Electrical Affinity "seizure" animations on allies

[Keen]

Please consider options to avoid allies getting the "writhing in pain" animation when affected by Electrical Affinity buffs. Suggestion:

 

• Create a Null the Gull setting to "prevent ally buffs from changing your animation"
  • Could apply to everything (like Kinetics powers)
  • (Additionally) Another Null the Gull setting to "prevent your buffs to change animations on allies" for when the caster does not want to cause that effect on others

 

Motivation

 

The set was once named "Shock Therapy" in Beta. Now renamed, but some powers currently cause allies to play animations that can cause mental triggers. Having a power that literally makes allies seize up doesn't actually fix what the rename was intended to do.

 

If you are sensitive to the concerns of people about Shock Therapy as a name, please reconsider having powers that literally cause visible seizures. Thank you.

 

Edited April 1, 2020 by Keen

[Katharos]

Agreed with the above. It doesn't seem like the concerns about Shock Therapy as a name were really internalised if a non-consensual AOE ally convulsion effect made it through without a second look. This is intended to be a support set, yeah? It makes little sense that its animations would put friendlies in clear, visible distress. It's somehow worse than the pain resurrect because it can apply to nearly an entire league at once - at least the rez is single target.

Additionally, the sounds on Shock Therapy could stand to be tweaked. As they are, they overwhelm everything else when used in a league setting. Possibly related to how sound works when used on many targets at once.

[Solarverse]

I think some people are just looking too hard into it. There comes a point when you start thinking people are just looking for reasons to be offended. Now this does not mean that I don't agree to a certain extent, the animation needs to change because it makes your character look like he/she is in pain and even gives the illusion that you are held or immobilized. But if we are going to ask for a change, let's not use "it could trigger somebody" as the excuse. That just feels really silly to me. The world does not revolve around easily offended people.

And before anyone comes at me with telling me that I am being insensitive, let me point out that nobody who was "triggered" has posted this, but instead people are speaking for them on their behalf before they themselves have even expressed a concern. I would be taking a different tone otherwise.

 

Like I said, I don't disagree that the animation needs to change, I just disagree with the reasons given in this thread. I think people are making a mountain out of a molehill with this.

Edited April 1, 2020 by Solarverse

[Naraka]

2 hours ago, Solarverse said:

Now this does not mean that I don't agree to a certain extent, the animation needs to change because it makes your character look like he/she is in pain and even gives the illusion that you are held or immobilized.

But what about my villains?

[Burnt Toast]

I wondered how long it would take before someone got triggered by this...an animation in a mmo base on super heroes. The animation is fine...what do you think you would do if you were zapped with electricity...just stand there? Just because it has a benefit doesn't mean your body wouldn't react to it.... 

[ShardWarrior]

This new set brings up an old suggestion from back in the day.  I personally would also love an option to either tone down or completely disable the VFX from this and other powersets.  A lot of powers, especially with the coloring are adding so much visual spam that it is becoming difficult to even see my character, which defeats the purpose of designing a costume for them.  Would be perfect if this worked so that I as the player can suppress seeing them from my perspective without affecting what others see.

 

 

[Keen]

8 hours ago, Solarverse said:

I think some people are just looking too hard into it. There comes a point when you start thinking people are just looking for reasons to be offended. Now this does not mean that I don't agree to a certain extent, the animation needs to change because it makes your character look like he/she is in pain and even gives the illusion that you are held or immobilized. But if we are going to ask for a change, let's not use "it could trigger somebody" as the excuse. That just feels really silly to me. The world does not revolve around easily offended people.

And before anyone comes at me with telling me that I am being insensitive, let me point out that nobody who was "triggered" has posted this, but instead people are speaking for them on their behalf before they themselves have even expressed a concern. I would be taking a different tone otherwise.

 

Like I said, I don't disagree that the animation needs to change, I just disagree with the reasons given in this thread. I think people are making a mountain out of a molehill with this.

 

I apologize I wasn't clear enough in the OP. This issue has affected me directly as I have a condition (not going into details at this time). I was really reluctant to post this here because I'd be tossed into the "easily offended" crowd, but please understand that this is something beyond my control. I talked to friends ingame about it and decided to post it as I'd have regretted if I didn't but I understand I have to deal with the consequences of my feedback. This is not easy.

 

That said, I perfectly understand many people actually think like one or many of:

 

1) I don't mind about this at all

2) I want ally buffs to cause my character to have seizures

3) I want to cause my allies to look like they're having seizures

 

1 and 2 are fine, 3 is not if the other person does not want it. That said, I edited the OP and removed the suggestion to change the animation completely. This is a battle I can't win as I'm well aware I am a minority here. So all I can do is offer a suggestion (Null the Gull options) that will make both sides happy.

