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Linea

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Posts posted by Linea

    Game Balance & The Endgame

    in Developer's Corner

    Posted

    Tanks that can crank out 250+ dps in order to take out a +4 AV solo are not "average" tanks.  I've done it, but it's not something I'd recommend to the average player, or even above average player.  Tanks that can do that are probably Top 5% or better.

     

    I'm aware they are using the extra super difficulty settings only available in TFs, that is why I added "(but with all the toys, temps, and inspirations)".  With the toys it's almost anything, without the toys and no deaths, it's a much much smaller subset.  I wish there was more content like this, but without the AVs, as the dps-check is the most annoying aspect of this kind of thing.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

    Game Balance & The Endgame

    in Developer's Corner

    Posted

    I've soloed a +4x8 ITF with (almost) everything except a petless mm, (but with all the toys, temps, and inspirations).  ...  With galacticly wide varying degrees of difficulty, some combinations are simply not at all worth ever trying again, it was entirely too difficult.  Emp/ and Tank are two that are right on that line, with kills taking up to an hour ... and you have to kill (or almost kill) that %!@#$^% as many as 6 times ... that's up to 6 hours, not worth it.

     

    In the end, the game balance really boils down to the AT modifiers, and then in-AT set balance, and issues with IOs.

    The former AT-Modifiers are well balanced, and WAI overall.  The latter is totally whack, and always has been.  Example, the best blast set (multiplied by IOs) can do 3.5x more damage than the worst blast set (also multiplied by IOs).  That discrepancy gets even worse if the latter (worst) set does not have IOs nor incarnates or is poorly built.  And that's the kind of thing we typically see.  It's not Defender vs Corruptor, it's a T4 Corruptor built for damage being compared to a SO defender built for support.   OF COURSE it's going to be a whack comparison.   But build that defender as a T4 Offender, and it might out perform the Corruptor (when I did this comparison fairly and equally with mirror builds, they came out even with the defender builds a bit easier to build and a bit more flexible).

    • Like 2
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    Struggle to Level

    in Defender

    Posted · Edited by Linea

    Empaths can ...

    Spoiler

     

    But you really have to build for it, and built for it early, and you really only "get there" level 40+.  I start my IO builds at level 7 ... most people only IO /after/ they hit 50 and get some incarnates.

     

    Alternately, you can do the same with a pair of empaths that buff each other ala "Green Machine" from very early levels.   As soon as you have Fortitude and can buff your partner, you swap buffs and become very strong (thanks to your partner).  Very much akin to a ranged equivalent of a "regen scrapper".

     

    Vanilla Empath, solo, lower levels, on SOs only, you're going to need to be a very advanced player to get there.  It's been done, back on live years ago even, but it is very difficult.  I'd probably recommend Emp/Energy for that, as the KB used correctly is very powerful.

     

    Solo Defender, there are many many other sets that are either easier to drive, or better end results.  Empaths can do it, but it's more difficult.

     

    Teamed, there's absolutely no reason a defender (Including Empaths), level 40+, can't be contributing significant damage to the team, even blaster equivalent damage.

     

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

    Builds that can wipe the floors with Arachnos

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    /Ena does well, but you will want to layer on Rune/Hybrid/Rune to buffer your resists, and you need to stack as much energy drain +defense as you can due to psionic ... and you may from time to time need a small purple or medium purple primarily to further shore up psionic.  You can also use the various Psionic Temp armors as supplement.   The psionic isn't as big an issue as it is often made out to be.  Yes Psi can kill you, but it also comes in packets half the size and half the frequency of other damage types (with the exception of Mr G's Arc). 

     

    20894720_KitanaTest-Kat-EnANumbers.jpg.d480090edfc64568c30cfda44bfa2a38.jpgKat ENA - Mu 1i - [i25].mxd

    Builds that can wipe the floors with Arachnos

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Linea

    * Tactics and Ageless Radial +Special will put a big dent in Arachnos annoyance factor, so long as the rest of your build is otherwise solid. 

