As you guys here are co-responsible for me trying CoH...;-)

[bignatz]

Didn't have CoH on my monitor (no PvP). Schild's beta-review and the download option for beta made me try it. I loved it.

Now, I unfortunately picked a char after beta that was just nerfed into oblivion. A Rad/Rad-defender build around the the AM/Hasten-permabuff, with just one attack on auto (Neutrino Bolt) as a sorta mega-dot. A low-risk, pseudo-blaster with good but slow solo-potential. Probably not supposed to be played like that...

Had a blast and made it to whooping 19. No alts to speak of (I'm into mains hehe). I take it you can see the problems I'm running into now.

Don't want to whine here (already took my consequences), but as this site has a tradition, I'd be interested in your overall perspective.

I'm seeing the patch as admittance that CoH was too fast paced and too easy, at least for well-organized SGs who understand interaction and stacking. So, seems like they bring in the grind now for the average Joe to increase "longevity"?

And although my case is probably extreme, the nerf baton is being swung, and being swung HARD. This is 2 weeks after launch (after the first guys got to 40 hehe). And in a level/class game without respec (and no info when and how respec will come, except..."on the list").

Quite the number of No-Nos here, but consistent with the grand tradition of our beloved MMOPGs.  

Gawddam do they never learn? Or, even gawddamer... do I never learn?

~bignatz

[Xilren's Twin]

Color me a little confused; at lvl 19 you have 11 different powers.  I know you have Accelerate Metabolism, N. Bolt and Hasten, but what other 8 power did you choose that are so worthless you feel like you can't play this character anymore?

Xilren

[Riggswolfe]

From what I can tell these powers needed to be nerfed. They may have swung the nerf bat to hard but it was needed. They were making things way to easy. Here's a clue, if a power/skill/etc becomes a "must have" it is probably to powerful.

[schild]

Don't say that - they'll nerf super jump.

[Valmorian]

Don't say that - they'll nerf super jump.

I don't have Super Jump on a single one of my characters.  I'm sure it's useful, but I obviously can do fine without. ;)

[bignatz]

Color me a little confused; at lvl 19 you have 11 different powers.  I know you have Accelerate Metabolism, N. Bolt and Hasten, but what other 8 power did you choose that are so worthless you feel like you can't play this character anymore?

Xilren

Well:

Hover/Fly
Radiant Aura (high end heal)
Proton Volley (snipe, nice opener, rarely usuable during a solo-fight)
Radiation Infection (great low-end acc debuff toggle)
Enervating Field (fantastic, very high-end damage debuff/buff toggle)
Lingering Radiation (good AoE slow)
Swift (to open the path to Stamina).

The new AM refresh seems to be longer than Hasten's refresh (which is 10 min base).

I of course can still play this character, no longer in the intended role though. Soloing is grindish now, waiting for situational powers to refresh as my DPS/endurance ratio doesn't cut it anymore... the fast paced thing is gone; or use him as a pure supporter; or take a new attack power switched for Hasten after a respec. However, the character concept is gone, and I'd now be probably better off with a blaster or scrapper.

Unfortunately I prefer to not reroll after nerfs, but respec (which I'll wait for to check back into CoH). More of a principle than anything.

I felt that the patch was a step towards traditional grinding. Maybe I'm just whining and confuse my personal nerf with something bigger.

~bignatz

[Signe]

It seems to me that it's quite possible these things needed a nerf.  I have hasten on only one char, I think.  Even without AM it's very useful.  I'll probably miss it a bit.  

If you can use these sorts of things in a combination that lets you fly to the level cap... what hope is there of a long lasting game?  It's different when it's something like SB, where you can zip along quickly to get to the heart of the game.  There isn't really a 'heart' in this game... not in the same respect.  Leveling is just your progress leading to the next power and, hopefully, to another bit of the story that unfolds during your missions.  That will end at level 40 and soon, level 50.  The game needs to move along at a pace that gives the developers reasonable  time to prepare for the next bit of content.

The launch went very smooth, I must say, and now there are some curves and bumps in the road.  It would be simply wonderful if developers could think ahead and see the end results of every combination of powers.  But that never happens... not in any MMOG I've ever played.  Not even in any MUD I've ever worked on.  But it WOULD be nice...

[schild]

I hated Hasten. That's just me - but my Claws scrapper (as well as ALL my other toons) are doing fine without it. In fact I took the attack skill from that same pool (forget the name) but it's served more useful.

Having an extra attack is more reliable than a skill that speeds up attacks.

[bignatz]

From what I can tell these powers needed to be nerfed. They may have swung the nerf bat to hard but it was needed. They were making things way to easy. Here's a clue, if a power/skill/etc becomes a "must have" it is probably to powerful.

Of course it was a powerful character, also fitting my playstyle. That's why I choose it after beta. And felt safe about it because of the Hasten discussion/nerf in beta.

Btw, how many take the Stamina path? Also too powerful and to be nerfed?

Heck, I don't have problems with nerfs... if I can adapt or respec. I do have a problem with the direction this finger is pointing in, though.

And I suspect that the real reason is the fuxored-up group-stacking. Three AMs (and most other buffs) stacked, and you are invincible. Stuff that Uberguilds do. But that would be much harder to change, I guess.

[Kyper]

I'm already on track to take Stamina at higher level.  At the end of beta it was praised as a "must have" power, so watch out for a future nerf.