Make all 'same name' consoles DR each other 50%. So basically if you stack Antiproton Mags:
first: 100% effect
second: 50% effect
third: 25% effect
fourth: 12.5% effect
fifth: 6.25% effect
This add to build variety AND reduce the exponential power creep for dpscorts and help eng and sci builds to measure up better. Hell, you might even see people use some of those consoles that NOBODY uses at the moment. Make this apply to eng, sci, and tac consoles imo.
It may not be a popular change, people hate seeing their dps-peen deflate. Howeverm i think in the long run it will make STO a more interesting game.
Changes are coming in the next release that changes EptW, and the addition of warp core abilities will effectively give engineering and sci cruisers a significant (some say 30%) boost to weapons, while tac's get only a 15% boost.
Frankly it's not necessary for anything other than PvP. My sci and engineering cruisers do 5-7K dps now which is more than enough to be good at any elite stf.
The relative increase in strength to eng and sci are not the main focus of this proposed change. The gain to the community as a whole would be increased variety of viable choices and a retardation of the exponential power curve. Both would add more to the community than the decrease in dps numbers.
DR wouldn't really lead to variety of different builds, it would just lead to generalist builds being more likely as the go to build of choice.
Tac focused ships would lose some dps, engineers would lose some hull, and science focused would lose some shields. In reality, everyone would lose, and escorts might become even more necessary due to overall lower dips and survivability.
The real solution, assuming there's a problem is to address the fact that science and engineering powers and consoles are considered less valuable than pure damage.
Strikes me more as treating a symptom rather than a cause. The real issue is that much of the end game is all about kill x in y amount of time. 'Nerfing' console stacking would severely butcher specialization(especially science) in the game and probably result in less actual variety, overall.
While it will never happen, I personally think the game would be much more balanced if 'escorts' had 3/2 weapon slots instead of 4/3. They would still be able to outdamage 'cruisers' and 'science ships' because of their ability to mount DHCs, their much higher turn rate(meaning they can keep those horribly destructive weapons on target much more often), and all the tactical bridge slots. This would mean that 'battlecruisers' and 'destroyers' would need to be sorted out in some way, however.
That said, PvP throws a wrench in things, as it oft does with the ever-elusive search for 'balance'. Reduce the amount of damage players can do; players become unkillable; reduce the survivability of players; people get wrecked in stfs.
I think the Crystalline Entity and fleet actions are a step in the right direction in emphasizing roles other than raw damage. Unfortunately, I think most people are still stuck in a rut for "STF"s. I don't know if it's because the rewards are more desireable/reasonable, because it's the only decent way to get omega marks, or because it's just something the player base has become so acclimated to over time.
Edit: Perhaps an alternative.. might be to introduce drawbacks for consoles: An anti-proton damage console would increase the amount of AP damage you do, but also weaken your resistance to all directed energy damage in the process(this would also indirectly help with the issue of escorts being too tanky). Shield capacity consoles would reduce shield regen, and vice-versa. Armor plating would reduce turn rating, etc. This would present players with choices to make, and consequences for those choices.
Currently, Tac slots do not suffer from diminishing returns <?>.
If you followed the above math (and I suck at math, by the way), a Tactical vessel with 5 tactical slots that loaded up 5 +25% damage-type consoles of the same type would have a maximum bonus of around 48.43% increase in damage output (compared to the +125% currently). Is that correct? Or is there some weird exponential thing going on?
Don't armor consoles currently suffer from diminishing returns?
To do the above, I would think the PvE would have to be re-balanced, especially end-game.
Edit: Perhaps an alternative.. might be to introduce drawbacks for consoles: An anti-proton damage console would increase the amount of AP damage you do, but also weaken your resistance to all directed energy damage in the process(this would also indirectly help with the issue of escorts being too tanky). Shield capacity consoles would reduce shield regen, and vice-versa. Armor plating would reduce turn rating, etc. This would present players with choices to make, and consequences for those choices.
At first glance, I'd be all for this sort of change. Devil's in the details, though... and it'd be a whole lot of work which I seriously doubt anyone at Cryptic (especially with PWE pulling the purse strings) would want to implement...
Damage consoles stack off of the BASE damage of weapons, they are not cumulative modifiers(each one will add the same flat amount - based off of the raw damage of the weapon).
Damage resistance has curve(so you can never have complete resistance to something).
