[Brainport] PPU reliance and ideas to solve this problem

[DrNarf]

I've posted this idea once before, but it only got 3 replies and didn't even get moved into brainport so I'm guessing people missed it. :eek: :p

Ok, everyone knows that in large scale fights the side with the best ppu force will win 90% of the time. This is mainly beacuse of the obsene ammount of things they need to do in a fight. Here are a few ideas to help remedy this situation (long but worth the reading and colour coded for ease of reading ):

(1) Resistance. Currently, the natural resist 'cap' for a player is 76%, however shelter and deflector allow someone to raise this resistance factor above 76%, meaning the whole world and his dog wants to have ppu buffs. I propose that this natural resistance cap be moved to about 90%, with the effectiveness of current resist points increased to compliment these changes (the same ammount of points being needed to cap the natural resistance from those points) and the ability for shelter and deflector to raise the resistance above this removed. Also a player's con level would count for about 40% of this resistance factor.

Example
A tank, a PE and an Apu Monk currently have enough points in con and armour resistance to cap the natural resistance for energy and all have capped con (probobly not realistic but this is just to illustrate the point). With these changes:

- The tank could reach the resistance cap without shields as he has enough con points and armour to cap the resistance from them. Also, as he has 100 con, he gets 100% of the possible 40% resistance from con, meaning he has the full 90% resistance for energy without the need for shelter.

- The PE also gets the full ammount of resistance possible from skill points and armour (50%). However because he only has 65 con, he only gets 65% of the possible 40% resistance from his con level, so his overall resistance factor would be 76% energy resistance. However because he is able to cast shelter on himself, he can raise this factor to the resistance 'cap' himself. (if shelters aren't already that effective then they could be changed to that level of effectiveness).

- The Apu, while having enough points in energy resist to get the maximum 50% energy resistance from them, only has 45 con, and so only gets 45% of the possible resistance from con. This means that his overall resistance for energy without shields would be 68%. However, because he could get a holy shelter from a ppu, this resistance factor could again be raised to the cap of 90%. (again the effectiveness of holy shelter and deflector could be changed to compliment this)

With these changes the need for ppus in a fight would be greatly reduced, as only a heal is needed as oppose to heals + shelter and deflector on tanks and PEs. Also these changes compliment the different character's abilities as they were always meant to be, the tank being the most able to take damage, next being PEs, with monks and spies being the weakest and people would be more tempted to try the different classes, as monks wouldn't be as 'uber' as the rest of the classes. Cyber hearts would also have a purpose with these changes (even though they don't make much sense :p). The numbers used above wouldn't need to be exactly the same, but to that effect.

(2) Stealth. Currently it is the sole job of a ppu to counter stealth, which gives them a level of responsability they could really do without. I propose that kk create a drone which would allow the droner to see stealthed spies and pes in the drone screen. Although only the droner could see people while they were stealthed, the droner could shoot the spy or PE with the drone, which would uncloak them and prevent them from stealthing again for 2-3 seconds. If the person was shot when they weren't stealthed, it would still prevent them from stealthing for this length of time. However the range of this drone's weapon would be limited, meaning the droner could only see the stealther at a distance, not uncloak him.

Not only would this mean ppus wouldn't be the only people capable of countering stealth, but the droner would be able to move close to the stealther to uncloak him a lot more easily. However at the same time it would give the stealther an oppertunity to survive as this drone would be relatively weak and easily destroyed.

Example
In an op fight, there is a pe stealthing inside the op and a sniper spy stealthing around the hills nearby. Inside the op there is very little space to move around so the ppu has at least some chance to counter the stealth with his TSS (true sight sanctum). Also the droner could use his drone to prevent the PE from stealthing again, forcing the PE to fight rather than hide.

Because of the TSS's limited range, the ppu would have a very hard time countering the stealthing spy. However the droner could use his drone to fly up to the hills after the stealther as he can see him even when he stealths (the drone would fly similarly to a particle beam drone). Once the drone gets close enough he can counter the spy's stealth allowing his teammates to kill him. However in both the op and out in the hills, the drone could easily be taken down, allowing the stealther to once again move around unnoticed.

[ResurgencE]

C'mon, everybody.

Lets get on the '5 stars' bandwagon.

[Shadow Dancer]

No. It would make tanks too strong and apus(obviously not ppu ) to weak.


This doesn't change the reliance on ppus at all, except making apus rely more on them (ugh) and tanks rely a bit less on them.


But it won't change much. 1 star

[Kal]

i dont think theres anything wrong with the con system atm

[ResurgencE]

C'mon, everybody.

Lets get on the '3 stars' bandwagon.

[Archeus]

I have no problem with the droner seeing the spy but not decloaking them unless the drone has a TSS like a ppu and can't see the cloaker (same limits as the ppu).

