Sarn

First, as a person that has moved to creating my own challenging AE content because of the relative lack of being able to do that outside of Incarnate mission settings, I really love this difficulty setting move. That said, I think it's a step in the right direction but doesn't go far enough. I solo tested regular missions at +5/x8 against Arachnos and it didn't seem to make any noticeable difference in survivability on my Stone/Fire tank. His health bar was still pegged all the way to the right all the time. Granted, he is fully IO'd and running Destiny Ageless Radial and Core Melee Hybrid, but even when the Melee Hybrid regeneration bonus drops, he's still pegged to full health. I know this (IO'd stone) is probably one of the toughest tank builds in the game for the breadth of combat, but it would be great to unleash the normal missions from the +5 level cap and expand it to +7 (or higher, as explained below). I then solo tested ITF at +5, +6, and +7 levels, just with the Centurians, since it takes a long time and you have to unlock the next content. NOTE: EVEN WHEN RUNNING AT +6 AND +7, MOBS STILL ONLY SHOW THEY ARE LEVEL 55. At first I ran them all at hero levels and, while I had a hard time dealing with their accuracy debuffs, I survived quite readily. Then I ran at invincible level at +7. This eventually did kill me on the test build that I was on, but only because I did not have phase shift on the test build. It killed me when my Destiny Ageless Radial DDR buff dropped and my Core Melee Hybrid was down. This included when I shifted to granite. I get that there are other ITF mob buffs and player debuffs that I did not select, but I was testing this solo, not with 7 other people at my side. So, the point here is not to show the tankiness of my build, it's to demonstrate that these difficulty levels do not seem to necessitate a good group balance for survivability. I can't really speak to killing things/dps, because that was so slow for me. I am still hoping for the day that I can find a group of seasoned players with mature builds and we can step into regular mission combat (currently capped at +5) and be challenged for our survival. If that can't be done with one stone tank, it's certainly not going to be done with 8 seasoned character builds. So, for now, it's still AE 801 content and my own AE content that I find to be sufficiently challenging outside of Incarnate TFs, which run a bit longer than many have time to invest. Don't get me wrong, I love this step! I applaud it! I just wish it went further than it does. The game is more fun for me in groups at low levels now, where buffing is useful and healing is required, since even +4/x8 PUGs at 54 is a speed run. That said, playing at low levels has its challenges. It's slow and the powers are limited and repetitive, as well as being graphically shackled by the same.

Is there any hope that we can get pets that are -1 and -2 our level to scale with us as we adjust our level to say +4? It's almost useless to take them into such combats and, by extension, if you play at that level most of the time, useless to select the powers.

I don't see the new Psychic Scream values in the information of the power. It still seems to reflect the old values. Will this happen later?

I like that idea! Also a way to freshen things up.

Have to say that I am not all that surprised by the responses, especially on the PVP encroachment into PVE angle. I get that, by far, most players are more interested in PVE. I am as well. However, this is a way to make something that is largely static have newness, perhaps changing every day. If people don't wish to participate, they don't have to and they are immune to effects unless they take an action to participate. The only thing it potentially does is, for the time it is enacted, make it harder to find a group if people choose to participate. Otherwise, it runs its course in relatively short order. I seem to recall that occasionally GMs would play characters on live and run events. Can't remember if any GMs actually played adversarial characters, but possibly. They were huge, threating to crash servers. What would be the difference between a player doing this and a GM doing this, if one could minimize/eliminate griefing? It's a way of bringing the core characters "to life" in a sense.

Realize you are being facetious, but I did say that this would not be possible.

So, PVP isn't dead, but it's on life support on most servers as far as participation goes? Why not introduce something along the following to encourage player versus player interaction while limiting griefing opportunities? 1. Low random chance of being able to play an in-game hero or villain per day: Imagine logging in and being able to play Positron or Ms. Liberty, among others? Villains more your style? You've rolled the very unlikely chance of playing Lord Recluse, the rarest of the rare potentials! Log in at your home base and use a discrete channel to communicate with other such fortunate individuals to form a team or even a league! 2. Various mission targets: Destroy some thought to be indestructible facility or object red side or, if a villain, blue side. Such objects could exist in multiple locations, with one or more in each zone. Plan your path of destruction and launch your attack! You can freely attack these objects and debuff them, but you cannot attack other players until they either attack you, a team or league member, or buff or heal the facility or object. If the player that attacks you is on a team or in a league, you can then attack any opposing player in that team or league. Other players will be immune to your attacks. Not all mission targets will be of the same toughness or point value. Some may be immune to damage from a team or may require leagues of certain sizes to effect. 3. Controlled communication: You can freely converse with players on your own team or league and upon the Superhero or Supervillain channel, but you cannot communicate to other players except through randomly generated statements and emotes. For instance, a randomly generated threat with accompanying emote might be "You will fall like Statesman fell!" or "You will grovel at my feet for mercy!" This will limit the opportunity for verbal abuse and associated griefing. 4. Player response: Players will become aware of your activities once an attack on a facility or object is initiated, if not before by discovery by other players. There would be no limit to how many teams or leagues could be attacking or defending the facility or object. However, once you die in one of these teams or leagues, you cannot be targeted and perhaps would appear green to adversaries, Similarly, you can no longer attack, heal or buff the target. Surviving members of teams or leagues could quit and reform as necessary. 5. Homefield has advantage: Based upon a concept that there will always be more villains red side (even if they are players responding that usually play blue side) and heroes blue side, eventually, the red or blue side will win via sheer numbers; however, successful raids will be recorded in a "top ten" effectiveness list and will be posted on forums. 6. Players use their PVE builds: All villains, heroes, and characters will have their inherent weaknesses based upon their power choices/builds. This will encourage good leaders to coordinate attacks based upon weaknesses. Thoughts?

