Cooldown?

[Sunny]

Okay... after re-reading this... I'm not at all happy. I want you to consider this:

I am on the field, and pull off my Elemental Storm spell. I have a master focus, and so my cool-down is 10 minutes. For one moment, I was awesome... and now... by god I better run and hide, like the composed mage I am, because if anyone touches me, I'm boned and have to start my cool-down again. Did I mention I can't use a single skill? Not a sword to defend myself, nothing.

Oh - and my focus item SHOULD NOT even be considered in this argument because I have to PAY EVERY EVENT TO HAVE ONE.

IF you are going to so seriously make cooldown so NASTY, then one of a few things needs to happen:

1. Cooldowns can't be interrupted. It's bad enough I'm useless for 20 minutes. (did I mention that NO ONE else has cooldowns?)

2. Skills that DO NOT have charge times, or life point expenditures, do not count as interrupting my cooldown.

3. OTHER skills, that are master level and awesome, should have cooldowns too. Perry kicks ass... so a 15 second cooldown is NOT out of the question when they are the ONLY ones who get it. ANY melee attack? AWESOME skill. Cooldown added. Mass Heal? Heck, anyone should be fatigued after that, don't you think? 1 minute cooldown sounds fair to me.

4. OR - a wizard perk that makes it so that cooldown cannot be interrupted. THAT would be a VERY reasonable perk for this path. (as per the healer perk)

5. Maybe a perk that reduces cooldown, then?

6. Maybe it's a RELOAD, not a cooldown? That is also reasonable.

I'm not trying to be a whiny bitch, and I'm not mad. I'm just trying to point out that we're not supposed to be comparing the new wizard skills to the old ones. We're comparing them to the other path skills in the game. 20 minutes where I can do NOTHING but run and hide, sucks. BAD. Oh, and it can be interrupted. No other path has to worry about such a severe penalty. (and healers can even get around being interrupted with a perk)

Being a battle mage, as it were... is impossible. I get one hit, and I'm out for the Warriors, as usual, to gain all the glory because they are ALWAYS useful. If I can at lest still be present, to help my mates win the day, it would feel much better. I don't care that I can't get off 2 Elemental Storms in a battle... but I'd like to be able to at least be able to pull out my sword and have their backs, hoping that 20 minutes can go by for me to reload and help in the way a battle mage should. By blowing the life out of the oncoming waves of foes.

[GM_Chris]

There is a little missundersatanding

You can still use passive skills, you can still run around, and you can still swing your weapon.

20 minutes is a long time. The focus item reduces this by half and it is your incentive to buy the focus item. I understand that the focus item costs, but the spells no longer cost anything.

Now please answer me this question. Right now you can insta cast a spell and then have cool down for 10 or 20 minutes. In the old system you had to charge for 10 -20 minutes to cast a spell. In the old system, while you were charging, what skills or effects could you do and still keep on charging the spell? What ever you answer I will change cool down to mirror.

[Sunny]

The old system is irrelevant. The old system was a DISCIPLINE. This is my WHOLE PATH. NO other path has a cooldown like we do. No other path has the restrictions that Wizards do. But, they can't do the kind of one time damage that we can do either. I KNOW that.

The ONLY thing this new system should be compared to is the other, current, paths in the game. Nothing else is relevant for this discussion anymore. Old is gone.

Now - the way I read cooldown... EVERYTHING interrupts it. If I take damage, it's interrupted. If I take a potion, it's interrupted. If a healer heals me, it's interrupted. If I am feared, I'm interrupted. If I draw my weapon and attack, it's interrupted. THAT is my issue.

Look at Perry, however. An awesome skill. You can parry a 5 vorpal, and then resist a slick. THEY, meaning, warriors, can use their skills one after another.

Honestly, why add another mechanic to the game? Reload and cooldown? Just make it all a reload and call it a day. Yes, you still require time, but it's on the caster's terms, not arbitrarily determined by the skill.

It means that if I cast my spell... I can chose to run about using my other skills for the rest of the battle. Then, after the battle, I can take my 20 minutes. Now, if I want to cast ANY spell, I HAVE to reload my magic, as it were. This makes it more dynamic on the field. I have more choice how and when I use my skills, like other paths. But, I still have the consequence of having to reload my magic if I want to use it again, but I can defer that time to later, when things aren't so hectic.

[GM_Chris]

Look its not a reload. with a reload you could insta cast your entire spell tree and that is broken.

All we did was make you do the charge up time for your spell AFTER you cast the spell. With a casting time you cn do NOTHING but sit on your butt and wait and hope when you are done there are still peopleto cast your spell on. We made the spells more powerful by making them castable instantly.