    One or the other helps, both together are exponentially better.  If you still have issues you can layer on Base Buffs (+recovery, +end_drain_resist, +perception), and even amps if you're still desperate after all that.   On builds weak to them, you can also make sure to carry 4+ yellow (any size) to act as psuedo-tactics, 8+ medium purple (or larger, or dual) to act as psuedo-ddr.

    * Every build is different, this is the most generalized advice

     

    Here are three of my favorites.

    Kat Bio Scrapper - Alpha 3 ITF - [i25].mxd

    Time Fire - Quarterback 2d - [i26].mxd Water Atomic - Ciaraine 2b - [i25].mxd

     

    And here are some others that should be more pointedly useful:

    Rad Kat Tank - Radicat II - Mu 3f - [i25].mxd

    Fortunata - Isabella - Rev 8i (Psi-Tank) - [i25].mxd Huntsman - Agent Seventy Seven - Malfactor 2n - [i25].mxd

    • Like 1

    Re: Kat / EnA

    in Brute

    Posted

    icap is 59%.  the majority of -ddr comes from M/SL sources (not all, but most).  For the very high-end content you want an effetive buffer of 20+ defense (a single hit can debuff 20+), and you want at least moderate resists to give you a reaction time buffer.   I use the above build to solo 801.5 and 801.f +4x8 very very comfortably, with the only thing more durable being an SD/RadM tank.  (Solo, +4x8, 801.5 or higher, teamed with any external buffs at all things will change, lower difficulty content and things change.)

     

    This is the build that demonstrates why /Ena hasn't been ported to tanks 'yet'.

    I was soloing 50+1x8 Rikti at level 13ish. Not purposefully, but it happened so I just rolled with it, was slightly surprised, then dug in for a good fight.

    Actual in-combat numbers for the build are insane ... Full Tier 4 Incarnate, Rune/Hybrid/Rune, Demonic, and all the other goodies ...

    DDR can still be an issue, and you can still cascade fail, at least minimal caution should be used around debuff heavy mobs.

    You can absolutely still die, even with this build, especially in 801 content.  (but you could probably afk council, and other easy content)

    there's another post somewhere with even more info:

    20894720_KitanaTest-Kat-EnANumbers.jpg.d480090edfc64568c30cfda44bfa2a38.jpg

    Critique Invuln/SS Build

    in Tanker

    Posted

    I'll put the Beta one on live as 801.9 ... soon(tm).  801 has evolved a lot since pre-shutdown.  The ones on test are pre-shutdown versions.

     

    801.2 (live) is my current armor standard.  You should be able to solo it +4x8 and complete it in less than 2 hours. 

    My Empath and Blaster can both do that with insanely extreme difficulty.  (once and only once with the empath and blaster, all other runs are +1x8 and that is probably a more fair rating for them.)

     

    Re Beta: Ah, those are really old ones I pulled as "unplayable" 😜.  Those are the very old ones from pre-shutdown, that eventually 'devolved' into what is 801 on live here.

    The only thing I have that can handle what we'll call 801.9 is Lucy SD/RadM.  She managed 25m to 30m one day when seriously challenged by someone else.  That challenge gave me the motivation to work my ass off and survive, including phasing as needed when I got debuffed too deeply.   It's not pretty, and I'm really not sure how well it's designed, it honestly was a mistake, but since it was difficult I kept it and used it to poke holes in armor.  The newer 801s are a much better design, but also much easier as I aimed for 801.2 to be soloable +0x0 on SOs by a defender or controller (piloted by me), but still challenging to as many builds as possible solo +4x8.  Obviously there are upper limits when you also impose the lower limit of +0x0 on SOs. 

     

    801.3 (live) and up break the lower limit rule.   801.5 (live) and 801.F (live) should be survivable by any tank armor set except Regen.  Kiski (Time/Fire) can generally surivive +4x8 about 15 minutes, but eventually she blinks.   801.5 kills 95% of tanks that join me on runs, but at the same time I've had at least one of every armor type do an excellent job of team-tank (with the exception of regen), and All my tanks handle it fine.  I warn each group ... even then, 1 in 8 people rage-quit, and the tanks are the worst for rage-quitting, despite all the warnings.  I've had teams go through 4 tanks, and had to beg friends to join mid-mission just so we can finish because all 4 tanks rage-quit and I wasn't currently on something that could do the "team-tank" job (there are 4 tanks, why can't I play squishie today?!?).  People just don't believe it might be a challenge, and when it is, they meltdown.

