biostem

Hey, I'm all for some "glorious and hilarious" encounters, if that's what was discussed and agreed upon with/by your teammates. To do stuff like that without everyone being on the same page just results in chaos and potentially someone's defeat. In short, do what you like, but talk to your teammates about it and make sure everyone is on board to do so...

I am of the opinion that the issue isn't knock-backs per se; It is the careless and selfish use of them. Knock enemies INTO range of an AoE all you want, or to get them into a melee ATs damage/taunt aura all you want. Heck, I'm fine with teammates using knockback on enemies that have separated from the group, in order to protect themselves or other team members...

Yes, but those are used in a very showy way and mainly involve slashing attacks.

No - If you use the power again in that window before it goes on normal cooldown, then you get the debuff. In other words, you can attack faster, but you suffer a self-damage debuff, or you can attack at a "normal" pace and avoid it.

Great! Let us know how the system works out!

Not at all; What I'm saying is that playing a character with an armor/defensive set tends to lend one to not do a lot of moving around/evasion since they can stand their ground. Since melee basically requires this, it gels better. While ranged certainly can do this too, a lot of the advantage of said range is lost...

I'd love to see "out of combat" auras, too, though even just being able to do things like have fiery eyes and the bestial "breath" auras at the same time would be awesome! Heck, other tweaks like auras that change colors or pulsate on & off would be cool!

So one thing that I've felt is lacking from the melee sets is one that uses weapons that are very close-up, fast, yet not overly flashy. Now, the set I'm proposing may seem very much like claws, but I think it could have a very interesting mechanic, (if doable). Basically, it'd work like this: When you attack, each power gets a brief window of about 1-2 seconds before it goes into cooldown. You can then press the attack again to make another strike. The catch is that each such strike applies a self damage debuff to yourself for a short period of time, (maybe only 3-5 seconds). If you do not trigger the attack again within that small window, then it goes onto cooldown as normal, and no self-debuff is applied. Thematically, this is to represent you going into a stabbing frenzy/flurry of attacks, but becoming fatigued in doing so, (think of the old adage "the first cut is the deepest"). Similar to other sets, you could also mix in a ranged attack or 2 and a utility power, (maybe like a parry or follow-up). What it boils down to is the flexibility to have an unbroken attack chain or higher burst damage. What are your thoughts? Thanks! Daggers: 1. Lacerate - A basic slash with your dagger, dealing minor lethal damage and with a fast recharge 2. Thrust - A more precise attack with your dagger, dealing moderate lethal damage, also with a fairly quick recharge. 3. Stab & slash - You thrust both of your daggers into an enemy in front of you, then violently slash them in opposite directions, dealing moderate damage in a 90 degree arc, with a chance to cause a DoT. 4. Build up 5. Distracting dagger - You throw a dagger at your foe, distracting them for a brief moment, thereby reducing their chance of hitting you and increasing your own damage, as you take advantage of them not paying full attention. Medium range, minor lethal damage, with a moderate recharge. 6. Taunt/Confront 7. Fan of daggers - You throw several daggers out in rapid succession, in an arc in front of you. Moderate lethal damage and recharge, with a chance to lower the enemies' defense. 8. Twisting wound - You violently stab both daggers into your opponent and twist them, dealing high lethal damage with an additional DoT component. This attack also applies a healing/regen debuff on the target. High lethal damage, long recharge. 9. Executioner's second wind - This attack deals high lethal damage and removes the debuff from using the repeated attack/frenzy effect inherent to this set. High lethal damage, long recharge.

Understood. What about the KVM switch in conjunction with the follow/autofire? Then you can easily switch without getting up, change things slightly, then switch back? I know on the ones I've used, you just tap scroll lock twice, then arrow up or down to change, and it's pretty much instantaneous... EDIT: I haven't used this personally, but what about a software solution like this?

Those 2 quotes aren't contradictory in any way, nor do they falsely represent someone else's statement or position.

I've done something similar via a KVM switch, but that involves alternating between one computer at a time, (so you can't control both simultaneously). You could pick up a USB splitter and a gender-changer to see what happens. Why not just have the second character follow the first, and put 1 attack or power on autofire?

Oh look, another strawman. Who said "without the secondary"? My contention with you is that a blaster's secondary isn't a "ranged damage set". If you ignore all the melee/PBAoE powers in your secondary, then yes, you will deal reduced damage, (when compared to someone who does take full advantage of it).

See my point about using your PRIMARY for that purpose. Get it through your head: A blaster's secondary set is not there for dealing ranged damage. You are chasing a wild goose, looking for a red herring, hunting a snipe...

Point taken. Well, if it were just a toggle, I feel it wouldn't have the kind of gravitas that I'm looking for; Perhaps that could be the AT's inherent - a divine blessing of sorts, which adds the chosen deity's element as extra damage, plus a chance for an elemental strike/eruption with each attack...

To which I replied that it is the PRIMARY that deals the ranged damage. If you are looking for ranged damage in the secondary, then you are looking in the wrong place. Also, saying "there's plenty of ranged damage" and "there's really nothing for people that want damage at ranged" are contradictory - which is it? Is there "plenty of ranged damage" or is there "really nothing for people that want to damage at range"?

Then address my points: 1. You said blaster secondaries were "ranged damage". 2. Your criteria for #1 is that 2/9 powers on 1 particular secondary set have *some* kind of range. 1 and 2 do not gel, whether speaking statistically or functionally. You are wrong. Admit it and let's move on with the conversation.

OP, I understand your frustration, but then I have to ask - what is the official policy, regarding what can or cannot be done in the help channel? If there isn't one, (besides the general rules of conduct), then all you can do is hide the channel or deal with it.

Yeah, I think you've lost the plot several posts back; Your criteria for deeming a blasters' secondary set "ranged damage" is out of whack, and instead of owning up to your mischaracterization thereof, you falsely claim to know your opponent's intentions and throwing out passive-aggressive insults.

I've played several sentinel builds, and the main problems I've run into is that the secondaries kind of reduce the need you feel to keep moving and/or "kite" enemies, but at the same time, the enemy AI tends to like to run right up to you and smack you in the face, and you often end up just firing off your ranged attacks at point blank range. In that kind of scenario, you might as well just play a melee AT who can do that better.

I do not consider the secondaries *just* melee. I consider most of them to be a combination of melee and support/utility. So please, continue to strawman me and keep the salt coming!

I have to ask, do you consider 2/9 powers enough to consider an entire set "ranged"?

The only word of caution I would give you is to run a thorough antivirus and antispyware scan on the machine before entering any sensitive information and/or completely wipe then reinstall the OS, just in case there are any viruses or spyware on there...

Subdual is an immobilize. Sure, it deals some damage, but that's not its primary purpose. I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, but IIRC, psychic scream is like a 40' 45 degree cone - only 1/2 to 2/3 of your blast attacks. Even if it were the full 80', that's only 2/9 powers, and that makes it "ranged damage" to you?

We're talking about blasters here, yes? Your PRIMARY set is where your RANGED damage comes from. Your SECONDARY set consists of utility powers and/or melee attacks. Give me a few examples that give "plenty of ranged damage", because I honestly don't see that...

Your primary is where the ranged damage comes from. The secondary is to support or supplement that; Immobilizes, melee attacks, self buffs, other debuffs or utility powers. Some like tactical arrow or devices lean more toward the debuff/utility side of things.