Maybe, but then again. If more people are there using new & improved PFF, if you want to be a good support, you'll likely adjust your build to cater to the demand.
Wow.... so you think it is also acceptable to just say "if you want to be a good tank you should not use PFF, afterall you have to cater to the demand". If so why are we even having this discussion.
Just like with the arguments over interrupts working on bosses without a cooldown, you are just aiming for something unrealistic again. I can see this turning into another disappointment for you, but that is really someting you're doing to yourself.
If you have never used PFF against VIPER, you need to do so and observe the unique interactions.
It's fairly easy to test, though I can't do so for a bit. Or you could post a section of a combat tab showing pulson tech at work. However, "I get ripped up right through my force field" is not distinctive, you also get ripped up right through protection field, unbreakable, blocking, invulnerability, ...
As now, but change regeneration to be faster at low health, instead of slower (this won't prevent it from dropping to nil, but at least it's useful at nil)
Maybe, but then again. If more people are there using new & improved PFF, if you want to be a good support, you'll likely adjust your build to cater to the demand.
Wow.... so you think it is also acceptable to just say "if you want to be a good tank you should not use PFF, afterall you have to cater to the demand". If so why are we even having this discussion.
Just like with the arguments over interrupts working on bosses without a cooldown, you are just aiming for something unrealistic again. I can see this turning into another disappointment for you, but that is really someting you're doing to yourself.
I didn't see that in their post..though that last support thing about catering to demand? Mmm, I don't adjust for anyone, ever, on anything(build wise), ever. So that won't bode well for me personally..guess I'll just be out-dated
Buffing everything to stupid high levels and nerfing everything to piss poor levels yields the same results, but not the same community reactions.
Wow.... so you think it is also acceptable to just say "if you want to be a good tank you should not use PFF, afterall you have to cater to the demand". If so why are we even having this discussion.
Here we go again, taking things that I've said the wrong way.
Maybe in future I should stay out of things and just allow them to turn into complete crap because people who don't use X are dictating how X should work.
Maybe you'll have more luck trying to get me to stay out of things once MY **** starts working correctly.
We're having this discussion because neither of us, nor anyone else on this thread can definitively say "X needs to be on PFF and it will be fine.", another reason this discussion is going is because certain people fail to understand what I'm trying to accomplish, which is for PFF to be self-sufficient TO A POINT.
Why? Because nothing on this thread has been implemented nor has it been tested. If this stuff was on PTS and we were able to mess around with it? We would ALL be in a better position to have a more productive discussion.
Again, I am not asking for PFF to be god mode. I am not asking people to not tank with PFF. I am not trying to invalidate support builds when it comes to PFF.
As you can probably tell, I'm getting tired of recycling arguments because people don't read or they misinterpret what I am saying.
Take note. THIS is what I am trying to say:
"PFF is currently underperforming. I have ideas and suggestions to make it perform better, and here they are."
I am not saying "if you want to be a good tank you should not use PFF".
The bit about catering to demand? That does not apply to everyone everywhere who wants to be a support, you can support PFF and not be a bubbler.
(Note: My statement, that you quoted, was more to do with the idea that, if PFF is more attractive and MORE people use it...it is likely that there will be more support users who utilize bubbles. This is not to say that you cannot be a fantastic support to PFF without bubbles. When I was in TA, I was mainly managing my PFF and was getting healing from the supporter as well as the occasional Mindful Reinforcement. The biggest assistance that support user gave me was AoRP.)
How?
PFF at all percentages of shield remaining (max % and half etc) will let a portion of damage through. It does NOT function like Protection Field, Mindful Reinforcement, Hardened Particle Matrix, Bastion or Energy Refraction. Those forms of shields absorb 100% of damage before dissipating.
This means that when I encounter damage, my HP will ALWAYS be affected, even by tiny damage.
Support builds right now, can assist me, by: healing my HP, providing a resistance or stat boost via their auras (both spec and slotted passives) and applying shielding to me and of course resurrecting me if/when I die.
Also, please tell me how many PFF tanks you see running around? And then compare that to Invuln/Defiance/Regen/LR number of tanks.
Not many players take PFF as a defensive passive "seriously" and that is because internally it is lacking.
Just like with the arguments over interrupts working on bosses without a cooldown, you are just aiming for something unrealistic again. I can see this turning into another disappointment for you, but that is really someting you're doing to yourself.
I can also see this turning into another disappointment, I always go forward with that assumption when it comes to PFF/Force or Telepathy and Crowd Control, since this is CO and generally speaking certain forum users don't like uniqueness as it challenges what is currently available (aka "I don't like that X being powerful or on-par challenges the way I think about CO or it challenges my build, so I cannot support it, just make it like everything else and focus on something else.")
Why?
Because players with the mindset of not wanting or promoting build diversity or those who are against PFF being buffed as a passive (from in internal point of view) will likely win out and a band aid style fix will be applied (like allowing healing powers to affect PFF), which means that PFF simply moves away from using blocking and field surge as a crutch and for basic content requires support characters.
Whereas, LR/Invuln/Defiance/Regen characters do not require support characters to be joined at the hip with them in order to function well in content.
It comes across (at least to me, I don't know about anyone else) like "you" (not specifically you) basically don't want PFF to have any semblance of self sufficiency and do not agree with the idea of tinkering with it to make it better as a passive because you are fearful of the fact that it may actually work and then become more widely used.
From where I'm sitting I'm asking for PFF to be made stronger using the suggestions I've provided. If it doesn't work or if that is OP in PRACTICE then fine, we can go from there, but telling me "it's not going to work, despite the fact that no one has tried it" is not going to convince me.
Basically, all that needs to be done is for PFF to be fixed from the inside out as I've said earlier...multiple times.
If after those changes...PFF still needs additional help? Then we can discuss or look into adjusting EVERY SINGLE HEAL POWER EVER to affect PFF, so that sage and yourself can be happy.
I think the main gripe is that healers cannot restore PFF, however the problem becomes;
"How many healers can easily restore values in excess of 7k in a few shots?" The answer is "Virtually any dedicated healer can."
Then you have to consider: "If healers can restore PFF like they can with HP, how do we make it so PFF is not the new FoTM for tanks as it can be constantly replenished by healers, benefits from resistances and stacking shields, blocking etc.?"
