The devs, I think, have stated elsewhere on this site that defense will be things like "defense versus AoE" and "Defense vs melee" etc, not "Defense versus burning" etc. Resistance, on the other hand will be "resist burning" and so forth.
This calls to mind the question of what the tanker resistances will look like as plotted on a bar graph. Each bar would be a different type of damage, the heights of the bars representing amount of resistance.
Obviously, everyone will want all of their resistances to be maxxed, or close to it via the use of Augments etc.
What would we, as game designers, want that "resistance spectrum" to look like when we compare different Stalwart sets to each other? I don't think you want all sets to look basically the same, because then that makes the choice of which set to take pretty pointless.
Some thoughts for making different sets behave differently, thus making the choice of which to take relevant:
1. Set has below average overall resistance numbers (across the board) when maxxed out, but is easier to max out (i.e. cheaper in terms of Augments needed) thus allowing you to allocate more Augments and slots to other things (like attacks).
2. Set is extra good against a few damage types, about average against a few, and below average against others.
3. Set is VERY strong against ONE type of damage and about average against all others.
4. Set is above average against most damage types, but exceptionally weak against one "kryptonite" damage type that you'll actively try to avoid. (I think most people would take this one and just avoid the kryptonite, which is why you maybe don't do this one, or else make the kryptonite a thing that either behaves randomly somehow or shows up even when you don't expect it to).
5. Set is pretty good across the board, but requires more resources to maintain, i.e. best Augments, a lot of slots, uses reserves a lot, leverages momentum, etc, leaving you very little to devote to attacks.
6. Set has above average resistances across the board but is unreliable in some way (powers have randomized durations, or toggles can have a chance to drop when you get hit by stun effects or knockback effects and need to be reset, etc).
7. Set has above average resistances across the board, but applies some debuff to the character (Stone Armor did this in CoX, as Granite had -move and I believe -Damage for a time).
Your thoughts?
R.S.O. of Phoenix Rising
We already have a good majority of protection sets planned out.just as with every type of set we design, we apply a framework for the stule of play and within each style, a theme.
Protection sets that rely on "take a hit, ignore the damage" or as we call them, Fortitude sets, each has a theme which calls for different set mechanics for how the set operates.
Two things: mo set in the game will improve better or worse when Augments are applied. The Augment will always improve a powwr by its improvement factor on the current power value.
I'm avoiding designing sets that gain benefit at the cost of applying a debuff. I could go into a long explanation of why this is particularly tricky design, doesn't always work right, and ends up either hampering making any adjustments throughout the life of the game, or results in players being able to build out the negative effects. Instead any set that requires a particular benefit at a cost of something will do so via game play mechanics.
[hr]I don't use a nerf bat, I have a magic crowbar!
- Combat Mechanic -
[color=#ff0000]Tech Team. [/color]
Ice Armor ([url=https://tomax.cohtitan.com/data/powers/power.php?id=Tanker_Defense.Ice_Armor.Energy_Absorption]Energy Absorption[/url]) and Invulnerability ([url=https://tomax.cohtitan.com/data/powers/power.php?id=Tanker_Defense.Invulnerability.Invincibility]Invincibility[/url]) and Willpower ([url=https://tomax.cohtitan.com/data/powers/power.php?id=Tanker_Defense.Willpower.Rise_to_the_Challenge]Rise to the Challenge[/url]) did this. Can't say I ever particularly cared for this mechanic, since it tended to make the performance of the Powers ... spiky ... particularly in the case of Click as opposed to Toggle Powers. Worst of the lot, as far as this type of mechanic goes, was [url=https://tomax.cohtitan.com/data/powers/power.php?id=Warshade_Defensive.Umbral_Aura.Eclipse]Eclipse[/url] for Warshades.
A corollary which doesn't make for an exact match is the "necromantic" style of doing this sort of thing which relies upon Foe Corpses, as was done with [url=https://tomax.cohtitan.com/data/powers/power.php?id=Warshade_Defensive.Umbral_Aura.Stygian_Circle]Stygian Circle[/url], as well as [url=https://tomax.cohtitan.com/data/powers/power.php?id=Warshade_Offensive.Umbral_Blast.Unchain_Essence]Unchain Essence[/url] to "detonate" Foe Corpses for VoE Damage.
[center][img=44x100]https://i.imgur.com/sMUQ928.gif[/img]
[i]Verbogeny is one of many pleasurettes afforded a creatific thinkerizer.[/i][/center]
The corollary examples are more along the lines of triggered effects, in this case, the requirement of defeated targets within range of the power. Those types of powers are viable choices for power design, but of course, care has to be taken in order to make the set effective enough even without the use of such powers.
[hr]I don't use a nerf bat, I have a magic crowbar!
- Combat Mechanic -
[color=#ff0000]Tech Team. [/color]
I'm glad to hear this.
I'm intrigued particularly by the statement "(No) set in the game will improve better or worse when Augments are applied. The Augment will always improve a powwr by its improvement factor on the current power value."
I take this to mean "If one power gives a some resistance to burning damage, then you slot an augment into it, the effect of that augment on the power will be no different than the effect that augment would have on any other power it might slot into, in an apples to apples comparison."
So if the power "Burning resistance" is a toggle that gives a baseline of 15% resist burning damage when toggled on, then goes up to 20% when one particular augment is in it, that same augment would have the same effect on a different power, say "chilling resistance", which itself might provide a baseline of, say, 17% resist chilling damage. And by "same effect" I mean "the extent to which it scales up the resistance would be the same" such that the augmented "chill resist" power will end up with something like 22.6% resist chilling when augmented (i.e. the augment gives any power it's in a gain of 1/3 of the baseline value, the baseline value being subject to variance from one power to another, the augment always providing a set fraction of the baseline in augmentation) .
So for any one power to be any better or worse than another, it will be better in baseline form, and thus better in all comparable forms above that (1-slotted, 2-slotted, etc). This does not eliminate the possibility of having one set or another be more Augment/slot intensive though, because there are bound to be hard caps on these things.
One power might provide SO much resistance in baseline form that it only needs like 2 augments to get it up to the cap, whereas another might be so weak in baseline form that it needs 4 augments to get to the cap with it.
Is this true, or am I misunderstanding something?
R.S.O. of Phoenix Rising
No, I believe you understand the basics of it all. Though, try not to get muddled down in damage types by theme. They are different beasts although they are related in a way.
[hr]I don't use a nerf bat, I have a magic crowbar!
- Combat Mechanic -
[color=#ff0000]Tech Team. [/color]