If anyone builds their characters in favor of extreme DPS, let them. (Likewise, anyone who doesn't has their place in this game too.)
The game allows you to freely conceptualize your character without seriously gimping yourself. Though that may mean a power that synergizes effectively in its own framework may over-synergize outside of it.
The only way you can stop worrying about it and start enjoying your own game is, to actually stop worrying about it.
Don't bother with how each small percentages of the players play their game.
You may not stand to benefit by requesting that they be reigned in, but you may eventually suffer if one day should you decide your concept requires you to include said powers.
EDIT: If you are looking at alerts for your fix of worthwhile participation towards teaming, you're may want to look at finding teams to do lairs or adventure packs instead. Alerts are more a 1-3mins farm and grind mechanism.
The thing is nobody is going to get "reigned in". Those who min/max will retcon to the next set of best performing powers like we always have.
And those who emphasize concept, the group that is supposedly being helped here, will suffer a big nerf to their character's performance and either suck it up or play less.
As others have repeatedly said, get to level 40 and get some experience running content at that level so that you can cite specific and actionable evidence to make your case.
Otherwise you run a great risk of not being taken seriously. Especially with claims like this...
I've been playing the game for years, I have many characters, all freeform, most of them in their 30s. I also have 30+ years of game play and design experience.
It's not that lower level players should not provide feedback. But then people have to try and guess at what's in between the lines. Instead of just responding to the feedback directly.
Errmm, are you referring to 12 seconds for one group of mobs? If that is what you meant. then I think that is pretty slow already IMO. But if you meant the entire Day at the Mall alert's mobs then I would hazard to say that it is impossible.
Also, when you say that the person did not take any damage, it does not validate your point about there being too much DPS. It goes to show the person has many defenses running. This may include heals, bubbles, active defenses or devices.
No, it was 12 seconds to clear the four corners of the plaza. All four groups in the time it took the rest of the group to defeat the one at the entrance.
A similar experience tonight. I was in the same scenario. It began, and a fellow with darkspeed and Epidemic zipped over to the first group. I was running on foot, no travel power. In the time it took for me to run over there, he had already killed everything in the first group and was halfway through the second. By the time I reached where the second group had been, it was gone, and he was most of the way through the third. This pattern continued til Valerian Scarlet appeared. I didn't even get to fire a single shot until the boss appeared.
THAT is the problem with over the top dps. In this situation (admittedly I wasn't using a travel power, but the point remains the same), the amount of damage that character was doing so trivialized the content that it literally took away the game from me. I had nothing to do.
Now, I also agree that it's unlikely anything will be done about it. All I'm doing here, I hope, is drawing some attention to it as a potential problem they MIGHT want to look into.
Once, I was simply called Mojo. Now, I'm forced into a new name, but don't be fooled, I'm the original STO Mojo!
Now, I also agree that it's unlikely anything will be done about it. All I'm doing here, I hope, is drawing some attention to it as a potential problem they MIGHT want to look into.
It's not a problem. It's your problem for finding issue with it.
Nothing is going to be done about it because there is absolutely no solution to players min/maxing. If someone is dead set in optimizing their DPS build's full potential then they should be allowed to. Nerfing single powers is also not the solution. It's all about the build and how certain powers and stats work together hand in hand to produce the desired effects.
No, it was 12 seconds to clear the four corners of the plaza. All four groups in the time it took the rest of the group to defeat the one at the entrance.
A similar experience tonight. I was in the same scenario. It began, and a fellow with darkspeed and Epidemic zipped over to the first group. I was running on foot, no travel power. In the time it took for me to run over there, he had already killed everything in the first group and was halfway through the second. By the time I reached where the second group had been, it was gone, and he was most of the way through the third. This pattern continued til Valerian Scarlet appeared. I didn't even get to fire a single shot until the boss appeared.
THAT is the problem with over the top dps. In this situation (admittedly I wasn't using a travel power, but the point remains the same), the amount of damage that character was doing so trivialized the content that it literally took away the game from me. I had nothing to do.
No thats is YOUR problem. Trash mobs are supposed to die fast, especially in an alert and especially to a maxed out lvl 40.
You wasted all your time running with no travel power.
All this heresay especially in alerts that are only 2 min zerg fests anyway is pointless as well as being wrong.
