i24 Blaster Changes

While I think the snipe changes fall into the category of "a buff too far" that can cause concern, what makes you feel the sustain changes are so high they are worrisome? What type of changes in the long run are you thinking about?

I'm not entirely certain upon what you're disagreeing with. You can make up any definitions for the terms you want, as I mentioned, but I'm just stating the objective fact that those are the definitions I generally use when conversing with the devs, because those are the definitions they are generally using when they use the terms themselves. If you disagree that's what the words mean, you can argue the definition with the devs, or you can adopt the definition in order to actually communicate with them. I just don't know what the first option buys you.

The more general point is that regardless of the terminology, which is a semantic issue, there are three classes of powers: class X exceeds design limits that cannot be exceeded in some critical way, often but not always tied to either game system limits or reward earning power: these the devs are compelled to change. Class Y exceeds the target range of strength the devs intend: these the devs would reduce in beta, would likely rebalance if they were new, but are less likely to change the older the power is. Its a judgment call whether they change these, but they aren't compelled to do so. Class Z are higher than the target the devs generally aim for, but not necessarily outside the range of acceptable strength. They are, however, generally exceptionally far from the target. The devs generally change these in beta, but generally not after they go live.

Its an academic exercise to debate what the proper terms are for these three classes of powers. But if you make up your own, your ability to communicate with the devs or understand their public statements will be strictly hampered. I'm not certain why anyone would do that voluntarily.

Arbiter Hawk essentially believes Drain Psyche is a Class Y power.

It mostly depends upon the numbers. If the numbers on these sustain powers are too high, then the Devs will just be creating more Drain Psyche-esque powers that will prevent them from buffing the rest of the powerset without nerfing the sustain powers. Currently, it reminds me of the first pass on buffing Energy Aura, where they added a heal to Energy Drain because they wanted to make the conservative "single power change", which as we all know didn't work out very well, and they had to revamp the entire powerset. If Energy Aura and Gravity Control were bad off enough to demand revamps, then Blaster Secondaries are certainly in need of full revamps. Castle was willing to do it for Dominators, so it's not as if they haven't done entire AT revamps before.

I don't see this being a legitimate worry.

To paraphrase Arbiter Hawk in his Q&A thread, if blasters still lag after these changes "the buffs will continue until performance improves."

It seems he's dedicated to 'fixing' the AT however well these changes end up working.

Yeah, I think I"m gonna hold off as well on doing any further numbers runs. Quite frankly the developers haven't shown the stones to follow through with real balance changes, and they out-and-out refuse to do the grunt rebalancing work (little changes) to allow big changes to occur.

EDIT: I think they're going to make a very broad, non-effort-intensive fix (the Snipe change) and declare their work to be good. They always go for least effort and maximum results when they do these rebalancing efforts, and they refuse outright to get down into the weeds and fix the real problems.

This doesn't make me feel better. How much will Blasters need to lag before they get revised? If Blasters get bumped up to second from last in terms of performance, is that it, no more buffs for three years?

The really worrisome thing is that there isn't enough in the changes to bump up blasters a spot. So what happens if this goes through and the devs get distracted by the next butterfly that drifts through the window ?

Well, I'm not planning to stop bugging the devs about blasters until I'm convinced the archetype's set of tools is fair. Of course, I don't promise to continue to do so until everyone is convinced.

This does make me feel better.

So long as I'm convinced, I don't care about everyone. :P

Good to hear, anyone who will open 2400 superpacks is NOT someone I want bugging me about blasters.

That said, my fear is the same as Diellan. Blasters get a tiny bump and then nothing for 3 years. The devs need to hit a Home Run with blasters not drop a bunt down the 3rd base line and hope. I certainly understand the concern of doing too much, but blasters lag so much already and I'll probably lower their rating if this is all they get.

(Waits for beta)

I don't think this is a case where the devs are saying blasters are at the bottom, lets make sure we buff them enough so they are no longer on the bottom. I think this is a case where the devs are saying that blasters are on the bottom, and they've been there for some time, and that suggests neglect, so now is a good time to give them significant attention.

I told both Synapse and Arbiter Hawk that while blasters had numerical issues that deserved quantitative solutions, I felt the task would be incomplete if it was not true that at least one blaster change, after being actually *tested* by the players, didn't make a significant number of them go:



I'm not convinced the announced changes do that, even though I think they are fine in general. But we'll see, and there might be other stuff coming. But until Blasters get their whoa, I'm going to keep asking for whoa. That's not so much a numerical thing, as it is a gameplay thing.

(I actually thought counter-mez could have both quantiative benefits and deliver some of the whoa if implemented correctly, because it could be both strong and flashy. That's one of the reasons I championed the effect.)

Which AT should be at the bottom?

If a game is designed well, people (fans of the game, that is) would debate endlessly on the merits of each opinion, with no one having an obvious and unanimous choice.

That is also a good sign of balance.

Kheldians until their powerset combinations gets rolled in to the Primalist archetype.

None of them.

They all should have things they are good at and bad at. The problem is blasters when you look at them aren't best at anything but are the worst at more than a few things.

Tanks. Screw those guys, never liked their smug look at me take on all these mobs attitude.

Conserve Power is becoming an Energize variant, with different numbers for heal and regen, but with most likely a better uptime (the intent is for the buffs to be easily perma).

It is actually getting the heal as well ? Well that puts my AR/Ment in the retirement home.

According to Arbiter Hawk, the heal (relative to melee Energize) is being lowered, but the +regen is being improved (I presume by being increased in uptime to make it easily perma and probably increased in magnitude to make it plus the heal competitive with the other sustain toggles).

Not sure about some future power that does not exist, but Cloaking Device is the stealth power in Devices, it does have Defense, but it is completely worthless because the +DEF is just about 0% in-combat no matter how you slot it. So as soon as a NPC sees you, you are in combat, the +DEF supresses, the +STEALTH supresses, so its.. umm, not worth taking

edit: P.S. This power completely ruins my very expensive outfit, which really completely annoys me as well. Its complete rubbish, and if they buff it to have the +regen +recovery I will cry. Energy/Devices is my first character. I have NEVER had much luck with this character, now this. I just.. im thinking of quiting.

Did you check the custom options in the tailor window? In the powers section, stealth type powers usually have a no translucent option in there so that when the stealth suppresses, so do the powers' effects. The same thing happens to my Claws/EA brute where Energy Cloak used to make you completely invisible 100% of the time...which I kind of liked. Now, when I hit something (or something hits me) I'm 100% visible. The funny thing is, even though I'm visible, the NPCs *CAN'T SEE ME STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM* because the stealth does not suppress at all.

I actually learned that Cloaking Device also doesn't completely suppress. And no, when an NPC sees you, that does not trigger the toggle to suppress, that requires either you taking an offensive action (attack) or the enemy landing a hit on you to which then the toggle will partially suppress. Also, the toggle provides 1.7% def while suppressed, not 0%. Even now, the translucent effect partially suppresses while fighting so even though you're not completely visible, your costume is still viewable and frankly, what are you doing staring at your costume in the middle of a fight? You should be *fighting* not admiring the shine on your boots. You can look at yourself in the mirror after the spawn is dealt with >_>