. It's the worst tier 9 power in the game by far.

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Something more useful yes. +DEF, no. Devs don't like to replace powers. They'd probably, if anything, make a similar power. Omega Maneuver would be the perfect replacement though.
I generally don't like very slow recharging powers (though crashless semi-nukes defenitely aren't bad). I know devs don't like to replace powers, but EA Brutes will get a replacement for Conserve Power, so it's definitely not unpresidented. Perhaps a new power called Flashbang (mag 3 stun, 8 rad, very short duration with a long recharge) would be a better fit?

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These I could get behind. But there's another thing I'd like to do for the pets. Increase duration to 4 minutes, with recharged changed to match. Having to resummon pets every 90 seconds is just an annoying pain.
Agreed. Needless micro-management is simply annoying. I don't see why the duration couldn't be increased to match that of Black Servant for instance (240s).

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This would probably never happen, and Subdual was changed to be in-line with the other Blaster immobilizes. Changing it would be unfair to the other sets.
Yup, I just resent the fact that all but one Blaster secondary set forces you to take a power seldom used and rarely slotted. No other AT is really saddled as much with that poor enforced secondary powers. Besides, knockback is a lot more fun than immobilize.

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Ehh, I don't think so. Foot Stomp and Psy Shockwave both have stats higher than they're supposed to be already. Buffing either one is probably not going to happen. The power has merits of its own anyway, like recharge debuff and stun. And the end cost is comparatively low.
I don't buy that Blaster Psy Shockwave does more damage than the Blaster scale dictates it should. Anyway, the situation is out of whack; lower damage of Foot Stomp. SS would still be an overperforming set.

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I always thought that myself, since KO Blow has TWO secondary effects. I think, though, the reason it was changed is because KO Blow has no other holds to stack, while Energy has tons of stuns to stack. You can already hit mag 4+ easily with other attacks, so having a power that does mag 4 off the bat is a little nutty.
Total Focus is a tier 9 power which is blatantly inferior to the tier 6 Knockout Blow. KO Blow's hold is better than TF's stun and can be stacked by most Tanker epic sets. The second secondary effect is a high mag knock Up which is instant mitigation almost as good as any mag 4 in itself. Adding insult to injury; Knockout Blow animate more than a second faster than Total Focus (2,23 v. 3.3). Tier 9 Seismic Smash is a guaranteed mag 4 hold (again better than stun) and animates in 1.5s. Both powers are clearly significantly superior to Total Focus. Either boost TF or nerf the other two. Blasters shouldn't pay the price for Tankers having Energy Transfer on top of TF.

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While I don't like the fact that a Blaster gets not one, but TWO AoE "kill me" toggles, I don't think they'll replace one. Also note that no Blaster set has a "tier 9" attack in it, because they'd do a tremendous amount of damage with it.
Total Focus is a tier 9. Blasters have only damage going for them, replacing one extremely malplaced power (which, to be frank, reveals the original devs really didn't know their own game very well at all) for a useful and appropriate one is a good thing imo.

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Ew, no. FE has a way longer recharge for just an added +25% damage. And if your primary isn't also fire, you lose damage.
Scrapper FE differs from the Tanker version. The Brute version differs from both. I see no reason the Blaster version couldn't be made slightly superior (ie 20s duration no matter the damage type). Still more of a thematic alteration than an actual useful one and for me it's low on the priority list.

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Wishful thinking. I never did like Conserve Power. Without the heal it might be doable.
Conserve Power is just another example of poor game design. Super slow recharging powers generally are. Conserve Power could be changed to half the recharge time with half effect of the current version to make it more reliable.

EDIT: Last improvement I can think of would be to increase Full Autos max targets hit from 10 to 16. It's the only tier 9 primary power with less than 16 targets. Besides, a cone like Seeds of Confusion also benefit from 16 targets.

 

Posted

Post jousting!

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
I generally don't like very slow recharging powers (though crashless semi-nukes defenitely aren't bad). I know devs don't like to replace powers, but EA Brutes will get a replacement for Conserve Power, so it's definitely not unpresidented. Perhaps a new power called Flashbang (mag 3 stun, 8 rad, very short duration with a long recharge) would be a better fit?
The replacement for Conserve Power still sort of does what the original did. It still grants an endurance discount. Using that as an example, they're far more likely to replace a time bomb power with a teleport bomb power than to replace it with a self-defense power.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
Agreed. Needless micro-management is simply annoying. I don't see why the duration couldn't be increased to match that of Black Servant for instance (240s).
If I had my way, everything would last for at least 240 seconds. I don't see what advantage or balancing factor appears when you make buffs only last for a short time, like 60-90 seconds, or pets you have to resummon once a minute. It doesn't really balance anything, it just makes it much more annoying.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
Total Focus is a tier 9. Blasters have only damage going for them, replacing one extremely malplaced power (which, to be frank, reveals the original devs really didn't know their own game very well at all) for a useful and appropriate one is a good thing imo.
TF is a weird one. It's tier 9 for Tanks, for some reason, but not for Brutes and Stalkers. TF is the SECOND most damaging power in Energy Melee so I don't know why Tanks get it last. If Blasters really had the "tier 9," that would be Energy Transfer. And that would be nutty, although possibly entertaining.

