Luminara

The one problem I see with this is that the level 1-19 modifier tables are skewed to make player characters comparatively more powerful than they are, and critters comparatively weaker than they are, in the rest of the game. TOs, DOs, common IOs and set IOs in the 1-19 range don't need to be stronger because the game itself makes player characters better than they "should be" via those modifier tables. The largest increases in the strengths of powers occur in those levels, and critters are correspondingly weakest in those levels. It isn't until the 20+ range that player character growth and critter strength both normalize. As @Rudra noted, we don't even need enhancements in the lower levels. The game is that heavily weighted in our favor. While the change to allow SOs to drop in the starter levels has thrown a wrinkle into that, I have to wonder if adjusting the low level IO tables wouldn't create an impetus to similarly alter the modifier tables. That could have serious repercussions, as it would create a requirement to have those enhancements by removing the gradual "settling into" our power that we currently experience. Personally, I'd rather not see the game move in that direction.

I've used the diagnostic client exclusively for the last four months. I have to say, I really like it. First reason is game focus. Even back on the original servers, this... irritation was present. I don't know if it's the game itself, or something I've done on my OS, but when I start the game, it's only given focus about a third of the time. What I mean by that is, I'll load the game, get to the login screen, press a key and some other window I have open responds. My browser, or the task manager, or Mids, or Notepad, something not Co*. The desktop manager just doesn't reliably switch focus to the game. It doesn't happen in any other game, not even older games like SS2, or, hell, the first System Shock. It's only ever happened with Co*. When I use the diagnostic client, it always takes me straight to the login screen. I don't have to sit here with a dumbfounded expression, trying to figure out why I'm hearing odd sounds and my password isn't entering. I don't have to Alt+Tab through windows until I get to Co*. The diagnostic client resolved the focus issue, and if I had nothing else to say about it, I'd praise it for that reason alone. Second, I'm one of those people who disassembles machines just to see what's inside and how everything works together. Programs are, as I see it, just another type of machine, made of alphanumeric characters, or, more simply, on/off states, instead of materials like plastic or metal, and the diagnostic client console window is like a tool that allowed me to look at the various bits and bobs inside the game's machine and see how it works. I haven't had an opportunity like this since in forty years and I'm enjoying it immensely. This has become one of my reasons to keep playing, just so I can load up the game, run some missions, and Alt+Tab to the console and scroll through, see the sprockets and chains and linkages all doing their things. I can't seem to trigger a crash, like I did with the contact window bug, so I have no game-breaking problems to report. I can't even say that the client itself is causing any problems, it's fine. Sorry. I have encountered some minor anomalies that I'll drop here, though. Warning: Message from server, 57 (SERVER_CONTACT_STATUS), was sent before we are receiving entity updates! Warning: Message from server, 60 (SERVER_TASK_STATUS), was sent before we are receiving entity updates! These two are always present. It doesn't prevent anything from loading, nor cause any crashes, but it does suggest that this could be optimized. Sky builder can't find 'dark_astoria_sun__' in the object_libray. anim: Bad geometry request Model: 'dark_astoria_sun__' Sky builder can't find 'dark_astoria_sunglow__' in the object_libray. anim: Bad geometry request Model: 'dark_astoria_sunglow__' Sky builder can't find 'sunOffsetforSpaceglow__' in the object_libray. anim: Bad geometry request Model: 'sunOffsetforSpaceglow__' These three are always popping up, as well. It might have something to do with the sky in my base (my first guess), but even if it is that, it'd be a good idea to track those down and get them properly sorted. Really, though, I just wanted to say how much I enjoy having the diagnostic client. I've been in nerd heaven for months.

The purple patch doesn't apply to self-affecting powers.

I recommend holding @Yomo Kimyata personally responsible, since he started this thread.

You're confusing KB Resistance and/or Protection with -KB Strength. -KB strength uses different mechanics and equations than KB Resistance and Protection. It does work, it is fully functional in Weaken and it is subject to the purple patch.

It's not going to do much on a team. As it says in the description, it hides personal GFX, but it's actually limited to primarily toggle effects. For example, on my Dark/Martial/Psi dominator, it'll shut off the bubble created by World of Confusion, and the Domination unicorn fart, but my melee kicks still display the foot glow and strike glow. And some normally muted toggle effects will persist (can't recall any off the top of my head, but i remember seeing a few on some of my characters). On a team, it's not going to obscure any teammate effects. Those Peacebringer WHANG attacks are still going to be like a camera flash going off in your face, for instance, and the PB's toggles are still going to look like a mass coronal ejection. The setting also hides auras, as I recall. Your character's, not anyone else's.

You're making it snow inside a box where you've trapped two aliens, a clown and a robot? It's a re-enactment of The Wizard of Oz. Man, I'm good at this game.

