07-16-2003, 05:24 AM
Don't take this personally. ;) I had to get that out of the way. Now, on to it:
My biggest beef with you, or more specifically, your criticisms to my ideas, is that you take all my ideas with one idea in your mind: imbalanced skills. You rant on about imbalancing the game by messing with synergies, yet you do so by assuming that the base skills themselves are still imbalanced. Now, granted, in 1.10's CURRENT form this is of course true, but you make it sound as though someone can't compensate for that. What I mean is, you completely discredit ANY idea on the basis of imbalance without considering the idea that any imbalances can be worked out with the idea. OTOH, since for MY purposes balance is a number one concern, I would of course balance the base skills BEFORE any work on Synergies, just like I did with my last mod. So that point (the point of imbalance) is moot. ;)
But, then, there's one big difference between our thoughts on the issue:
You take your ideas and beliefs based on what Blizzard has handed you, i.e. that Synergies are now a NECESSITY. I, myself, do not want that, in any way. I do NOT feel Synergies should EVER be a necessity, at least for top-end skills, because then you are ultimately forcing the character into one path or another, with no way out of that. By FORCING reliance on synergies, you force reliance on whatever skills those synergies are linked to, thereby enforcing cookie-cutter builds, which is exactly (ironically) what you and I do NOT want. ;) Not trying to label you a hypocrite, or anything, but merely pointing out a few key flaws, or what have you, in your arguments. :)
Hope I didn't step on your toes too much. ;) I just had to point those few things out. I am quite curious on your stance on that issue, however - the issue of whether synergies should be a bonus, or a necessity. Myself, I feel they should never be a necessity. How about you? It certainly raises a crux point, does it not? It's the baseline for ALL work on synergies: are they merely a bonus, a reward of sorts, or are they a necessity? Two completely different lines of thinking, with DRASTICALLY different results. I think, at least in part, that is why you have been so adamantly against all of my proposed ideas, and perhaps that of others. It would certainly explain it, at least to me. :) So, what do you think? Bonus, or necessity? What does everyone else think, for that matter? Should synergies be a necessity, considering how some classes / builds already have too many skill points, while others are stretched so thin that one misplacement cripples them, or should they be solely a bonus?
Just some more questions, and my thoughts on the issue. I would like to hear some more of your suggestions, WarBlade, as you are quick to criticize but very slow to provide any real solutions. Not trying to flame you, but at least others are trying, which was the point of me starting this topic. While I understand your frustration with the direction of some ideas, I think, personally, you are a wee bit too critical at times. But, mayhap I am mistaken. Not trying to rag on you or offend you in any way; just a minor observation. Do as you will, as the old saying goes. :)
My biggest beef with you, or more specifically, your criticisms to my ideas, is that you take all my ideas with one idea in your mind: imbalanced skills. You rant on about imbalancing the game by messing with synergies, yet you do so by assuming that the base skills themselves are still imbalanced. Now, granted, in 1.10's CURRENT form this is of course true, but you make it sound as though someone can't compensate for that. What I mean is, you completely discredit ANY idea on the basis of imbalance without considering the idea that any imbalances can be worked out with the idea. OTOH, since for MY purposes balance is a number one concern, I would of course balance the base skills BEFORE any work on Synergies, just like I did with my last mod. So that point (the point of imbalance) is moot. ;)
But, then, there's one big difference between our thoughts on the issue:
You take your ideas and beliefs based on what Blizzard has handed you, i.e. that Synergies are now a NECESSITY. I, myself, do not want that, in any way. I do NOT feel Synergies should EVER be a necessity, at least for top-end skills, because then you are ultimately forcing the character into one path or another, with no way out of that. By FORCING reliance on synergies, you force reliance on whatever skills those synergies are linked to, thereby enforcing cookie-cutter builds, which is exactly (ironically) what you and I do NOT want. ;) Not trying to label you a hypocrite, or anything, but merely pointing out a few key flaws, or what have you, in your arguments. :)
Hope I didn't step on your toes too much. ;) I just had to point those few things out. I am quite curious on your stance on that issue, however - the issue of whether synergies should be a bonus, or a necessity. Myself, I feel they should never be a necessity. How about you? It certainly raises a crux point, does it not? It's the baseline for ALL work on synergies: are they merely a bonus, a reward of sorts, or are they a necessity? Two completely different lines of thinking, with DRASTICALLY different results. I think, at least in part, that is why you have been so adamantly against all of my proposed ideas, and perhaps that of others. It would certainly explain it, at least to me. :) So, what do you think? Bonus, or necessity? What does everyone else think, for that matter? Should synergies be a necessity, considering how some classes / builds already have too many skill points, while others are stretched so thin that one misplacement cripples them, or should they be solely a bonus?
Just some more questions, and my thoughts on the issue. I would like to hear some more of your suggestions, WarBlade, as you are quick to criticize but very slow to provide any real solutions. Not trying to flame you, but at least others are trying, which was the point of me starting this topic. While I understand your frustration with the direction of some ideas, I think, personally, you are a wee bit too critical at times. But, mayhap I am mistaken. Not trying to rag on you or offend you in any way; just a minor observation. Do as you will, as the old saying goes. :)
Roland *The Gunslinger*