If you want to be taken seriously post proof and tests in actual content rather than alerts, until then stop trolling and posting exagerated lies with nothing to back them up
It's not a problem. It's your problem for finding issue with it.
Nothing is going to be done about it because there is absolutely no solution to players min/maxing. If someone is dead set in optimizing their DPS build's full potential then they should be allowed to. Nerfing single powers is also not the solution. It's all about the build and how certain powers and stats work together hand in hand to produce the desired effects.
In other words, deal with it.
Take note of the significance of this (for those of you who have been around for a year or more):
I agree 100% with JennyMachX here. Well said teenage robot girl!
The thing is nobody is going to get "reigned in". Those who min/max will retcon to the next set of best performing powers like we always have.
And those who emphasize concept, the group that is supposedly being helped here, will suffer a big nerf to their character's performance and either suck it up or play less.
Yes!
When Cryptic nerfs stuff they tend to overnerf stuff. Jaybezz/GameHobo is over-the-top annoying sometimes with his pestering about the nerfs done to telepathy and holds, but I can understand his frustration. People like YOU, colonelmarik, were complaining about holds being OP in Zombie Apocalypse PvP (and to be fair they were).
Instead of fixing the problem (Binding of Aratron applying too much hold strength per tick, and getting rid of the Malevolent Manifestation advantage on Ego Storm), Cryptic nuked PvP rewards and ALL holds with On Alert.
So even IF Cryptic were to do something about it, and you were specific about what "it" is exactly (which you're not, because your both making things up and/or conveniently omitting critical contextual details), it's just going to make things WORSE!
The only "changes" you'll be bringing about is more pain to people like myself who like to make powerful theme builds. More restrictions to creativity... Boooo...
1. Why are you conveniently omitting important contextual information?
2. Why are you relying solely on heresay? "Eye witness" testimony with no alibi, no video, no combat log. I think you'll struggle to find people who are more deadly in PvE (damage wise) than Vixy, Wesleytang, or yes, even myself; and we're saying 12 seconds is unbelievable. And you can't even cite names?
3. Why are you ignoring direct questions people have asked you in these 27 pages about contextual information? About specifics?
4. Why are you making sweeping game assessments when you don't even have your first level 40?!
5. Why are you making sweeping assessments based off the poorly designed gameplay of Alerts?
6. Why are you not addressing the sizable number new players, who in other topics, are saying that they typically FAIL timed alerts from a lack of DPS?
7. Why are you not addressing the actual levels & gear of the players involved?
8. Why are you focusing solely on alerts? There a huge game other there with sparsely populated zones and plenty of story-based content. Want a challenge on the story content? Run it on Elite with a full team!
9. Why are you making judgements when you don't even understand some of the fundamentals of the game mechanics?
You're entitled to your opinion. That is your right.
My opinion, after reading 27 pages and rarely speaking until now is that you are lying by omission (aka. "white lying"). Nothing against you personally, just your spoken actions & decisions.
Is it reasonable to say the power-creep-effect has trivialized some of the content? Certainly.
But you're only serving to undermine that which you want to get across after all these posts! You should be persuading people like myself to agree with your point of view. Instead I'm feeling more like your opinions are more likely to threaten the art & science of theme building that I love and turn the game into something as boring as the much-vaunted vehicles have become.
1. Why are you conveniently omitting important contextual information?
2. Why are you relying solely on heresay? "Eye witness" testimony with no alibi, no video, no combat log. I think you'll struggle to find people who are more deadly in PvE (damage wise) than Vixy, Wesleytang, or yes, even myself; and we're saying 12 seconds is unbelievable. And you can't even cite names?
3. Why are you ignoring direct questions people have asked you in these 27 pages about contextual information? About specifics?
4. Why are you making sweeping game assessments when you don't even have your first level 40?!
5. Why are you making sweeping assessments based off the poorly designed gameplay of Alerts?
6. Why are you not addressing the sizable number new players, who in other topics, are saying that they typically FAIL timed alerts from a lack of DPS?
7. Why are you not addressing the actual levels & gear of the players involved?
8. Why are you focusing solely on alerts? There a huge game other there with sparsely populated zones and plenty of story-based content. Want a challenge on the story content? Run it on Elite with a full team!
9. Why are you making judgements when you don't even understand some of the fundamentals of the game mechanics?
You're entitled to your opinion. That is your right.
