oedipus_tex

I could be down with swapping the position of the pets and the AoE Holds. Thats very sensible. Good idea.

We could. 🙂 Last time was lots of fun. This time why don't we remove the level restrictions? No minimum level required, but you can be up to level 50. One of the 50s will lead.

I like that you are thinking about additional ways to obtain mezz protection. I'd like to see a little more creativity with the design though. Could we make Surefooted a medium range teleport that provides mezz protection for X seconds after activation? For example: Surefooted -Hold, -Knockback, -Knockup Teleport (60ft) Mezz does not prevent this action Although the power would not cure all forms of mezz, it would still let you port away if you got hit with one of the mezzes it doesn't protect against.

Lethal damage has always seemed to me like it should have a chance to crit. Even if that chance is really low. It would be an interesting addition.

I propose the version below. First and foremost, as a Force Field character, I highly recommend taking Power Boost. Power Boosted Deflection and Insulation Shield are the main reason to roll Force Field IMO. Power Boost also will increase the strength of your endurance drains. It will also provide you with 15 seconds of super powerful shielding--in this build, when Power Boost is active, you're soft capped to all positions and damage types. For the incarnate slot, I'd pick something with Endurance Drain. I picked the side of the Muscular tree that provides 33% Endurance Mod. This is big because it lets us underslot for endurance drain in multiple electric powers. Remember that for most Controllers, the first 3 powers in the set are actually blasts more than they are controls. Jolting Chain should be slotted for procs. Elec/Force Field is one of the very very few Controller builds that can get by with relatively low Recharge. Still, this has +77.5%,enough that Power Boost is up every 41 seconds. Out of Power Boost: In Power Boost: Villain Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7 https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! The Queen I: Level 50 Technology Controller Primary Power Set: Electric Control Secondary Power Set: Force Field Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Flight Ancillary Pool: Primal Forces Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Tesla Cage -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(3), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(3), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(5), UnbCns-Dam%(5), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(7) Level 1: Personal Force Field -- ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(A) Level 2: Chain Fences -- TraoftheH-Dam%(A), PstBls-Dam%(7), Rgn-Dmg(9) Level 4: Deflection Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(11), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(13), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(13), Rct-ResDam%(15), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(15) Level 6: Jolting Chain -- Apc-Dam%(A), GldJvl-Acc/Dmg(17), ExpStr-Dam%(17), FrcFdb-Rechg%(19), Dcm-Build%(19), GldJvl-Dam%(21) Level 8: Conductive Aura -- EndMod-I(A) Level 10: Insulation Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(21), LucoftheG-Def(23), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(23), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(25) Level 12: Static Field -- FrtHyp-Plct%(A) Level 14: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(33), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(39), LucoftheG-Def(39) Level 16: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25) Level 18: Paralyzing Blast -- SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), SprWiloft-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(27), SprWiloft-EndRdx/Rchg(27), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(29), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(29), SprWiloft-Rchg/Dmg%(31) Level 20: Dispersion Bubble -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(31), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(31), LucoftheG-EndRdx/Rchg(33), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(33) Level 22: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(34), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(34), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(34), LucoftheG-EndRdx/Rchg(36) Level 24: Hover -- Ksm-ToHit+(A), DefBuff-I(39) Level 26: Synaptic Overload -- CrcPrs-Conf(A), CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg(36), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(36), CrcPrs-Acc/Rchg(37), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(37), CrcPrs-Conf%(37) Level 28: Tactics -- GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(A) Level 30: Repulsion Field -- SuddAcc--KB/+KD(A) Level 32: Gremlins -- ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(A), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(40), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(40), SlbAll-Build%(42), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(42) Level 35: Power Blast -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(43), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45) Level 38: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(45) Level 41: Energy Torrent -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), PstBls-Dam%(45), PstBls-Dmg/Rng(46), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(46), PstBls-Acc/Dmg(46), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(48) Level 44: Temp Invulnerability -- UnbGrd-Max HP%(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48), UnbGrd-ResDam(48), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(50), GldArm-3defTpProc(50), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(50) Level 47: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 49: Force Bubble -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A) Level 1: Containment Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I(A) Level 2: Health -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(9) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(11) Level 50: Ion Core Final Judgement Level 50: Preemptive Core Flawless Interface Level 50: Knives of Vengeance Core Superior Ally Level 50: Barrier Core Epiphany Level 50: Assault Core Embodiment Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon ------------ ------------ Set Bonus Totals: 11% DamageBuff(Smashing) 11% DamageBuff(Lethal) 11% DamageBuff(Fire) 11% DamageBuff(Cold) 11% DamageBuff(Energy) 11% DamageBuff(Negative) 11% DamageBuff(Toxic) 11% DamageBuff(Psionic) 7.56% Defense(Smashing) 7.56% Defense(Lethal) 6% Defense(Fire) 6% Defense(Cold) 17.88% Defense(Energy) 17.88% Defense(Negative) 6% Defense(Psionic) 9.13% Defense(Melee) 22.25% Defense(Ranged) 6% Defense(AoE) 4% Enhancement(Stunned) 4% Enhancement(Held) 4.4% Enhancement(Terrorized) 8% Enhancement(Confused) 8% Enhancement(Sleep) 2.5% Enhancement(Max EnduranceDiscount) 77.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime) -0.85 Enhancement(Knockback) 8% Enhancement(Immobilized) 67% Enhancement(Accuracy) 13.5% SpeedFlying 122.1 HP (12%) HitPoints 13.5% JumpHeight 13.5% SpeedJumping Knockback (Mag -4) Knockup (Mag -4) MezResist(Confused) 35% MezResist(Held) 35% MezResist(Immobilized) 35% MezResist(Sleep) 35% MezResist(Stunned) 35% MezResist(Terrorized) 35% MezResist(Teleport) 100% (20% chance) 13% (0.22 End/sec) Recovery 50% (2.12 HP/sec) Regeneration 33% Resistance(Smashing) 20.25% Resistance(Fire) 20.25% Resistance(Cold) 21.75% Resistance(Energy) 21.75% Resistance(Negative) 18% Resistance(Toxic) 18% Resistance(Psionic) 33% Resistance(Lethal) 13.5% SpeedRunning | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 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I wonder then if it would be possible to copy some of the changes made to Dominators over to the melee sets. For Dominators, using Total Focus puts them in "Energy Focus" mode that has the following effects: Bone Smasher reduces the enemy's secondary effects (similar to Poison's Weaken power) Whirling Hands deals double damage. Power Burst (not a power available to melee) deals double damage--could be made Energy Transfer? The Dom also has a small chance to automatically enter Energy Focus mode when using any attack in the set on an enemy who is Stunned.

