Tank-Rotation Updates ...

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gorboth
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Tank-Rotation Updates ...

Post by gorboth » 23 Mar 2018 23:10

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Fellow Genesis Enthusiasts,

Balance is a tricky thing in any game as complicated and organically developed
as Genesis. We can never achieve perfection, but we continue to strive for
as good a sense of overall parity between options in the game as we are able
to achieve.

Another thing we strive for in Genesis is collaboration between players. 
Content which prompts team-based cooperation creates a rich environment for
many reasons, compared to solo-grind hour after hour.

Both of these aspects of design are present in the battle mechanic typically
referred to as tank-rotation. The tank (person taking hits for the team) is
determined by your opponent, rather than by you, unless you have special
tank-rotation abilities. Such abilities are not available in normal combat
unless you belong to a guild that features them. Traditionally, the only
two guilds in Genesis which did were the Calians and the Knights, each the
opposide side of one coin (Knights could become the tank, Calians could
select someone other than themselves to become the tank.)

This two-guild monopoly on tank-rotation existed in Genesis for around
twenty years. In recent years, tank-rotation abilities have begun to pop up
in new ways in new guilds. Thus, the ability has spread beyond the original
and highly limited Knight/Calian construct. 

Arman and I recently began looking at this, at the prompting of the wizard
Nerull. Nerull's concern was that tank-rotation appeared to be very much
unavailable to purely evil guilds in Genesis. This was part of the design
originally, but as more and more guilds have made the picture more complex,
it was time to re-assess. Exploring the issue, we've determined that it is
now time to level that playing field.

We have decided that, thematically, the most team-oriented evil guild in
Genesis has traditionally been the Army of Angmar (i.e. their "shield"
cover ability is specifically meant to benefit team members.) As such, we
are expanding the AA team-oriented concept, and giving them a tank-rotation
skill that will function much like the Calian move-behind. 

We believe that offering this team-interaction ability to the evil factions
of Genesis will provide greater balance and greater team-based collaboration
overall - both of which stand to benefit the game's future.

Also, quite importantly, we have created a rule that states that tank-rotation
abilities will be considered exclusive, throughout Genesis, to occupational
guild membership. Thus, the layman branch of the AA (or any other) guild will
not be permitted to have such abilities.

Thanks goes to Carnak, who took on the implementation of this project based
on the ideas devised by Arman and myself. His quick code-work is, as always,
a blessing!

In posting this note, my desire is to provide everyone with a complete
understanding of the process, the rationale, and the interests at stake.
We all know what happens when wizards just do things and leave it all up
to the rumour mill! ;-)

Onward, and upward!
G.
Mmmmmm ... pie ...

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Shanoga
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Re: Tank-Rotation Updates ...

Post by Shanoga » 24 Mar 2018 01:37

Yay for progressive change to balance out the two sides a bit. :)

I think I saw some discussion of this in Discord, but just to clarify: AA's <shield> ability only applies to other members of the Army and will NOT be able to be used to help out other evil-aligned teammates.

Rincon
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Re: Tank-Rotation Updates ...

Post by Rincon » 24 Mar 2018 02:06

This left me speechless...

So, evil guilds have dragons and flying beasts and portals which enable them to teleport to any spot in Genesis. Goodies don't have this feature. Following your logic, can they have it in order to 'balance things out'?

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gorboth
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Re: Tank-Rotation Updates ...

Post by gorboth » 24 Mar 2018 02:28

They already do? Good-aligned and/or neutral mages can do many things.

G.
Mmmmmm ... pie ...

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Ody
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Re: Tank-Rotation Updates ...

Post by Ody » 24 Mar 2018 03:00

This is a good change. However, I hope we don't start running around copying abilities to give to the other side in order to create ability parody. Certain levels of controlled unbalance make each side have their own appeals. And I'd prefer you didn't copy/paste abilities in an effort to make things "balanced." But that's just my opinion.

Also thanks for being transparent about the change and explaining your reasons.

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gorboth
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Re: Tank-Rotation Updates ...

Post by gorboth » 24 Mar 2018 03:22

I absolutely agree with you, Ody. The two-guild monopoly on tank rotation existed for two decades because we believed in the value of guilds with distinctive abilities that were not copied over and over. However, it was when I discovered that some of the new guilds that have cropped up in the last two years include tank-rotation abilities that it no longer made sense to limit the evil-side melee players from having these abilities. Tank rotation is such a core-concept for Genesis combat that to continue to deny it to evils would have deepened the divide on this front.

Do not expect to see guild-distictive abilities copied to new places. I will be much opposed to that, myself. We expect new guilds in Genesis to have new ideas.

G.
Mmmmmm ... pie ...

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Kas
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Re: Tank-Rotation Updates ...

Post by Kas » 24 Mar 2018 03:45

Ody wrote:This is a good change. However, I hope we don't start running around copying abilities to give to the other side in order to create ability parody. Certain levels of controlled unbalance make each side have their own appeals. And I'd prefer you didn't copy/paste abilities in an effort to make things "balanced." But that's just my opinion.

Also thanks for being transparent about the change and explaining your reasons.
I'd say some abilities must exist on both sides in order to preserve fairness, playability and future proofing.

Example: If Genesis introduce raid content where tank rotators become central, only good aligned guilds would have access to that content since its non-existent on the evil side.

Tankrotators are combat multipliers, and they can come in many unique forms, but the base premise is the same - damage control/damage distribution: A 2 vs 2 team with same weapons/dps/hp, where one team can rotate means it remains 100% combat effective while the other party loses 50% halfway into the battle since a member dies.

Easier to control the combat, and escape without casualities, and harass other teams that can't rotate, and, to alphastrike/focusfire, which others that have no access to tank rotators can't do.

It's a major difference in combat potential. Throw in some healing capabilities in there, and one can do turtletanking, quadropling the combat efficiency, practically becoming unbeatable vs same size and number opponents.
Might and Glory flaming for changing dawn, ancient power revealed of an iron crown, clear and cold and shining so far and bright, crush the world in one clash of your binding light.

Gû kîbum kelkum-ishi, burzum-ishi. Akha - gûm-ishi ashi gurum!

Draugor
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Re: Tank-Rotation Updates ...

Post by Draugor » 24 Mar 2018 11:02

Finally :P

IMo it would make alot more sense with a rescue type ability or enable the MB for the entire team, otherwise the tank will just be MBing the DPS... wich is kinda useless :P

Zugzug
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Re: Tank-Rotation Updates ...

Post by Zugzug » 24 Mar 2018 15:15

Ody wrote:This is a good change. However, I hope we don't start running around copying abilities to give to the other side in order to create ability parody. Certain levels of controlled unbalance make each side have their own appeals. And I'd prefer you didn't copy/paste abilities in an effort to make things "balanced." But that's just my opinion.

Also thanks for being transparent about the change and explaining your reasons.
For once I actually agree with Ody - this change certainly looks like an "ability parody".

Draugor
Myth
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Re: Tank-Rotation Updates ...

Post by Draugor » 24 Mar 2018 15:16

Make the teamleader able to issue orders if its an Angmarim leading imo, "order zugzug move behind leader" Etc

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