Report 1101

Special Report #1101
Skillset: Aerochemantics Skill: Static
 Org: Aeromancers Status: Completed Mar 2013
Furies' Decision:
We will increase the minimum rate, decrease the maximal rate, and re-scale
appropriately.
Problem: Static is a field that cost five power and ten of each reagent to raise
and lasts one hour. The field has a chance to proc on enemies entering the
user's room and on anyone attacking the user. The field will move the target
(how far), stun them, and sprawl. Attacks will occasionally (how often) only
proc the stun and no movement. If the movement effect procs but the target
resists, they are not stunned (verify). Both the proc rate and the length of the
stun decrease as a function of the time raised. The proc rate for enemies
entering is approximately 90% when first raised and drops 1.5% every minute.
This rate is halved for procing against attacks. The user may choose to
discharge the static field early, in which case they will not be able to raise
it again until it would have expired on its own. Static is extremely powerful
immediately following its use, and almost universally resisted after 30 minutes.
Beyond this, the fact that dropping it leads to it not dispersing until it would
have dropped on its own provides no reason to ever disperse it early.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #1: Remove the scaling of the proc rate and stun time.
 Give static a standard proc rate of 50%/25% and a
 standard stun time of 2 seconds. Remove the discharge
 debuff, allowing the user to drop the field and raise
 it again at their choice.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #2: Decrease the initial proc rate and stun time, and
 increase the final proc rate and stun time. Change
 the discharge debuff to last half as long as the
 current time remaining on the field.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #3: Give the static field a small chance to dissipate,
 which increases the longer it's been raised. If it
 dissipates 'naturally', have the discharge debuff
 last 5 mins. Remove or reduce the discharge debuff
 when the user manually dissipates the field.
Player Comments:
---[Enyalida writes]:
What are the numbers here? Without changing all of the trans effects to work in
similar way, I can't support this. Static is already darn pretty far ahead of
Wildecall, even just conceptually.
---[Tulemrah writes]:
What numbers would you like to see? I feel that static is too strong over all,
so whatever we go with should be on par with the other trans effects.
---[Shuyin writes]:
I'm more concerned about the length of the stun when you initially raise it. As
it is right now, it's primarily put up at the 'start' of a battle and the
victims all suffer lengths of 5+s stun. Is there anything going to be done to
address that?
---[Celina writes]:
I'm with Shuyin, the stun length is insane and would like to see that addressed
rather than making it more predictable and controllable.
---[Tulemrah writes]:
Good point, I forgot to mention the stun in the solutions. I'll adjust solution
one to standardize the stun as well. Please help me out on the numbers, because
I really don't know what's acceptable here. The issue I see with adjusting the
stun length and not removing the scaling is that if you don't have it high
enough, it quickly scales down to insignificant levels.
---[Vadi writes]:
My desired solution: decrease the potency of effects at the start, and raise
them towards the end (so it doesn't go from 100% to 0%, for example, but 70% to
30%). Dropping the field manually will let the field expire twice as quick as it
would naturally on its own, and you can't put it up still before it expired.
---[Enyalida writes]:
The fact that this skill punishes people walking into the room, even if they
don't target the aerochemancer at all, seems off kilter to me. Making it
backlash/defensive only, like the other two trans skills, seems to me like a
good place to start to balance it. In fact, removing that feature completely
fixes it, as far as I can tell. A good solution 2 would to make the scaling
slower on the on-hit thing. Also as a note: I'm going to predict that solution 1
(remove the scale-over-time effect) will not pass. It's been stated that this is
an intentional common thread for all the chemancer/wood trans effects and will
not be something that goes away.
---[Shuyin writes]:
Tbh I'd be fine with the skill if the stun and its proc rate was standardized
only. Maybe you could even have it start low (5%) and have the proc rate ramp up
or something.
---[Enyalida writes]:
My suggestion for this skill (a bit late, but talked about) is to make it a
reactive stun only, remove the on-entry part entirely, and flatten the extremes
of proc rates, so that it's not from 90% to 10%, but (for instance) 70% to 30%,
as Vadi suggested. No on entry effect, no movement effect. Already that's a
better effect than the other two chemantics trans skills that are out,
especially when stacking with the passive stun chance Aerochems already have and
the possibility to combine that stun with backlash aeon or epilepsy, or a tick
of field effects.
---[Shuyin writes]:
Solution 1 would be great
---[Ushaara writes]:
If standardising the stun length isn't on the table, I'd suggest halving the
initial stun length (6 -> 3s) and also the amount by which the stun decreases as
the duration increases (roughly ~1s per 10mins -> 0.5). I haven't done any real
testing of the % fire rate since the change to reactives, but if the % rate is
also subject to change with increasing duration, perhaps that could be inverted.
Lower rate of firing at initial cast, increases with duration while stun length
decreases.
---[Tulemrah writes]:
I prefer solutions one and two myself. People's suggestions in the comments are
also good ideas.
---[Vivet writes]:
Solution 1
---[Eventru writes]:
All trans -chemantics, -wood skills are intended to either degrade or upgrade
over the hour it lasts (I think they all degrade). I don't think you'll see much
luck removing those aspects.
---[Rivius writes]:
Given Eventru's comment, solution 2 seems to be the best to go with.
---[Shuyin writes]:
I'd also be fine if every trans skill -upgraded- over time. That way, there is
incentive to setting it up instead of just dropping it when it's great and
immediately reaping the rewards so to speak.
---[Eventru writes]:
Yeah, I just don't remember off-hand if they all downgrade, or if some upgrade
over time. Anyways, they're intended to move from one end of the spectrum to the
other over the course of the hour - to at some points be next to uselessly weak
while at other points being very powerful and advantageous. I can see arguments
both ways, really. I see them being more usable when it's degrading over time,
IE drop it when you want it and benefit until it remains. Upgrading over time
seems like it would reduce the usability of some of the skills greatly.