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  • City Council
Posted

This is a Focused Feedback Thread

  • Please note that Focused Feedback threads are heavily moderated to ensure they remain on topic.
    • Any off-topic posts in these threads will be removed without warning.
    • The thread will be locked when no more feedback is required, but you are more than welcome to continue the discussion in a new thread.
  • The most up-to-date version of the changes will be listed in the first post.
  • The changes in each build will be posted as replies.
    • Changes from the previous beta build are listed in green.
      • Green text will become white text in the next set of patch notes.
    • Any changes or fixes that are only relevant to the beta builds are listed in blue.
      • Blue text will be deleted in the next set of patch notes as it is only relevant to highlight changes between beta builds, not a changes from live.
    • Known issues are listed in purple.

 


 

Powerset Revamp: Titan Weapons

Titan Weapons was released less than a year before the game shut down, and never had the opportunity for much follow-up work. The set suffers from two problems. Firstly, the mechanics of the set make the set difficult to get started with. Secondly, when fully built, Titan Weapons massively overperforms compared to other melee set in almost every metric.

 

We've gone ahead and removed the arbitrary bonus damage the set has (bringing it in line with the standard damage formulas) in order to reign in the maximum performance bar the set can hit, whilst also refining the Momentum mechanic and redraw animations in order to reduce the clunkiness of the set.

 

Set Changes

  • Removed arbitrary bonus damage from all attacks (roughly 8-10%)
  • Now has the same redraw rules as Katana, and will only play an interruptible draw animation under the following conditions:
    • Out of combat
    • Out of range from the target
    • Power still has not recharged
  • Whilst Momentum is active, all Titan Weapons attacks will:
    • Recharge 25% faster, with proportional damage and endurance cost reduction per the standard damage formulas
    • Have an additional 25% endurance cost reduction
  • Momentum is now granted even if the attack misses all targets

Power Changes

  • TitanWeapons_SweepingStrike.png.7187af0f67494b0cc1d679c73d6c7b98.png Titan Sweep
    • Fast version cast time increased from 1s to 1.1s
  • TitanWeapons_FollowThrough.png.4c6c1151542b7f406dce2cb181751f1e.png Follow Through
    • Cast time increased from 1s to 1.1s
    • No longer inflicts additional damage over time
  • TitanWeapons_Confront.png.87d37a5718373eba667d84fe19dee5df.png Confront / Taunt
    • Cast time reduced from 1.96s to 1.67s
  • TitanWeapons_WhirlingSlice.png.e2fb1e027e4b119c6ae684420c171e44.png Whirling Smash
    • Radius lowered from 15ft to 10ft (however, it remains at 15ft for Tankers)
    • No longer inflicts additional damage over time
  • TitanWeapons_ArcofDestruction.png.f6219412a807e1b0ebc67b6b0ba7826d.png Arc of Destruction
    • Recharge reduced from 20s to 16s
    • Damage decreased accordingly (per the standard damage formulas)
    • Fast version cast time shortened from 1.5s to 1.37s

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  • City Council
Posted

Build 1 - October 24th, 2020

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Posted
  On 10/24/2020 at 12:37 PM, Jimmy said:

Momentum is now granted even if the attack misses all targets

Expand  

I figured this was coming, but still - on behalf of all tank and brute lovers everywhere - thank you!

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Posted

Slightly offtopic, sorry

Are the redraw rules going to get ported to other weapons? I could really use it on Staff Melee 🙂

  • Like 7
Posted (edited)

Pylon runs with my favorite Page 5 build in beta server / patch 1 : Pylons kill from 1m08 to 1m20

 

TW / bio scrapper / T4 assaut (not click) / T4 muscu, ageless, degen.

 

1) 1m25 : feeling is diferent

2) 1m19 : i notice some real long momentum 

3) 1m12 : i still dont know what is diferent but the rotation feels much more fluid but damage seems less powerfull than before.

 

Conclusion : why should i bother with TW now when WM is much more easier to build / play and Rad provide top debuff AND a heal with same damage.

 

Note 1 : it s a page 5 build so maybe with a new build...

