Incoming nerfs/changes

[Cynric]

I think a lot of people are not getting why Caster DpS is getting nerfed but not all ranged. This is because Bard and Machinist DpS is already nerfed at ranges beyond 15y (and within 15y if GB/WM is not activated). Only Blackmages and Summoners were doing to much damage from a safe distance.

However with increased magic resistance are they allowed to get closer to deal more damage? Currently it does not seem so. However brd/mch can still do regular damage if they want to. The problem is how they adjusted it not what they adjusted.

[Februs]

* Just a disclaimer that I started playing late and have very limited experience with the Cartenau Frontlines (a few odd 24 man matches from roulette) so I can't really comment on how they compare to the current situation. However, from what I've seen, the large nodes actually did considerable damage to the players which would open up opportunities for kills.

This is accurate, but the risks were steeper than just that when Secure was in its prime. In the earliest days, when we had full matches of 72 players, there were actually six capture points in addition to drone spawns. So, players had to split their alliances across the map to try and hold as many capture points as possible while also trying not to fall behind in drone destruction. You needed a majority presence to take and hold a capture point, so combat was nearly constant at the peripheral capture points (the ones which were not directly in front of the GC bases). In many instances, the only way to even take one was to completely wipe out the enemy, but dedicating large forces of players across the map left you thin. Variant tactics were also viable, because the amount of points generated from them was much higher than in 24-man matches. A team could, potentially, ignore drone spawns in favor of capture point dominance and still be a contender for victory. Combat was necessary to actually win, but the risk and reward ratio was much steeper.

Honestly, I feel bad for the newer breed of players who missed those 72-man Secure matches. They had their faults, but the 24-man matches are completely different by comparison, and Shatter is just a joke. It really is a shame that SE didn't keep that game mode relevant so that newer players could experience it.

[Februs]

The problem is how they adjusted it not what they adjusted.

I agree with this.

Ranged dps definitely needed to be addressed, because alliances were filling up with nothing but ranged players. I personally find this to be a terrible state of affairs, because it discourages combat even further by keeping everyone as far away from each other as possible. When you see three teams standing stalk still in the shape of a peace sign doing nothing but dps on the crystal with no overlap and no incoming dmg to actual players, it makes it pretty impossible to ignore just how bad of a "PvP" game mode this is. That said, I feel like a flat nerf on only casters was probably the laziest way they could have handled this. I don't even play as a caster, and I would have much preferred to see dps put on a sliding range scale, like with Mchs and Brds. Increasing the kill credit for PvP would have been nice to see as well, for the sake of melee players and having viable alternatives to just killing ice.