[GM_Chris]

Actually you made me think of something else that actually is broken

[Sunny]

Still comparing it to the old system, lovey. <3

Was I right on all of those things interrupting a cooldown?

Keep this in mind: A rogue -

15 seconds - 12
15 seconds - 12
15 seconds - 12
15 seconds - 12

That's one minute... and 48 damage. NO cooldown. Oh, and if they need to use other skills or get healed, they can do so and resume their reign of death. *lol*

Now, I accept that I can, with the right spell, do 15 to an untold number of people in my range. That's super awesome. I DO accept this to be fact. I just disagree that cooldowns should be able to be interrupted.

Please don't think I'm getting bent or anything. I'm not. I'm arguing a point and want to see what you feel and think. I'm not going to cry if nothing changes, just really putting out how I feel about this. I have a good sense of humor about all of this, since, at the end of the day, it's JUST a GAME, and it's supposed to be FUN. ^_^

[GM_Chris]

Yes but the rogue is interrupted as well because it is a charge time. The reload is interrupted as well. All timed effects are interrupted this mechanic is no different.

What if we changed all of the cool down effects back to charge up times as they were? Would that be better?

Oh and FYI if it were not a cool down this is what would happen.

Elemt spell
The town gathers to hear a speah on something. 3 20th level wizards who have not been playing long hate the town so at a whim they all call game stop and triangualte their spell doing 45 damage to the town. Not magical so the only one who can resist is the rogue whi just spent 3 life to get out of the effect zone. Since 45 is the ma soak everyone is at 0 or less but the few rogues with side step.

Now that is what would happen currently

Add in no cool down and
they follow that spell up with arctic blast
followed by their staff damage
followed by rise of the phionix

I think that kills everyone.

Burning skulls took over 5 years to happen this would take 2 events.

[GM_Chris]

oh and I am not comapring to the old system sorry, I am using your comparission which is a cool down effect to a chargup effect, both are interruptable effects.

[Sunny]

Not if you have to reload after casting a spell to be able to cast ANY other spell afterwards. That's what I meant. The only difference between, at this point, reload and cooldown is that I can stop doing a reload to use other skills. Then if I want to use my skill again later I DO have to reload to use ANY of my magic. I think I wasn't clear in what I meant, I'm sorry.

I totally understand what you're getting at. I don't care about not being able to use other spells. THAT makes PERFECT sense. But, I'd like to see us able to use other SKILLS during a cooldown. That was the point I was trying to make. A cooldown should ONLY effect the use of spells, not restrict using other skills as well.

[cole45]

that's a really good idea.

unified reload. Cast a spell, reload and not be bale to use ANY spells until then.

[Zeira]

Rage has a cooldown. So does the vorpal ability of Swashbuckler and the crush abilty of Barbarian.

[GM_Chris]

I see what you are saying but its in there because of combos.

Take for example a warrior who also has this spell and ONLY this spell the rest are potions picked in the discipline.

So before every battle you lead with this spell then you get to run out using all of your awesome warrior skills.

In the old system if you were a warrior with this 1 spell then to cast this 1 spell meant you had to sit out not using any of your other skills until completion.

So as an arcane you have a choice. We included spells at each level that are paket based that do not have cool downs. You need to decide when to use your spells. Is it worth me being tired out and useless for this 1 effect?

[cole45]

and the smash skill i think does too.

[Sunny]

Remember though, Wizard is a PATH. The big spells are at the top... There is NO way anyone is going to have the points to be a master Wizard and have any of the top, and awesome, warrior skills. Some of those nasty spells are PATH ONLY. Which, solves the problem. ^_~

*tickels Chris* Stop referencing the old system. It doesn't exist anymore.

Kiel - Rage DOES NOT have a cooldown. It's a count to turn it off. Both Crush and Vorpal are COUNTS to turn it off, not cooldowns. There is also a huge difference between 5 seconds to stop using a skill, 20 minutes of not being able to use ANY skill.

Please don't think I'm being a tart just to be a tart. I'm just bringing this stuff up for debate and consideration. Knowing the WHY of a mechanic helps me to understand and remember it, and to help me explain to others when I get asked questions. I want NO confusion so that I am solid by the WH event in just a few days.

*secretly thinks the system was released just before WH so the WH staff would have to deal with all the confusion and fallout. *lol* (j/k)*

[GM_Chris]

I am apparently not explaining myself very well.

You want to chat on the phone with me then cool I can explain it, if not then I can explain it to you at FH which I will be going to.