Forgive me if this is a double-posted thread. I just tried creating this thread from my STS forum app for Andoid, and poof, I couldn't find it once it was submitted. I will now do my best to recall exactly what I wrote a moment ago...

I am a bit surprised no one has suggested these changes following the recent chatter about the skills and the revelations regarding Star Legends' Armor mechanic. See Kamikazee's thread for reference:

http://www.spacetimestudios.com/show...ght=kamikazees

The Engineer's skills Protection and Force Shield are in danger of becoming obsolete, if they have not already! This is due to the fact that these skills do not "scale" or become more effective as the player's level and stats increase. Please consider the following changes:

Protection:

1. Change Protection's Armor buff to a percentage increase rather than the current fixed increase. For example, Protection should provide the affected character a 5% Armor buff at level 1, a 10% buff at level 2, and an additional 10% buff per subsequent level to a max of 50% at level 6. That way, the skill will scale with the player as the game matures. Think of it this way; a level 6 Protection providing 60 additional Armor was great when you were level 10 or 15 with a max Armor of around 100, or so. At level 20 or 25, with an Armor total in the 200 to 300 range, or higher, not so much...

2. As others have suggested, change the interaction between multiple instances of Protection. Specifically, a lower-level instance of Protection should re-time but not override a higher-level instance (as it is currently reported to do). However, a higher-level instance of Protection should both re-time and override a lower-level instance. Same-level instances should only re-time. For example, a player with an active level 3 Protection buff should have their buff re-timed but not reduced by a level 1 or 2 Protection casting. However, casting a level 4 or higher Protection on the same character should both re-time and increase the buff to that of the level cast.

Force Shield:

1. As listed in #1 above, change Force Shield's Armor buff to a percentage increase rather than the current fixed increase. For example, Force Shield should provide the affected character a 10% Armor buff at level 1, a 20% buff at level 2, and an additional 20% buff per subsequent level to a max of 100% at level 6. That way, the skill will scale with the player as the game matures and be truly worthy of the skill's name.

2. Do NOT make the shield absorb damage (prevent the affected player from taking any damage at all), as some have suggested. The shield is not meant to be an impenetrable barrier, but rather a deflector or inertial dampener, as it were. A strong enough blast or impact should be felt through the shield, albeit significantly reduced. Instead, make the following change:

3. Make the shield more resilient. As it is, the shield is like a bubble, popped by the slightest of breezes! Rather than the current HP pool (of which the current values, up to a max of 75, should not be adjusted) which, once depleted, spells the end of the shield, make the shield's HP value more like a resistance or energy which must be exceeded by a single blow, before the shield will fail. For example, the average mob's attack (think Dynastar or CyCorp human, Red Sun pirate, or Numa prime dog or plant, etc.), which hits for about 25-50 points of damage, would be incapable of destroying a level 4 or higher Force Shield. However, a critical hit from the same or a normal/critical hit from a big baddie like a boss or Numa Prime Vular, would be able to destroy the shield with a single blow. If this change were made, we may actually see more shields lasting the whole 30 seconds!

4. Increase the mana per second (M/s) regen provided by a level 6 Force Shield to 3 M/s. For example, a level 1 through 3 Force Shield should provide 1 M/s and a level 4 or 5 Force Shield should provide 2 M/s, as they currently do. However, a level 6 Force Shield should be even more powerful, and should provide 3 M/s. Besides, I get the feeling we will need this additional mana regen as the game progresses!

Please note, the above suggested changes are not intended to overpower or "break" the Protection and Force Shield skills. Rather, they are intended to allow the skills to scale and prevent them becoming underpowered and obsolete as the game progresses, if they have not become so already. I love playing my Engineer, and wish to keep using and further develop these skills, but feel it would be impractical to do so given their current design.

Also, while not directly related to the skills Protection and Force Shield, many if not all of the game's buff/debuff skills should provide percentage adjustments rather than fixed-value increases. Think of the Commando's Increase Mass skill. Even a fixed 300 Armor increase will eventually become obsolete, whereas something like a 150-200% increase would not.

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings!!