Playtesters needed! (1.3 Chronomancers)

[ghostbuster]

The description of Gravity Locus is ambiguous. Should be :
Create a gravity field around you that convert xxx of ANY DAMAGE THAT YOU DEAL to etc....
I had to dig in the code to know what the actual action was.

Just a remark on this talent. It pushes the player to increase phys damage, phys penetration, etc.
Besides that, Temporal Form, which was supposed to be *THE* PM prodigy, will override all_damage_convert to change instead 50% of damage dealt to temporal. Isn't it somehow antisynergetic?

[edge2054]

I'll change the wording. I don't see how they're anti-synergist though.

Can you elaborate?

[ghostbuster]

Maybe antisynergy ws too strong, but at least, there is no synergy between Gravity Locus and Temporal form.

If you invest in gravity locus (and you want to do that to slow incoming projectiles and to be able to knockback your foes reliably), approximatey 90% of your damage will be physical (80% conversion and your initial damage is around 50% phys, 50% temporal). Hence it makes sense to stack items to improve phys damage and physical damage penetration.

As, only one all damage conversion can be active at a given moment, temporal form will replace it by 50% temporal damage (ie on the average 75% temporal damage 1/3 of the time as TF lasts 10 turns and has a 30 turns CD). During that time your investment in phys damage penetration will be mostly ineffective (it applies to 25% of your damage). It is less true for phys damage bonus, but it is far from optimal.

Without this talent, the best strategy would be to stack temporal damage and temporal penetration (and it was, I think, what people did before this talent). In general, it only applies to 50% of your damage (which is not so bad), and TF allows you to be superefficient during some turns (extra damage and penetration for 75% of your damage). Now this strategy is bad, as on the average, except when TF is active, it would only concerns 10% of your damage.

Maybe I must double think of it, but I do not think that I will take TF as a prodigy for a PM.

[edge2054]

Regardless of Gravity Locus conversion wouldn't you still want to stack physical resistance pen if you went full Gravity?

[donkatsu]

It sounds like you're taking one possible PM build (physical) and generalizing it to all builds, when in fact, Gravity Locus is very much optional. Yeah, physical PMs don't have exceptionally good synergy with Temporal Form... but temporal PMs do. This makes sense. It is called Temporal Form.

[ghostbuster]

Maybe. Not fully convinced, but I haven't already unlocked (and experimented) many purely temporal talents. I continue my experiments.

Anyway, why not change temporal form? If its temporal penetration was set to the highest resist pen +20% (instead of temporal pen + 20%), its usefulness would be quite increased. Not really OP, indeed. It would not change anything to people that already stack temporal penetration, while being more appealling to others...



In a different point of view, maybe I am missing something, but spellbinding really seem underpowered. As PM have 5 unlockable trees plus survival (and other trees that can be gained), not all the trees can be unlocked. And I really doubt that anybody will spend a cat point to unlock spellbinding. Maybe it should be buffed. Compare for instance Matrix to Quicken Spells. Their effects are similar and their relative sustain costs comparible. But QS applies to all spells, while Matrix only concerns one spell that cannot be boosted in an other way by other spellbinding spells... Other spells are better, especially Extension that can be great with Haste, but other trees seem by far more interesting and spellbinding is probably the last choice in terms of unlocks. Why not make it unlocked for PM? TW only have 4 unlockable trees + survival and spellbinding can stay locked for them.

[IejirIsk]

dunno how useful spellbinding for tw is. and one of the main draws of spellbinding is the lack of stepping stone. but yea... personally wouldnt mind seeing flux open by default, since by name, paradox mages are about the paradox.

[edge2054]

I could see Temporal Form converting your highest resist penetration too temporal like it does with damage. Not highest + 20%.

It would probably help if you didn't look at Matrix as being in competition with Quicken Spells because it's not.

[raledon]

Edge, you said you had no idea how to solve a bug concerning bow/weapon swap.
Assuming I didn't misunderstood something along the way, couldn't you save a variable at the start of a turn (=start of your action) which weapon is equipped, and compare to it?
That way, even if you do swap that way, it will not change the effect (might cause some other unwanted side effects though).

[edge2054]

Edge, you said you had no idea how to solve a bug concerning bow/weapon swap.
Assuming I didn't misunderstood something along the way, couldn't you save a variable at the start of a turn (=start of your action) which weapon is equipped, and compare to it?
That way, even if you do swap that way, it will not change the effect (might cause some other unwanted side effects though).

That's exactly how it works.

This is the relevant code for Attack.

Code: Select all

		local swap = not self:attr("disarmed") and (self:attr("warden_swap") and doWardenWeaponSwap(self, t, nil, "blade"))
	
		local tg = self:getTalentTarget(t)
		local x, y = self:getTarget(tg)
		if not x then return end
		local _ _, x, y = self:canProject(tg, x, y)
		if not x then return end
		local target = game.level.map(x, y, engine.Map.ACTOR)
		if not target then if swap then doWardenWeaponSwap(self, t, nil, "bow") end return end

And Shoot.

Code: Select all

		local swap = not self:attr("disarmed") and (self:attr("warden_swap") and doWardenWeaponSwap(self, t, nil, "bow"))
	
		-- Most of the time use the normal shoot.
		if not self:hasArcheryWeapon("sling") or not self:isTalentActive("T_SKIRMISHER_BOMBARDMENT") then
			local targets = self:archeryAcquireTargets(nil, {one_shot=true})
			if not targets then if swap then doWardenWeaponSwap(self, t, nil, "blade") end return end
			self:archeryShoot(targets, t, nil, {use_psi_archery = t.use_psi_archery(self, t)})
			return true
		end

But thanks for bringing it back up. I see the issue. Attack cancels long before my swap gets checked most of the time.

[ghostbuster]

As I understand, the only problem is when explicitely using attack while wielding a bow.
Maybe the simpler would be to forbid the explicit use of attack for TW with a bow. People must use non cancelable action like key or mouse targetting.

[donkatsu]

Encountered a harmless bug today.

I used Time Skip on the Horned Horror while its lightning rune was activated.
The damage was shifted by the lightning rune but the horror was time skipped anyway.
When the Time Skip expired, the horror appeared beside the temporal instability tile, and the temporal instability never went away.

[Isotope-X]

dunno how useful spellbinding for tw is. and one of the main draws of spellbinding is the lack of stepping stone. but yea... personally wouldnt mind seeing flux open by default, since by name, paradox mages are about the paradox.

I'd prefer Stasis to be unlocked because, put simply, Time Shield. But Flux is more flavorful, thematic, and fun. I worry that it might put rookie PM's in a situation where they assume that Paradox is no big deal, though.

[raledon]

dunno how useful spellbinding for tw is. and one of the main draws of spellbinding is the lack of stepping stone. but yea... personally wouldnt mind seeing flux open by default, since by name, paradox mages are about the paradox.

I'd prefer Stasis to be unlocked because, put simply, Time Shield. But Flux is more flavorful, thematic, and fun. I worry that it might put rookie PM's in a situation where they assume that Paradox is no big deal, though.

Someone like me?

[donkatsu]

After killing a Doomed with Cease to Exist, its Shadows stuck around, not acting, taking damage but not dying, and their timed effects didn't tick down either.