[Share the weapon cosmetic across all pools of similar style]

There are a few options for Assault Rifle (The retro scifi rifles) that don't have any sort of barrel or visible aperture for bullets. Dual Blades has a few axes as weapon options. Titan Weapons has nearly half its options being large, bladed weapons despite the set doing smashing damage.

 

So if it's not weapon shape or damage type, what is the deciding factor for if a particular weapon is suitable? Generally, the strict definitions on what can be a weapon skin for a given set seem to be loosening, and if we're judging just off vibes, I don't see why we can't have a dual-blades character using twin tonfas or telescopic batons.

[Share the weapon cosmetic across all pools of similar style]

4 hours ago, Shadeknight said:

Aside from Six's answer, this isn't entirely possible because dual blades is dual blades. Not "here are two hammers bonking you real hard."

The weapon sets need to maintain what their name says.

 

There are quite a few Katana and Ninja Blade weapons that aren't Katanas.

[Focused Feedback: Reward Merits]

2 hours ago, Redletter said:

Don't bully Enflame, she's cute and multiplies DPS for basically nothing, to the point where I like to have it on defenders who help farmers farm faster. Slot that slut with Knockdown, or Immobilize, or BOTH if you wanna double stuff her like an oreo and watch as hordes turn to extra crispy bacon.

Is it actually that good? I got the impression it wouldn't proc well because it's got multiple psudeopets dropping for every fire patch, and the character I was going deep into Sorcery with was a Controller, so not great damage there to begin with.

[Slotting for Endurance Recovery: A Cheat Sheet]

On 8/2/2022 at 3:40 AM, Scarlet Shocker said:

Also some powers, notably Electric, drain End from foes "and a portion of that Endurance may be returned to you" is how I remember the phrasing. Is there any data on that?

 

https://cod.uberguy.net/

The electric blast is pretty hard to parse, for me at least, since it got the Shocked status where it does more effect when the enemy's endurance is low, but it seems to refund a portion of the attack's endurance cost per power.

[Focused Feedback: Attack Typing Adjustments]

24 minutes ago, brass_eagle said:

 

I'm curious, did you look at how many of those that prioritize more exotic damage types instead of S/L have Mez attached to them? While I'm on board with this change as it gives the devs a chance to make more threatening enemies within trash mobs, I can't help but wonder if it will have a negative effect on the amount of Mez squishies can avoid now--especially at higher levels.

 

Less void -- more mez.

 

Running through the list, looks like just Council galaxy LT's Gravimetric Snare immobilize and the galaxy boss' Gravity Well hold.

 

[Focused Feedback: Costumes]

These are what the new tights patterns look like, by the way.

 

 

[Focused Feedback: Ice Control Changes]

8 minutes ago, Generator said:

How much does it do compared to Bonfire (which seems to me to be its closest comp)?

It's a constant stream of rapid 1 damage ticks on my controller, like Rain of Fire. If I had to guess it's about the same?

[Focused Feedback: Sonic Attack Revamp]

My sentinel already already had all 3 cones before this update, incidentally, so I was already in the rythm of shockwave/howl/sirens to deal with groups and then picking one enemy to bully with my single targets while the rest slept. The summer blockbuster knockback is a primo choice in Shockwave, it keeps them grouped for the future cones and makes some enemies hit by the proc portion do a funny double-flop that keeps them down longer than usual. I still found it to be up Enough, since I mostly use it to keep enemies ragdolling while I sneak in Howl before applying or reapplying Siren's.

[Focused Feedback: Sonic Attack Revamp]

49 minutes ago, Booper said:

I would not want to have a revamp to their AT preventing them getting this version of Sonic Attack.

 

Why is the cap for sentinels lower to begin with? Why is it a problem for them to get the same amount of AoE that all the other ranged archetypes get? Especially on an underplayed, underperforming archetype. 

 

Don't get me wrong, the powerset's in a much better place after this pass, I feel. But I hope that the target cap is something that you'll consider increasing going forward, and not something we'll have to wait possibly another half-year for a Sentinel Rework to see.

[Focused Feedback: Sonic Attack Revamp]

Okay, I ran through about five paper missions and a mayhem, split between 25 where my sentinel is now and 35 to future test it. I ran the missions at x4 for 25 and x6 for 35.

