Please explain the reason for Overcharged softcaps?

Axer · April 2014

Funny there are so many threads and so much confusion over this, when it's really a fairly elegant system.

Tons of mmos do this, few have as much discussion about it as ESO, as they do it a more hidden way where stats simply give dimishing returns. Yes most of those MMOs that you THINK didn't do this, did, they simply displayed it a different fashion.

ESO works no different. There are no "soft caps" - thats just a pretty blantantly false use of the term.

It's just dimishing returns.

Past the overcharge limit is 100% not "useless". It's infact very useful, and will be plain required for some of the more difficult content.

EG: my armor is about 1000, OC limit is about 1100. I have several +armor buffs that all stack, and all together add about 2000.. That would give me 3000 armor, probably pretty op. Instead they give around 1000 due to the dimished returns.

Result from looking at combat log statistics is still an addition ~20% damage reduction vs not using the buffs. Definetely not useless.

The fact is if they didn't have this system, they'd have to severely limit the power of loot, and abilities.. Which is plain not fun.

People like power, big numbers and strong loot. This system allows it and works well.

If they simply had everything work 100% behind the scenes the same as now, but display it in more of a fasion of how say neverwinter does it: There would be almost no topics about this.

Your complaining about how numbers are displayed on the screen. It's rather silly.

Do some real in game testing and real scenarios to tell us why its a bad system and youll have some real points, as it stands.....

DFDelta · April 2014

WoW does have some hardcaps on some things, or at least it used to have them. (I left about 2 months after Cataclysm release, so a lot can have happened since then)
They were introduced during Burning Crusade after several raids (including my own I must admit) abused game mechanics and the lack of caps to turn several raiding encounters into easymode.

For those who want to know:
The trick was to take rogues who have put points into reduced cooldowns for their dodge/parry oh-*** buttons, equip them in every piece of avoid-chance druidtank gear you can find and some triggerable avoid trinkets as well.
That allowed a single rogue to reach over 100% chance to avoid every physical damage, and keep that up for a minute or more.
Get two or more such rogues, build up a tank rotation with them (you also needed some hunters with aggro/threat-redirection skills) and congrats, you have just turned every boss that can only deal physical damage into a free loot giveaway.
And yes, there were several such bosses.

Blizzard introduced a hardcap on the total-avoid stats (parry, dodge, miss) after that become known. I think it was 85% or 90% combined, getting more didn't do anything.

The caps, doesn't mater if soft or hard, are needed even if they might seem bad design.
If they didn't exist people would find ways to break and exploit the game mechanics.

Rafterman · April 2014

They should just remove the text telling you that you are overcharged, it would stop all the ridiculous whining. This exact mechanic has been used time and time again over the years, in not only MMOs but single-player games as well...people were just ignorant of the fact so they couldn't complain about it.

Aureli · April 2014

Sommerlund wrote: »

I totally agree with the original poster, this stat cap thing is just so dumb !

It totally removes freedom of building up "your" own char. Everyone will be the same lambda char, raising exactly the same way their stats.
I'm lvl 14, and my health regen caps with white and green stuff ?? LMAO !! The guy at Zenimax who got that into the game should get fired !!!

Yes, WoW also has soft caps, but they are way way different, absolutly no comparaison possible.

Such caps just removes all liberty in building up your chars. This alone is a reason for me to go back to wow or d3... others will follow me beleive me...MANY OTHERS !!!.. stupid, just stupid !....

I am always amused that the immediate response to a system that people do not understand, is to suggest firing the person responsible for said system.

Nobody would ever have a job then.

WoW's softcaps operate in much the same manner: stat C hits a certain mark(1) at level 10, and you get diminishing returns on that stat. If stat C hits mark 1 at lvl 20,it's no longer soft capped because you have leveled up now. Isn't that cool? By level 50 and beyond it is so hard to hit the soft cap.

ravenhartb14_ESO wrote: »

It's almost like Stalin telling his populace they were free.

What the ........

a_thielen_ESO · April 2014

Level 14 in wow and any other game you aren't hitting a farking ceiling with plain gear or a buff.

Alyrn_Grey · April 2014

@a_thielen_ESO it is a sliding scale that increases as you level. So each level sees the cap on that stat go up.

Shimond · April 2014

a_thielen_ESO wrote: »

Level 14 in wow and any other game you aren't hitting a farking ceiling with plain gear or a buff.

You're right, they also have twinks in that game for this very reason.

Dremons · July 2015

Taeblin wrote: »

So why are you using this white and green stuff?

The Caps are just hints they whisper "are you sure you wanna do this?"

Lol dude, I know youre defending what you think is right and stuff, but that sounds ridiculous! "Whispering", as you say, should be just a text hinting or whatever. In truth, they have you bound and pretty much gagged. Whats to say about the guy who wants to roll a stamina build? Oh wait, he cant go 0/19/40 because balance! Fun? Why, let you have it your way because of FUN? Dont make me laugh!

I agree with the op. For a game that carries a name such as TES, handicapping players from their choices is just deeply wrong and you know it.

WARNING: extremely angry rant below. Reader discretion is advised.

And dont bring up the "all MMOs have it"! This must NOT be another MMO. It must be a revolution in online RPGs, it must set a new bar for these damned games. Ive spent my time playing them, and they always end up WORTHLESS! If WoW is one of the biggest games ever, is because they set a new bar on the genre. Poor Everquest wont ever step up to it.
Theeefore, every time you feel the urge to compare TESO to another MMO, think about it. Do you want it to become another GW2? Another TERA? *** EVE? I sure as hell dont.

Leandor · July 2015

I seriously doubt that your intended recipient will read your text, considering the post you replied to is about 1 year and 3 month old. Just saying.

Allyhoo811 · July 2015

Leandor wrote: »

I seriously doubt that your intended recipient will read your text, considering the post you replied to is about 1 year and 3 month old. Just saying.

This. Not to mention the overcharge system has changed completely since this post was written.

Now where is @OzJohnD with the thread necromancer picture