Jedi Archive

Over the course of the past two years I have seen alot of balance issues come up with SWG and other games, as well as alot of fixes going in to fix these imbalances... It appears to me that the problem with alot of skills as well as the fixes to those skills and abilities are the fact that they are all or nothing fixes which do a couple of things:

1. Open door for a different kind of exploit or abuse because the skill or ability is predictable.

2. Make combat boring because everything is predictable

3. Don't give opportunity for role-playing as a result...

My suggestion would be to implement many if not all of the balance, skill, ability, hate, AI related items on a rule not unlike the old pen and paper D&D world as follows... (follow along with me please...)

Set most (at least powerful) abilities and balances on a 1 - 20 scale or percentage if you prefer where the skill is checked or the result is checked as follows:

20 = amazing success (action works much better than intended! Good outcome

2 - 19 = action works as intended

1 = critical failure (action fails miserably bad consequences)

Let's use some examples here to illustrate:

Avoid incap on say a dark jedi master...

20 = avoid incap works and agro is held as intended with no snare 1/2 force cost

2 - 19 = avoid incap works as intended, agro is held, but snare enacted

1 = avoid incap works, but critters realize target is invincible and turnattack on other available targets 2x force cost

This way you know most of the time it will work as intended, however sometimes you might get lucky and be able to move effectively because of your excessive skill, yet other times you may fumble and blow the whole fight... this would make strategy a must and team work a must because you never know when you might make a mistake ...

Another example...

Healing others...

20 = heals target + 10% with no hate generated, 1/2 mind cost

2 - 19 = heals target w/normal hate generated

1 =Critter saw your heal and it pissed him off, 2x hate generated 2x mind cost

Another example...

Cloaking...

20 = cloaked, may interact with terminals etc (not loot boxes), no snare may perform actions on self

2 - 19 = cloaked, may not interact with any world objects terminals etc, no snare

1 = cloaked, snared, no interaction with terminals and boxes, snared 2x force cost

Of course there are millions of examples and numbers or bonuses and penalties could be tweaked but the point is that everything would not be so predictable and black and white and thus no need to totally nerf a useful skill to oblivion because it can be used in a predictable manner to exploit. If you didn't know it would always work, you wouldn't be as tempted to use it in an unintended way.

and it would give some pleasant crit successes occasionally too that could be hoped for etc... I just think this would give a new element to the game with out black and white nerfing everything useful to hell and back because of people using their skills...

The best example is the avoid incap balancing...

If you black and white nerf or use it you get this:

1. way it is now: you are invincible and can solo anything so long as you have force or a holocron (not right!)

2. way it will be: instant i escape button, "oh crap i'm losing, i'll hit AI" now the monster leaves and you escape...

3. snare (either way?) stupid, it serves no purpose...

same thing with cloak...

1. now - agro everything and drag it away from your friends....

2. later - if it doesn't agro, walk anywhere unbothered...

3. snare (either way?) serves little purpose...

If there were a random element to it with some risk, then you might successfully be able to do something, but maybe not... then you would have to use strategy and group planning to decide what will we do if this fails? just like in the real world...

Just an idea...

Lord'Akel of Bria