Focused Feedback: Storm Blast

[Puma]

1 hour ago, TygerDarkstorm said:

You do realize I was specifically talking of the closed beta testing that happened before here, yes? Several of us fought for all the same reasons people here have mentioned about Storm Cell.

 

One of the devs working the powerset told us how they want the power to be, and basically, this was it. To get the shorter recharge, it had a much shorter duration (that was how they wanted to compensate for it), and it sucked, utterly.

 

And the point still stands that even in its current form, Storm Cell is made perma rather easily, even while leveling. It's not ideal, but we're not likely to see much, if any changes, with Cell given that.

 

I'm sorry but you keep talking about "perma" when for most people a main complaint is it not being predictably where you want it when you want it. It's the "creeper vines" movement that's the biggest issue for most of us.  

I want to echo Sovera in that it follows behind you slowly, which makes it engaging the second mob...awkward.  If there was a way to either have it move fast enough you stayed reasonably in the center of it when it was targeting you, OR a way to nudge it ahead of you, that would help a lot.   

 

Right now, the key power of the set feels like it's designed to purposefully slow you down instead of speed you up. *shrug*

Edited April 12, 2023 by Puma

[Captain Fabulous]

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Edited April 17, 2023 by Captain Fabulous

[WindDemon21]

20 hours ago, Captain Fabulous said:

There are VERY few click powers that are permable without any slotting (and then are with minimal slotting). Even powers that are considered essential like Practiced Brawler need recharges to have up all the time. Storm Cell is no different.

Those are also powers that do a major, intended thing ON THEIR OWN, as well though.

 

This is a completely different type of power, that hardly does anything on it's own, as the debuffs are super minimal, and it's all about just being a set-up power, so that rationale does not apply for a power like this. It would entirely be within it's realm to have a shorter recharge, even if everything else about the power, including it's duration, and ability to "move" (quotes cause still too slow) stayed the same.

[Spectre7878]

How are people slotting storm cell?

[ScarySai]

Just now, Spectre7878 said:

How are people slotting storm cell?

 

I'm using posi and/or ice mistral without it's proc.

 

If you slot the ice mistral proc, it can proc on summoning, which notifies and can lead to headaches before you're ready.

[WindDemon21]

35 minutes ago, Captain Fabulous said:

I didn't notice any issues with it either. With 3 recharges + Hasten it was up enough for me to recast it whenever I needed to, even in my 20s. So I don't get all the poo-pooing or complaints that it's not viable as-is. 🤷

3 recharges needing to be slotted into a power that is a core set-mechanic is.. not good.

 

Edit: ANY recharges needing slotted.

Edited April 12, 2023 by WindDemon21

[Wavicle]

16 minutes ago, Spectre7878 said:

How are people slotting storm cell?

Before sets: Acc, Dam, Dam, Dam, Rcg, Rcg OR End depending on secondary.

[Wavicle]

15 minutes ago, WindDemon21 said:

3 recharges needing to be slotted into a power that is a core set-mechanic is.. not good.

 

Edit: ANY recharges needing slotted.

Most core set click  powers need recharge.

[WindDemon21]

1 minute ago, Wavicle said:

Most core set click  powers need recharge.

*stares in glue arrow* *stares in disruption arrow* *stares in flash arrow* *stares in poison gas arrow*

[ScarySai]

4 minutes ago, WindDemon21 said:

*stares in glue arrow* *stares in disruption arrow* *stares in flash arrow* *stares in poison gas arrow*

Benumb, fulcrum shift, heat loss, I can easily dig for counter-examples. 

 

Quit spamming the thread, please.

[WindDemon21]

4 minutes ago, ScarySai said:

Benumb, fulcrum shift, heat loss, I can easily dig for counter-examples. 

 

Quit spamming the thread, please.

Also do major things on their own, and are not a core set mechanic. Fulcrum also stacks. It's not spamming, it's counterpointing.

[ScarySai]

Fulcrum shift isn't a core part of kinetics? Heat loss and benumb aren't a core part of cold? News to me.

 

Recharge isn't going down without a duration cut, which will put the set in a worse place and in effect accomplish nothing. You alone account for most of the replies in this thread, tone it down a bit.

[@Ghost]

tbh a lot of the duration/recharge chat seems misguided in the sense that more aggressive pathing would resolve the issue almost entirely. In a world where Storm Cell's where you want it for the full 60s duration, that's incredibly efficient. AI's a fickle thing and I won't pretend otherwise, but imo ramping the move speed would be good for those instances where it seems to linger behind.

 

Its overall behavior is something I want to look at closer once the visibility tweaks go in.

[Sovera]

1 hour ago, ScarySai said:

This was tested, it wasn't good.

 

Trust me.

