FFoK Self Only? Give us a Break!

[Jynne]

You know, I didn't think it through when I wrote the first post.

What I should have written is, "self only on buffs is bad."

Now that we have a 20% OE cap, there's absolutely no reason why the new profession self-only buffs can't be cast on others. It's a poor choice to buff into a weapon that is OE for you without continually getting outside buffs, since you can't count on those buffs not to run out when you need them most.

In the meantime, being able to get buffs from teammates for a wide variety of weapons will increase the value of our teammates and at the same time make a much larger variety of weapons viable at the high end for professions with poor weaponry choices based on their own profession buffs and skill colors.

Even if FC feels it's absolutely necessary to force us into molds... it would help for the professions being orphaned by these 'self-only' buffs and 'profession-specific' new weapons - in essence, all the nanocaster professions - if you created our molds and implemented them at the same time.

The designers are leaving doctors, crats, engineers, NTs, MPs, and traders in the lurch here. Our options for dealing damage are being taken away - first with the removal of the LLTS from drop tables, then with the LLTS/critical hit nerf that's upcoming, now with new buffs being self-only. And nothing is being added to replace or compensate for it, and no plans for adding anything to us are being announced.

I know things take time to code, test, debug, retest, debug again, and so on. I know the developers can't do it right away. But at least tell us, the unloved orphan professions, what's coming up.

[Cemetarygate]

AkodoReign, teaming versus single play is where our views differ. I have soloed my engineer to 50, and plan soloing him to 100. So, shall we say that FFoK has of little or no use to the single mission runners?

In regard to teaming. An engineer can yield a crit of 3,000, while the martial artist can yeild crits of 2,800. So, the problem isn't having FFoK or not, because I've shown the engineer can hit harder without. The problem is crits, the ability to hit enough times for 3,000 damage, not FFoK.

Thank you for the second post. I would be curious to know how much less damage the engineer does without FFoK in a same size mission.

Enri, Cemetarygate named after "Cemetery Gates" by Pantera. Mispelled intentionally so as not to potentionally violate any copyright laws.

DaveDread, more bots is a nice idea. Or perhaps something that could make them hit even harder and faster? (better than current trimmers)

Bionitrous, personally I've never claimed 'ownership' of the skill. I've always felt it would be nice if each profession could excell beyond all others in their skill.

[Bionitrous]

Bionitrous, personally I've never claimed 'ownership' of the skill. I've always felt it would be nice if each profession could excell beyond all others in their skill.

"their"?

[Cemetarygate]

Originally posted by Bionitrous
"their"?

...would be nice if each profession could excell beyond all others within each professions respected area of study and expertise.

[locomdenom]

Originally posted by Bionitrous


"their"?

Time to get over it, Bio. This has NEVER been a purely skill-based game.

It's becoming less so as time goes on, true, but it never was just skill-based. Professions intuitively should have advantages. The easiest way of doing this, if you truly despise profession requirements on weapons/armor, is to make nanoformulas mostly self-only.

[_____________Udjat13]

yea something needs to be done right away to compensate for this loss is all.

im very sad that a few of my freinds upon hearing this news hit the cancle button on their account. Thus the ranting and raving.(also having a level 95 ma engi that cannot cast slayerdroid played into the factor).

Please funcom do something. anything at all.

[Highorbit]

Engi's can only self cast slayer transferrence from level 195 (??) onwards (Solitus).

Earlier than that already requires external buffs and / or many special items.

All skills related to MA (5: phys init, MA, Dimach, Brawl) are dark blue for engineers. All defence skills (Evade Close Combat, Evade Ranged Combat, Duck Explosions) are dark blue.

Any Engineer specialising in trade skills will be unable to raise combat skills to any great extent until around level 150 due to IP shortage.

This game is based solely around combat, with more and more going towards a PVP environment. Any profession that isn't viable in a team combat situation is boring to play in the extreme.

Please stop with the rubbish about the attack ratings; Attack rating would only be relevant if there wasn't a large gap in the crit percentage.

*edit: My engi will no longer be changing to MA as planned, and will remain effectively on hold unless something is done about the profession.

[____________Intrepid]

Enginner as a solitus can only self cast at level 195 if they are twinked to hell. As it stands i am 51 points short of self casting transference at level 169. Levels 190-199 gives me 50 more points leaving me 1 short which i will be able to cover with a VTE or using nelebs but i cannot self buff my primus coat on and off so i don't really want to take a 1k AC hit just for the extra 1 level earlier i can cast transference earlier.

