Fighting Pool Facelift
By
Biospark,
Posted on: 2010-05-21 22:17 in Archetypes and Powers General Discussion
Pool powers always seemed to be a bit of a mystery to me:
- travel powers like SJ, speed, fly, tp should have been tier one (IMO) and then opened up tools
- I understand (I think) that they wanted some sort of difficulty progression - easy techniques or less self-beneficial first (tp friend/foe, punch/kick, aid other) then the more difficult and more self-beneficial next (tough/weave, aid self, etc.).
- I think these 2 points kind of fell flat simply because not a lot of balance vision was focused on pools - probably rightfully so - and there definatly seems to be exceptions to this rule. ex. I'm glad hasten is tier 1.
- If pool powers are going to continue to be a mixed bag, I see good arguements here to free them up from tier restrictions. If the OP gets their way, then no, the tier restrictions would definately stay as would the helter-skelter nature of what people think is useful.
I doubt they will change it. I would like them to.
Miss Arc #147491: Rise of Bedlam
AKA Iron Smoke @Champion Server
How about something halfway between, like someone suggested.
Tier 1 pools open at level 6 with no pre-requisite. Keep the limit of 4 Pools.
Tier 2 powers open at level 14, but having no pre-requisite other than the 4 pool limit.
Tier 3 would open up at level 20, but require at least 1 pick from previous powers in the pool.
This would solve some of the "useless" filler issues, but make powers like Stamina and Weave still have an "investment" price to get. Additionally they could add more pool choices without restructuring the pool. They would only need to decide if a power was Tier 1, 2 or 3.
BIOSPARK :: DARKTHORN :: SKYGUARD :: WILDMAGE
HEATSINK :: FASTHAND :: POWERCELL :: RUNESTAFF
Personally, I'd like the "open" option because a lot of my toons dont take travel powers since IO's, temps and ninja run are so abundant - esp with new recipe drops and despite the fact that I can pick a travel at lvl6 (ignore my join date; ive played since i1 open). I do like the idea of good tools being available at low levels (which opens the can of what is "good" and thus the tier system is cumbersome). I prefer to concentrate on my ability to destroy and keep myself alive.
If any thing *maybe* the pools should be level sensitive (but w/o tiers for their associated powers): at level 6: pools that have a travel power associated with them open; at level 14: presence, fitness, concealment; lvl20: leadership, fighting. But again this is too arbitrary.
I should mention that I like the suggestions on how the powers themselves could be improved. Great discussion, but I am skeptical.
Miss Arc #147491: Rise of Bedlam
AKA Iron Smoke @Champion Server
Quote:
None of the power pool powers are powerful enough to warrant it, I'd say.
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Originally Posted by DrMike2000
I get the idea that a lot of power pool powers are balanced based on wasted power selections.
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Goodbye may seem forever
Farewell is like the end
But in my heart's the memory
And there you'll always be
-- The Fox and the Hound
I sometimes take the "fighting" powers for travel pools (Air Superiority for example) but find the fighting pool attacks lacking. If I am going to go for Tough and Weave I see the attacks as unwanted fillers.
Most of the people I usually team with don't use Tough or Weave on melee toons. They flesh out the existing armors. With my melee types I have never found the need or could justify losing other powers to get Tough/Weave. Some of my blapper blasters have taken the fighting pool and it has helped.
One idea is to make the fighting pool an Armor pool:
Tier 1:
- a click s/l defence
- a click energy/neg def
- a click fire/cold def
Tier 2:
- toggle s/l/cold resist (Tough+)
- toggle energy/negative/fire resist
- click psi/toxic def
Tier 3:
- Weave
- click psi/toxic resist
---
A player could build up some good defenses but it would be costly.
The numbers could be kept low enough to be costly but still effective with slotting.
Something I always wanted to see in Tough: Make it an auto power. Being tough was never something I thought one would turn on or off.
That said, I think Tough could be greatly improved as a hybrid auto/toggle. Something that would grant a bonus to S/L even when the power was off. You would gain the different between auto and toggle numbers when toggled on.
The plastic tips at the end of shoelaces are called aglets. Their true purpose is sinister.
--The Question, JLU
However, what would happen is that people would just pick and choose the best picks and have more overall power picks from their primaries/secondaries.
Currently if you want Stamina and Weave, you need to invest 6 powers of your 24 total and be at least level 22.
If I understand you correctly, then it would only be 2 picks of our 24 and be level 22 or higher.
That's quite a drastic change, since you would get 4 powers back to invest in other picks.
I am not saying that I dont like the idea however. We can all use a few more power picks
I thought a bit about the picks you would get back. Yes you would get four picks back, but...
Consider that there are really only one or two powers in each pool that most people would consider "cherry" picks. Since you are limited to four pools, two more cherries wouldn't be all that game breaking. At worst we're looking at someone taking, what, Stamina, Weave, Aid Self and Vengeance?
Prior to level 41, most would still end up having to fill out their build with powers from their primary/secondary(which I don't see a problem with), or perhaps getting "filler" powers like Punch/Kick/Swift/Hurdle but later rather than earlier when the power pick/slots could have gone to a place that needed them more.
I can't think of any severe game breakers this change would cause. If anyone can think of one, post it. Even if they couldn't remove the tier restriction from all of the power pools, removing it from a couple like Fighting and Fitness would help.
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