Edited April 1, 2020 by Keen

[Replacement]

15 hours ago, Keen said:

Please consider options to avoid allies getting the "writhing in pain" animation when affected by Electrical Affinity buffs. Suggestion:

 

• Create a Null the Gull setting to "prevent ally buffs from changing your animation"
  • Could apply to everything (like Kinetics powers)
  • (Additionally) Another Null the Gull setting to "prevent your buffs to change animations on allies" for when the caster does not want to cause that effect on others

 

Motivation

 

The set was once named "Shock Therapy" in Beta. Now renamed, but some powers currently cause allies to play animations that can cause mental triggers. Having a power that literally makes allies seize up doesn't actually fix what the rename was intended to do.

 

If you are sensitive to the concerns of people about Shock Therapy as a name, please reconsider having powers that literally cause visible seizures. Thank you.

 

You are aware Poison makes allies vomit, right? Even if they're robot minotaurs.

[Keen]

Just now, Replacement said:

You are aware Poison makes allies vomit, right? Even if they're robot minotaurs.

Yes I am, and I even brought it up when talking about this with my friends ingame. But this actually requires the ally to first die, and they can also refuse the rez if they want. That's also the reason I don't play Poison, or if I do, I don't pick the rez.

[ZacKing]

9 hours ago, Solarverse said:

I think some people are just looking too hard into it. There comes a point when you start thinking people are just looking for reasons to be offended.

Has nothing to do with looking for reasons to be offended.  I 100% agree with the OP that the choices of animations for this set are amateur and piss poor for a supposed buff set.  We're already rooted from our own animations, we don't need another one outside our control that looks like we're being given electro shock treatment.  TBH, the animations and effects of this set are so bad, I won't team with anyone using it.  Nothing against them if they like it, but I don't and can't stand the sounds, way over the top lightning effects and the shock animations.  Whomever designed this needs to go back to the drawing board.

[Solarverse]

1 hour ago, Keen said:

 

I apologize I wasn't clear enough in the OP. This issue has affected me directly as I have a condition (not going into details at this time). I was really reluctant to post this here because I'd be tossed into the "easily offended" crowd, but please understand that this is something beyond my control. I talked to friends ingame about it and decided to post it as I'd have regretted if I didn't but I understand I have to deal with the consequences of my feedback. This is not easy.

 

That said, I perfectly understand many people actually think like one or many of:

 

1) I don't mind about this at all

2) I want ally buffs to cause my character to have seizures

3) I want to cause my allies to look like they're having seizures

 

1 and 2 are fine, 3 is not if the other person does not want it. That said, I edited the OP and removed the suggestion to change the animation completely. This is a battle I can't win as I'm well aware I am a minority here. So all I can do is offer a suggestion (Null the Gull options) that will make both sides happy.

In that case I apologize. I can understand in the case that it actually does affect you directly. The writhing does need to change for a couple of different reasons. The first is for the reason that it directly affects you, the second being the reason I gave. Like I said before, I do support the suggested change either way and now for either reason. I think there does need to be some type of react to the ability though. So, this is your car here, so let me ask you, what animation would you like to see it replaced with in its place?

[Naraka]

26 minutes ago, ZacKing said:

Has nothing to do with looking for reasons to be offended.  I 100% agree with the OP that the choices of animations for this set are amateur and piss poor for a supposed buff set.  

That's just your opinion.  I think it's fine.

 

I wouldn't be against adding an option to tone down visuals for yourself though.

[Solarverse]

26 minutes ago, ZacKing said:

Has nothing to do with looking for reasons to be offended.  I 100% agree with the OP that the choices of animations for this set are amateur and piss poor for a supposed buff set.  We're already rooted from our own animations, we don't need another one outside our control that looks like we're being given electro shock treatment.  TBH, the animations and effects of this set are so bad, I won't team with anyone using it.  Nothing against them if they like it, but I don't and can't stand the sounds, way over the top lightning effects and the shock animations.  Whomever designed this needs to go back to the drawing board.

Our SG was talking about the same thing. However, to be fair the powerset is brand new. Anytime I have been on a team I have seen at least 3 to 6 players using the set. SO yes, under those circumstances I agree the effects and sounds are over the top. However, I want to reserve my opinions about it and wait until the hype dies down a bit, to where there are only 1 or 2 players on a team who has it before judging the over the top animations. I am thinking it is only over the top because there are so many players on a single team playing it all at once. I suspect it won't be bad at all once it dies down a bit and you only have 1 or 2 players on a team using the set. So for now, I am going to be logical about this and give it a chance to die down before doing any type of suggestion for change, if a change is even needed outside of the writhing in pain animation.

