The Stats Revamp 1.1

Discussion in 'Stats Revamp Archive' started by Avair, Dec 19, 2016.

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  1. Avair Administrator

    Hello again! Welcome to the Stats Revamp 1.1, now available for testing on the public test server.

    Your feedback in testing the first-playable version of the revamp was very useful, and we want to thank everyone who participated again. A lot of the feedback to the overall goals was positive, but we had some clear misses in the details of how we got there.

    In this version of the revamp, we have focused on addressing those details, merging your feedback and our testing experiences together, and then figuring out how we could account for this feedback while still working towards our goals. (In this case, the goals we're working towards haven't changed. We are just working on how we get there.)

    We have not yet added additional powersets in this update, so only Ice, Mental, and Electricity are testable, and your revamp testing characters are back right where you left them so you can directly see how the changes impact you. We focused on a couple of key areas:
    • Ability Cool Downs
    • Power Regeneration
    • The Controller Role
    • General Balance
    Ability Cool Downs

    Cool downs are a powerful tool that we use to address pacing, power cost, effectiveness, and many other things as related to how combat works at a fundamental level. In the first-playable version of the revamp, we increased cool downs so that we could increase the effectiveness of each individual ability, as well as increase the time between crowd control abilities (again, so that we could make those not get broken out of or resisted as often). The idea here is to produce consistency for you guys, so you know what to expect when you use an ability.

    In this second version of the revamp, based on your feedback, we have decreased many of the previously-increased cool downs. We especially focused on role-specific abilities that power sets rely on to perform their core jobs. For example, we lowered the cool down of pull abilities for tanks from 12 seconds to 3 seconds, because we felt that the pull change too drastically departed from the standard methods of tanking, and because we agreed with your feedback, that cool downs that long decreased the pace of the game to an undesirable degree.

    Cool Down Summary
    • Decreased most cool downs.
    Power Regeneration

    Power regeneration is a core component of the game that influences practically everything else. We listened to your feedback and decided that requiring 1/6th of your load out to spam/manage your power is not as much fun as we thought. It’s...more of a chore, really. So, we have removed the self power over time from abilities, and we have given that power regen to everyone as a passive. This means we increased everyone’s passive power regen and require nothing for it.

    It’s important to note that we did like the attentiveness component of having to focus on your power. We noted that DPS is generally increased with the amount of power spent, therefore the more consistent the player is with their active power regen buff, the higher their DPS was. We liked that, but felt that it was too much of a chore to keep around, so we will search for other areas of skill to highlight. One of those areas will be in building your load out.

    Power Summary
    • Removed self power over time ability.
    • Increased passive power regeneration to make up for ability removal.
    • Pay attention to your load outs and think about power consumption.
    The Controller Role

    During this update, we also focused heavily on helping to more clearly define the controller role through game mechanics. Because power consumption and regeneration is such a big component of a rebalance update, the controller role was necessarily entangled and we felt we could give some clarification.

    The controller role has always been about three things: Power Heals, Controlling, and Debuffs. First, let’s talk about power healing.

    Power management is something that we like the controller having access to, but something we also want everyone to pay attention to. It should be something that you work WITH the controller to manage. This was part of the reason we added the self power over time ability (and we all know how THAT worked out!). That said, through the iteration process we have determined that the self power over time ability should go, and it follows that if that was a chore, so too is the group power over time ability that controllers have been forced to dedicate a load out slot to and spam.

    We have decided to make power over time from controllers passive as well, for each controller when they are in controller role. This means that the controller with the highest vitalization will automatically give their group power over time, passively, just by being in the group. This allows the controller to still be able to heal power strategically in a burst manner, but will not force them to maintain the chore of keeping a power over time buff up at all times. Controllers remain desirable for their now passive group power over time, but are free of that active duty, which then gives the controller more room to….

    Control! We determined that we like the controller controlling things so we increased the relative effectiveness of their crowd control abilities, when in the controller role. What this means is that we doubled the duration for each CC ability the controller has from 3 to 6 while in controller role. We also made it so that normal CC would no longer interrupt controller CC. Basically dominance decides whose CC is going to stick – except for tank pulls. Those just happen above others.

    Lastly, we have debuffs. We didn’t really do anything to these, yet, but we are keeping an eye on them. We want to test these changes out to see if we like them and feel like they add to the enjoyment of controllers. Please let us know what you think!

    Controller Summary
    • Controllers are all about power healing, crowd control, and debuffs.
    • Removed group power over time abilities.
    • Controllers now grant passive power regeneration to players in their group. These do not stack, and the highest vitalization wins out.
    • Duration of crowd control abilities in controller role are doubled from 3 to 6.
    • Crowd control abilities now get overwritten by other players based on dominance. Higher dominance means crowd control is less likely to be broken by other players.
    • Tank pulls overwrite every other crowd control ability, because tanks.
    General Balance

    We also made some global adjustments to numbers overall based on your feedback:
    • We adjusted the difficulty of the easiest NPC. He (or she) should no longer be getting one shot on the regular.
    • Block counter damage has been adjusted to match all other counter damage.
    • Increased strength of field effects (area of effect over time).
    • Temporarily disabled the iconic ability tree.
    • Like x 28
  2. Mepps Sr. Community Manager

    Bump! Read this first!
    • Like x 4
  3. Brother Allen Loyal Player

    This...this right here, makes me want to Test.

    You guys CLEARLY listened to feedback and acted on it. I have no issue at all with giving you guys my time and feedback when I see you all acting upon that feedback.

    I can't wait to get on Test tonight and try some of these things out.
    • Like x 10
  4. KobeEl Well-Known Player

    Thank You, Guys ! I'm updating the Test Server right now, but just by reading this new version it feels like you've really been listening to most of the feedbacks we took time to send. And it really feels good, I have hope that this is actually going the right way. No matter how long it will take to get all of it set properly. We all want the same thing. To make this game great again !

    For the Controller role and its PoT, that change isn't even a surprise or even a big change cuz of the 8 elite pieces gen mod that gave PoT refresh most of the time kinda did the same while using any power.

    It just opens the question (for later ofc), is there gonna be any elite gen mods after Stats Revamp ? If yes, some of them need to change cuz there gonna be useless.
  5. Mepps Sr. Community Manager

  6. DarkAya Dedicated Player

    LOVE THIS, best controller news since.. forever!
    Please, make Debuffs significant, debuffing is fun but only if you feel like they make the difference.
    e.g. I loved how crucial debuffs were for boss fights in Desecrated Cathedral Alert.
    I look forward for more! :)
    • Like x 4
  7. Derio 15000 Post Club

    This is fantastic news!!!!!
    • Like x 6
  8. Winter Sabel Dedicated Player

    Thank you.... :)



    Controller Summary
    • Controllers are all about power healing, crowd control, and debuffs.
    • Removed group power over time abilities.
    • Controllers now grant passive power regeneration to players in their group. These do not stack, and the highest vitalization wins out.
    • Duration of crowd control abilities in controller role are doubled from 3 to 6.
    • Crowd control abilities now get overwritten by other players based on dominance. Higher dominance means crowd control is less likely to be broken by other players.
    • Tank pulls overwrite every other crowd control ability, because tanks.
    General Balance

    We also made some global adjustments to numbers overall based on your feedback:
    • We adjusted the difficulty of the easiest NPC. He (or she) should no longer be getting one shot on the regular.
    • Block counter damage has been adjusted to match all other counter damage.
    • Increased strength of field effects (area of effect over time).
    • Temporarily disabled the iconic ability tree.
    Someone was watching the chat on the test server about non roles stuns over ridding controllers stuns and tanks pulls.
    Then the damage from blocking being adjusted . :)

    I will add that in the last test there was a blind spot if attacking or being attacked from behind where there was zero damage for each attack. I could face my back towards NPC's and take zero damage & the same would happen while attacking NPC's from behind. I will test this again on this new test.
  9. ChillCat Loyal Player

    SUPER GREAT!!!!
  10. Korlick Loyal Player

    That will apply to powers that always had a longer cooldown than Inescapable Storm/Iconic Lasso, like Backdraft?
    • Like x 1
  11. Dr Torched Well-Known Player

    I'm really excited about the Troll changes. I was even more excited when i read dom determines CC, then read except for tanks. Idk if you notice but as 6600 dom atomic tank i have to pull numerous times to get a add that has been hit with an emitter or nearly any quantum move. lol All good tho because trolls won't drop pot anymore <3 den/den
  12. BLK Well-Known Player

    Thank you Dev team.
  13. PSYL0CKE X8 Well-Known Player

    Sounds great!!
  14. Black Prime OG Devoted Player

    • Like x 3
  15. Ragnarok Well-Known Player

    Passive PoT eliminates the worst of controller derps. Great changes; especially for pugs and new players.
    • Like x 3
  16. Pack_Mane Well-Known Player

    so in test we see if all mental stuns are now being pulled by a tank?

    They should all be manageable like harvest , correct?
  17. sepiaskidmark Committed Player

    It's does say there that tank pulls override the controller stuns.
    • Like x 2
  18. MarvelUniverse Well-Known Player

    Wow. WOW. Could not be happier with these changes.

    You listened. You're improving the game. You're doing a great job.

    And we really seem to be heading back to the game being fun again.

    This is making me WANT to be a controller again. BECAUSE I'M ACTUALLY CONTROLLING, not just spamming power.
    • Like x 2
  19. VIRALITY Dedicated Player

    Holy crap they listened

    [IMG]
    • Like x 3
  20. TheDark Devoted Player

    If this isn't the correct thread for this feedback feel free to move it to the correct one if possible. I believe Mepps can do that.

    But oh man... Mr Avair sir... I am disappointed. This is totally an unwanted changed from my perspective.

    Quick feedback on power healing
    What was sold to us was something different other than what is given to us here. I understand power healing has to be adjusted to address the overall damage out performed by powersets (d.p.s. not through weapons but through powers philosophy), but you just completely altered the Controller role in a way no long time dedicated player to that role will enjoy. I'm not saying this as someone who plays casually, or someone who knows basics about the Controller role, but as probably one of the very few players who can go into detail on how it works on live in regards to every aspect of the role (CC/debuffs/sheilds/power healing/taunttools). So I'll do my best to give you examples on live and how it differs on test. Overall, Stats could have been further redistributed or reduced in effectiveness to be compatible with the current direction for damage.

    Overall sir your team has completely dumbed down the role to point where a controller just has to be there in controller role for PoT to work. I understand how some players will prefer that as it is much easier to work with. However, you've taken away the very engaging factor of power healing. That includes the Controller having the destiny to control the cast and cycle of Power Over Time. Power healing is very basic in this game, but on live you can still separate bad, average, and really good controllers based on how they handle Power Over Time.

    That includes awareness to the 25 second PoT cycle, 19/20seconds (open to the 24th second) of a Double Tick window, and casting your PoT power again during the appearance of the blue PoT tick numbers for players who are coming into line of sight or were just revived (this is called PoT syncing) so that the original PoT cycle is not delayed to the rest of the team. If that is worded funny I can rewrite in a simple manner upon request.

    All the above is gone on test. That's what makes the battery aspect of the role totally boring now. I mean really, it's killed. As a player I don't need to focus much on power healing other than making sure my supercharge is constantly incoming. This is in conjunction with using the Empowerment instant power heal which now has a 3 second cool down. I will agree that is a bonus. Despite the changes, this is a move decided to make the role easier for a majority of the player base I suspect? The claim that it will open up for more CCing for controllers is also conflicted. I will provided evidence below.


    Testing done on Test Server Today. Obeservations of mechanics & bugs
    On Test, you just need to be in controller role. The entire duration the player is in controller role provides an innate Power Over Time that is based off your Vitalization and it pops a tick of the innate PoT every 2 seconds.

    Bug: If there are 2 controllers, lets say the highest VIt troll goes dps, the controller with the less vit stays controller but his PoT innate cycle will not function unless they leave group and come back because the game is still registering the higher vit even though the player has switched roles. Or if they also switch to damage role (so the game registers there is no troll) then the lesser vit troll switches back from dps to controller role. Then their PoT cycle will work.

    In one case, less vit troll stayed and had pot active. Then higher vit troll switched from dps to controller role and their PoT innate would not register even when they had the higher vit. Only less vit troll innate PoT functioned.

    Line of Sight is still in effect so as long as players see the controller, they will receive PoT innate and the Instant power heal from Empowerment for the distance of 1 Midtown Metro police department block from east to west (which is uuuggge and still a plus).

    Empowerment still cost power in both roles for those that thought it doesn't. It's just a very cheap cost power to cast.It also works the same way on live in where it delivers power in both stances. However, only on test does it give power back in both roles to the player casting empowerment. Once players have reached end game stats, dps instant power heals will not be the same as a controller's in controller gear depending on stat focus of the players.

    No changes to Bastion power supercharge were observed.
    • Like x 7
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