seems like a good idea, although I've never had a problem after slotting for end redux.
Interesting.
I have a question though.
When calculating the End Cost of summoning and upgrading (in your examples), what do you expect a player to have in the default slot of the Upgrade powers, other than an EndRed?
"(42x2)+(20x3)" is a hefty cost, so I would expect to have a EndRed (maybe two) in the upgrade powers. Rest should be recharged at the start of a mission. (Remember when Rest was on a much longer timer, what, ten minutes? *sigh*) And by the time that you get the second upgrade power at L32, you have a decent-sized tray to hold inspires.
I hate to argue against a buff for any class that needs it, (or against anything I'm currently playing 
), so I will state:
I like the idea of the End Cost being variable depending on how many of your pets actually need to be upgraded. (and are within the AoE, of course)
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And at lower levels, you don't have a boss to spend 42 end on |
Originally Posted by spiritfox
Losing your boss tier minion means you're facing a cost of 42 end unmodified, which can be really tough at lower levels
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Originally Posted by spiritfox
Make every upgrade a targeted AoE exactly as it is with an initial cost of 7 End. 7 End covers firing it on one minion, and for every friendly minion it upgrades who isn't the target it applies an additional 7 end penalty to the caster.
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http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36641/My-Little-Exalt
You're misunderstanding Castle's intent in making the change. It wasn't purely for QoL purposes, but to also give MMs a key decision to make in combat. 'Should I save the end for other powers, or should I use it for Upgrading a couple fresh minions?'
We know this because we have been told so. It may not be the most convenient for players, but it was very definitely intentional.
"Null is as much an argument "for removing the cottage rule" as the moon being round is for buying tennis shoes." -Memphis Bill
How about just coding it so it can't be reapplied to Henchmen who have already receive the upgrade and make the endurance only be lost when it actually upgrades a henchie?
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So, basically, "re-lrn2play"?
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Originally Posted by Lemur Lad
You're misunderstanding Castle's intent in making the change. It wasn't purely for QoL purposes, but to also give MMs a key decision to make in combat. 'Should I save the end for other powers, or should I use it for Upgrading a couple fresh minions?'
We know this because we have been told so. It may not be the most convenient for players, but it was very definitely intentional. |
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Are you thinking of the old way the Upgrade powers worked and casting the Upgrade multiple times?|
Originally Posted by ReclusesPhantom
How about just coding it so it can't be reapplied to Henchmen who have already receive the upgrade and make the endurance only be lost when it actually upgrades a henchie?
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You only have to cast it once, and every henchman who is in the AoE gets the upgrade.
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Originally Posted by spiritfox
Make every upgrade a targeted AoE exactly as it is with an initial cost of 7 End. 7 End covers firing it on one minion, and for every friendly minion it upgrades who isn't the target it applies an additional 7 end penalty to the caster.
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Originally Posted by Fleeting Whisper
And at lower levels, you don't have a boss to spend 42 end on
No thank you. While this could be done, it would be done as a -end effect on caster for each target hit. But -end effects are not affected by endurance reduction enhancements, so this change would make the upgrades more expensive than they are now (assuming you put endrdx in the default slot), and make endrdx largely useless in the upgrades. |
It cost 22 points for the upgrade to be cast on the original target and 4 for each additional, non-upgraded henchman in the AoE.
For the situation of original setup of a six pet MM, you are still looking at 42 points of End, of which EndRed slotting only helps defray a portion of the 22. A Nerf, but during setup you have time and resources to pop blues, hit Rest, etc.
For the situation of upgrading a single pet in mid-battle, it would cost 22, rather than the existing 42, and all of the 22 points would be subject to EndRed slotting. Thus, a Buff in this instance.
Currently all MM upgrade powers are a targeted AOE. As a single target buff, they were advantageous in battle when replacing a single minion and disadvantageous when starting a mission and having to summon/buff everything in your arsenal.
Now our quality of life change has actually just reversed itself. Because you cannot simply upgrade one minion at a time, you have to fire the whole thing every time. Losing a lowest tier minion means that you will probably sacrifice damage to save the massive end cost. Losing your boss tier minion means you're facing a cost of 42 end unmodified, which can be really tough at lower levels when you don't even have a full stable and you lose a pet which is a significant chunk of your damage.
How to fix?
Make every upgrade a targeted AoE exactly as it is with an initial cost of 7 End. 7 End covers firing it on one minion, and for every friendly minion it upgrades who isn't the target it applies an additional 7 end penalty to the caster.
You could make it smart, upgrading in order of tier, so that if you target a minion and hit it it will upgrade that minion, and then everyone else in the AoE radius starting with the boss, moving to LTs, then the other two minions. It skips anyone who is already upgraded and only upgrades as many times as there is end to support, so if you say fire it at the assault bot and only have 22 end, it will upgrade the assbot and both protectors and then fizzle with a "too tired" message.
Make it uncastable on any pet that already has the upgrade, and you've got quality of life, balance, and intelligence in one power. It would allow us to have back the ability to easily replace a single minion, as a few of the MM sets have fairly squishy individual pets, or the suicidal arsonist, or the Assault bot because he draws all the aggro with his swarm missiles. When MMs were designed, the pets were meant to be fairly replacable, there is a huge difference between about 30 to re summon a bruiser and more than 60.
The other option, is to allow us to select both a single target AND AoE target version and use both, so that the previous balance with regard to mid battle upgrades is kept while allowing us to buff our guys at the start of a mission much more easily.
Also, it would be nice if we could buff and summon all of our bots for less than an endurance bar and a half. 42 x 2 + 20 x 3 for the summons is a pretty hefty cost, you could drop the upgrades to 30 end per cast (5 end to upgrade one pet) and the summons 5 points each and we'd be in the 90s, which is still a high cost but not ridiculously unbalanced. It would be nice to not have to eat an insp at the start of every mission.