Note 2 : endurance consum is very nice : on live my build can detoggle with sprint and superspeed for long fights (more than 1m30), on beta, i can keep both and ageless is enough to keep stam at 100%

Edited by Tsuko
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Posted
  On 10/24/2020 at 5:33 PM, Cinnder said:

 

This doesn't propagate the invisible weapon bug from katana to titan weapons, does it?

Expand  

That bug predates the katana redraw changes, so I doubt it. There's something else broken there.

  • Like 2
Posted
  On 10/24/2020 at 5:42 PM, Tsuko said:

Conclusion : why should i bother with TW now when WM is much more easier to build / play and Rad provide top debuff AND a heal with same damage.

 

Expand  

Well, if you're doing anything other than killing Pylons it's still fun 🙂

  • Like 7
Posted (edited)
  On 10/24/2020 at 5:42 PM, Tsuko said:

Pylon runs with my favorite Page 5 build in beta server / patch 1 : Pylons kill from 1m08 to 1m20

 

TW / bio scrapper / T4 assaut (not click) / T4 muscu, ageless, degen.

 

1) 1m25 : feeling is diferent

2) 1m19 : i notice some real long momentum 

3) 1m12 : i still dont know what is diferent but the rotation feels much more fluid but damage seems less powerfull than before.

 

Conclusion : why should i bother with TW now when WM is much more easier to build / play and Rad provide top debuff AND a heal with same damage.

 

Note 1 : it s a page 5 build so maybe with a new build...

Note 2 : endurance consum is very nice : on live my build can detoggle with sprint and superspeed for long fights (more than 1m30), on beta, i can keep both and ageless is enough to keep stam at 100%

Expand  

 

So yay or nay on TW now?

 

I have held off making TW firstly because it was FotM and then the incoming nerfs.

Edited by Maxzero
Posted

  

doin' some pyloning right now so excuse the mess 'cuz i'm just gonna chaospost the times i'm getting.

 

one of the big factors of the TW changes is how the optimal strings are changed - rather than having to juggle anything you can basically just do FT-RA-AOD-FT-RA over and over again which is kinda hilarious i guess.

 

but since a lot of TW's damage came from maximizing optimal strings, judging strings 1:1 seems weird, but i figure i'd throw them out there as a reference for a few shots.

 

 

testing the string i currently do on live yields:

1m48s

1m49s

2m2s

1m49s

1m44s

1m49s

 

 

testing possible new optimal string based off understanding of old move properties (basically maximimze RA->FT use):

(bm-> ft->ra->aod->ft->ra->aod->ft into ra->ft->aod->cb->ft)

1m46s

1m46s

1m42s

1m55s

1m58s

 

testing w/ using alternate string using crushing blow crit (CB->FT->RA->AOD -wait- non-momentum CB)

1m37s

1m41s

1m33s

 

...maybe not so optimal, haha.

 

i'd imagine a lot of the difference in the build between the one tsuko is using and mine relates to a heavier use of procs on the moves to retain the damage that was originally just done through the set itself - the primary source of damage on the live version is from crit FT/RA, which appears to be heavily lowered.

 

i also noticed that crushing blow appears to have it's non-momentum activation time roughly halved? it's significantly faster than live, because it's messing with my strings quite a bit (due to how fast it is, hilariously). due to that and the way momentum reduces damage at the moment, it seems that the best way to increase damage on my bio scrapper build specifically is to have the non-momentum version of crushing blow crit/proc as much as possible. feels backwards, but what can ya do?

 

comparison to prior pylon times on the same build in the pylon thread proper:
 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

as for "non-pylon content" shit, i always run +4/x8 tests using the trapdoor mission from mender ramiel on my builds to get a good feel for their overall power level since it seems like more or less a decent standard - it's got mostly council/arachnos, a simple layout, and an EB who is just beefy enough at the end of the map, gotta carry some yellows due to the blind, but otherwise it feels pretty consistent for a power gauge.

 

i'll run some testin' for that as well, but i never kept record for that since i really wanted to make a thread where folks could showcase their builds doin' general runthroughs of that with vids (as to make sure the standards line up).

 

so far a sliiiightly standard tw/bio build (vs. nihlii's proc-based build) got dumpstered pretty bad in the ST department. it's producing results that are worse than proc'd out broadsword and a standard katana build by a large margin. the nerf to damage in momentum seems to be the biggest culprit, but that's up to folks who pay more attention than me

 


 

  • Like 1
Posted
  On 10/24/2020 at 6:39 PM, Kanil said:

as for "non-pylon content"

Expand  

That mission is a good test as it hits a lot of different criteria!

