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CH4OT1C! -> RE: =AQ= Stat Updates II (3/11/2023 20:23:18)
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I wanted to thank you for these updates; Sharing these developments with the community is much appreciated. Stat updates are some of the most important in AQ (after all, we’re playing with the game’s fundamental building blocks), so it’s absolutely vital that we get them right.
If the main goal of these updates is to set a final foundation for distinct build identities, then it makes sense for INT to remain unchanged. Don’t get me wrong, Mage is undoubtedly suffering from an identity crisis at the moment. The most popular sub-type foregoes its main characteristic trait (spells), in favour of using weapon-based skills. Due to a number of quirks in the balance engine, these skills generally perform better than the non-mage equivalent. This is problematic for a number of reasons, not least because it encroaches heavily onto Warrior identity. With that said, the source of this problem is not INT. Rather, it can instead be traced to:
i) An overabundance of SP
ii) Weapon-based skills being normalised as regular weapon attacks as opposed to skills (i.e. they receive a *4/3 bonus rather than a /2 penalty).
Point ii is also a major cause of the imbalance between Weapon-based and Spell-based skills. Of course, Mage has other problems too (excessive MP regeneration for one), but these primarily come from item-related sources rather than the stat itself. It therefore makes sense to keep the stat as it is.
The proposed changes to DEX also make sense. There is a distinct lack of popular support for the current ramp-up mechanic, and the solution proposed above (originally suggested by @Dreiko Shadrak) is by far the most sensible one I’ve seen.
I do, however, have a problem with the proposed changes to STR. Part of the reason founding these distinct build identities is because Mage, with its spells, appears far more attractive than Warrior and Ranger. This is why STR and DEX have both received benefits in previous parts of the stat update. Therefore, whatever we choose to do with Warriors and Rangers, an implicit goal is to make them more desirable. I have no issue with breaking the balance model to achieve, so long as:
i). We reasonably justify why the model cannot provide the change we need,
ii). Breaking the model could achieve the intended effect and
iii). Achieving that effect doesn’t require breaking the model so severely that it causes collateral damage or unreasonably distorts gameplay
The suggestion of SP recovery cannot adequately satisfy these three conditions. Warrior already has access to the most efficient skills, so extra SP regeneration will already be less desirable. Moreover, we can’t provide a significant amount of extra SP because it's a build-agnostic resource. Giving Warriors a large extra chunk would unfairly disadvantage Mages and, more importantly, Rangers (who we’re also trying to provide with an identity). Equally, a small boost (e.g., 5%) isn’t going to provide anywhere near enough persuasive power to make Warrior an attractive-enough option. Too much and we break the model too severely, too little and we don’t achieve the intended effect. This is all compounded by the easy accessibility of Essence orb. In short, implementing this mechanic would (at best) be breaking a fundamental principle of game balance for a small player buff that doesn’t really make Warrior any more attractive than it is right now. We also have to consider that we use warrior damage as the base unit of comparison for matters of game balance (we call it Melee% for a reason!).
With all this in mind, I’ve drawn up my own list of action points. If implemented, I think they could make some real headway in solving some of the issues I’ve raised above. The main goals for these action points are the same as the one described by the staff above. However, I have also kept in mind a couple of my own personal goals as well:
i). I believe Warrior should also have a distinct defensive identity. Mage and Ranger both have clear FO and FD playstyles, but Warrior lacks this due to the avoidance of 100-proc Melee weapons. Without them, Warrior cannot compete. I have attempted to produce a compromise so that Warriors can play defensively without the need for 100-proc Weapons
ii). I believe that, whilst all builds should be able to play offensively and defensively if they wish, Mages should be more offensive specialised (with their burst damage stored via MP), Rangers should be more defensive specialised (with their range of 100-proc weapons) and Warriors should have unparalleled versatility in switching between the two during combat. In this way, Warriors become a jack of all trades when it comes to playstyle, adding to their distinct identity of consistent damage.
iii). To make room for Warriors, we have to push Mages towards spells. This means solving the Mage identity crisis and pushing them away from the old skillcasting paradigm.
iv). I want spell-based skills to be able to compete with Weapon-based skills
My action points:
1). Fix Essence Orb: This fix will restrict SP regeneration and, if done correctly, will help to weaken Mage’s ability to fire off boosted skills whilst allowing Warrior and Ranger to continue without issue
2). If possible, remove the *4/3 bonus applied to Weapon-based skills. I however wish to go further than this and also include a /2 modifier on all Weapon-based skills, normalising any boosts applied to them relative to 100% Melee. This would curb the advantage Mages receive when skillcasting and also allow for Spell-based skills to compete. I recognise this is a substantial nerf, but one that should have corrected a long time ago
3). Improve gold-based Spellcaster and Spellcaster-lean support to incentivise mages switching away from weapon-based skills towards spells and spell-based skills.
4). Remove the minor extra bonuses to STR and DEX: they break the model for little to no reason. They don’t make Warrior or Ranger significantly more attractive.
5). Implement a mechanism for Warriors to play defensively: My suggestion for this would be that all Melee weapons deal *1 damage when in MD or FD armours. This allows Melee weapons to approximate the efficiency of 100-procs without taking their niche away. This doesn’t need to be implemented immediately so Ranger support can be better consolidated.
6). Implement the suggested fixes for Ranger as planned
7). Fix pet accuracy by making it independent from stats
8). Reduce the Damage Output / Cost ratio of guests. This will help to reduce the overall power of CHA and Mages (who benefit from summon guests)
9). Provide item support for Warrior and Ranger in these new identities e.g., STR-based healing
You might notice that, outside of DEX and CHA, not much of this is tied to stats. This is because I don’t think that many of the game’s current issues can be blamed on them. Instead, a lot of it can be solved simply by solving Mage’s identity crisis.
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