Rifleman Archive

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MelikyeKobine wrote:

I love master rifleman. Am going with a melee prof or two to compliment it. I was wondering what the maxes are on ranged and melee defense, what professions would max them out, and for that matter, what is the block max? Thanks in advance for your help!

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They all cap out at +125. I'm a Master TKA/Rifleman and I'm pretty close to the max's. However I believe if you take Fencer you can max it out rather easily.

To max out Block you will have to take Pikeman. Nothing else gives block. It also caps at +125.

the only problem with block is that it isn't working right. relying on a high block mod probably won't do much to increase your survivability. the fastest bonusses to ranged/melee defense do come from the first line of fencer skills (4000) and the novice fencer box. try a template builder out, and see where your skillmods fit.

one of the better template builders I've seen is available at:

http://swgcb.yogn.net/index.php

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lammergeier wrote:
the only problem with block is that it isn't working right. relying on a high block mod probably won't do much to increase your survivability. the fastest bonusses to ranged/melee defense do come from the first line of fencer skills (4000) and the novice fencer box. try a template builder out, and see where your skillmods fit.

one of the better template builders I've seen is available at:

http://swgcb.yogn.net/index.php

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What about Block isn't working right?

I'm still waiting for good data on 'block'. my personal feelings aside, it remains a disputed secondary defense in effect and in usability.


I know for a fact that a new toon without any combat skills dodges dodges noticeably when equipping a pistol, and while the dodge animation is easier to spot than block or counterattack, the combat log shows conclusively the number of secondary defenses fired. I haven't logged a combat queue in a while, but the last time I checked, I wasn't seeing any appreciable secondary defense (block/dodge/counterattack) from master rifle (at +80 there should be some effect). during the same time, I was testing TKA and CoB, and saw nothing to indicate that defensive acuity was working.

for a little while, the change from 2.5x melee damage to a to-hit bonus for melee attackers vs rifles was working BACKWARDS, making rifles almost impossible to hit in melee. checking combat logs during this period (which has since been fixed) showed a VERY few secondary defenses... but since dodge/block/counter ONLY work when a hit would otherwise succeed, the reduced accuracy of melee was probably more to blame for this.

most noticeable, and indisputable, is the fact that while rifles have a 'block' mod, the combat spam clearly shows a 'counterattack' effect. this could mean one of many things:

rifle skillmods offer block, but while holding a rifle, the counterattack skill is engaged... and might be based on counterattack skillmods (which might explain the low rate of these defenses firing)

rifle 'block' may be using the block skillmods, and firing a counterattack as defense

or... it could simply be a text error.


I'd like to see better data for this, but it'd really take a fluid template to test it effectively, and that means devs or QA's. even a correspondent can't change a full set of skills to match the needs of this test, and gathering the existing players who might fit is unlikely (unless you can find me a heap of rifleman/carbineers on short notice).

until I can find some evidence of block working as inteded, I won't waste my time or skill points to increase it.

more specifically, the pikeman correspondent posted the following (on July 11th):



Keldarin gave me some info on block this morning, and I think it's going to help clear up the problems with it. The first tidbit is that block was intended to only stop 50% of the damage, so that part is working right.

The good news is that they know because of that, it's a bit inbalanced to dodge. So, they'll be taking a good look at it soon.

They also know that it isn't working outside of CoB. He's going to track that bug down for us as well, but it may take a publish or three, it depends on how tough it is to track down.



the entire thread can be found here, which is referenced from our own FAQ concerning block problems:
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=pikeman&message.id=21700

since CoB is a melee-only skill, and since it doesn't work when a ranged weapon is equipped, I'd say it's fair to assume that rifleman block is not working. again, the only combat spam I've seen while holding a rifle is counterattack, never block or dodge. roll a new toon on a server, equip a CDEF pistol, attack a newbie spawn outside the local starport, hit peace, switch to the combat tab, and watch the spam roll. from all I've seen, dodge works quite well for novice artisans, while master rifle seldom if ever fires a secondary defense, working or not.

While using a rifle, I noticed recently how well block has been working. Currently I'm just a 2-1-1-2 Rifleman, that has the few Commando defenses that stack. Not sure if that makes a difference, but I doubt it.

I Have notice I still take considerable damage after blocking. I'd assume 50% minus armor is about right.

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lammergeier wrote:
more specifically, the pikeman correspondent posted the following (on July 11th):



Keldarin gave me some info on block this morning, and I think it's going to help clear up the problems with it. The first tidbit is that block was intended to only stop 50% of the damage, so that part is working right.

The good news is that they know because of that, it's a bit inbalanced to dodge. So, they'll be taking a good look at it soon.

They also know that it isn't working outside of CoB. He's going to track that bug down for us as well, but it may take a publish or three, it depends on how tough it is to track down.



the entire thread can be found here, which is referenced from our own FAQ concerning block problems:
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=pikeman&message.id=21700

since CoB is a melee-only skill, and since it doesn't work when a ranged weapon is equipped, I'd say it's fair to assume that rifleman block is not working. again, the only combat spam I've seen while holding a rifle is counterattack, never block or dodge. roll a new toon on a server, equip a CDEF pistol, attack a newbie spawn outside the local starport, hit peace, switch to the combat tab, and watch the spam roll. from all I've seen, dodge works quite well for novice artisans, while master rifle seldom if ever fires a secondary defense, working or not.

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Interesting. A good test would be to get a Master Pikeman and a Master Rifleman to duel using low end weapons and see how often they get a Block. Then have the Pikeman use CoB and see how much Block goes up.