 

I only harp on pylons as the ST dps vs one has limited applications in nearly any given mission, which is what the game is made of.

Posted
  On 10/24/2020 at 6:59 PM, Galaxy Brain said:

That mission is a good test as it hits a lot of different criteria!

 

I only harp on pylons as the ST dps vs one has limited applications in nearly any given mission, which is what the game is made of.

Expand  

I will be Cristal clear : i love my scrapper to be the "big thing" killer, the AV destroyer.

 

I dont give a f..k to normal mission or content.

 

She's a tool for power, so as any tool if she will not be the best tool on live : i ll scavenge her IO+5 on her 3 builds and use them to create another better tool, whatever AT or build it could be.

 

Power is life,....

 

930125485_tenor(24).gif.96a3d89ea3d65d6886f84a63d05ff839.gif

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Posted (edited)

screenshot_201024-14-17-21.thumb.jpg.4a23b1854d1e9b113b890f4422c1f0b9.jpg

 

I thought i'd share this using a power analyzer.  To those who are wondering, this is the reason people are using pylons to test the viability of sets regarding single target damage.  The resistance is the same across the board.

 

This does mean a lot of those sets, especially C and below, do need a buff to single target and are in fact vastly underperforming compared to S, A and B tiers.  Very disappointed to see street justice at the bottom, makes me think I should shelf the bio/street justice character (yes, performance does matter to me a lot, no, i'm not someone who only uses the best of the best like someone else admits to here).  Maybe i'll reroll her as a bio/titan.  Also makes me strongly reconsider dual blades(in a bad way).  This also makes me think of another point; how are sets being played with attack chains?  Are you in this test making sure to use on high priority highest damage/activation time whenever possible?  I mean, not all sets have a consistent chain to them, especially in SO range.

 

And what about AoE testing?

Edited by LaughingAlex
Posted (edited)
  On 10/24/2020 at 8:24 PM, LaughingAlex said:

This does mean a lot of those sets, especially C and below, do need a buff to single target and are in fact vastly underperforming compared to S, A and B tiers.

Expand  

@Galaxy Brain's ratings aren't by pylon speed times, though. They're running actual missions and factoring in clearing time and faceplants.  Energy Melee is a 'C' set and that's with the new buffs making it a single target powerhouse, primarily from the ET HP drain and its emphasis on single target over AoE.

Edited by skoryy
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Posted (edited)

trapdoor testing, same build as above:


rules are basically the same shit as pylons: destiny OK, no judgement, assault off, only insp allowed is yellow (for blind because lol night widows/tarantula mistresses). kill everything except the pop-up guns (this skews ranged too much results-wise),

 

start the timer on pre-combat destiny. stop  timer when trapdoor goes blue.

 

the reason i always wanted vids is because player skill/positioning and enemy management are factors that come into play for live play and in this mission, and often times discrepancies can be accounted for based on that.

 

beta:

6m42s - initial run, had to get used to new AOE string/remember the feel.

5m12s

5m22s

6m7s (enemy scattering)

6m1s (spent time healing due to -def from t.mistresses)

5m42s (the hell is with all the x:x2 enders?)

 

live:

5m24s

4m48s

4m51s

4m54s

5m18s

 

mission wouldn't reset so ended here but i'm pretty sure i can dip into the lower 4m times on ideal runs - all of the runs on live had a lot of hitches from healing, blind and enemy scattering.

 

for reference, i ran a quick test on my ba/bio scrapper and got a time of 5m44s, which is above average but not 'great' as my fortunata and ice/bio chars  tend to get around 5m to sub 5m times as well.

 

immediate impressions are that the QOL changes are really notable, as is the buff to crushing blow (if it's intentional?)) - playing on the test server in terms of 'strings' feels a lot smoother because of the drastically increased recharge times, but the actual attacks themselves are significantly worse by a large margin. so it's weaker, but smoother (as intended).

 

the actual scale of the damage loss is pretty significant as far as i can tell - a large part of it is that crit strikes-> whirling smash as an opener doesn't wipe out most of the crowd so you end up having to chase enemies around more since they'll start scattering due to the lowered radius on whirling smash.

