In general I agree that it shouldn't be the player who decide, who the boss attacks. AI is a bad idea in my opinion though. Sure it would sound cool and the changing strategies of the boss would seem interesting for a while, but in the end it would probably jump into some real weird and just as predictable patterns.

A script is fine, but a less linear and more random one should make it suprising. Not even random in the sense of 'this action will happen with a probability of...', more random like Velah just watched Lord of the Rings and has the desire to kill elves now, so elves get extra treatment, so it would create patterns again, but you only learn which patterns to ward against bit by bit after engaging the boss.
Also if you move away from tanking you also bring out a higher complexety in character build and gear, since it would require some sort of survivability and maybe even healing for everyone, since there is no fighter taking all the hits for you or cleric being your slave.

This would be a lot more work than a simple script and more thought than a learning AI, but would increase dynamic and real time cooperation.

cdr wrote on Feb 14^th, 2013 at 11:55am:



I made a pair of flametouched curse/improved curse+destruction/Improved destruction shortswords on my previous AC tank for LOB.

Good times when a puglet saw the curse, blue from destruction, and dark curse all of a sudden and said "ow, that's interesting".

I agree about re-entry.  Raids should have a lock out.  Chrono was the first to not have one and CiTW doesn't have one.  Which is stupid.  Every other raid does. 

I also despise the "come get your free Ivy Wraps chest" LFM's.

Asheras wrote on Feb 14^th, 2013 at 1:09pm:


I put up some of those, as well as other quests, when not enough guildies want to come.
The idea is that when a chest is cleared, it drops more loot when there is more people in party. So why not ?

Tobril wrote on Feb 14^th, 2013 at 12:56pm:


I used to have those too. All lob tanks did, pretty much. Then U14 came around and the AC change made cursespewing/destruction worthless. I deconned them.

Asheras wrote on Feb 14^th, 2013 at 1:09pm:


Agreed

Laraeph wrote on Feb 14^th, 2013 at 1:17pm:


Same reason putting EE gear in the store would be a mistake.  When players can get the loot/reward without putting any time or effort into it, it lowers the incentive for people to run the quest themselves.  Fewer people running the quest = fewer LFM's = less to do = boring game. 

Short term win, long term loss. 

Munkenmo wrote on Feb 14^th, 2013 at 2:14pm:

I was there. My point is simply that the raid COULD have been designed so as to make an off-tank more useful and that aggro swaps can indeed be coordinated - which Eladiun had stated wasn't possible with the current state of threat mechanics.

On an unrelated note, for that run we had 1 lob tank and 1 lob kiter :p

On another unrelated note I at least don't remember seeing much of a difference from the second 2-tank run to the 1-tank run up to the point where the quori spawned (which went tremendously better on the run with a single tank)... but that may be just my memory acting up.

Bigjunk wrote on Feb 14^th, 2013 at 3:24pm:


To placate our guild members who rolled up S&B tanks for the old Epic LoB.

The second time was also because some of us felt the second take was a waste of space and wanted to prove it.

Munkenmo wrote on Feb 14^th, 2013 at 3:51pm:



Our "second" time the only people who showed up were the S&B tanks

rest wrote on Feb 14^th, 2013 at 4:35pm:


Khyber

Carpone wrote on Feb 14^th, 2013 at 11:55am:


You mean like how if a FVS starts ToD pt3, then Horoth flips out and starts meteor swarming the party coming through the portal and trying to buff?  That's awesome AI!  Totally WAI, right?

I think raids themselves are the broken part

Turbine should just make fun normal 12 people quests instead of this weird stuff