A crazy idea Re: Perks

[Azza]

Before flaming this suggestion, you have to understand that it would be a radical change, and would require other radical changes to every perkline in order to make sense. Please don't come in here and say, "but this would make perkline xxx useless and perkline yyy OP," based on current perk actions.

With no further ado:

What if using a perk action didn't just lock that single perk, but what if it locked the entire perkline? In other words, you'd have to choose which perk action from a given line you wanted to execute. I think this would take away a lot of "piano perking" and replace it with some careful thought in choosing what actions to use and when. You know, strategy, rather than button mashing. Kind of like the way that FA and AS are going to lock eachother, making you choose which one is more appropriate for the situation.

Obviously, a whole lot of perk actions would need to be redesigned. It wouldn't make much sense to have 2 DD perks with the same evade check in the same perkline. But you could have, for example, a perk with a large DD and a high evade check, alongside a smaller DD perk with an easier evade check to land. You could have a perkline that makes you choose between buffing your own evades and debuffing your opponents evades. The possibilities are endless, but the story is always the same: we get to quit pressing every singly button we have as soon as it lights up in pvm, and we have to think harder about what's really important to use in pvp.

This would also probably be a step away from strictly alpha-based combat for some professions, because in general people would have fewer DD perks. I think reducing the effectiveness (and dependence on) alphas for some professions is one of the original goals of the whole rebalance shebang.

[Taranide]

Idea has potential. But if something like this ever happens, I'd like to see some defensive perks/nanos locking some offensive ones and vise versa. With fixed durations ofcourse.
Examples:
Coon vs SnD etc
DoF vs dmg perk etc
MR vs everything but offensive perks
Root removal (self) vs root (other)

List could go on and being more precise.

[Mostadio]

Interesting.

[Amortia]

I actually really like this idea. would completely kill the current pvp style, but would make it way more involved and skill based. rather than purely alphaing. Perks would need shorter execute times though imo, as that style of pvp would be alot more reactive. whereas current pvp is more proactive

[Gunfytr]

Shades/Agents would take a beating.

[Anarchic1]

just what agents need to become the true bottom feeder. Nerfing as, nerfing ch, nerfing our perks. Man does anyone in fc know that agents aren't even the top pvp profession? They should focus more on those 1hb/1he enfs, ranged advies, ridic crat nukes, insanse deints on doc debuffs

[McKnuckleSamwich]

I agree, the idea has potential.

this would make normal attacks and specials be more advantageous, and perklines that had fewer perk actions... weird, and interesting.

[Xtremtech]

I quite like the idea itself... but given all the work that FC have already put into the perk redesign, I'm guessing that the idea may have come a little late in the day...

X

[Kinkstaah]

Its a good idea, or perhaps it should simply be a variant of all current perks. Or different perklines with different perk actions etc.

Idea has merit, infact it should have been part of game/weapon/item design for the last 10 years. Died when SL came out.

[XenonDe]

The idea is good, but it's most likely too much work to redesign all perks.

[Superflare]

Can u make this thread in shade section? we need a good "lol" now and then.

[Wrangeline]

Can u make this thread in shade section? we need a good "lol" now and then.

Before flaming this suggestion, you have to understand that it would be a radical change, and would require other radical changes to every perkline in order to make sense. Please don't come in here and say, "but this would make perkline xxx useless and perkline yyy OP," based on current perk actions.

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I wanted to comment on this suggestion but Kinkstaah pretty much said what I wanted to say.
I also think it's a bit unrealistic at this point in time to expect this to make it ingame though

[drops]

It's not about making perklines useless or op, it's about nerfing at least one profession to oblivion. Totemic rites, 7 perk actions. Oh, sorry, you can only use one. Piercing mastery, 7 perk actions. Oh, sorry, you can only use one.

[Superflare]

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"...we get to quit pressing every singly button we have as soon as it lights up in pvm"

Maybe you would have to be a shade to find that funny

[Wrangeline]

It's not about making perklines useless or op, it's about nerfing at least one profession to oblivion. Totemic rites, 7 perk actions. Oh, sorry, you can only use one. Piercing mastery, 7 perk actions. Oh, sorry, you can only use one.

It's about "radical change", which is what the OP's quote is actually about.

Shades would have to be changed a bit to accommodate this suggestion. Shades would have to be a lot less perk-dependent or perhaps one of the new special features of shades would become their unique ability to use more than 1 perk-special per perkline.

The point is, you have to think outside the box a bit and to realize that saying this suggestion wont work in general or for any specific profession, based on what things are like in general now or how any specific profession is like now, is a bit pointless. Obviously there would have to be many changes made to many different things. Shades is no exception and is perhaps the profession that would receive the largest amount of changes.

[Molotoff]

This kind of thinking was actually implemented for NTs, with off/def focus. Except the lockouts are far too long to make it an enjoyable experience.

CP/IS nanos for traders being in the same nanoline are another try at this, and a much better one.

And from what was told about the new nanoweaving system, it will fit perfectly, with nanolines (or group of) with their local cooldown being the equivalent of perklines in the OP.

However, as others, I don't see FC doing it for perks.

[Vgman01]

mm would destroy shades in every way. Imo make perks more like special attacks in that you instantly use them when you hit the button. Then when you use a perk it puts that perk on cd for its full duration and casts and invisible debuf that makes it so you cant use your other perks for 1-2 seconds.

[mr_road]

to the people posting about shades, re-read this:

"Before flaming this suggestion, you have to understand that it would be a radical change, and would require other radical changes to every perkline in order to make sense."

the idea of having some perks with high def checks and others with low def checks would benefit shades. especially since the low def checks would give shades some form of a toolset against evaders.

yes, locking one whole line of perks would be a problem... but that is where "radical" changes comes in.

a solution, relating to PM, could be to have it give 6 damage perks with 2 "chains". chain 1 has moderate to low damage with low def checks. chain 2 has high damage with normal def checks. using chain 1 locks chain 2 and vice versa.

[Saetos]

the idea of having some perks with high def checks and others with low def checks would benefit shades. especially since the low def checks would give shades some form of a toolset against evaders..

This would slaughter their DD potential in PVM though. Soldiers (with capped FA/Fling/Burst) would completely annihilate them in DD contests.

[Azza]

This would slaughter their DD potential in PVM though. Soldiers (with capped FA/Fling/Burst) would completely annihilate them in DD contests.

Unless you went and redesigned the whole perkline (and/or profession) entirely to make it balanced. Which was the whole point of rebalancing.

I guess the bottom line is: fewer buttons to push mindlessly, more choices to make thoughtfully. For both PvP and PvM.