 

And yeah, I was wrong. It feels great, the meatier siren's song is a great add to spitting the cone trio out, and shockwave/howl/siren's song is a really good bit of control, enemies on their back, damaged, and then slept. The set is buttery smooth with chaining attacks now, the changes in damage and recharge speed and timing all come together really well. 

 

However, the fly in the ointment is the changes in sentinel target caps. You feel them in play even at x4 enemy density when ambushes start approaching 7-9 enemies, at x6 it starts to become a serious problem, and I suspect at x8 density it's going to become a painful issue. It *Feels* bad firing into a crowd and only hitting a few enemies. I understand the reason of standardizing it across sentinels, but it feels sucky in motion. I can't agree with going out of your way to make a sentinel set *worse*, especially not in the name of standardization.

 

I would suggest leaving the target caps where they are currently until there's time for a balance pass on the sentinel as a whole rather than singling out Sonic Blast.

[Focused Feedback: Ice Control Changes]

Ice slick does damage? Yep. Sure does. Not a lot, but it's there. 
Now, Arctic Air being able to trip Overpower, that's pretty noticeable. You can get a LOT of confusion flying around in a group with that toggle on, now. It's quite nice, being a mobile chaos zone. 

[Focused Feedback: Sonic Attack Revamp]

6 minutes ago, Captain Powerhouse said:

 

I highly encourage anyone to take this new version of Sonic Attack for a spin on the Brainstorm server and test how it works out now. Existing builds might see desire to respec since some of the least desired powers like Screech and Siren's Song in the set are now some of the best.

 

Good: faster animations, Siren Song recharges faster and does more damage (.69 damage scale more)

Meh: Howl recharges 2 sec secs faster, Shockwave recharges 3 secs slower, gained 0.0946 damage scale between them. 

Cons: enormously lowered ability to apply -res. Max targets on two cones reduced from 10 to 6 (I'm on a Sentinel).
 

It looks *really* bad on paper. I'll reserve further judgement until I can get home and test it myself, but...

[Focused Feedback: Sonic Attack Revamp]

So, correct me on this: The resistance debufff changes, they still apply the same -20 resistance, but it's on two separate timers that resist being stacked with each other, which works *against* the other changes of giving the attacks lower cooldowns, less damage, and faster animations. 

IE: I use Shriek, 12% 'short' and -8% Lingering. I then use Scream, for 0% extra debuff, it just rereshes the timer. I then go ahead and use Howl and only add an extra 8%, because most of the debuff is caught up in the 'short' vibration. 

Howl went from .8 to .66 scale, Shockwave went to .86 from .64 so... a *tiny* net increase on using those two powers together, I guess. The real big damage buff is in giving Siren's Song more damage, and the faster animations. 

Sentinels in particular get hit with their target caps getting nearly cut in half. I don't see why an already struggling archetype needed to get worse.

[Focused Feedback: Attack Typing Adjustments]

Quote

DEFENSE CHANGE
Arachnoid claw attacks now prioritizes toxic defense
Arachnos tarantula mistress claw & Claw shred now prioritizes toxic defense
Arachnos toxic tarantula all damaging attacks now prioritize toxic defense
Knives of Artemis poison dart prioritizes toxic defense

Arachnos fire taranutal burning claws now prioritize fire defense
Carnival Seneschal torch attack now prioritizes fire defense
IDF heavy troopers rockets prioritize fire defense
Nemesis LT lance Rifles & Jaeger explosions now prioritize fire
Rikti Magus fireball prioritizes fire
Potentially a lot more depending on how broad the grenade change is

CoT Ice Casters now prioritize cold with two attacks
Council/5th column riflemen cryonic shots now prioritize cold defense
Crey Cryo Tank attacks (Except Freeze Ray) now target cold defense
Talons of Vengeance Spirtiualist & Prophetess & Oracle & Sibyl (ice) now prioritize cold
TOV Keres Deaths' Embrace now prioritizes Cold (prev. also negative)

CoT Succubus blackclaw now prioritizes negative energy defense.
Council Vampyri Shadow Punch now prioritizes negative defense.
Council Galaxy Gravimetric Snare & Gravity Well now prioritize negative defense
TOV Keres Enervating bolt now prioritizes Negative (prev. also cold)

