Balancing Potions and Buffs
Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 8:21 am
I think most agree that take in its own merits, swigging mass heal pots and going through charms like they came from a pez dispenser does not have the right feel.
That being said, I also totally hear you that if clerics and druids then had a healing and buff monopoly it would be unfair. You should not need a cleric all the time.
Well I think you CAN balance things out. Buffs are naturally countered by dispel. The mage tower is so balanced because the buff classes get constantly dispelled. You cannot go around like a christmas tree with all your buffs on at all times. You have to pick and choose. Smart area design could include lots of dispelling creatures and traps and areas etc... If you have more dispel to counter the caster buffs then you can tighten up on the charms. Make them droppables, not buyables for the most part etc..
So you are just left with healing. I think sme tweaks there could work well. What if you made Heal and mass heal only affect other players eh? Clerics and druids would have to rely on the cure spells for themselves. This would drive some teamplay for sure and balance things out.
As for heal kits and potions - we could then find some practical nerf on them. I am not sure what is scriptable. Ideally, I do not care if you use them BETWEEN fights so much. What most seem to find objectionable is that people are using them to win the fights and mainling them constantly between blows. Maybe there could be some kind of 2-3 round paralysis when you use a heal kit or potion. Use them to regroup and restore between fights, but you have to actually win the fight straight up. Any other ideas?
But I do agree that druid/cleric balance of some kind probably has to come at the same time as heal pot/charm balance to answer the concerns of the many non-caster combatants that said it would be unfair to just hit the pots and charms.
That being said, I also totally hear you that if clerics and druids then had a healing and buff monopoly it would be unfair. You should not need a cleric all the time.
Well I think you CAN balance things out. Buffs are naturally countered by dispel. The mage tower is so balanced because the buff classes get constantly dispelled. You cannot go around like a christmas tree with all your buffs on at all times. You have to pick and choose. Smart area design could include lots of dispelling creatures and traps and areas etc... If you have more dispel to counter the caster buffs then you can tighten up on the charms. Make them droppables, not buyables for the most part etc..
So you are just left with healing. I think sme tweaks there could work well. What if you made Heal and mass heal only affect other players eh? Clerics and druids would have to rely on the cure spells for themselves. This would drive some teamplay for sure and balance things out.
As for heal kits and potions - we could then find some practical nerf on them. I am not sure what is scriptable. Ideally, I do not care if you use them BETWEEN fights so much. What most seem to find objectionable is that people are using them to win the fights and mainling them constantly between blows. Maybe there could be some kind of 2-3 round paralysis when you use a heal kit or potion. Use them to regroup and restore between fights, but you have to actually win the fight straight up. Any other ideas?
But I do agree that druid/cleric balance of some kind probably has to come at the same time as heal pot/charm balance to answer the concerns of the many non-caster combatants that said it would be unfair to just hit the pots and charms.