My opinion, after reading 27 pages and rarely speaking until now is that you are lying by omission (aka. "white lying"). Nothing against you personally, just your spoken actions & decisions.
Is it reasonable to say the power-creep-effect has trivialized some of the content? Certainly.
But you're only serving to undermine that which you want to get across after all these posts! You should be persuading people like myself to agree with your point of view. Instead I'm feeling more like your opinions are more likely to threaten the art & science of theme building that I love and turn the game into something as boring as the much-vaunted vehicles have become.
You're making a lot of assumptions.
1. I'm not omitting anything.
2. I'm not relying on hearsay, I've described my own experiences.
3. I haven't ignored any questions that I'm aware of. If I have I don't mean to.
4. I have two 40s and several others in the high 30s. I'm making assessments of the game's design based on that and many years of gaming and design experience.
5. This point I can't argue. Alerts have been rather poorly implemented, but that's not the point of this thread.
6. I have experienced that myself, many times. That's not the issue, it's that at the top end the content is trivialized to the point that it makes the team irrelevant and takes the content away from the other members of the team.
7. I haven't addressed that because I can't examine their gear. I can only work with the things I personally have access to.
8. I'm focusing on Alerts because they were supposedly designed to be harder than normal content, and they're utterly trivialized. This would mean normal content is even MORE trivial.
9. I'm making judgements based on my experiences. That's every bit as valid as any other assessment, it's just less specific.
Of course, I still plan to make some more formal tests to address some of the complaints. It's been busy for me lately (family crisis), so I haven't had time to do it, but I will.
Once, I was simply called Mojo. Now, I'm forced into a new name, but don't be fooled, I'm the original STO Mojo!
(admittedly I wasn't using a travel power, but the point remains the same)
Well, that's your problem right 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
The scenario described pretty much never happens to me... even when there is someone with Epidemic in the alert... and I farm alerts like I think they're gonna sprout cucumbers. Yes, there are some people who do crazy dps... are they always in an alert with you? No.
Making mountains out of mole hills is a great way to get moles trampled by mountain climbers. Don't do it, think of the moles!
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
I am in agreement with cyrone, why are you at level 30 plus or 40 running through an alert without a TP? If Superman flies across half the world and defeated Lex Luthor and all his henchmen, then it is just too bad for Green Arrow who has to get his luggage checked at the airport custom.
You're missing the point. The point is that it took a few seconds to get there, and that the entire spawn was gone in less time than that. I couldn't tell you how many seconds, so I explained it in terms of the time it took to run there without a travel power. It was perhaps 4-5 seconds. In that time, the guy with epidemic had got there and wiped out the whole spawn, and even moved on to the next.
The point is that the damage output is so high he's killing things off in massive numbers, far too quickly for them to be any kind of concern. To me, that's a problem.
In a game like this, the fun is in overcoming a challenge. Where there is no challenge, there's no fun. In the face of these powers, the foes are no challenge. Worse, they're being cleared away from those for whom they may BE a challenge, leaving that person with no fun either.
In any case, this is all a matter of my own perceptions. Until I get a chance to run my tests, that's all it can be.
Once, I was simply called Mojo. Now, I'm forced into a new name, but don't be fooled, I'm the original STO Mojo!
[...]
In a game like this, the fun is in overcoming a challenge. Where there is no challenge, there's no fun. In the face of these powers, the foes are no challenge. Worse, they're being cleared away from those for whom they may BE a challenge, leaving that person with no fun either. [...]
Actually, it seems you've misunderstood the nature of Champions Online. Yes, many video games are in fact about overcoming a challenge, but CO is not such a game. This game embraces the "power fantasy" aspect of the super hero genre.
I think this may in fact be core to your issue, since it seems like what you're saying really is that other people are getting to live out their power fantasy at the expense of you not being able to live out yours. Again, we all know that this isn't happening in every single alert, so realistically what you should do is change the way you're looking at it.
Think of it this way... if you join an alert with a player in it who is just going to demolish everything in seconds, then sure you're not going to have as much fun because you don't get to feel as poweful, but that alert is going to be very short. In other alerts, where there aren't any dps monsters, you will have more fun and the alert will last longer. It balances itself out quite nicely.
