What's Exciting About Rebuffing?

[Herotu]

You know the drill: timers, buffbars. Does remembering to reclick a button constitute gameplay?

 

I mean ... there's a game happening around us, but instead we're watching icons disappear. Surely the UI should be a tool rather than the gameplay itself (unless you want to do a puzzle minigame, which I've seen done effectively in, say, Alien Swarm:Reactive Drop).

 

So my question is, what is the thrill you getting out of rebuffing?

 

[VertigoIguana]

Sometimes it's fun to let them lapse, and see how tough these complacent so-called teammates *really* are. 😉

Edited March 25 by VertigoIguana

[Shenanigunner]

IMO, buffs should be on the numpad so they can be delivered as an integral part of paying attention to the game/players/interaction, and not by watching/clicking a line of icons.

[sbloyd]

On my Grav/Kin in MSRs, it's a fun game of NUMBERS GO UP.  Fold Rikti into the center, Fulcrum them so the murderball gets cranked, then Speed Boost 'em all.  How long can I keep those two values at max?  Fold some more! IT WILL BLEND!

[biostem]

37 minutes ago, Herotu said:

So my question is, what is the thrill you getting out of rebuffing?

I know it's a sour pill to swallow, but there are necessary aspects of a game, (for balance or other such purposes), that may not always be fun.  Having to make your way to a far away mission door, having to slot powers so you don't miss or run out of end too quickly, etc.  It's a combination of game mechanics, (some we like and some we don't), that make CoH the game we all love.  Why not just an "I win" button?  Heck, some would complain that the simple act of having to click even that is too much.  In simpler terms, though, it's because buff values, end costs, target(s), etc are all based upon some sort of calculation, and their durations are just one of many factors...

[KC4800]

As a person receiving buffs from another player, I never ask to be buffed. That is your decision. If you think I can contribute better if you buff me, then buff away.

 

I don't go into any mission without a plan for success based on my own power, skills, tools at hand (inspirations). I don't change my tactics because I am uber-buffed.

 

So to answer the OP's original question, as a buff-er -- Would I like it? To keep buffs on a person?

 

No.

 

I really don't play them except as a MM, I buff my own henchmen. They don't complain if I forget. That is about it for me and buffing. Not really my cup of tea to re-apply buffs to a fellow player. No joy in it at all, no sense of accomplishment at all. All the buffers out there must be wired differently than me if you find joy in it personally.

[MonteCarla]

I love buffing. 

 

The 4 minute ones (Sonic Shields, Thermal, Ice Shields, Force Fields) don't take a lot of attention since the devs wisely made them AoE, and I'll tend to do a couple of random teammates every two minutes. If I'm good, I'll try to catch everyone just before entering a mission and just before leaving for a bit of double stacking. (You count as a separate person every time you zone, so you can stack your buffs).

They're not a great deal of fun, beyond the warm fuzzy glow of knowing you've transformed your team from a little bit to a lot.

 

Empathy is where the real fun begins.

At high recharge, Fortitude is up just about enough to cover all 7 teammates. Doing this requires probably more concentration than anything else in the game, certainly more than scratching enemies with your claws ( to quote Magneto in X-2 🙂 ). Especially if you want to keep attacking. I learned how to target through my next ally on the Fort rotation to keep blasting and made teleport binds to select teammates for when we split. Doing all this while spot-healing,  keeping my favourite Blaster AB'd, and all squishies Clear Minded was an absolute joy because it was so difficult. Oh, and I'd be watching the minimap for finding just the right time to let off your auras.

Buffing is like PVP in that you're chasing unpredictable moving targets compared to attacking AIs.

 

Kinetics is a whole other thing too - two one minute buffs and your whole team is faster than you thanks to one of them!

 

Being a badass buffer (ie one who also attacks) makes you split your attention between the game world, Team HUD for buff timers and the minimap. I come away from a session doing that a little bit wiped and very satisified.

Playing a Energy Melee Stalker or damage aura Tank is how I relax in comparison.

 

I also love being buffed, and totally change my playstyle if someone's made me temporarily invulnerable of superfast or whatever. 

[PyroNugget]

i enjoy buffing and classes that do so far more than a simple* blaster.i have played a healer/buffer type since EverQuest days of yore.Hell,i even played one in pen and paper D&D in the early 80s, i just enjoy it more that straight DAMAGE!

