Forager

Yeah I'm coming to the conclusion that the forum population is more representative of the playerbase than I realized. I thought this was just going to be all the cool kids... but my estimation seems off. At the very least, I have heard several interesting points throughout this thread. -The disadvantages inherent in other secondary effects was a very useful point. -The fact that even if you try to position yourself, enemies left behind are the scatter... that was something I never thought about. -Players not really noticing what other players are doing unless it bothers them is huge and worth its own thread.

Your argument has some merit, but you reach a little too far. The chance being less than 100% does mean that it will cause scatter at some point. That is fair and actually helps me because while I have faced many arguments about the mobs knockback does fling everywhere, this is the first time I have ever thought about the ones it leaves behind being a problem. I think we mostly likely just disagree on how big a problem that is compared to how many problems it solves. My teammates sometimes have issues... largely they are imagined. Typically, everything I knockback is dead or will be very soon. They are complaining about corpses flying. Maybe occasionally I knock a bad guy away from them that they would have preferred I didn't. The problem is because we are all fairly engrossed in our own play, you only noticed that. My teammates have never noticed that sometimes I solo every 3rd spawn, but they notice when their rain powers and oil slicks don't do anything. They notice a runner getting loose and making it to the squishies, but they don't notice when I choose to hang back and send the adds and the runners flying toward the tank or to their grave. In summary, when you see the scrapper's health plummeting and you blast the dude he is fighting across the room, there's a good chance he will become annoyed that he has to walk over there...

Here we go... now we're talking! People are attached to their own perspective so this is the sort of thing I was looking for. That's a very good point and might (probably won't) help someone pause before dismissing the arguments in favor of knockback.

This is definitely off topic... but you kicking someone from the team is also you deciding that your "fun" is more important. Do you believe the person with the power to kick someone from a team should decide which type of "fun" is most important?

I think it's a little strange so many are still on the "is kb good or bad" conversation... I figured that not only has it been done to death, I didn't think there would be much disagreement about it among people interested enough in the game to be here. Anti-KB argument: Knocking back enemies makes things more difficult for your team Pro-KB argument: It doesn't have to. I think the direction this thread took illustrates the problem I was originally trying to solve. There are a few posts that say the knockback must be causing problems because I'm getting complaints... To briefly address those posters... that's illogical. It's a very, very dumb thing to think or say.

You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

Why should we stop there! I should do "knockback only" teams... slotted for kb even better... complete chaos encouraged.

This is one of the more bizarre phenomenons on this board...

Is this post for me?

That's succinct... though now I wonder if succinct is what we need given the target audience.

Very. Thank you, sir.

I think maybe I wasn't clear. My specific question: "Does anyone, who understands knockback, have a short, succinct explanation for people who do not understand knockback that are criticizing it?" I'm not confident. I am now very curious, though... You said in your best advice that I should clear it with the team before the first fight. Clear what?

Thank you all for the positive replies. I have ended up on a few teams with what I think are newer players and had a bit more fun. I've found that exemplaring down for lower level missions and task forces is a lot more my speed. It's really the level 50 trials that are more stressful than fun for me.

Been playing an energy blaster and it is the most fun I've ever had playing this game. I started as a Tanker, so I am aware of the list of problems knockback can pose on teams. My current issue is I am not causing any of those problems, but I'm still getting the "advice" to change KB to KD. I am sure this has been discussed many times. Does anyone have a short, succinct explanation that they have had success with? I'm not optimistic... as the person saying it rarely has any reasoning behind it. This is a reflexive thing people do sometimes, repeating conventional "wisdom" out of context.

Exactly that. I can't imagine how anyone got anything different.

My issue is that I have difficulty finding or forming teams that play at my speed. When you say there isn't an issue, are you saying that has not been my experience? I did find and form teams that play at my speed? I can't tell if you think I'm lying or I'm mistaken. Or maybe you are still a little confused about what my issue is? If you go back to your first reply, it was the very first sentence of your post. You found the question all by yourself and answered it. Or maybe you are confusing a belief that there shouldn't be an issue with the idea that there isn't one? You just seem really confused.

I used to think it was a skill issue for me too... but sometimes there's a difference between not being very good at something or just not knowing a lot about it. Do you differentiate between those?

It's impressive that you failed to see the issue but managed to nail it in your very first sentence! Good job! Maybe you subconsciously understood?

Thanks for your contribution. This was valuable insight.

Uh... thanks? Lol you guys thought the point of my post was needing a rez?

I guess it makes sense there are quite a few active forum users that are into it. This is, by definition, the most patient and interested players. I have read about Steady Indom and it sounds more like my speed.

I really like that you pointed out noticing teammates. When I'm on a team that's a little too good sometimes we will be 5 missions in and I'm like "who is that guy?!" I don't love that. Sometimes I don't know anybody but the leader and maybe whoever teleports a lot and I feel bad about it. Like I'm just laying face down waiting for a rez for awhile before realizing maybe nobody has one.

Lately I've been trying to just play "regular" ie going to contacts, getting a mission, completing arcs... I have only two 50s since returning from 2005... i barely know what's going on in the endgame... and this method of play is more relaxing to me. I advertise in LFG some version of "old school mission team, unknown enemies, unknown maps..." sometimes I add "we will probably have to use pulling and other tactics... we will die some" I usually get only a few takers who say "sounds fun" or "let's do it" which is fine because I personally prefer small teams. It either goes really well... or people are leaving halfway through the first mission. Croatoa is the latest culprit. The maps and quality of the missions are all over the place. I don't even know that it's an xp issue, because it seems fine to me. I play on +1/x4 maybe that seems low to people? But i never stop moving and fighting.. Is this just not a thing anymore?

I solo'd him with a level 15ish energy/devices blaster recently... but i died once and had to run back so I guess that doesn't count? In fact I don't know that I've ever NOT solo'd him if it was my mission. Maybe defenders would have a hard time?

My main originally started as if I was a hero. It was literally just me. My second character was my wife as a super hero. He is a natural origin Beam Rifle/Willpower sentinel. He was bald, under 6ft and the physique and chest sliders were almost all the way to the left. His office in my sg base was messy, just like mine. It was a fun project at first, but he is pretty boring. He is versatile and reliable, but specialists can do anything he does so much better. Playing yourself in a video game kinda sucks sometimes. I changed the name and backstory, gave him hair and made him bigger, but he's still a sentinel sooo... My wife as a character, however... that's very fun. She is a technology origin energy/devices blaster who is focused on fashion. She is an influencer-hero who has cameras following her around (targeting drone is her main camera). With other characters, I play very slow, safe and methodical... waiting on the tank or leader to do their thing... but with her I roleplay a little and push the limits. My wife does everything pretty aggressively, so I try to get her into trouble.