Glaring imbalance in the force.

[Jakkon]

Light vs. Dark.

Long - Short, they are not balanced... not in the least.

 

As a light jedi, your Force powers are a perk, and nothing more. To survive you must rely on your sabre skills. As a dark jedi, you have a huge arsenal. It's true, the light side has some powerful arts to combat this but they are not nearly powerful enough. By saying they are not powerful enough, I mean that they do not equal the powers of the dark due to poor implementation.

 

It's incredibly obvious too. Log into any server and take a look at the number of light jedi to dark. Take a boo at a Dark vs Light CTF match and see who's winning and who has the most troops.

 

The reason being that the light jedi must be proactive, yet all their powers are reactive.

 

For example, the Force drain. Yes, absorb will counteract this, but you can't fight a whole battle with it on, not that you should be able to. It lasts a very long time though not quite long enough. Soon as it drops, you'll never see Force again... and as soon as it's gone, you get gripped and tossed, or choked and slashed.

 

Playing reactive is the approach I take, but when it takes 1/4 of a dark jedi's force meter to suck away an entire light jedi's Force (in under 2 seconds) I get burned more often then not. Should it not be eye for an eye? The amount of force required to use drain should be relative to the amount sucked from the opponent.

 

How about Force healing? It takes a minimum of four bars to use, but not so for Force drain. To make matters worse, a dark jedi can keep sucking that requirement away as it regens, and at horribly long distance. Heal should be directly relative to how much Force the jedi has when used, not requiring four bar chunks. The longer you hold it, the more it heals, not instantaneous, but counting up similiar to how Force drain works.

 

Force absorb will not overwrite protect. Each must be turned off, then the other turned on to work. A dark jedi can keep chipping you down from quite a distance. The only good part of this for the light side is that in order for the dark to use this ability, they must open themselves up to attack... but again the range being what it is, more often then not, makes it nearly impossible for a light wielder to take advantage of this.

 

The grip monkeys have completely turned me off this game and shut down my server. Those who refuse to fight, just backpeddling while draining, advancing only to grip.

 

I could resort to guns, but that's not what this game is about, and it's not what I payed my money for. It certainly wasn't what JK1 was all about.

 

I could also resort to the dark side, but how much fun will that be when servers are filled with nothing but.

 

 

This is a great game, and the potential is huge, but as of now it serves only to frustrate and sadden me. Thanks be to the devs for the ability to duel for right now, though we miss the Force, that's all that's saving this game for my friends and I.

 

-Jakkon

[Grinch2020]

I agree that dark side powers are a pain but I think that there is a workaround.

The only two powers that I use are Absorb3 and Heal3. Absorb basically renders anything else useless. The trick is learning how to conserve it for the right times. Absorb also gives you force back if someone tries to use powers on you. Not completely sure about drain and this one but it will keep them from draining you.

Another thing that works is waiting to use absorb until the person grips you and then activating right after. This renders them helpless for a second and allows you to get a hit in.

For the most part I think that both sides are done fairly well. Light side is made for defense while Dark side is for offense.

[Smoof]

Yeah, I went to a lan party at my friends house and all my friend and his brother were doing is gripping me and dropping me off ledges and draining me and lightning me. I got pissed off so I switched over to dark side, makes things easier on myself. Lightside is definetly way weak

[pinkpanther718]

At first I thought the same thing somewhat, but if you learn how to use the light side effectively, it really can proove to be very good. The other day I was in a match where there was a ton of folks gripping and tossing off edges. Well guess what, the leader in every match, time after time was this guy using strictly the light side. Whenever someone tried to grip him he had Absoarb on, and he would push them away. Against a skilled light side player, grip is useless. The same go for lightning and Drain which are also rendered ineffective by Absorb. Trust me, instead of complaining about how "unbalanced" the game is, make some hot keys for the important light side powers and learn when and how to use them. Once you get it down, you can be just as good as any dark side player.

[Sithvir]

Light needs some tweaking but absorb stops the grip monkeys as u put it and stops pullers and pushers (the main offy weapons along with saberthrow for lightside). Heal is a godsend i've survived matches simply because of this skill, while dark jedi fall all around me. Protect well if i've got the spare points, mind trick waste of points altho i have seen it used by another. While him disppearing was funny i assume he stayed visible to all and thus pretty useless (i couldnt c so i force jumped around like mad!).

 

Personally mind trick should be our best skill and thus it should make us invisible to everyone for a short time high force consumption. With afew extra tweaks to our skills it should be ok.

 

BTW i play both light and dark jedi, so i think i know what i'm talking about atm!

[Sturmgewehr]

Right on, pinkpanther.

 

The light side may take more time to get used to, but in the hands of a skilled Light Jedi, his force powers are just as formidable.

