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Net-Marks Softwareformerly Pyrealware
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Enhancement Diversification Calculator & Guide
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Enhancement Diversification Calculator
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- Downloads: 1069 download (5.15 MB)
Release Notes
Program: Enhancement Diversification Calculator
Latest Version: 1.2.0.0
Date: 01/15/2007
Copyright: (c) 2005-2007 by Todd D. Perlmutter, all rights reserved
Latest Version: 1.2.0.0
Date: 01/15/2007
Copyright: (c) 2005-2007 by Todd D. Perlmutter, all rights reserved
Functionality/Use
This program allows the user to better visualize the reduction in effectiveness of enhancements in their character's powers from Enhancement Diversification (ED). While the City of Heroes client shows the final values, it does nothing towards educating the user regarding the drawbacks of over-slotting a power with a single enhancement type (especially once they hit the Single Origin Enhancement level).
If you'd like to jump ahead to the analysis, feel free to do so.
If needed, you can select any cell or range of cells and use the standard Copy functionality (Ctrl-C) to copy and then paste the information for use elsewhere (e.g., forums).
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Enhancements: is used to change the enhancement schedule. It will set all the values in the Base column, as well as the breakpoint values used in the calculation:
Type: is used to change the enhancement type. It will set all the values in the Type column to match:
Level: can be changed from -3 to +3, and defaults to 0. It will set all the values in the Level column to match, and will update the value in the Multiplier column accordingly. About will bring you to the About dialog. |
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Contains the following columns:
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The color chart breaks down as follows:
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From the About Enhancement Diversification Calculator dialog:
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Analysis
Lets face it, Enhancement Diversification (ED) is confusing as Hell(tm). Most people simply either don't get it or don't know it even exists. The game client does a poor job of conveying the information to a player in an easily understandable manner, and it does a terrible job of showing the user the consequences of the penalties of over-slotting.
To top it this all off, the devs own explanation of ED, while well worded, is woefully incomplete. The formula for ED is actually simple in its most basic form:
| EDTotal = ReductionBase + (PreEDTotal * ReductionMultiplier) |
The tricky part is that both ReductionBase and ReductionMultiplier, while not formulas themselves have lookup tables that sit behind them, but getting the values is a two step process.
The first step is in determining the ReductionPoint, a third value that isn't in the equation above, but is used to determine which table to use to determine which values to use for both ReductionBase and ReductionMultiplier, and it is determined by looking at the PreEDTotal of the enhancements. This is the key area where the devs failed to completely explain the process of ED, and probably one of the main reasons why ED is so confusing. In their explanation, they'll say something like:
| "These bonus types start to see reduction when the bonus is 70% or more, and a severe reduction at 100% bonus or greater." |
The problem is this is very misleading because it implies that there are two points of reduction for the bonus types being discussed (Schedule A), one at 70% and one at 100%. But the truth of the matter is that there are, in fact, three points of reduction for all Schedules, not two. This is why it was so difficult to reverse engineer the formula in the beginning, because the devs chose to obfuscate the actual functionality of ED, rather then simply explain it outright in a clear manner like I'm trying to do here. Go figure.
Each Schedule (see the dev explanation) has it's own set of values for these ReductionPoints, and the PreEDTotal must be greater than or equal to the value of a ReductionPoint in order to be affected by ED in a more severe manner.
 Schedule A |
 Schedule B |
 Schedule C |
 Schedule D |
See there are 4 levels, which means 3 breakpoints. For simplicity I refer to the 4 levels as follows:
| Unaffected | ED has not kicked in yet. |
| Mild | ED has had a small effect. |
| Moderate | ED has had a strong effect. |
| Severe | ED is at its worst. |
Once you have your ReductionPoints, you then compare your PreEDTotal to them to determine which level you fall into (see above). This level is then used to determine your ReductionBase and ReductionMultiplier.