     

    801.f (live) is both harder and easier than 801.5, hence the different designation.  If you are careful it can be easier as you can see everything coming.  If you are not careful aggro explodes and it's more difficult.  F is 6 so this is another way of saying 801.6 since it's a completely different design and doesn't play the same as the others.

    • Thanks 1

    Best solo Defender sets

    in Defender

    Posted

    A) Almost any defender.  It's just figuring out the build and playstyle.

    B) Listed in order of ease of play and/or lowest cost

    • FF - Classic Offender, particularly if combined with Hover-Tanking, and a blast set with a heal.  FF/Water for instance.
    • Traps - Another Classic Offender, see FF above.
    • Eafn - Cheap easy build if you can keep your pet alive and play at low notoriety settings.
    • Sonic - This one is much harder than FF. 
    • Time - This one is a little trickier early on without status protection, but amps will fix that.  It's a beast end-game, absolute beast.
    • Nature - This is another more difficult one, but endgame, and/or with amps and a good IO build can be very nice.
    •  

    If You Could Change Sentinels, How Would You Do It? (Another Take)

    in Sentinel

    Posted

    In my tests ... Sentinels do objectively live up to their design intent when compared to "average" scrappers. 

     

    The problems as I see it are:  Subjectively, its very different.  (and) Who wants to be the "average" scrapper.  ... The subjectively damage on demand of BU+Crits is just incredibly strong.  Subjectively, no one really notices the extra AoE damage, it's there, you can measure it, but just eyeballing it you don't "see" it, it's not flashy or obvious enough.  Sentinels do have one of the least variances best to worst, that's definitely in their favor.   But Scrappers variance is 2.5x or maybe greater.  That means if you hit average, there's a really really big difference in Top Tier and Average, so large that the sentinels that hover around average-scrapper will never scratch the bottom of top-tier-scrapper.  But if you buffed them, then they'd be superior to more than half of the scrapper options, and that wouldn't be a good thing either.  

     

    It's all a bit of a mess, and a Great deal of that mess isn't the sentinels fault at all. Which is going to make it very interesting to "fix".

     

    • Like 1

    So when people say they solo at +4/×8...

    in Scrapper

    Posted · Edited by Linea

    3 hours ago, Shred Monkey said:

    My only suggestion would be to make a short version of this.

    I'd suggest 801.1 Moderate Length, Easier Maps, ... or ... 801.3 Moderate Length, Harder Mobs, Harder Maps ... or 801.0 if you want really short really easy.  Just be aware the shorter versions won't push your dps vs durability, and you won't have to face all the various buff/debuffs.  To be shorter I had to remove some things, so I tried to remove what I felt like were the easier buff/debuff challenges, but that 'easier' may not be true of all builds, players, and playstyles.  I could have inadvertently removed the one enemy you would have otherwise been vulnerable to.

    • 801.0 is the shortest and easiest.
    • 801.1 Moderate Length, Moderate Difficulty.
    • 801.2 Standard Setting
    • 801.3 it's harder mobs, but easier and shorter maps.
    • 801.4 Hardest mobs, hardest maps, longest maps.
    38 minutes ago, Werner said:

    I figured a quick and dirty substitute for that was to target the special-looking lieutenants, bosses, and elite bosses. And if I see any green radiation, those die first.

    Exactly.  That's why I put them in distinctive armor.  If you play the higher level versions 801.3 and 801.4 watch out for the gold hued armor.  Several of my builds ignore the greenies, and instead have to target the sappers first.  But yeah.

    That Destroyer can hit for 4.3k damage for instance.   I pulled a short log in test mode: 15k dps spikes (rarely), 5-8k dps spikes (frequently), 2k dps all day long.

     

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