I would like more information on how damage translates to skills. Particularly, how your DPS is determined when dual-wielding, which skills use your DPS compared to your damage per hit, and things like that. Don't need to go through and explain all skills, just what dfiferent "categories" there are for determining how your damage affects the skill's damage. Also, information on how +damage and +elemental damage interacts with skills would be useful.
Admittedly, I would probably like an actual Wii port for the game. Being able to aim with the wiimote would solve the issue of skills that need a targeting cursor (such as meteor, leap, etc).
Though, I do hope they won't require actual motion controls... lol
Put it this way: it is UNDER double the damage, and is double the duration. The damage applies over the duration. This means that over the duration you do less damage = nerf.
On top of that, the longer the duration on things, the worse they are. That means that if a 3 second spell and a 6 second spell have the same damage per second per resource usage, the shorter is better. This is because enemies move and "most likely" (definitely for blizzard) the effects don't stack. Easier to make sure an enemy is getting hit for all 3 seconds than all 6 seconds = nerf.
I have no idea what a 6 second duration DoT feels like for Blizzard, because I haven't tried it, but I don't think I'm a fan because I don't intend to stay still that long.
Keep in mind that the damage is almost identical; a total of 5% weapon damage over the full duration, or less than 1% per second. It's less, yes, but not significantly so. Further, the AP cost hasn't changed, so the damage per AP ratio has improved. Lastly, note that if you're figuring this out all mathematically, note that any damage dealt with the new blizzard after the three second mark is all bonus damage; even if an enemy only stays in for four seconds, they're taking more damage than they would have taken under the old blizzard for three seconds. It also means you have more time to cast the blizzard and then lure enemies into it, as opposed to casting it in the middle of a fight. Basically, it's overall a better skill, and the only drawback is a slight decrease in DPS, but a significant increase in total damage for any enemy in it longer than 3 seconds.
Basically, this is my attempt to take advantage of a lot of rocket-firing skills. Since most of them are area attacks, I took Impale and Hungering Arrow for single-target attacks.
The problem there is that it will pretty much kill character diversity. One of the more vocal complaints about the game is that, because you can swap skills with little or no difficulty, it feels like the characters are all just blank slates instead of actual builds. By encouraging people to swap between skills like this, it only enforces this complaint even more.
many are no against a better skill switching system than the current (30 second cd), but most people do not want anything like d2
Very few people seem to be arguing for a full return to the D2 system.
This isn't about D2 being better than D3. Its about both games having the wrong systems. One of them forcing people to reroll to respec, and the other one throwing the whole concept of building a character out of the window.
Somewhere in between seems like it would be much better for the game.
Preferably something which allowed for full and free respeccing all the time in normal (like the current 30 sec cd), and then slowly making it more and more costly in higher difficulties imo, as the need for switching is greater in normal where you are still getting new skills all the time.
I agree with this. If there is a fee, I'd say a small gold fee, and only have it apply at later levels (level 40 at the earliest), as that gives you levels 1-30 to freely swap between skills you've just learned, and levels 30-40 to experiment once you have all skills unlocked before you have to think about getting a "fixed" build. The fee should also be small, and entirely gold-based (and not scale upwards based on how many times you've changed; we don't want someone to "run out" of respecs).
I also agree with tying the skill changes with difficulty level. Perhaps in Normal mode, you can swap skills freely, in town or in a dungeon, without any sort of cooldown. Nightmare mode, you trigger a short (30 sec) cooldown swapping skills outside of town, but you can go to an altar to swap skills freely with no cooldown. Hell and Inferno mode, you can't swap skills at all unless you're at an altar. This could also be tied in with the gold cost; swapping is free on Normal and Nightmare, but Hell you have to pay a fee. This means you can swap freely to experiment on lower difficulties, but you're discouraged from clearing a dungeon as one spec, then TPing back to swap to your boss-killing spec.
Personally, I understand the concerns about characters feeling unique enough; while there are a near-infinite number of possible combinations of skills and passives, there's nothing forcing a character to stick with a certain combination.
On the other hand, this isn't intended to be like WoW where there's a set cookie-cutter spec for each class; this is a game where there's supposed to be a huge number of viable specs for each class. So, making swapping specs too restrictive will hurt that aspect of the game.
I think the limited 30-second cooldown method right now is a mistake, personally. I agree with needing a nephilem altar to swap skills. I also think that this can be a good addition to gameplay, by having altars show up in various dungeons as well as in town; perhaps some in randomized spots, and some in fixed locations (when I played through the beta, one of the levels in the cathedral had an altar right next to the entrance, if I remember correctly).
As for having a fee to respec, again this isn't the type of game to require a set, optimized build, but I do agree that a small cost isn't bad. However, if a cost is added in, I believe it should be based on character level as well, and be completely free at lower levels (probably not charging anything until 40, at the earliest), so someone playing a new class the option to swap skills and abilities freely while they're learning the class. (This is especially true since you can learn a new skill while leveling; you don't want to force players to pay a fee just to use that new skill.)
Also, I wouldn't object to the limitations on skill swapping being based on difficulty level. Say, on Normal mode, you can swap skills freely wherever you are, not requiring an altar or triggering a cooldown. In Nightmare, you can swap skills freely and trigger the 30 second cooldown, or if you're at an altar, there's no cooldown triggered. In Hell mode, you have to use an altar to swap, but some altars can be found inside dungeons, as well as in town. In Inferno mode, you still need an altar, and there are no altars inside dungeons, only in town.
