Messages

31

General / Re: Calling all psionics

« on: February 16, 2020, 06:40:32 pm »

That sounds like psychosis build. I really don't have enough experience with those on dominating to tell how viable they are for the game at large.

Why wouldn't they be viable? Early on you can buff neural overload criticals with trance, but later it grows in power enough that it's not necessary, even on dominating. Or especially on dominating, because resistances, evasion, shields etc. all don't matter. And for the things that are immune you still have psychokinesis and metathermics. (and the nice thing about LoC is that you can target hidden enemies if you know where they are, even if you haven't detected them)

There is a long portion of a game between picking psychosis (lvl 2) and getting LoC/psionic mania/etc. In that portion of the game you have increased psi cost, while your damage output is essentially random.
I have no doubts you can survive that (maybe with a few reloads), but I have some doubts as to how much harder it would be compared to tranq build.

32

General / Re: Calling all psionics

« on: February 15, 2020, 01:10:17 pm »

Stasis bating is really not even that fool-proof, as you can get surrounded while in stasis.

Getting surrounded only makes one-shotting a group with LoC mass overload easier.

That sounds like psychosis build. I really don't have enough experience with those on dominating to tell how viable they are for the game at large.

33

General / Re: Calling all psionics

« on: February 15, 2020, 12:06:09 am »

Tnt baiting works, force field baiting works, stasis baiting works. Both LoC and thermodestabilization are very easy to set up against entire groups because of this. Even if you nerf force field and destabilization, you can achieve the same (except againts robots) with stasis and mass neural overload.

edit: And this works for both full psi and hybrid psi. You can use the same trick with a grenadier, using mkv frag grenades or mkiii plasma, for example.

Balancing things one by one, starting with the most overpowered abilities, seems reasonable.

Force field is the worst, as it's available at lvl 2-3, maxes out with lvl 4 feat and has the longest duration and the most utility overall.

Stasis bating is really not even that fool-proof, as you can get surrounded while in stasis.

34

General / Re: Calling all psionics

« on: February 14, 2020, 07:15:33 pm »

Planning out an ideal AoE does take a slightly grander scope than a single turn, but I've always found it relatively easy to do.  With good setup, almost every fight in the game should be manageable in a single turn once you've placed the pieces on the field where you want them - a group enrage; a ThermoD bomb; a Psionic Mania Cryo Orb followed by a Pyrokinesis to take care of anyone left.  Sticky, tough groups like Balor just require whatever you'd normally do plus an Entropic Recurrence on the boss.  One turn and it's all over but the dying.

To be fair, literally one TNT charge from stealth will create enough sound to draw everyone on the map to one location, where you will be able to get all of them under one LoC pretty consistently.
My argument is more that LoC requires at least some setup, while force field can be used AFTER you've already done something stupid as a "get out of jail free" card.
And, again, I agree that some penalty/extra cost for multiply targets being effected by LoC (that scales with number of targets) is warranted.

35

General / Re: Calling all psionics

« on: February 14, 2020, 12:10:13 pm »

That type of Forcefield nerf would be truly hilarious, a total switch in how it works after 7 years, just for the hell of it. It really should be put to a vote or something, because I'm pretty sure the majority of players would consider it a random and stupid change, and would prefer effort put in to provide psi balance that doesn't destroy the old metagame, instead of some kind of hilarious troll in the guise of a patch.

Player-only completely uninterruptible one-sided immunity for 4 turns is hilariously broken by any standard. Even more so given that with minor planning you can use it to both disengage from combat or to simply keep attacking for 4 turn from behind it. The fact that is has been "part of the metagame" does not make it any less unbalanced.
Also, as of late I've been playing of dominating ironman without using force field at all. The game is perfectly winnable. So simply nerfing force field (instead of outright removing it) is not going to break anything.

36

General / Re: Calling all psionics

« on: February 14, 2020, 11:57:39 am »

As for LoC + engare, it's not nearly as bad without force field. Simply because enraged enemies might still attack the player, so it's not fool-proof.

It might just be a difference in how we use the term, but I think Enrage is just as bad without FF, it just takes a tiny bit more set-up to be as bad.  An enraged enemy that can see a friend nearby and can't see you is almost never going to come attack you.  At least, in hundreds of times using it, I've never been attacked by an enraged enemy that's out of LOS or at the very edge of LOS while other targets are right near by it.  So you Premeditate for the extra range, LoC+Enrage, then since you're psi anyway you psi haste and GTFO.  It might not be theoretically perfect but in practice it's always going to be safe.

In the few cases where you're right in the scrum, running to the edge and tossing a flashbang to get you your ideal positioning during the incap will almost always do the trick.  If it's a combo of organic and robotic enemy targets, well...flashbang and EMP are on different cooldown timers, anyway 

I would agree with you if enemies were always packed tight enough to be effected by one LoC.
However, as soon as some enemies are out of LoC AOE, those unaffected still chase the player (even if line if sight was broken), thus preventing player from disengaging. And often also making their enraged buddies chase them instead of killing each other ("instead of" because they use their AP chasing, not attacking).
Also, LoC is lvl 14 feat. So it requires a feat point and lvl 14+. While force field is available at lvl 2-3, and reaches full power with lvl 4 feat.
Anyway, I still agree that LoC is pretty overpowered, and that at least some penalty/extra cost for multiply targets being effected is warranted.

