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(Yet Another) Form Idea: Broad Triggers, Individualized Bonuses
maatmons
Posts: 347 Arc User1
Currently, almost all forms have the same benefit, extra damage. The only thing that differentiates each one is whether it's ranged or melee attacks that get the larger bonus, and which ability score the damage scales with.
Conversely, the circumstances that give you additional stacks vary greatly. This is really what distinguishes one form from another.
What if we reversed it?
We could give all the stacks very broad triggers, applicable to virtually any character. We would instead differentiate them in their bonuses. They could all still boost damage as part of their effect, but they'd also each have some special bonus.
Now, with stacks triggering more freely, you might want to revisit energy gain, and the rate at which stacks fall off. If we're going to continue getting more energy unlocks for frameworks that previously lacked them, it's not so essential to gain energy from forms. And the duration of stacks is already being fiddled with.
Here are some ideas for how the forms could be done.
Aspect of the Bestial
As for the stats that each form scales with, I'd favor broadening this out too. Otherwise, you just wind up making multiple form that are just copies of one another, but scaling on a different stat. For example, aspect of the bestial and form of the swordsman.
I'd give each form an “or” clause in its scaling. The ranged forms could scale with dexterity or ego, whichever is higher. Most of the melee forms could scale with strength or dexterity, whichever is higher. Aspect of the bestial and enrage could scale with strength or constitution, whichever is higher.
Or, in keeping with the changes that were made to passives, all forms could just scale with “your superstats.”
Conversely, the circumstances that give you additional stacks vary greatly. This is really what distinguishes one form from another.
What if we reversed it?
We could give all the stacks very broad triggers, applicable to virtually any character. We would instead differentiate them in their bonuses. They could all still boost damage as part of their effect, but they'd also each have some special bonus.
Now, with stacks triggering more freely, you might want to revisit energy gain, and the rate at which stacks fall off. If we're going to continue getting more energy unlocks for frameworks that previously lacked them, it's not so essential to gain energy from forms. And the duration of stacks is already being fiddled with.
Here are some ideas for how the forms could be done.
Aspect of the Bestial
- Gain a stack with each melee attack
- Stacks give a bonus to damage reduction
- Stacks also give a bonus to melee damage
- Gain a stack with each melee attack
- Stacks give a bonus to knock and hold resistance
- Stacks also give a bonus to melee damage
- Gain a stack with each melee attack
- Stacks give a bonus to dodge chance
- Stacks also give a bonus to melee damage
- Gain a stack with each melee attack
- Stacks give a cost discount to melee powers
- Stacks also give a bonus to melee damage
- Gain a stack with each melee attack
- Stacks give a bonus to melee critical chance
- Stacks also give a bonus to melee damage
- Gain a stack with each melee attack
- Stacks give a bonus to cooldown reduction
- Stacks also give a bonus to melee damage
- Gain a stack with each ranged attack
- Stacks give a cost discount to ranged powers
- Stacks also give a bonus to ranged damage
- Gain a stack with each ranged attack
- Stacks give a bonus to ranged critical chance
- Stacks also give a bonus to ranged damage
- Gain a stack with each ranged attack
- Stacks give a bonus to cooldown reduction
- Stacks also give a bonus to ranged damage
- Gain a stack with each ranged attack
- Stacks give a bonus to dodge chance
- Stacks also give a bonus to ranged damage
- Gain a stack with each attack (melee or ranged)
- Unlike other forms, this one gives no unique bonus
- Stacks also give a bonus to damage (both melee and ranged)
As for the stats that each form scales with, I'd favor broadening this out too. Otherwise, you just wind up making multiple form that are just copies of one another, but scaling on a different stat. For example, aspect of the bestial and form of the swordsman.
I'd give each form an “or” clause in its scaling. The ranged forms could scale with dexterity or ego, whichever is higher. Most of the melee forms could scale with strength or dexterity, whichever is higher. Aspect of the bestial and enrage could scale with strength or constitution, whichever is higher.
Or, in keeping with the changes that were made to passives, all forms could just scale with “your superstats.”
Post edited by maatmons on
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Comments
The idea has been broached to make forms something of an “adrenaline” mechanic, providing their full bonuses when a player is engaged in intense combat, and fading when things slow down a bit. Drastically cutting down on the duration of stacks has been proposed by a couple of forum members as a way to achieve this.
It seems to me that, if the duration of stacks were to be cut down significantly, many forms would need to trigger more easily to compensate. If both of these changes were implemented, the “adrenaline” would build very rapidly when the pace of combat picks up, and also fade rapidly when things become less frantic.
Now, if all the forms were easy to trigger, they'd all start to seem pretty much the same. That was, essentially, what I was trying to address here, making the forms stand out from one another by what effects stacks give you, instead of what you do to trigger stacks.
Okay, I'll try to be more conservative. Forget most of what I said before.
Currently, most of the forms have basically the same effect, increased damage. What if forms were given extra optional advantages that helped them feel more unique? For example, the various martial arts forms could each have an advantage that says “While this form is active, you gain +X to [something] for each stack of focus you have.”
I know some forms already have unique advantages. But if broadly applicable bonuses were available, such as crit chance, defense penetration, dodge chance, and defense, I think you'd see them used a lot more than most of the oddball advantages currently available.
This would help differentiate the forms from each other and it would give players more of an incentive to spend advantage points on their forms. And people might not be so apt to pick Form of the Tempest over the other martial arts forms just because it's so easy to stack. If they liked the extra bonus from one forms advantage, they may be willing to deal with slightly more hassle getting stacks.
Additionally, if concentration were given some such advantage, the developers could roll out a new ranged form which works just like concentration, except that it has a different advantage that provides a different bonus. Picking a form for a ranged build would then be more of a choice.
So, there you go. No big fundamental changes to how forms work. Just some new advantages. Player's can ignore the option, and their builds will work exactly the same as before. Best of all, it sets the stage for more new powers.
As forms are now, they are no better than secondary passives, and are rather boring.
Of course, they could change the UI to include a second passive slot which is restricted to forms only. This would have the added benefit of clearing up the power bars a little bit. They would also have to change it so that all forms are automatically on, providing their bonuses and stuff. Except in this case, the forms would basically be dynamic passives, each with an addition on activation effect that would cause it to use up all its stacks to do something more than just providing a passive effect. Of course, this is a different idea altogether, and might require a different thread. But at the same time, I doubt they would change the UI, but they could still have them provide their bonuses at all times and have them have additional stack consuming abilities on activation.
That's just another route they could take. Though the safest route they could take with forms is the new advantages path. But, that would leave forms to still be ultimately boring in use.
Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained
I realize that LR plus another passive that grants +dodge would be problematic, though.
Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained