Publish Notes from 2009-01-08 (2)

Publish 57 Update 4

On January 9, 2009, the following were published to the Test Center shard(but never later published out to production shards):
TC1 Balance Testing Notes

These changes reflect an effort to not just bring balance to the PvP system, but to promote diversity of playstyles, improved combat tactics and hopefully rewards players for investing in both their characters' skills as well as their own gameplay skill.

Immunity/Diminishing Returns System

There are quite a few ‘rinse & repeat' combat tactics in game currently. Some of these are because of limitations of choices in template play styles, or just from the fact that they are just so “effective” there's no reason to do anything else. To encourage variety and limit the capacity for exploiting these currently infinitely repeatable tactics, an Immunity/Diminishing returns system has been added in places.

This system works under the premise that characters will develop immunity or resistance to a particular effect after repeated exposure.

This immunity/resistance is temporary, and decays over time. Currently most of these will be reset on death.

Specific Testing Points of Interest

• Rate of Decay
• Rate of Gain
• Amount of reduction of effect due to immunity.

Talon Strike

This should now work as a functional Damage Over Time effect.Duration should be scaled on players ninjitsu Skill Bonus damage is dependent on players Hiding and Stealth and is scaled according to their FENCING SKILL. (UBSW is not a substitute for the bonus damage dependent on fencing skill)

• NOTE* This is subject to Diminishing returns and targets will gain immunity to this.

• Immunity gain is dependent on attacker ninjitsu skill.
• Immunity reduces the number of rounds of this DOT.
• Legendary Ninjitsu guarantees at least (1) round.

Testing Points of Interest

How does this stack with other DOTs? Too powerful?

Concussion Blow

Previously this was Direct damage scaled according to the difference between Current Mana % and Current HP %. This implementation penalized players for being low on mana or health. So a playing using mana to keep themselves fully healed would increasingly take more damage from the attack. Also if a player was hit with the attack and did not use mana to heal, then the next attack would do additional damage because of the difference between mana and hp increasing from the first hit.

Additionally, this damage was in addition to the damage from the actual hit allowing for HUGE damage output to players.

This has been recoded so the bonus damage is CONSTANT. The old concussion effect of reducing the targets mana pool has been tweaked and put into play again. Concussion will now have the effect of a temporary mana drain, scaled by the targets immunity to the effect. Attackers will ALWAYS get the bonus damage from the attack, the drain effect will be scaled based on the defender's immunity/resistance.

Heal Potion Usage

• Previously heal potions can be chained indefinitely limited only by the 10 second timer between greater heals or less for lower power potions.
• Players will now become immune to the effect of healing potions. As long as a player will not exceed full immunity by drinking a potion, they will receive at least 50% of the healing from that potion.
• Players with Enhance Potion items will still experience the effects of the Enhance potions, but will become to the effects of their heal potions faster than players without Enhance Potion items. This increase in immunity scales based on the Enhance Potions value.
• Players with Alchemy will gain immunity slower than players without the alchemy skill.
• Immunity reduces the damage healed, and eventually the player will be unable to drink a potion until the immunity has lowered.

Testing

• Immunity Decay rate: Too Slow? Too Fast?
• Immunity Gain rate: Too Slow? Too Fast?
• Diminishing Returns: Too much of a decrease in effects or too little decrease in effects due to immunity?

Dispel Evil

• Now works on Player Summons.
• Players must now combat flag summons to dispel innocent summons

Dispel Proc (Weapons)

• Weapons with Hit Dispel should now be able to dispel summons.