RE CE wings...I am pretty sure there is also an official Blizzard quote somewhere in the forums that says the wings can be taken off, put in your shared stash, and worn by other characters. The biggest question was what happens in Hardcore mode if you die
Bashiok clarified his statement yesterday, saying that the items are actually per character, not just one per account. So, no worries if your hardcore character dies while wearing the wings, as the next character will have her own set.
Personally, at first I was a little put off by the change, since it really didn't make sense for the witch doctor and wizard. After the knee-jerk reaction though, I'm starting to like it. It means your caster classes won't be "forced" to use the standard caster type weapons, and you can branch out and use something a bit more unorthodox.
As far as stat balancing goes, I agree that a lot of games seem to be really different between caster and melee stats. Vanilla WoW was pretty bad, especially at lower levels, with almost nothing aside from spell rank and talents contributing to caster damage; you almost never saw anything with +spell damage, +crit, etc until Molten Core. Even after vanilla though, things were still different until they changed Int to give spell power (before Cataclysm, Strength or Agility were key stats for melee, while the Intelligence stat was nothing but a slightly bigger mana pool and a little crit for casters, not something that increased damage by very much). League of Legends also has this problem, with physical classes/builds getting attack damage, attack speed, crit, life leech, and cooldown reduction, while ability power classes/builds getting ability power, cooldown reduction, and sometimes mana/mana regen, if they actually used mana.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Though, I do hope they won't require actual motion controls... lol
Keep in mind that the damage is almost identical; a total of 5% weapon damage over the full duration, or less than 1% per second. It's less, yes, but not significantly so. Further, the AP cost hasn't changed, so the damage per AP ratio has improved. Lastly, note that if you're figuring this out all mathematically, note that any damage dealt with the new blizzard after the three second mark is all bonus damage; even if an enemy only stays in for four seconds, they're taking more damage than they would have taken under the old blizzard for three seconds. It also means you have more time to cast the blizzard and then lure enemies into it, as opposed to casting it in the middle of a fight. Basically, it's overall a better skill, and the only drawback is a slight decrease in DPS, but a significant increase in total damage for any enemy in it longer than 3 seconds.
Class: Demon Hunter
Build: Silly theme
Basically, this is my attempt to take advantage of a lot of rocket-firing skills. Since most of them are area attacks, I took Impale and Hungering Arrow for single-target attacks.
Plus, the UI's not set up for it at all.
I agree with this. If there is a fee, I'd say a small gold fee, and only have it apply at later levels (level 40 at the earliest), as that gives you levels 1-30 to freely swap between skills you've just learned, and levels 30-40 to experiment once you have all skills unlocked before you have to think about getting a "fixed" build. The fee should also be small, and entirely gold-based (and not scale upwards based on how many times you've changed; we don't want someone to "run out" of respecs).
I also agree with tying the skill changes with difficulty level. Perhaps in Normal mode, you can swap skills freely, in town or in a dungeon, without any sort of cooldown. Nightmare mode, you trigger a short (30 sec) cooldown swapping skills outside of town, but you can go to an altar to swap skills freely with no cooldown. Hell and Inferno mode, you can't swap skills at all unless you're at an altar. This could also be tied in with the gold cost; swapping is free on Normal and Nightmare, but Hell you have to pay a fee. This means you can swap freely to experiment on lower difficulties, but you're discouraged from clearing a dungeon as one spec, then TPing back to swap to your boss-killing spec.
On the other hand, this isn't intended to be like WoW where there's a set cookie-cutter spec for each class; this is a game where there's supposed to be a huge number of viable specs for each class. So, making swapping specs too restrictive will hurt that aspect of the game.
I think the limited 30-second cooldown method right now is a mistake, personally. I agree with needing a nephilem altar to swap skills. I also think that this can be a good addition to gameplay, by having altars show up in various dungeons as well as in town; perhaps some in randomized spots, and some in fixed locations (when I played through the beta, one of the levels in the cathedral had an altar right next to the entrance, if I remember correctly).
As for having a fee to respec, again this isn't the type of game to require a set, optimized build, but I do agree that a small cost isn't bad. However, if a cost is added in, I believe it should be based on character level as well, and be completely free at lower levels (probably not charging anything until 40, at the earliest), so someone playing a new class the option to swap skills and abilities freely while they're learning the class. (This is especially true since you can learn a new skill while leveling; you don't want to force players to pay a fee just to use that new skill.)
Also, I wouldn't object to the limitations on skill swapping being based on difficulty level. Say, on Normal mode, you can swap skills freely wherever you are, not requiring an altar or triggering a cooldown. In Nightmare, you can swap skills freely and trigger the 30 second cooldown, or if you're at an altar, there's no cooldown triggered. In Hell mode, you have to use an altar to swap, but some altars can be found inside dungeons, as well as in town. In Inferno mode, you still need an altar, and there are no altars inside dungeons, only in town.
Bashiok clarified his statement yesterday, saying that the items are actually per character, not just one per account. So, no worries if your hardcore character dies while wearing the wings, as the next character will have her own set.
As far as stat balancing goes, I agree that a lot of games seem to be really different between caster and melee stats. Vanilla WoW was pretty bad, especially at lower levels, with almost nothing aside from spell rank and talents contributing to caster damage; you almost never saw anything with +spell damage, +crit, etc until Molten Core. Even after vanilla though, things were still different until they changed Int to give spell power (before Cataclysm, Strength or Agility were key stats for melee, while the Intelligence stat was nothing but a slightly bigger mana pool and a little crit for casters, not something that increased damage by very much). League of Legends also has this problem, with physical classes/builds getting attack damage, attack speed, crit, life leech, and cooldown reduction, while ability power classes/builds getting ability power, cooldown reduction, and sometimes mana/mana regen, if they actually used mana.