@vastin

[SingularityNow]

From back in February:

One of the elements of this re-work was to give us better control over how power scales throughout the game, so modifying the general balance on it is much easier now, whereas it was rather difficult previously.

How have you accounted for the opportunity cost we're going to incur in adding icpr because all boss encounters currently at higher tiers are dps races that leave no room in our builds for a reduction in dps?

It's actually one of the reasons I decided to coincide this with the Mastery change - which should be bumping player DPS noticeably and will likely offset any hit from power management mechanics.

I never saw much of a mastery change, I hear it is bugged over and over, though no one says how. But I assume it is. And now with the health and mit increase to monsters across the board, how do you fit this new change into your previous statements about the opportunity cost of balancing against the power changes?

[Mirhaen]

With so many changes lately, I'm not surprised that something went wrong. Feeling is that things are not properly thought out, nor fully tested. As far as I can tell, last changes just made fights more tedious, and for some classes downright boring. Additionally diminished chances of more people doing more content.

[WorrBinpike]

In thaurisgar Solo-Mode Endboss with the new change i always get out of power very fast, at least on my champ and my ministrel. that makes the fight just awful, this is by far anything than good balanced.

[SSG_Orion]

As stated in our release notes, we knew that the changes made to masteries were going to increase damage output from players. We also knew that we have better controls over getting the damage balance right. To that end, we made the change as outlined in the release this week. We will monitor the feedback, as the change settles in, to determine if the adjustments made are too conservative or too overtuned.

We will monitor and make changes as needed.

[zipfile]

We will monitor and make changes as needed.

Mitigations changes are fine IMO, but the morale one could be looked at a bit more.

[Helhest]

As stated in our release notes, we knew that the changes made to masteries were going to increase damage output from players. We also knew that we have better controls over getting the damage balance right. To that end, we made the change as outlined in the release this week. We will monitor the feedback, as the change settles in, to determine if the adjustments made are too conservative or too overtuned.

We will monitor and make changes as needed.

You increased mob hp by 25%(!) and mits by 7,5%(!) - without testing - on a holiday weekend. What did you think would happen?

I played Sagroth T2 today some times with random groups.
Didnt´t kill the final boss once. That was a terrible experience for everyone and all left the game with bad mood.

[istvana]

Orion and Helhest are in complete agreement. Both feel that a change like this needs testing by players to determine how well it works. Both feel that simply picking a number is not the way to go since there is a great variation between standard difficulty landscape and high tier raids or dungeons and without testing over a significant amout of time for varying playstyles it is impossible to know what increase, if any, in morale or mitigation or both works well.

Where do they not agree - since clearly they do not?

Helhest wants the test to be done before release - on the test servers. Orion is content to use the live servers to run the test and then react to player feedback as if the live servers were the test servers.

I often see complaints that SSG uses the live servers to test out many changes. I don't recall SSG ever coming out and saying "sure we do" this clearly.

[SSG_Orion]

I often see complaints that SSG uses the live servers to test out many changes. I don't recall SSG ever coming out and saying "sure we do" this clearly.

I wrote no such thing. I suggested that we will monitor how the changes are impacting the game experience and adjust accordingly. Sometimes, our changes are a little more overtuned then we expect in our limited testing. As a result, when they move to the much larger game cohort they are more easily seen. If, this is one of those cases, we will adjust accordingly.

[istvana]

Given the time constraints and the limited number of people that use the test servers - and the entirely valid question as to whether they are a typical selection from the player base - holding the large scale test on the live servers may actually be the best choice. At least in cases, and this may have been one of them, where you felt the game had become too unbalanced in the easy direction and were unwilling to wait a month or two to do anything about it on live.

The fact that you are paying attention to feedback and are open to making changes is clearly good.

[wsnyderco]

I wrote no such thing. I suggested that we will monitor how the changes are impacting the game experience and adjust accordingly. Sometimes, our changes are a little more overtuned then we expect in our limited testing. As a result, when they move to the much larger game cohort they are more easily seen. If, this is one of those cases, we will adjust accordingly.

I'm sorry but you just said the same thing he did in a different way. You didn't test this on BR which is where this should have been tested and are using live servers to test it and will "adjust" accordingly.

And for changes to be more "overtuned" than you expect? I am not understanding how you are not understanding how the changes you made will change the game. Are you testing it at all before releasing it?

[ReneKiller1]

In thaurisgar Solo-Mode Endboss with the new change i always get out of power very fast, at least on my champ and my ministrel.

Just a curious question: how to you manage to run out of power as a champ? Swift Strike/Swift Blade now restores power on a 3 second cooldown and if that is not enough you can skill one point into Second Wind in the blue tree. Both skills don't cost power, so even if you are at 0 power you can easily get back up.

I assume you always remove the power drain disease effect as soon as possible, don't you?

[gildhur]

You increased mob hp by 25%(!) and mits by 7,5%(!) - without testing - on a holiday weekend. What did you think would happen?

I played Sagroth T2 today some times with random groups.
Didnt´t kill the final boss once. That was a terrible experience for everyone and all left the game with bad mood.

I did Sagroth T2 with a PUG last night and had no problem. A couple deaths on the boss, but no wipes.

[Arnenna]

I wrote no such thing. I suggested that we will monitor how the changes are impacting the game experience and adjust accordingly. Sometimes, our changes are a little more overtuned then we expect in our limited testing. As a result, when they move to the much larger game cohort they are more easily seen. If, this is one of those cases, we will adjust accordingly.

What kind if limited testing do you do? You only have to play it once, to know it is OTT.

[WorrBinpike]

Just a curious question: how to you manage to run out of power as a champ? Swift Strike/Swift Blade now restores power on a 3 second cooldown and if that is not enough you can skill one point into Second Wind in the blue tree. Both skills don't cost power, so even if you are at 0 power you can easily get back up.

I assume you always remove the power drain disease effect as soon as possible, don't you?

I admit the champ is a twink, and i dont know the class well. But cant remember to come in such a situation, before the Moral/Mit change.

But thanks for the tips, i will look into it.