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Class Rebalance: Combat Focus
http://forum.starsonata.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=63552
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Author:  MasterTrader [ Thu Jun 20, 2019 8:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Class Rebalance: Combat Focus

What are the goals of the Class Rebalance?

I'm sure you've heard it before, or maybe even thought it, "Berserker sucks without modstacking!", "Speed Demon's evasion device is OP!", or "Gunner needs more single target damage!". Our goal with these changes is to make sure that classes accross the board are fun and viable in a variety of situations. As such, we're willing to look at everything including Focus Skills, Class Skills, Sub Skills, Adv Class Sub Skills, and Class specific super items/mechanics.

Here are a list of the high level goals we have while doing these class rebalances.

  • Reaffirm the role and general abilities of each class without regard to how that role is achieved.
  • Approach relative strengths of each class from a top-down perspective and bring the different classes more in balance with each other, while allowing each class to still be able to do everything to some extent.
  • Rebalance aspects of the game which are so powerful because of certain classes that they ruin other classes in some way or make certain aspects of the game useless to other classes.
  • Examine potential changes to the class trees on a class-by-class basis.
  • Adjust other facets of the game at the same time since this will be a good opportunity (Out of combat regeneration, cloaking/visibility/radars, adjusting resistances, adjust damage types, etc.)

With that out of the way, let's get to the specifics. What are the classes supposed to be like? What theme are we looking for?

Combat Focus

  • High Damage, high resists. Staying engaged.

Berserker

Main tank. High resists, high burst to gain aggro, low sustain.

  • Strategic Role: High burst, can take damage.
  • Squad Role: Main tank. Gain hostility, keep hostility, mitigate damage via resists.
  • Solo Role: Burst and lifesteal. Gain strength with multiple attackers.

Sniper

Sustained DPS. Lots of damage from range. Specializes in physical/knockback.

  • Strategic Role: Engaging at range. Counter to Light Fighters.
  • Squad Role: Do lots of damage for a long time to win long boss fights.
  • Solo Role: Engage at range. Kill enemies before they can close.
  • Note: Potentially move stealth into an advanced subskill.

Feedback

How do you feel about these classes, and this Focus? What's your take on the roles we have listed above? What are issues you have noticed? What are things you like? Try to answer these questions in specific context to the different "stages" of the game below:

  • Early game (Before you have leveled all of your class skills)
  • Mid game (After you have leveled all of your class skills)
  • End game (After you have acquired almost all of the gear, augmenters, super items, and bonuses/modifications needed to tweak the class to your preference.)
  • Wild Space PvP

Author:  ELITE [ Fri Jun 21, 2019 11:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Class Rebalance: Combat Focus

zerker deals no damage without mod stacking, should have higher damage than sniper does straight up. maybe closer to SD levels of dps. could use slightly more tank but that's mostly due to ai being balanced around hypertank zerks

could also use some kind of rage/berserk mechanic based around taking damage and dishing it back out when low, or a lifesteal/dps boost when low.


sniper is in a weird place. on runs its the highest sustained dps but requires engi/fc support to sustain dps. solo sniper feels bad due to lack of defense/mobility/stealth

i'd like the one shot one kill motto to be more literal. the torpedo rework might be a step in the right direction. more damage/less rof, remove the elec tempering garbage. it's combat focus. the highest sustained dps class should not be punished for firing for extended periods of time.


in general i'd like each class to have some unique mechanic:

sd killstreaks buffing damage/shields/elec sounds good

seers getting bonuses for successive backstabs or damage bonuses against lower health targets (think bloodletting of sorts, the more wounds the easier it is to finish something off) or maybe vulnerability to target on crit for squad debuffs

zerker needs some kind of rage mechanic that builds off taking damage and can be unleashed for some kind of bonus

sniper has analysis, that's fine. i'd like it to scale higher over longer fights tho, up to 5-10 minutes of analysis.

Author:  MasterTrader [ Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Class Rebalance: Combat Focus

Quote:
i'd like the one shot one kill motto to be more literal. the torpedo rework might be a step in the right direction. more damage/less rof, remove the elec tempering garbage. it's combat focus. the highest sustained dps class should not be punished for firing for extended periods of time.


We probably won't do this as high aloha strike damage can schew things pretty hard. The higher the upfront damage able to be put out, the more likely people can just skip mechanics and intended play patterns of AI.

Also, the reason Sniper gets +Electric Tempering is because the of amount of +Damage and -Rate of Fire they receive. Their bonuses actually result in a huge DPS increase with a significant increase to their DPE. The Electric Tempering increase is to reign that DPE increase back in.

Author:  veist [ Thu Jul 11, 2019 4:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Class Rebalance: Combat Focus

Since we are reducing the effective combat range to within roughly one screen, having inane range on snipers seem a bit redundant. It will be a significant nerf to the class if the class was built on having 3k to 8k range and then effective combat range is reduced to 2k to 3k. Might want to have a tactical role of being almost a Berserker, or being a Berserker that a lot less efficient to heal if thrust into a position where it has to take damage.

As a combat class, Sniper should expect to be taking some hits. It should also be mobile enough to re-position itself if it needs to disengage.

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