Author Topic: Damage Per Second --> DPActivation Time  (Read 4674 times)

Spmurphy

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Damage Per Second --> DPActivation Time
« on: June 07, 2010, 01:52:53 AM »
Currently, there are two ways to display damage: Damage Per Activation and Damage Per Second.

Damage Per Activation is simply "this is how much damage this power does to one target when you use this attack".
"Explosive Arrow" on a level 50 Corruptor you would do 37.5 damage in total to one target before any outside effects are considered.

Damage Per Second is DPA / (Activation Time + Recharge time).  Explosive Arrow does 37.5 / (16 + 1.83) = 2.11

Personally, I don't find the Mid's display of DPS useful.  I'm not sure who finds it useful.  Many players calculate the damage of attack chains.  The most important consideration when contemplating an attack chain is Damage Per Activation time.  Explosive Arrow's Damage Per Activation Time would be 37.5 / 1.83 = 20.5

Perhaps another category of damage can be added or the current DPS can be altered?  Is there anyone else who feels that Damage Per Activation Time is more informative and useful than the current Damage Per Second?

eabrace

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Re: Damage Per Second --> DPActivation Time
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2010, 02:24:41 AM »
I find DPS more useful than DPA.

Edit:  Also:

DPA = Damage/Activation
DPS = Damage/(Activation + Recharge)

(Damage/Activation)/(Activation + Recharge) != Damage/(Activation + Recharge)
« Last Edit: June 07, 2010, 02:38:14 AM by eabrace »
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IamLink

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Re: Damage Per Second --> DPActivation Time
« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2010, 12:22:58 PM »
Damage per Activation Time, here as well.

I personally don't find D/(R+A) to be useful, but I'm sure there are those who would rather work with it. I certainly wouldn't mind a Damage/Activation Time, though. Would certainly make me use Calc less. =p

Spmurphy

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Re: Damage Per Second --> DPActivation Time
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2010, 12:40:13 PM »
Damage per Activation Time, here as well.

I personally don't find D/(R+A) to be useful, but I'm sure there are those who would rather work with it. I certainly wouldn't mind a Damage/Activation Time, though. Would certainly make me use Calc less. =p

Who would use D/(R+A) useful and how would one use it?  The only way I see it useful is for someone who puts a single power on autofire.

eabrace

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Re: Damage Per Second --> DPActivation Time
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2010, 01:38:35 PM »
I make heavy use of D/(R+A), E/(R+A) (E=End), and D/E when I'm putting a build together.  My priority on power selection - particularly before level 30 - is almost entirely dependent on how much damage each power does per cycle with no slotting.

Before about level 30, I'm usually working on building up my defensive and utility powers (i.e. travel powers, Fitness pool), so I don't necessarily have enough attack powers to keep firing off without interruption.  At those levels, if I'm not looking at D/(R+A) I'm left wondering either how long I have to wait for my next attack to recharge before I can attack again or why my fastest cycling attacks don't seem to be doing enough damage to take anything out.  And if I'm relying entirely on whichever power does the most damage, I'm also sucking wind before the fight is over.

Case in point, my Inv/Energy Tanker only had Barrage, Energy Punch, and Bone Smasher to work with from level 6 to level 24 when I added Whirling Hands.  My next attack didn't come until 30 when I picked up Stun.

My Ninja/Force Field Mastermind only had Force Bolt and Air Superiority to work with as direct attacks.  D/A doesn't help much at all there.

After I have my utility set behind me and start picking up more attacks, I can start thinking about sustained bursts of damage instead of individual DoT.  But until that point, D/A isn't very useful to me.  And if I could only pick one or the other, D/(R+A) is much harder to keep track of since R is variable according to slotting.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I do think it would be useful to add viewing powers by (Damage)/(Activation Time) to the options in the Power Graph window.  I'm just saying that tracking D/(R+A) is useful.

What it sounds like you'd really find more useful, however, is a built-in attack chain planner like SherkSilver's old planner had.  But that's an entirely different utility that would have to be added, which is much more complicated.

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Dr. Cause

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Re: Damage Per Second --> DPActivation Time
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2010, 08:31:39 PM »
+1 agree with Spmurphy that DPActivation time is more useful than DPSecond (which includes rech time)

Since most toons will have an attack chain rather than relying on a couple key powers, it seems clear that point of DPActivation time being more useful than DPSecond will be true for the majority of other users too. 

Once you have enough attack powers (and global +rech)  to always have an attack ready DPS loses much of its relevance.

This is a feature I have myself much wanted and seems like it wouldnt be too tough to simply change DPS into DPA.
(In fact the "Mid's Hackers" might even be able to or have already done this by simply changing or eliminating the rech value used in the DPS formula...)

But that said it's true that an attack chain planner would be even better than DPA. However, it's going to be more than enough work to even keep up with the i19 changes so an attack chain planner seems out of the question.

Diellan

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Re: Damage Per Second --> DPActivation Time
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2010, 09:44:55 PM »
Last I checked, Mids already had an option to swap between DPS and DPA in the options.

DeProgrammer

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Re: Damage Per Second --> DPActivation Time
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2010, 10:44:53 PM »
No, that's damage per activation, not damage per activation TIME, which is what they're really wanting.

Moonlighter

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Re: Damage Per Second --> DPActivation Time
« Reply #8 on: December 03, 2010, 07:54:41 AM »

Add me to the group who thinks a Damage per Activation Second (in Arcanatime) would be full of awesomeness.

Diellan

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Re: Damage Per Second --> DPActivation Time
« Reply #9 on: December 03, 2010, 08:40:15 AM »
I actually agree. I thought it did so I never looked into. I'll stick it in the bugtracker.