Ask Anything: Ranged Blast and Blaster Manipulation Changes
By
Abysmalyxia,
Posted on: 2012-06-21 13:45 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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Originally Posted by Diellan_
Synapse already said yes on the beta forums.
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Curse you for making me look silly!
Just kidding! <3
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Also Dominator secondaries have a few single target powers with 40ft ranges lifted from blast sets.
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Originally Posted by IAmTheRad
Will the changes in range for the 40ft ranged attacks happen across the board for the game, or is it solely for the blaster sets? Specifically speaking, will it also effect some powers for the Kheldian archetypes (especially for Warshades)?
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It's true that To-Hit is somewhat arcane, but this mechanic actually boils down pretty simply:|
Originally Posted by Garent
I have a lot of concerns about the new changes. I'll try to give the main ones.
Is there a simpler mechanic that can be used on snipes? There's no way I'll be able to explain to a new player why their snipe is sometimes fast and sometimes slow without having to first explain to them the game's underlying mechanics, including the distinction between accuracy and tohit. |
-"Hit Aim, Snipe becomes instant."
-"Pop 3 small yellows, Snipe becomes instant."
-"Get a big team with people running leadership, Snipe becomes instant."
Or, most simply, "If you get a yellow ring around your Snipe attack, you can click it and use it in combat." I've spent at least 30 hours testing all of these mechanics on Blasters internally, and our QA team has been sending me messages like "When will this go live? I want my live blaster to be this fun!"
We kicked around a number of possible activation conditions before settling on To-Hit - High health enemies, low health enemies, enemies at long range, enemies at short range, Just used Aim, Just used Build-Up, Your last snipe was interruptible, etc. - but ultimately I do actually think To-Hit accomplishes our goal in a number of ways. This redirect condition is simple enough that all ATs can use it equally, and easy enough to understand that players shouldn't have a problem getting used to it. It also is increasingly more probable of being met as team size increases, which helps counteract the perception that snipes are less and less worth using as team size increases.
Will Bane Spider Poisonous Ray be getting a range increase?
It looks like the snipe changes are much more beneficial for corruptors and defenders than blasters.
The net effect is that blasters are actually falling further behind because of the new snipes. Is there anything else you are looking to do for them ?
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Ah, but lowering the threshold has it's own problems, if done across the board the other AT's will still get the insta snipe easier than blasters, and if only done for blasters the other AT's players will feel agrieved that they have to slot for a higher +ToHit than blasters.
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Originally Posted by JayboH
It would be easier to just lower the requirement of tohit.
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Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
Then it's time for them to get off the cross, use the wood to build a bridge, and get over it.
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Will Blaster have a damage increase? & Will they get more secondaries in the future?
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I would consider making snipes also instant while under the effects of Domination, but if I did so I would also lower the scale of all of the Dominator snipes back to the 2.76 standard.|
Originally Posted by Muon_Neutrino
Is there going to be anything else done to allow dominators to take better advantage of these snipe changes? Most doms with snipes can't get to those levels of +tohit without inspirations (I think only /elec can), which aren't a sure thing. If I recall correctly one of the reasons given for keeping moonbeam in the dark assault set was that snipes in general were going to be buffed, but as it stands most doms can't actually make much use of the buff.
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| Third, are you going to look at the 'fool' magic buff power? At the moment the 3% tohit debuff it lays on you is essentially ignorable, but if it makes the difference between being able to fast cast your snipe or not, I could see it getting annoying very fast - especially since it lasts 20 minutes and can't be removed. It's likely not a problem if you're getting over the threshold using aim, but could definitely be an issue otherwise. |
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| Fourth, is blaster thunder clap going to remain as KB rather than KD? At the moment it's not super important, but once there's this new, strong incentive to take and use the power for a purpose other than stunning/KBing the mobs, the possible annoyances multiply greatly. Using it between combats can partially alleviate that issue, but if the buff goes down at a bad time, having to choose between scattering the mobs or not refreshing the buff could be problematic. |
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Actually I don't see an issue with that since some of the other ones have an easier time doing it. Honestly I think it sounds good the way it is, and if anything, might encourage taking leadership more often which is great for teams anyway.