 

The only problems I have are that Lightning3 seems a bit too strong and Drain2 should have a decreased range, and not drain the victim's force pool so fast.

 

I usually play as Dark Side. I never use Lightning and occasionally use Grip, but not very often. If I know I've hit someone so that their health is very low, I might use it to finish them off. I use drain really when I only have 85 hp or greater, and just to fill it up. Usually after I Force Jump off something very high and I've lost a few hp in the process.

[Wesman]

they arent supposed to be balanaced.

 

"Quicker, easier, more seductive the dark side is..." ~yoda~

[GB_StormTrooper]

Thats why I dont enable the force in my MP, if Im practing sometimes with bots, they use everything possible on ya, mostly Lightning, which sucks...

[Zagadka]

Originally posted by Wesman

they arent supposed to be balanaced.

 

"Quicker, easier, more seductive the dark side is..." ~yoda~

 

JUST what I was going to say. The Dark Side should be more powerful, to the naked eye - but a true Jedi Knight would be able to use the Dark Side against itself. An uber Light Jedi is much more impressive (and powerful) than a handful of Dark Jedi.

 

Or, at least, ideally. The side effect to this is that you have 80% of the people playing Dark Side because it is easier. *shrugs* Probably something that should be fixed a bit.

[MarleY]

Both are good. You just have to know how to use them. Takes practice. More practice than since friday morning when you bought the game

 

Tonight was my first night of duelling, but I got owned all night by a guy using the light side.

 

[MLR]MarleY

http://www.cdgaming.com

[GB_StormTrooper]

Funny how everyone expects me to be on the dark side since Im always a Stormtrooper and I use a red saber, Im just a Stormtrooper because I like the outfits and red is my favorite color

[Darth Frank]

I'm gonna have to disagree with most of the people saying that the light side is just as powerful as the dark side just harder to learn.

 

It may be alright for the team games and FFA, but for 1v1 dueling it just isn't balanced. I've extensively played with both force types and I've found you have the advantage as a Dark Jedi.

 

As soon as the match starts, all you have to do is get your drain off and they no longer have force power. If they are able to pull of an absorb right before you drain, then you can easily just wait for their absorb to wear off and the continue to drain them.

 

Trying to use any other force powers while you have absorb running is almost pointless as your drain will run out in mere just a few seconds.

 

I do think Absorb could have potential as a useful force if it wasn't visible to your opponent. It glows bright blue just saying "DONT USE THE FORCE ON ME."

 

Sure, in the hands of an experienced Jedi the Light Side can be devastating, but a Dark Jedi of the same skill can easily decimate the Light Jedi without even using a saber. Its sad really.

[Lucky]

Push has a longer range than drain. So does pull.

 

Hell, run up to them and kick them. I spend most of my time whacking people on the ground with the heavy stance.

 

When they're using drain they can't block push, so they get knocked over easily, also push stops them from draining for a second. Run up and smack em on the ground. If they start trying to use lighting, same deal, push the silly bastards off their feet and be ready to smack them.

 

Lightside stuff is very tricky, so far all ive made use of is heal. Absorb seems like a one trick pony and I haven't even touched protect yet.

 

I make my living off of neutral powers and smacking people on the ground. Works great. Saber thro has a longer range than drain too.

 

Kicking/pushing/pulling/anything to knock em over will solve all yer problems with drain.

 

Don't ***** about the balance for a while until you've figured out all the tricks. The level of complexity in this game is intense, even if you *think* you have it figured out, you don't. There's still a crapload to be discovered and made use of.

 

I mean, I know what works @ the moment, but i don't even know *how* it works yet. So chances are, there's a lot more to the balance than we know about.

 

 

Anders

[ScribeJC]

I agree with Anders...

 

The biggest counter to a drainer is a big strong lightsaber upside the skull. He's got his arms wide open -- he's not hurting your health. Run up and give him a good whack in the head.

 

I know it's all easier said than done, but that's what's going to make this game stay on my hard drive for years instead of weeks.

 

Take for example the trick to force push timing. I don't remember reading about that in the manual or "Rules." It took a very cool opponent to show me the, uh, light about when to hit that push button (thanks, RedR). And suddenly it's a whole new game.

 

-Jay

[Darksider]

Before i go on , i am a dark jedi , and i usually specialize in drain .

 

On a jedi knight level server i have 3jump 3 in all sabre skills 3 push and 3 drain with the last couple of points in someting like sight or speed. I use drain for 3 reasons.

 

Lightning spammers - They can just run backwards and lightning you and you (the honorable sabre fighter) cant catch up to slay them . Lightning 3 makes short work of you .

 

Heal spammers - The ones who dance around while they accumulate force and chain heal occasionally striking at you , this reduces the amount of heal used and also keeps my health on par with them.

