Page 6 Preview: Sonic Manipulation, Game Balance, Piecemeal's Workshop of Horrors

[WindDemon21]

Touch of darkness being the sustain is also horrible. It would be much better if it was a pbaoe cloak of fear with a wider radius and sustain.

[Rejolt]

28 minutes ago, WindDemon21 said:

Touch of darkness being the sustain is also horrible. It would be much better if it was a pbaoe cloak of fear with a wider radius and sustain.

I haven't made a /dark blaster because of its maintain. It's also hard to center a character around a fear vs stuns and holds due to so few powers featuring it (I like layering mezzes). A PBAoE fear toggle might be better but … well.. cottage rule stops that?

Edited October 1, 2020 by Rejolt

[Wavicle]

27 minutes ago, Rejolt said:

I haven't made a /dark blaster because of its maintain. It's also hard to center a character around a fear vs stuns and holds due to so few powers featuring it (I like layering mezzes). A PBAoE fear toggle might be better but … well.. cottage rule stops that?

I don't think it's a cottage rule thing. More just about trying to have some variety among the powersets.

[FoulVileTerror]

The Power would still do Terror.  That respects the Cottage.  Switching it from Single Target Cast to PBAoE Toggle is within the confines of the Cottage.

[HelBlaiz]

Dark manipulation is a melee oriented set as is, so a mitigation sustain pbaoe seems fitting for it.

[macskull]

3 hours ago, csr said:

I took a minute to double-check this... the +Regen is scaling off the enemy, the +Rec isn't.  Tested against L16 and L20-25 using an L22 Blaster.

Yep, that'll be a bug then.

[csr]

2 hours ago, WindDemon21 said:

Thats definitely a bug that also is affecting obscure sustenance in dark armor for sentinels. It's the same bug that was affecting sky splitter in staff that they FIXED, but needs fixed on these powers as well.

 

I would imagine it is also bugging soul absorption in troller dark affinity.

I believe all of the components (both +Reg and +Rec for each duration) of Obscure Sustenance inappropriately scale.  I don't think Soul Absorption has the same problem.  I tested both briefly to confirm my previous observations, but didn't do an exhaustive test.  Once Page 6 is on Open Beta I'll take the time to test such things more thoroughly.

[xl8]

On 10/1/2020 at 11:33 AM, Seed22 said:

No you don’t. Tell you what, you bring your TA/arch with my Fire/Atomic. Beat that at it’s own game.

 

EDIT: TA is a fun set and gets a bit of hate undeserved, but I’ve just been noticing a lot of my ‘X’ does better than a blaster or insert dmg AT(the most hilarious one is someone said their PB does more 😂😂😂) and, it’s  somewhat irksome. I try to ignore it but..yeah.

Sure thing. Time, place, server. I'll be there. I'll even get my Fire/Atom later and show you a few tricks.

[Rambolazer]

With some ranged sets will be being looked at as part of overall game balance. Will any Assault Rifle changes be made as part of Page 6? Or will it be part of a later update?

[Indystruck]

I love and appreciate all the TA people in this thread saying that the set is good, and that you like that set, and etc, it's great, I'm real happy to see that level of support for this game and in this community!

 

Now shut up and let them buff it.

[Galamane]

On 9/22/2020 at 12:53 PM, Jaguaratron said:

Shame, I was hoping for a sonic melee/sonic armour set 😞

That would be awesome! 

[Tsuko]

On 9/20/2020 at 8:22 PM, Jimmy said:

Hello everyone!

 

Page 6 is almost ready for public testing, so it’s probably time to start talking about what’s in store. Today we’ve got a look at a new powerset, a discussion about our goals for game balance, and a developer diary from Piecemeal discussing the upcoming story arcs.

New Powerset: Sonic Manipulation
A new sonic-themed Blaster secondary with fairly well-rounded capabilities. It also features a Migraine mechanic, with many powers in the set having a small chance to inflict a short hold. This chance can be dramatically increased by using Sound Booster, the build up power of the set.

 