ReductionBase is determined from a combination of the ReductionPoint level and the Schedule as follows:
Schedule A |
Schedule B |
Schedule C |
Schedule D |
ReductionMultiplier is determined from only the ReductionPoint level as follows:
| Unaffected | 100% |
| Mild | 90% |
| Moderate | 70% |
| Severe | 15% |
At this point you take the ReductionMultiplier and the ReductionBase and plug them into the forumla above along with your PreEDTotal and you'll get your EDTotal as a result.
Example #1:
Let's work with Schedule B and use 3 +0 Single Origin enhancements. Each enhancement is worth 20% for a total of 60%. According to our ReductionPoint chart for Schedule B this puts your enhancements at the Severe level.
This means our ReductionBase is 47%, and our ReductionMultiplier is 15%.
We plug these into our formula: 47% + (60% * 15%) = 47% + 9% = 56%
Example #2:
Lets work with Schedule C and use 2 +2 Single Origin enhancements and 1 +1 Dual Origin enhancement. The SOs are worth 44% each, and the DO is worth 21% for a total of 109%. According to our ReductionPoint chart for Schedule C this puts your enhancements at the Moderate level.
This means our ReductionBase is 28%, and our ReductionMultiplier is 70%.
We plug these into our formula: 28% + (109% * 70%) = 28% + 76.3% = 104.3%
Original Dev Explanation
Enhancement Diversification:
This is a new system being implemented into City of Villains and City of Heroes (when City of Villains launches) to promote the use of more different types of Enhancements in powers. Using a system of diminishing returns, when slotting the same type of Enhancement into a power, you will begin to see less effect of that Enhancement when the bonus reaches a certain threshold. The effectiveness of Enhancements you are slotting in can now be seen in the Enhancement Slotting screen.
What does this mean?
Simply, if you are slotting Enhancements and your bonus to a single attribute reaches 70% through Enhancements, you will begin to see a drop in the amount each Enhancement should be giving you. If you exceed 100% bonus, then the drop will be more severe. We have added to the Enhancement Slotting screen a display of how much bonus you are getting from your Enhancements. When you are adding in Enhancements that will be reduced in effectiveness you will be able to tell.
Note that this only affects Enhancements of the same bonus. So you can have a Damage bonus of 66.66%, and an Accuracy bonus of 66.66% (from 2 SO Damage and 2 SO Accuracy Enhancements) and you will not be affected in any way. Adding in another SO Damage Enhancement will not give you a 99% bonus, but a 94% bonus, because the damage bonus now exceeds 70%.
A good rule of thumb is "2 Single Origins Enhancements = No Reduction. 3 SOs = Slight Reduction. 4, 5 or 6 SOs = Major Reduction"
(Also note that the above examples are for Enhancements that are +8.35% bonus for Training, +16.6% bonus for Dual Origin, and +33.3% bonus for Single Origin)
What if I don't have more than 2 SOs of any one type in my powers already?
Then you have nothing to worry about, your character will function exactly as they did previous to this feature being added.
Does this affect Dual Origin Enhancements at all?
Yes. If you have 5 DOs of all the same type you would normally get an 83% bonus. Because of Enhancement Diversification your bonus will actually only get an 82% bonus. If you have 6 DOs of all the same type, instead of a 100% bonus you will have a bonus of 95%.
Are Hamidon Enhancements affected?
Yes. The bonuses that a Hamidon Enhancement gives you that exceed 70% will be reduced. Because of this change, Hamidon (and other dual-purpose) Enhancements are now combinable. You can only combine dual-purpose Enhancements that affect ALL the same bonuses (so you can combine Damage/Accuracy with another Damage/Accuracy, but not with a Damage/Range Reduction).
This totally cripples my character! I thought you were done balancing the game?
All the Issue 4 and 5 balance adjustments were done with this system in place internally here at Cryptic. All playtests, QA checks, difficulty adjustments and balances have been done with Enhancement Diversification in mind since March 2005.
What about Stamina? I need this to make sure I have enough Endurance to power my powers.
