Bring Balance to Homecoming

[Scarlet Shocker]

2 hours ago, Billbailey96 said:

So I have a broader question related to this topic:
Is balance fun?

 

Ask Karl Wallender

[skoryy]

4 minutes ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

 

Ask Karl Wallender

 

Aw, c'mon, you missed the obvious comic reference!

 

 

[dukedukes]

28 minutes ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

But I don't understand how any of his bulletin points will accomplish this.

 

A basic example: no barrier means you take more damage, which means you could die. You do no damage while dead. What follows is strategy to not die, like using a mez power, etc. This would bring more value to all roles and functions in the game as the OP said.

[DrRocket]

At first when I saw the topic, I went yeah, I can get into it...

 

But the suggestions were not really of balancing nature, as I would define it.

 

I have been advocating for class rebalance, which is greatly needed in my opinion, specially with regards to Status effect protections

 

Having been in Beta and Live, had the opportunity to share thoughts with Jack Emmett, and a lot of the initial settings for it made sense.

 

In the original days, status effects were melee ranged, and because of that the Tank would need a lot of protection, the scrappers would need decent protection and support considered to be essentially ranged needed no protection. And if you look at how status effect protections were delivered followed this philosophy.

 

The problem is that status effects did not stay melee, all minions and above have ranged status effects with a number of them having snipe range! and boy do the mobs spam them!

 

Frankly, it made no sense for status effects to be melee ranged only, so making them ranged (not sure about the snipe ranged) was logical. The problem was that with such a major philosophy change, there were no changes in behalf of the support classes who now were getting bombarded with status effects! There were those, who claimed just fill your entire tray with break frees, which was a bit callous. No class should be forced to depend on inspirations to be functional to begin with. So the question in my mind, is how you correct this unbalance?

 

I had thought, to let support get over the only affect others handicap, which is arbitrary in my opinion. So for example many of the mez protections support has to become PBAOEs so they can get some degree of protection and keep the game otherwise balanced. Also by being a PBAOE the benefit is shared much more efficiently.

 

Other philosophy issues from the Jack Emmett days, was with DPS. Emmett's thinking was let DPS be proportionate with how much risk of defeat the individual class would experience. That is when essentially immune tank did very little damage and the totally vulnerable blaster had big guns. But when it went to support, they had all the vulnerabilities and no DPS to balance it. Take a Controller, it depends on their status effects just to stay alive, but they are weak against Bosses or better, taking 3 or more rounds to control a boss is too long if the boss has your number! It could be argued that the Tank should have the aggroe under control, but I seen way too many tanks that don't even bother with taunt, so is it fair to have many classes so totally dependent on another melee class? Today with IOs and good design, Tanks can go in and do not need support at all! And you call this balance? If by emmets no guts no glory DPS philosophy, controllers should do considerably more damage!

 

I just threw some thoughts on balance, its your opinion over how valid they are and that is fine. Just wanted to get you thinking and considering potential changes

 

Regards

 

[Ghost]

2 hours ago, aethereal said:

 

The concept that I believe the OP has is that this enables people to cover defense holes in their builds with high-end inspirations.  You open AH between every mission and fill your insp tray with purple/orange insps, and if you run out you grab more from your email even in the middle of a mission.

Never occurred to me that people did that between missions.

Of course I also don’t understand why people buy inspirations.

 

[TheMoneyMaker]

How to balance the game:

 

All ATs must have equal damage

All ATs must have equal defense & resistance

All ATs must have equal stun, immobilize, sleep, stun ability

All power sets must have equal range... split the melee/ranged difference by halving the distance of ranged attacks and giving the same range to melee

All fun must be homogenized and boring

All enhancements grant the same bonus regardless of level an origin

Take away set bonuses

Incarnate powers available at level 5 and scale appropriately

 

ONLY THEN will true balance be achieved

[Seed22]

1 hour ago, dukedukes said:

 

A basic example: no barrier means you take more damage, which means you could die. You do no damage while dead. What follows is strategy to not die, like using a mez power, etc. This would bring more value to all roles and functions in the game as the OP said.

