Taming Nerf

I said to an in game friend once that the changes they get wrong in this game could not be replicated with the same consistent result (negative) if that was their goal. It is actually impressive how they so many changes so wrong so often. Sad, actually, as I love playing this game, and hope they don't take away what is left I love about it.

Side bet; 3/1, they will.

 

I understand the complexity of balancing a skill tree like this and I understand that the game is breaking new ground. Thus, I understand the need for the nerf, and even (mostly) support it, but even I am forced to concur that perhaps it was a bit over the top...

There has to be some middle ground between Level 1's running around with 500HP Ferocious Reds and GM Tamers having their tames two-shotted by decoration pets. I agree that Taming shouldn't be a free ticket to chase a pet through a dungeon, looting its kills; but it should consistently add as much damage to a template as any other GM skill. The entire Taming tree should certainly be worth more DPS than a single skill (how much DPS increase does a mage get from GM Train Intelligence, or a swordsman get from GM Train Strength?)

Perhaps...allow us to sell new tames, but after X number of uses (or time) that animal 'bonds' to us and is no longer salable. Pets could start out weak when they are freshly tamed and could be leveled up.

Or perhaps...give pets roles. Bears could be 'tank' pets, doing minimal damage but effectively holding aggro, wisps (or something) might refuse to fight but throw out an occasional heal, and wolves might do high DPS but require 'tanking' abilities of the tamer to keep aggro off of it due to a low HP pool.

Or perhaps...introduce some mechanic to make taming more active, like magery or weapons skills. Pets would do very minimal damage on 'auto-attack' but could have spells that could be learned like skills from other trees and put into the deck. This would make a pet a Tamer's "weapon", and he could either use his pet's skills or his own weapon / magic skills, but not both at the same time, preventing the "double DPS" effect.

 

Love that idea! 'Sic Balls!' would be a great command for my Wolf I think adding different commands depending on your other skills is a great idea.

Its a pity- there is so much more that they could have done with taming (like combat commands) than nerf it so badly that some tamers are considering quitting the profession completely. Taming needed fixing, noone can deny this. New characters should'nt be able to buy a Ferocious Red Spider and just sit there and harvest XP/Loot without the investment in time, xp and resources first - THIS is what needed fixing, not nerfing the skill so badly my self tamed Obsidian wolf can be 2 shotted by a mob

I'm a tamer, not a high level one (78 Tame, 70 Summon, and most other skills in the 70s) , but with just under 600 skill points invested in the tree, its the second only to my Sword tree in XP investment so Chris saying that it is'nt meant to be that powerful is a slap in the face to true tamers in my opinion - those who tame their own pets and are looking for a Companion who can help us during their adventures by tanking, helping chase down Archers/ Mages and speed up defeating enemies. We have to sacrifice alot for this - an entire skill tree of XP, Focus, a Necklace slot, resources and a lot of time so we have a pet that can die and we can loose if we mess up badly enough - and then being told the skill is OP and being nerfed so badly my pre-release 380hp Obsidian wolf is now down to 129hp and dies pretty well instantly if aggroed is an insult.

The problem in my eyes was that Port for some reason tried to make it a Trade as well as a Combat Profession. That was the mistake, but its like they don't want to admit that or change it, so instead they just nerf the Combat Tamer side of the profession and call it 'Good'.

What annoys me so much that we all knew that sold high level pets being used by low level characters was a problem since it was introduced many releases ago...I don't understand WHY they waited until permanence to do anything about it and then the solution is Nerfing the whole profession to oblivion.

 

I agree with alot of the posts on heere. I have 91 tameing, 91 summoning and 83 cobat trianing. Even with this my pet is worthless to me. This nerf is realy way to much guys. One of the reason I played this game was becuase a friend told me about pets and now that has been taken away.

 

Have to say that after weeks of working on taming....today sure felt weird not messing around with taming at all, logged off way earlier. Felt something missing, badly. On the other hand the pooled XP I saved up for taming skilling up certainly made getting a new tree up and available to be usable rather fast. Funny how pooled XP usually that was only enough for 1 to 2 skill up for taming is enough to get me to summoning new pet in a new magic tree (that is 2x better)

 

the number 1 biggest selling point on this game for me was taming and taming BLOWS now. this nerf was clearly implement by someone who doesn't want taming the the game at all. which is sad. taming added so much to the game.

this nerf was not balanceing it was a alpha strike intended to push players down a new direction/path.


Developers - please please.... if this is the direction taming is going also balance it by reducing the cost to make whistles and collars so I can at least treat the pets as disposable I won't care if they die I can go get more with out it being a money sink.

 

I think we should be able to catch them with a fishing pole and worms now, to be honest the cost in worms might be to much for their worth.

 

War Trout!

 

Flaps towards them at 0.2 miles per hour and when eventually gets there gets trodden on and u have to go tame another....possibly just as effective....

 

That's exactly what my bug does now! We don't even need new code, just reskin the Large Red Spider as a Trout!

 

bug report

1. Title: taming no longer works.
2. Reproduction Rate: 100%
3. Blocker: yes. the skills no longer works. which effects games play.
4. Details: even with high level skils. summoned pets are not scaled properly to the the level of the user. tamed elder wolf in not even effective against a doe.
5. Steps to Reproduce: learn taming. summon pet fight doe. lose elder wolf.

 

Having a high summoning to bring out your pet is completely reasonable. I thought the summoning should be higher to bring out pets actually, something akin to the level required to tame them at 10% success or the like. That would allow Tamers of lower levels to use lower tiered pets, but at the same level they were before this patch. Over time and a lot of gold and xp later, tamers earn the right to bossier pets. I agree that other classes are and were better at XP farming, but I don't want to be down on them, they work hard too.

One last thing about play time. I am gainfully employed, work 8-12 hours a day and represent many of your more significant backers because of it. I only play on average 3-4 hours after work, and on the weekends. Think of the massive disadvantage I have compared to 10+ hour a day power gamers, who unfortunately drive these "balance issues". Please sort this out. Only 4 of my 11 close gaming circle bothered to even log in last night. Only a 10% attrition rate can demoralize and route an army. Think about it, please.

Btw, there are not many who use ferocious reds who could actually tame one.

 

Heartbreaking move, very very sad.

 

I'm not sure if this is a troll or not. It feels like a troll. Oh well... I guess I will feed the troll. Being a tamer, I can't let an animal walk around hungry.

If you GM Ranged, you can DEMOLISH obsidian bears without getting hit. If you GM Taming, your pet dies in 3-4 hits to a bear and then you are screwed. Taming is NOT be a support tree or something that compliments another skill. Taming is a profession and a lifestyle. If I spend the same amount of skill points and resources into another tree, I should expect it to be profitable and survivable. I will even say that unfinished trees like the Subterfuge tree is in a better state. If I have 600 points into that tree, at least I could walk around without dying...

I am willing to say that most of the tamers in SotA were tamers in UO. UO was our baby. The taming system in that game is unmatched and I was hoping it would be here as well. The dream of possibly taming a dragon was my goal. I have not spoken to a SINGLE tamer in game that thought selling of pets to anyone without taming skill and the pet being fully powered was a good thing.

I understand that this is your opinion and everyone is entitled to one, whether we agree with them or not. I disagree with yours. If I spend millions and millions of XP into taming (yes it will take millions), the pet better be a primary weapon. I would expect that for any of the trees. If I put the time, effort, and resources into a single tree where it was ALL 100+ (mine is not, but I was planning on it), I would expect that tree to be the primary weapon.

 

R33 didn’t balance taming it broke it.

As stated multiple times above, the issue was a game system that allowed someone with no skill to buy and control the most powerful tamable animals in the game. The simple and immersive fix is in the chaos magic tree. If you buy a strong pet that you don’t have the skill to control, add a chance to have the animal go wild. If it goes wild, remove it from the whistle and make it aggressive to all around it.

Here hoping for R34….

 

It debuffs their damage resist (-1 damage resist for 1 second) and it sometimes mesmerizes them (also 1 second duration). Which to me is pretty useless. It's not even a good light source either.

 

Ah....well crap, just hit 20 night-light-sight last night (very seldom worked on it while running around). Oh, thinking of the Moon Magic tree, since you had to get anyways for the whisp, how is that 3 target mesmerize? Does it look as annoying to NPC's as it does when Fauns cast it on me?

Edit: Oh, and 1 second debuffs are not good....that may need to get worked on, but we'll save that for a different thread

 

The 3 target mesmerize just makes the target stand still in place. I'm not sure if they can still attack (I leveled mine on chickens in town just to get the Wisp to test it out). I can check later today when I get home from work if you want to see how it works against a real enemy.

 

Thankfully they also released the skill respec books. Taming is useless now and I refunded my 4.3m xp and put it into main stats. Maybe I'll consider taming again if they revisit it. Until then those XP are much better used giving me stat bonuses, as the pets now are useless.

 

Nice, I've been kind of curious as to that spell, if it's any good. Also, I went the summon route, since big boy pets are not for big boys anymore. I really can't take my Air ele out, as it doesn't last TOO long, though currently longer than tames I use my water ele for support and whatnot. So, currently working toward Ice elemental, as I think (hope) it can stand up a little longer.