•  T1: Sonic Thrust (Melee, Minor DMG(Smashing/Energy), Foe Knockback)
  • A focused attack of intense sonic power that violently sends a nearby foe flying. Deals minimal damage, but can be very effective. Recharge: Fast
•  T2: Strident Echo (Melee, Moderate DMG(Smashing/Energy), chance for Hold)
  • Strident Echo deals minor damage over time. It has a low chance of causing a migraine, leaving the target shaking in pain and helpless. Recharge: Slow
•  T3: Echo Chamber (Ranged, Minor DMG(Energy), Foe Hold)
  • Encases the target in a field of sonic waves, dealing energy damage and holding them in place. Recharge: Slow
•  T4: Sound Booster (Self +DMG, +To Hit, +Special)
  • Greatly boosts your attacks for a few seconds. Slightly increases chance to hit. Moderately increases the duration of mez effects. Moderately increases the chance for Sound Manipulation powers to induce migraines. Recharge: Long
•  T5: Deafening Wave (Melee (AoE), High DMG(Smashing/Energy), chance for Hold)
  • You create a large field of sonic waves, causing damage to all foes around you. It has a moderate chance of causing migraines, leaving them shaking in pain and helpless. Recharge: Slow
•  T6: Sound Barrier (Toggle: Self +Absorb, +Recovery, +Res(Smashing, Energy, Sleep))
  • Creates a barrier around the caster which reduces incoming energy and smashing damage, provides protection against sleep effects and grants an absorption shield. Recovery is also increased. Recharge: Moderate
•  T7: Disruption Aura (Toggle: Foe -Res)
  • You emit a constant wave of sonic energy around yourself, weakening the Damage Resistance of all nearby foes. Recharge: Moderate
•  T8: Sound Cannon (Ranged (Cone), Foe Stun, Knockback)
  • You generate a powerful sonic wave that will knock back and disorient foes in front of you for a short time. Recharge: Long
•  T9: Earsplitter (Melee, Heavy DMG(Smashing/Energy), chance for Hold)
  • You generate an Earsplitting sound wave right in the face of your foe, inflicting great damage. It has a good chance of causing a migraine, leaving them shaking in pain and helpless. Recharge: Slow

 

Sonic Manipulation also comes alongside a set of changes to Blaster Manipulation sets. We’ve made a standardization pass on the strength of Blaster crowd control effects whilst also shoring up the damage and survivability of some lower performing sets.

Game Balance & The Endgame
Next up: We’re commonly asked what our goals are when it comes to game balance, so we’ve written a post explaining our goals, both for page 6 and the future.

 

Check out the post here!

Dev Diary - Piecemeal's Workshop of Horrors
You may have seen Piecemeal skulking about the forum, posting cryptic messages and poems…

 

 

Well, now it’s finally time for them to introduce themselves and what they’ve been working on. Head on over to this post for a peek inside their head - reader beware, they've got a very active imagination...

And that’s not all!
Page 6 has several more features coming with it, including…

 

 

- The Homecoming Team

 

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by Tsuko

[BurtHutt]

The T8 Sonice Cannon power - I notice it has knockback. Must it?! One of the most annoying parts of the game! KB! Maybe there could be a power customization option that allows a player to switch it to either knockback or knockdown; maybe it can be done in the same manner as where you select your animations? I am not sure what works or if it's possible...KB is just annoying. My fave toon might be my Peacebringer but if it didn't have all powers changed from KB to KD, it might be my least fave toon! 

[Abraxus]

10 hours ago, BurtHutt said:

The T8 Sonice Cannon power - I notice it has knockback. Must it?! One of the most annoying parts of the game! KB! Maybe there could be a power customization option that allows a player to switch it to either knockback or knockdown; maybe it can be done in the same manner as where you select your animations? I am not sure what works or if it's possible...KB is just annoying. My fave toon might be my Peacebringer but if it didn't have all powers changed from KB to KD, it might be my least fave toon! 

There is a crafted I/O enhancement that does just what you described.  I can't remember the name of it off the top of my head, but I put them on my Energy/Energy blaster, and it immediately took away the stigma of letting those powers loose without worrying about making others on the team hate me with the white hot intensity of 10,000 suns.  I didn't like having to give up the extra ENH slot for each power that I did this to, but in the end it was worth it, because I could love my blaster again.

[Saikochoro]

3 minutes ago, Abraxus said:

There is a crafted I/O enhancement that does just what you described.  I can't remember the name of it off the top of my head, but I put them on my Energy/Energy blaster, and it immediately took away the stigma of letting those powers loose without worrying about making others on the team hate me with the white hot intensity of 10,000 suns.  I didn't like having to give up the extra ENH slot for each power that I did this to, but in the end it was worth it, because I could love my blaster again.

Pretty sure you are thinking sudden acceleration knockback to knockdown. It works well. Just uses up a slot that could be used for a different proc. However, you get mitigation from constant knockdowns so I suppose it’s fair. 

[Naraka]

All this talk about blasters and no talk about ninja training. It had nice utility but said utility is highly accessible to most others, namely the stealth. Beyond that, it's pretty mediocre. Please don't forget that set. 

 

The melee attacks are quite weak, the PBAoE is wonky (it either does too little damage or recharges too slow), the damage buff is just broken. I hear a lot of complaints about /dark's sustain requiring a target but it also does have a use to stack (the extra mez) while kuji-en toh really gets no benefit from using it more once it's recharged since none of its effects stack. 