Most importantly, remember that this game isn't about "overcoming a challenge"; even a cursory glance at the overall design structure will tell you that. Don't worry about the future of the game being in jeopardy because players will get bored with the lack of challenge; that already happened, and in the current state of the game it's hard for new players to get the impression that this game is ever going to provide a challenge.
You either accept that the game is a power fantasy, and roll with it while hoping they add in some more challenging content, or you... well I don't think there's another option, you either accept it or don't.
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
The point is that the damage output is so high he's killing things off in massive numbers, far too quickly for them to be any kind of concern. To me, that's a problem.
I am sure someone did already say this on the previous twenty seven pages but I do believe it can't hurt for it to be said again given your responses: The actual point is that Alerts are not the kind of content you do seem to expect them to be. Most players I did talk with do see Alerts as a grind and little else. After the first few runs against a foe you did never meet before it is just about the XP, the resources, the costume unlocks, or the Q box they will get at the end of it, and the faster the better. A guy or gal who does jump in and does slaughter the faceless mooks in a few seconds is doing everyone a favor. Or at least everyone who is not you.
And to be quite honest I do believe you are blowing this out of proportion. My previous character I did level on nothing but an unending stream of Alerts all the way to 40. I did see what you do mention... What? Five times? Back then nothing I would have liked more than for every other Alert to be like this. Le pain vient ? qui les dents faillent.
Dear OP, those are lowly mobs that are wiped out by a powerful AoE power. It is to be expected. They are not meant to provide this "challenge" you are seeking for. However, if there are enough of them, for example in the Harmon Lab alert where they knock alot they can
prove challenging to many lower level players.
Have you played Dynasty Warriors (whichever version, you can put the number here)? Think about it as those soldiers which the Generals are killing.
You're missing the point. The point is that it took a few seconds to get there, and that the entire spawn was gone in less time than that. I couldn't tell you how many seconds, so I explained it in terms of the time it took to run there without a travel power. It was perhaps 4-5 seconds. In that time, the guy with epidemic had got there and wiped out the whole spawn, and even moved on to the next.
The point is that the damage output is so high he's killing things off in massive numbers, far too quickly for them to be any kind of concern. To me, that's a problem.
In a game like this, the fun is in overcoming a challenge. Where there is no challenge, there's no fun. In the face of these powers, the foes are no challenge. Worse, they're being cleared away from those for whom they may BE a challenge, leaving that person with no fun either.
In any case, this is all a matter of my own perceptions. Until I get a chance to run my tests, that's all it can be.
I'm not missing the point because there isn't one.
I just ran a Museum Heist. Did what you claim to do at the start, run with no travel power. Took me 9-10 seconds to run to the first mob which makes me think your 4-5 second claim must be using Protector spec tree that gives movement increase. The mob was still going strong when I got there and that's even with someone running Epidemic.
Seems to me you're making assumptions about the power.
As far as a challenge in this game? About the only thing left for challenge is to run Serpent Lantern Elite with PFF as a passive. The challenge for this game has pretty much been non-existent from the get go and is trivialized even more with recent power tweaks. Hell, if you're complaining about someone wiping things out with Epidemic before you get a chance to fire anything off, then I really don't want to be on a team with you if you're trying to tank and I'm tearing aggro away from you with my Telepath.
In a game as easy as this were combat is trivialized because of how powerful abilities are at base....the points you are trying to make are moot.
"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
An interesting point. You suggest that the minions aren't really supposed to be a challenge (though part of the issue I have is that they ARE a challenge for many characters, which suggests an imbalance between the powers).
Comics and movies tend to support that. Watch the Avengers movie, for example. The Chitauri troops tend to be put down in one shot, whichever hero is doing the shooting (excepting the big worm-things). What I noticed was that there were far, far fewer area effects going on, and that there were a great many more of them.
As I say, I have to check the numbers, but consider this.
In the original Champions, a 10d6 energy blast was 50 points. You make it area effect and you have to chop it down to 5d6 to keep it at 50 points. Here, that's not happening (at least as far as I've seen). The area attacks are doing as much or more damage than the single attacks. Perhaps that's where the problem lies?
As I say, I'll let you know what my little study finds.
Once, I was simply called Mojo. Now, I'm forced into a new name, but don't be fooled, I'm the original STO Mojo!
