Pikeman Archive
Thread: Defenses will not stack after combat passes, says TH
Thunderheart wrote:
No this is definately still a skill based game.
Our goal is to get that balanced out so that players don't get hammered if they dont min/max the skill defenses. Right now its hard to get involved with PvP because power games have learned how to game the system and get unfair advantages and force specific templates.
We want to make it so that all the various templates are important and useful, and not just a specific grouping. All template choices should be valid for this premise to remain intact...
master pikeman
KaernLegorah wrote:
Marshrike wrote:What exactly is considered defense stacking?
Does this mean that pistoleer KD defense will not stack with TKA KD defense? Or is it just things like rifleman dodge, and fencer dodge?
Can anyone clear this up?
I'm not 100% but I think it means that NO defenses will stack. Meaning Dodge, Block, Counterattack, Defense vs States (Blind, KD, etc), Ranged Defense, Melee Defense, and any others that I forgot. At least, that's how it sounds to me.Clarification on this would be good though TH, is nothing going to stack or just profession specific defenses? Can we get a list of the defenses that won't stack?
I'm not a pikeman, but I'm curious about this also, and I feel clarification is needed.
It seems to me that they would inhibit stacking in all of them except melee/ranged defense and the Defense vs. states, as each profession has a different defense modifier that it concentrates on. i.e., TKA gets melee defense and unarmed toughness, Pikeman gets block, Fencer gets dodge and Swordsman gets counter attack. So within the brawler professions, nothing really stacks except for the protection vs. states and melee/ranged defenses.
I would assume their goal in this would be to stop people from getting Pistoleer 4000/Fencer 0040 and stacking the two different trees of dodge, as it seems patently ridiculous to remove all defense modifier stacking in the game.
Everything above is pure conjecture on my part however, and like I already stated, I think clarification is needed.
Q-3PO wrote:
We havea pikeman profession?
Ah-HA! We knew it! 
antares
master pikeman
I think defense stacking as is has already pidgeon holed a lot of people in specific templates. With so many different customizations its a wonder the devs could add enough variety to templates and balance it too. I got tired of seeing my server fill up with riflemen / TKAs. I'm not entirely sure how this is going to help that all.
I mean you could master two ranged professions but it will just be redundancy as neither your attacks nor your defenses will stack. You could master a melee and a ranged profession, but then again if you run in close and pull out your sword you are all of a sudden vulnerable to ranged attacks which defeats the purpose. Unless mitigation will still stack?
I think all you are doing here is cementing the position of medics and doctors in everbody's template. :/
I think a hard cap on defenses/offenses would be a much better idea. That way, those classes that don't have much of a defense can spend a few skillpoints to gain those defenses. Making it so nothing stacks, people will stop dabbling. Then in that case, the game goes from skill based to class based. In the end, it'll be a class-based game that poses as a skill-based one.
Bleh. No stacking will make things much more bland. If you really want to keep everyone from gaming the system too much institute a hard limit like I sugegsted in another forum the other day. Say +125 is the max bonus you gain from classes for any skill. Anything over is null and void. Then you can still get bonuses from Chef food or clothing, to another +25 in each category. You could possibly find someone with a +175 Counterattack and they'll be scary, but they've also done the legwork to get there. Right now the only combos that could get that high would be Dodge from Fencer/Pistoleer I think.
Hard limits on something like that do not restrict the player's choice, they just make it less good *grin*
Players want a malleable skill system which this choice will restrict significantly. Don't get me wrong, the skills that are already seperated by name are good IMO. Carbine/Pistole/Rifle speed are fine to seperate. You will be just as good at Dodging tho all the time. heck maybe say for skilsl like Dodge that when having another weapon type equipped your benefits from the other class are only half..so instead of +50 you get +25 from that class.
Astu (Valcyn)
Our goal is to get that balanced out so that players don't get hammered if they dont min/max the skill defenses. Right now its hard to get involved with PvP because power games have learned how to game the system and get unfair advantages and force specific templates.
This will force Min/Maxing. With this PvP will depend on who has the best equipment. If you have the right skill tapes with the best armor, weapons and the right set of BE clothing you will win. (As it should be!) To bad I don't have that option since I'm not a min maxer and the Idea of a Smuggler in armor doesn't seem right to me. Well at feast I found out now that going Fencer with my pistoleer/smuggler isn't going to help me and that I should buy that ugly armor if I want to PvP.
And what's wrong with stacking dodge from fencer with dodge from pistoleer. How is that not fair? It's a skill based game, I want all the dodge skill I can get so I don't have to wear armor.
I guess I'm confused about why you would make this change.