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Stabilis -> RE: =ED= Balance Discussion IX (6/3/2012 14:18:49)
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CURRENTLY BEING EDITED TO BE WITH THE PRESENT TIMES
Balance Options for Cyber Hunter (also a wishlist):
i) Statements
►Swap Plasma Armour for a lesser passive
►Swap Shadow Arts for a consistent passive (not using random chance)
►Swap Cheap Shot for a balanced melee skill (like Double Strike but with a greater energy cost)
►Remove EMP Grenade (makes space on the skill tree [8D])
►Swap Malfunction with Conduction here or alter Malfunction to improve by Dexterity
►Insert Plasma Aura
►Insert Cyber Arts
►Insert Blue Ruin
►Insert Energy Shield
►Alter Massacre to be physical (Cyber Hunter only)
►Alter Static Charge
ii) Logic
►Plasma Armour as a buff was and likely is still appreciated by Cyber Hunters. There were 2 circumstances that balance staff had to respond to with respect to Cyber Hunters: a more reliable passive (previously only Shadow Arts), and a lack of protection (specifically Resistance, previously Technician). 2 birds were killed with 1 stone, or so the saying goes. Too much of a good thing is what Plasma Armour is. If no, then was why would Static Charge be nerfed following the implementation of Plasma Armour? There were no urgent details posted in the forums by staff regarding Static Charge, so that skill must have fallen victim to the aftershock of Plasma Armour. Static Charge was even buffed once prior to implementing Plasma Armour. The skill is not in respect to Tech Mage or Bounty Hunter ways an appropriate skill. Armour skills are belonging to the Mercenary breeds. Cyber Hunter is neither a Mercenary but is both a Mage and a Hunter, so it just does not make sense; of course balance is vital but where was the creativity in allowing that skill?
►Shadow Arts as a passive skill must not be underpowered or overpowered. Ashari herself notices that players of level cap range practically live off of having a passive skill. This makes the topic that much more interesting. Shadow Arts provides random number generated bonuses. This bonuses are therefore not manipulable by the player. That is therefore not a strategic skill, is it even a skill? Not to mention, it improves a feature of Plasma Grenade, how often is that skill skill utilized by players I do not know, but in my own experiences I see it being used 1 out of every 200 battles likely because the power and reliability relationship is off.
►Cheap Shot has similar reasons to Plasma Grenade. The players rarely allocate related random number generated skills. The defenses ignorance of Cheap Shot is minuscule, when you take into account that a decent defenses ignore is found at max level (30%+ at max!). Skill points are devoured allocating this skill, the same circumstances apply to poison skills.
►EMP Grenade and Static Charge synergize too well. Level 1 EMP Grenade only requires 10 energy and 10 energy from Static Charge at max level is not difficult to achieve (34 damage Primary weapon + 0 base Strength damage is required! You do not need Strength to use EMP Grenades upon each Static Charge). Cyber Hunters with durability from Plasma Armour have the stamina to endure the length of the fight to EMP an amount of energy every turn that the 2 skills cooldown.
iii) Descriptions of New Skills
▼Plasma Aura▼
If a user of Plasma Aura is struck by a Primary weapon, the attacker is dealt bonus shock damage. Plasma Aura will not reduce health below 1.
Level 1: Attacker takes 1% of their total health in damage.
Level 2: Attacker takes 2% of their total health in damage.
Level 3: Attacker takes 3% of their total health in damage.
Level 4: Attacker takes 4% of their total health in damage.
Level 5: Attacker takes 5% of their total health in damage.
Level 6: Attacker takes 6% of their total health in damage.
Level 7: Attacker takes 7% of their total health in damage.
Level 8: Attacker takes 8% of their total health in damage.
Level 9: Attacker takes 9% of their total health in damage.
Level 10: Attacker takes 10% of their total health in damage.
Weapon Required: None
Stat Required: None
Level Required: replaces Plasma Armour
Improves With: None
Warm Up: 0
Cool Down: 0
quote:
The ND Mallet Guy brought to me a great point: what if a player exploits a defensive build to minimize their incoming damage and have greater outgoing damage (enemy hits you for 3 damage, and every turn Plasma Aura hits 10 damage)? I have devised my own little logic for this situation:
during the enemy's attack----
attacknegate = player with Plasma Aura's Defense - enemy Primary damage + minimum Strength damage...
if attacknegate <= 3:
_____Plasma Aura = False
Therefor enemies will not be shocked by Plasma Aura if their minimum Primary damage is the minimal value accepted... 3.