Thats in no way shape or form how that would play out but I mean, the minmaxers have already laid bare how everything goes so many times we’re literally broken records at this point. 
 

I’ll give you a hint: Corrupters.

 

This thread as all of these threads like this are, isn’t about balance. 
 

Balance is used as a veil and buzzword to attack a style or particular aspect of the game someone doesnt like and try and rally others behind it. The hate for farmers has been framed as balance, the hate of IOs, also framed as balance.

 

I’d respect you all more if you were more direct about hating a specific aspect instead of balance this and balance that being thrown out as thinly veiled campaigns against certain things you personally cant figure out or that you hate because, imo, you see other people doing it better and got mad about it. 
 

 

Edited 14 hours ago by Seed22

[skoryy]

48 minutes ago, TheMoneyMaker said:

How to balance the game:

 

All ATs must have equal damage

All ATs must have equal defense & resistance

All ATs must have equal stun, immobilize, sleep, stun ability

All power sets must have equal range... split the melee/ranged difference by halving the distance of ranged attacks and giving the same range to melee

All fun must be homogenized and boring

All enhancements grant the same bonus regardless of level an origin

Take away set bonuses

Incarnate powers available at level 5 and scale appropriately

 

ONLY THEN will true balance be achieved

 

Any other recommendations, Buddy Syndrome?

Edited 14 hours ago by skoryy

[Indystruck]

5 hours ago, Yomo Kimyata said:

My suggestion has been to limit incarnate powers to two characters per account.  Want more?  Make more accounts or retire one of your godlike characters.  

 

I think you deserve props for coming up with one of possibly the worst possible solutions to stamp onto a game where part of the incentive is trying fun new combinations of powers.

[tidge]

2 hours ago, TheMoneyMaker said:

How to balance the game:

[...]

ONLY THEN will true balance be achieved

 

You forget "give everyone every enhancement/badge/accolade freely on demand".

[Yomo Kimyata]

1 hour ago, Indystruck said:

 

I think you deserve props for coming up with one of possibly the worst possible solutions to stamp onto a game where part of the incentive is trying fun new combinations of powers.

 

If you're not having fun with a combination of powers by level 50, how is getting incarnates going to change that?

 

But I will take props where I can get them!

[Clave Dark 5]

7 hours ago, Lunar Ronin said:

• Limit the Interface, Judgment, Destiny, Lore, and Hybrid Incarnate abilities to Incarnate content only.

Back on Live, I used to play on a lower population server.  I played red side exclusively.  I was working nights, but still had no trouble finding teams.  Then later, I did, so I switched the the highest population server.  Then I started to have trouble there as well.  One night, fresh out of the Zig with a brand new villain, I stepped out to find... no one about.  After some checking, I discovered that something like 80% of all villain characters online at the time were, yep, you guess it Frank Stallone lined up in Pocket D for Incarnate content.  If you restrict people on this again, that is what we'll end up with again, I figure.

[Clave Dark 5]

1 hour ago, Indystruck said:

 

I think you deserve props for coming up with one of possibly the worst possible solutions to stamp onto a game where part of the incentive is trying fun new combinations of powers.

Fun new combo of powers like the one giant AoE AND the one that gives you lots of Endurance to make up for your limping build?  It's so exciting!

[Videra]

7 hours ago, Lunar Ronin said:

• Make non-weapon ranged damage power set nukes crash again.

 

Let's not.

[Snarky]

See, I remember rant.  I insult.  Rarely I cheer.

 

But this is just around the bend out there.

 

you want a discussion…?  Noooo.  You want a private server with all your own rules.  Then you want a crowd to play there.  

[UltraAlt]

7 hours ago, Billbailey96 said:

So I have a broader question related to this topic:
Is balance fun?

 

 

 

AI Overview

 

The term "the balance and the Cosmic All" in the context of the Akashic Brotherhood refers to their core philosophy and magical paradigm within the World of Darkness roleplaying game, Mage: The Ascension. It encompasses their belief in achieving enlightenment and magical power through aligning oneself with the natural flow of life, balancing mind and body, and understanding the interconnectedness of all things. The Akashic Brotherhood's pursuit of this balance is intertwined with their mastery of "Do", a martial art and philosophy focused on physical and mental discipline. 