Do you see the problem?
If not, that's fine. Personally I'd like to avoid having to nerf support powers just so this idea of PFF healing works.
It'd be much easier, I think, to implement what I've said, allow the passive to remain unique and allow it to heal itself better and be self-sufficient enough so that in basic content, the user does not have to constantly monitor PFF to see if they need to turtle up for 10 seconds until PFF gets stronger again because they know that NPCs now can remove PFF in combat if they aren't careful.
This would mean that in higher level content, the use or requirement for support would still be at the forefront. Support builds would not have a diminished capacity vs PFF and PFF retains it's uniqueness.
--
Off topic part:
The cooldown was incredibly excessive (40-80 seconds) and triggered whether you interrupted or not, so of course that was bad design.
The other problem was that NPC AI was simply not good enough to deal with it, and that's something I can agree with. I did say and have said (whenever this was brought up) that whilst it was incredibly empowering, it was not balanced.
New Telepathy was a disappointment in so many other different ways though. This didn't stop me from using it.
It's fairly easy to test, though I can't do so for a bit. Or you could post a section of a combat tab showing pulson tech at work. However, "I get ripped up right through my force field" is not distinctive, you also get ripped up right through protection field, unbreakable, blocking, invulnerability, ...
Alright, I'll try and poke some VIPER Soldiers now.
As now, but change regeneration to be faster at low health, instead of slower (this won't prevent it from dropping to nil, but at least it's useful at nil)
I can also see this turning into another disappointment, I always go forward with that assumption when it comes to PFF/Force or Telepathy and Crowd Control, since this is CO and generally speaking certain forum users don't like uniqueness as it challenges what is currently available (aka "I don't like that X being powerful or on-par challenges the way I think about CO or it challenges my build, so I cannot support it, just make it like everything else and focus on something else.")
Why?
Because players with the mindset of not wanting or promoting build diversity or those who are against PFF being buffed as a passive (from in internal point of view) will likely win out and a band aid style fix will be applied (like allowing healing powers to affect PFF), which means that PFF simply moves away from using blocking and field surge and for basic content requires support characters.
"Unique mechanics" aren't automatically equivalent to build diversity. If anything, they're the opposite, because they pose unique challenges and require band-aid fixes every time something tuned for the majority of content breaks them.
Which, again, means the thing with the unique mechanics either becomes under-powered (like PFF is now) or over-powered (a hypothetical PFF that doesn't need any support powers but a block and Field Surge).
I'm not opposed to a bit of homogenization being thrown at PFF just to bring it up to par with the other Defensive Passives, especially since, with its current power level, it could probably keep all the current mechanics, have stuff added to make it play nicer with the entire rest of the game and still be the weaker choice in most content.
You could easily add some form of heal-scaling (which would be done on the PFF end, not on every healing power) and some form of benefit when it's depleted (I like damage resistance scaling with inverse of shield %, as I mentioned two pages ago) without eliminating the existing mechanics and not make it overpowered, because at that point you can tie it in to every other balancing decision made about the game and still make it competitive.
And as far as me being afraid PFF's going to "challenge my build"...I barely play tanks. I hate tanking. My main's a bubble-spamming healer that's been completely invalidated by Genetic Siphon (lol Psionic Healing...), and is in the middle of an extensive rebuild.
My preferred build is, literally, the one type of healer (could swap AoPM for AoRP) that can actually be of use to your hypothetical buffed PFF (that still doesn't benefit from healing unless it's being ignored by bleed-through, depletion or Genetic Siphon), and would probably be in high demand if your numbers-buffed PFF was somehow strong enough to become the new hotness for tanking.
And yet I still don't think your proposal is enough, and I don't think it's possible to fix it for the gamut of content solely by buffing its existing numbers.
As long as you're assuming the people who want to buff the damned thing are doing so in bad faith and that the only way to have "build diversity" is with dysfunctional mechanics that are walled off from the rest of the game, you're probably always going to be disappointed.
I am not saying "if you want to be a good tank you should not use PFF".
I'll say it. As the power stands right now...use something else for tanking lairs. Yeah, I'm able to do it but I've spent years overcoming this mess of a passive in order to do it.
Also, here's my suggestions on getting started with making PFF look like an actual choice when creating characters:
1. Remove the shield regen penalty. Completely. There was no need for it to ever be implemented at all. 2. Add some form of innate damage resistance to the shield. Have it work in a reverse manner compared to Regen. Regen starts high and lowers as your health drops. Have PFF start low and increase as the shield drops (and MAINTAIN this resistance should the shield break) 3. If healing is to be allowed to affect PFF, then let it do so at a 25% effectiveness compared to HP.
Just my thoughts. But seriously. Number 1 has got to go.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
I'll say it. As the power stands right now...use something else for tanking lairs. Yeah, I'm able to do it but I've spent years overcoming this mess of a passive in order to do it.
Also, here's my suggestions on getting started with making PFF look like an actual choice when creating characters:
1. Remove the shield regen penalty. Completely. There was no need for it to ever be implemented at all. 2. Add some form of innate damage resistance to the shield. Have it work in a reverse manner compared to Regen. Regen starts high and lowers as your health drops. Have PFF start low and increase as the shield drops (and MAINTAIN this resistance should the shield break) 3. If healing is to be allowed to affect PFF, then let it do so at a 25% effectiveness compared to HP.
Just my thoughts. But seriously. Number 1 has got to go.
Thank you, I did not want to be the one lol, I'm already in enough trouble
I asked some VIPER Soldiers to fire at me and thankfully they complied. I managed to get some screenshots of what I meant, but I'm positive you'll accept it or whatever when you are in a position to test yourself.
Example 1: This is how PFF generally interacts with incoming damage. It always takes the large portion to shield layer and a bit dribbles through as shown here.
Example 2: This is how PFF interacts with incoming PULSON TECH damage. This becomes more pronounced with the less damage resistance (from Defense) that you have but it is still observable. Now you can imagine multiplying this by 5 or more with VIPER Soldier's fighting you with PFF.
Example 3: Just for lolz, I thought I'd include a snap shot of what your HP looks like when you are being hit with Pulson Tech vs PFF. Just so you're aware of why I claim that "I'm ripped through shields vs Pulson Tech".