I mostly agree with GalaxyBrain. The main reason I don't team up for most content other than radios is the mission structures from the early days mix in lots of nonsense tasks and zone changes between the actual missions. "Go to this zone and click on this person..." "Now go to this zone..." "Now kill 10 of these..." Unless I know the mission structure ahead of time, I dont want to waste everyone's time. For me, for example, playing the Positron TF at low levels has more to do with it being a set of 5 reliable, semi-challenging missions than it is the merits. The non-repeatable content in Dark Astoria is harder than other parts of the game and even with no extra rewards I never have trouble filling a team when I announce I'm leading it. The trouble comes in that once a character has done the missions once they are no longer accessible.

Would it be possible to steal mechanics from Titan Weapons and give Energy Melee fast animating (maybe with no -HP) Energy Transfer and Total Focus only X seconds after hitting Build Up? Would this improve the set or just make it clunkier since it takes a while to get Build Up up frequently when building the character?

We can't judge whether these sets (or any set) would be good or bad at Multi Opponent combat without seeing what their stat is.

This discussion has always been about a specific trial or encounter, not a change to the core game. The only way I'd consider these changes to the core game would be if were designing some kind of "hardcore" server, which is an interesting idea, but out of scope. You negate it by managing your aggro and/or acquiring Multi Opponent stat from archetype, powers, or buffs. But it isn't. This conversation is about what you can do to manage it.

There was a statement made earlier that a Multi Opponent stat "nerfs defense," so I'd like to explore that. There is lots of existing content that "nerfs defense" if that is the terminology we want to use. I'd call it more "adjusts defense" or "modifies defense" or something similar than "nerfs" though, because nerf is a loaded term that implies the values are overtuned. Most of the enemies in the ITF, for example, have -Defense in their attacks. -Defense is also prevalent among other enemy factions, like Rularuu. Some members of Nemesis, meanwhile, have access to Vengeance and can punch above their expected values. Devouring Earth have it when they place their totems. It's in the Earth attacks that Circle of Thorns use. There are many other examples. No one seems to have any objections when a new enemy appears with -Defense or -Resist in their attacks. The existing -Defense system relies on two mechanics: A players ability to dodge in-coming -Defense attacks Defense debuff resistance Where the +ToHit system relies on: Player having enough Defense to still be defended when the soft cap raises A Multi Opponent stat is not fundamentally more a "nerf" to defense than any of these existing scenarios. All it is different. And IMO fairer than some of the current content.