37

General / Re: Calling all psionics

« on: February 13, 2020, 07:20:13 am »

<...>

As you've correctly identified, the problem with force field is that it's completely non-interactive.  Which makes it 100% reliable and fool-proof. Which, in turn, allows for dozens of other super-cheesy tactics. I don't have a problem with rathound of siphoner being unable (or effectively unable) to destroy the force field, but someone with equal or greater skill in psychokinesis should be able to dismiss about as easily as it was created.
Thermodynamic destab, as also you've correctly identified, is just too good as a multiplier. Proxy + Implosion + TK punch is sure strong, but at least it's single-target with long CD. ThermoD increasing that damage 3x and then ALSO making it AOE is just ridiculous.

As for LoC + engare, it's not nearly as bad without force field. Simply because enraged enemies might still attack the player, so it's not fool-proof. But I would definitely support if LoC had extra cost or some kind of penalty for extra targets being effected. 

38

General / Re: Calling all psionics

« on: February 12, 2020, 10:47:10 pm »

INB4, next patch notes:
Fixed a bug with most areas not having active airborne black dragon toxin dispensers.

Why do you give Styg ideas?  You know he is not a merciful Godman.

Notice how he asked about overpowered psi generalists?  My money is on cross-school penalties, like global accruing cooldowns or cumulative cost increases.
Patch notes: Fixed a bug where it was possible to complete the game as a full psi character.

Good, good.
Also, nerf force field.
Did I mention nerfing force field? (And thermodynamic destab, for that matter.)

39

General / Re: Calling all psionics

« on: February 12, 2020, 09:39:18 pm »

doubt.png

INB4, next patch notes:
Fixed a bug with most areas not having active airborne black dragon toxin dispensers.

40

General / Re: Calling all psionics

« on: February 12, 2020, 04:28:57 pm »

Welp, lvl 20 psion on DOMINATING. Not hyper-optimized or max level, but can still face-tank Curnifex (by crafting riot gear) and all the jazz.

Also, got to lvl 20 without using force field or thermodynamic destab (because both are OP as hell). Or dying.
Btw, NERF FORCE FIELD. There, I said it.


Anyway, as far as I can tell, this should work:
http://ge.tt/4fGdIF13

Do tell me if it somehow does NOT work, Styg.

41

General / Re: A few questions about crafting

« on: January 13, 2020, 10:15:24 pm »

Pretty sure higher quality circular wave amplifiers have increased both bonus AND penalty when used in energy shield.

42

General / Re: Protectorate vs Free Drones from RP perspective? (Spoilers)

« on: January 08, 2020, 06:39:54 am »

They not legitimizes each other at all. How can CAU legitimize them killing civilians with FD? "Sorry, I know you're innocent, but let me execute you because the existence of some other group you have nothing to do with" - that's rich.

Let me stop you right there: what "civilians" exactly were killed by CAU?

43

General / Re: Where to find the Lockpick Blueprint

« on: January 06, 2020, 09:06:26 pm »

Constantine sells that blueprint pretty often.

44

General / Re: Protectorate vs Free Drones from RP perspective? (Spoilers)

« on: January 06, 2020, 01:01:21 pm »

No matter how bad Protectorate is at it's core, actions of FD legitimize the existence e of CAU.

Siding with the Protectorate on this purely for roleplaying as a sadist nazi-evil scientist or whatever is fine I guess, but please don't masquarade this as the choice of the good guys.
That can never be proper reasoning, for if FD were not legit before, CAU hereby legitimize them. That step is the one they have to avoid at all cost.

That's exactly what I'm saying: CAU and FD legitimize each other via their methods. It's a vicious circle, if you will.
Both sides are equally bad for using such methods. If you want to be technical, FD were the first to strike (against civilian) when they destroyed Epione lab.
Also, you seem to imply that Protectorate is a unified entity with no special interest groups within. That's not the case: CAU (and special services in general) actually WANT to operate in a way allows them to report "a job well done" on the surface of it, but actually proliferates the existence of organization like FD in the long-term. Because the more of these there are, the more funding/power CAU (and special services in general) get.

45

General / Re: Protectorate vs Free Drones from RP perspective? (Spoilers)

« on: January 06, 2020, 12:50:20 pm »

No, it doesn't, because conventional weaponry doesn't carry the same risk as mutagen usage.

Conventional weaponry also wouldn't have allowed to wipe FD hideout without any direct combat.
As an added benefit, anyone who comes later to investigate what happen at the hideout is ALSO likely to get killed/mutated.
So using mutagen against FD had both potential positive and negative sides to it.
Anyway, at the end of the day, you have to show how the use of mutagen has actually backfired against CAU/Protectorate directly. Now how it "could have" backfired.
And not how it "backfires in the long run". Because that's just "more work for CAU" --  something CAU is only too happy about.