Note: There is a similar interaction between Pulson Tech and Protection Field but Protection Field will take the larger amount of damage in comparison to HP, which is not the case when it comes to PFF.
Example 3: Just for lolz, I thought I'd include a snap shot of what your HP looks like when you are being hit with Pulson Tech vs PFF. Just so you're aware of why I claim that "I'm ripped through shields vs Pulson Tech".
I remember the first time I attempted Serpent Lantern on Elite. Heh...that didn't go very well.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
Example 3: Just for lolz, I thought I'd include a snap shot of what your HP looks like when you are being hit with Pulson Tech vs PFF. Just so you're aware of why I claim that "I'm ripped through shields vs Pulson Tech".
I remember the first time I attempted Serpent Lantern on Elite. Heh...that didn't go very well.
Yes, lol!
I actually thought I was bugged, so I logged in and out several times thinking that would solve the issue...oh I was so mystified back then
As now, but change regeneration to be faster at low health, instead of slower (this won't prevent it from dropping to nil, but at least it's useful at nil)
2. Add some form of innate damage resistance to the shield. Have it work in a reverse manner compared to Regen. Regen starts high and lowers as your health drops. Have PFF start low and increase as the shield drops (and MAINTAIN this resistance should the shield break):
The simplest solution is probably to give it some sort of defensive advantage that's always-on (even when the shield's down) and enable some form of outside healing to provide some sort of benefit to it.
Couple that with something like recharging faster when it's completely depleted and possibly a damage resistance component (like Regen and Medical Nanites received) that scales inversely with % of shield strength and you'd probably be in business.
I'd target those two aspects because it'd still retain all its special snowflake status (existing mechanics aren't changed), just gets a few bonuses to fix one of its glaring problems and make it play nicer with teammates.
So what do I need to do to not be accused of acting in bad faith, "not wanting my build challenged" or "not liking build diversity", even when I make the exact same suggestions?
Is there like a secret club or something? Maybe a handshake?
PFF as a toggle form instead of a passive -- drops when it hits zero and needs to be toggled on, full charge gives full health
Hm, not what I thought it did; looks like it's probably halving the amount of PFF absorption or something. In any case, I remember pulson tech being super-annoying when I first ran into it (nowadays, you solve it with the theory of 'defeated foes do no damage') and wouldn't mind it being changed, but it seems more like a side point.
So, here's a pretty simple proposal for PFF: Field Health: as now, but remove the interaction with compassion because wtf? Field Regen: for an undamaged field, this will be equal to baseline healing for regeneration. This increases as the field takes damage (+50% when below 2/3, +100% when below 1/3, +150% when at zero). This is the same maximum as Regeneration. New Advantage: Internal Fields (1p): some portion of your force field permeates your flesh. Halve the health of your force field. Add the same amount to your maximum hit points.
This seems competitive with existing passives. The Internal Fields advantage will make you supportable by a hp-focused healer and gives you spike resistance without the need for massive amounts of Con.
So what do I need to do to not be accused of acting in bad faith, "not wanting my build challenged" or "not liking build diversity", even when I make the exact same suggestions?
Is there like a secret club or something? Maybe a handshake?
You need to worship The Sun God with me, every morning at 5:07AM.
You'll notice that I never opposed the idea of adding damage resistance to PFF, it is a valid (in my eyes) method of assisting PFF in addition to fixing the shield regeneration rate and value.
Hm, not what I thought it did; looks like it's probably halving the amount of PFF absorption or something. In any case, I remember pulson tech being super-annoying when I first ran into it (nowadays, you solve it with the theory of 'defeated foes do no damage') and wouldn't mind it being changed, but it seems more like a side point.
So, here's a pretty simple proposal for PFF: Field Health: as now, but remove the interaction with compassion because wtf? Field Regen: for an undamaged field, this will be equal to baseline healing for regeneration. This increases as the field takes damage (+50% when below 2/3, +100% when below 1/3, +150% when at zero). This is the same maximum as Regeneration. New Advantage: Internal Fields (1p): some portion of your force field permeates your flesh. Halve the health of your force field. Add the same amount to your maximum hit points.
This seems competitive with existing passives. The Internal Fields advantage will make you supportable by a hp-focused healer and gives you spike resistance without the need for massive amounts of Con.
Interesting proposal (thank god you agree about Compassion).
The only thing I'd adjust is:
Field Regen: for an undamaged field, regeneration per 3 seconds stays the same values it grants now. This increases as the field takes damage (80% PFF = additional +50%, 60% PFF = additional +100%, 30% or less PFF = additional 150%). I say this because there should be an encouragement not to allow PFF to get to zero before it sees reasonable benefits.
Perhaps having Internal Fields would not only halve your overall force field but also grant reduced values to shield regeneration as another trade off for having half of your shield added to hit points.
Field Regen: for an undamaged field, this will be equal to baseline healing for regeneration. This increases as the field takes damage (+50% when below 2/3, +100% when below 1/3, +150% when at zero). This is the same maximum as Regeneration.
Field Regen: for an undamaged field, regeneration per 3 seconds stays the same values it grants now. This increases as the field takes damage (80% PFF = additional +50%, 60% PFF = additional +100%, 30% or less PFF = additional 150%). I say this because there should be an encouragement not to allow PFF to get to zero before it sees reasonable benefits.
Honestly...I think that varying shield regen, whether up or down, is bad and probably why this power is such a fustercluck.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
No, this power is a mess because the shield regen is too low to be useful and there's very limited other ways to repair the shield.
I don't think that my nearly 10% shields per shield regen tick (base at 100% shield strength) is too low. It only gets to be too low when this varying shield regen kicks in as the shield takes damage. At the 8.2k shields that I have on my main, he gets ~795 per shield regen (base). This gets cut in half at around 60% shield strength. It's this that is a big issue for me. Trying to sustain a shield with what little we have that is only popping a regen strength of 397.5 every 3 seconds. I suggest we first eliminate the varying shield regen and test from there.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
It's low enough that I'd pretty much never take it. My suggestion was faster regen when damaged, not slower...
I misinterpreted what you meant in your post. Sorry for that.
I'm all for a faster regen, but it doesn't need to be overly complicated.
