So today I discovered this thread: http://cityoftitans.com/forum/updated-classification-and-specification-chart
That helps clear up a few things that confused me. Now I'm a bit worried. If this chart is accurate, then there is really only one class at launch with decent damage dealing: Enforcer Gladiator.
Everything else is support-oriented except for Stalwart Bulwark, which is the object of all that support.
This does not comfort me. Since I cannot create an Operator/Master/Whatever it winds up being called, my second choice would be a good ranged damage dealer, but the only one listed as being included at launch is Ranger Partisan, and their primary role is support. According to the chart, there is not a single Offense Classification available at launch. Not one. And quite possibly none are planned (that whole section is completely blank).
In CoX, I played mostly Masterminds, second would be Dominators, and a very distant third would be evenly ranked Brute/Stalker/Scrapper.
I am a firm believer in the old adage, "the best defense is a strong offense". After all, an enemy cannot damage you if they are defeated before they even have a chance to warm up. I would really not prefer to start the game as an Enforcer Gladiator because if past experience is any indication they will be the primary Classification in the first few months, with Stalwart Bulwark a close second.
I did not enjoy melee classes in CoX until they came out with Dual Sword/Willpower Brutes and Scrappers. That was a perfect melee class for me. To be completely blunt, it is the only melee class in any game I have ever truly enjoyed playing. Katana/Ninjitsu Stalker being a distant second.
Mastermind, all kinds
Fire/Fire Dominator
Mind Control/Psionic Dominator
Dual Sword/Willpower Brute/Scrapper
Katana/Ninjitsu Stalker
Dual Pistols/Time Manipulation Corruptor
Those are the main archetypes I played in the order I enjoyed them most. I experimented with many others, almost every single powerset in the game at one time or another. What is City of Titans going to have at launch that might capture my enthusiasm as well as these? I'll play anyway, and just wait for something with some decent damage potential to come out, but of the bare handful of Classifications and Specifications that will come out at launch, which one will best approximate the six CoX archetypes listed above?
Any chance Commander Brigadier will make it into launch? Or maybe Commander Executor? Ranger Gunner? Those three seem to be placed in areas that combine the features I need most to match my non-mastermind playstyle.
What I'm really looking forward to is Master Taskmaster and Master Ringleader. If this chart is correct, then those will no doubt become my two favorites. I am hoping at least one of them will feature animals. Beastmaster/Nature Affinity was a wonderful edition to the game. After it came out it became my primary starting point for new characters. My first one, Persephone Reborn, was just past level 40 when the game went offline (42 or 43, as I recall).
The world has too many melee fanatics already. I would not enjoy playing if it turned out the only class at launch that matched my playstyle was Enforcer Gladiator.
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I think you do not need to worry that much, Greyhawk. The Partisan will have ranged damage as his primary powerset, not secondary, so the main focus is damage, like the corruptor. Sure, the secondary set is support, but you could choose a support set that has a lot of debuff in it. I do believe there will be something like that and if it has resistance debuff, that will help you deal more damage.
And there is always the masteries, all the Rangers will certainly get a good choice of offensive masteries. That will still make for a fearsome ranged damage dealer.
That said I too would have preferred the Gunner. And the Executor or the Brigadier instead of the Director, which is supposed to be similar to City of Heroes Controllers. I liked playing Controllers, but they felt even more defensive than Defenders to me... All in all I liked Dominators more.
Actually ATs are going to be different in CoT than how they where presented in CoX. Essentially what you see up there are 6 AT's rather than 15. One for each primary with the specializations being you being able to choose your own secondary from a small pool of option and with your choice of an inherit, effectively making it so your kind of making your own AT.
not my video just one I lke ===> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6-SdIN0hsM
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Well - you can look at it a couple of different ways I suppose - each specification comes with it's own moniker to differentiate, but the standard "meta classes" are in there as well.
In any case, while the powers and abilities of our characters are going to be different between the two games - the foci/niches between some will be similar. In essence we will be starting off with the "Scrapper/Brute/Stalker" (melee damage), the "Corruptor" (ranged damage), the "Tank" (personal defense), the "Controller" (hard controls) and the "Defender" (buff/debuffs).
I personally never had any issues with dealing damage with my two Corruptors, so I would expect similar handling with the newer model in the same niche. And like Lutan suggested, this will likely be further augmented depending on your Secondaries, Tertiaries and Masteries, and how you slot your powers.
All good points. It's also worth mentioning that players are expected to be able to respec into a different Specification (secondary) which means that any Ranger can respec into any other Ranger class. For instance, you could create a Partisan at launch and later respec them into a Hunter or Gunner as those classes become available. I'm considering doing this very thing by starting a character as a Gladiator then respeccing them into a Bodyguard.
I am really looking forward to the Gunner (Ranged Damage/Survivability), but I understand they need to limit the launch options otherwise we will be waiting for a very long time.
The Phoenix Rising Initiative Rules Lawyer
I either missed that or don't remember it being mentioned. Either way, it certainly is something worth keeping in mind.
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I believe it was expanded/confirmed in the masteries update. Regardless, there is definitely a melee ranged defense support and cc class each designated at launch. For ease of implementation, they'd support for cc ranged and support makes sense because implementing it for 1 implements it for 2 more, where melee and defense directly support each other the same way.
It makes the idea of bodyguards and gunners very fast to implement since the sets already exist. The secondary for hunters wardens vindicators bastions and brigadiers a bit harder to implement since their secondaries need to be designed and balanced out separately, but how their primary fares will give a lot of insight into how the manipulation and assault sets need to develop. All operators would be in that same boat, except pitted with the complication of balancing their primary role instead of just their secondary. There's optons, but the greater paint bucket solutions are going to get more attention sooner, and from the inspiring classes, buff/debuff sets cover the most even as just secondaries.
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The very existence of the taunting tank irritates, for it requires idiotic AI that obeys the taunt.