Chronomancy balance suggestions

[edge2054]

Increase Attenuate's cooldown to 6 and duration to 6. Divide damage and healing by six.

Untested code below...

Code: Select all

newTalent{
	name = "Attenuate",
	type = {"chronomancy/flux", 3},
	require = chrono_req3,
	points = 5,
	cooldown = 6,
	tactical = { ATTACKAREA = { TEMPORAL = 2 } },
	range = 10,
	paradox = function (self, t) return getParadoxCost(self, t, 10) end,
	radius = function(self, t) return math.floor(self:combatTalentScale(t, 1, 2)) end,
	getDamage = function(self, t) return self:combatTalentSpellDamage(t, 25, 290, getParadoxSpellpower(self, t)) end,
	getDuration = function(self, t) return getExtensionModifier(self, t, 6) end,
	target = function(self, t)
		return {type="ball", range=self:getTalentRange(t), radius=self:getTalentRadius(t), nowarning=true, talent=t}
	end,
	requires_target = true,
	direct_hit = true,
	action = function(self, t)
		local tg = self:getTalentTarget(t)
		local x, y = self:getTarget(tg)
		if not x or not y then return nil end
		local _ _, x, y = self:canProject(tg, x, y)
		
		local damage = self:spellCrit(t.getDamage(self, t))
		self:project(tg, x, y, function(px, py)
			local target = game.level.map(px, py, Map.ACTOR)
			if not target then return end
			if target:isTalentActive(target.T_REALITY_SMEARING) then
				target:setEffect(target.EFF_ATTENUATE_BEN, t.getDuration(self, t), {power=(damage/6)*0.4, src=self})
			else
				target:setEffect(target.EFF_ATTENUATE_DET, t.getDuration(self, t), {power=damage/6, src=self, apply_power=getParadoxSpellpower(self, t)})
			end
		end)

		game.level.map:particleEmitter(x, y, tg.radius, "generic_sploom", {rm=100, rM=100, gm=200, gM=220, bm=200, bM=220, am=35, aM=90, radius=tg.radius, basenb=60})
		game:playSoundNear(self, "talents/tidalwave")

		return true
	end,
	info = function(self, t)
		local damage = t.getDamage(self, t)/6
		local duration = t.getDuration(self, t)
		local radius = self:getTalentRadius(t)
		return ([[Deals %0.2f temporal damage per turn for %d turns to all targets in a radius of %d.  Targets with Reality Smearing active will instead recover %d life per turn for %d turns.
		If a target is reduced below 20%% life while Attenuate is active it may be instantly slain.
		The damage will scale with your Spellpower.]]):format(damDesc(self, DamageType.TEMPORAL, damage), duration, radius, damage *0.4, duration)
	end,
}

Reduce Echoes from the Past percent damage to 40, 15, 30

Code: Select all

newTalent{
	name = "Echoes From The Past",
	type = {"chronomancy/timetravel", 4},
	require = chrono_req4,
	points = 5,
	paradox = function (self, t) return getParadoxCost(self, t, 24) end,
	cooldown = 12,
	tactical = { ATTACKAREA = {TEMPORAL = 2} },
	range = 0,
	radius = function(self, t) return math.floor(self:combatTalentScale(t, 2.5, 4.5)) end,
	target = function(self, t)
		return {type="ball", range=self:getTalentRange(t), radius=self:getTalentRadius(t), selffire=false, talent=t}
	end,
	direct_hit = true,
	requires_target = true,
	getDamage = function(self, t) return self:combatTalentSpellDamage(t, 20, 220, getParadoxSpellpower(self, t)) end,
	getPercent = function(self, t) return self:combatTalentLimit(t, 40, 15, 30)/100 end,
	action = function(self, t)
		local tg = self:getTalentTarget(t)
		
		local damage = self:spellCrit(t.getDamage(self, t))
		self:project(tg, self.x, self.y, function(px, py)
			DamageType:get(DamageType.TEMPORAL).projector(self, px, py, DamageType.TEMPORAL, damage)
			
			-- Echo
			local target = game.level.map(px, py, Map.ACTOR)
			if not target then return end
			local percent = t.getPercent(self, t)/target.rank
			local dam = (target.max_life - target.life) * percent
			DamageType:get(DamageType.TEMPORAL).projector(self, px, py, DamageType.TEMPORAL, dam)
		end)
		
		game.level.map:particleEmitter(self.x, self.y, 1, "shout", {size=4, distorion_factor=0.6, radius=self:getTalentRadius(t), life=30, nb_circles=8, rm=0.6, rM=0.6, gm=0.6, gM=0.6, bm=1, bM=1, am=0.6, aM=0.8})
		game:playSoundNear(self, "talents/warp")
		return true
	end,
	info = function(self, t)
		local percent = t.getPercent(self, t) * 100
		local radius = self:getTalentRadius(t)
		local damage = t.getDamage(self, t)
		return ([[Creates a temporal echo in a radius of %d around you.  Affected targets take %0.2f temporal damage, as well as up to %d%% of the difference between their current life and max life as additional temporal damage.
		The additional damage will be divided by the target's rank and the damage scales with your Spellpower.]]):
		format(radius, damDesc(self, DamageType.TEMPORAL, damage), percent)
	end,
}

Sorry this isn't in diff format. I'm on a Chromebook and haven't set it up for coding. If anyone wants to donate me a proper laptop they're not using pm me

[ster]

ok but why

now PM is still invincible but takes even longer to kill everything so it's basically just the same shit as AM

e: and AM will never, ever get nerfed

[rexorcorum]

Heya, edge, it's good to see you around!