 

There's a lot you can shift around to help the set. A recommendation from me: add some kind of mechanic to bring Shinobi's damage buff back after you attack. Like using a ninja training power brings up the +DMG for the next hit. So using kuji-en toh during a fight charges up the next hit. Using a katana skill also charges the next power. 

[BurtHutt]

On 10/11/2020 at 11:38 AM, Abraxus said:

There is a crafted I/O enhancement that does just what you described.  I can't remember the name of it off the top of my head, but I put them on my Energy/Energy blaster, and it immediately took away the stigma of letting those powers loose without worrying about making others on the team hate me with the white hot intensity of 10,000 suns.  I didn't like having to give up the extra ENH slot for each power that I did this to, but in the end it was worth it, because I could love my blaster again.

That's exactly it. It essentially costs a slot and you cannot finish a set in a power. Not the end of the world but yeah...

[Wuuren]

When are we gonna get development on the story? Right now fully incarnated and io'd ( at least I hope most people are..) the content is  a bit not to sound pre-k  a pushover.  

[Burnt Toast]

2 hours ago, Wuuren said:

When are we gonna get development on the story? Right now fully incarnated and io'd ( at least I hope most people are..) the content is  a bit not to sound pre-k  a pushover.  

There are many ways to make content harder already. This update will not be adding any end-game content or anything "harder." 

 

1. Stop running paper missions. 

2. Increase your missions to +4x8 and only run 2-3 players.

3. Use TF settings to buff enemies...debuff yourself...etc - Run 2-3 man TFs with settings to challenge yourself (No I don't mean ITF...there are many more TFs out there that actually push players some)

4. Don't use incarnate powers outside of incarnate content..

[Voltor]

33 minutes ago, Burnt Toast said:

There are many ways to make content harder already. This update will not be adding any end-game content or anything "harder." 

 

1. Stop running paper missions. 

2. Increase your missions to +4x8 and only run 2-3 players.

3. Use TF settings to buff enemies...debuff yourself...etc - Run 2-3 man TFs with settings to challenge yourself (No I don't mean ITF...there are many more TFs out there that actually push players some)

4. Don't use incarnate powers outside of incarnate content..

Or just unslot your incarnate powers.

[FoulVileTerror]

@Wuuren:  https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/22534-game-balance-the-endgame/

The specific reason listed by the Homecoming Devs in regard to their desire to rebalance Powers is in an attempt to eventually develop new endgame content.

There's quite the on-going discussion on the predicted merits and risks associated with that particular direction. 

There's also @Piecemeal's work with the Freaklok content which boasts new challenges and difficulty in the form of new unique enemies.  https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/22521-dev-diary-piecemeals-workshop-of-horrors/

[Darmian]

55 minutes ago, Burnt Toast said:

There are many ways to make content harder already. This update will not be adding any end-game content or anything "harder." 

 

1. Stop running paper missions. 

2. Increase your missions to +4x8 and only run 2-3 players.

3. Use TF settings to buff enemies...debuff yourself...etc - Run 2-3 man TFs with settings to challenge yourself (No I don't mean ITF...there are many more TFs out there that actually push players some)

4. Don't use incarnate powers outside of incarnate content..

There's a (to my mind at least) curious notion that so-called "endgame content" is (a) story and (b) the only story that matters. It's part of it, indeed, but, you know, if I for instance want to play Dare Devil, then why would I be looking for Galactus?

[FoulVileTerror]

*nods to @Darmian*

I've chirped on and on about it all over the place for the past . . . forever,

but yeah.  My ideal "endgame" would totally eschew the cosmic threats and focus on content which has a more down-to-earth impact.  It would be wonderful to see more focus placed on content which expands what it means to -play- this game beyond repetitive combat grind, and to have that content accessible at all levels and foe all walks of life.

For example:  The fire-fighting event in Steel Canyon is BARELY scratching the surface for the sort of content which we could be exploring.  The engine may be limited in a lot of ways, but we've seen that tech does exist which could be leveraged for some truly creative ventures.  The "evolving" sub-instances on Atlas Park and Mercy Island, or the Signature Character story missions.  These tools open a -LOT- of doors for more varied content.

[Wuuren]

@Voltor -I've done everything you listed. I'm the type of player to test limits "shrug shoulders" .  But I get what you're saying and no I am not trying to be rude or dismissive - trust me I get it. 

 

@FoulVileTerror I read the piecemeal content.  I am patiently awaiting it trust me .  How come people don't offer up stories or  a contest to have story be made?

[Darmian]

On 10/17/2020 at 3:22 AM, Wuuren said:

@FoulVileTerror...How come people don't offer up stories or  a contest to have story be made?

I wrote a 15 slot (45 missions) story in AE that is broken into three "seasons". Plenty of Lore, went a fair bit out of my way to not contradict anything already established.  Does something like that count? Some have said that's excessive, but it plays in 5 mission bits so...

Edited October 19, 2020 by Darmian