In the original Champions, a 10d6 energy blast was 50 points. You make it area effect and you have to chop it down to 5d6 to keep it at 50 points. Here, that's not happening (at least as far as I've seen). The area attacks are doing as much or more damage than the single attacks. Perhaps that's where the problem lies?
The game was never designed to have a true translation of the PnP's mechanics. It's just based of the setting and lore.
AoE attacks don't do more damage than single attacks by default. It's all variable depending on the build and kind of powers involved. Whether the DPS is determined by a series of buffed tap attacks or spike attacks that require charging time to deal maximum damage is also a factor.
Comments
The game allows you to freely conceptualize your character without seriously gimping yourself. Though that may mean a power that synergizes effectively in its own framework may over-synergize outside of it.
The only way you can stop worrying about it and start enjoying your own game is, to actually stop worrying about it.
Don't bother with how each small percentages of the players play their game.
You may not stand to benefit by requesting that they be reigned in, but you may eventually suffer if one day should you decide your concept requires you to include said powers.
EDIT: If you are looking at alerts for your fix of worthwhile participation towards teaming, you're may want to look at finding teams to do lairs or adventure packs instead. Alerts are more a 1-3mins farm and grind mechanism.
And those who emphasize concept, the group that is supposedly being helped here, will suffer a big nerf to their character's performance and either suck it up or play less.
PARSER USAGE GUIDE: click here for an easy how-to ٩(๑･ิᴗ･ิ)۶٩(･ิᴗ･ิ๑)۶
Spectre beats Eido in an SG run: VIDEO HERE
As others have repeatedly said, get to level 40 and get some experience running content at that level so that you can cite specific and actionable evidence to make your case.
Otherwise you run a great risk of not being taken seriously. Especially with claims like this...
It's not that lower level players should not provide feedback. But then people have to try and guess at what's in between the lines. Instead of just responding to the feedback directly.
PARSER USAGE GUIDE: click here for an easy how-to ٩(๑･ิᴗ･ิ)۶٩(･ิᴗ･ิ๑)۶
Spectre beats Eido in an SG run: VIDEO HERE
No, it was 12 seconds to clear the four corners of the plaza. All four groups in the time it took the rest of the group to defeat the one at the entrance.
A similar experience tonight. I was in the same scenario. It began, and a fellow with darkspeed and Epidemic zipped over to the first group. I was running on foot, no travel power. In the time it took for me to run over there, he had already killed everything in the first group and was halfway through the second. By the time I reached where the second group had been, it was gone, and he was most of the way through the third. This pattern continued til Valerian Scarlet appeared. I didn't even get to fire a single shot until the boss appeared.
THAT is the problem with over the top dps. In this situation (admittedly I wasn't using a travel power, but the point remains the same), the amount of damage that character was doing so trivialized the content that it literally took away the game from me. I had nothing to do.
Now, I also agree that it's unlikely anything will be done about it. All I'm doing here, I hope, is drawing some attention to it as a potential problem they MIGHT want to look into.
Crafting, Exploration and Interaction as it should be:
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=1108521
It's not a problem. It's your problem for finding issue with it.
Nothing is going to be done about it because there is absolutely no solution to players min/maxing. If someone is dead set in optimizing their DPS build's full potential then they should be allowed to. Nerfing single powers is also not the solution. It's all about the build and how certain powers and stats work together hand in hand to produce the desired effects.
In other words, deal with it.
No thats is YOUR problem. Trash mobs are supposed to die fast, especially in an alert and especially to a maxed out lvl 40.
You wasted all your time running with no travel power.
All this heresay especially in alerts that are only 2 min zerg fests anyway is pointless as well as being wrong.
If you want to be taken seriously post proof and tests in actual content rather than alerts, until then stop trolling and posting exagerated lies with nothing to back them up
Take note of the significance of this (for those of you who have been around for a year or more):
I agree 100% with JennyMachX here. Well said teenage robot girl!
Yes!
When Cryptic nerfs stuff they tend to overnerf stuff. Jaybezz/GameHobo is over-the-top annoying sometimes with his pestering about the nerfs done to telepathy and holds, but I can understand his frustration. People like YOU, colonelmarik, were complaining about holds being OP in Zombie Apocalypse PvP (and to be fair they were).
Instead of fixing the problem (Binding of Aratron applying too much hold strength per tick, and getting rid of the Malevolent Manifestation advantage on Ego Storm), Cryptic nuked PvP rewards and ALL holds with On Alert.