He/she clearly isn't an idiot, and has already mentioned that he/she isn't a new player, so I saw no need to sink to condescension. But if you really want to play that game, I can, too. Despite your assertion, that second set of 1.875% (that's the correct number, by the way (so pedantic!)) Fire/Cold Defense bonuses acquired from set bonuses which grant 3.75% AoE Defense are still in a different category, Huge Increased AoE/Fire/Cold Def Bonus, as opposed to Small Increased AoE/Fire/Cold Def Bonus category. The use of the word category is, in fact, correct, as a category is "a class or division of people or things regarded as having particular shared characteristics", with "particular" meaning a distinction specific to whatever has the "shared characteristics", in this case, set bonus names and grouping. https://cod.uberguy.net/html/boostset-bonuses.html?bonus_type=Defense (Area)&bonus_scale=0.0063&show_pvp=false&gt_compare=false You will note that set bonuses are broadly categorized by their general type (Defense, Recharge, Accuracy, etc), and further categorized into specific groups within the generalized categories, those with particular shared characteristics. This is subcategorization, which is categorization within categories. I used category because it was the appropriate word, instantly recognizable and more concise than "grouped set bonus names", and your attempt to correct me because you didn't feel that I was precise enough to satisfy your need for pedantry was the mistake, not my use of that word. What I said was absolutely right and I felt that it explained the situation sufficiently within the context of this discussion and to the reader, who had already expressed familiarity with the Invention system and rules. You could have just gone into greater detail on the already existing information tendered in the thread, perhaps something in the vein of, "To expand on what @Luminara said, sometimes categories overlap, offering the same set bonus, but are not mutually exclusive. Huge Increased AoE/Fire/Cold Def Bonus is, for instance, a category separate and distinct from Small Increased AoE/Fire/Cold Def Bonus, so even though both categories add 1.875% Fire/Cold Defense, you may accumulate five of each of them and finish with a total of 18.75% Fire/Cold Defense because they're in separate categories". That would've been a cool way to make your point that the Invention system and rules have a layer of complexity that players should remain attentive of without wasting both of our times with whatever wild hair is up your ass. As you can see now, I can be just as irritatingly pedantic as you when I'm pushed. Now we can be besties and sing Madonna songs into our hairbrushes together, right? Or do we try to kill each other and end up as a Lifetime movie of the week... I can never remember which is the proper social response. But anyway...

No, nor any changes to Pylons, nor to the Rikti group, nor to the RWZ... and none to KB since vectored KB was implemented over two years ago. No, the missiles are a graphic. The attack applies a DoT, not several separate attacks. 236.1568 points of Lethal damage (all affected targets) every 0.2s for 0.7s (100% chance) The dot pulses the first damage at 0.0s, the second at 0.2s, the third at 0.4s and the last at 0.6s, and the duration expires before it reaches 0.8s, thus limiting it to 4 hits. That's standard DoT mechanics. and DoT can't check for anything on each pulse, except DoT with a reduced hit chance (like Fire's bonus DoT). DoT never looks at something like KB in the power defs, it only triggers whatever specific effect (in this case, damage) it was set to. In order for it to check for KB on every damage pulse, the power would have to spawn a pseudo-pet at your location and function like a rain/patch; or it would have to be specifically set to apply a KB effect every x.x seconds like DoT. Neither is the case with this power, it's just a standard DoT with a 100% chance for mag 8 KB and 40% chance for a mag 4 KB. Those two KB chances are only checked once, when the power's hit roll is made, and if the power hits, the KB is only applied then and only that one time. The 40% chance has to make a second hit roll, at -60%, and if that roll doesn't succeed, it doesn't trigger at all. At +3 to you, your debuffs are 65% effective and its KB is increased by 33%. So it would actually be applying up to (8+4)*1.33=15.96 KB, and Weaken's 74.5% -KBstrength would be reduced to 74.5*0.65=48.425%, for a final KB of 15.96*0.51575=8.23137. Clarion doesn't reapply instantly, there's a 2.112s dead time (power doesn't start recharging until the animation is complete, so even though the recharge time and duration are synchronous, it's still incapable of providing perfect coverage). Melee Hybrid doesn't protect against KB at all. So you're only actually benefiting from Rune and Clarion, and you're likely seeing shortfalls in coverage between the two due to animation time dead spaces.

Which is a... Say it with me now... Come on, you can do it... Category. 😛

Bonus round! Extra extra extra credit! Is it Smee you're looking for? I may die laughing, but it was worth it.

It does that every few seconds, collapsing bonuses into one displayed total, then expanding them to all contributing sources. It's annoying. Every part of the UI after release was hacked and tacked on, and parts of it, like Combat Attribs, have no polish at all. Cryptic was never good at cleaning up the messes they made.

