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Author Topic: Tank Troubles: Why Tanks Aren't Working in AEQ  (Read 531 times)

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Dolmir

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Tank Troubles: Why Tanks Aren't Working in AEQ
« on: February 17, 2019, 05:03:19 pm »
There are major issues surrounding damage mitigation that are preventing tanks from functioning appropriately. I believe that tanks will not work within the game engine until all three of the following problems are addressed. Alternatively, major changes to the game engine could be applied but changes that I can think of would be very difficult to implement (such as completely replacing damage mitigation formulas) or totally ham-fisted (adding more innate damage mitigation to designated tank classes).

AC Barely Matters

I addressed this independently in another thread and I won't go over the raw numbers again, but based on my analysis of the stock EQEmu combat engine, there is a pretty narrow range of parameters within which AC makes a noticeable difference in damage mitigation. These factors include: enemy attack rating, enemy base damage, enemy variable damage, and player AC. Much of the content available does not hold these factors in the delicate balance required to reward the player scraping together every last bit of AC possible.

Defensive Stats for All

This is surely the biggest factor involved: defensive stats are not only available to all classes without much effort, but they are applied to gear that does not demand significant sacrifice in stats that improve the character's power level in other areas. The issue is not simply restricted to AC: even Avoidance and Shielding make an unexpected appearance on items that already have very good stats for characters not primarily concerned with survival. This leaves tank characters who mainly prioritize defensive stats barely ahead of melee DPS, priest, and even robe casters in damage mitigation.

Healing Spell Inflation

Certain healing spells are so fast and mana-efficient that it is nearly impossible to identify a combination of offensive stats that make healers sweat without being completely unfair to them. Almost every time character death occurs it is because the mob does so much damage that heals cannot come in time (and with 2 second cast times, this basically means one round of combat). Rarely does the tank die because the healer has run out of mana or because the average damage taken by the tank over a long period eventually outraces the amount of healing that characters can produce. Access to mana regeneration items and abilities surely plays a part in this but the core issue with heal spell balance is the astounding mana efficiency of fast heals available to all priest classes.

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Eldarian

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Re: Tank Troubles: Why Tanks Aren't Working in AEQ
« Reply #1 on: February 18, 2019, 01:20:29 pm »
this is a great post. Ac does matter. It just doesnt matter on targets whos min and maximum damge is so close, on a npc that has a minimum damage of 350 and a max of 1250 for example poor old second would get waffle stomped why the mighty Demodread would only be clutching his butt cheaks

Dolmir

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Re: Tank Troubles: Why Tanks Aren't Working in AEQ
« Reply #2 on: February 18, 2019, 02:59:22 pm »
If variable damage is high enough to make the advantage in AC that tank classes enjoy matter then surely the enemy has the potential to do enough damage to kill any character in a single combat round if it gets lucky enough. Yes, AC does make an observable difference, but we have observed that the difference is barely relevant.

Eldarian

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Re: Tank Troubles: Why Tanks Aren't Working in AEQ
« Reply #3 on: February 18, 2019, 05:51:37 pm »
next reset it should be more obvious

 

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