Focused Feedback: Electrical Affinity - Powers (Build 4)

[Replacement]

I downloaded Greenshot since I knew it could capture your Mouse in screenshots...

 

Any further to the right, and my cursor selects the Sentinel.

(I decided to capture my character and facing because it's... kinda wonky, like clicking on the hazard zone security guards where it seems different depending on camera facing).

 

Looks like the hitbox is indeed a bit low.  I can run my mouse completely across the model at this height without ever getting prompted to select it:

 

 

The right edge isn't as bad as the left:

 

Conclusion: could definitely stand to have the model size increased some, as well as moved up a bit.

 

Yes, I really should've changed my power colors before these pictures.

Edited March 9, 2020 by Replacement

[Replacement]

39 minutes ago, Bopper said:

If there is one compromise I can suggest, perhaps make the duration of the effects of FC last for 5-10 seconds. That way if you leave the cage, you can go a short while without having to reapply it instantly. But I dont want to see it become a toggle. I love the look of a floating ball of protection in the sky, it gives new flavors to the game that aren't the same cookie-cutter powers we tend to get, and it requires new creativity in how you use a power like this. 

This would be super useful to all your Blapping pals and any other builds that rely heavily on shooter melee/jousting styles.

[Bopper]

2 minutes ago, Replacement said:

Conclusion: could definitely stand to have the model size increased some, as well as moved up a bit.

I have also noticed this behavior and I agree. I had to look up my key binds for selecting next friendly just to make it easier to target the little guy. It also doesnt help when I summon him, he comes straight in front of me, causing my character to block him from my mouse. It's a slight nuisance for sure, but I'll probably have to just set up easy macros, such as auto selecting him after summon, or finding sentinel to target. Not ideal, but it is what it currently is

[Replacement]

Faraday Cage Sound Effects:  This is pretty good and subtle, but it still gets old fast.  I think a lot of people will get an upset stomach when they think about listening to this for 45+ levels.

 

Similar to Blaster's /Martial-> Reaction Time, could we have this set up to loop a few times and then go silent?

[JayboH]

2 hours ago, Replacement said:

I downloaded Greenshot since I knew it could capture your Mouse in screenshots...

 

Any further to the right, and my cursor selects the Sentinel.

(I decided to capture my character and facing because it's... kinda wonky, like clicking on the hazard zone security guards where it seems different depending on camera facing).

 

Looks like the hitbox is indeed a bit low.  I can run my mouse completely across the model at this height without ever getting prompted to select it:

 

 

The right edge isn't as bad as the left:

 

Conclusion: could definitely stand to have the model size increased some, as well as moved up a bit.

 

Yes, I really should've changed my power colors before these pictures.

Turn on the pet window in options - you'll probably want it on anyway as it indicates when the pet is gone, how much health it has, what buffs it has, etc.  You can then select it from the window to help with this.

 

EDIT:  I also want to keep Faraday as it is and not have it as a toggle.

Edited March 9, 2020 by JayboH

[oedipus_tex]

IMO Faraday Cage is superior to Sonic Dispersion because even if you completely run your endurance bar dry or somehow get mezzed through the protection, it sticks around.

 

The fact that you can cast it while currently mezzed is IMO pretty gonzo. This set is basically immune to mezz in a way that even armored characters aren't. Like, this is the only powerset in the game that has no excuse for waiting out a mezz ever. It's a unique identity for sure.

Edited March 10, 2020 by oedipus_tex

[Coyote]

I really like the set now. It has some unique or rare aspects: early pet, ally chaining mechanism, +Special, spammable absorb, unique mez protection.

It also does some other things pretty solidly.

It feels different and also like it should be effective.

If it goes live like this I'll have no problems playing it. Barring minor fixes like power descriptions, off-center target on the sentinel, etc.

[Bopper]

14 minutes ago, oedipus_tex said:

The fact that you can cast it while currently mezzed is IMO pretty gonzo

I am unfamiliar with which mez protection powers that can be cast while mezzed. I only know of Rune of Protection. What other mezz protection powers work as a break free, are those the only two?