Hmmm, I don't see this as an option. I'm talking about the ones cruising around, so maybe that is the difference.

Appreciate the response, Cranebump. I hope that someday this will get some attention. I know from the other thread that it's been said that it is hard to fix. I feel though that this is an area where we really could get new content to be used, especially in the realm of supergroup-themed missions, which is what I am writing.

Same issue here. I just posted my own thread on it.

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. As a rather new content creator, it's frustrating, to say the least. Even when I put things at the back, which I tend to do, Entering another floor, etc. is likely to have the same effect. In fact, of all the encounters that I placed, not one of them triggers at a logical place. The way things are it's great for NPCs shouting or screaming, but not for NPCs normally conversing.

Do other people experience this?

Hello, all. Thanks in advance for any advice you might give me. When I create text dialog, one of the options is boss unaware of player and another is boss becomes aware of player, or something to that effect. Similar things are available for patrols and captured persons. The issue I am having is that the "unaware" things are firing off WAY before a player gets even close to them, so they aren't even seen most of the time, unless someone is reading the chats and, even then, it doesn't make a bunch of sense because it isn't in context of what they are currently viewing. What am I doing wrong? It's frustrating to put together these details only to have them "wasted" in a sense. I don't think the mobs are actually aware of me, since I am just entering the mission door or exiting from an elevator.

So sorry to learn of your loss. Sometimes, when I play this game, I am reminded of my brother and it is a nice feeling. I hope that comes to you on time.

Much of this was discussed in the Beta forum, didn't really get very far, unfortunately.

I agree that, thematically, force field should be about buffs rather than debuffs, which is why I favor DDR and absorb as its primary components. We are presently getting one of those, but I do think it is on the weaker side for the hallmark defense set. I like the -fly suggestion above for force bolt. I DO like the - regen resistance, -to hit resistance, and slow resistance offered in dampening bubble (as I said, not the greatest fan of that power), but, thematically, I think they find a home in some other powerset better and that absorb has a thematic home in forcefield. I would happily trade those out, as well as all of the debuffs, for DDR and absorb, which, again, I think are natural fits for force field.

I don't read that. There are two specifics that are given that are worse, but the broader context indicates a wash. "It lost as much as it gained in terms of its usage and applicable niche" "Its toggle form was just a change, not a net improvement"

If it is a wash, I'd much prefer that it be a toggle, consistent with the rest of the powerset and the "set and forget" aspect of FF that I so enjoy.

Hello, copied this from another thread, as I didn't know this thread existed. I wanted to say that I am very appreciative of the attention Force Field (FF) is getting. I was excited to read about the changes and jumped on Test. I honestly feel like someone is trying too hard with this set. One of the beauties of FF is it's passive play ease, similar to Sonic. And some of the changes appear to remove key unique strengths of the set, such as force bubble for positioning. Additionally, some of the changes make me feel like there is a bleed toward sameness of powersets. I, for one, don't want that with this lovely and unique powerset. I can't help it. I don't like the proposed changes thematically or mechanically. I would have looked at it this way, more of a DDR-based and absorption-based upgrade. 1. Personal Force Field: I think this power deserves a 95% DDR and perhaps a lower enhanced max value and it is fine. Yes, it's an escape power, but that's part of the uniqueness of the set. Adding the DDR here allows for incorporation of the DDR-themed bonus which I think is central and critical to the set (more on that later). Yes, it will also allow some "weak" defender "tanking", but eventually cascading defense debuffs will catch up with you in higher content. In lower content w/o defense debuff attacks, it doesn't really matter anyway. 2. Deflection Field: Add a small absorption amount at application that does not stack (maybe 10%). 3. Force Bolt: No change to this power. FF doesn't need a -resistance that makes it feel like everything else. The beauty of this power is its high knockback value and rapid use, which can come in handy as knockback resistance is being raised for bosses and others. If anything, give it a slight chance for a stun. 4. Insulation Shield: Add a small absorption amount at application that does not stack (maybe 10% ). 5. Detention Field: No proposed change although the idea of life steal here is pretty entertaining. 6. Dispersion Bubble: Keep the 15 second lingering effect that is proposed. Add the DDR protection and the -to hit/perception and -regen protections proposed for Dampening Bubble, which I really don't like as it makes the set feel clunky. Apply the 15 second lingering effect to these too. Drop the enemy debuffs, as there are enough sets that do that and it feels like infringement. The protections offered here are pretty rare. That should suffice and maybe is a suitable tradeoff for making this a toggle that follows the caster rather than a placed bubble (that can be moved with sufficient recharge). Also drop the slow/recharge protection. 7. Repulsion field: Keep as on live but add a modest pulsing application of absorb that can build to perhaps 20%. 8. Repulsion Bomb: Keep the QoL change for activation time but otherwise make it the same as live. The -resist is not necessary nor thematic. 9. Force Bubble: Restore to live version, including endurance cost per target, except add a second pulsing absorb power that can stack with repulsion shield. This is a very situational but powerful and unique ability. It SHOULD be expensive to use! Thanks for reading!