GRENADE CHANGE
Longbow potentially very effected by grenade/rocket rework, nearly the entire faction has a grenade attack (They're already basically just lethal/fire outside of bosses though)
Council/5th column grenade rework, possible rocket launcher rework
Crey Crisis Unit grenade launcher rework, possible rocket launcher rework
Malta tacop/engineer/op officer effected by grenade rework.
Titans affected IF grenade rework affects rockets (Right now they do straight lethal)
Nemesis Snipers maybe effected if storm rifle is treated as 'a grenade'
PPD Enforcer affected by grenade change

I went through most of the enemy groups that I could think of at the back-end of the game and this is what I came up with; specifically showing the ones that would get moved from smashing/lethal/energy to a more exotic damage type.

I don't think that the proposed change is *nearly* as far reaching as some have claimed it is, it's a handful of enemies per villain group and Smashing/lethal/energy defense would *still* top of the heap as far as enemy attack prevalence, just less so than before.

The only part that I'm concerned with is the toxic-targeting attacks, Arachnos and Arachnoids are *already* nasty and don't really need the help.

[New IO sets - Statesman's Knockout and Tyrant's Oppression, Universal Damage and Universal Mez]

I think 'Statesman's Blow' or 'Statesman's Thunder' would be a better name for the former set, but I do like this. 

[Idiot Dominator Questions]

On 6/28/2022 at 11:56 AM, Janos2001 said:

Not to be nitpicky (and it probably doesn't change anything in the end), but Savage also has the Eagle Attack, which is ranged, and (yes, I know the damage is piddly comparatively, but it does give a -Def), the Bees lol.  

Yeah, I said "Savage has only 2 ranged attacks and a cone". The bees (which you have to take anyway), the hawk, and the raven cone.

[How does your character carry things in RP?]

Most of my weapon-wielding characters are supposed to have them visible on their person somewhere. Holstered pistols, swords sheathed across the back, beam katanas hung from belts or thigh holsters. At least one I'd like to have dragging her titan weapon behind her like Pyramid Head dragging the Great Knife. Aside from that, they've mostly only got a few small bits of tech: a smartphone/police radio, a hacking device. More tech illiterate might have a hacking tool for interfacing with computers on their behalf; some might have an emergency medkit or a few grenades, or a mediport beacon stabilizer tool to warp injured enemies/allies away. That's usually going to be 'utility belt' or 'back pocket' territory.

 

There are two real standouts to this: RR Hood, my mercs/traps magic-hunting paramilitary operative. If she's going into a fight, she's carrying: 

 

A sniper rifle and ammunition (Slug)
Ghost Slaying Axe
Fireteam Radio (Summon powers)
Ammo Bags for her team (Equip Mercenary, Tactical Upgrade)
Medic Bags for her team (Triage Beacon
Personal Emergency Medkit (Aid Self, Aid Other, Field Medic)

Web Grenades, Caltrops, Force Field generator

Miniature auto-turret (Acid Mortar)

Tear Gas/Nerve Gas (Poison Trap)

Commercial quadcopter drones with a flashbang duct-taped to them (Seeker Drones)
Kind of a lot of C4 (Trip mine slotted for lots of recharge and the Force Feedback proc)
Smoke grenades, gas grenades, frag grenades (Day job Temp Powers)

 

As far as carrying that, she's got a utility belt fulla pouches, a rifle sling, and a picnic basket full of goodies that she's bringing to grandma. Her henchmen help her carry the rest. 

 

The other is Ryoko Kobayashi, anime ninja girl, who only has her katana and some pocket sand on her, usually... but with a rework that I want to implement if or when Utility Belt ever drops, I'll be changing her epic pool to Weapon Mastery. At that point I'll have the origin power throwing knife, the poison knife from Utility Belt, and Shuriken/Explosive Shuriken/Webnade from Ninjutsu and have *kind of a lot* of sharp metal tucked away to throw at people. However, storing this isn't a problem: It's a normal property of Japanese school uniforms to be able to contain an infinite volume of kunai and shuriken.