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Originally Posted by Seraphael View Post
Conserve Power is just another example of poor game design. Super slow recharging powers generally are. Conserve Power could be changed to half the recharge time with half effect of the current version to make it more reliable.
I've never been a fan of Conserve Power. It's super useful when up, useless when down. I had it for a while on my first Blaster and got rid of it soon after. Sure while it was up I had unlimited endurance, but when it was down I struggled. I'd rather have a midway. Half effect for half recharge would be nice.

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Originally Posted by PRAF68_EU View Post
Dispari has more than enough credability, and certainly doesn't need to borrow any from you.

 

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Benn playing My Fire/Traps corruptor again recently, and I've a few thoughts on improvements for the /Traps powerset:

Web Grenade: Make it a small AE (say, 10' radius)

Triage Beacon: Increase the regen by 50-75%, and either make it mobile (like FFG) or give it duration 30 sec, recharge 60 sec, so it'll be up most every fight when slotted.

Poison Trap: Either put the time between the chance to hold ticks back to it's original level, or increase the chance of it happening. AFAIK, this was nerfed back in the overpowered proc bomb days, because the devs thought that was why it was broken. It wasn't, but when they found the real reason, it was never reverted. These days, PT is really only useful for the -regen on tough opponents.

Time Bomb: Make it like the Omega Manuever. Still wouldn't be great, but at least it'd have some use. Ideally it'd be ripped out an replaced with something that actually helps protect the group - you've got enough offense in Trip Mine - but I can't see this happening

Just remembered another thing. Take the damn fear effect off of acid mortar.

 

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Spirit Tree, like Triage Beacon would benefit from either being made mobile ( and I'd love a little glowing tree following me around, preferably with wriggling roots and grindy noises ), or being rebalanced to come up more often so it's up every fight. As it is, I get Aid Other/Self or just live without a heal.

Consume from Dominators' Fire Assault should be given a heal component; Dominators don't generally benefit that much from an endurance recovery power as most ATs since they already have Domination.

Highly unlikely, but I'd like to see Phalanx Fighting and Grant Cover in Shields merged to make room, and a Dull Pain clone added. Call it something like Rally Strength.

Arc #40529 : The Furies of the Earth

 

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Originally Posted by Blueraven View Post
I suggest the Devs Balance the defence powers for tankers.
Check out all the build the "Power Gamers" are talking about and you'll see certain armor types NEVER talked about.

Even if your not a power gamer and don't slot purples or even IO Sets. No one that plans on tanking the higher end (40-50) and have done any amount of research at all would consider Dark Armor, Ice Armor,Fire Armor etc. no one would would want to sacrifice a DPS slot on their team for a second or third healer.

And what's with all the melee attacks in the blasters secondary?
Blasters are the Wizards of other MMO's and in other MMO's I dont see too many getting into melee as a desired effect. All be it, at low levels it sometimes comes in handy and perhaps getting 1 melee attack might be good for IO sets or whatever but 4-5 attacks? They are very useful if ya intend to get all your debt badges by lvl 30.
I wholeheartedly disagree with your opinion regarding Dark, Ice, and Fire for tankers. Perhaps you haven't been around long enough to see that there are strengths in those primaries. You don't have to be stone, invuln, or wp to have value on a team or solo. I have seen fiery aura tanks outtank, outsurvive, outkill, and generally outplay stoners. In fact, some of the tanks with the worst overall performance I have ever seen have been stoners.
I suggest you look around and see that some of the more exotic sets can be just as survivable and fun as stone and invuln and even look a lot more exciting while doing it.

As far as your madness with blasting- sometimes the best place to play is right in melee range. Ever play with kins only on your team and try to get healed from a distance? Fail. Ever try to get fulcrum shift when you are standing 30 ft away from a spawn? Fail. Ever seen how good some of the melee attacks can be from a good blapper? Blaster does not equal range. Besides, with various buffs, IOs, and even inspirations, you don't have to worry about being canned as easily as you might think playing a blaster in melee range. Don't get me confused- I am not saying you should take alpha on a blaster, but you don't always have to be scared to get up close and personal with spawns either.

Words to the wise aren't necessary- it's the stupid ones that need them.

"You're right...I forgot...being constantly at or the near the damage cap is a big turn off. Definitely not worth it."
- Vitality