We can do away with the varying shield regen, just keep it a static number and increase the shield regen tick rate to 1.5 seconds.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
You have no BLEEP BLEEPING IDEA how much you have to give up to accommodate force cascades already retarded energy cost
I do, gradii. As I have a lvl 40 force toon. INT/REC/END, MSA, and a definite order of battle to get things to work! But as FC generally wipes out the opposition in one hit, that's pretty much all I need. I think it's a bit much to expect to maintain a Force Field at the same time.
I do, gradii. As I have a lvl 40 force toon. INT/REC/END, MSA, and a definite order of battle to get things to work! But as FC generally wipes out the opposition in one hit, that's pretty much all I need. I think it's a bit much to expect to maintain a Force Field at the same time.
My EGO Con/Rec Cascader has no issues firing off a full Cascade either. No energy form required and can still maintain enough DPS to hold aggro against most bosses when I run alerts with her.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
We can do away with the varying shield regen, just keep it a static number and increase the shield regen tick rate to 1.5 seconds.
The point of varying regen in my model is that it's a tradeoff -- as your shield gets lower your spike resistance goes down but the amount of support you need also goes down. Without that tradeoff you'd need a regen rate somewhere in between
Energy Tanking -- PFF doesn't have health at all, it just causes you to take damage to your energy bar until depleted.
No-one has talked about it since the beginning of the thread, but I think it would be cool to have PFF tied to energy somehow. Probably not just having your energy take damage instead of your health though. Instead, I like @magpieuk2014 suggestion, where generating energy past a certain point either grants shield HP or Increases Shield HP regen. This would be in addition to building energy, of course, but I would want to see some sort of benefit of having a large endurance pool for it. I like the suggestions you guys have for it, I just think something completely different from the other powers would be awesome. Tying Hp to energy would be that "completely different".
No-one has talked about it since the beginning of the thread, but I think it would be cool to have PFF tied to energy somehow. Probably not just having your energy take damage instead of your health though. Instead, I like @magpieuk2014 suggestion, where generating energy past a certain point either grants shield HP or Increases Shield HP regen. This would be in addition to building energy, of course, but I would want to see some sort of benefit of having a large endurance pool for it. I like the suggestions you guys have for it, I just think something completely different from the other powers would be awesome. Tying Hp to energy would be that "completely different".
No one has talked about it because it is a very bad suggestion.
I say this as it would then force PFF users who want to do well to stat Endurance...and also since we have freedom of gear you could just single stat end and slap on PFF.
And before you ask "Who would even try to single stat END?"
I have and I know that tying energy to PFF levels is a phenominally bad idea.
You have no BLEEP BLEEPING IDEA how much you have to give up to accommodate force cascades already retarded energy cost
I do, gradii. As I have a lvl 40 force toon. INT/REC/END, MSA, and a definite order of battle to get things to work! But as FC generally wipes out the opposition in one hit, that's pretty much all I need. I think it's a bit much to expect to maintain a Force Field at the same time.
???
You have three energy stats and you struggle to pull off FC?
I don't even get how that's possible.
My only energy stat is REC on my PFF build and I can pull of FC fine.
Complete BS to tell me I shouldn't be able to maintain my passive and attack.
Do you lose your passive of Defiance when you use Haymaker? No. I didn't think so.
You've misunderstood. Gradii was saying that FC has a high energy cost and that you have to build for that - I think that's fine, and I was just agreeing about the extent to which that's necessary. INT/REC/END may be OTT but that's what I decided on when levelling the toon and it works fine.
And the other point was just that - for game balance - it's probably a little much to expect characters to be able to throw off 6000 point attacks easily and maintain a 8K shield strength at the same time.
And the other point was just that - for game balance - it's probably a little much to expect characters to be able to throw off 6000 point attacks easily and maintain a 8K shield strength at the same time.
There's no reason for it to be harder than it is for any other defensive passive, though I'm not especially impressed by complaining about FC cost, since my main is PA and burns energy faster than an FC build.
As now, but change regeneration to be faster at low health, instead of slower (this won't prevent it from dropping to nil, but at least it's useful at nil)
A few years ago I was part of a discussion on these forums much like this one. The discussion was vital to fixing the problems with PFF and layering of it's support powers, resistances, blocking etc.
During that discussion I constantly mentioned that I felt the actual number being regenerated by PFF was fine it just needed to be applied every second instead of every 3. I also proposed an idea that the field itself have a passive Damage Resistance as an inverse of field health. Basically the lower your PFF's "health" became the more damage resistant it would become. For example at R1 a low level PFF may have 1000 "health" at full health it has no innate DR other than from gear, blocking etc. Now let's say the hero in question takes 100 damage to his PFF the field is now at 900 and the PFF gains a 10% DR (subject to cryptic math of course) up to 99% DR for a PFF at 1% health. Of course at R2 and R3 this DR value would have a 1.5 and 2.0 multiplier.
No one has talked about it because it is a very bad suggestion.
I say this as it would then force PFF users who want to do well to stat Endurance...and also since we have freedom of gear you could just single stat end and slap on PFF.
And before you ask "Who would even try to single stat END?"
I have and I know that tying energy to PFF levels is a phenominally bad idea.
I may have not explained myself very well, I apologize for that. I didn't mean that your energy took damage instead of your health; that was the option that I picked only because it was most similar to what I wanted to see tried out. Instead, I wanted to tie energy building to Shield HP regen. If you build energy, it heals your shield. I understand that some effort would need to be made to ensure the numbers are balanced, but I think having it on something like the PTS just to try it out would be cool.
The only "problem" I am seeing with keeping PFF regeneration constant, is the it removes most of the incentive to keep your shield up. I think that is a pretty important thing to decide first, do you want PFF builds that have their shield is their primary defense, or are you ok with using your health to soak up lots of the incoming damage and have the PFF just shave off some of that damage.
The only "problem" I am seeing with keeping PFF regeneration constant, is the it removes most of the incentive to keep your shield up. I think that is a pretty important thing to decide first, do you want PFF builds that have their shield is their primary defense, or are you ok with using your health to soak up lots of the incoming damage and have the PFF just shave off some of that damage.
Unless shields can be externally healed, you're going to be forced into the second option.
