Some Whirlwind Requests

[Replacement]

To my knowledge, every person I've ever seen mention using Whirlwind had done so in spite of the power itself.  I humbly submit some suggestions, listed from most important  (to me) to least, categorized.

 

#1 - QoL: Please fade out the audio once the power has been activated for a few seconds, or at least fade it down to a very-low volume.

 

#2 - Customization: Please add a "no spin" option. 

The Venn Diagram of "people who want a windstorm around themselves" and "people who want Adam West-style spinning characters" is extremely small.  I, personally, will never ever have a use for this power as long as I spin.  Anecdotally, I can tell you 4 players who would love this.

 

#3 - Gameplay: Consider adding a Jump Pack effect to Whirlwind, or a similar "vertical" travel utility.

I know people have asked for vertical on Super Speed for years, and Speed of Sound already has a solution.  But I feel this would be a good way to keep Super Speed pure, yet allow people already invested in that pool to get a fun little side benefit from Whirlwind.  Whether you're helicoptering yourself up or using your Djinni Wind powers - it feels like a good thematic fit.

 

Thank you and good day.

Edited May 31, 2020 by Replacement

[Redlynne]

5 minutes ago, Replacement said:

#1 - QoL: Please fade out the audio once the power has been activated for a few seconds, or at least fade it down to a very-low volume.

Reasonable.

I mean, if it can be done for Dark Armor ...

6 minutes ago, Replacement said:

#2 - Customization: Please add a "no spin" option. 

The Venn Diagram of "people who want a windstorm around themselves" and "people who want Adam West-style spinning characters" is extremely small.  I, personally, will never ever have a use for this power as long as I spin.  Anecdotally, I can tell you 4 players who would love this.

This also makes sense and sounds reasonable.

You can keep the Whirlwind sound and visual FX of the swirl ... just allow an option where the character avatar doesn't have to be rotating as well (so they keep their "normal stance" instead of spinning).  Adding such an option as an alternative via the costume editor is also a reasonable suggestion.

8 minutes ago, Replacement said:

#3 - Gameplay: Consider adding a Jump Pack effect to Whirlwind, or a similar "vertical" travel utility.

I know people have asked for vertical on Super Speed for years, and Speed of Sound already has a solution.  But I feel this would be a good way to keep Super Speed pure, yet allow people already invested in that pool to get a fun little side benefit from Whirlwind.  Whether you're helicoptering yourself up or using your Djinni Wind powers - it feels like a good thematic fit.

This ... is beautiful.

Giving the Whirlwind power access to a "sub-power" Toggle (see Origin Travel Powers) that functions as an exact copy of Jump Pack, with one exception ... a 30 second recharge instead of a 150 second recharge ... would be ideal.  Just have the character assume the "jumping with Jump Pack" pose (with or without spinning rotation added) while not on the ground and you're good.  EXCELLENT suggestion!

[Greycat]

Wouldn't Whirlwind without the spin just be... wind?

[Redlynne]

14 minutes ago, Greycat said:

Wouldn't Whirlwind without the spin just be... wind?

The wind would whirl around you ... it's just that you wouldn't be spinning with it.

Kind of like how Hurricane works in the Storm powerset.  The visual FX swirl around you, but you don't have to swirl with them.

 

It's the visual aesthetics difference of the whirlwind being "caused" by your spinning around Way Too Fast™ ... versus the whirlwind "being there around you" and you yourself simply Stand In The Eye Of The Whirlwind unaffected by it (while everything that gets close to you is not standing in the eye of the storm and ARE affected by it).

[Force Redux]

These all sound very reasonable. 

[Greycat]

With 2 being an option and 3 being ignorable if you don't want to do it, I don't have any real argument against it. I'd only argue against 2 being a forced change, which isn't what the OP is asking for.

[Saiyajinzoningen]

i like the cut of this ops jib

[Snowdaze]

I am pleasantly surprised at the rationality of these requests. I approve!

 

I however will still be spinning on my rock tank in granite armor, because it's just as hilarious to see him spin as it is to see him do a back flip performing ripper. And it's a riot when he stops spinning to flip and then continues spinning!

[Psyonico]

9 hours ago, Snowdaze said:

I am pleasantly surprised at the rationality of these requests. I approve!

 

I however will still be spinning on my rock tank in granite armor, because it's just as hilarious to see him spin as it is to see him do a back flip performing ripper. And it's a riot when he stops spinning to flip and then continues spinning!

That sounds like why I created a Stone/MA tank, all the jumps and backflips and such in Granite look hilarious.  Now I need to see about whirlwind.

[Menelruin]

Counterproposal:  Make it so the camera spins with your character, for full immersion.

[MoisesG]

On 5/31/2020 at 10:22 AM, Replacement said:

#3 - Gameplay: Consider adding a Jump Pack effect to Whirlwind, or a similar "vertical" travel utility.

I know people have asked for vertical on Super Speed for years, and Speed of Sound already has a solution.  But I feel this would be a good way to keep Super Speed pure, yet allow people already invested in that pool to get a fun little side benefit from Whirlwind.  Whether you're helicoptering yourself up or using your Djinni Wind powers - it feels like a good thematic fit.

Love this idea!

[0th Power]

6 hours ago, Menelruin said:

Counterproposal:  Make it so the camera spins with your character, for full immersion.

Suggestion of the year!

 

Devs please make this happen.

Edited June 2, 2020 by 0th Power

[plainguy]

Very good idea.. 

 

[Replacement]

On 5/31/2020 at 9:34 AM, Redlynne said:

This ... is beautiful.

Giving the Whirlwind power access to a "sub-power" Toggle (see Origin Travel Powers) that functions as an exact copy of Jump Pack, with one exception ... a 30 second recharge instead of a 150 second recharge ... would be ideal.  Just have the character assume the "jumping with Jump Pack" pose (with or without spinning rotation added) while not on the ground and you're good.  EXCELLENT suggestion!

Thank you! The thing about the Jump Pack effect is that you really don't need an embedded power (e.g. Translocation) unless you're concerned it's just too good to always be available. It's not like Fly where it can be obnoxious just to leave on -- you continually have the choice to "opt in" by jumping. 

As for it being always available... I figure you spent a lot of powers to get here, though it's true one of those powers is Hasten.

On 5/31/2020 at 10:02 AM, Greycat said:

Wouldn't Whirlwind without the spin just be... wind?

We have to be very careful as we transition from Whirlwind to just Wind. We wouldn't want to break ... wind...

 

But as far as thematics goes, this obviously needs no justification to people like me who prescribe to the notion that a power is just a mechanical effect for me to paint my own fiction on.

If you are NOT in that camp, there are still 2 justifications for adding it: a) you already stop spinning while performing most actions, until the spin reasserts itself. So no one has a logical leg to stand on if they declare "it represents spinning, so you must spin!" b) car wheels. They spin so fast they often don't seem to be moving at all. This actually more accurately represents the fiction a lot of us are going for anyway, so I feel this is an addition that fits.

On 6/1/2020 at 12:06 PM, Menelruin said:

Counterproposal:  Make it so the camera spins with your character, for full immersion.

CoH VR is going to be so sick.

 

I'll be in the corner reenacting that time I got rezzed by a Poison Support.