The current state of Spiritshifting: Ideas, reworks and more

[GuyNice]

Thank you! Looking forward to the next update

[Harpagornis]

Can you tell me which Class-Combo you most probably will pick @GuyNice? Or are you going for Single Class?

 

In any case i would appreciate any feedback of the Shifters strengths and weaknesses.

 

I still got the feeling that i pushed him too hard. Getting the balance right isnt easy when changing a lot of skills...

 

At the moment i am taking another look at the Wolf Level 16 ability "Concussive Blow" which seems a bit underrated.... hmmmmm....

 

Oh, any feedback about the new playstile is also welcome. In my tests the Shifter is so fast paced that it looks more like Street Fighter... well... nearly!

 

Personally i like this fast & furious style with lots of shifting and lots of possibilities. Maybe you can post your favourite Combo later on?

 

Okay, i am writing too much... lets take another look at the codes....   

[GuyNice]

I'm trying a single class Wild Orlan Shifter on PotD.

[Harpagornis]

Okay, in this case its mandatory that the new PL9 ability "Primal Savage" will be ready for action.... ah, i like this one!

 

Fixed a new bug where the Level 16 Wolf Ability "Concussive Blow" wasnt showing up anymore. Increased Damage & Penetration. This one should hurt now!!

 

The new Level 0 Passive Talent "Savage Mind" is now working so no more scrolls for Shifters. Who needs scrolls when you got some BIG claws?

 

EDIT: Now i got it right! Concussion Blow also knocks the target unconscious for 3 seconds or until it gets attacked again. Ah, i like that!!!

Edited September 27, 2018 by Harpagornis

[GuyNice]

To be fair, it will probably take me quite a while to reach PL9, as I'm currently PL1 xD

[Harpagornis]

An easy way to tone the Shifter down a bit would be to place all new abilities at the PL where you get them so the scaling is decreased for the top tier and everyone can immediately see when the abilities will be gained. Hhmmmm.... maybe tomorrow!

 

The unconscious effect from Concussion Blow is really nice and gives the ability more benefit!

 

No need for any haste @GuyNice. I always wanted to started a Single Class Shifter myself but in the last week(s) the modding was eating all of the free time. Maybe next week...

 

I am in the mood to ban Potions as well after seeing all this Barring Deaths Door "cheese"... hhmmmmm... maybe i should go sleeping before doing "something crazy"!

Edited September 27, 2018 by Harpagornis

[GuyNice]

Don't take away mah potions! Druid and Alchemy go hand in hand :D

 

Another little UI issue: The level 4 abilities appear as power level 2, even though as single class you unlock PL2 at level 3. Tying them to PL instead would be ideal, if possible.

[Harpagornis]

Yeah, at the moment the abilities are tied to CL so a Single Class Shifter wont get them earlier. My fear: If i change this to PL the Single Class will be too powerful. Getting new abilities at earlier level doesnt feel right as most of the top tiers are reworked PL7-8 ones. Its a pity that the UI doesnt automatically show the requirements so i will have to do this by hand. Later!

[GuyNice]

A bit more feedback about the level 4 abilities. First off, getting both new abilities AND additional shifts per encounter seems like overkill. I would perhaps cut the extra shifts at level 4. Second, wolf abilities at level 4 seem a bit OP. You get 2 new abilities (takedown, taste of the hunt) as well as the animal companion. I would cut taste of the hunt as it is a direct copy of the PL2 spell you can choose around the same time.

 

Other than that the abilities feel awesome to use and play with, if perhaps a bit OP in early levels. Maybe reducing the base healing gained on shift (and maybe increasing the scaling if it feels too weak at later levels) can help with that.

 

Another suggestion: I noticed several new talents are available at PL4, but none at PL3. As a single class Druid I don't really have much to take at PL3 other than Nature's Balm. So perhaps moving one of the new passives to this PL would be a good idea.

 

I also noticed you changed Divine Mark into Hunters Mark (should be Hunter's Mark I guess) for one of the Shifter abilities. Problem is it also changes the Priest ability (does slash/pierce instead of burn damage).

Edited September 28, 2018 by GuyNice

[Harpagornis]

Okay, thats good feedback @GuyNice!

 

Regarding the Wolf:

The Wolf Summon should be available at level 1 as well as Takedown. But i am aware that the wolf pet is really powerful at low levels so i always thought to remove it again. Any Ideas?

I think that Taste of the Hunt on its own is okay... fits well to the wolf background and the healing makes him a bit sturdier.

 

Base Healing was increased but its no problem to put it back again.

 

The Beast Slayer Talent can go to PL3. Primordial Hunter on PL4. The other ones will move up later on.

 

I also intend to remove all Elemental Wildstrikes only leaving Corrode. This follows the path of eliminating Elementals abilities even more and gives more space in the UI.