Because of the effect that Enhancement Diversification has on the Stamina power, we are lowering the Endurance cost of every non-Auto power in the game by 13.33%.
What if a power only takes one type of Enhancement to begin with?
You have a couple of choices. You can respec the character and only go so far as putting a couple slots into the power, or you can go with more slots and eke out a little more effectiveness out of the Enhancements.
How can I tell when I am not getting full effectiveness out of an Enhancement?
On the Enhancement Slotting Screen you will now see what bonuses Enhancements are giving you, and what effect slotting the next one will have. This will help you make the choice as to what Enhancements to slot over what.
Does it matter what order I slot Enhancements in?
No. The reduction in effectiveness is calculated off the total bonus you are receiving, so it does not matter what order you slotted the Enhancements in.
How is combining Enhancements affected by this?
Enhancements that are higher level than you give you a bonus above normal Enhancements, if you combine Enhancements to get a higher bonus, this may put you over the point at which a reduction in effectiveness takes place.
Some Enhancements give me a 33.33%/16.66%/8.35% bonus, and others give me a different bonus, how are these affected by Enhancement Diversification?
There are four categories of Enhancements, Schedule A, Schedule B, Schedule C, and Schedule D. The majority of Enhancements fall into the Schedule A category. This means that an even-level Training Origin Enhancement gives an 8.35% bonus, an even-level Dual Origin Enhancement gives me a 16.66% bonus, and an even-level Single Origin Enhancement gives a 33.33% bonus. All of the examples above assume using Schedule A Enhancements, since these are the most common.
Schedule B Enhancements are things Defense Buff, Damage Resistance, Range Increase and To Hit Buff. These have a smaller bonus because a small shift in these values has a larger impact on gameplay. With these Enhancements a Training Origin Enhancement gives a 5% bonus, a Dual Origin Enhancement gives a 10% bonus, and a Single Origin Enhancement gives a 20% bonus. Enhancement Diversification for these bonuses kicks in at 40% with a severe drop at 60%.
What Enhancement Types are what bonuses (schedules)?
Schedule A Enhancements (33.33%, 16.66%, 8.35%) are:
Accuracy, Confuse, Damage, Defense DeBuff, Disorient, Drain Endurance, Endurance Discount, Fear, Fly, Heal, Hold, Immobilize, Intangible, Jump, Recharge, Recovery, Run, Sleep, Snare, Stun, Taunt, To Hit Debuff
These bonus types start to see reduction when the bonus is 70% or more, and a severe reduction at 100% bonus or greater. So your bonuses when slotting in multiples of the same Single-Origin Enhancement work out to:
1 SO: +33.3%
2 SO: +66.6%
3 SO: +95%
4 SO: +100%
5 SO: +105%
6 SO: +110%
Schedule B Enhancements (20%, 10%, 5%) are:
Range, Defense Buff, Resist Damage, To Hit Buff
These bonus types start to see reduction when the bonus is 40% or more, and a severe reduction at 60% bonus or greater. So your bonuses when slotting in multiples of the same Single-Origin Enhancement work out to:
1 SO: +20%
2 SO: +40%
3 SO: +56%
4 SO: +59%
5 SO: +62%
6 SO: +65%
Schedule C Enhancements (40%, 20%, 10%) are:
Interrupt
This bonus type starts to see reduction when the bonus is 80% or more, and a severe reduction at 120% bonus or greater. So your bonuses when slotting in multiples of the same Single-Origin Enhancement work out to:
1 SO: +40%
2 SO: +80%
3 SO: +112%
4 SO: +118%
5 SO: +124%
6 SO: +130%
Schedule D Enhancements (60%, 30%, 15%) are:
Knockback
This bonus type starts to see reduction when the bonus is 120% or more, and a severe reduction at 180% bonus or greater. So your bonuses when slotting in multiples of the same Single-Origin Enhancement work out to:
1 SO: +60%
2 SO: +120%
3 SO: +168%
4 SO: +177%
5 SO: +186%
6 SO: +195%
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