A Proper In-Game DPS Testing Dummy

[Bill Z Bubba]

After yesterday's discussion regarding the Vanguard MDC, I got to pondering what I'd really want out of an in-game testing tool.

 

1: Should be unaffected by level shifts but should con correctly to mastermind pets. The zone pylons became ideal for DPS testing specifically because they are level-less, unlike the VMDC. This means no purple patch shenanigans to worry about when testing. The downside to this is that for masterminds, the pylon is even con to the pets, thus improving their damage output in a way not seen anywhere else in the game and thus, invalidating any test done with them. Is there any way to correct this or work around it?

 

2: Should have enough HP for a meaningful test period. Around 15k HP, no regen, no resists.

 

3: Cooldown should be in seconds instead of minutes so that we can summon up another as soon as we're done with the first.

 

4: Purchasable from P2W vendor for some fair amount. Don't need it clogging up a powers list for characters that don't care about it.

 

5: Lastly, please have it be quiet. For as much DPS testing as I do, I really don't want to have to listen to it squawking every time I hit it.

 

Thoughts?

[Glacier Peak]

Forgive me if this is wrong, but don't the dummies in the Vanguard base meet your criteria?

[Bill Z Bubba]

4 minutes ago, Glacier Peak said:

Forgive me if this is wrong, but don't the dummies in the Vanguard base meet your criteria?

 

I don't know. I don't think I've ever been able to take one out.

 

Looks like the have 10K HP, 41.76 hp/sec regen and 100% DR to everything, and I can't summon them, so no, that won't work.

Edited December 17, 2021 by Bill Z Bubba

[Glacier Peak]

9 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

I don't know. I don't think I've ever been able to take one out.

That makes sense, 10k HP and 100% resists to all. nvm!

 

[Bill Z Bubba]

Total side note... love how my brain failed to transfer over 41.67 hp/sec and instead had me type 41.76. Aging sucks.

[A Cat]

37 minutes ago, Glacier Peak said:

Forgive me if this is wrong, but don't the dummies in the Vanguard base meet your criteria?

They also randomly don't exist if someone logs in nearby. 

[Shenanigunner]

1 minute ago, Krimson said:

Maybe repurpose part of the arenas for a DPS testing area, and use dummies that can actually be destroyed and say respawn after 10 seconds?

 

I can't see why, if that can be achieved easily, that base dummies wouldn't be possible as well.

 

I am wondering if there is some low-level reason this is not as simple as it sounds (such as the reason AH can't be opened in bases, etc.)

[Vanden]

What about custom AVs with no powers in AE? Fight them in Test mode with invisibility turned on and they'll just stand there letting you attack them.

[Lazarillo]

27 minutes ago, Vanden said:

What about custom AVs with no powers in AE? Fight them in Test mode with invisibility turned on and they'll just stand there letting you attack them.

This is a neat idea, but won't the "flee, FLEE, FLEEEEEEEEEEEE!" AI kick in at some point?

[Bill Z Bubba]

1 hour ago, Vanden said:

What about custom AVs with no powers in AE? Fight them in Test mode with invisibility turned on and they'll just stand there letting you attack them.

 

Certainly something to test out but I'd still much prefer something I could just summon in my base like the VMDC. And I don't have a single character with invisibility.

[Vanden]

13 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Certainly something to test out but I'd still much prefer something I could just summon in my base like the VMDC. And I don't have a single character with invisibility.

 

I'm talking about the AE option in test mode, not the power.

 

1 hour ago, Lazarillo said:

This is a neat idea, but won't the "flee, FLEE, FLEEEEEEEEEEEE!" AI kick in at some point?

 

That's what turning on invisibility is for.

Edited December 17, 2021 by Vanden

[Nerva]

1 hour ago, Lazarillo said:

This is a neat idea, but won't the "flee, FLEE, FLEEEEEEEEEEEE!" AI kick in at some point?

Isn't it possible to just turn off a mob's AI entirely, forcing them to stand immobile on the spot and take it?  I think that's how destructible objects are handled already.