Wait, the damage-boosting consoles don't already have diminishing returns? I always thought they did... well, gotta go alter my escort build now...
Damage consoles are thought by some to have diminishing returns, but this is simply because most boosts to weapon damage are ADDED together. So the math for two +30% consoles works out something like:
Also this doesn't take into consideration your captain's weapons proficiency skill. Most if not all chars have at least 6 points there. This is another modifier that gets ADDED to those above.
Oh and if you think Alpha strikes are OMG teh PWNAGE.... have fun playing with the Elachi. They love to spam subspace jump.
EDIT: Damage resist is different in that each one reduces your current vulnerability by the listed percent. It works out something like this:
Damage consoles are thought by some to have diminishing returns, but this is simply because most boosts to weapon damage are ADDED together. So the math for two +30% consoles works out something like:
Also this doesn't take into consideration your captain's weapons proficiency skill. Most if not all chars have at least 6 points there. This is another modifier that gets ADDED to those above.
Oh and if you think Alpha strikes are OMG teh PWNAGE.... have fun playing with the Elachi. They love to spam subspace jump.
So, um, yeah... makes my head hurt.
DR for tactical consoles sounds good, but again, that'd take a lot of end-game re-balancing... and the Tears of the Escort Drivers would drown everyone at Cryptic HQ...
Just to add, i did some calculations, and found this:
DPS (Mk XI Blue)
1428.7 with 5 (5.6% increase)
1352.6 with 4 (6% increase)
1276.5 with 3 (6.3% Increase)
1200.3 with 2 (6.8% increase)
1124.2 with 1 (7.3% Increase)
1048.1 with 0
Damage per hit (Mk XI Blue)
2143.1 with 5 (5.6% increase) (32% increase overall)
2028.9 with 4 (6% increase)
1914.7 With 3 (6.3% increase)
1800.5 with 2 (6.8% increase)
1686.3 with 1 (7.3% increase)
1572.1 with 0
This was tested on a Bortasqu' tactical cruiser, with 125/100 into weapons and Fleet disruptor dual Heavy Cannons Mk XII [Dmg]x3 [Acc].
As you can see there's a diminishing return, but it's marginal, but so is the boost given by the console. As you can see, despite what the value states, it takes 4 of the same console to achieve the increase it says it gives. I think it's safer to say its a boost to skill rather than actual percentage of damage that the number on the console refers to.
Just to add, i did some calculations, and found this:
DPS (Mk XI Blue)
1428.7 with 5 (5.6% increase)
1352.6 with 4 (6% increase)
1276.5 with 3 (6.3% Increase)
1200.3 with 2 (6.8% increase)
1124.2 with 1 (7.3% Increase)
1048.1 with 0
Damage per hit (Mk XI Blue)
2143.1 with 5 (5.6% increase) (32% increase overall)
2028.9 with 4 (6% increase)
1914.7 With 3 (6.3% increase)
1800.5 with 2 (6.8% increase)
1686.3 with 1 (7.3% increase)
1572.1 with 0
This was tested on a Bortasqu' tactical cruiser, with 125/100 into weapons and Fleet disruptor dual Heavy Cannons Mk XII [Dmg]x3 [Acc].
As you can see there's a diminishing return, but it's marginal, but so is the boost given by the console. As you can see, despite what the value states, it takes 4 of the same console to achieve the increase it says it gives. I think it's safer to say its a boost to skill rather than actual percentage of damage that the number on the console refers to.
Each additional console seems to actually add the same(give or take) absolute value of damage. The main thought is that right now stacking specific energy damage console x tac slot # is the only way to go. Neotronium x eng slot # and field generator/rommie x sci slot # take up the rest. No variety(within the normal zomgdps build). Any change will reduce your effectiveness significantly. Where as if a DR was put on consoles you could throw in some spice to your setup and it wouldn't be such a hit to your effectiveness.
Comments
Frankly it's not necessary for anything other than PvP. My sci and engineering cruisers do 5-7K dps now which is more than enough to be good at any elite stf.
Tac focused ships would lose some dps, engineers would lose some hull, and science focused would lose some shields. In reality, everyone would lose, and escorts might become even more necessary due to overall lower dips and survivability.
The real solution, assuming there's a problem is to address the fact that science and engineering powers and consoles are considered less valuable than pure damage.
