Ballista

[Kiyaani]

Since it seems ballista are a thing now, at least for NPC/Town use... I have a few suggestions for tweaks to how they currently work:

Lower the attack roll (not necessarily the damage roll) - There is no skill for siege weapons. Even if the operator's marksman skill is capped, these weapons haven't been used in the lost lands for ages. The current roll seems high. Compounded with the amount of damage they do when they hit (yes, WHEN they hit), and the fact that they seem to be ensconced behind closed doors, they are far too formidable as-is. (Honestly the damage seems a bit extreme too, but getting one-shot is getting one-shot. The only difference here is it breaks your armor in one hit as well.)

Give warning - Something like... you hear the ominous creak of wood from a distance or you catch the faint sound of a rope tightening. These kinds of messages will not only provide added suspense/tension for the player, but will also give someone just passing through a chance to do that - pass through. And if someone is lingering, they'll know they shouldn't. (I believe that a certain Claw of Shar ability was given a necessary preparation step for exactly this reason. It gives the player a chance to avoid an otherwise unsurvivable attack.)

Add a delay - If the preparation step isn't added, or even if it is... Considering how wilderness rooms work, the fact that ballista fire immediately upon entering a room is a bit harsh... especially given the aforementioned amount of damage they put out and high hit chance due to their roll. Travel RT is in effect so there is no immediate escape, but neither is there any way to set yourself as too close to the ballista for it to be used or to get too far away to be in range while in the same room (though that would be amazing). Even if someone operating the ballista is alert and on guard, they won't be firing their weapon (much less firing accurately) less than a second after seeing an enemy. They would take time to aim first - hence the recommended brief delay before the first shot. Of course, if you add a preparation step/emote/script then the delay is built-in.

Anyway, just my thoughts on the matter. It's interesting to see these in-game. Of course, now I want one "for charity".

[Tamsin]

Wow... I was hoping this was going to be a suggestion more than a "ballista actually exist" thing

[Kiyaani]

Can this be looked into again? Something needs to change with them. Getting hit for 11k damage to the hand and instantly dying after successfully avoiding 4 arrows was not pleasant. There is no way to tell if a room will have one in it beforehand because they're hidden and use murder-hole or adjacent room firing mechanics. I get that the Dominion is a force to be reckoned with, but this seems really extreme and one-sided. If they don't want us picking off their guards, the bowmen seem like deterrence enough since I'm fairly sure the towers are locked and they too are inaccessible.

[Dorn]

Having seen it hit mobs, I'll agree it is pretty damn insane though at the same time I wish I had been around at least once to see Saeda hit.

[Jirato]

I'd love to eventually add hit location based damage caps. So that a ballista bolt to the hand wouldn't outright kill you... though it'd probably knock you off your feet and leave you stunned and dazed for 20 seconds while you're wondering where your hand just went... you'd probably die in the end anyway...

[jilliana]

I hesitated to say anything on this matter before since I never experienced them. However, now that I have...I do like the idea of some form of warning. This would be especially nice should someone get confused about direction or could pass by an area where they aren't sure one of these can be found.

[Jabril]

I was taking a lovely ride down the roads and just experienced my first ballista attack. Not only did it aim for my chest with the accuracy of a god but the death was so quick and painless I had no chance to realize I was even dead.

Perhaps some sort of warning that you are coming into range of a deadly ballista before you move into the next room or a tweak to the extreme accuracy of this siege weapon might be in order.

[Dakhal]

Walking casually down a road that seems well traveled. Suddenly hit by an arrow in the eye, instantly dead. The rolls were so high, I couldn't believe- nary did I know, Corvus Outpost that it be.

If you're wanted and/or hated by a faction, stray from their lands. I've been getting shot by Shadgard for ages, and even Corvus on some accounts. The rolls are high because they are defenses- because you are not supposed to be there. You're not wanted there.

I suppose it would be amenable for me to ask Shadgard to put down their muskets as I approach? Likely not.

Sorry if I've come up as a prat, but this is no new issue for characters.

[Dorn]

I tend to feel the situation is a bit different. It takes deliberate effort to wander up to Shadgard or Corvus. Dominion positions however are no where near as static, and both Shadgard/Corvus defenses are actually survivable. You're not going to be cheering after but you might crawl away. Ballista? Not so much.

[Lun]

I do have to remark that both Shadgard and Corvus defenses are survivable, yeah. I've taken a few shots of each when i accidentally go up to them on the wrong alt. I haven't experienced the Mistral Treatment yet, but from what I hear it's an instant shot, instant kill type of gambit.

Now, a ballista is a siege weapon, and would rightly instantly kill someone. I feel as if there ought to be some sort of warning mechanism beforehand so people know to stop going in that direction. HOWEVER that may not be in line with the reasoning of Mistral. So really it's a moo point.

[Tamsin]

Maybe siege equipment shouldn't be so accurate against a single person?

[jilliana]

To clarify - we're actually not against the ballista itself. The problem lies in that we walk into this area where you can't peer, or on the road minding your own business and then you are dead to a +2500 killshot to the whatever.

Going to Corvus or Shadgard or to a specific town you are banned from is deliberate. If the ballista were on the dock-side of the road and not on the road itself and Jill entered, that would be deliberate.

It's the not knowing or having any warning whatsoever and then being dead to that +2500 that is frustrating. Having to avoid a large portion of the roads because of that lack of warning was cool at the beginning but has also been frustrating. We no longer have access to entire sections of the map not in the Dominion's territory unless we're willing to risk said ballista or some other attack.

Maybe siege equipment shouldn't be so accurate against a single person?

That has been suggested, I think? Really I'd like a warning of some kind that if I lingered too long in one area, I'd be shot.

[Jabril]

Was trying to save someone who died and got super sniped again by the laser guided mega ballista. Lost all my coin too (1500 riln) that I had spent a lot of time trying to gather. I may never be able to earn a warhorse at this rate. Can something be done about these please? Just a small warning that you are approaching the nie impossible to dodge super bolt of death would be nice. Such as, "Are you sure you want to head east? You see a ballista in the distance and are unfriendly with this faction."

[Jirato]

Read and acknowledged. Can't comment on any sort of IC solution, but looking to address these soon. Ballista were cool, but they're getting old now.

[jilliana]

Has any kind of agreement been made about these things at any point?

[Jirato]

Yes.

[jilliana]

Yes.

I guess from your very brief response it's either implemented and I have to find out for myself or you've come to some decisions but have yet to implement.

[Jirato]

They'll be going away. I can't discuss anything else, as this board is not for discussion of future IC events.