 

1 minute ago, Krimson said:

I suggested arenas in case there is an alignment issue in bases. 

Y'know, a base item for this doesn't have to directly be the mob.

 

It could be a broad-platformed 'hologram projector' that the mob stands on.  You place the projector, and then click it to spawn a testing dummy on top of it that you can then beat the tar out of to your heart's content.  No worries about physical alignment of the object, since it's never moved unless you're in base editing mode.  If you're referring to alignment like "hostile to heroes" or "hostile to villains" you just have to ensure that the training dummy mobs are set to be universally hostile and thus attackable by everyone.

[Bill Z Bubba]

20 minutes ago, Vanden said:

I'm talking about the AE option in test mode, not the power.

 

Ain't gonna lie. I had no idea such a thing existed.

[Lazarillo]

20 minutes ago, Vanden said:

That's what turning on invisibility is for.

Apparently I am not familiar with this option, as I misunderstood what you meant.  If that's the case, it sounds like it'd be perfect?

[Shenanigunner]

9 minutes ago, Krimson said:

I suggested arenas in case there is an alignment issue in bases. 

 

I'd suspect it will work anywhere (arenas, 'stores' and bases) if it works at all,,, but that the reason we don't have them is as arcane as the reason for AH limitations. Or maybe it just hasn't been a dev priority.

[Bill Z Bubba]

11 minutes ago, Shenanigunner said:

I'd suspect it will work anywhere (arenas, 'stores' and bases) if it works at all,,, but that the reason we don't have them is as arcane as the reason for AH limitations. Or maybe it just hasn't been a dev priority.

 

Never has been. Once upon a time we couldn't even see the base numbers of anything.

[Shenanigunner]

12 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Never has been. Once upon a time we couldn't even see the base numbers of anything.

 

Well, I know; that was Emmert's iron-clad preference (with which I do not fundamentally disagree). But the numbers got dumped a long time ago and the requests for a training dummy have been continuous. It seems trivial on the face of it; the only reason I can think it hasn't been implemented is for a deep-code. engine, bare-metal reason. I could be wrong.

[Bill Z Bubba]

3 minutes ago, Shenanigunner said:

Well, I know; that was Emmert's iron-clad preference (with which I do not fundamentally disagree). But the numbers got dumped a long time ago and the requests for a training dummy have been continuous. It seems trivial on the face of it; the only reason I can think it hasn't been implemented is for a deep-code. engine, bare-metal reason. I could be wrong.

 

Might be so. But the introduction of the VMDC lit that fire back up. I'm thankful to whoever put in the work to add it and would love to have a conversation regarding why they did so. If such a thing as an accurate, summonable DPS calc is possible now, I would just really like having it.

[Vanden]

5 hours ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Vanguard MDC

 

My friend has no idea what you're talking about

[Lazarillo]

12 minutes ago, Vanden said:

My friend has no idea what you're talking about

"Mobile Dummy Combatant", basically, it's a Rikti Pylon you can summon to DPS-check your characters.  It's essentially an accolade power tied to a hidden fight in the ASF that from what I understand, only appears at the highest difficulty rank.

[Bopper]

https://cod.uberguy.net/html/entity.html?entity=practicerobots_summonable_vanguarddummy_asf

 

It's basically a level 54 AV.

30677.15 Hit Points

20% resistance to all damage

87% resistance to all debuffs.

 

So a Rikti Pylon that doesn't ignore combat mods (I assume). There's a chance it's just a copy/paste of a pylon with attacks removed.

Edited December 17, 2021 by Bopper

[Troo]

1 hour ago, Lazarillo said:

"Mobile Dummy Combatant", basically, it's a Rikti Pylon you can summon to DPS-check your characters.  It's essentially an accolade power tied to a hidden fight in the ASF that from what I understand, only appears at the highest difficulty rank.

 

Yep there is a summonable Dummy. Reward for new content.

 

Laz beat me by an hour but I'm still posting this option.. again.