Original Name: -Gen-Alaris
Days Subscribed: 1211 (As of May 26, 2013)
While it will never happen, I personally think the game would be much more balanced if 'escorts' had 3/2 weapon slots instead of 4/3. They would still be able to outdamage 'cruisers' and 'science ships' because of their ability to mount DHCs, their much higher turn rate(meaning they can keep those horribly destructive weapons on target much more often), and all the tactical bridge slots. This would mean that 'battlecruisers' and 'destroyers' would need to be sorted out in some way, however.
That said, PvP throws a wrench in things, as it oft does with the ever-elusive search for 'balance'. Reduce the amount of damage players can do; players become unkillable; reduce the survivability of players; people get wrecked in stfs.
I think the Crystalline Entity and fleet actions are a step in the right direction in emphasizing roles other than raw damage. Unfortunately, I think most people are still stuck in a rut for "STF"s. I don't know if it's because the rewards are more desireable/reasonable, because it's the only decent way to get omega marks, or because it's just something the player base has become so acclimated to over time.
Edit: Perhaps an alternative.. might be to introduce drawbacks for consoles: An anti-proton damage console would increase the amount of AP damage you do, but also weaken your resistance to all directed energy damage in the process(this would also indirectly help with the issue of escorts being too tanky). Shield capacity consoles would reduce shield regen, and vice-versa. Armor plating would reduce turn rating, etc. This would present players with choices to make, and consequences for those choices.
Currently, Tac slots do not suffer from diminishing returns <?>.
If you followed the above math (and I suck at math, by the way), a Tactical vessel with 5 tactical slots that loaded up 5 +25% damage-type consoles of the same type would have a maximum bonus of around 48.43% increase in damage output (compared to the +125% currently). Is that correct? Or is there some weird exponential thing going on?
Don't armor consoles currently suffer from diminishing returns?
To do the above, I would think the PvE would have to be re-balanced, especially end-game.
At first glance, I'd be all for this sort of change. Devil's in the details, though... and it'd be a whole lot of work which I seriously doubt anyone at Cryptic (especially with PWE pulling the purse strings) would want to implement...
Damage resistance has curve(so you can never have complete resistance to something).
[total] = [base] + (30% * [base]) + (30% * [base])
Also this doesn't take into consideration your captain's weapons proficiency skill. Most if not all chars have at least 6 points there. This is another modifier that gets ADDED to those above.
Oh and if you think Alpha strikes are OMG teh PWNAGE.... have fun playing with the Elachi. They love to spam subspace jump.
EDIT: Damage resist is different in that each one reduces your current vulnerability by the listed percent. It works out something like this:
100% - 20% = 80%
80% - 20% = 64%
64% - 20% = 51.2%
My character Tsin'xing
So, um, yeah... makes my head hurt.
DR for tactical consoles sounds good, but again, that'd take a lot of end-game re-balancing... and the Tears of the Escort Drivers would drown everyone at Cryptic HQ...
DPS (Mk XI Blue)
1428.7 with 5 (5.6% increase)
1352.6 with 4 (6% increase)
1276.5 with 3 (6.3% Increase)
1200.3 with 2 (6.8% increase)
1124.2 with 1 (7.3% Increase)
1048.1 with 0
Damage per hit (Mk XI Blue)
2143.1 with 5 (5.6% increase) (32% increase overall)
2028.9 with 4 (6% increase)
1914.7 With 3 (6.3% increase)
1800.5 with 2 (6.8% increase)
1686.3 with 1 (7.3% increase)
1572.1 with 0
This was tested on a Bortasqu' tactical cruiser, with 125/100 into weapons and Fleet disruptor dual Heavy Cannons Mk XII [Dmg]x3 [Acc].
As you can see there's a diminishing return, but it's marginal, but so is the boost given by the console. As you can see, despite what the value states, it takes 4 of the same console to achieve the increase it says it gives. I think it's safer to say its a boost to skill rather than actual percentage of damage that the number on the console refers to.
My character Tsin'xing
Each additional console seems to actually add the same(give or take) absolute value of damage. The main thought is that right now stacking specific energy damage console x tac slot # is the only way to go. Neotronium x eng slot # and field generator/rommie x sci slot # take up the rest. No variety(within the normal zomgdps build). Any change will reduce your effectiveness significantly. Where as if a DR was put on consoles you could throw in some spice to your setup and it wouldn't be such a hit to your effectiveness.
My character Tsin'xing