[Idiot Dominator Questions]

I've got an earth/fire with about half her incarnates and a Dark/Savage at level 40, so this is going to be answers from that direction: 

 

4) Earth control is pretty good. It's a little different than a lot of other dominator primaries because a lot of its powers summon pseudopets, and thus, as far as I can tell, *don't benefit from Domination*. You still get the mez protection and end refresh, but you can deploy that more tactically (when you get mezzed or run out of end) instead of investing heavily to have it 'always on'. 
5+7) Depending on your secondary and what attacks you pick, you're gonna determine if you spend most of your time in melee or at range. /fire only has a few close in attacks, so I built heavy recharge and a decent amount of ranged defenses, and then just used control to keep anyone from ever going into melee. Savage has only 2 ranged attacks, a cone, and an attack that *zooms you into melee*, so I'm building him to drop fearsome stare into a mob, teleporrt into their midst, and follow up with a Heart of Darkness for a massive AoE stun that I want to make perma so I can savage enemies to death at my own pace periodically reapplying the big stun. It's not working great so far but never mind that. Take the attacks that reinforce what you wanna do.

6) It's not great. I can't really tell if it's doing anything.
8 ) It's not great. Single digit psi damage, a 1.5 second mag 2 confuse every 4 seconds. As for the proc:
Probability to Proc = PPM * ActivatePeriod / ( 60 * (1 + Radius * (11*Arc + 540) / 40000) )
39% = 4.5 * 10 / ( 60 * (1 + 8 * (11*360 + 540) / 40000) )
39% chance to proc, and if it does proc I *believe* it has a 30% chance to become contagious. My proc-fu's not strong but I think that's only a 12 or 13% chance it'll do anything on a given 10 second tick.

[Illusion Proliferation]

Power	Level	Effect
Spectral Wounds	1	Ranged Moderate DMG(Psionic), +Special (Illusionary Damage Heal-Back)
Phantom Army	1	Summon Decoys
Blind	2	Ranged, Moderate DMG(Psionic), Foe Hold, +Special (AoE Sleep)
Reinforce Illusion	6	Ranged, Reinforce Illusion Henchmen
Flash	8	PBAoE, Foe Hold
Spectral Terror	12	Summon Spectral Terrors
	18
Phantasm	26	Summon Phantasm
Perfect Illusion	32	Ranged, Perfect Illusion Henchmen

 

[Sentinel Sonic Howl Opportunity]

Thank god, that was the thing that was making this set functional to play. Glad to hear it won't be patched out anytime soon at least

[Sentinel Sonic Howl Opportunity]

 

Howl seems to uniquely be triggering Opportunity for every enemy hit, not only generating a lot of orange bar, but also triggering defensive opportunity five times in a single attack. 

[Change Confront and Assassin's Strike into a distance-closing attack]

I think that a -damage -tohit would probably be easier to implement than anti-crit, but that and +critchance for the Scrapper actually is good and thematic.

[Change Confront and Assassin's Strike into a distance-closing attack]

https://forums.homecomingservers.com/fotm-powers/
Galaxy Brain beat me out by a country mile, but yeah, Confront has a 10-20% presence rate on level 50s. Confront is pretty universally underwhelming.

 

 

I've been thinking about how to improve it and haven't come up with anything I'm totally proud of yet. I'd considered the idea of it taunting but also phase-shifting both the user and target, so it literally becomes a duel to the death nobody can interfere with, but there's enough bad blood with cage and phase shift effects to begin with, I don't think the power any more popular than it already is. Another thought was just giving it a -res/-def effect as you single one target out for elimination, but that just encourages your team to dogpile the enemy, which somewhat spoils the idea of it being a duel-with-the-boss power. The only other thing I can think of is giving it an effect like Superspeed has currently, where you ignore enemy hitboxes and can run right through them, ignoring the minions to get right to the boss enemy. Possibly with some special protections against slow, knockback, and immobilize, to represent the scrapper committing themselves to fighting this one particular enemy.

 

[Collaborative Effort: Everlasting's Guide to Extra-Terrestrials]

 

Name: C'ao

Status: Active

Location: Hyades Cluster

Physical Description: Humanlike. with horns, tail, and floppy ears. Usually taller than humans. Enhanced strength and Stamina. C'ao are remarkably mentally and physically stable, bordering on inert. Mutation, psionics, magic, chi powers, and other esoterica are essentially nonexistant among the race. Note: The black-and-white spots are, despite initial confusion, NOT skin or fur: but merely the traditional patterning of the empire's spacesuits.