 

I would, but I keep hearing about 'trust me bro' instead of actual arguments. My argument is that a typical fight does not last longer than 30 seconds. If it means the recharge is down to 1 minute then with just generic IOs and Hasten it ought to be up every 20 seconds or so.

 

Alright, counter argument, your turn.

[Wavicle]

The counterargument is that shorter recharge=shorter duration=more time spent recasting it. The set shines in long fights, and Storm Cell is part of that.

[WindDemon21]

19 minutes ago, ScarySai said:

Fulcrum shift isn't a core part of kinetics? Heat loss and benumb aren't a core part of cold? News to me.

 

Recharge isn't going down without a duration cut, which will put the set in a worse place and in effect accomplish nothing. You alone account for most of the replies in this thread, tone it down a bit.

It is, but it's also a power that does MAJOR things on it's own, and not something that requires the other powers to do it's job. It also is a power buff that stays with you as you move anywhere. If you're going this route, and want to just make storm cell a self buff, I'd be fine with that, but I also DO like the location power, just not with the current rech/movement of the power.

 

And again, you keep saying "its not going down without a duration cut," but there is literally NO reason that the devs couldn't simply do that after hearing all the input from people. To say that without accepting that it is 100% up to the devs, and not something LITERALLY impossible.

 

Again looking at those 4 mentioned TA powers as an example, it's entirely possible to have the power recharge on 30 or 45s, and last 45 or 60 seconds

[FupDup]

Besides the recharge debate, could we be given control of Storm Cell's movement like a Mastermind pet? That might also help with keeping it where/when you want it to go. 

[ScarySai]

14 minutes ago, Sovera said:

 

I would, but I keep hearing about 'trust me bro' instead of actual arguments. My argument is that a typical fight does not last longer than 30 seconds. If it means the recharge is down to 1 minute then with just generic IOs and Hasten it ought to be up every 20 seconds or so.

 

Alright, counter argument, your turn.

 

Lacking any evidence due to not having the foresight to actually record it at the time during it's short-lived existence, that's really all I got for ya.

 

I could get into detail regarding how you had to recast it much more, when right now you are able to blast much more without having your flow interrupted, but other than my word and the fact you know I'm a good player, you're not getting much better than that.

 

Do I agree that a shorter recharge would be fine if there wasn't a catch to duration or damage? Sure, at least it would shut people up about it. But that catch is the important disqualifier here. I think it's a non-issue, personally, there's no reason not to slot it with recharge, you'll accidentally get enough if you slot a full posi to get it damn near perma before we even factor in global recharge.

Edited April 12, 2023 by ScarySai

[FupDup]

To clarify Sai's position to those he's arguing with, what he's saying is that the powers devs have created a maximum "power budget" of sorts with Storm Blast, and they believe (whether correctly or incorrectly) that a faster recharge would put the set over-budget, therefore warranting nerfs elsewhere to "compensate" to keep the budget balanced. Sai doesn't believe that faster recharge would warrant a counter-nerf but the people in charge do, and so we have to work within the strange boundaries that we've been given and try to find the lesser evil. 

[Wavicle]

Any reasonable amount of global recharge, Hasten, Bonuses, Ageless, whatever makes it easily perma. Having a faster recharge would be pointless.

[Wavicle]

Keep in mind, between Storm Cell and Intensify, this is essentially a Blast power set that gets TWO personal damage boosts. OF COURSE they both have to be slotted for recharge.

[WindDemon21]

34 minutes ago, Wavicle said:

Any reasonable amount of global recharge, Hasten, Bonuses, Ageless, whatever makes it easily perma. Having a faster recharge would be pointless.

Not pointless, thats basically the whole issue we have, is that it's making you rely on the slow movement and ai of the pseudopet.

 

edit: IE the ability to perma isnt tough, it's having it where and when you want it. It's a QoL issue.

Edited April 12, 2023 by WindDemon21

[Captain Fabulous]

<snip>

Edited April 17, 2023 by Captain Fabulous

[Sovera]

33 minutes ago, Wavicle said:

Any reasonable amount of global recharge, Hasten, Bonuses, Ageless, whatever makes it easily perma. Having a faster recharge would be pointless.

 

We keep on comparing oranges to apples.

 

A camp wants to have more recharge so it can be applied sooner.

 

The other camp says placing it down faster does not matter because the power is perma.

 

 

Basically one camp is talking about regular gameplay (short combat) and the other is talking about fighting AVs (long combat).

 

We spend 95% of the time doing regular gameplay and 5% of the time fighting AVs.

[Wavicle]

I’m saying that in practice it keeps up with me OR I can resummon it frequently enough for either application, based on my own testing. That’s with minimal slotting, available as early as 7 if desired. If my team and I are going so fast it can’t keep up with me, then I don’t need it, do I? It’ll catch up, or I can resummon, if we slow down.

 

Only one power in the set, Gust, requires it to do its own full damage.

Edited April 12, 2023 by Wavicle