Tank min/max theorycrafting and gear optimizer site

[KamikazeKommando]

Hi fellow tanks! I realize there are vast resources online and existing threads/sites dedicated to providing guidance on this topic already, however, I've often felt too many generalizations were being used when numbers got referenced with a lack of hard math and bearing on in-game reality. So, after ample discussions with people in game, I thought it would be great to introduce a different approach to the problem to try and help everyone out.

 

Essentially, if we accurately model the tank game systems then provide a means to define all the possible individual class characteristics and in-game gear available, one can play with how decisions actually impact mitigation and survivability themselves without putting their trust in someone else's opinions. And thus the tank optimizer program was born, a tool to empower your choices.

 

Check it out if you like:

http://www.swtor-theory.com

 

The program allows you to define all the various traits that make up a tank class, the boosts you get from specific talents, various perks from legacy or datacrons, biochem stims, class buffs, etc. Then you can fully outfit your character's gear with choices from all the top-end gear currently in game. With that, you can see how your tank statistics actually form up, where they fall on diminishing returns, how they resolve in mean mitigation formulas and time to live scenarios. Moreover, to give you a starting point, based on default talents and characteristics I've precomputed various optimal complete gear sets that achieve the highest numbers in various categories (ie: highest raw avoidance, highest endurance, etc) after processing every single gear variation possible. You can tweak things from one of these starting points, or build your own from scratch by starting with an empty set.

 

No more guessing, no more trusting someone else's opinions, now you're in full control of the way you gear and know the numbers behind it. I certainly hope you enjoy it and find it useful. Please share your comments/thoughts or bugs (gasp) so we can make it even better!

Edited May 25, 2013 by KamikazeKommando

[Zhaaratustra]

Nice work, I just played around with your set options for the pt tank. The highest shield one looks promising, I would alter the second relict for this option and take the passive absorb proc because this would fit into it better imho. Also the implants hat can be crafted gives more raw shield if develpoed correctly.

Have you factored in the specifics of the shield tech spec while using high shield values, meaning that the overall absorb will be even higher with a higher shield chance?

 

Interestingly enough the highest endurance option gives the second highest TTL, but from the mitigation pov this option looks really soft

Edited May 26, 2013 by Zhaaratustra
typo

[KamikazeKommando]

Nice work, I just played around with your set options for the pt tank. The highest shield one looks promising, I would alter the second relict for this option and take the passive absorb proc because this would fit into it better imho.

 

Indeed, the original algorithm the program uses to pick out highest flat stat sets actually doesn't factor in dynamic (proc) effects, which in hindsight is a bug, and that's why you see it choose an odd relic pair. I'll fix that so it takes into consideration the proc effects rather than just flat stat. D'oh!

 

Also the implants hat can be crafted gives more raw shield if develpoed correctly.

 

Now this is what what I'm talking about! I love to see this type of helpful pointer. You're absolutely right, I neglected to consider the BioChem crafted implants, and looking at the Veracity Experimental Implant, it does have the highest defense/shield combo of any other implant currently in game. It actually yields a higher MMP when I plug it in (which I would expect). Your TTL would go down with all the missing endurance, but this boils down to what kind of set you're trying to run... one that avoid the maximum overall damage in a fight, or one that eats more but lives longer without healing support.

 

Have you factored in the specifics of the shield tech spec while using high shield values, meaning that the overall absorb will be even higher with a higher shield chance?

 

Yes! All the class ability and talents are factored into the MMP/TTL numbers listed as dynamic. For PT, they factor in the average uptime of [Heat Blast] ability for instance. This is why a precomputed raw MMP set may differ a bunch from a dynamic MMP set since the talented abilities and procs start making other stat choices a better interplay for best results.

 

Interestingly enough the highest endurance option gives the second highest TTL, but from the mitigation pov this option looks really soft

 

I know right, some of the data really is interesting to look at. The difference in best MMP and best TTL is quite big, but they do two very different things. Do you want to reduce the total damage you intake to an absolute minimum (MMP) or have better longevity to give healers breathing room to do other things and avoid unlucky streaks that can lead to tank gib, but at a cost of actually taking more damage in the end (TTL).

Edited May 26, 2013 by KamikazeKommando

[steave]

Nice work. It lacks a setting for damage types though - the more force/tech damage there is, the more valuable shield becomes compared to defense, so it's an important consideration.

[KamikazeKommando]

Nice work. It lacks a setting for damage types though - the more force/tech damage there is, the more valuable shield becomes compared to defense, so it's an important consideration.

 

Thanks, and yes you are correct. It's something I need to add in shortly to avoid confusion and shed more light on particular strengths and weaknesses of given sets. Currently the base algorithm assumes all incoming damage is fully mitigatable (ie: can be dodged and shielded, thereby melee/ranged damage). To avoid confusion, what I'll do is add two additional MMP/TTL readouts (and BIS gear set winners) so you basically see all three possible incoming damage type categories, however each one assuming 100% of only that type as incomming.

 

The tricky part is defining what ratio of these types exist in a given situation, which is very hard to generalize. Since fights are so different for each other it's probably best left as an advanced function that allows you to specify the ratio of each type of damage coming in. I'll add that in as a seperate function a user can dail in to see how a set will perform, but I can't precompute all possible combinations of damage ratios before hand and give you BIS for any given ratio. If there's a standard ratio everyone can agree on I could easily do that though.