Force Field: Repulsion Field

[lemming]

So, I have finally gotten around to playing around with my Robots/FF mastermind and I went ahead and reslotted Repulsion Field to have KB->KD.

 

Before doing so, it was knocking stuff all over the place.  Now, it's very lazy about knocking stuff down.

I'm guessing it just removed the repel so that for the most part, it really doesn't do much.

I think I'm spoiled by Bonfire which works on pretty much all of the mobs entering the field while Repulsion seems to just hit one or two mobs every so often.

 

So is it possible to add the Repel chance to the Knockback chance if there is a KB->KD slotted instead of just removing it?

[Psyonico]

I knew this would happen when the FF change was in beta.  Can't make everyone happy.

 

The problem with having any repel where there is knockdown is that you've effectively created knock back again.

[lemming]

Well, if you turn off the repel with the KB->KD, the chance of knockdown seems to hardly fire off.  That's the issue. 

 

In regular missions, it barely makes any sort of impact.

 

Screwing around in perez park, with the ability to repel, skulls go flying all over the place.

Slot the KB->KD, and skulls run right up to you most of the time, realize they're attacking a 50, and run back out.  In a group of 12, maybe two woulds fall over doing that run.

Just makes it non-worthwhile if you're going to slot for knockdown.

[PoptartsNinja]

This is by design. Repulsion Field fires a knockback every server tick, so if those were the standard 0.67 KB of a standard knockdown you'd deal a knockdown and then while the enemy was just starting the knockdown flop it'd get hit for a second tick for +0.67 KB or 1.34 KB, which would knock it back and while that was starting it'd get hit for another +0.67 KB which would push it up to 2.01 KB knocking it even farther and etc, etc.

 

So instead it does a piddly something like 0.0016 KB and has to build up to 0.67 KB to score a knockdown, which it just barely accomplishes against foes that aren't knockdown resistant right around the time it takes the server to wipe the target's knockback back to zero. So you score one knockdown (maybe) every 6-10 seconds.

 

Back before Repulsion Field was buffed, this would also cost you 1% of your maximum endurance every time the power hit for 0.0016 KB, so you could stand next to a critter and literally drain your entire blue bar before scoring a knockdown.

 

 

The power would be more useful if the KB to KD didn't disable the repulsion but instead just disabled the knockdown entirely. Unfortunately the repulsion is tied to the knockdown so if you disable one it disables both.

[Luminara]

6 hours ago, PoptartsNinja said:

This is by design. Repulsion Field fires a knockback every server tick, so if those were the standard 0.67 KB of a standard knockdown you'd deal a knockdown and then while the enemy was just starting the knockdown flop it'd get hit for a second tick for +0.67 KB or 1.34 KB, which would knock it back and while that was starting it'd get hit for another +0.67 KB which would push it up to 2.01 KB knocking it even farther and etc, etc.

 

So instead it does a piddly something like 0.0016 KB and has to build up to 0.67 KB to score a knockdown, which it just barely accomplishes against foes that aren't knockdown resistant right around the time it takes the server to wipe the target's knockback back to zero. So you score one knockdown (maybe) every 6-10 seconds.

 

That's not how Repulsion Field works.  The activate period is 0.25 second, not 0.132 (server tick rate).  The base KB of Repulsion Field is 6.231, the chance for KB is 110%.

 

KB->KD IOs activate a special effect, ReduceifKD, which subtracts 100 from the power's chance for KB/Repel.  Only a handful of powers are tagged with ReduceifKD, and ReduceifKD only activates if the power is tagged).  In Repulsion Field's case, this leaves a 10% chance for (110-100=10).

 

The KB->KD IO also reduces the KB strength by X% (764% at level 50 for Sudden Acceleration, 1000% for Overwhelming Force), resulting in KB below 0.75.

 

The repulsion is set up the same way.  100% chance for, -100% chance for if a KB->KD IO is slotted.  100-100=0.

[PoptartsNinja]

Ah, my apologies, I don't know the specifics of how the actual IOs work, just vague recollections of a conversation with Pohsyb back in the day about how knockback scaled and personal experience watching enemy stats while running repulsion field with a KB to KD IO both prior to and after the change to the power.

 

Prior to the change the field would still subtract 1% max end per target about once every second or so, but only score an actual knockdown about once every six to ten seconds. After the change the knockdowns were still firing at the same rate.

 

The TLDR is, mechanics aside, Repulsion Field being very unreliable if KB to KD is slotted is the intended design of the power. Turning the player into a permanent mobile earthquake / bonfire would be inordinately strong.

Edited April 18, 2023 by PoptartsNinja

[Wavicle]

Bonfire, btw, is bugged. It is SUPPOSED to only have a 10% chance to KD with KB>KD slotted.