 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

 

1. The Akashic Brotherhood:

They are a Tradition of mages who believe that magic stems from the natural world and the interconnectedness of all things, rather than from some external force or source of power. 

Their core belief is that magic is a manifestation of the natural flow of life and that enlightenment is achieved by aligning oneself with this flow. 

They are known for their focus on martial arts, particularly the practice of "Do", which emphasizes physical and mental discipline and balance. 

In the World of Darkness, they are one of the nine Traditions of mages, each with their unique paradigm and magical practices. 

 

2. "Do" and its significance:

"Do" is more than just a fighting style; it's a way of life that emphasizes balance and harmony with the natural world.

It involves proper nutrition, exercise, sleep, and a mindful approach to all aspects of life, including thought, creation, and destruction.

The goal of Do practitioners is to achieve a state of equilibrium within themselves and their environment. 

 

3. The Cosmic All and the Akashic Records:

The Akashic Brotherhood believes in the existence of a universal archive of information known as the Akashic Records, which contains the history of all souls and their experiences. 

This archive is often referred to as the Cosmic All, representing the totality of existence and the interconnectedness of all beings. 

By tapping into the Akashic Records, Akashic mages can gain access to a vast amount of knowledge and understanding. 

 

4. The Balance:

The balance, as understood by the Akashic Brotherhood, is the harmonious interplay between various aspects of existence, such as mind and body, stillness and motion, and the individual and the universe. 

They strive to achieve this balance through the practice of Do and by understanding the interconnectedness of all things through the Cosmic All. 

Achieving this balance is crucial for their magical practice and their path to enlightenment. 

 

In essence, the Akashic Brotherhood's philosophy revolves around achieving a state of balance and enlightenment by aligning oneself with the natural flow of life and understanding the interconnectedness of all things through the Cosmic All and the Akashic Records, all while mastering the art of Do. 

[dukedukes]

3 hours ago, Seed22 said:

I’d respect you all more if you were more direct about hating a specific aspect instead of balance this and balance that being thrown out as thinly veiled campaigns against certain things you personally cant figure out or that you hate because, imo, you see other people doing it better and got mad about it. 

 

Could you be any more vile?

[skoryy]

9 minutes ago, dukedukes said:

 

Could you be any more vile?

 

I see we're redefining 'balance' and 'vile' in this here thread.

Edited 10 hours ago by skoryy

[Videra]

43 minutes ago, dukedukes said:

 

Could you be any more vile?

 

He's right though lmao.

[Techwright]

Chasing balance be like

 

Which reminds me: we could use a kiddie park somewhere in the city.

[Indystruck]

2 hours ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

Fun new combo of powers like the one giant AoE AND the one that gives you lots of Endurance to make up for your limping build?  It's so exciting!

Ignore those farming chores, skip your market homework, play any power sets that you want (so long as you only pick two characters to do it with or you can't engage with any endgame content), and ignore anyone who says otherwise.

 

Signature probably won't work as well if that idea goes into effect.

[TheMoneyMaker]

5 hours ago, skoryy said:

 

Any other recommendations, Buddy Syndrome?

Don't lump me in with him. I don't want that balance... I'm just saying that this is the way to achieve it. Personally, I love that there's imbalance in things... what you lack in one area, you make up for in another.

[Jacke]

11 hours ago, Lunar Ronin said:

How to bring balance to the Force Homecoming:

 

Like "bring balance to the Force" with Anakin Skywalker worked out so well for the Jedi.  Guess they forgot to define "balance" first....

 

Perhaps try a few of them individually, if possible.

 

 

Edited 8 hours ago by Jacke

[Troo]

12 hours ago, Yomo Kimyata said:

I'm watching the advent of Adjustable Recharge with suspicion.

 

Bingo

[ScarySai]

Jesus christ.

 

It's a dead game that HC was lucky enough to be first in line to grab the source code for due to SCORE.

 

Let's not actively try to ruin it with bad ideas that don't actually make the game better, thanks.

Edited 6 hours ago by ScarySai