As now, but change regeneration to be faster at low health, instead of slower (this won't prevent it from dropping to nil, but at least it's useful at nil)
There were actually 3 options i wanted to vote for... but this was the most important of the 3...
Ideally PFF should work as follows
1) Faster regen at low shield 2) Healed by ALL bubble powers (including Force Bolts w/Energy Refraction) 5% of bonus shield value as instant heal +50% of remaining bonus shields upon expiration. 3) Have a Field Surge rider ability that can be used more often at an energy cost. 4) Have an innate Resistance value, perhaps one that improves as the shield weakens... it doesn't have to be very large but it does need to be at least noticeable.
So... a PFF user becomes tougher as their shields drop. Activating a 3k Protection Field would restore 150 shields to PFF instantly and then up to 1500 more if PF lasts its full duration. Field Surge itself would remain as an AD, but a new power would be added to PFF as a rider that only includes the PFF restoration effect at an energy cost with a significantly shorter CD.
And the other point was just that - for game balance - it's probably a little much to expect characters to be able to throw off 6000 point attacks easily and maintain a 8K shield strength at the same time.
No need to be funny. I read what you said, which is why I responded the way I did.
You claiming that it would be "balanced" for PFF to drop whenever Force Cascade was fired is so backward I honestly cannot even.
To put it into another context most may be familiar with here's what it amounts to:
"Whenever you use any Tier 3 attack, your SLOTTED PASSIVE is degraded and/or removed entirely."
To further illustrate:
"Player X runs around with one of the following: Invulnerability / Lightning Reflexes / Defiance / Regeneration. Player X is in combat and decides to press Unleashed Rage or Typhoon or Force Cascade or [Insert Hard Hitting Attack] on a group of mobs. Player X, upon unleashing this ability, loses any and all the protection granted by his passive."
^ That's basically what you are claiming would be balanced.
I may have not explained myself very well, I apologize for that. I didn't mean that your energy took damage instead of your health; that was the option that I picked only because it was most similar to what I wanted to see tried out. Instead, I wanted to tie energy building to Shield HP regen. If you build energy, it heals your shield. I understand that some effort would need to be made to ensure the numbers are balanced, but I think having it on something like the PTS just to try it out would be cool.
No, I understood that.
What you are forgetting are the NUMEROUS ways that we can gain energy in Champions Online:
- Energy Builders - Energy Unlocks - Circle of Arcane Power - Blocking - Breaking out of Holds - Activating Form Powers - Stacking Form Powers
Do you not see how linking energy building to making PFF work is a bad idea?
Not only are you making this power more undesirable by forcing potential and current users to continually stream in energy in combat in order to maintain their passive, but you also have added an extra dimension to the whole "Defend-Your-Passive" mechanic that PFF has to deal with on a constant basis.
On the other hand, you risk making PFF so OP, that PFF users (in order to feel useful or to keep shields up constantly) feel they have to grab Circle of Arcane Power and Endurance in order to make the optimal use of PFF in combat.
That is unnecessarily limiting and makes things WORSE.
The solution to all this is simple and I've stated it multiple times:
Personal Force Field Update:
- Shield Regeneration Rate per 3 seconds has been adjusted to tick every 1.5 seconds. - Shield Regeneration Rate is now a stable value which is not affected by being in combat. It will always regenerate for the value stated on the tooltip. - Shield Regeneration Rate scaling has been improved slightly. - Personal Force Field now comes with a new power called "Force Burst". Force Burst ranks up as you rank up PFF. Force Burst grants the user 50% of their maximum Personal Force Field value instantly and doubles the current regeneration rate of PFF for 20 seconds, but can only be activated at less than or equal to 40% maximum PFF. This ability has a 30 second fixed cooldown.
If anything, that would be an excellent starting point to making PFF better. In place of the "Force Burst" or "Field Burst" addition, innate damage resistance to shield layer (something which I've also suggested before, like others) would be great.
As now, but change regeneration to be faster at low health, instead of slower (this won't prevent it from dropping to nil, but at least it's useful at nil)
the innate damage resistance needs to be in addition to... not an alternative to... PFF suffers from a complete lack of any sort of resistance, for a defensive passive that is very detrimental... it forces PFF users to build up heavily in Dodge &/or Defense to improve their survival. Simply adding as little as 25% resistance to PFF would do wonders for it's survivability.
the innate damage resistance needs to be in addition to... not an alternative to... PFF suffers from a complete lack of any sort of resistance, for a defensive passive that is very detrimental... it forces PFF users to build up heavily in Dodge &/or Defense to improve their survival. Simply adding as little as 25% resistance to PFF would do wonders for it's survivability.
My initial suggestion years ago was along the lines of:
30%/40%/50% added damage resistance to shield layer...if we could have what I stated plus damage resistance PFF would be on point.
As now, but change regeneration to be faster at low health, instead of slower (this won't prevent it from dropping to nil, but at least it's useful at nil)
you and I are pretty much in agreeance on how PFF should work... though I still think the shield regen should improve atleast a little at low shields...
and I strongly believe that other shield powers should heal PFF by 5% of their shield value initially and an additional 50% of remainder when they expire... thus allowing an option for support builds to effectively support PFF users... while not being overpowering... thats % of the shield powers shield not % of PFF btw... so a support tossing a 3k PF on a PFF user would restore 150 shields instantly and another 0-1500 shields when PF expires depending on how much of PF's shield remains when it expires... spamming 3k PFs would restore PFF by 150 a pop but thats offset by PFs moderately high energy cost, and the fact that by the time you can throw out 3k PFs enemies will be hitting hard enough that spamming 150 shield heals to a PFF user is in no way overpowered...
you and I are pretty much in agreeance on how PFF should work... though I still think the shield regen should improve atleast a little at low shields...
and I strongly believe that other shield powers should heal PFF by 5% of their shield value initially and an additional 50% of remainder when they expire... thus allowing an option for support builds to effectively support PFF users... while not being overpowering... thats % of the shield powers shield not % of PFF btw... so a support tossing a 3k PF on a PFF user would restore 150 shields instantly and another 0-1500 shields when PF expires depending on how much of PF's shield remains when it expires... spamming 3k PFs would restore PFF by 150 a pop but thats offset by PFs moderately high energy cost, and the fact that by the time you can throw out 3k PFs enemies will be hitting hard enough that spamming 150 shield heals to a PFF user is in no way overpowered...
