Admin's asking for suggestions and discussion on forums is a fair bit off from threads started by players.

We get better results off making changes or at least instigating you all to special slot a change by talking about it on forums than waiting for a normal fix. We have waited for a normal fix for badluck since it was first cast basically. Never has it been addressed, not sure why envoys werent commenting.

That's true, there are exceptions - occasionally an admin will open a thread, announce it in-game for feedback and opinions. That's a bit of a far cry from an obscure thread (or even two) complaining about a skill in a forum we don't normally look at, outside of needing to moderate when they're reported.

No one has argued that Balestone and Badluck are not an issue right now that I can see, in fact several people with the skills have openly said it. Is that not special report worthy? We have been waiting patiently for the report which did not actually do what was expected.

Still, the paranoia thing is pretty useless, since you cant stick a focus cure as a poison using class.

I have no clue why the Harmonics disrupt ability was turned into an enemy list ability. It was suppose to be a single target ability that costs 2 power. There is no need for a room wide disrupt, and I hope the decision to change it to such is reversed.

Gasp. Scandal.

Was there any reason to nerf Shatterplex? Really?

Shatterplex damage could scale too well. I asked that the damage formula be checked, since at certain points with enough damage stacking could outright kill a person with 7k health.

While I agree that some abilities need to be looked at, special reports should be for big things, like the hoped-for-monks, or the skillset of an entire guild or archetype. Balestone and BadLuck, as they are only single abilities, I agree should go through the regular envoy system instead of a special report.

Of course, I point out that I am not a big fan of the envoy system since it is so easily used as a way to gank on your opponents.

The envoys are very crippled eyes and ears. We're rarely--if ever--given information to work with, and our reports are based on very very limited points of view. Furthermore, if a report is rejected, we're not told why it was rejected, and there have been instances where a report was accepted, but the actual decision doesn't solve the problem or creates others or what have you.

The envoys rely on the administration to give us the tools needed to be the eyes and ears. Giving us feedback beyond, "We don't find this to be needed at this time," would be a BIG help. We all have our own ideas of what balanced is or isn't, and when you start talking to other envoys, you find that they differ greatly. There're no standards (that I've found) except the "easiest to code is always the best" solution.

I -want- to help the administration. It's just tiring having to bash my head against a wall because there are huge communication issues between the envoys and the administration.

I have to agree.

Depending on Envoys is all very well and good. As the admin, players expect you to administrate, which prevents you from actually playing the game and finding out all the things Envoys can find out and know as they are playing the game. However, this also allows you to be (theoretically) unbiased.

Players also expect admins to fix their problems, and admins cannot do that if they sit in their ivory tower and "depend on the Envoys". Depending entirely upon Envoys to make decisions about the game is a mistake, even if you have the power to veto their proposals. As an admin, it is YOUR JOB to get involved as much as you can, and it is YOUR JOB to find out as much as you can, to the limits of your time as either a volunteer or a paid producer. If you are so disconnected as to be unable to hear about a problem that most active combatants are whinging about (not disagree with the problem, but actually not knowing about the problem at all) then you are doing something wrong. I'm not talking about 90% of the forums. I'm talking in-game. I rarely come to the Lusternian forums myself, and am a member of only 2 OOC clans. In-game clans, war-clans, combat-clans, coding-clans, OOC-clans. All these are areas you can hear about issues with, and badluck/balestone/nightchoke/whatever have been some of the most talked about topics in the game, not just the forums.

As an admin, admitting you know nothing about it is a disappointing revelation for the players.

If you see a problem in the game, you should fix it after your own evaluation processes. Seperate from the Envoys, if need be. I agree with not jumping to action just based on forums, but you have more resources than that. Who cares about getting flak if you're actually fixing the game? Whatever you do, you'll get flak, anyway. Stay put and let problems fester and you get irritating scumbags like me pointing out you're not doing your job, and do the opposite and those who whore the problems will tell you "I'M QUITTING THIS GAME!" So do what you think is best, as long as you have your own evaluation processes, that's good enough.

My two cents.

Here's an odd thought.. has the admin ever thought about playing a newbie, maybe giving it a handful of credits and trying out these skills to see if there is anything wrong with them from a player's point of view? I realize the administration wants to stay unbiased as possible, but seeing it from "down here" as opposed to "up there" might quell some of the confusion. Obviously, you wouldn't tell the actual players who you were, but you get the idea.

QFT, my opinion as an Envoy reflects this as well.

Things are supposed to be balanced around demi/vernal/omnitrans. Plus you generally need a lot of combat experience to properly abuse skills and/or know when something is actually OP vs you just suck at countering/avoiding it.

Illuminati look super sweet. And they were already incredible, skill-wise. Wow. Homunculus. Across IRE, anything that lets you control a loyal with such a degree of autonomy has always proven to be immensely fun.

I'm impressed at whoever came up with Polarity! Balance concerns aside, it's a nice and clever solution to the strength-based caster class issue.

It probably would have been a lot easier and not have opened up a whole host of new problems to consider if they'd just changed the skill instead.

The homunculus makes me think of the golems in Teradrim/Aetolia.

Though, what happens if an illuminati raids Viravain's Godrealm?

Lulz happen.