[HousePet]

'Attenuate: 6, 6 and six'

Edge2054 is a Paradox Mage demon, confirmed!

[bpat]

Echoes change is fine. Attenuate change is missing the mark, instead maybe cap the stacking to like three casts.

[Razakai]

Welcome back Edge!

And yeah I think Attenuate is ok, it's more the crazy stacking with Seal Fate. I quite like it being a short cooldown AoE DoT, we don't have many primary nukes like it.

[edge2054]

The issue I heard was people are basically just spamming Attenuate and Echoes. Is that not true? I'd like to see PMs use other nukes too. I figured a longer cooldown on Attenuate would give PMs a gap where other spells needed to be cast.

[Razakai]

I think it's a case of on higher difficulties, you want to maximize your damage/turn while minimizing your Paradox spend. Attenuate hits hard, can be stacked with Seal Fate, so that fits the bill. So even if Attenuate was weaker, you might run into people just playing slower and still ignoring other nukes as comparatively, they're a lot weaker. Making it a 6 turn cooldown would probably do that - although at that point it's not really a primary nuke any more, so you might get people grabbing Temporal Bolt or the like just to have something to cast.

I think the 'PMs only use Attenuate/Echoes' might be a bit overstated anyway due to the demographics of the forum/irc (high difficulty players). They're the best nukes yes, but on Normal/NM it's perfectly viable to nuke your way through with Gravity and a secondary nuke like DtD/Temporal Bolt/Rethread.

[Mordy]

I think the 'PMs only use Attenuate/Echoes' might be a bit overstated anyway due to the demographics of the forum/irc (high difficulty players).

Isn't the problem kinda that "power" based talents don't scale well enough in high difficulties, so any outliers get put into the spotlight quickly?

I find it weird that high difficulty chronomancers are supposed to go massive armor + weapon and bumb things anyway. The fact there are some spell talents that are still worth using then isn't the problem I'd say.

[ster]

One ability is where most of the class' damage comes from? Let's nerf Arcane Combat, TK weapons and GWF then because they act as the cornerstone of entire class' damage just like attenuate!

e: this just seems like a horrible knee jerk reaction

e: e: make d2d and temporal bolt cheaper since they're good utility options for extending attenuate and will do more than a bump attack (lol) and probably give attenuate a sanity check on the amount of times you can layer the DoT on itself but don't make it useless out of retardedly long fights, someone else suggested 3 stacks which is definitely enough for anything in insane

[edge2054]

Dust to Dust and Temporal Bolt could be made cheaper to cast if Paradox is the main issue with them.

[Razakai]

I think a combo of having cheaper DtD/TB and capping Attenuate's maximum damage per turn at 3x the base amount would be enough to make high difficulty PMs consider using other attacks. Unless you nerf it into oblivion, Attenuate will always be the optimal nuke for those scenarios though just because of it's high damage and efficiency. Seeing as it's a DoT, that's not a bad thing though - there's always going to be a best spell for minmaxing.

e: http://forums.te4.org/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=47053 is a good example of this. An Insane winner that still used DtD along with Attenuate and other spells. So it's not like everyone is spamming that one attack.

[Mankeli]

I find it weird that high difficulty chronomancers are supposed to go massive armor + weapon and bumb things anyway. The fact there are some spell talents that are still worth using then isn't the problem I'd say.

Yeah, Mordy is on the right track. Attenuate damage can get really really high like over 20 K per turn...but who cares really? Does anyone really think that a monster on normal survives anywhere near enough turns for the damage to stack up that high? Because that monster will be dead long before that on any difficulty that isn't madness. Or are we balancing around madness now? If that is the case than I urge you to check the what, thirty (?) other classes that haven't won madness legitly (and almost all of these can't simply win at all).

Regarding echoes, how do you even "spam" a spell that has a cooldown of 12?? Sounds like a pretty inactive spamming to me . Echoes is precisely the kind of talent we need more in this game: the health reduction based on maxHP will work regardless of difficulty which means it makes balancing easier. Spell like that can be very good on the higher difficulties without breaking the lower difficulties.

Final point regarding spell usage: I used temporal bolt all the time on insane (and would use on madness too) because of the cooldown reduction thing, time skip because of the utility and even dust to dust because it digs and extends attenuate. Whoever told the OP that only attenuate and echoes get any usage is dead wrong.

[bpat]

It may be my fault that people think Dust to Dust and Temporal Bolt suck because I said that using them was worse than passing a turn and regaining 10 paradox late game haha. I have a somewhat odd playstyle and I don't like spending points so my experience is somewhat unique since I had them both at 1/5. They certainly aren't useless but I personally don't like using them because Paradox recovers by 10 when you pass a turn making them effectively cost 10 + their actual cost.

[Razakai]

This seems to have turned into a bit of a Wildfire AM situation. Where one build is stronger than the rest, and the guides and word of mouth eventually turns it into 'only this way is viable everything else sucks'. Although for PM, there's much less of a gap between their optimal build and Wildfire vs Ice.