Please, FC, need one simple game mechanics issue answered

[________AnotherFixer]

Does the combat algorithm first check whether a critical hit is dealt, or does it determine whether an attack is evaded first?

In other words, does the algorithm determine a critical hit and then negate the ability to dodge that attack, or does it truly only allow crit damage to be done once the ability to dodge is taken into account? It SHOULD take into account the ability to dodge first, but I'm not here to make judgements at this point...just need info.


Very simple question and it won't give away any big secrets. I am simply trying to determine why Grid Armor is so FUBAR in PvP and against MA mobs.

Your answer will be greatly appreciated.


P.S. Not looking for conjecture from the playerbase either. I have empirical data that can point to either case myself. Really just need word from the source.

[__________Lucid Flow]

Originally posted by Highjack
Does the combat algorithm first check whether a critical hit is dealt, or does it determine whether an attack is evaded first?

In other words, does the algorithm determine a critical hit and then negate the ability to dodge that attack, or does it truly only allow crit damage to be done once the ability to dodge is taken into account? It SHOULD take into account the ability to dodge first, but I'm not here to make judgements at this point...just need info.


Very simple question and it won't give away any big secrets. I am simply trying to determine why Grid Armor is so FUBAR in PvP and against MA mobs.

Your answer will be greatly appreciated.


P.S. Not looking for conjecture from the playerbase either. I have empirical data that can point to either case myself. Really just need word from the source.

Special Attacks and Criticals ignore evades and can never be dodged/evaded.

[________AnotherFixer]

Originally posted by Highjack


P.S. Not looking for conjecture from the playerbase either. I have empirical data that can point to either case myself. Really just need word from the source.

If that was true then a low level player with crit buffs could fire at me wearing GA MKIV and crit me. They cannot. This is why I said I am looking for word from the source.

[Ditka]

That certianly can be true, IF thier attack rating vs your evades results in a NEGATIVE modifier to thier crit chance, as I'm fairly sure it does.

[__________Lucid Flow]

Originally posted by Highjack
If that was true then a low level player with crit buffs could fire at me wearing GA MKIV and crit me. They cannot. This is why I said I am looking for word from the source.

Have you tested it?

[Vaporlok]

Funny thing happened to me last night. I was wrangling in HR 18 Omni-1 Trade. I'm sitting there casting a drain and the leet crits me, not once but twice.

I would tend to agree that a certain amount of hits that "land" should have a chance to crit. I do not think a certain amount of "attacks" should have a chance to crit.

Btw, 110 Trader, 400 Evades across the board, 3300 AC.

[____________IronTide]

Sorry to disappoint the original poster, but conjecture is all I have to offer. The (dated) Sybex Manual would have us believe the check for miss/hit/crit is all simultaneuos (p. 78).

For example: Attack skill = defense skill will yeild 100% chance to hit. But, there is a minimum 3% chance to miss and a minimum 3% chance to crit. As the attack skill exceeds the defense skill more, the chance to crit rises (and the chance to miss falls). As the defense skill exceeds the attack skill, the chance to miss rises (and the chance to crit... stays at the minimum 3%, how crit buffs interact with this is unexplained).

A low enough skill could yeild 99% chance to miss, yet the 3% chance to crit remains. What happens in the 2% intersection (97%miss + 1%crit + 2%both?) Probably a crit.

[ethernal3]

I have a level 12 trader who can crit on level 160+ people (for 300 damage I might add ), and never hit for a normal hit. So this is most likely.
~Chris

[________AnotherFixer]

Originally posted by IronTide

For example: Attack skill = defense skill will yeild 100% chance to hit.

A reason why conjecture is bad.

ATK = Evade yields 75% chance to hit.

However, after some more testing I've done myself, it is starting to look like crits do indeed negate DMS. However, its not 100% proven yet.

I sent email directly to FC to ask them to answer this one for us. I am of course, not holding my breath for an answer since they really suck at this kind of response, but we'll see.

[____________IronTide]

The numbers are likely fiction, but the mechanics may be sound.

[_____________Morfeen]

On a fubar event that happend week ago where clanners trying to find this Telion guy(lvl 250) out by the Rhompa Bar in Omni-1, had to get through some Male Guards that were suped up to lvl 200+.

My 82 MA couldnt hit them with normal attack by did crit a bit for 850 and brawl which were the only attack that landed and I am sure his evades exced my attack skill by a lot.

BTW - Never found Telion, dude dissapered and ARK Airframe said that no one know bout the event.

[_____________Nalissa]

Be careful when you're talking about GM events. Most likely they are balance tests. They throw out a little event (90% likely to be combat oriented) and then watch how the players interact with game mechanics.

I wouldn't put it past them to be analyzing the power of crit buffs in PvM by having lvl 80-110 players fighting lvl 200 mobs they should not be able to beat. Possibly they can throw in a mob with a negative crit chance to see how the tables turn.. hmm..

There was a massive event the other day where the GM's kept spawning more mobs and throwing them forward. The spawn rate would vary sometimes rising for a period of time, sometimes falling. Personally i expect they were tinkering with Dyna-Camp ideas or Capture-and-Hold and trying to see what level of spawn would be challenging for a large group. It's a cheap way to enlist 100+ testers on short notice.

What i'm saying here is that i wouldn't study the game by analyzing events, when most likely the events are being structured in such a way as to analyze you.