Dev Update: Changing damage reduction - update!

[dahanese]

New blog post for you guys to chew on.

http://community.defiance.com/en/201...age-reduction/

I'll also quote the blog for discussion here!

Two weeks ago, Trick Dempsey wrote a State of the Game blog post giving a broad road map for what’s going to be happening in the world of Defiance in the coming weeks and months. Since then, the team’s been busy. Today, we’re talking about the changes that we’re making to damage reduction in Defiance.

The way Defiance works now, there are a variety of perks, weapon masteries, and shield bonuses that players can combine to make themselves temporarily invulnerable. Invulnerability, while sometimes cool, is not something that adds fun to our world (and in many cases severely detracts from said fun.)

The team went into the game, took a long, hard look at some of the math that made these combinations possible, and have changed the way the game works so that invulnerability is no longer a viable option. With this change, players can only benefit from one damage reduction source each from shields, perks, and weapons. Within these sources benefits will no longer stack; instead, the best damage resistance generated from each source is selected, then combined with the best from each of the other sources.

Here’s an example: If a player has both the Detachment perk (12% damage resist after kill) and Juggernaut perk (15% damage resistance after melee kill). Players will only have 15% damage resistance after a melee kill, not 27% due to stacking Detachment and Juggernaut. Mind, if you have the legendary weapon mastery for 12% damage reduction while reloading, and you reload after that melee kill, you’d still have a brief resistance of 27%. This could be magnified even higher by adding a shield bonus.

We also want to extend out thanks to folks in the community who worked with us to point out these exploits and were integral in our efforts of fixing this problem. Thank you for your time and your patience.

Update! After spending time testing this update in QA through the weekend, we need more time before it goes live. Here's an update from Trick about why we're delaying:

In the interest of improving the quality of the damage reduction update, we are going to need to delay it until our next code patch. Without a code update, the damage numbers displayed when fighting another player would be inaccurate to the damage done. This would cause players to see damage done to opponents then see it quickly restore as the damage difference was transmitted from the server. By waiting until we can update the reported damage functionality, we are preventing confusion once the damage reduction update goes live.

[Holy Bahamut3]

I'm sure there are going to be some people mad about that. I like it, but you can't please everyone.

[Arsenic_Touch]

So instead of addressing the actual problem, you guys pretty much ruined more perks? that's just bloody brilliant. So essentially pve has been screwed again, thanks guys...

So when does this terrible idea go into effect?

[hygh]

If they would keep these kind of updates to pvp and don't add on to the main part of the game, then I'd be happy. A lot of complaints would die down if most of the nerfing updates were left in pvp only because that's were I see the weapons and perks and nades and shields get abused and it affects everyone, even the people who don't care to play player vs player. those are the true victims and until Trion stops hurting them, I will not be happy.

[3rdpig]

Not sure I agree with this change, you're going to render some of the protective perk combinations useless for PvE which is only going to make the solo missions harder for noobs and casual players. Personally I don't care, the game isn't hard enough for me, but trying to get 4 for a co-op is getting harder and harder and chasing off a segment of the population may not be the smartest move.

Just sayin...

[ironcladtrash]

New blog post for you guys to chew on.

http://community.defiance.com/en/201...age-reduction/

I'll also quote the blog for discussion here!

This is good news if this actually fixes the problem. I do have some reservations too about what this will do to PVE. However I will wait till the patch to reserve judgement . Also this also only addresses part of the problem. The other problem started on Friday was not doing anything to the blatant cheaters.

I am not talking about people occasionally glitched. Sometimes that happens like the permanent invisibility problem. Any legitimate player if you tell them that will say "Thanks" and kill themselves to get rid of it. All the players I have seen been reported were nonstop abusing exploits and throwing it everyones face.

Until recently it stated on the terms of service that knowingly exploiting glitches was a violation. Now conveniently that link goes nowhere. You can see as of now where it exploits are listed as major violation but it's a dead link.
https://support.trionworlds.com/app/...etail/a_id/992

[Lillith Valerian]

Hmm. I'm a little nervous about this. I never pvp, but stacking those resistances feels like the only way I can survive some instances when adventuring on my own. Which, now that the entirety of my clan quit in frustration, is all the time...

I think I may become a victim of my own casualness. But I am very interested to hear what else will be in the patch. I was about to quit myself.

[Fuzzle]

So when does this terrible idea go into effect?

These damage reduction changes will be coming to all platforms next week in our upcoming patch.

Posted at the bottom of the original article.

[Vikingkid3]

How was this a better solution than simply adding a damage resistance cap? This change does not enhance the game experience. I imagine this change was a result of complaints about PvP. However, the issues would be solved with a damage resistance cap. If damage reduction was capped at 80-85% the only way any player could achieve that was during the 3 seconds of thick skin after a shield break. The other perks would still take effect and still be worthwhile. The end result of this change is not going to have much of an impact. Especially when the issue results from glitched perks.

On some people, for whatever reason, Thick Skin can last up to 9 seconds, vice 3 as stated in the description (and what happens with most people). Combined with other perks and shield/weapon bonuses this could lead to a potential 100% damage reduction for up to 9 seconds. Fixing that bug is the key issue. Every complaint about people being invulnerable has to do with the invulnerable person receiving that benefit after their shield breaks. The only changes needed to be done are to cap damage reduction at 80-85%, and fix Thick Skin. PvE remains the same, and PvP no longer has the exploits.

This change will do nothing. Players with the glitch will still receive significantly lower damage than the rest, while doing more damage than they do now (with less defensive perks offensive perks will be stacked). The end result of this change is simply quicker engagements with the glitched player still surviving, and non-glitched players dieing faster. If anything, this change will make it easier for the glitched player as his glitched damage reduction and increased damage gives the other player, even if more skilled, less time to wittle the glitched player's health down, increasing the glitched player's chances of survival.

Please re-think this change and do not implement it yet. There has to be some way to fix the bugs in the perks and implement some sort of damage reduction cap.

[hygh]

No, the cap will be added to pve as well as pvp. It would still be hurting the people in pve who don't care to play pvp ever. also the update make it so they can't stack perks to your advantage.
It state that the perk that does the most damage resist will be as high as it goes minus the weapon and shield bonuses.