Why no 20e skills?

Fender

Fender

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2005

Ohio

XoO

Skills cost 5, 10, 15 or 25 energy. Why no 20 energy skills? There's talk of reducing fiends energy cost to help compensate for the SR change. Right now it would have to be changed from 25 to 15. 15 just seems way to cheap for the utility. 20 might be closer to the "correct" cost. And there's a handful of other 25e skills that would be too powerful @ 15e, but remain mostly unused @ 25e.

So... why no 20e skills?

FlameoutAlchemist

FlameoutAlchemist

Hitmonk Extraordinarre!!

Join Date: Jan 2007

Lurking moar on my forums

Starvin Chillin on Lincoln Drive [MAFB]

Mo/Me

No idea. Doubt it's because of some conspiracy or anything that Anet has against the number 20. I've noticed that Anet tends to make all the small, spammable skills (and some elites that almost do the same thing) 5e, or in some cases, 10e. Most party wide or area of effect spells tend to cost around 10-15e.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but most of the skills that cost 25e and such are reserved for Eles and Necros, two classes that have ways of generating or holding more energy than the other classes. I know Dervs have the Avvy of Melandru, which costs 25e, but that's about it.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some GW:EN skills cost 20e though.

To summarize my rambling - I don't think they've really had a reason to justify a skill to cost 20e.

Evilsod

Evilsod

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2006

England

Lievs Death Squad [LDS]

I've never really understood the point of not having 20e skills. A fair few skills that don't quite deserve 25e and are too strong for 15e.

I guess it made energy management skills easier to balance though, mainly Glyph of Energy.

thundercleese_06

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Dec 2005

Mo/W

Don't forget Rangers. Dust Trap, Concussion Shot and Rampage as One are 3 25E skills that I can remember off the top of my head that aren't Ele or Necro. Also, I'm pretty sure theres at least 1 Rit spirit thats 25E.

Crimso

Crimso

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jul 2006

PCformatforums[PCFF]

Me/Mo

Mesmers have 25 energy skills aswell like Panic and conjure nightmare.

But on the subject I to would like to see some balance with 20e skills a few I could think of would be aegis,Panic,bone fiend.

Soul of the Scythe

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Feb 2007

Boston, MA

Higher Order [HO]

D/

Song of Power for a Paragon and i beleive there is another 25e shout... can't remember the name though.

on topic, i never really noticed to be honest. thought had never crossed my mind. interesting...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fender
20 might be closer to the "correct" cost. And there's a handful of other 25e skills that would be too powerful @ 15e, but remain mostly unused @ 25e. ^Agree Unless it's for an ele, 25e skills cost too much for other classes for the most part.

FlameoutAlchemist

FlameoutAlchemist

Hitmonk Extraordinarre!!

Join Date: Jan 2007

Lurking moar on my forums

Starvin Chillin on Lincoln Drive [MAFB]

Mo/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by thundercleese_06
Don't forget Rangers. Dust Trap, Concussion Shot and Rampage as One are 3 25E skills that I can remember off the top of my head that aren't Ele or Necro. Also, I'm pretty sure theres at least 1 Rit spirit thats 25E. ty all for the corrections. On this one, the spirit I believe you're thinking of is Shelter.

ss1986v2

ss1986v2

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Apr 2006

Mo/

i dont think anyone knows why. and that doesnt mean there isnt a reason. none of us have access to the code, nor have we worked on any of it ourselves. maybe there is a legit reason for not having any 20 energy skills.

or maybe they just dont like the number 20...

DvM

DvM

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Aug 2005

Vlaardingen, The Netherlands

Survivor Squad[SS]

dont know why, remember someone posted an explenation long time ago, had something to do with:

5...5....10...15....25
5+5=10
5+10=15
10+15=25

orsomething

Renegade26

Renegade26

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jul 2006

R/

Why aren't there any 6 energy skills either!!!

Probly because they think we're too stupid to handle 5e,10e,15e and 25e. Adding 20e skills would be mind boggling!!!

Or it was seemed unnecessary in every skill so far.

Or indeed Anet hates the number 20, but they do have 20r skills (Ineptitude is an example) so that's doubtful.

lyra_song

lyra_song

Hell's Protector

Join Date: Oct 2005

R/Mo

maybe its a huge bug that will crash the game ;p

Mercury Angel

Mercury Angel

Avatar of Gwen

Join Date: Apr 2005

Wandering my own road.

Does limiting costs to increments of 5 make any more sense than excluding 20?

Many Ranger skills are balanced in cost for Expertise; Taking that into account, skills that cost 2-3, 7, 12, and such 'exist'. Only a pseudo-existance, but for most Ranger skills, you were never meant to pay retail, a fact that haunts the profession, in part, by making many skills and builds impossible to run effectively with a ranger secondary, though a few rare interesting ones do seep through. (Ex: A/R Critical Barrager for PvE)

Ranger skills demonstrate that there is definitely interesting design space between existing numbers.


I can't say that either makes all that much sense, from a balanced design standpoint, but I guess in the end, the 5, 10, 15, 25 system feels ... cleaner?
I don't think there's a word to quite express what I mean. The closest I can think of is Magic: The Gathering slang, "Grokkable."

Skuld

Skuld

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Sep 2005

Thousend Tigers Apund Ur Head [Ttgr]

A/

isn't that from a stranger in a strange land?

Mercury Angel

Mercury Angel

Avatar of Gwen

Join Date: Apr 2005

Wandering my own road.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skuld
isn't that from a stranger in a strange land? Grokkable? I have no clue. I tried googling it, but it didn't help.
Thanks to your information, though, the google search results were much more fine tuned, and so I've confirmed it; Yes, the word 'grok' originates from that book. Interesting, but off-topic.
Anyway, as I understand it, the word refers to something that feels a blend of intuitive, natural, likeable, aesthetic, and pleasing.

On-topic:
The 5, 10, 15, and 25 system may have origins akin to the 8 skill slots system; 8 non-thumb fingers for 8 skill rings, in the past, which also explains Signets.
If anyone knows something about that (the 5/10/15/25 costing), I'd love to hear it.

Fender

Fender

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2005

Ohio

XoO

moved to PvE Skill Discussion... wtf?

zling

zling

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Apr 2006

I think that is has something to do with the code or perhaps with skill/attribute balancing issues such as expertise...

Kashrlyyk

Kashrlyyk

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

Isn´t exhaustion there to create 20e spells?