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I think the problem is that I'm being unclear. The ATs are designed around the triad system in the sense that Team support characters get very low damage and no suvivability, damage characters get minimal support and tank characters get low damage and minimal support. Essentially they designed around the triad and then made support a bit to good.|
Originally Posted by Ironblade
Unless I'm misunderstanding, you're contradicting yourself. Note the bolded sections. In the first, you say that the AT's are designed around the tank-heal-DPS triad. In the second, you are saying that buffers and debuffers are SUPERIOR in their effects on the team. i.e. If you ignore the tank-heal-DPS triad, you can build a more powerful team. So then how are the AT's designed around the triad if our systems causes the triad to create an inferior team?
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So my issue with the current system is not that it adheres directly to the triad system (because it doesn't) but that it is based on the triad system in a way that causes problems given the fundamental nature of the power system.
1. Team power is highly variable for a given number of players. The game is easy enough that this doesn't matter but if it were normalized somewhat it would make the design of challenging team content easier without requiring a specific team makeup. Look at the Hamidon raid, it's enjoyable and balanced but the devs balanced it by rendering almost every type of buff and debuff useless except for regen, healing, +damage, holds and -resistance (actually, I'm not sure about this last one, I think it works but I can't recall for certain).
2. Most characters are either good solo (can deal damage at a decent rate while surviving the return damage) or good on a team (as in support their teammates rather than just dealing damage), few characters are both. The devs have done a decent job of increasing the solo capability of team oriented characters but without a fundamental change to the system their options are limited and when the best team is one that consists of 8 support characters something is out of whack.
The VEATs are a good example of what I think all characters should be. They have enough damage to solo comfortably but when they join a team they bring several nice buffs/debuffs for their allies to use.
I'm not suggesting that all ATs should be made into clones of the VEATs but what I would like to see in CoX2 is a situation where all characters can solo to similar degree but also all characters have powers to make their teammates better. Defenders, Corruptors, Controllers, Dominators and Masterminds already do this to a large degree the problem is that the game is, of necessity, balanced around the higher damage output of the Scrapper, Brute, Stalker and Blaster ATs. So my solution for CoX2 would basically be to lower the power of buffs/debuffs for support classes, increase their damage to compensate and then give the current damage classes team support powers either through stronger debuffs/controls on their attacks or though VEAT style auras (Tankers would get more damage and aura style buffs at the cost of personal survivability). Yes, it would result in an increase in the total power of a team but it would (if done right) be a relatively predictable power increase allowing for the enemies encountered by a team to be increased a similar amount.
It probably won't happen, but I can dream can't I?
I'd say the game was less "designed around" the triad, but rather "made to incorporate" it, since the game works just fine if you completely ignore the triad.
Dec out.
No mercy on these forums haha.