My biggest concern is sabotage...from other players who don't like / don't want other things to be as viable.
This happened last time and PFF pretty much remained in the same place it was in.
The main objective should be to encourage players to maintain shielding but not in a way that requires them to be overly obsessive or build around PFF to a high extent.
Having regen tick faster at lower shields doesnt really help if a massive burst spike nukes PFF through blocking.
I'd rather have what I posted there as a starting point.
Other things like regen ticking faster at lower shield values or PFF being healed by Protection Field/MR/ etc, can all come after we've dealt with the core, which is PFF itself.
That's how I view things.
When the focus is shifted away from PFF and there are suggestions to make "PFF rely on X", PFF itself is less likely to be addressed, which is something I'd love to avoid.
why would regeneration improve at low shield levels? unless the field generator is designed to absorb some of the kinetic energy and redirect it into the emitters, regeneration would get WORSE as the shield approaches the point of collapse, not better
As now, but change regeneration to be faster at low health, instead of slower (this won't prevent it from dropping to nil, but at least it's useful at nil)
As now, but change regeneration to be faster at low health, instead of slower (this won't prevent it from dropping to nil, but at least it's useful at nil)
There were actually 3 options i wanted to vote for... but this was the most important of the 3...
Ideally PFF should work as follows
1) Faster regen at low shield 2) Healed by ALL bubble powers (including Force Bolts w/Energy Refraction) 5% of bonus shield value as instant heal +50% of remaining bonus shields upon expiration. 3) Have a Field Surge rider ability that can be used more often at an energy cost. 4) Have an innate Resistance value, perhaps one that improves as the shield weakens... it doesn't have to be very large but it does need to be at least noticeable.
So... a PFF user becomes tougher as their shields drop. Activating a 3k Protection Field would restore 150 shields to PFF instantly and then up to 1500 more if PF lasts its full duration. Field Surge itself would remain as an AD, but a new power would be added to PFF as a rider that only includes the PFF restoration effect at an energy cost with a significantly shorter CD.
Comments
If you have never used PFF against VIPER, you need to do so and observe the unique interactions.
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Just like with the arguments over interrupts working on bosses without a cooldown, you are just aiming for something unrealistic again. I can see this turning into another disappointment for you, but that is really someting you're doing to yourself.
Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained
42 40s, LTSer.
Maybe in future I should stay out of things and just allow them to turn into complete crap because people who don't use X are dictating how X should work.
Maybe you'll have more luck trying to get me to stay out of things once MY **** starts working correctly.
We're having this discussion because neither of us, nor anyone else on this thread can definitively say "X needs to be on PFF and it will be fine.", another reason this discussion is going is because certain people fail to understand what I'm trying to accomplish, which is for PFF to be self-sufficient TO A POINT.
Why? Because nothing on this thread has been implemented nor has it been tested. If this stuff was on PTS and we were able to mess around with it? We would ALL be in a better position to have a more productive discussion.
Again, I am not asking for PFF to be god mode. I am not asking people to not tank with PFF. I am not trying to invalidate support builds when it comes to PFF.
As you can probably tell, I'm getting tired of recycling arguments because people don't read or they misinterpret what I am saying.
Take note. THIS is what I am trying to say:
"PFF is currently underperforming. I have ideas and suggestions to make it perform better, and here they are."
I am not saying "if you want to be a good tank you should not use PFF".
The bit about catering to demand? That does not apply to everyone everywhere who wants to be a support, you can support PFF and not be a bubbler.
(Note: My statement, that you quoted, was more to do with the idea that, if PFF is more attractive and MORE people use it...it is likely that there will be more support users who utilize bubbles. This is not to say that you cannot be a fantastic support to PFF without bubbles. When I was in TA, I was mainly managing my PFF and was getting healing from the supporter as well as the occasional Mindful Reinforcement. The biggest assistance that support user gave me was AoRP.)
How?
PFF at all percentages of shield remaining (max % and half etc) will let a portion of damage through. It does NOT function like Protection Field, Mindful Reinforcement, Hardened Particle Matrix, Bastion or Energy Refraction. Those forms of shields absorb 100% of damage before dissipating.
This means that when I encounter damage, my HP will ALWAYS be affected, even by tiny damage.
Support builds right now, can assist me, by: healing my HP, providing a resistance or stat boost via their auras (both spec and slotted passives) and applying shielding to me and of course resurrecting me if/when I die.
Also, please tell me how many PFF tanks you see running around? And then compare that to Invuln/Defiance/Regen/LR number of tanks.
Not many players take PFF as a defensive passive "seriously" and that is because internally it is lacking. I can also see this turning into another disappointment, I always go forward with that assumption when it comes to PFF/Force or Telepathy and Crowd Control, since this is CO and generally speaking certain forum users don't like uniqueness as it challenges what is currently available (aka "I don't like that X being powerful or on-par challenges the way I think about CO or it challenges my build, so I cannot support it, just make it like everything else and focus on something else.")
Why?
Because players with the mindset of not wanting or promoting build diversity or those who are against PFF being buffed as a passive (from in internal point of view) will likely win out and a band aid style fix will be applied (like allowing healing powers to affect PFF), which means that PFF simply moves away from using blocking and field surge as a crutch and for basic content requires support characters.
Whereas, LR/Invuln/Defiance/Regen characters do not require support characters to be joined at the hip with them in order to function well in content.
It comes across (at least to me, I don't know about anyone else) like "you" (not specifically you) basically don't want PFF to have any semblance of self sufficiency and do not agree with the idea of tinkering with it to make it better as a passive because you are fearful of the fact that it may actually work and then become more widely used.
From where I'm sitting I'm asking for PFF to be made stronger using the suggestions I've provided. If it doesn't work or if that is OP in PRACTICE then fine, we can go from there, but telling me "it's not going to work, despite the fact that no one has tried it" is not going to convince me.
Basically, all that needs to be done is for PFF to be fixed from the inside out as I've said earlier...multiple times.
If after those changes...PFF still needs additional help? Then we can discuss or look into adjusting EVERY SINGLE HEAL POWER EVER to affect PFF, so that sage and yourself can be happy.