 

Health accumulation - This is the dark sides answer to heal , though it is far less efficient given that the dark side is bent to destruction , plus you need a target with force energy rather than being able to hide and heal.

 

Those who spam senselessly with force powers and refuse to fight (you also get gunwhores spamming lightning) like running circles around you shooting lightning as fast as they can recharge , or the fights that drag on forever because people chain heal until they can finally beat you down. Grip and pusher , this is the darkside answer to absorb because it stops you being hurled off the nearest edge.

 

The dark side is quicker and easier, and should be, however it is not more powerful as such.

 

Absorb will save you in situations drain will not (out of range of a grip/pusher , cant turn to find the target fast enough) and you can take their strength then toggle it off . If they are stupid enough to keep wasting force on you then you can take it and keep absorb up indefinately while you take him to task with your saber.

 

However i do believe that the relative powers of the force aspects should be represented better , perhaps give light jedi 1 or 2 additional force points per level of force mastery on the server? So on a jedi master server they would have 7 (or 14 eek! 7 probably better) extra points to spend , better representing the fact that a light jedi master with training and discipline will far surpass the hastily trained and emotinally driven dark jedi .

 

Thats just my idea , hopefully someone from raven will agree with me =)

[UseDaAgression]

Awnser: ya well thsts why vader killed all the jedi, cause there pussies nuk nuk nuk

[Asheen-Shugar]

LOL

[Zek]

Against newbies, the Dark Side just owns. That's why you see Dark Siders in the #1 spot; half the server is newbies, and they just mow through them. The Light Side has an alternative to every force power, including the Neutral ones. It takes a lot more practice to truly master, but a Light Sider can easily take down a Dark Sider.

[jedi-redemption]

after going down the local video store and buying all 4 films, i have made my mind up by studying the force that the light powers are powerful but only to an experienced jedi................you are week if........you have to resolt to dark..........side..........nether give in my trusty p......now i must leave...may the force be with you...

 

 

 

pleeze post on

 

http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=425912#post425912

 

pretty pleeeeeeeeeeeeeze

[Darksider]

This one deserves a bump i think

[ShadowCell]

I think there's a really easy way to fix this problem: turn off the Force. Course, that gets rid of ALL Force powers...*shrug* Oh well. Even without Force powers you can still duel, just no lightsaber-throw.

[panacea]

If you separate the Force from the lightsaber, you've got a swordfight. Which somewhow strikes me as decidedly less interesting than a battle between Jedi Masters.

 

I agree with what several people have said: the very nature of the two sides of the Force are well-reflected in this game. Look at the movies. Compare the number of times you saw Vader exercising his powers to the number of times you saw Yoda or Luke exercise their powers. I think the difference is notable enough to draw some conclusions: namely, that a responsible use of the Force is inherently self-limiting.

 

That's the answer that draws on the mythos of the movies, however. A practical answer is that Raven knew what they were doing, and deliberately made the Light side less "accessible". I don't have a problem with the idea that Light side should be somehow "harder" or require more time, effort, and / or dedication.

 

Speaking from a moral perspective, think of the choices you make in your everday life. I think George Lucas got one thing right with the entire Star Wars thing in that the dualities of the Force accurately reflect the relative challenge of moral choice we all face once we leave the movie theater, or get up from our PCs.

 

The Light side is more difficult, in some ways. It does require more from its practitioners, in some ways. But so does morally correct action.

[toolboi]

complain=you suck

 

Seriously, complaining that the darkside is better for attacking is like complaining that the sabers dont have as long a range as the pistols.

Also, have you ever seen how little dammage most dark spells do? Lightning does next to nothing, Drain does nothing, grip is just good to move guys (it takes SO much to kill a guy with grip). Darkrage drains your own life...

 

meanwhile heal heals almost instantly, preotect and (whever the other one is called) protect you completley, etc. etc.

 

I play both light and dark jedi, I originally used light due to the fact that when playing dark all you ever use is your saber any how and thus attack isnt worth it, but I recently started playing dark as a change (and because drain is so ****ing awsome).

[Havikar]

It not that there unbaleced but what has alwas been true in all star wars .

 

THE DARK SIDE IS EASY TO MASTER ITS QUICK POWERFULL AND IT CORRUPTS.

 

the light side take a long and tiresome jurney to master. It maybe week to teh forces of evil but it some how pulls through.

 

I think they did a fine job on the force powers. In the right hands the light side can easyaly beat the dark side. I have seen it happen to me. I will addmit tho some of the dark side could be tweeked a little. Like drain. but grip thats fine you just need to know whys around it. If you die you die live with it.

[Emon]

Nothing is ever going to be 100% perfectly balanced. Infact, most people think that balaced means light should have an advantage for some reason.

 

All I know is that dark powers do jack to my current light side config, I don't even have to worry about them.