Teras Kasi Archive

Here is what I sent. I changed it a little based upon your feedback.

Hope this is acceptable to everyone.

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Top issues for the week..

1. The new HAM costs associated with Knockdown are way out of line.

Problem:

We would all like to have an answer as to why this was increased so drastically. From basic player testing, we find that the HAM costs to using this move have increased 500 - 600%. For many of us, using this move more than twice will bring us to near incapacitation. This is a highly frustrating nerf for our profession because it hamstrings our most useful special. Considering there are other professions that can use similar knockdown moves for considerably less HAM, you can see our concern.

Solution:

Return the cost to its pre-nerf state. It was was functioning well for us. In fact, it was our one unbroken special.

2. We would like some confirmation that our defensive skills are working properly.

Problem:

I think TK's and all melee professions in general need a statement telling us that our defensive abilities are 100% working correctly. We are without a doubt the "tanks" of the game. Defense should be our primary ability. Most TK's also wear very little armor to avoid the encumbrance. We must have some way to compensate for this.

Solution:

We realize there are issues with giving too much defense. The smart player could pick professions with overlapping defense abilities and become virtually untouchable. But there must be a way to balance this.

3. The attack range while wearing VK's needs to be increased.

Problem:

Our attack range while wearing VK's is shorter than when not wearing them. This causes problems while using some specials(unarmedLunge). It also gives us problems when attacking some of the larger creatures. The collision planes around some creatures makes it difficult for us to stay in range when wearing Knucklers.

Solution:

Make VK range the same as Unarmed range. This seems fairly logical.

4. The Meditation branch needs an overhaul.

Problem:

Right now, Our meditation branch very barren. It is always the last branch every TK master will pursue because it gives us the least benefit. Powerboost is good in theory, but it's costs are just too high to justify its use. Force of will is nice, but it's main benefit is for PVP it seems. Meditate is great, but most of us do not see tangible benefit from it until we reach master status.

Solution:

There are many ideas suggested to improve the Meditation branch. Some of those include..

- Give Meditation a +HAM regeneration rate along with the wound healing component.
- Create Meditation XP to be used in the advancement of the Meditation branch. Unarmed XP just doesn't seem to make sense for the Meditation branch. XP would only be gained while healing actually damage or wounds.
- Add a Kata skill to the branch. Performing a Kata could give give us temporary stat buffs as well as being extremely cool.

5. Why are Teras Kasi Artists not intended to chain specials?

Problem:

From the last TK update..

"Special moves should not be chained together for this profession since the HAM costs are expensive."

I think this is a confusing statement. Most other professions are allowed to chain specials with little problem. Also there IS precedence in the Star Wars universe for Teras Kasi artists chaining specials..

Here's an excerpt from the Holonet News Vol 531, number 55
http://www.holonetnews.com/55/sports/1359_1.html

"The Force was not with Jedi Knight Joclad Danva tonight. In the evening air of the final purple-hued moon of the season, the formerly undefeated Danva was humbled in teräs käsi combat by new Palawa Band champion Phow Ji. Ji ended the exhausting 47-minute bout with a rancor-rising, aryx-slash, nexu-grin combination."

If a TK in SWG were to string these moves together, they would probably incapacitate themselves.

Solution:

Lower the cost of specials across the board. Teras Kasi Artists are supposed to be masters melee combat. Once we get in melee distance of a ranged combatant, there should be no doubt about the outcome. The only way we can currently win close combat is by chaining specials.

Correspondent "pet"issue:

6. Give Teras Kasi artists and other Melee professions an elite "body enhancement" tree.

Problem:

In its current state, I don't think a TK Master is a truly ELITE profession. Yes, we are powerful melee combatants, but in comparison to other professions, we are sub-par. The average TK master is not necessarily stronger or faster than an artisan of entertainer. I think there needs to be some way to improve our overall body stats.

Solution:

Have a separate tree devoted to body enhancement available only to the master melee professions. Some of the possibilities include..

- Branches that increase the natural HAM regeneration of a player.
- Increase in the # of points available for stat migration.
- Increased natural running speed
- Increased resistance to poisons and disease

Etc..

With all the ways in which characters can currently increase their pools (Food, stims, doctors) I don't think its too out of line to as for a separate skill tree.

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The "pet" issue I submitted is more of a wish. I know there hasn't been alot of discussion on it, but its something Ive been wanting too see for a long time. Odds of happening? 1 and 1,000,000 but hey, its worth a shot.

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Thunderwulf wrote:

Here is what I sent.

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Thanks for your hard work, Thunderwulf. We're lucky to have you.

Thank you very much Thunderwolf, it seems you're on top of this. I pray that they listen to your words and fix the things you're bringing their attention to.

Well done Thunderwulf, this is about the best we can hope for and you specified everything clearly.

Thanks for trying bro.

Aurilius, Starsider

Ty Thund. Hope we don't get 5 word sentences in response again.

Only thing i don't agree with is that you said we should have pre-nerf cost on KD back... They aren't gonna do this, you should have bargained with them and asked for it to be inline with the Pistolwhip skill at about 100HAM or something. Now they will just ignore you all together.

Everything else looks good though! Nice work.

Pretty good suggestions... but coming from a background of being an everquest player there are somethings you have to rememebr when submitting something to the devs.

Only submit what needs to be submitted. If your class has been broken... ask for them to fix it. Knockdown, Defense, HAM costs.. thats it. The whole pet thing or body enhancement was too much I think. You are asking for the cake back, not for them to put icing on it. If you ask for too much, their vision of you turns to greedy, and the basic things you wanted may not even be considered now.

So in the furute Thunderwulf, if you are the person sending to the devs please try and keep this in mind. YES kata and body dev would be "cool" but it is not what every tka player wants right now. We want knockdown, we want defense, and we want our specials to not kill us.. that is all.

You've never bought a car before, have you Mystictrunks?

You failed to say anything about the fact that our specials damage was decreased and the HAM costs were increased; From what you sent; if they do fix it then they will just revert the specials back to older costs and leave us with the decreased damage, I will not stand for that; resend a revised report with that included; since its not a suggestion, they straight out lied to us in Q's post.

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MysticTrunks wrote:

Only thing i don't agree with is that you said we should have pre-nerf cost on KD back... They aren't gonna do this, you should have bargained with them and asked for it to be inline with the Pistolwhip skill at about 100HAM or something. Now they will just ignore you all together.

Everything else looks good though! Nice work.

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Well I wouldn't expect it to go back to what it was unfortunately, but when your haggling with someone, you always start by asking for more than what you expect to get.

looks cool for me only criticism I have is, do you think it is the time to ask for a Kata? I mean isn't that something kind of frivilous? You know asking for pistol twirls? Sure it would be sweet, but at the current time I don't think it really fits with our main concerns. The only thing that was wrong with us before patch was that KD stacked. That was the only issue I think I even posted that I would accept a nerf in dmg output if our specials were more useful. Stun/ blind/ and so forth. Any way just my thought.

Im glad we have someone thats with us and can be heard... Thanks

One word...

WOW!

That truly is an awesome thing you have written there Thunderwulf. I'm glad to have you as my Teras Kasi correspondent. I just hope that this time we get home explanations to things that may be declined. Instead of a random smiley face.