Post from Moorgard

[Merrilee]

<DIV>FYI, Quote from Moorgard's post of 6/6/2005 in  <A href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=spellart&message.id=51938#M51938" target=_blank>http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=spellart&message.id=51938#M51938</A></DIV> <DIV>mentioning priest rebalancing and wards:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>"The spell/arts changes will be going to Test in the near future. I know you want an exact date, but you'll just have to do without that for now. But I can say absolutely and without any ambiguity that these changes will be part of the live game, not anything you have to pay for. What's more, they will affect the game at all levels.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Again, this isn't a matter of changing a few spell effects or balancing a class or two. This is touching every spell in the game in one way or another and making big changes to the damage output of many classes--some significantly, some slightly. It's a big job, and we're taking our time to do it right.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>When I first hinted that we were going to rebalance healers, we had a smaller scope of changes in mind. But changing the spell system is like cutting into an onion; you keep finding new layers. So after we did our initial balance pass at healing, it made us look into damage. When we looked into damage, we thought we'd best look into utility. This led us in further directions, and it became clear we would be better off addressing the whole system in one fell swoop.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As I've said before, these changes involve both data and code. Fixing wards, for instance, is not a matter of a tweak or two. Changing them to take armor mitigation into account required a code change. Making them assign aggro properly was another code change. Taking those factors into account and balancing them against the healing potential of other priest classes was a task for our mechanics department. It's a complex situation, much moreso than the simple data change it will take to fix the Inquisitor spells referred to elsewhere in this thread.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I realize a lot of classes are impatient and want their issues addressed. I'd like the spell changes to go to Test too, so that we can move past the "when will I be fixed?" phase into the "I can't believe you changed my favorite spell!" phase. But then, that will be coming soon enough. <IMG height=16 src="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-tongue.gif" width=16 border=0></DIV> <P>===========================<BR>Moorgard<BR>EverQuest II Community Guy "</P></DIV>

[Silda]

Lotta words to say basically nothing we didnt know already. Maybe getting Sony's definition of words like "Soon" and "Near future" might help clear up some ambiguity since obviously most of us define such terms differently.<span></span> <div></div>

[Banditman]

<div></div>You guys have to learn to read between the lines a little.  <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  Lemme show you.  Some humorous, others serious, but I'd bet all are accurate.Moorgard said:  "But changing the spell system is like cutting into an onion; you keep finding new layers."Moorgard didn't say:  "Shrek was a great movie."This was also one of my favorite scenes from "Shrek".  Here's a quick recap:<b><a href="/name/nm0000196/" target="_blank">Shrek</a></b>: Ogres are like onions.<b><a href="/name/nm0000552/" target="_blank">Donkey</a></b>: They stink?<b><a href="/name/nm0000196/" target="_blank">Shrek</a></b>: Yes. No.<b><a href="/name/nm0000552/" target="_blank">Donkey</a></b>: Oh, they make you cry.<b><a href="/name/nm0000196/" target="_blank">Shrek</a></b>: No.<b><a href="/name/nm0000552/" target="_blank">Donkey</a></b>: Oh, you leave em out in the sun, they get all brown, start sproutin' little white hairs.<b><a href="/name/nm0000196/" target="_blank">Shrek</a></b>: NO. Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.[<i>sighs</i>]<b><a href="/name/nm0000552/" target="_blank">Donkey</a></b>: Oh, you both have layers. Oh. You know, not everybody like onions.Moorgard said:  "Changing them to take armor mitigation into account required a code change"Moorgard didn't say:  "This change has already been done"Notice how the past tense was used.  Required.  The change has already been done, and it's in some sort of (try not to laugh too hard here) internal testing.  I daresay no one is actually playing a Mystic, but, nonetheless, it appears that this particular mechanic is functional in some beta form.Moorgard said:  ". . . it became clear we would be better off addressing the whole system in one fell swoop."Moorgard didn't say:  "Oops!  We probably could have done a better job testing the old system."This kind of thing should have been seen, addressed and corrected in beta.  For a game of this magnitude to have such a short beta, and further to push a huge number of changes into beta three days before it ends is just poor, poor planning.Moorgard said:  "Fixing wards, for instance, is not a matter of a tweak or two."Moorgard didn't say:  "Huh.  Those Wards really are broken aren't they?"Acknowledgment, for the first time to my experience, that Wards are in fact "broken".  It's something Shaman have known since about L30, but apparently a revelation to the Dev team.  Perhaps communicating with your customer base on a two way basis would make these things obvious moor (yea, on purpose) quickly.Moorgard said:  "Making them assign aggro properly was another code change."Moorgard didn't say:  "Your Wards won't help tanks hold aggro any more, but we've got it done."Again, notice the past tense.  This change has already been made somewhere, with the aforementioned "testing" going on.  As a side note, aggro changes are no big deal to Shaman, we've been getting full aggro for healing since level 30 when we had to ditch Wards and start using direct heals.  We're used to being careful with our heals.  Poor Clerics.Moorgard said:  "so that we can move past the "when will I be fixed?" phase into the "I can't believe you changed my favorite spell!" phase. "Moorgard didn't say:  "Will you *ever* stop complaining and just play the game?"Yea, I'll be happy to play the game when I feel as if the character I've chosen as my main has achieved equality with those others who perform the same primary task.<div></div>

[Cyanrav]

I laughed Banditman, when I read your post, now I'm trying to think of a word. The word basically means sad humor/joke? Funny, but durn sad!

[Chanliang]

Most important thing in MG's post is that finally we've (perhaps) evidense that dev's think also that there is problem with wards and actually code changes have been done. Now the question remains how overpowering they think wards are with just mitigation added? As I think that wards are perhaps perfect method of healing if they work as should blocking all damage and all, only con I can see is that they don't really heal you. Wards just sort of extend your hp pool but doesn't heal if you've lost hp. So devs might adjust current warding/power ratio down as reactives and hots have problem with "overhealing". Good news anyways maybe I'll get back someday soonish... <div></div>

[aprilstor]

<P>Banditman, you have, as always, summed things up nicely.</P> <P>The only good thing I can see from that post is that we can now copy and paste the 'wards dont take mitigation into account' portion when replying to those priestly types who complain of a shaman's 'godly' warding abilities.</P>

[Eepop]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Chanliang wrote:<BR> As I think that wards are perhaps perfect method of healing if they work as should blocking all damage and all, only con I can see is that they don't really heal you. <BR>So devs might adjust current warding/power ratio down as reactives and hots have problem with "overhealing". <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>The thing is that it doesnt block everything, many combat arts/spells go straight through them.  Thus making the not actually healing part a big difference.</P> <P>If a Templar is healing, and the tank takes 1 combat art and 4 auto attacks, the reactive can heal the total damage.</P> <P>If a Shaman is healing, and the tank takes 1 combat art and 4 auto attacks, the ward is whittled down or gone and the tank still has damage on him.</P> <P>Because of this I do not think that wards should have a lower ward/power ratio.</P> <P>As for the overhealing argument, the trick is to not cast it on a full hp tank.  On my warden I usually let the tank fall to about 80% before I drop a regen on him. The templar in my group usually waits until he is at 60-70%.  </P>