[Ether230]

Not too sure about the con changes but that drone sounds good. If droners had one of those to play with I,d rather have a droner with me than a PPU when Im being attacked by some stealthing hitech PE wuss :) (Being a lotech PE myself :) )

[DrNarf]

@SD: Apus would be slightly more reliant on ppu support, but currently in fights, almost everyone is dependant on ppu support to some extent as fighting someone who has a ppu with your own buffs puts you at a major disadvantage. Apu damage could be changed to be noticably higher than the rest of the classes to help balance out their defensive penalty, but they could only reach slightly lower than the full resist 'cap' with ppu support to stop them being too overpowered (foreign-cast buffs). It's just a case of getting the balance between the damages correct. Like I said the numbers I mentioned above aren't set in stone, they're just to get the idea across. :p Also bear in mind this would mean tanks and pes without ppu support would be on a much more even playing field with those who have ppu support.

The problem is ppus are too relied upon atm, as they are the be-all and end-all in 90% of fights. With these changes, tanks and pes could look after themselves without having a defensive penalty and apus would have lower resists but could deal a lot more damage to balance it out. Thats the way apus were always meant to be, high damage but low defense.

@Kal: I would agree that there isn't much wrong with the current con system, however I'm sure most people can agree there IS a problem with the current ppu situation.

[Shadow Dancer]

Originally posted by DrNarf
@SD: Apus would be slightly more reliant on ppu support, but currently in fights, almost everyone is dependant on ppu support to some extent as fighting someone who has a ppu with your own buffs puts you at a major disadvantage. Apu damage could be changed to be noticably higher than the rest of the classes to help balance out their defensive penalty, .



No, apu damage shouldn't go any higher.


Originally posted by DrNarf
but they could only reach slightly lower than the full resist 'cap' with ppu support to stop them being too overpowered (foreign-cast buffs).


I see, so weaken apus defensively because of the power of ppu buffs. Wow that's fair..............not.




Originally posted by DrNarf
Also bear in mind this would mean tanks and pes without ppu support would be on a much more even playing field with those who have ppu support.



I sooo disagree. First of all, pes would be more or less the same. Tanks would have defense CLOSE to those tanks with ppu buffs. But they still be would worlds behind a tank with ppu buffs, because a tank with ppu buffs would have more health, better defense, and the HEAL!!! Don't forget heal. That's one of the biggest factors. PPus can still heal outrageously high amounts of health, damage boost, and unfortunately shock.

So you see this doesn't do much to change ppu reliance in anyway, it simply screws up non ppu balance more. Imagine pes and apus fighting tanks with super defense now. Nah no thanks.



If a pe stays the same, and an apu needs a ppu even more now, and tanks need them a tad bit less, what changes in the long run? Nothing. See what i'm saying?


I applaud you though for trying to come up with a solution. God knows the ppus on this forum won't do it. :rolleyes:

[L3m0n]

i rember if you didnt have a PPU you died (before resists came into the game it was all in HP) and now with resists + a PPU if you get a good con setup and s/d your not going to drop that fast.
i like this idea it also means that someone who would allways play a PPU wouldnt need to because you would be able (to a point) look after yourself.
but i still think making it 90% is a little high 80-85% max i think would do the job

[Scikar]

I don't think you quite see where he's going SD. Tanks wouldn't actually gain any benefit at all from PPU buffs, they would already be at the 90% absorption cap. A PE would cap with whatever buffs he has, be them his own or the PPUs. The APU wouldn't really be any different to where he is now defensively. Resist buffs don't really make a great deal of difference to Tanks, they have usually capped or near capped resists anyway, and under this system resist buffs would only help them reach the 90% absorption cap, nothing more. PEs would be the same, APUs would gain more but that doesn't mean the APUs would be relying on PPUs any more than they do now.

[DrNarf]

No, apu damage shouldn't go any higher.

I agree, but I never said it should. What I meant was apu damage be noticably higher in relation to tank/pe etc. damage.


I see, so weaken apus defensively because of the power of ppu buffs. Wow that's fair..............not.

Their defence would only be marginally lower than that of the other classes with ppu support, but like scikar said, their defence without ppus would be about the same as it is without ppus now and with their better damage, it would balance out. (perhaps not with the numbers I used in my first post, but like I said they are only to get the idea across ;) )


I sooo disagree. First of all, pes would be more or less the same. Tanks would have defense CLOSE to those tanks with ppu buffs. But they still be would worlds behind a tank with ppu buffs, because a tank with ppu buffs would have more health, better defense, and the HEAL!!! Don't forget heal. That's one of the biggest factors. PPus can still heal outrageously high amounts of health, damage boost, and unfortunately shock.

The point of this new resist system isn't to remove ppu reliance, only _REDUCE_ ppu reliance. Yes the tank with the ppu supporting him would have an advantage, thats what ppus do, but not nearly as much of an advantage as he would have now. Currently if a tank without a ppu fights a tank with a ppu (assuming the ppu doesn't suck), the ppu'd tank will almost always win. With these changes, the ppu-less tank at least has a chance to take the other tank down.

Oh and tanks wouldn't really have superior resists, dunno if I made that clear, sorry. As soon as a tank reached the resist 'cap' with natural/armour resists and his con level, it couldn't go any higher than that cap.