 

Hunters Mark damage... good point. I thought i had changed the ID´s - will do this later so there should be no overlap with Priest anymore!

Edited September 28, 2018 by Harpagornis

[GuyNice]

I would add the wolf companion as a late game ability. Since it's essentially a 0 cast time summon which is really powerful at any level, not to mention early levels. So maybe PL8 or 9 (so it's only available for single class Shifter as a powerful incentive).

 

Personally I like the different Wildstrikes. But if you have good ideas for talents and you need the room I understand removing the elemental ones from a thematic point of view (since you removed fire/ice/lightning spells).

 

Overall I like the mod already and look forward to seeing where you take it.

Edited September 28, 2018 by GuyNice

[Harpagornis]

Got it...

 

- Base Healing reduced slightly to 10 +10 per PL

- Beast Slayer now PL3

- Primordial Hunter stays at PL4

- Bark Skin went up to PL6

- Vicious Strikes up to PL7

- Hunters Mark ID changed

- Removed Wolf passive ability "Summon Wolf", added "Vampiric" which heals the Wolf by 25% of damage dealt with autoattacks and abilities

 

Now the big question is which number for "Vampiric" is right. 25% sounds like a decent start and will make the Wolf more durable!

 

EDIT: Maybe i will make a talent called "Leader of the Pack" which summons a pet for each Shift. But as this sounds pretty powerful it should be a PL8 or better PL9 talent...

Edited September 28, 2018 by Harpagornis

[GuyNice]

Sounds like a really cool PL9 talent. But wouldn't it be weird to keep summoning/unsummoning with every shift? Since the class mechanics encourage rapid shifting. What about simply selecting a permanent animal companion at PL9?

[Harpagornis]

The permanent calling when Shifting might be irritating but on the other hand it offers a lot of potential. Maybe too much. Will have to take a closer look at this later!

 

Reworked the Cat Level 16 Ability "Game Over" and renamed it into "Peacemaker". To get a tight link to the name i heavily increased the Accuracy (+30) while decreasing its Penetration down to 5! Anything with light/medium Armor will be peaced swift and efficiently while enemies with heavy armor will resist this without problems (even more as its Penetration does not scale well). With other words: Its very effiecient against Casters but "nearly" useless against Brawlers. Well. At least in theory.

 

I will also try to rework the Shifter-Scaling linking it to PL3 and PL5 or 6. This will reduce the number of total shifts but so far it looks that this shouldnt be a big problem. There is always the problem between Single and Multiclass that drives me crazy. If i put everything at low PL´s the Single Class will reach them in no time, while the Multiclass will have to wait a looong time if i put abilities on higher levels...

 

The new Wolf Passive "Vampiric" will also be increased somewhere between 33% and 50%. More tests are needed here!

[GuyNice]

Sounds interesting Are you planning on releasing a new version for testing today? I'd love to sink my teeth into some of these changes 

[Harpagornis]

I have made HUGE progress... but... holy cow... these ProgressionTables are soaking away all life from me...

 

I got things working in a way that suits Single Class AND Multi Class as the additional Shifts are now linked to Power Level!!!

 

I put the additional Shifts on PL3 and PL5. Or should the last one move up to PL6? Any opinions on that one?

 

However: With things finally working i will now try to rename the new Forms so the player gets more in touch with them.

 

If everythings works fine the new version should be ready in the evening...

 

EDIT: Putting them on PL4 and PL6 is another idea to weaken the early game a bit while strengthening late game...

Edited September 28, 2018 by Harpagornis

[GuyNice]

I would do PL4 and 7 personally. That is a very powerful boost and it should feel like it was earned. It will take a long time for multiclass especially, but you have to have that tradeoff for the crazy synergies you can get with MC combos. Hell, letting MC have as many shifts as SC at any level could be argued as too generous, especially since max level is more drawn out with each new expansion released.

 

Thank you for putting so much time and effort into this project! Take as long as you need and be careful not to burn yourself out and enjoy the game as well

Edited September 28, 2018 by GuyNice

[Harpagornis]

Well... i am enjoying the game by changing it @GuyNice. There is no time for playing except doing some quick tests! Its always thrilling to see IF the changes are working. Or not!

 

Your idea regarding PL´s is welcome... yeah... the player should feel like he earned the new Forms hard even though the second ones are still easy to get without any fighting. After that the real fun starts...

 

I am aware that if we allow MC to get the same number of Shifts then we should add "something more" for SC. The new PL9 ability "Primal Savage" is a first step.

 

Okay... i renamed the new Tiers:

PL4 Forms are now: Greater XXX

PL7 Forms are now: Dire XXX

 

This might not be the most creative but for now this is "okay". If someone has other suggestions: You are welcome!