▼Cyber Arts▼
Passively increases the Primary hit rate and resistance to poison.
Level 1: 1% increase to Primary accuracy and 10% resistance to poison
Level 1: 2% increase to Primary accuracy and 15% resistance to poison
Level 1: 3% increase to Primary accuracy and 20% resistance to poison
Level 1: 4% increase to Primary accuracy and 25% resistance to poison
Level 1: 5% increase to Primary accuracy and 30% resistance to poison
Level 1: 6% increase to Primary accuracy and 35% resistance to poison
Level 1: 7% increase to Primary accuracy and 40% resistance to poison
Level 1: 8% increase to Primary accuracy and 44% resistance to poison
Level 1: 9% increase to Primary accuracy and 47% resistance to poison
Level 1: 10% increase to Primary accuracy and 50% resistance to poison.
Weapon Required: None
Stat Required: None
Level Required: replaces Shadow Arts
Improves With: None
Warm Up: 0
Cool Down: 0
▼Blue Ruin▼
Assail an enemy with 2 devastating strikes with the held Primary weapon. The player using Blue Ruin is charged with blue plasma.
Energy Required:
Level 1: 14
Level 2: 16
Level 3: 18
Level 4: 20
Level 5: 22
Level 6: 24
Level 7: 26
Level 8: 28
Level 9: 30
Level 10: 32
Damage Progressions:
Level 1: 23% more damage
Level 2: 26% more damage
Level 3: 29% more damage
Level 4: 32% more damage
Level 5: 35% more damage
Level 6: 38% more damage
Level 7: 41% more damage
Level 8: 44% more damage
Level 9: 47% more damage
Level 10: 50% more damage
Weapon Required: Wrist blades or Sword
Stat Required: None
Level Required: replaces Cheap Shot
Improves With: None
Warm Up: 0
Cool Down: 2
▼Energy Shield▼
Increases energy resistance for you or an ally during combat.
Energy Required:
Level 1: 12
Level 2: 14
Level 3: 16
Level 4: 18
Level 5: 20
Level 6: 22
Level 7: 24
Level 8: 26
Level 9: 28
Level 10: 30
Weapon Required: None
Stat Required: None
Level Required: replaces Malfunction
Improves With: None
Warm Up: 0
Cool Down: 2
Static Charge: Static Charge currently improves in scaling to Primary weapon damage + Strength damage. This can be exploited by Strength users who only need Malfunction and Massacre to play without tactile thinking.
It has become a high priority to me now to suggest an edit to Static Charge to restore the class to all balance. Here it is:
Static Charge: A percentage of your Primary weapon's damage is added to your energy in a Strike. Energy restoration is unblockable, however damage is blockable. Cool-down has increased.
Energy Required: 0 (No Cost)
Conversion:
Level 1: 33% of the Primary Weapon's Damage to Energy
Level 2: 36% of the Primary Weapon's Damage to Energy
Level 3: 39% of the Primary Weapon's Damage to Energy
Level 4: 42% of the Primary Weapon's Damage to Energy
Level 5: 45% of the Primary Weapon's Damage to Energy
Level 6: 48% of the Primary Weapon's Damage to Energy
Level 7: 51% of the Primary Weapon's Damage to Energy
Level 8: 54% of the Primary Weapon's Damage to Energy
Level 9: 57% of the Primary Weapon's Damage to Energy
Level 10: 60% of the Primary Weapon's Damage to Energy
Weapon Required: None
Stat Required: None
Level Required: 2
Improves With: None
Warm Up: 0
Cool Down: 4
Current Stat Attributes:
quote:
Strength: Increases base damage range of Primary, Sidearm, and enhances certain skills.
Dexterity: Increases physical defense, increases the chance to block, and enhances certain skills.
Technology: Increases energy resistance, deflect, robot damage and enhances certain skills.
Support: Increases base damage range of Auxiliaries, increases chance to go first, critical strike, and rage rate; reduces chance to be stunned and enhances certain skills.