Set bonuses are limited to 5 of any given category. 5 5% global +Rchg, for example (LotG Def/+global Rchg is in a separate category from other 7.5% global +Rchg bonuses, so you can have 5 of those and 5 other 7.5% bonuses). You were over 5 on the 10% +Rchg bonuses, so it wasn't counted.

Increasing the mouse scroll speed in Options doesn't increase the speed at which the camera zooms out. Could've turned that on two decades ago and saved myself a shit-ton of scrolling. /suppressclosefx 1 /suppressclosefxdist 17 /bind button4 "stuff" /bind button5 "stuff" Rotating binds and /bindloadfilesilent. Archetypes are suggestions, not walls. Even comparatively weak sets can perform extremely well when paired with complementary sets (TA/Dark was pure gold back in the day). Sometimes matched sets are the worst (TA/A is still crap). Saving those inspirations "just in case" is stupid, the game practically shoves them into your lap anyway. Proper endurance management begins with clicks, not toggles. There's no shame in face-planting. Poop. Pee. Eat. Pet the cat. Smell a flower. Look at a tree. Talk to someone you care about. Deal with a medical problem. The mission can wait, life shouldn't.

Only the last one grants global +Recharge. The other three only apply Recharge Reduction to the power in which they're slotted.

The meta, where this complaint originates, is focused on extreme proc usage and leverage of sources of +Recharge, +Dam and +Acc (the loudest complaints about Staff is lack of Build Up on brute/scrapper/tanker) to compensate for that slotting. How a set actually performs is a secondary consideration in the meta, how individual powers perform with procs is the meta measurement. Furthermore, what little Staff testing I've seen has struck me as ridiculously inadequate. In the Trapdoor test thread in the Scrapper forum, Staff is only mentioned three times, not a single one of which shows an attack chain or build info, and one of those three mentions was an "I forgot to record my results, so I'm guessing" aside. 2 results given, out of 18 pages. In the Pylon test thread in the Scrapper forum, not a single person has ever posted a time for a Staff scrapper, tanker or brute. Not one. Only stalkers. Staff on three of the four archetypes has never actually been tested in that metric, and there are almost 2000 posts in the thread. Whenever someone says "Staff" and is referring to a brute/scrapper/tanker, it's just that, a reference, not a result, not information. In @Ston's melee test thread, he specifically doesn't test anything but the first two Staff attacks, so there is no actual test of Staff Fighting's performance. The set isn't being tested there. The set's gimmick of Form stacks isn't being tested. The two powers which would benefit the most, one of which, Eye of the Storm, capable of improving set performance across the board due to the -Res, aren't even used. That's not data. That's not evidence. That's not metrics or measurements of Staff, they're opinions, based on faulty and/or skewed examinations formulated entirely around approaches that ignores Staff as a whole and make vacuum comparisons, and hearsay. Threads insisting that "Stalker Staff is only good Staff", but no data, no tests, no information, no evidence, just a repetition of something someone said 4.5 years ago. No-one has actually proved that brute/scrapper/tanker Staff has a problem. Where are the actual tests? Where are the attack chains and builds? Where are the tests with different Forms used and compared? Where is the data? Where is the evidence? Not hearsay. Not "I feel like". Not tests conducted on two powers, neither of which benefit from Staff's set gimmick, followed by a sweeping generalization about the set as a whole. Actual hard data. Facts. Proven, verified, repeatable, falsifiable results, documented and disseminated. Where? In the very few REAL tests which have been conducted, performed by @Galaxy Brain (all now 2-4 years old), Staff sits in the middle of the pack on the SO standard, and it's not dropping very far when he switches to an IO build and cranks the difficulty up to +3/x5, it's still generally middle of the road for damage output and above the curve for survivability. Given that part of Staff's gimmick toolkit is increased survivability (+Def (Guarded Spin), +Res (Sky Splitter at 3 stacks of Form of the Body), +Regen (Sky Splitter at 3 stacks of Form of the Soul)), it shouldn't be in the top tiers in damage output as well. It cannot provide improved survivability and best-in-class damage, it has to sacrifice one or the other for balance. Here, for example, @Galaxy Brain does stress tests of each primary to discover how well they stand up to being swamped with enemies. Note where Staff sits. Also not e that this test was conducted before Titan Weapons was revamped. In this test, he restricts himself to SOs and checks the performance and survivability at +0/x8. Staff is, from a development perspective, exactly where every set should be, in the center. This is data. This is evidence. These are facts. This is information from which an educated, informed conclusion may be drawn. "feels bad man, no BU staff sux" is not. Moreover, this is all the HC team actually has to inform them, aside from their own metrics, since there's nothing else. Link the threads/posts with the test results examining Staff chains, with and without Form buffs, single-target and AoE, SO and IO builds, inspiration usage, Incarnates, all variables accounted for, and the direct comparisons to non-standard chains (like the one you used as an example... with only two Staff attacks... to portray the entirety of Staff's capabilities...), and comparable test data from other sets. I yearn for enlightenment. And I don't mean that facetiously. I'm always serious about testing and accumulating data. Gimme. Guarded Spin is a T2 cone which deals ~40% more damage than those "similar" T5 single-target powers. It's available earlier, it hits harder, it has a longer reach, it hits more targets, and since it hits more targets, it's almost impossible for it to fail to apply its +Def (whereas Parry and Divine Avalanche are statistically guaranteed to miss 5% of the time, and can miss more often in numerous situations (ToHit debuffed, insufficient slotted or global +Acc/+ToHit when facing +X foes, enemies with strong Defense to Lethal or Melee, mixed single-target attacks with AoEs allowing single-target attacks to miss without being forced to hit)). It's good for damage mitigation and it deals appreciable damage. Improving it further would require nerfing it in some way or moving it to a much higher tier to keep it balanced. That's exactly what I'm referring to when I say "vacuum comparison". You can't compare Guarded Spin to Parry or Divine Avalanche simply because they all buff Melee/Lethal Defense. It doesn't work within the context of the sets or the powers' functionality as a whole. Ignoring relevant factors invalidates conclusions.