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Originally Posted by St_Angelius
...and if only done for blasters the other AT's players will feel agrieved that they have to slot for a higher +ToHit than blasters.
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Will blasters secondaries get a pass over power wise /Ice Manipulation is a good example of under power compared too other sets.
A prime examples is the level 38 power, Frozen Aura is a PBAOE mag 2 sleep that only effect 10 targets where the tank version of that power has a damage component added.
Chilblain is Minor DoT
Freezing touch is minor DoT
Frozen Fists is Moderate damage(with a slow animation to boot)
Ice Sword is Moderate damage
Chilling Embrace does no damage(it doesnt even have -dam)
Ice Patch does no damage
Shiver does no damage
Frozen Aura no damage
In my opinion, It need some love. Add a damage component to Frozen aura, make Freezing touch high damage DoT, get rid of Frozen fist for another sword attack, And make build up into Power Build up.
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If it's a toggle power or a PBAoE power, it doesn't need to hit an enemy at all. If it's enemy-targeted single target, it still needs to hit an enemy, but its accuracy will be highly boosted.
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Originally Posted by Nalrok_AthZim
I can't remember if this was confirmed or not, but it's my understanding that the self-affecting portions of these upcoming "new" powers do not need to hit enemies to work. Is this true?
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Have you considered increased the Blaster Melee_Buff_ToHit mod to be the same as Scrappers? It's odd that Blasters are the only AT with a value of 0.075, with every single other AT having higher values. Even moreso, nobody is a "specialist" in Melee_Buff_ToHit (e.g. 0.125) - even Defenders are 0.100 (same as Scrappers, Tankers, Brutes, Stalkers, and VEATS). Giving Blasters a 0.125 Melee_Buff_ToHit would mean they can take better advantage of Build Up and Aim for the Snipers, but still would be poor for Tactics (which uses Ranged_Buff_ToHit).
(Yes, I know ArcanaVille had the same idea.)
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I have to admit, I'm kind of disappointed if Voltaic Sentinel is the only power being improved in Electric Blast.|
Originally Posted by Arbiter Hawk
We will probably measure and adjust Voltaic Sentinel's uptime and DPS to make it functionally equivalent to having a tier 3 blast.
If you take neither a tier 3 blast, nor a snipe, nor the sustain power in your secondary, you will not currently feel any changes. Personally, I would highly encourage taking the sustain power in your secondary come i24 - they are all fairly easy to use effectively and will drastically increase your survivability. But if you choose not to, your Blaster will still be just as functional as it is today. Putting all of the bonus in one power has the downside of causing a lot of people to try to take that power, but has the notable upside of only requiring you to fit one different power into your build if you didn't take it already. Ultimately I felt that tweaking one power in each secondary was less disruptive to the build metagame than it would be if I had changed, say, three powers in each secondary and given them each a third of the total sustain power. |
That being said, I'm not particularly upset that these changes won't have much effect on my Elec^3 main. I've already got him very solidly built, to the point I was surprised blasters as a whole are being worked on. I guess my biggest complaint would be that I don't get any of the buffs (which, as I said, I don't really need! XD) without having to rework my character. And hey, fast snipe when I pop Aim or such.
At the same time, I do kind of see some of these being necessary on some of my other blasters who are not as amazingly awesome as Elec/Elec was to begin with. I'm just kind of sad that two of the three powers I passed up (Voltaic Sentinel and Thunder Clap) are the two that are being worked on. XD
Since it's Blaster related, will we be seeing Water Blast before or after I24? >3
"And of course, Steven Jay Blum is in it...He's the Sam Jackson of anime." -AmuroNT1
Have a few questions, actually!
- Will each set's snipe be normalized as far as activation times go?