Suggested Stat Attributes:
quote:
Strength: Increases base damage range of Primary, and rage rate.
Dexterity: Increases chance to block, accuracy of Primary, chance to dodge (50%), accuracy of Sidearm (50%), accuracy of Auxiliary (50%), and accuracy of Ancillary (50%).
Technology: Increases base damage range of Sidearm, base damage range of Robot, base damage range of Auxiliary (50%), and base damage range of Ancillary (50%).
Support: Increases base damage range of Auxiliary (50%), base damage range of Ancillary (50%), and improves buff skills (Defense Matrix, Field Commander, Reflex Boost, etc).
Defense: Increases physical defense.
Resistance: Increases energy resistance.
Luck: Manages stun chance, increases critical strike, chance to go first, chance to dodge (50%), accuracy of Sidearm (50%), accuracy of Auxiliary (50%), and accuracy of Ancillary (50%).
Focus: Increases accuracy of Robot, and charge.
50% ► the highlighted attribute improves at only half of the normal rate (normal: attribute increases by 1% per 4 stat points/ 50%: attribute increases by 1% per 8 stat points)
Dodge ► a ranged weapon can completely miss, comparable to blocking
Charge ► the level of a Robot's special, the higher the charge level, the more effective the special will be
8 stat point are distributed each level. Ancillaries are a new weapon, and have been designed for Support to supplement a second source of outgoing damage as Sidearms have for Strength. They have one more turn of cool-down than Auxiliaries, at 5 turns.
THE NEW STAT PROGRESSIONS
Steps towards further fixing balance:
Remove or Change Agility
Agility is for managing players who used both high levels of health and decent levels of damage output. I do not believe that high levels of health was as much of an issue as defeating players within 5 turns or forcing Focus to work around 95 health at 45 equalized stat points for each stat. The health difference, but same damage meant that whoever had more health was more likely to win. The problem I would have to say was Strength and Supports damage progressions along with the universal cool-downs of the weapons. Also, agility's role on rage is another factor. Rage can be calculated by the value of damage taken. Because agility can increase damage, agility allows players at high levels of health to accumulate rage faster. If you need my opinion please ask me.
Change Encumbrance
Encumbrance allows lower level players to compete with higher level players, and also to save on item costs, by allowing their weapons to be handled with only reduced damage. This is not enough of a balance though, as stats themselves are not compromised. Lower levelled players are fundamentally more lucky, and they do not need weapon damage or armour points to administer skills improving with stats. Exploiting stats only becomes more of an issue with a growing player-base and new releases. If you need my opinion please ask me.
Remove or Change Enhancements
Enhancements were meant as a bonus to give players the opportunity to... empower themselves further. I find that this does null to help in the ongoing issue of stat exploitation. If you need my opinion please ask me (but definitely ask Remorse).
Change Focus
Focus benefits players who chose to balance their stats, and to add diversity to EpicDuel. I agree that this is a nice addition, however even Focus can have issues. Because Focus is not it's own stat, it's own mechanics rely on all 4 of the basic stats. In this way it is very difficult for staff to determine the abilities of Focus when the present issue may lie in one of it's own foundations, Strength for example. I recommend highly to split Focus in making it it's own stat. This is an indefinite suggestion.
Remove Stat Requirements
Stat requirements are a band-aid to demote the use and exploitation of stat points. Requirements attack diversity by promoting Focus. If stats are imbalanced, change the stat progressions, and band-aids can be taken off. This is an indefinite suggestion.
Remove Skill Improving Stats
Improving stats skills give stats another meaning besides forming the character, which was "supposed" to have things more diversified by having stat points be operators of skill power. However, both stats and skills are fundamental concepts, and when they directly link, there is a power imbalance. For example, Tactical Mercenaries had used to own a Support improving Field Medic, Artillery, a Reroute to refuel these skills, and a regular Auxiliary to backup damage. When staff decided to stop improving Field Medic with Support, I absolutely saw positive changes. This is an indefinite suggestion.
Questions? I will try to answer them.
Comments? Feedback is appreciated.
Suggestions? With enough reasoning, I will consider your suggestions and add them. You will be credited.
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