I am not against the possibility of exotic damage in attacks. I think if you start a thread on it you will encounter some people who are really, really against it, based on comments in other threads, but I'm personally ambivalent. I think it can be used well or used poorly, just like the mechanics in any combat system. I'd be willing to mull the details in another thread. I will say I do like the Apex Task Force a lot. It made some players angry when it first appeared, but the final battle with Battle Maiden stands out to me from a lot of other AV fights, in a mostly good way.

One thing about Cold Domination is that in the meta where it first appeared it was better comparatively than it is currently. Cold Domination came to Controllers a couple of issues before inherent Fitness pool became a thing. In that meta, most builds were forced to take 3 powers in order to stabilize their endurance consumption. Remember, this was also prior to alpha slots. So the only way you could run a high end build back then was to spend a slot on Leaping, Health, and Stamina. Cold Domination, because of Heat Loss, was one of the few sets that could bend this rule. With enough recharge, Heat Loss offers nearly bottomless endurance even without Stamina. So, Cold Domination was viewed very favorably, because with that set you got 3 "bonus" power selections other sets couldn't take. This, stacked with Cold's +3.5 (+5 on Defenders) defense from Arctic Fog made it a top tier set, because it could take Defense powers like Weave, Combat Jumping, or Hover other sets couldn't without significant sacrifices. Back then, even if Radiation could have found the slots, they wouldn't have had the endurance. With the addition of inherent Stamina, Cold Dom is still good. These days it means getting away without putting extra slots in Stamina, and getting to pick a Alpha and Destiny choice that doesn't assist endurance, because you're covered there. But the glory days of when Cold was one of the few sets that could function at 50 without worrying about the blue bar are over. That, to me, makes the missing heal in Cold Domination much more noticeable. These days I'd rank it dead even with Radiation as a set. It's still good at AV killing of course.

This is a different concept than Multi Opponent stats, but I think it could work for a special event, task force, or trial. If you'd like to flesh out the idea some and post here in the Suggestions section I'd be happy to swing by and converse with you. I think the game has lots of room for special mechanics and events. One nice thing about that kind of content is often ends up "validating" builds other than the "ideal." I like the idea that builds that are not ideal for farming or for radio runs can still be good. I feel like the addition of the iTrials significantly improved the game and would like to see more of that type of content. Thanks for sharing your idea.

I think I should troll you with made up numbers and reject the idea with a /jranger the way people are doing me. 😄 Just kidding. I will give it a look when I get a chance.

Plant is a set that was originally designed for Dominators and only later provided to Controllers, so its damage focus may come from that. I actually suspect that the damage in Roots is a bug. It does exactly double damage of all other AoE immobilizes. It's like when the Plant Control Dominator set was created, someone grabbed the value for a Controller immobilize and used the value with Containment (x2 damage). Then when they ported it to Controllers, they added Containment back on top of that. Working against this theory is the fact that Plant's double damage comes from 2 different damage types (Smashing and Lethal) so I could just be wrong. It's just weird that only one of the immobilizes deals exactly double damage. Fire Control deals less damage with its immobilize than Plant despite 'extra damage' being Fire's "thing."

By the way, if you ever get to check out combat in a Simutronics game I recommend taking a look. I was an active player of Dragonrealms from the late 90s (starting on AOL in 1996) until around 2003. (I also had an extremely brief, entirely forgettable run as one of their game developers, lasting around 10 months, but the less we say about that the better. The main thing I'll say is I've seen the code under the hood.🙂 ) Combat in those games is not perfect. Far from it. Parts of it are just a mess. And yet I've been fascinated with it since I was a teen. (Showing my age here.) Because they are text-based games, making "action scenes" is somewhat harder. But the text base nature makes it possible for the combat system to include wounds when the character is struck. Defeating an enemy can involve either depleting its HP entirely, or scoring a strong enough hit against a vital body part and obliterating its rib cage or head in one shot. I don't recommend anything of the kind here in City of Heroes. I just think a lot of avid gamers should have a look at the game's system. They do some fascinating and also frustrating things with it. In fact, they have a class of character called "Empath" in those games that I wish CoX would somehow steal, tho the CoX mechanics don't lend themselves to it easily. Empaths can't heal other people with magic, only heal themselves. But, they can magically absorb damage from others, then self cast a heal. In a game where a hit can lop off your arm, the "healer" class is forced to first transfer the missing arm to themselves and then cure it before it kills them. Its both more thrilling and somehow less exciting than it sounds (after a while it becomes routine for high level Empaths to walk around missing 3 limbs.) But I always found it fascinating.