I think the main gripe is that healers cannot restore PFF, however the problem becomes;
"How many healers can easily restore values in excess of 7k in a few shots?" The answer is "Virtually any dedicated healer can."
Then you have to consider: "If healers can restore PFF like they can with HP, how do we make it so PFF is not the new FoTM for tanks as it can be constantly replenished by healers, benefits from resistances and stacking shields, blocking etc.?"
Do you see the problem?
If not, that's fine. Personally I'd like to avoid having to nerf support powers just so this idea of PFF healing works.
It'd be much easier, I think, to implement what I've said, allow the passive to remain unique and allow it to heal itself better and be self-sufficient enough so that in basic content, the user does not have to constantly monitor PFF to see if they need to turtle up for 10 seconds until PFF gets stronger again because they know that NPCs now can remove PFF in combat if they aren't careful.
This would mean that in higher level content, the use or requirement for support would still be at the forefront. Support builds would not have a diminished capacity vs PFF and PFF retains it's uniqueness.
--
Off topic part:
The cooldown was incredibly excessive (40-80 seconds) and triggered whether you interrupted or not, so of course that was bad design.
The other problem was that NPC AI was simply not good enough to deal with it, and that's something I can agree with. I did say and have said (whenever this was brought up) that whilst it was incredibly empowering, it was not balanced.
New Telepathy was a disappointment in so many other different ways though. This didn't stop me from using it.
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Which, again, means the thing with the unique mechanics either becomes under-powered (like PFF is now) or over-powered (a hypothetical PFF that doesn't need any support powers but a block and Field Surge).
I'm not opposed to a bit of homogenization being thrown at PFF just to bring it up to par with the other Defensive Passives, especially since, with its current power level, it could probably keep all the current mechanics, have stuff added to make it play nicer with the entire rest of the game and still be the weaker choice in most content.
You could easily add some form of heal-scaling (which would be done on the PFF end, not on every healing power) and some form of benefit when it's depleted (I like damage resistance scaling with inverse of shield %, as I mentioned two pages ago) without eliminating the existing mechanics and not make it overpowered, because at that point you can tie it in to every other balancing decision made about the game and still make it competitive.
And as far as me being afraid PFF's going to "challenge my build"...I barely play tanks. I hate tanking. My main's a bubble-spamming healer that's been completely invalidated by Genetic Siphon (lol Psionic Healing...), and is in the middle of an extensive rebuild.
My preferred build is, literally, the one type of healer (could swap AoPM for AoRP) that can actually be of use to your hypothetical buffed PFF (that still doesn't benefit from healing unless it's being ignored by bleed-through, depletion or Genetic Siphon), and would probably be in high demand if your numbers-buffed PFF was somehow strong enough to become the new hotness for tanking.
And yet I still don't think your proposal is enough, and I don't think it's possible to fix it for the gamut of content solely by buffing its existing numbers.
As long as you're assuming the people who want to buff the damned thing are doing so in bad faith and that the only way to have "build diversity" is with dysfunctional mechanics that are walled off from the rest of the game, you're probably always going to be disappointed.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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Also, here's my suggestions on getting started with making PFF look like an actual choice when creating characters:
1. Remove the shield regen penalty. Completely. There was no need for it to ever be implemented at all.
2. Add some form of innate damage resistance to the shield. Have it work in a reverse manner compared to Regen. Regen starts high and lowers as your health drops. Have PFF start low and increase as the shield drops (and MAINTAIN this resistance should the shield break)
3. If healing is to be allowed to affect PFF, then let it do so at a 25% effectiveness compared to HP.
Just my thoughts. But seriously. Number 1 has got to go.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
--
So @pantagruel01
I asked some VIPER Soldiers to fire at me and thankfully they complied. I managed to get some screenshots of what I meant, but I'm positive you'll accept it or whatever when you are in a position to test yourself.
Example 1: This is how PFF generally interacts with incoming damage. It always takes the large portion to shield layer and a bit dribbles through as shown here.
Example 2: This is how PFF interacts with incoming PULSON TECH damage. This becomes more pronounced with the less damage resistance (from Defense) that you have but it is still observable. Now you can imagine multiplying this by 5 or more with VIPER Soldier's fighting you with PFF.
Example 3: Just for lolz, I thought I'd include a snap shot of what your HP looks like when you are being hit with Pulson Tech vs PFF. Just so you're aware of why I claim that "I'm ripped through shields vs Pulson Tech".
Note: There is a similar interaction between Pulson Tech and Protection Field but Protection Field will take the larger amount of damage in comparison to HP, which is not the case when it comes to PFF.
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"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
I actually thought I was bugged, so I logged in and out several times thinking that would solve the issue...oh I was so mystified back then
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So what do I need to do to not be accused of acting in bad faith, "not wanting my build challenged" or "not liking build diversity", even when I make the exact same suggestions?
Is there like a secret club or something? Maybe a handshake?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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So, here's a pretty simple proposal for PFF:
Field Health: as now, but remove the interaction with compassion because wtf?
Field Regen: for an undamaged field, this will be equal to baseline healing for regeneration. This increases as the field takes damage (+50% when below 2/3, +100% when below 1/3, +150% when at zero). This is the same maximum as Regeneration.
New Advantage: Internal Fields (1p): some portion of your force field permeates your flesh. Halve the health of your force field. Add the same amount to your maximum hit points.
This seems competitive with existing passives. The Internal Fields advantage will make you supportable by a hp-focused healer and gives you spike resistance without the need for massive amounts of Con.
Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained
You'll notice that I never opposed the idea of adding damage resistance to PFF, it is a valid (in my eyes) method of assisting PFF in addition to fixing the shield regeneration rate and value.
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The only thing I'd adjust is:
Field Regen: for an undamaged field, regeneration per 3 seconds stays the same values it grants now. This increases as the field takes damage (80% PFF = additional +50%, 60% PFF = additional +100%, 30% or less PFF = additional 150%). I say this because there should be an encouragement not to allow PFF to get to zero before it sees reasonable benefits.
Perhaps having Internal Fields would not only halve your overall force field but also grant reduced values to shield regeneration as another trade off for having half of your shield added to hit points.
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"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained
I'm all for a faster regen, but it doesn't need to be overly complicated.