So even IF Cryptic were to do something about it, and you were specific about what "it" is exactly (which you're not, because your both making things up and/or conveniently omitting critical contextual details), it's just going to make things WORSE!
The only "changes" you'll be bringing about is more pain to people like myself who like to make powerful theme builds. More restrictions to creativity... Boooo...
Consolidate the currencies! (Please!)
Does your Champion have a theme song? (share it!)
Got a funny in-game screenshot? (share it!)
Please fix the Overdrive energy unlock! (Should help promote thematic build diversity!)
1. Why are you conveniently omitting important contextual information?
2. Why are you relying solely on heresay? "Eye witness" testimony with no alibi, no video, no combat log. I think you'll struggle to find people who are more deadly in PvE (damage wise) than Vixy, Wesleytang, or yes, even myself; and we're saying 12 seconds is unbelievable. And you can't even cite names?
3. Why are you ignoring direct questions people have asked you in these 27 pages about contextual information? About specifics?
4. Why are you making sweeping game assessments when you don't even have your first level 40?!
5. Why are you making sweeping assessments based off the poorly designed gameplay of Alerts?
6. Why are you not addressing the sizable number new players, who in other topics, are saying that they typically FAIL timed alerts from a lack of DPS?
7. Why are you not addressing the actual levels & gear of the players involved?
8. Why are you focusing solely on alerts? There a huge game other there with sparsely populated zones and plenty of story-based content. Want a challenge on the story content? Run it on Elite with a full team!
9. Why are you making judgements when you don't even understand some of the fundamentals of the game mechanics?
You're entitled to your opinion. That is your right.
My opinion, after reading 27 pages and rarely speaking until now is that you are lying by omission (aka. "white lying"). Nothing against you personally, just your spoken actions & decisions.
Is it reasonable to say the power-creep-effect has trivialized some of the content? Certainly.
But you're only serving to undermine that which you want to get across after all these posts! You should be persuading people like myself to agree with your point of view. Instead I'm feeling more like your opinions are more likely to threaten the art & science of theme building that I love and turn the game into something as boring as the much-vaunted vehicles have become.
Consolidate the currencies! (Please!)
Does your Champion have a theme song? (share it!)
Got a funny in-game screenshot? (share it!)
Please fix the Overdrive energy unlock! (Should help promote thematic build diversity!)
You're making a lot of assumptions.
1. I'm not omitting anything.
2. I'm not relying on hearsay, I've described my own experiences.
3. I haven't ignored any questions that I'm aware of. If I have I don't mean to.
4. I have two 40s and several others in the high 30s. I'm making assessments of the game's design based on that and many years of gaming and design experience.
5. This point I can't argue. Alerts have been rather poorly implemented, but that's not the point of this thread.
6. I have experienced that myself, many times. That's not the issue, it's that at the top end the content is trivialized to the point that it makes the team irrelevant and takes the content away from the other members of the team.
7. I haven't addressed that because I can't examine their gear. I can only work with the things I personally have access to.
8. I'm focusing on Alerts because they were supposedly designed to be harder than normal content, and they're utterly trivialized. This would mean normal content is even MORE trivial.
9. I'm making judgements based on my experiences. That's every bit as valid as any other assessment, it's just less specific.
Of course, I still plan to make some more formal tests to address some of the complaints. It's been busy for me lately (family crisis), so I haven't had time to do it, but I will.
Crafting, Exploration and Interaction as it should be:
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=1108521
Well, that's your problem right 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
Making mountains out of mole hills is a great way to get moles trampled by mountain climbers. Don't do it, think of the moles!
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
You're missing the point. The point is that it took a few seconds to get there, and that the entire spawn was gone in less time than that. I couldn't tell you how many seconds, so I explained it in terms of the time it took to run there without a travel power. It was perhaps 4-5 seconds. In that time, the guy with epidemic had got there and wiped out the whole spawn, and even moved on to the next.
The point is that the damage output is so high he's killing things off in massive numbers, far too quickly for them to be any kind of concern. To me, that's a problem.
In a game like this, the fun is in overcoming a challenge. Where there is no challenge, there's no fun. In the face of these powers, the foes are no challenge. Worse, they're being cleared away from those for whom they may BE a challenge, leaving that person with no fun either.