Edited September 28, 2018 by Harpagornis

[GuyNice]

I like the names. If I may suggest for the PL9 ability: "Primal Beast". Not that different, I know, but sounds somehow cooler to me. Like the ultimate Beast Mode.

[Harpagornis]

You are right... "Primal Beast"... well... that sounds indeed cooler. Changed the name and the icon. Now this should rock!

 

With the reduced Shifts i increased the passive Life Leech from the Wolf to 50%. This still wont make him unstoppable but should help him to stay in his form longer.

 

Only "a few things" and the next version should be ready for upload!

Edited September 28, 2018 by Harpagornis

[Harpagornis]

There is still a lot of work but things are getting better and better - here we go...

 

P.S. Thanks to code optimization the file is getting smaller and smaller. More content, less space - its magic!

 

Changes for 0.5:

 

Boar:

- Added 20-30 crush damage to "Charge"

- Removed "Taste of the Hunt" which got replaced by "Boar Gore" (Full Attack with 33% Raw Bonus damage and Sicken)

 

Cat:

- Added Healing Effect for "Finish Them" and renamed it to "Executioner"

- Renamed "Game Over" to "Peacemaker". Increased damage (40-60) and Accuracy (+30) while lowering Penetration (5)

 

Wolf:

- Removed the passive Wolf Summon

- Added "Vampiric" as a passive ability that heals 50% of inflicted damage

- Reworked "Concussion Blow". Increased Bonus Damage (+200%) and added Statuseffect on Hit (Unconscious)

 

Stag:

- Lowered Duration for "Revenge" down to 6 seconds

- Increased Attack Angle (now 360 degree) and Accuracy (+25) for the Knockdown effect

 

Reworked Level Scaling:

- Additional Shifts are now linked to Power Level instead of Character Level

- Removed the old Scaling for additional Shifts (4,10,16)

- Additional Shifts are now gained at PL 4 and PL 6

- One Bonus Talent can now be found at level 3,4,5 and 6. Check them out!

 

General Changes:

- Reduced the Healing when Shifting to 10+ 10 per PL

- Added a new Ability at PL9 called "Primal Beast" which is a combined buff/debuff with a Raw Damage DoT

- Changed lots of ID´s so there should be no more overlapping with other Class Abilities (hopefully!)

- Reworked lots of Descriptions

Spiritshifting Evolution 0.5.zip

Edited September 28, 2018 by Harpagornis

[Harpagornis]

Here is a quick hotfix as some wolf abilities had disappeared for no reason. Now they should work again!

 

P.S. I did some level 10 fighting in Arkemyrs Laboratory and i must say that even at this level the Shifter has quite some staying power and lots of flexibility. Be it taking out soft targets with the level 4 strikes or softening the big constructs with Armor Breaker and/or Hunters Mark. Boar Charge is wonderful for quick mass stun and hunting down wounded but teleporting enemies. Exoskeleton Plate was a lifesaver at the beginning soaking up lots of potential damage.

 

Also worth to remember: As long as there are DoT´s ticking and you shift to Wolf he will use his vampiric powers to soak up life whenever the enemies get hit. Plague of Insect plus vampiric wolf lead to lots of small healing ticks that can make the difference between life and death. Further tests will have to show if the ability has to be toned down again...

Spiritshifting Evolution 0.51.zip

Edited September 28, 2018 by Harpagornis

[GuyNice]

Thanks for the updates! I'll be going at it all weekend. Will add more feedback as I play.

 

Edit: Going from 0.5 to 0.51 I can't load my save. So I will have to stick with 0.5 for now.

Edited September 29, 2018 by GuyNice

[Harpagornis]

The savegame issue happens from time to time but i dont know why. I reworked 0.51 so things hopefully should work again!

 

In my case 0.51 was eliminating all background stories during character creation even though i never touched them. Funny!

 

Other Changes:

- Decreased Life Leech for Wolf down to 33%

 

Upcoming potential Changes:

- I am thinking about pushing the Shifter a bit more. This means: Give him a penatly (for instance PL-Reduction) in his natural form. With this disadvantage i hope to open up a new door for the Shifter: Being able to transform outside of Combat! I never understood why shifting should be limited to combat (too much BG!) as it would open up new approaches how to start combat. Will the Shifter cast a spell first? Or rush in with Boar Charge? Or neutralize a key target with Concussion Blow? So many options...

 

Feedback is welcome!

 

P.S. I am also looking for a new PL5 talent as so far we got new ones for PL 3,4,6 & 7. Any suggestions?

Spiritshifting Evolution 0.52.zip

Edited September 29, 2018 by Harpagornis

[GuyNice]

How about: Bestial Prowess - Increase the Power Level of all 'Beasts' abilities by 1 while Spiritshifted.