We can do away with the varying shield regen, just keep it a static number and increase the shield regen tick rate to 1.5 seconds.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
I do, gradii. As I have a lvl 40 force toon. INT/REC/END, MSA, and a definite order of battle to get things to work! But as FC generally wipes out the opposition in one hit, that's pretty much all I need. I think it's a bit much to expect to maintain a Force Field at the same time.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained
I say this as it would then force PFF users who want to do well to stat Endurance...and also since we have freedom of gear you could just single stat end and slap on PFF.
And before you ask "Who would even try to single stat END?"
I have and I know that tying energy to PFF levels is a phenominally bad idea.
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You have three energy stats and you struggle to pull off FC?
I don't even get how that's possible.
My only energy stat is REC on my PFF build and I can pull of FC fine.
Complete BS to tell me I shouldn't be able to maintain my passive and attack.
Do you lose your passive of Defiance when you use Haymaker? No. I didn't think so.
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And the other point was just that - for game balance - it's probably a little much to expect characters to be able to throw off 6000 point attacks easily and maintain a 8K shield strength at the same time.
Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained
During that discussion I constantly mentioned that I felt the actual number being regenerated by PFF was fine it just needed to be applied every second instead of every 3. I also proposed an idea that the field itself have a passive Damage Resistance as an inverse of field health. Basically the lower your PFF's "health" became the more damage resistant it would become. For example at R1 a low level PFF may have 1000 "health" at full health it has no innate DR other than from gear, blocking etc. Now let's say the hero in question takes 100 damage to his PFF the field is now at 900 and the PFF gains a 10% DR (subject to cryptic math of course) up to 99% DR for a PFF at 1% health. Of course at R2 and R3 this DR value would have a 1.5 and 2.0 multiplier.
Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained
Ideally PFF should work as follows
1) Faster regen at low shield
2) Healed by ALL bubble powers (including Force Bolts w/Energy Refraction) 5% of bonus shield value as instant heal +50% of remaining bonus shields upon expiration.
3) Have a Field Surge rider ability that can be used more often at an energy cost.
4) Have an innate Resistance value, perhaps one that improves as the shield weakens... it doesn't have to be very large but it does need to be at least noticeable.
So... a PFF user becomes tougher as their shields drop. Activating a 3k Protection Field would restore 150 shields to PFF instantly and then up to 1500 more if PF lasts its full duration. Field Surge itself would remain as an AD, but a new power would be added to PFF as a rider that only includes the PFF restoration effect at an energy cost with a significantly shorter CD.
You claiming that it would be "balanced" for PFF to drop whenever Force Cascade was fired is so backward I honestly cannot even.
To put it into another context most may be familiar with here's what it amounts to:
"Whenever you use any Tier 3 attack, your SLOTTED PASSIVE is degraded and/or removed entirely."
To further illustrate:
"Player X runs around with one of the following: Invulnerability / Lightning Reflexes / Defiance / Regeneration. Player X is in combat and decides to press Unleashed Rage or Typhoon or Force Cascade or [Insert Hard Hitting Attack] on a group of mobs. Player X, upon unleashing this ability, loses any and all the protection granted by his passive."
^ That's basically what you are claiming would be balanced.
And frankly that is beyond stupid.
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What you are forgetting are the NUMEROUS ways that we can gain energy in Champions Online:
- Energy Builders
- Energy Unlocks
- Circle of Arcane Power
- Blocking
- Breaking out of Holds
- Activating Form Powers
- Stacking Form Powers
Do you not see how linking energy building to making PFF work is a bad idea?
Not only are you making this power more undesirable by forcing potential and current users to continually stream in energy in combat in order to maintain their passive, but you also have added an extra dimension to the whole "Defend-Your-Passive" mechanic that PFF has to deal with on a constant basis.
On the other hand, you risk making PFF so OP, that PFF users (in order to feel useful or to keep shields up constantly) feel they have to grab Circle of Arcane Power and Endurance in order to make the optimal use of PFF in combat.
That is unnecessarily limiting and makes things WORSE.
The solution to all this is simple and I've stated it multiple times:
Personal Force Field Update:
- Shield Regeneration Rate per 3 seconds has been adjusted to tick every 1.5 seconds.
- Shield Regeneration Rate is now a stable value which is not affected by being in combat. It will always regenerate for the value stated on the tooltip.
- Shield Regeneration Rate scaling has been improved slightly.
- Personal Force Field now comes with a new power called "Force Burst". Force Burst ranks up as you rank up PFF. Force Burst grants the user 50% of their maximum Personal Force Field value instantly and doubles the current regeneration rate of PFF for 20 seconds, but can only be activated at less than or equal to 40% maximum PFF. This ability has a 30 second fixed cooldown.
If anything, that would be an excellent starting point to making PFF better. In place of the "Force Burst" or "Field Burst" addition, innate damage resistance to shield layer (something which I've also suggested before, like others) would be great.
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30%/40%/50% added damage resistance to shield layer...if we could have what I stated plus damage resistance PFF would be on point.
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and I strongly believe that other shield powers should heal PFF by 5% of their shield value initially and an additional 50% of remainder when they expire... thus allowing an option for support builds to effectively support PFF users... while not being overpowering... thats % of the shield powers shield not % of PFF btw... so a support tossing a 3k PF on a PFF user would restore 150 shields instantly and another 0-1500 shields when PF expires depending on how much of PF's shield remains when it expires... spamming 3k PFs would restore PFF by 150 a pop but thats offset by PFs moderately high energy cost, and the fact that by the time you can throw out 3k PFs enemies will be hitting hard enough that spamming 150 shield heals to a PFF user is in no way overpowered...
This happened last time and PFF pretty much remained in the same place it was in.
The main objective should be to encourage players to maintain shielding but not in a way that requires them to be overly obsessive or build around PFF to a high extent.
Having regen tick faster at lower shields doesnt really help if a massive burst spike nukes PFF through blocking.
I'd rather have what I posted there as a starting point.
Other things like regen ticking faster at lower shield values or PFF being healed by Protection Field/MR/ etc, can all come after we've dealt with the core, which is PFF itself.
That's how I view things.
When the focus is shifted away from PFF and there are suggestions to make "PFF rely on X", PFF itself is less likely to be addressed, which is something I'd love to avoid.
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I am @RavenForce in game
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Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained