Earth After Shock Advanced Mechanic...can we ever expect this devs?

First I want everyone who is interested in this and giving their own feedback on how they think it should work, look at my sig click the link and let us all know there how you feel it should be executed....

As for the title ... Devs I think if you took a poll and asked earth users what they'd rather see ... An effective after shock mechanic the can keep up with powers like gadgets quantums hard light ice advanced mechanics where using a Weapon mastery isn't not just unecessary but not ideal at all... Over the current pet mechanic where even if you beef up the pet mechanic (which most of us didn't want to be the center of attention for dps) the pets still doing the danage and you're just there to support her...

Guarantee most earth users will opt for jack hammering the crap out of adds til all that's standing is you and your bad assery over watching the pet have all the fun...

Don't get me wrong if you want to give us a nice aftershock am along with adjusting the pet am so earth can have two effective yet totally different ways of usin AMs like nature and hardlight have im totally for it...

But if it's its one or the other for us I want the after shock mechanic ...

So my question to the devs... Is what is the likelihood? Should us earth users quit now cause it seems as though our voices have fallen on mostly deaf ears (not to one dev who has been helpful most recently in fixing the hack hammer issue)

I know your standard response is you're always looking for new suggestions etc but the majority of the hardcore earth community on this forum, are kind of sick and tired of that response... We'd like to know where we stand ... Please don't take offense to that statement I mean no disrespect I'd just like to know what's going on...

Now my question to the earth users and those who might not use earth but want to chime in ... What do you think looks more appealing pets or after shocks...

Aftershocks

Well that's 1 for after shock

Got my support.

oh and Aftershocks

Aftershocks. Of course.

Not to kill any momentum on what you guys are doing here cause hey, more power to ya, but I just find it hilarious that you all have the same link for the same cause, posting about the same time on the same topic lol

No thanks.

I've no problems with the current AM. I don't care about scoreboard chasing. I've actually had some fun seeing how aggressive and nasty the Crystal golem has become while sitting back and watching the show (took down the Master of Misery in the Wastelands quite handily).

But most importantly for me, it provides variety. I don't need all the AMs to work the same way and wouldn't want to see that happen.

So again, no thanks.

Well I may have give. Lace a heads up in his thread...

Anyway radium where do you stand if it were up to you what would you choose...

Both, with Crystal giving the same damage, Aftershocks giving slightly higher damage, and a power-back mechanic that feeds Crystal.

Are we just talking about Jack Hammer here? We are well past Jack Hammer being a viable power.

End game is all about ranged abilities. I've never seen a use for it.

I'd rather see Crystal hit a bit harder, respond quicker, and use way less power. Maybe even have her power scale to a players Might.


So sorry, but no to Aftershocks.

Trying to get that hard light attention

Just because you don't have a problem with a weak pet, you wouldn't want to see other players get an effective and fun mechanic? Why can't there be both?

Emp? Would be the same range as jackhammer. Check out my link and see all the different ideas being thought up.

You don't want it and that's fine not gonna try and force you to change your mind.. But I want to clarify some things..

End game is mostly mid range to full range ... People are using moves like arctic gust emp mas terror and moves that are made for mid range damage in raids... At bosses yes they are doing more full range attacks...

Jack hammer is mid range ... Upheaval is full range..

But sayin we are past jack hammer isn't really meaning much they can easily make it "relevant" giving those of us who wanted an after shock mechanic and an am that didn't force us to let a pet do our damage for us while we just do wm combos...

I get it tho you're not a fan so no prob

100% support.

unfortunately there's probably only 10 earth players left after all this time anyhow. so i doubt you'll get much support OP. just not enough people left to support it.

adding aftershocks as the am for Earth would provide variety. making earth dependent on pets for endgame viability is the opposite of variety. it's also incredibly restrictive concept wise.

most earth players imagine moving earth around when they chose that power... not having the little pet... forcing them to play with the pet to be viable ruins the power for most.

I hear ya. I'm just afraid of these AM's becoming the same as WM, where everything is the same.

It's already going that route. These "power back" mechanics have made every load out the same for those powers. (yeah, I know it was somewhat already like that before).

WM took away all the existing combos we had for weapons. Now, we're losing most of the powers in our power tree.

Just look a Quantum. An entire tree is now rendered useless.

WM and AM's are taking this game down a really bad path.


I feel like the Devs have kinda painted themselves into a corner here.

thats how seismic is for earth right now. hell, geo is only really usefull with weapon mastery.

and yes i also think the devs painted themselves into a corner. but either way, the pet am, while fun for some, just isnt effective in end game content when compared to WM or any other am in game. that should change one way or the other.

In my particular case, I really enjoy using Crystal/Brick. I've always enjoyed using pet classes in other games. The problem here is the pet's AI; they're just dumb to say the least.
You'll often see Crystal using all her power attacking something that's just dead or immune to damage and she won't attack objects (pillars in ToD or Dox, etc).
Brick will jackhammer the schnitzel out of a boss that's in an immune state, or just stand right in the middle of a huge bunch of adds only to cast Entomb and die 2 second later, making you vulnerable and receiving massive damage. He will stand in AoE DoTs (like the beams in Artifacts, he doesn't block special attacks and some healer classes can't even heal him properly.

I always say the same thing: Make the Summon Golem power able to control what your pet attacks. After you summon your pet, you can target an enemy and use that power again, making Crystal or Brick attack that enemy until it dies or you target another one.
That way you can have Brick tanking some adds (or annoying them) while you tank a boss, or have Crystal killing weak adds while you focus on a bigger threat.
Maybe Fortify Golem can be used to shield/power your pet and make it use its special attack as soon as you hit that power (Brick's Jackhammer or Crystal's Striking Stones), giving you more control over what your pet does, since the AI is not good enough.

friends in our league discussed this a while ago. this is what we came up with (we posted it in another thread already) together. (go team FR!)

Overall changes. Both roles:

1) Striking stones, Shards and Tectonic Break should all be aftershock-able.
2) Max absorption messaging has to be added so that the player knows they're at max and when it's run out.
3) Update the Golems. They should appear more like what the avg player imagines a golem to look like. They should walk on the ground and be "large-brute" size characters. Pathing (door blocking) is probably a concern so turn this power into a semi-long lasting SC power similar to Triumverate. This let's fans of the golems have them, in a form that everyone wants, and still doesn't cause map obstructions.
4) As a general rule, any spawned boulders and Earth related objects should come out of the ground. Not from the sky.
5) Replace Meteor Shower (one MS in Fire is enough) with a "Landslide" power -> A stream of boulders and earth thrown towards a target in a cone.
6) Add a new "Fissure" power to fill in the last spot open. It would have rock eruptions from the ground. This fx was in the Alpha build of the game before launch so the art already exists.

Early Earth gameplay:


Advanced Mechanic:

I'd like to see the powers which show large boulders and rocks etc. spawn them in the world (for a short period of time and then expire). The AM would be related to how many rocks the player has spawned up at the same time. Aftershocking would spawn multiple boulders on successive aftershocks.

Each spawned boulder buffs performance by a small % or something like that and return power in DPS. The Earth objects would be weaponize-able. There'd have to be a cap of total spawned objects too. In DPS it could be a crit damage buff or chance etc. In Tank role each spawned boulder could add to max absorption. There'd have to be a cap though.

For example, the player aftershocks Striking Stones and spawns the 2 boulders that get tossed at the target but then after they lay around for a while passively buffing the player until they expire. Tectonic Break could work the same way leaving behind 6 pillars or something. You get the idea.

I think this would give the player a feeling like they're affecting the environment. I think that's a really important "feel" in a power like Earth.

It also adds a layer of strategy to playing as Earth and against Earth players. Targeting those boulders would be a high priority to opposing factions in PVP and for NPCs in PVE.

Side mite to that video ... Where is that clown style .. Dang