Still can't slot a regular set of ATOs in a power, flip it to the alternate and slot the superior set (which worked until they started "improving" the mutual exclusivity system). The workaround is going into every ATO in the enhancement editor and setting the mutex group to None. That has to be done to every ATO (all 312 of them), every time the database is updated. Can't adjust level on slotted ATOs with this update because they made the mutual exclusivity function even more aggressive. There's no workaround for this, either, not even setting mutex to None, the enhancement has to be removed and re-slotted. For those of us who use Mids' to reflect in-game build progress, this is a show-stopper. Temp powers toggle off every time an enhancement is slotted. Enhancements shown when slotting no longer grey out unless they're slotted in other powers. They're apparently replacing that with a "Used" notation in the upper right corner of the enhancement info pop-up... which isn't visible if pop-ups are turned off... Numerous sentinel *PP powers still use the same guesstimations as when they were first added, 4+ years ago (look at Elec Mastery -> Paralyzing Jolt for an example). Rooted and Sprint are still set to be mutually exclusive at all times (that was changed in the game almost two years ago, Sprint is only toggled off if Granite Armor is active). The Raptor Pack temp power shows 0.2 endurance/second, when it's actually 0.57 (there was a standardization pass for temp travel powers when the travel power updates were done over two years ago). Numerous powers which use redirects, pseudo-pets and Grant Power don't even show their effects (Brimstone Armor's DoT chance, to give an example of this obfuscation, is non-existent. it's there in Mids', as a Grant Power, but it doesn't actually do anything). From what I can discern, the entire database infrastructure was updated to use the same tools used by CoD, hypothetically so it could be quickly and easily updated every time the game was updated... but examples like these indicate that they're not using those tools to automate updates, they just used it once to import some data (because we really need all of those costume defs and cosmetic pet defs and test power defs and unused power defs and...) and went back to manual edits. The Bold checkbox for Power, in config, does nothing but cause the info panel to shift upward and obscure the powers on the bottom of the list. The cluster of buttons at the top center of the main window is an eyesore (there's plenty of room to spread those fuckers out into a line). Scrolling the mouse wheel focuses on the info panel and allows the user to quickly read a power's description... until the user has added a few accolades/temp powers/Incarnates, at which point empty space is added to the bottom of the window and a scroll bar appears, so instead of scrolling the info panel, the powers are scrolled. Some of the attrib placements in the info panel shift around from power to power, like Cast Time, forcing the user to hunt for information. Editing the temp powers displayed still causes an unhandled exception (you're stuck with what's pre-packaged in the Temp Powers window, which doesn't include some useful things, like the Increase Recovery empowerment buff). I know the old lay "Progress can be painful" is applicable here, and sometimes shit has to get worse before it gets better, but some of that "better" needs to start happening to hold my interest.

I invested seven years in bows and arrows. Now I'm playing other things, and there are a lot of other things.

Tests which eschew the use of 7 of the 9 powers in a set aren't an evaluation of the set, by any measure. All three forms already add damage to Sky Splitter, and damage and secondary effects to Eye of the Storm, at 3 stacks. As Guarded Spin currently buffs Lethal and Melee Defense, balance would necessitate moving Guarded's effects to Eye if Eye's effects were moved to Guarded, or removing the Defense buff entirely, either of which would be shitastic. No, thank you.

https://forums.homecomingservers.com/forum/45-suggestions-amp-feedback/