The stat would be a permanent character file thing. I admit I don't know CoX's database structure and how easy it is to add new character attributes. Assuming adding one is possible though, the attribute would just always be there, just not actually used unless needed. This is no different than any other character stat. You always have a Endurance Drain Resist stat even if not facing enemies who use it. I don't know how CoX handles its combat scripting. It's an older game so zone-specific combat rules may be difficult. The easiest technique may be giving enemy factions appearing in this content a power that applies the modifiers in the appropriate situations. I admit it would not be super easy, which is why this is more about theorycrafting a combat solution than actually implementing it.

The reason I avoided specific math is it would require some working out and considering the numerous variables out there, like "Do we want to factor in the contribution of Purple inspirations?" and other kinds of things. I will say I appreciate that the calculations are not easy, and there are ways it could go wrong. Thanks for pointing out that developer post. I don't think what I'm describing is in conflict with what Captain Powerhouse describes, altho he is free to chime in to say otherwise. This system would not mean a separate aggro cap for each archetype. It would mainly mean two things 1) some archetypes and sets would inherently be better than others at handling multiple opponents, and 2) no get out of jail free card if you aggroed more than the current cap. Instead of just ignoring you, that many extras many enemies could come down on your head. Because in this type of content the threshold where multiple enemies began to threaten "softer" archetypes would be much lower than the tanker classes, the tanks would need to play an active role managing the team's aggro and pulling enemies off of their teammates. FWIW in such a system, powers like Placate become better tools. One thing I'd want a careful look at, of course, is how it would affect PBAoE sets like Ice Control. On the other hand, with damage and attack values cranked so high currently with the intent of killing players capped to everything, that's already the case.

It is true that the the current T9s provide very high values. I haven't looked too closely at how high to be honest, which is why I've been avoiding providing hard numbers so far. But the reason I think they may need to also raise Multi Opp combat score is that disadvantage is applied as a percentage, so sets with very high values (Super Reflex) have the most to lose, unless the loss is offset by raised Multi Opp score.

Nice list. I'd add that ideally any penalties incurred would be multipliers and not hard values. That is, instead of -1, -2 etc they would be a value like -0.05 that reduce the armor stats by a ratio of their current value. Characters with no defense or resistance at all wouldn't be further penalized like they typically are in other-Defense scenarios in the game. The subject of the aggro cap would need to be explored. I picture an aggro cap closer to 40 or so, way up from the current 16. But this would depend a lot on the design of the actual mission. Assuming this is level 50 content (it need not necessarily be), the enemies used should be of respectful strength so that players do not feel insulted. That is, hurling cars and not pebbles. The scenarios should make teams feel powerful at the end of the day. Final note, careless play in a scenario like this would and should occasionally kill players who are used to being invincible. The developers need to have a thick skin at the ready. The goal is to kill players fairly. But some players will really not like it even if it's justa separate set of content set apart from the main game. If the developers need some tips on surviving scathing feedback, I can point them to the comments section of some of my mods. 😄

Probably, you don't. I mean it would be cool if you could. But it's not a deal breaker for me if we can't. One example currently in game is the cut scene for Summer Blockbuster, which shows the team leader entering the arena. It's a very short scene but I've always liked it and wished there were more shots of team members.

That's what I'm thinking. We have the tech to clone character's costumes on a dummy mob. That could be used as the model for the cut scene.

I would bet on Defender, but it depends on a few things, like how much you want to try to softcap and incorporate procs. Ice Blast is very effective on a Corruptor due to the Scourge effect on rain powers. However, Storm offers damage through its Tornado and Lightning Storms, which do not benefit from Scourge, and technically Defender Lightning Storm does more damage at base, although not a whole lot (44 base vs 40 base). Solo, the Storm Defender gets a +30% damage bonus, which further improves Tornado and Lightning Storm. These powers come very early (26 and 32) and will likely form the foundation of the character. Defenders get more Defense and Resistance than Corruptors. You start with base 5 Defense from Steamy Mist (vs a Corruptor's 3.5), which is about 7.5 Defense to all with 2 Defense IOs. Weave provides an additional +5 (7.5 IOed) so assuming you take both powers you start with a respectable +15 Defense to all as a foundation. Once you've achieved your armor goals, you can add procs in places you see fit.

I can't tell you how much I wish every Task Force began with a cinematic or photo showing the actual team running the Task Force. Even just a shot of everyone on the plane, looking over a horizon, etc. The existing Task Forces and missions tend to contain cinematics of NPCs. Which is fine, but has always given me the impression that the NPCs are more important than the player characters. This obviously isn't a feature that's easy to include in existing content. But, if new content is made, and that content includes cutscenes, please consider showing visuals of the players who are running it. With love from x-Com.