In any case, this is all a matter of my own perceptions. Until I get a chance to run my tests, that's all it can be.
Crafting, Exploration and Interaction as it should be:
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=1108521
Actually, it seems you've misunderstood the nature of Champions Online. Yes, many video games are in fact about overcoming a challenge, but CO is not such a game. This game embraces the "power fantasy" aspect of the super hero genre.
I think this may in fact be core to your issue, since it seems like what you're saying really is that other people are getting to live out their power fantasy at the expense of you not being able to live out yours. Again, we all know that this isn't happening in every single alert, so realistically what you should do is change the way you're looking at it.
Think of it this way... if you join an alert with a player in it who is just going to demolish everything in seconds, then sure you're not going to have as much fun because you don't get to feel as poweful, but that alert is going to be very short. In other alerts, where there aren't any dps monsters, you will have more fun and the alert will last longer. It balances itself out quite nicely.
Most importantly, remember that this game isn't about "overcoming a challenge"; even a cursory glance at the overall design structure will tell you that. Don't worry about the future of the game being in jeopardy because players will get bored with the lack of challenge; that already happened, and in the current state of the game it's hard for new players to get the impression that this game is ever going to provide a challenge.
You either accept that the game is a power fantasy, and roll with it while hoping they add in some more challenging content, or you... well I don't think there's another option, you either accept it or don't.
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
I am sure someone did already say this on the previous twenty seven pages but I do believe it can't hurt for it to be said again given your responses: The actual point is that Alerts are not the kind of content you do seem to expect them to be. Most players I did talk with do see Alerts as a grind and little else. After the first few runs against a foe you did never meet before it is just about the XP, the resources, the costume unlocks, or the Q box they will get at the end of it, and the faster the better. A guy or gal who does jump in and does slaughter the faceless mooks in a few seconds is doing everyone a favor. Or at least everyone who is not you.
And to be quite honest I do believe you are blowing this out of proportion. My previous character I did level on nothing but an unending stream of Alerts all the way to 40. I did see what you do mention... What? Five times? Back then nothing I would have liked more than for every other Alert to be like this.
prove challenging to many lower level players.
Have you played Dynasty Warriors (whichever version, you can put the number here)? Think about it as those soldiers which the Generals are killing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IckAI_1_3bI
Check this out from the 40 secs mark onwards. Now, that is some extreme Power Fantasy and roller coaster ride.
I'm not missing the point because there isn't one.
I just ran a Museum Heist. Did what you claim to do at the start, run with no travel power. Took me 9-10 seconds to run to the first mob which makes me think your 4-5 second claim must be using Protector spec tree that gives movement increase. The mob was still going strong when I got there and that's even with someone running Epidemic.
Seems to me you're making assumptions about the power.
As far as a challenge in this game? About the only thing left for challenge is to run Serpent Lantern Elite with PFF as a passive. The challenge for this game has pretty much been non-existent from the get go and is trivialized even more with recent power tweaks. Hell, if you're complaining about someone wiping things out with Epidemic before you get a chance to fire anything off, then I really don't want to be on a team with you if you're trying to tank and I'm tearing aggro away from you with my Telepath.
In a game as easy as this were combat is trivialized because of how powerful abilities are at base....the points you are trying to make are moot.
"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
Comics and movies tend to support that. Watch the Avengers movie, for example. The Chitauri troops tend to be put down in one shot, whichever hero is doing the shooting (excepting the big worm-things). What I noticed was that there were far, far fewer area effects going on, and that there were a great many more of them.
As I say, I have to check the numbers, but consider this.
In the original Champions, a 10d6 energy blast was 50 points. You make it area effect and you have to chop it down to 5d6 to keep it at 50 points. Here, that's not happening (at least as far as I've seen). The area attacks are doing as much or more damage than the single attacks. Perhaps that's where the problem lies?
As I say, I'll let you know what my little study finds.
Crafting, Exploration and Interaction as it should be:
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=1108521
The game was never designed to have a true translation of the PnP's mechanics. It's just based of the setting and lore.
AoE attacks don't do more damage than single attacks by default. It's all variable depending on the build and kind of powers involved. Whether the DPS is determined by a series of buffed tap attacks or spike attacks that require charging time to deal maximum damage is also a factor.