[Wavicle]

12 minutes ago, Bopper said:

I am unfamiliar with which mez protection powers that can be cast while mezzed. I only know of Rune of Protection. What other mezz protection powers work as a break free, are those the only two?

Practiced Brawler, Active Defense, Light Form, Dwarf Form....I don’t know what else.

[oedipus_tex]

15 minutes ago, Bopper said:

I am unfamiliar with which mez protection powers that can be cast while mezzed. I only know of Rune of Protection. What other mezz protection powers work as a break free, are those the only two?

 

That's the main one. You can cast Destiny Clarion while mezzed. Unsure if there are other powers.

 

What's pretty wild is Electric Affinity has this power on an incredibly low Recharge. So basically slipping out of any mezz is EA's super power.

[Jimmy]

Heads-up on what will likely be the final set of changes:

• Faraday Cage
  • Standing inside your own Faraday Cage will grant you a stack of Static every 5 seconds
    • This is to help build up larger stack counts for iTrials and raids
  • The buff will persist for 5 seconds after you leave the bubble
• Defibrillate 
  • Now drains Static again, and will apply a debuff to all nearby enemies that scales off your current stacks (the specifics of the debuff are still being decided)
    • We feel the Static spending mechanic makes sense on this power only - it's very much an "oh crap" moment power, so sacrificing stacks to turn the tide of a battle will create some exciting moments
    • This also gives the power a slight downside to counterbalance the fact it's an AoE rez that can be used at any time
    • The rez is always max strength regardless of stacks
  • Can now be triggered on both enemies and allies (but the AoE only impact dead allies and living enemies)
• Plus a bunch of fixes

With one more potential improvement that's still TBD. Assuming all is well after this round of updates we'll then likely move on to proliferating the set 🙂 

[Mystic Fortune]

2 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

Heads-up on what will likely be the final set of changes:

• Faraday Cage
  • Standing inside your own Faraday Cage will grant you a stack of Static every 5 seconds
    • This is to help build up larger stack counts for iTrials and raids
  • The buff will persist for 5 seconds after you leave the bubble
• Defibrillate 
  • Now drains Static again, and will apply a debuff to all nearby enemies that scales off your current stacks (the specifics of the debuff are still being decided)
    • We feel the Static spending mechanic makes sense on this power only - it's very much an "oh crap" moment power, so sacrificing stacks to turn the tide of a battle will create some exciting moments
    • This also gives the power a slight downside to counterbalance the fact it's an AoE rez that can be used at any time
    • The rez is always max strength regardless of stacks
  • Can now be triggered on both enemies and allies (but the AoE only impact dead allies and living enemies)
• Plus a bunch of fixes

With one more potential improvement that's still TBD. Assuming all is well after this round of updates we'll then likely move on to proliferating the set 🙂 

Holy hell, you're implementing my suggestions?! Rock on!

Edited March 10, 2020 by Mystic Fortune

[oedipus_tex]

It would be funny if Defibrellate also hit enemy corpses and caused them to temporarily re-animate. Doable? Shrug. But maybe befitting the theme.

 

Change plan looks solid. I don't think Faraday needs the 5 second duration anti-mezz, but I won't complain.

 

Great work overall. Thanks for pouring your heart into this.  

[Bopper]

11 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

Faraday Cage

• Standing inside your own Faraday Cage will grant you a stack of Static every 5 seconds
  • This is to help build up larger stack counts for iTrials and raids
• The buff will persist for 5 seconds after you leave the bubble

Can you clarify that the 5 second intervals used for static build up is not the same activation period for Faraday Cage? I would hope the effects of Faraday Cage will tick every 1 or 2 seconds, which will allow those inside the bubble to leverage the newly proposed 5 second duration to leave the bubble temporarily. 