Anyways my engie won't be seeing alot of action til they are fixed.

[Drabin]

Originally posted by Jynne

Doctors - whose incredibly weak offense was already hurting badly from the removal of LLTSes and the crit buffing nerf - currently have only three choices for doing decent damage without expending crippling amounts of IP on multiple dark blue specials. There is the X-3, there is the Home Defender, and there is Martial Arts. Because of the damage-per-hit differential between those guns and punching, and the range advantage, the main attraction of taking the MA route was the ability to get a significantly higher attack rating and the speed. Making FFoK self-only dramatically reduces the attack rating benefit and will essentially force many Doctors to IPR and use shotguns or rifles.

Frankly, most doctors that I know are the type that enjoy grouping and don't want to work with combat at all.

The doctors that do complain over combat are usually the ones that enjoy going to PvP areas and the ones that do - do well. What amazes me is that you are well.. DOCTORS!

I know some don't care about wanting an RP aspect to an RP based game but show me one doctor in real life that wants to go out and kill someone instead of save a life. (even in war). Most of the professions that are easy to understand are geared after real life counter parts where you have Soldiers, Doctors, Agents, Bureaucrats, and even Engineers. Most of these are stereotypical in design but you have the choice to make them what you want.

The problem though, is when people (many people) play PvP and combat oriented doctors. It still amazes me why you even choose to play a doctor when you are so geared up towards combat/PvP/ and critical hits.

[Jynne]

Originally posted by Drabin


Frankly, most doctors that I know are the type that enjoy grouping and don't want to work with combat at all.

The doctors that do complain over combat are usually the ones that enjoy going to PvP areas and the ones that do - do well. What amazes me is that you are well.. DOCTORS!

I know some don't care about wanting an RP aspect to an RP based game but show me one doctor in real life that wants to go out and kill someone instead of save a life. (even in war). Most of the professions that are easy to understand are geared after real life counter parts where you have Soldiers, Doctors, Agents, Bureaucrats, and even Engineers. Most of these are stereotypical in design but you have the choice to make them what you want.

The problem though, is when people (many people) play PvP and combat oriented doctors. It still amazes me why you even choose to play a doctor when you are so geared up towards combat/PvP/ and critical hits.

After level 150 a properly implanted adventurer or two of the ubiquitous MAs on Rubi-Ka can heal a team through the average level 190 mission. There might a small problem with the boss, or if a real-mean enforcer shows up, but doctor healing just isn't required, just like calming isn't required. Damage rules: mobs die before they hurt you much.

Teams have no need for Doctors who can't do damage at that point - they are, in fact, a liability that slows down the team.

Furthermore, there are few experiences more frustrating than being a heal-only doctor who can't find a team their level, has several bad teaming experiences in a row, or who is travelling alone or gets seperated from the team and is attacked. Don't like being absolutely helpless? Don't play a heal-only Doctor.

[________________TOFU]

this is a good fix imo and yes it is a fix.
technically the people that were buffing others with ffok were using an exploit if you want to be picky about it.
"using a bug in the game to gain advantage"
this buff was meant to be self only, it says so in the description and its funny how in order to cast this spell on others you have to almost stand on top of them "1 meter range". to my knowledge this nano has been bugged since release.
. I agree with davedread and i hope engies get new/improved pets with GOOD pathing and very good dmg. As for engies doing less dmg after this fix, has martial arts mastery been made self only as well? if not the real loss in ma skill will not be much if an engie gets an ma mastery buff and still has transference.
i think the scope changes they might do will prolly hurt the engie more.
i disagree with the cookie cutter comments, i have np with how funcom has made "buffs" and weopons prof restricted.
if all items/spells/weopons ect.. were all open to everyone there would be no reason to have proffessions.....everyone would have a river6/complete heals/divest/ae roots/uvc/and mk shield and 15k plus hp that would be a REAL cookie cutter game where everyone used the same uber template. there has to be certain strengths and weaknesses in proffessions to keep them all unique and balanced, just my opinion.

[Drabin]

Originally posted by Jynne
After level 150 a properly implanted adventurer or two of the ubiquitous MAs on Rubi-Ka can heal a team through the average level 190 mission. There might a small problem with the boss, or if a real-mean enforcer shows up, but doctor healing just isn't required, just like calming isn't required. Damage rules: mobs die before they hurt you much.