[Solarverse]

1 hour ago, Keen said:

 

I apologize I wasn't clear enough in the OP. This issue has affected me directly as I have a condition (not going into details at this time). I was really reluctant to post this here because I'd be tossed into the "easily offended" crowd, but please understand that this is something beyond my control. I talked to friends ingame about it and decided to post it as I'd have regretted if I didn't but I understand I have to deal with the consequences of my feedback. This is not easy.

 

That said, I perfectly understand many people actually think like one or many of:

 

1) I don't mind about this at all

2) I want ally buffs to cause my character to have seizures

3) I want to cause my allies to look like they're having seizures

 

1 and 2 are fine, 3 is not if the other person does not want it. That said, I edited the OP and removed the suggestion to change the animation completely. This is a battle I can't win as I'm well aware I am a minority here. So all I can do is offer a suggestion (Null the Gull options) that will make both sides happy.

I do appreciate that you are asking for an option here. Too many players come to these boards and outright demand a complete change that is forced on everyone. So anytime a player asks for an optional change, I have their backs. Thank you for that, sir.

[Keen]

16 minutes ago, Solarverse said:

what animation would you like to see it replaced with in its place?

 

Rehabilitating Circuit is a power that exists in the Sentinel Epics that does a similar thing: it's a lightning chain that heals allies. It causes the same animation on allies as Kinetics powers do, and those would be fine in my book.

 

[Solarverse]

3 minutes ago, Keen said:

 

Rehabilitating Circuit is a power that exists in the Sentinel Epics that does a similar thing: it's a lightning chain that heals allies. It causes the same animation on allies as Kinetics powers do, and those would be fine in my book.

 

I think that is a reasonable enough suggestion.

 

+1

[Llewellyn Blackwell]

5 hours ago, ShardWarrior said:

This new set brings up an old suggestion from back in the day.  I personally would also love an option to either tone down or completely disable the VFX from this and other powersets.  A lot of powers, especially with the coloring are adding so much visual spam that it is becoming difficult to even see my character, which defeats the purpose of designing a costume for them.  Would be perfect if this worked so that I as the player can suppress seeing them from my perspective without affecting what others see.

 

 

This would be the only way Id approve of the OPs idea, because I personally find people covering up my characters with a bunch of visual auras way way more invasive to my personal space then an animation, that actually has real RP value among other things.

 

If anything Id have this animation become sop for all electric powers offensive and defensive alike. I prefer immersion and this kind of animation effect is just that imo.

 

Oh and FYI my grandmother was subjected to shock treatment and lobotomized during that tragic era when the ice pick lobotomy was not uncommonly done to women suffering "hysteria". And saying this animation is some kind of huge trigger vs say all of the nazi themes in our game that really can stir up players and lead to some real bigotry fueled tirades just seems well overblown in the outrage department.

[Llewellyn Blackwell]

4 hours ago, Keen said:

 

I apologize I wasn't clear enough in the OP. This issue has affected me directly as I have a condition (not going into details at this time). I was really reluctant to post this here because I'd be tossed into the "easily offended" crowd, but please understand that this is something beyond my control. I talked to friends ingame about it and decided to post it as I'd have regretted if I didn't but I understand I have to deal with the consequences of my feedback. This is not easy.

 

That said, I perfectly understand many people actually think like one or many of:

 

1) I don't mind about this at all

2) I want ally buffs to cause my character to have seizures

3) I want to cause my allies to look like they're having seizures

 

1 and 2 are fine, 3 is not if the other person does not want it. That said, I edited the OP and removed the suggestion to change the animation completely. This is a battle I can't win as I'm well aware I am a minority here. So all I can do is offer a suggestion (Null the Gull options) that will make both sides happy.

Many buff powers can be colored to look like fire for example. Why is my character being set on fire( even if its actually a buff) not wrong but a little animation that quickly passes is such a huge deal? For me it needs to be more then a selective single power being called out like its a big deal. Either every single buff effect in the game needs to have its animations and visuals effecting our characters able to be opted out of or none should.

 

The only time this animation could possibly be an actual issue is during RP, and most RPers I know are going to enjoy having the ability to tease each other with such a power rather then see it as something negative.

[Naraka]

1 hour ago, Bentley Berkeley said:

This would be the only way Id approve of the OPs idea, because I personally find people covering up my characters with a bunch of visual auras way way more invasive to my personal space then an animation, that actually has real RP value among other things.

 

If anything Id have this animation become sop for all electric powers offensive and defensive alike. I prefer immersion and this kind of animation effect is just that imo.

 

Oh and FYI my grandmother was subjected to shock treatment and lobotomized during that tragic era when the ice pick lobotomy was not uncommonly done to women suffering "hysteria". And saying this animation is some kind of huge trigger vs say all of the nazi themes in our game that really can stir up players and lead to some real bigotry fueled tirades just seems well overblown in the outrage department.

