By in large I think we, meaning the quant community of City of Heroes, did a good job with the numbers in general, and I think we were better than average among MMO communities (actually far above average from what I've seen). But where I think we were still learning, and even I was still evolving my techniques, and where I think the entire rest of the MMO community is basically nowhere on, is what I would call the computational psychology of gameplay. In other words, the study of how the players perceived and used the numbers of the game, separate from what they were. I think that's an underappreciated field of video game design. If the game was still around, I'm pretty sure most of my efforts today would be in building that space.
I was initially 'blind' to the subtleties of the game. Blasters (or energy blasters...) aren't that subtle. But getting a 'good' duo of complimentary talents or a team of 5 players (my preference...) 'hi-fi' with some 'tank', some 'control', some 'defender' and some 'scrap' and some 'blast' capability sounds obvious but the fidelity of those arrangements in CoH, to me, far outstripped those in other MMOs I've experienced.
Just on the healing issue. Teams in the early days, would often get a healer on board ramp up the difficulty and bemoan the healer wasn't doing their job when put in 'edge' case success or collapse opposition mob scenarios. Often 'we need two(!) healers' just in case...' and it was the same 'insurance.'
...as opposed to 'not getting hit' in the first place. I remember a dark, dark saying to me. 'See those numbers?' I said, '...yes...' 'That's how much you're not getting hit...' My earliest recollection of the subtlety of not 'needing a healer.'
A remember my first obvious team without a 'tank.' With 'Controller' as 'inverse' tank. I watched as a mass brawl broke out in a mob..., 'Er...they're attacking (mobs) each other...' 'Yes. Tanks aren't always necessary...you can get by without one...'
TF with AVs... I remember being on one too many AV TFs/missions where an 8 man team of testosterone (Tanks, Blasters, scrappers...) would be hammer the (fill in blank...) out of an AV and after half an hour wondering 'why' the AV's health bar hadn't moved. Despite warnings that 'maybe' a Radiation defender might be useful. Too subtle I guess...
It wasn't until I got back into defenders with my Dark, Dark or played a Sonic (defender and blaster...) or a dual 'duo' Force Field defender (to L47...) with Radiation (for my Duo partner) and me with Energy that we saw the insidious nature of 'numbers.' Radiation allowed energy to have more impact from the battles I recall. So my partner would pull aggro, soften them up...and pull them ('tank-lite' like...) and bring them back to me...our FFs would overlap again and we'd 'jump' them.
Sonic blast. 'Butter.' Radiation. Weakening. Sure. I looked at the 'numbers' but I was more concerned with the fidelity of the affects. (Though I did keep a numbers 'patch' on my screen for my Defence capped Brute to see how rage inspires spiked damage...and a few other things...like my def' numbers to see if I'd turned on all my toggles...
)
It wasn't until I'd done a few IO builds, some elegant, some brute force, some 'defence' some 'resistance' based...that I saw I began to see how numbers worked. Or in my Dominator defence at 35% defence (couldn't cap it because I didn't want to hack up the power sets. I wanted all the powers, inc' the patrons...) but I did get perma Hasten (at last) ((and perma Domi(!) ...)) since it was cruelly 'disrobed' from my Energy/Energy blaster in issue 4.
Numbers in CoH created different effects. In the early days. It was in terms of the obvious 'need a healer' on my team or '5 slotting' damage on my En/En pre-issue 4. Healing took time to activate and regen was brittle or 'soft' and when it collapsed on 8 man pivot 'this is how we roll' teams it...sure it. 'Collapse.' 5 slot damage, likewise was a waste of time if you couldn't hit. Acc and Dam were a waste of time if you couldn't hit anything because you were out of 'gas.' i.e. on floor with your tongue out waiting for endurance. So often I would double acc/double dam and double end (on key 'end suckers...') on many builds. Before I got into 'IO' builds this allowed me to 'hit more often,' 'do most' of my damage potentially and 'keep running' without running out of end. In the early game, I would even con or blues and green. I seemed to make more progress than 'knife edge' battles with yellows or oranges with took longer. (Though I would often try the impossible in Steel. It wasn't always about as many mobs as fast as I could. I'd try the + challenges and the x challenges.)
...but...by the end. Playing a dark/dark Defender (a really unusual and underrated set...even my Duo-buddy never rolled it. Surprising given his propensity for 'cleverness' or builds...) was so subtle. Like a spider weaving a web in a dark place. The art of not getting hit. Layer upon layer of insidious darkness. To lock down an 8 mobbish in Bricktown of oranges and some reds. (...and it took patience. It worked great until you got mezzed... ;o )
...and then you'd get a scrapper come along and do it much quicker. Which could be frustrating. I didn't get my Dark/Dark to L50. Shame. It required patience. (Right along with the Warshade. Which 'slotting' a tri-build was a...challenge. And I know which I'd tried to get my PB perma 'unstoppable' with a knock down res.)
...but then you could have a brute, Dark/Energy that could be the 'eye of the tornado' not getting hit at all... You Debuff 'their' accuracy so they can't hit you...and...you work up your defence in the energy shields so 'you' ...'can't be hit.'
It was very different from a fire/wp brute who could stand on a burn patch with the 'I win' button.
I remember being vexed that dark/energy was elegant but fire/wp was 'Simpons at the dinner table...'
So, yes. There was psychology in the numbers and how players perceived them and used them. From the beginning of CoH until its untimely demise.
Azrael.