- Are Scrapper/Stalker snipes getting harsher tohit requirements? The Stalker ones will be doing incredible damage from Hide.
- With the changes, will Fire Blast be seeing any performance adjustments? It's already arguably the best set for damage (probably in part due to Blaze), so having a 2nd Blaze seems a little scary.
- Would you consider expanding the number of powers that can be activated while mezzed for Defiance, or maybe just making that a perk of having a ranged set? Mezzes are still rather potent against ranged ATs.
- Is Drain Psyche going to lose the target requirement or having it's duration adjusted? The idea behind the other sustain powers is constant/guarenteed uptime, which Drain Psyche doesn't have without pretty significant amounts of recharge.
Also, thanks for the thread Hawk. We love you and your sometimes Amish/Wolverine hair!
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Hell, for that matter, if they ever port ice melee to other ATs, I hope it gets a review too - isn't it THE weakest melee set in the game? Didn't we all discuss how the mitigation it provides isn't enough for the lack of punch it can do?
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Originally Posted by NeoSaturn
Will blasters secondaries get a pass over power wise /Ice Manipulation is a good example of under power compared too other sets.
A prime examples is the level 38 power, Frozen Aura is a PBAOE mag 2 sleep that only effect 10 targets where the tank version of that power has a damage component added. Chilblain is Minor DoT Freezing touch is minor DoT Frozen Fists is Moderate damage(with a slow animation to boot) Ice Sword is Moderate damage Chilling Embrace does no damage(it doesnt even have -dam) Ice Patch does no damage Shiver does no damage Frozen Aura no damage In my opinion, It need some love. Add a damage component to Frozen aura, make Freezing touch high damage DoT, get rid of Frozen fist for another sword attack, And make build up into Power Build up. |
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We'll probably do something that makes Build Up better in the Snipe combination.|
Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
For Blasters using Build Up to FastSnipe requires it to be ED capped for To Hit or the use of a Kismet IO. While this isn't to bad for level 50s (and especially level 50s with IO access) it's not particularly good for mid-level Blasters on SOs (since you either have to 6-slot build up or choose either recharge or FastSnipe). Are you looking at making FastSnipe more easily attainable through Build Up in the mid-levels or is the intent that BU require significant effort to attain FastSnipe?
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| Is there any possibility of getting Devices looked at? I realize the perma-FastSnipe is a huge buff for it but it would still be nice to have Trip Mine and/or Time Bomb changed to be a bit faster to use. |
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I'm not sure I agree with the statement that "all ATs can use it equally". Yes all ATs get access to To Hit but not all ATs get access to it in the same amount. There are currently 6 ATs with Snipes: Blasters, Corruptors, Defenders, Dominators, Stalkers and Scrappers.|
Originally Posted by Arbiter Hawk
We kicked around a number of possible activation conditions before settling on To-Hit - High health enemies, low health enemies, enemies at long range, enemies at short range, Just used Aim, Just used Build-Up, Your last snipe was interruptible, etc. - but ultimately I do actually think To-Hit accomplishes our goal in a number of ways. This redirect condition is simple enough that all ATs can use it equally, and easy enough to understand that players shouldn't have a problem getting used to it. It also is increasingly more probable of being met as team size increases, which helps counteract the perception that snipes are less and less worth using as team size increases.
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Blasters: Most Blasters are reliant on Aim/Build Up to get FastSnipe. Three sets can get it permanently with varying degrees of difficulty.
Corruptors and Defenders: Can always get it using Tactics and Kismet (easier for Defenders than Corruptors), some powersets have an easier time (i.e. Farsight or Focused Accuracy).
Dominators: Two secondaries can get it through Aim or Build Up and all doms can get a limited uptime through Soul drain in APP.
Scrappers/Stalkers: Mostly get it through Build Up. Claws and Invulnerability Scrappers can get Perma-FastSnipe through their powers (although I can't actually imagine them doing this due to the need for 3+ enemies in melee range for Invulnerability and the redraw for Claws I can't see it being worthwhile)
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Originally Posted by Arbiter Hawk
We'll probably do something that makes Build Up better in the Snipe combination.