Edited March 10, 2020 by Bopper

[Bopper]

10 minutes ago, oedipus_tex said:

 

That's the main one. You can cast Destiny Clarion while mezzed. Unsure if there are other powers.

 

What's pretty wild is Electric Affinity has this power on an incredibly low Recharge. So basically slipping out of any mezz is EA's super power.

I always thought the recharge and duration of FC would tune back to something slightly more normal, but not sure if it will. 4 minutes is an eternity, and it if lasted for just 1-2 minutes, nobody would bat an eye. I think the original was 30s which probably was too short of a duration. I figured a 15s base recharge and a 90s duration would have been just right.

Edited March 10, 2020 by Bopper

[Mystic Fortune]

They could probably get away with cutting it's duration in half. Two minutes is more than enough for your average fight, and with a base recharge of 10 seconds, it will still ALWAYS be available for when you need it.

Edited March 10, 2020 by Mystic Fortune

[JayboH]

Yeah but why not leave it - you can reposition it nearly at will with enough recharge.  Think of it like the other bubble powers perhaps, which are also 4 minutes.

Edited March 10, 2020 by JayboH

[Rejolt]

And Defib only works well if a player dies? As in the debuff. 

Edited March 10, 2020 by Rejolt

[Replacement]

I'm sorry, but I don't think it makes sense to have a mez-breaker while mezzed.  Not on a 10 second cooldown.

 

Aside from that, I actually like the 10 second recharge/4 minute duration a lot.  It means the size of it in your mind is entirely "where do I want it currently?" and not at all rotation-driven.

Edited March 10, 2020 by Replacement

[Number Six]

3 minutes ago, Rejolt said:

And Defib only works well if a player dies? As in the debuff. 

The modified version can be used on live enemies as well, which should make it usable while solo. However if you do that, it goes on recharge and becomes unavailable to rez players for a while (it will rez any already-dead players near the enemy you debuffed though).

[csr]

2 hours ago, oedipus_tex said:

 

That's the main one. You can cast Destiny Clarion while mezzed. Unsure if there are other powers.

 

What's pretty wild is Electric Affinity has this power on an incredibly low Recharge. So basically slipping out of any mezz is EA's super power.

I'd say Domination is the main cast-while-mezzed power.  Add Kuji-In Rin and Inner Will to the list as well.  And I believe Indomitable Will from the APPs (Controllers and Dominators) can also be cast while mezzed.  There are actually quite a few of them.  (And should be a few more, as I think all the "classic" T9s from Armor sets should be cast-while-mezzed.)

[oedipus_tex]

2 minutes ago, csr said:

And I believe Indomitable Will from the APPs (Controllers and Dominators) can also be cast while mezzed. 

 

No on this one. You're correct about Domination though. 

[csr]

My only feedback from my most recent testing is just a re-iteration of what others have said:  I don't like having to switch to targeting the pet while fighting.  If only you could assist through foes when they are targeting you instead of a teammate...

[Wavicle]

We know from powers such as Ground Zero that it is possible to make a power target BOTH allies AND enemies at the same time.

Is it conceivable that Electrical Affinity Circuit powers (ONLY the Circuit powers) could be made to TARGET Enemies even though it has no effect on them, and then immediately chain back to allies?

[Leo_G]

3 hours ago, Bopper said:

I always thought the recharge and duration of FC would tune back to something slightly more normal, but not sure if it will. 4 minutes is an eternity, and it if lasted for just 1-2 minutes, nobody would bat an eye. I think the original was 30s which probably was too short of a duration. I figured a 15s base recharge and a 90s duration would have been just right.

I'd frankly say 30sec recharge 90sec duration is more fair considering it shouldn't be hard to bring that down further.  15sec recharge is still bonkers with a 90sec duration.  And it might have a more approachable window to penetrate rather than just being immune to mez.

 

I guess when I look at powersets, I look at them from an angle of fighting against them too and the current numbers kind of feel unfair.

Edited March 10, 2020 by Leo_G