 

 

Edited by Kanil
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Posted
  On 10/24/2020 at 8:31 PM, skoryy said:

@Galaxy Brain's ratings aren't by pylon speed times, though. They're running actual missions and factoring in clearing time and faceplants.  Energy Melee is a 'C' set and that's with the new buffs making it a single target powerhouse, primarily from the ET HP drain and its emphasis on single target over AoE.

Expand  

 

Means even more that sets on such a low tier need a buff then.  Especially some of those that are meant to be good AoE sets like dual blades.  Though people should be considerate of enemy mob resistance ratings.

 

But AoE sets generally clear groups faster.  But theres also I guess issues with practicality, my street justice character, understand I LOVE the animations, they are quick and feel practical but the whole "combo" mechanic has a comparable problem to dual blades, forcing attacks in situations where they make little sense imo and gameplay wise it becomes impractical sometimes.  So that could also be cutting performance down drastically.

Posted (edited)

for reference, just tested a few trapdoor runs with kat/bio as well and was hitting around 5m30~s on those runs (with huge fuckups!), so beta tw is also worse than kat/bio in the aoe department as well, meaning it's overall output is worse than that set too.

 

ofc, it has more mitigation but those kat/bio runs included having to deal with healing more/using parasitic aura more anyways

Edited by Kanil
Posted (edited)

Just some quick thoughts after a pair of Borea mission runs on beta with my TW/Bio Scrapper just copied from live. I didn't time them, but I tried a +2x8 and a +4x8 just to get some ~actual play~ experience.

 

- Damage reduction is really noticeable all around, but really noticeable at +4. Safe to say that it feels like everything's kinda gone up in enemy rank (lieutenant kill time feels like old boss kill time, etc.)

- Whirling Smash's usability feels much worse and the radius doesn't really seem to line up with the animation anymore?

- Titan Sweep's damage/animation timing feels off in the fast version, probably because of the animation time change.

- I didn't really notice the end/recharge with Momentum. I guess this is mostly for the low end of builds but it didn't seem to impact my playstyle much at all.

- The redraw mechanic works really well from my bit of testing. It also seems to fix some damage timing issues with redraw during Momentum, which is great!

- Whiffs still giving you momentum is a huge QoL boost and I really like that, but...

 

The one change that threw me off more than anything else is the Crushing Blow change. It's non-momentum time is significantly faster and makes the whole set flow much better. I don't know if the change is intended or not since it's not listed, but if it isn't? Yikes. If it is, I find it pretty restricting that it's basically "use CB first or you're doing it wrong." Requiring a hit for Momentum to activate meant it could be smarter to use Titan Sweep to avoid whiffs and "guarantee" Momentum by rolling against a bunch of targets. Now there's not really any thought in the matter. I dunno if giving Titan Sweep a faster activation too is the solution, but right now it feels like you just might as well wait for CB even in AOE situations.

 

edit: and while it's on my mind, I'd really appreciate AoD being usable while flying. At the very least while near the ground like similar powers.

Edited by @Ghost
Posted

"Firstly, the mechanics of the set make the set difficult to get started with. Secondly, when fully built, Titan Weapons massively overperforms compared to other melee set in almost every metric."

 

My perception of this was that the game developers intended to reward players for learning how to manage a relatively clunky set. Taking the skill requirements away from sets destroys any sense of pride in specialization, practice, or mastery. I view City of Heroes as a relatively easy game and the skill needed to run Titan Weapons at a high level was something that allowed players to stand out from others.

 

Having tested the newer version of Titan Weapons I do not see any value-added reasons to play this set over any other set. I believe that continuing to make changes with this style of thinking will lead to a game where each and every character within an AT will play too similarly to one another and powersets will be differentiated only by visuals. 

 

I have enjoyed City of Heroes for the past 16 years, but a game where practice has no impact on performance is a game that I will tire of very quickly. 

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Posted

Honestly I am happy to see how understanding the community has been in this thread so far.

 

A lot of power players knew how OP the set was and officially publicly have known nerfs were coming since April. 

 

Constructive feedback is great.

image.png.440bd3ba66421192ca1fb954c5d313c2.pngspacer.pngFlint Eastwood

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