It's on our list of powersets to look at. That list is pretty long, though. But yes, we have a plan for something cool to do with Time Bomb to make it more useful in the future. No timeframe given for this, though! |
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Why was regen decided and not +def or +res.
Since blaster sets already have such low regen how will it help the AT. Whereas +res or +def has a instant and definitive impact.
Regen is +/- insofar as we have such a low number that any increase if your mezzed already or -regen'ed it will have no benefit.
where if a +res or +def would have an instant impact if a blaster is mezzzed which seems to be the major problem with the at.
Also i am not asking to make the at into a scrapper or brute but survivability from +res/+def is fromwhat i have seen more important to an at than +regen.
A tank with +regen is great with an already high +regen number but ours is so low why was that decided?
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...yet it shouldn't be a surprise. People that skip Voltaic are hurting themselves in every way. Voltaic is a balancing factor for the set - I just wish it could tank like a phantom army character. It introduces an uncontrollable aggro problem that only electric blast players have to manage.
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Originally Posted by Yamato_Iouko
I have to admit, I'm kind of disappointed if Voltaic Sentinel is the only power being improved in Electric Blast.
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Are there any plans to address blasters in combat sustainability? The added features are great but vs a boss or two plus mezzes and debuffs, I'm imagining the regen or heal over time will only get them so far.
Just to plug an idea of mine: adding an overpower proc to all a blaster's single target mez to give them a chance to quickly hold a boss. I suggest this because it turned my DP blaster around when I slotted the Lockdown SBE proc in Suppressive Fire. Fights were still close, and it forced me to stay aware, but it allowed me to fight multiple hard foes at once just like my doms do. Of course the doms can also lockdown whole spawns without breaking a sweat, but this isn't about doms, this is about blasters vs multiple dangerous targets they can't drop super fast.
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This might just be a communication thing but...|
Originally Posted by Arbiter Hawk
If it's a toggle power or a PBAoE power, it doesn't need to hit an enemy at all. If it's enemy-targeted single target, it still needs to hit an enemy, but its accuracy will be highly boosted.
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Currently Drain Psyche (which was and is acknowledged as "really freakin' sweet") requires a hit check against enemies, is a PBAoE and if it misses grants no bonuses. Did you mean (above) "...enemy-targeted or single target,..."?
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Oh thank god! |
Originally Posted by Arbiter Hawk
But yes, we have a plan for something cool to do with Time Bomb to make it more useful in the future. No timeframe given for this, though!
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I can't speak for everyone, of course, but I would personally take this. That almost sounds too good to be true, though, with the possibility of permadom. I certainly wouldn't complain if you decided to give it to me though, mind you. |
Originally Posted by Arbiter Hawk
I would consider making snipes also instant while under the effects of Domination, but if I did so I would also lower the scale of all of the Dominator snipes back to the 2.76 standard.
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@MuonNeutrino
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This argument isn't really valid since there is still a nice survivability boost with the new mechanics that blasters didn't have before. I just hope they never nerf the mez threat for blasters, making that mechanic pointless to even have in the game.
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Originally Posted by graystar_blaster
Why was regen decided and not +def or +res.
Since blaster sets already have such low regen how will it help the AT. Whereas +res or +def has a instant and definitive impact. Regen is +/- insofar as we have such a low number that any increase if your mezzed already or -regen'ed it will have no benefit. where if a +res or +def would have an instant impact if a blaster is mezzzed which seems to be the major problem with the at. Also i am not asking to make the at into a scrapper or brute but survivability from +res/+def is fromwhat i have seen more important to an at than +regen. A tank with +regen is great with an already high +regen number but ours is so low why was that decided? |
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But Water Blast...the one attack's range (forgot name, Water Jet?) went from 80 ft. to 40 ft.
Will this be turned back into an 80 ft. ranged attack when i24 hits or no?
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