Why Is It Hard To Change A Value On A Mod?

[Kyte]

This is definitely the ideal to strive for, but there are a lot of variables to consider. Even with a total rebalance, some mods will probably rise to the top and be considered "mandatory".

Cherry picking some mods to balance isn't very efficient because they will have to be looked at again when other mods are rebalanced. It is better to rebalance a large number of mods together, unless a mod is seriously disrupting gameplay.  

There's quite a few mods that are objectively inferior on all possible metrics and don't need careful consideration to be brought up to par wrt other mods. Will they have to be changed again later if other mods get changed? Probably, but to me not wanting to change them because of that just screams laziness. There's a time to do local adjustments and there's time to do global rebalances and if a global rebalance pass will wipe out a local adjustment well too bad because the local adjustment was effective at the time of implementation. And since it's far cheaper than a global or even semi-global rebalance then by all means it should still be cost-effective. (*)

 

Also when Damage 2.0 was implemented and procs became a thing, one of the devs said status chance mods would start low and be pulled up according to how things looked. And yet we now have event mods that are two to four times as effective, have additional effects, cost marginally more (certainly much less than the same effect in two separate cards) and nobody has bothered to do as promised.

 

And D polarity continues to be nigh-useless.

 

(*) This, of course, highlights the perennial problem with the Warframe development team which is that they seem to be almost incapable of incremental adjustments. Global rebalances can and will shake up things and then they need to be fine-tuned except nobody ever bothers to fine-tune the thing because they're too busy with the next global rebalance. See: Damage 2.0 in response to rainbow builds and armor scaling (what, changing armor scaling and tweaking elemental damage mods was too simple or too stopgap for you?), Melee 2.0 in response to the viability of melee (what, was it impossible to buff melee damage or bring back autostagger while you worked in the shiny animations?), the probably upcoming at some point in the future Stealth 2.0 because why implement a couple small rewards now when you can just overhaul the whole thing later, etc.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Kyte

[holdenagincourt]

The amusing thing about Shocking Touch is that it used to be way worse. Which, for those who weren't around back then, is probably hard to imagine, but it's true. Rebalancing is a constant process.

[Satsaru]

It would actually be a real benefit to the mod system if they significantly buffed the pure status mods and toned down the status on the Tethra/Cicero mods (especially since I imagine they plan to make fire and ice element/status combos eventually).

 

Actually, what would have me the most thrilled is a Damage 2.5 where they basically ax the idea of mods directly increasing damage by any significant amount (maybe a small flat amount to help weaker earlier-game weapons hold up longer compared to later-game weapons), elemental mods simply adding the damage type to a weapon's damage for multiplier purposes (with the extra cost of reducing damage until leveled up with no penalty at max rank), and only one element or combo element allowed on a weapon.  Multishot would either have to reduce raw damage or get canned entirely.

 

Basically, my pipe dream is to have no mods that are "mandatory".

As long as there are hard numbers to use, there will always be an objective best output build for a situation.  Unless you turn the mods into basically just a cosmetic change, there will always be "mandatory" mods for certain weapons or enemy types.

 

Also, unless you're in favor of removing enemy levels, all taking out mods like multishot, serration, and hornet strike does is gimp the players ability to do higher level content.

[Ketec]

Some changes do not need any major balance pass and testing.

 

Like start with auras - 3 rank ones should be min 5 - stretch h out the bonus if u have to. Dead eye to match rifle amp at least would be a start.

 

The environmental ice/cold damage mods should be one and the same.

[Ignaesia]

Shocking Touch used to be 5%/level hahaha

[koolen]

status mods are really, really underpowered

[Firetempest]

It started on the odd foot and to take it back now is just too much fallout.

Good for everything mods (hornet strike and serration) should have been in the lower percentiles like the current anti faction cards.

Anti faction cards should have had the overblown percentage if they wanted gear specialized.

So they danced around that with the giant elemental and defense change.

 

It will always be mandatory now.

 

Only way I can think of getting rid of those mods without impacted all of damage 2.0 changes would be to scale gun damage per actual weapon level tell its back to max hornet strike and serration damage boost at lvl30. Basically how weapons were before mods 1.0.

 

As for other mods like multishot. Well, there are no completing mods. If there was more "this or that" and you could only choose one like auras. Maybe some new ability could rival multishot.