Alternate Powerset "Styles"

[Sakura Tenshi]

Okay, so I want to preface that I don't even know if this could be called a suggestion, so much as just searching for discussion and feedback. I don't know how feasible it would be from a development standpoint either. The gist of the idea is to basically give some sets, pretty much mostly weapon oriented ones, some 'alt-styles' that roughly change up how the animations would go but not anything mechanically (so not animation mechanics either), some example ideas include:

• Tactical Archery -> Tactical rifle: for someone who uses AR and even beam rifle, or just wants a more 'weapons' oriented secondary but like the utility munitions concept. This basically would make Tactical Archery blaster secondary attacks be fired from an assault rifle model as various types of grenades.
• Shield Defense - Shieldless 'Shield Defense': Pretty self-explanatory. Basically a version of shield where you don't have extra costume part and thus could pair it with other powersets*
• Broadsword -> Two-handed Warsword: Basically the slower, smashier numbers of broadsword with the two-handedness of katana. Customization would be the same, animations would be recycled but timing would be slowed down to match better.
• Katana -> Fencer's blade: Basically the flipside of the above, broadsword's animation sped up, and its customizations applied to katana's speed for a more 'fencing'-esque feel.

 

And those are the four major ones that popped into my head. Now some of you might say "if you want the mechanical benefits of the powerset without the visuals then suck it up and accept the visuals!", and, well, really I can't argue completely with that, though I do feel such options could open up some great concepts. Now in-programming terms, I'm not sure if you'd pick these options when you pick those powersets or if it'd basically just end up being a largely copy and paste 'new' powerset entirely that shares mechanics. But there's a lot of uncertainty with this and that's why I'm just throwing it out there to ask what people even think of such an idea.

 

*Shield might be an issue though since, I don't remember where, but I think the live devs had mentioned that they had partially balanced shield defense itself around being unable to pair it with certain powers like claws and katana, and balanced some later powersets around whether they would be able to be paired with shield or not.

[Communistpenguin]

I could be wrong, but originally katana and broadsword were identical in everything but model. This as back before weapon customization. Later katana got its own animations, but I dont recall if the numbers were ever really changed. 

[biostem]

If you used the existing animation, and placed the character's left hand on a foregrip, (existing or added), of some of the rifle models, it could almost work for archery...

[Sakura Tenshi]

On 3/24/2023 at 3:27 PM, Communistpenguin said:

I could be wrong, but originally katana and broadsword were identical in everything but model. This as back before weapon customization. Later katana got its own animations, but I dont recall if the numbers were ever really changed. 

 

Kind of did? A friend from back on live mentioned Katana used to just be broadsword with a different model and did less damage. Later it got faster recharge, unique (and quicker) animations, and lower end cost in compensation for its lower damage. Though the idea of this is sort of a flip where it'd be allowing weapon models and animations (with some tweaks to animation speed) to be used for the other. Sort of a power/animation customization wholesale package in addition to weapon customization itself.

 

On 3/24/2023 at 4:30 PM, biostem said:

If you used the existing animation, and placed the character's left hand on a foregrip, (existing or added), of some of the rifle models, it could almost work for archery...

Are you suggesting a sort of 'alternate animation style' that would turn archery into basically a 'marksman rifle' set? It could work within this idea, it would involve changing the power 'particle effect' like arrows to a bullet.