Teams have no need for Doctors who can't do damage at that point - they are, in fact, a liability that slows down the team.

Furthermore, there are few experiences more frustrating than being a heal-only doctor who can't find a team their level, has several bad teaming experiences in a row, or who is travelling alone or gets seperated from the team and is attacked. Don't like being absolutely helpless? Don't play a heal-only Doctor.

Jynne I understand your point and your post completely. I want you to know this from the start. The problem is that Funcom seems to have mismanaged the profession priorities and have accidentally compounded problems for those professions. Taking another look at the doctor, I see the following problems.

First of all - They should be team oriented healers and helpers. Well the problem with this is even complete heals don't completely heal. Yes, some groups will go with a high level adventurer over a doctor but if given the choice they will most definitely choose the doctor first. Timing is essential for that to happen though. I have thought that doctors need some type of special team oriented helper buff that is unlike anything that is in the game currently. What should this be? How about..

Selective Nanobot Rebuilder - This nano will run as a side addition to the main heals of a doctor and will do a periodic checkup on the most damaged person in the party every few ticks. The type of heals should be complimentary to the doctors level and be scalable. Let's say for instance this nano can be used by 161st level. The damage that it could periodically heal on the most damaged party member would be something similar to 800 +2 per level. (1200 health each tick) at 200th. The time delay could be once every 10 seconds and the full duration of the nano could last for 10 minutes.

I really feel that most of the docs problems are not combat oriented but what they offer to a team for the duration of their career. This is just one example.

I do not believe that docs should be beefed up combatively because they should not be combatants (IMHO).

[Jynne]

Originally posted by Drabin


Jynne I understand your point and your post completely. I want you to know this from the start. The problem is that Funcom seems to have mismanaged the profession priorities and have accidentally compounded problems for those professions. Taking another look at the doctor, I see the following problems.

First of all - They should be team oriented healers and helpers. Well the problem with this is even complete heals don't completely heal. Yes, some groups will go with a high level adventurer over a doctor but if given the choice they will most definitely choose the doctor first. Timing is essential for that to happen though. I have thought that doctors need some type of special team oriented helper buff that is unlike anything that is in the game currently. What should this be? How about..

Selective Nanobot Rebuilder - This nano will run as a side addition to the main heals of a doctor and will do a periodic checkup on the most damaged person in the party every few ticks. The type of heals should be complimentary to the doctors level and be scalable. Let's say for instance this nano can be used by 161st level. The damage that it could periodically heal on the most damaged party member would be something similar to 800 +2 per level. (1200 health each tick) at 200th. The time delay could be once every 10 seconds and the full duration of the nano could last for 10 minutes.

I really feel that most of the docs problems are not combat oriented but what they offer to a team for the duration of their career. This is just one example.

I do not believe that docs should be beefed up combatively because they should not be combatants (IMHO).

The buff you're talking about is just a buff that automatically does what we already do, slightly better. Teams don't need it in day-to-day play.

The problem is that the Doctor profession is an unbalanced one in itself - it has one strength, and many weaknesses. No other profession is quite so one-sided (Agents, Soldiers, and Engineers come close... but not quite). We have some of the fewest 'light colored' skills of any profession - we have the fewest green-color nanoskills of any 'caster' archetype yet other vital skills (like our evades) are a hideous dark blue.

Doctors should be team-oriented, yes... but not utterly team-dependent. No other profession, no other 'support' profession even, is forced to depend on teammates to defend themselves, everyone has some kind of solo or self-defense tactic. For most 'casters' it's calming, rooting, or a pet. Doctors don't have those things, and so our self-defense/solo tactic is to squeeze out as much damage as we can from our skillset, and use our heals to outlast an attacker.

Give me calms, and I'll be able to put down my weapon. Improve my healing, and I won't. See the difference?

[Downsizr]

*cough*Crats don't need weapons*cough*

[____________Intrepid]

Problem with this game is that they have made it so the high damage proffessions. Enfs and MAs for example also are the most survivable and have the best evades while the lesser damage profs. (docs engies NTs) not only do low amount of damage but lack HP and also have the worst evades.

It makes no sense at all.

The ones who do little damage should be the most survivable while the ones who do the most damage and kill things fast should also die the easiest. Unfortunately funcom doesn't see it this way. Thus there are always going to be a couple profs which are WAY better then any of the others.

The lone exception to this really right now is new fixers. Lets hope FC fixes the other 6 gimped profs like they did fixers.