An elegant way to balance Cast When Damage Taken

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Poutsos написал:

The game is not supposed to be in beta anymore.i dont except huge balance changes at each patch like beta.imagine new players,starting chracters,build around skills,only to get nerfed in the next patch,or the one after.

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RogueMage написал:

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Poutsos написал:

The game is not supposed to be in beta anymore.i dont except huge balance changes at each patch like beta.imagine new players,starting chracters,build around skills,only to get nerfed in the next patch,or the one after.

Welcome to Beta 1.0.0. The latest patch introduced many new features to the game, none of which were Beta tested before release. (And according to those who should know, patch 1.0.0 wasn't Alpha tested either.) In addition to the fresh Act 3x content, there are many interactions with innovative new items and skill gems that veteran Beta testers have just begun to explore. No doubt some combos will emerge to pose unanticipated gameplay balance issues, but no worries, GGG have committed to releasing updated patches every two weeks or so. And in the event of major, build-altering revisions in future patches to come, players can rest assured that their gear and characters will not be wiped, and that full skill-point respec's will be granted if ever the need arises.

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RogueMage написал:

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Poutsos написал:

The game is not supposed to be in beta anymore.i dont except huge balance changes at each patch like beta.imagine new players,starting chracters,build around skills,only to get nerfed in the next patch,or the one after.

Welcome to Beta 1.0.0. The latest patch introduced many new features to the game, none of which were Beta tested before release. (And according to those who should know, patch 1.0.0 wasn't Alpha tested either.) In addition to the fresh Act 3x content, there are many interactions with innovative new items and skill gems that veteran Beta testers have just begun to explore. No doubt some combos will emerge to pose unanticipated gameplay balance issues, but no worries, GGG have committed to releasing updated patches every two weeks or so. And in the event of major, build-altering revisions in future patches to come, players can rest assured that their gear and characters will not be wiped, and that full skill-point respec's will be granted if ever the need arises.

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adghar написал:

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andinuad написал:

It is not a free lunch. In nemesis, you either have to reach act 3 library in merciless, which is a big accomplishment there, or you have to pay 9-10 chaos.

There is no thing as a free lunch.

Oh ya, Nemesis is the only league that should matter when it comes to balancing, in case it wasn't a self-evident fact.

By that logic, GGG shouldn't have removed the aura reservation trick bug exploit with Alpha's Howl and Blood Magic. That wasn't a free lunch either, because you had to pay to get Alpha's Howl, right?

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SL4Y3R написал:

I can assure you that it was alpha tested.

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RogueMage написал:

In patch 1.0.0, Cast When Damage Taken invokes any combination of spells each time your accumulated damage exceeds the trigger point. The damage trigger is 440 at gem lvl-1, and increases as the gem is leveled, reaching 1090 at lvl-9. Any damage done by triggered spells is cut by 70% less at lvl-1, but this penalty decreases by 4% with each gem level, reaching 38% less damage at lvl-9. All triggered spells are auto-targeted and cast with zero mana cost, without any interruption of your character's other actions.

The lack of any cost or drawback to using Cast When Damage Taken to trigger defensive, non-damaging spells makes this gem useful to any build that can tank its modest damage trigger. A very popular CWDT combo for Life-based builds combines Enfeeble, Molten Shell, and Enduring Cry to instantly and automatically boost character defenses whenever damage is taken. Since no damage is done, there is no incentive to level up the CWDT gem past lvl-1, making it a zero-maintenance, cost-free investment.

Here's an elegant way to balance Cast When Damage Taken with an ongoing mana cost comparable to its benefits:

Apply the same level-based scaling factor to both the damage reduction and mana cost of all spells triggered by Cast When Damage Taken.

At lvl-1, CWDT would cast triggered spells at 70% of their mana cost and produce 70% less damage. As you leveled up the gem, mana cost would decrease and damage would increase, but the damage trigger would increase as well. This would give players an incentive to increase gem level to the point where CWDT triggers often enough to be useful, but without excessive mana drain. The number of spells linked to CWDT would likewise be naturally limited by the amount of mana needed to support them.

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RogueMage написал:

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SL4Y3R написал:

I can assure you that it was alpha tested.

Sorry if I got the wrong impression, but I read in an Alpha Member's recent post that not even Alpha Members were given testing access to 1.0.0 before it was released? I'm sure GGG alpha tests each patch in-house and does a full QA cycle before releasing any new update.