Any chance of a controller class?

ericrightshow82 · August 2017

I know this is all but an impossibility with the state of CO is it stands now. I only ask because it seems the devs are aiming towards more and more team based content, and what better way to get players to work together than to have an offical controller class. It's curious why something like this hasn't existed from the beginning, as most other games of this nature have controllers.

pantagruel01 · August 2017

I assume by 'class' you mean 'archetype'. Freeform controllers have existed for ages, and have been a viable speciality since the cosmic revamp (probably since TA, but not really observed before the cosmics).

roughbearmattach · August 2017

Is there no archetype with Manipulator?

avianos · August 2017

The Witch

pantagruel01 · August 2017

avianos said:
The Witch

Sadly, not really a functional CC build. Giving the Mind a choice between Compassion and Manipulator would be a vastly superior controller.

shadowzero66 · August 2017

A controller AT would require the devs to figure out how "hard CC" (sleep, confuse, holds, and other such lockdowns) should function in the game, especially as a main focus for a character. That hasn't happened yet. The historical revolving door of devs that CO has had didn't help matters either. It's also the main reason why Telepathy, which leans heavily toward such powers, is in such a rut.

pantagruel01 · August 2017

shadowzero66 said:
A controller AT would require the devs to figure out how "hard CC" (sleep, confuse, holds, and other such lockdowns) should function in the game, especially as a main focus for a character. That hasn't happened yet.

Yeah it has, but it's a narrow role. The role for controllers is suppression of critters that you either cannot kill, or cannot kill right now. This includes:

Add management in Teleios Ascendant (adds respawn if killed, though a regular tank can also keep them busy).
Add management in Qliphotic Warzone open missions (same as TA).
A controller can be handy when running warzone missions, as there are a fair number of critters that are both durable and annoying. A team with reasonable firepower can just blow everything up, though.
Dog wrangling at Kigatilik (dogs get resurrected if killed, and are impractical to tank).
Heart suppression at Qwyjibo (hearts get respawned every 60s and have a few hundred thousand hp; if permitted to be active they heal Qwyjibo faster than he can be damaged).
Suppression of red orbs in the Eidolon fight.

Note that all of these roles are endgame content and limited in number (for the Cosmics, you're talking one controller at a fight with 20-50 people). Also confuse doesn't really have any purpose other than maintaining manipulator stacks.

decorumfriends · August 2017

shadowzero66 said:
A controller AT would require the devs to figure out how "hard CC" (sleep, confuse, holds, and other such lockdowns) should function in the game, especially as a main focus for a character.

They've long since "figured it out". It's just the way they want it. They don't want CoX style controllers.

decorumfriends · August 2017

I think it's just too "static" for them. One fundamental difference between this game and CoX is that it's expected to be a lot more "moving around action". Locking groups down and picking them off is kind of counter to that philosophy.

qawsada · August 2017

shadowzero66 said:
A controller AT would require the devs to figure out how "hard CC" (sleep, confuse, holds, and other such lockdowns) should function in the game, especially as a main focus for a character. That hasn't happened yet. The historical revolving door of devs that CO has had didn't help matters either. It's also the main reason why Telepathy, which leans heavily toward such powers, is in such a rut.

I will just parrot what Panta said and just give the Mind AT a choice between Compassion and Manipulator. Even without that option, it already possible to cc with the Mind AT in a Kiga and Ape cosmic fight.

hasukurobi · August 2017

decorumfriends said:
I think it's just too "static" for them. One fundamental difference between this game and CoX is that it's expected to be a lot more "moving around action". Locking groups down and picking them off is kind of counter to that philosophy.

If that is the case then the Circles and Summoned Pets with Circles need a rethink.

pantagruel01 · August 2017

decorumfriends said:
I think it's just too "static" for them. One fundamental difference between this game and CoX is that it's expected to be a lot more "moving around action". Locking groups down and picking them off is kind of counter to that philosophy.

That's not really what's going on. The fact is, locking down one group of foes while you defeat another group of foes is exactly what CO control is good at (what it's not good at is locking down the same group that you're currently trying to defeat). However, for the vast majority of content that's completely unneeded, and thus controllers are also unneeded.

spinnytop · August 2017

pantagruel01 said:
That's not really what's going on. The fact is, locking down one group of foes while you defeat another group of foes is exactly what CO control is good at (what it's not good at is locking down the same group that you're currently trying to defeat). However, for the vast majority of content that's completely unneeded, and thus controllers are also unneeded.

While "completely locking down" the current group that's being attacked isn't possible, it is possible to severely limit their ability to mount an offense with a good focused CC build. It's one of the more fun and empowering ways to play the game. It's why I've had a CC character long before it became a spicy meme at cosmics. It's also why I enjoyed the Mind when I played ATs. I agree giving it a choice between Manipulator and Compassion would be a good decision.

As for "what's not needed in the vast majority of content" throw healers and tanks in there too, but we have ATs for those

decorumfriends said:
I think it's just too "static" for them. One fundamental difference between this game and CoX is that it's expected to be a lot more "moving around action". Locking groups down and picking them off is kind of counter to that philosophy.

I mean... look at the sorcery revamp. Sorcery post-revamp is extremely "static" so clearly it's part of the design for some things in the game to be that way - further supported by changes in other powersets that make them at least partially less movement orientated. Even tho I like movementy stuff, I agree that having some stuff be "static" keeps things diverse ( and works as a good balancing tool ).

decorumfriends · August 2017

Well, good points, all. I DID only say "I think", so I guess I need to think some more.

Any chance of a controller class?

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