Hello, I wanted to say that I am very appreciative of the attention Force Field (FF) is getting. I was excited to read about the changes and jumped on Test. I honestly feel like someone is trying too hard with this set. One of the beauties of FF is it's passive play ease, similar to Sonic. And some of the changes appear to remove key unique strengths of the set, such as force bubble for positioning. Additionally, some of the changes make me feel like there is a bleed toward sameness of powersets. I, for one, don't want that with this lovely and unique powerset. I think these proposed changes accomplish much of the same, but in a more elegant and cottage rule-respecting manner. Instead of the listing the new powers, I'm listing the former powers. 1. Personal Force Field: I think this power deserves a 95% defense debuff resistance (DDR) and perhaps a lower enhanced max value and it is fine. Yes, it's an escape power, but that's part of the uniqueness of the set. Adding the DDR here allows for incorporation of the DDR-themed bonus which I think is central and critical to the set (more on that later). Yes, it will also allow some "weak" defender "tanking", but eventually cascading defense debuffs will catch up with you in higher content. In lower content w/o defense debuff attacks, it doesn't really matter anyway. 2. Deflection Field: Add a small absorption amount at application that does not stack (maybe 10%). 3. Force Bolt: No change to this power. FF doesn't need a -resistance that makes it feel like everything else. The beauty of this power is its high knockback value and rapid use, which can come in handy as knockback resistance is being raised for bosses and others. If anything, give it a slight chance for a stun. 4. Insulation Shield: Add a small absorption amount at application that does not stack (maybe 10% ). 5. Detention Field: No proposed change although the idea of life steal here is pretty entertaining. 6. Dispersion Bubble: Keep the 15 second lingering effect that is proposed. Add the DDR protection and the -to hit/perception and -regen protections proposed for Dampening Bubble, which I really don't like as it makes the set feel clunky. Apply the 15 second lingering effect to these too. Drop the enemy debuffs, as there are enough sets that do that and it feels like infringement. The protections offered here are pretty rare. That should suffice and maybe is a suitable tradeoff for making this a toggle that follows the caster rather than a placed bubble (that can be moved with sufficient recharge). Also drop the slow/recharge protection. 7. Repulsion field: Keep as on live but add a modest pulsing application of absorb that can build to perhaps 20%. 8. Repulsion Bomb: Keep the QoL change for activation time but otherwise make it the same as live. The -resist is not necessary nor thematic. 9. Force Bubble: Restore to live version, including endurance cost per target, except add a second pulsing absorb power that can stack with repulsion shield. This is a very situational but powerful and unique ability. It SHOULD be expensive to use! Thanks for reading!

Fair enough. Numerically, it seems that cycling barrier will do what I think it will. I could be wrong. I'd like to see an option for limiting incarnates, but, yeah, it won't happen.

Yeah, but 8 x 29 seconds (min) of that 30% or above, refreshing every time, is what makes it so powerful.

There is, actually. And that is to return to some semblance of the game that I loved. Currently, it's prostituted to destiny barrier usage in my opinion, a gimmick to get around originally intended balanced team content. One can say that it's just a TF, but this has the capacity to be applied to other TFs in the future. Yes, there is the Master option that disallows incarnate usage, but nothing that eliminates this workaround gimmick, preserves some incarnate usage, and adds the nice bonuses to mobs. I'd be happy with that. I concede that there is still some idea of team chemistry (1 tank, damage, and -resist debuffers with sprinkling in of -accuracy), but it smacks of a gimmick. I'm less bothered by it than I was initially. I just wish there was an option for limiting incarnate usage.

Yeah, but there isn't an option to limit incarnate use or effectiveness. Your option eliminates it altogether, which isn't something we want at this level of game play (and for which the developers balanced around). I doubt they balanced around barrier x 8, but maybe so.