You're not going to win an argument of whether someone should or will be offended.

 

Although that makes it sound like I'm trying to "own" snowflakes or something, which I'm not.  It's more that one side trying to communicate with the other but hitting a deadzone and therefore it ends up being a bottomless pit of back and forth.

 

Personally speaking, the whole "seizure" animation thing, why is it okay for it to exist at all if this is a harmful or trauma-inducing spectacle?  Is it just okay to see a hoard of foes doing the same animation because they are nameless NPCs?  Or that they're bad guys?  AFAIK, the electric chair was replaced with a more humane version of execution for a reason.  That's just my perspective.  Another possible avenue of change might be to ask a modder to find that animation and just replace it with something else, like the "frozen" hands up animation instead so that the animation won't occur on allies or foes ever.

 

There are other mods like audio and visual fx mods for effects that hurt people's ears or cause them to become ill.  If there is a desire, I'm certain there is some kind of way to get it removed for your client.

[Peacemoon]

Sort of agree, I think Kinetics has a lot of ‘impact’ animations in speed boost and increased density - just use those instead and everyone is happy.

 

Also are the sound effects the same as electric blasts? I was getting confused as to whether we had aggroed extra clockwork or if our defender was just buffing us the other day...

[Naraka]

5 minutes ago, Peacemoon said:

Sort of agree, I think Kinetics has a lot of ‘impact’ animations in speed boost and increased density - just use those instead and everyone is happy.

It doesn't make the players that like the electricity-themed animations happy.

 

Besides, I'm sure the animation doesn't play if the teammate you're casting the buff on is moving or using an attack, only when they are standing idle.

[ShardWarrior]

5 hours ago, Naraka said:

That's just your opinion.  I think it's fine.

 

I wouldn't be against adding an option to tone down visuals for yourself though.

I also feel the animation is poorly chosen.  I understand the choices are limited, however selecting one that looks like we are being electrocuted by an ally is a very poor choice. 

[Burnt Toast]

1 hour ago, ShardWarrior said:

I also feel the animation is poorly chosen.  I understand the choices are limited, however selecting one that looks like we are being electrocuted by an ally is a very poor choice. 

Why? You ARE being electrocuted by an ally. If someone jolts you with electricity you are just going to stay there and not have any physical reaction? 

[Naraka]

2 hours ago, ShardWarrior said:

I also feel the animation is poorly chosen.  I understand the choices are limited, however selecting one that looks like we are being electrocuted by an ally is a very poor choice. 

Well that's your opinion.  Considering it's already in the game, you'd have to provide a reason other than preference to change it.  For my villain, I think it's fitting.

 

1 hour ago, Burnt Toast said:

Why? You ARE being electrocuted by an ally. If someone jolts you with electricity you are just going to stay there and not have any physical reaction? 

To clarify, "electrocute" is injuring or killing with electricity so technically you're not electrocuting an ally.

 

I feel too much flack is put into hero preferences.  If you think it looks shabby on your hero try using a villain with it.  

 

[Llewellyn Blackwell]

3 hours ago, Naraka said:

You're not going to win an argument of whether someone should or will be offended.

 

Although that makes it sound like I'm trying to "own" snowflakes or something, which I'm not.  It's more that one side trying to communicate with the other but hitting a deadzone and therefore it ends up being a bottomless pit of back and forth.

 

Personally speaking, the whole "seizure" animation thing, why is it okay for it to exist at all if this is a harmful or trauma-inducing spectacle?  Is it just okay to see a hoard of foes doing the same animation because they are nameless NPCs?  Or that they're bad guys?  AFAIK, the electric chair was replaced with a more humane version of execution for a reason.  That's just my perspective.  Another possible avenue of change might be to ask a modder to find that animation and just replace it with something else, like the "frozen" hands up animation instead so that the animation won't occur on allies or foes ever.

 

There are other mods like audio and visual fx mods for effects that hurt people's ears or cause them to become ill.  If there is a desire, I'm certain there is some kind of way to get it removed for your client.

Actually you touch on exactly why changing this at all and the claim it is too disturbing to be in the game rings hollow. If we can do it to mobs, having it done to our characters is simply logical. I know no few in game who avoid a variety of power sets due to their silver/golden age approach to character concepts avoiding any set that seems too lethal such as fire, and many who find the idea of a flamethrowers being used on people, something many feel is truly evil to do.

 

Trying to make a mountain out of this mole hill of an animation is very much a slippery slope in my pov. As others have pointed out this animation isnt even noticed when actively playing between the myriad attack animations and buff animations etc. If its ok to be used on NPCs its ok to be used for players. If the complaint is it is somehow too disturbing, a great many other things in game exist that the same argument for have greater merit then a very brief animation caused by a specific power set that among the many that exist will be a rare occurrence at most.