 

the Homecoming AoE one and done buff was like pure heaven to me,and now that i know the base game mechanics a little better i know what to pump and what is good as a 1 slot wonder.

watching teams fly through content and say how easy it was knowing full well I was the one who made them at 45% DEF or better or better than +20% tohit--the off hand heal just because my other buffs are so good that panic healing isnt needed. and in between all that ,toss out some attacks(which more than likely will DEBUFF the target)

 

i just enjoy the buffing playstyle --DEBUFFING also works in a wicked satisfying way

[Scarlet Shocker]

2 hours ago, Shenanigunner said:

IMO, buffs should be on the numpad so they can be delivered as an integral part of paying attention to the game/players/interaction, and not by watching/clicking a line of icons.

 

Oh!!! You... absolute... BUFFER!

 

 

 

[Shenanigunner]

14 minutes ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

Oh!!! You... absolute... BUFFER!

 

No, no. "That'll buff out."

[Major_Decoy]

What's not to like about rebuffing? Someone has approached you and you're in a confident enough situation to be willing to turn down their advances.

[Scarlet Shocker]

3 minutes ago, Shenanigunner said:

 

No, no. "That'll buff out."

I've been told you look buff in spandex! Allegedly

[biostem]

I also imagine that a powerset that solely consisted of a bunch of PBAoE or ally-targeted toggles to maintain the buffs would be rather boring to play.  

[Major_Decoy]

1 minute ago, biostem said:

I also imagine that a powerset that solely consisted of a bunch of PBAoE or ally-targeted toggles to maintain the buffs would be rather boring to play.  

You've just described most Tanker primaries.

[Shenanigunner]

6 minutes ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

I've been told you look buff in spandex! Allegedly

 

Well, thanks. but I understand I'm the reason spandex is illegal in my state. 😛

[biostem]

9 minutes ago, Major_Decoy said:

You've just described most Tanker primaries.

Armor sets don't generally buff others, though.  In fact, it was kind of a big deal when shield defense included one such power...

[Scarlet Shocker]

1 hour ago, Shenanigunner said:

 

Well, thanks. but I understand I'm the reason spandex is illegal in my state. 😛

 

Clearly, you are in one helluva state!

[Scarlet Shocker]

15 hours ago, Major_Decoy said:

What's not to like about rebuffing? Someone has approached you and you're in a confident enough situation to be willing to turn down their advances.

 

 

What happens if your rebuffing is rebuffed?

[Saiyajinzoningen]

I think the purpose of short acting buffs is to keep the team together

I've played other MMO's with longer lasting buffs (900s)

and unless there's a raid with a boss with advanced mechanics 

longer buffs seem to encourage team members splitting off to do their own thing

 

[Ukase]

18 hours ago, sbloyd said:

Fold Rikti into the center

What is your global accuracy, and how do you have Fold Space slotted? I've never been able to port Rikti in the bowl, even using the Ultimate Insp. 

[sbloyd]

33 minutes ago, Ukase said:

What is your global accuracy, and how do you have Fold Space slotted? I've never been able to port Rikti in the bowl, even using the Ultimate Insp. 

 

I've never had problems porting them in as long as I had both the Ultimate running and my +1 Alpha shift.  My Accuracy is sittin' at 1.52x.  I use both Fold Space and Wormhole to do it (and Shadow Slip on my Warshade main).

[macskull]

17 hours ago, PyroNugget said:

the Homecoming AoE one and done buff was like pure heaven to me

That wasn’t a Homecoming change, it happened back on live.

[Mister Mass]

Last night I ran back-to-back-to-back WST Posi1/2 runs on my Bots/FF MM, my Water/Regen Sentinel, & my Sonic/Sonic Defender, & I had the same feeling that I have experienced before - when I am on my buffers, I'm not a huge fan of constantly chasing down my (seemingly ungrateful 😛) teammates to buff them, but I really miss buffing them when I am on my non-buffers like the Sent.  Watching the icons on the team & buffing the (soon-to-be) unbuffed adds a layer of investment in the run & is (perhaps strangely) more fun - probably because I feel like I am really involved in making the team better team rather than basically soloing within a team, which is what so many TF runs devolve into these days. 🤷‍♂️

[Ejlertson]

Im way more on the reciving end of buffs than on the providing.

So from the buttom of my Blasting, Tanking, Scrapping heart: THANK YOU BUFFERS. I LOVE YOU ALL.