Nanomage's Need Love - Some Ideas
Nanomages:
"This is the most xenomorphic breed on Rubi-Ka, uniquely specialized to enhance their ability at using nano programs. Many of them pay for this with a hideous visage, and many view the Nanos as both cold and cruel, as well as somewhat inhuman.
Strong abilities: Intelligence and Psychic
Weak abilities: Strength and Stamina
Health: Low
Nano pool: High" --Copied from the online game manual
I will endeavor to keep this post free from emotion and insults and I hope that all follow up posts will do the same in an effort to keep respect with Funcom and it's developers.
It is obvious that as the game progressed the benefit of playing a nanomage has all but disappeared. Why? For one, the SL nano level caps completely nerfed the advantage of the Nanomage breed. Also they have the least PvP viability of all breeds.
So I ask you, where is the benefit of this breed? They don't make the best tradeskillers, with the nano caps they have no major post 200 edge. So why make a nanomage <anything>?
If they were bred specifically for this planet where is the edge they should have over the other more human races? At this point the only edge they have is hitting the 2 sec nano delta sooner then any other race but for what good? Others will hit that delta eventually so again, endgame they have no real edge.
So here are some ideas to help make the Nanomage a viable race again for AO, and I know there are many shelfed NM's that would come out of retirement with some appropriate love and possibly more people coming back to AO.
If notum is part of the Nanomage DNA, it would make sense that when damaged a portion of the damage would roll into the nano pool.
All fractions are rounded down in the following examples.
Idea 1
Balance the nano pool with the health pool with a flat %.
It could be like a flat 30% of total health. So the Nanomage would get the best benefit by working at keeping their health pool as large as possible. Lets say this Nanomage has a 6k health pool and a 10k nano pool. He takes a hit for 2000. 70% or 1400 is removed from the health pool and the difference of 600 comes off the nano pool. HP pool is now 4600.
Another hit for 2000. 1400 off of the HP pool bringing it down to 3200.
Another hit for 3000. 2100 off the HP pool bringing it down to 1100.
In this hypothetical senario the overall effective HP would be 8100. This again is a flat % pecentage of max health, not current health. PvP 40% rule would still be base off total actual health ignoring the 30% nano pool buffer.
Edit -- To clarify what I mean by ignoring the 30% nano pool buffer in PvP is that the nano pool would still offset 30% damage taken in PvP but the 40% pvp damage would only be based on natural HP and not the combination of HP and NP. --End Edit
Idea 2
Balance the nano pool with the health pool but with a difference.
In this situation it starts off at 50% of total health. So the Nanomage would still get the best benefit by working at keeping their health pool as large as possible. Lets say this Nanomage has a 6k health pool and a 10k nano pool. He takes a hit for 2000. 50% or 1000 is removed from the health pool and the difference of 1000 comes off the nano pool.
Here is the difference though, the % is based off current HP not max or total HP. So now the NM is down to 5k health 9k nano. He takes another hit for 2000 this time since his health pool is no longer at 100% but is at 83% that 83% is balanced against the 50% original modifier and brought down to (.83 x 50) = 41%
This time the health pool takes 59% (or 1180) of the damage and the nano pool takes 41% (or 820).
NM is at (5000 - 1180) = 3820 now. Third hit comes in at 3000. Original full HP modifier of 50% is altered now by (.63 x 50) = 31% so 31% (or 930) goes to the nano pool and the difference of 69% (or 2070) hits the health pool leaving the NM at (3820 - 2070) = 1750 HP
In this senario the overall effective HP was 8750. This structure would lend itself being better against an opening AS or FA. In PvP the 40% would only apply against the actual health which in itself is still lower then normal breeds.
Lets say the hits above came in the opposite order:
Opener of 3000
... 2000
... 2000
The 3000 would play against the 50% laying 1500 against HP and 1500 against NP. 4500 HP now, now at 75% health the modifier changes from 50% to a 37% modifier. (.75 x 50%) = 37%
Now 2000 dam is applied at 63% (or 1260) to HP and 37% (or 740) to the NP
HP is at 3240 now.
Modifier goes from 37% to (.54 (%of max HP) x 50 )= 27%
Now 2000 dam is applied at 73% (or 1460) to HP and 27% (or 540) to the NP
HP is at 1780 now.
The mod would cap at 20% min.
In this senario the overall effective HP was 8780. Slightly higher since the largest attack came in first.
Last senario:
6K HP 10K NP
One hit for 7000
50% (or 3500) to HP and 50% (or 3500) to NP
HP is now 2500.
In this senario the overall effective HP was 9500.
Idea 3
Balance the nano pool with the health pool but with another difference. This is Idea 2 but reversed making the damage absorbed by the nano pool start off at a smaller % but work up as damage accumliates. This would have a bigger weakness against an opening AS or FA but makes the NM harder to finish off.
In this situation it starts off at 20% of total health. So the Nanomage would still get the best benefit by working at keeping there health pool as large as possible. Lets say this Nanomage has a 6k health pool and a 10k nano pool. He takes a hit for 2000. 80% or 1600 is removed from the health pool and the difference of 400 comes off the nano pool.
HP is now 4400
The modifier works in reverse now. Original 20% is bumped up by (max hp / current hp) (6000/4400) = 1.36
20% x 1.36 = 27%
Another 2000 hit comes in now against the 27% mod.
1460 against the HP and 540 against the NP
Current HP is 2940
Original 20% is bumped up by (max hp / current hp) (6000/2940) = 2.04
20% x 2.04 = 40%
A hit for 3000 comes in against the now 40% mod.
1800 goes to the HP and 1200 to the NP
Final HP is 1140
The Mod would now be at a 50% cap for any additional damage.
In this senario the overall effective HP was 8140.
Last senario:
6K HP 10K NP
One hit for 7000
80% (or 5600) to HP and 20% (or 1400) to NP
HP is now 400.
Modifier is now capped at 50%
In this senario the overall effective HP was 7400. Weaker against heavy openers but still better then no change at all.
Idea 4
A smaller flat % like 10 vs weapon damage but a higher % like 50% vs nano DD and DoT's.
Idea 5
Make the AI 5 Genome add .5 HP/Body Dev and the AI 10 Genome add the other .5 to make bring them on par with Soli and Opifex.
Summary
This is just some theory craft in an effort to help bring back alive the Nanomage race. Some will say some of these ideas would make them too powerfull, and that may very well be the case. The numbers provided are just for examples.
There could even be an additional balance thrown in that if the NP is depleted (like from casting or drains) that the damage that would have absorbed falls back on the HP at double damage.
The only thing these idea would help with is balancing some of the Nano pool against the HP. This still won't help them with the weak weapon skills. Strength is still DB, same with Sense. Pistols and rifles are heavily based on Sense. Most melee weapons are heavly based on Strength (some more then others).
But in all the best weapons (aside from nanos) for NM are ranged energy and melee energy. Why not supply more NM specific gear to help bring NM up on a different curve. NM will never fight like any other race so why not give them there own curve. Atrox are brutes and that really helps melee and some ranged skills. Opi are the best at Bow's, Rifles, Pistols and any other Agi/Sense based weapons / attacks.
Now why not bring up the curve for Nanomages and give them a unique fighting style.
Move Ranged Energy and Melee energy Imp's to other locations so there is no major conflict with Head/Eye symbs etc. More NM specific gear other then for nano skills. NM version of leg choppers but for energy weapons.
Balance their NP with their weak HP.
What about Psionic attacks / weapons. Mind over brute strength. The weak minded Atrox would be very suseptible to the mind of the NM. Make a weapon that maybe looks like an NT's cyber deck but is a weapon in its own right. Dimach varies with classes like Keepers, Shades and MA's. Why not bring about variants of other skills specific to NM's?
Some ideas would be easier then others to impliment for sure, it just would be nice to see the NM's get some love from FC. Maybe the above ideas while not perfect may hopefully bring about better ideas and something good come of it.
Cheers
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Originally Posted by Champyon