Affiliation: Hegemonic Dominion of C'ao

Idiosyncracies and way of life: C'ao are a highly social species, congregating in vast herds in advanced cities. A resource-rich homeworld lead to a heavily socialized welfare system ensuring that all C'ao citizens receive adequate food, shelter, and medical care from the empire. With basic needs met, ambition became a measuring stick for social worth, the strongest, fastest, and cleverest C'ao being rewarded with positions of power in the meritocratic government. C'ao are quite confident, often crossing into arrogant, about the superiority of their way of life. Since leaving their homeworld, the continued expansion of the C'ao sphere of influence is the most popular way of demonstrating one's prowess, either military, diplomatic, or scientific. While the vast majority of C'ao vessels belong to the Imperial Armada, captains have the authority to break away from the main fleet to investigate promising planets as candidates for membership off the empire.

Most remarkable tech hallmark: "C'ao technology is the most advanced in the galaxy!" is a common phrase among the C'ao. In truth, while they have a wide array of advanced technologies (energy weapons, force fields, warp drives, and more), C'ao equipment is generally simple, durable workhorse equipment that is practical but not exemplary. The only two standout technologies are their aggressive adoption of jetpacks (95% off C'ao own a jetpack and know how to use it, compared to 89% of adults in america having a drivers licence), and the C'ao anal probe; a medical device capable of analysis that can detect a broad spectrum of medical ailments, as well as treating diseases, poisons, and simple traumatic injury via targeted energy pulses designed to cause rapid cellular regeneration. The probe can also tap into the subject's nervous system to read their mental and emotional state, as well as allowing them to influence their mental state; letting it help calm panicking patients and prevent them from going into shock. It has also had some efficiency in alleviating the symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other such disorders. The nervous-system link also makes being probed an intensely pleasurable, euphoric experience; enough so that C'ao often use the device recreationally. More ominously, rumors persist that the technicians can retrieve specific memories from the subject, or implant subliminal or even overt brainwashing, or that the euphoric pleasure is somehow addictive, turning the probed into obedient servants to the Empire. C'ao are quite proud of their probing tech, and perplexed by why the devices seem to repel humans so thoroughly.

Cultural Progress Level: Stellar Empire

History: C'ao evolved from skirmishing tribes on the rolling plains of their homeworld, operating under simple principles of might making right. When tribes battled, the losers were often integrated into the winner's tribe, swelling its ranks. A transition to feudalism, with a single C'ao King overseeing many vassals, to Empire, with one great leader managing multiple kings, was a simple but gradual affair. The first C'ao to unite the known world because known as the First Immortal God-Emperor, who is still venerated in the empire to this day. The rituals and traditions of rulership passed down encouraged benevolence, law, duty, honor, and meritocratic excellence, with the God-Emperor's advisors being open for challenge at any time to prove their competency. Benefitted by good stewardship and the luck to have evolved on a planet with multiple anomalous materials (The purple metals and green glow distinctive to C'ao equipment are the result of these specific metals); C'ao quickly achieved spaceflight and colonized their own star system before continuing to expand into the unknown cosmos.

Current Agenda: The C'ao are often seen as reckless, barbaric idiots by the rest of the galaxy; who characterize them as an aggressive expansionist force, powerful but stupid. This is not entirely unfounded, as the C'ao are fairly disorganized on the galactic stage at the moment, and heavily preocupied with expansion and conquest, adding occupied planets as 'vassal' or 'client' states to their hegemonic dominion. A small crew of C'ao has converted Asteroid Chariklo 10199 into an asteroid base known as 'The Milk Bucket' from which they launch scouting missions to earth, variously attempting to learn more about the strange earthling concept of superpowers, sway earthlings to supporting the eventual C'ao takeover, or sabotaging factions that would resist their goals.

[Ninjutsu]

I was also against the change, yeah. It's especially annoying if you were using an IO to increase the stealth value of Shinobi-iri, because if you move it to the click you can no longer detoggle it for escort objectives.

 

Psyonico is right, though, you can re-add the ninja animation via power customimzation.