Temporary Powers: A Blaster Primary

[Hamsquad]

I don't know why exactly this idea came to me, but it's been in my brain for a couple weeks now and I wanted to flesh it out and get it out there.

I had a character that I was purposefully going and picking up specific temp powers on, for largely RP-during-combat reasons.  But it always disappoints me that temp powers are generally useless beyond a certain point or level of utility.  Sure, there's good ones out there, but I don't think this idea breaks them too much.

 

The idea boils down to this:  A Blaster primary that does nothing.

 

My brain says it needs to be Blaster, because they need a hand anyway and this is probably too broken under any other circumstance.

 

But essentially, the first five powers in the set are all Auto, with variations on a theme:  Making temp powers better.  The first two can be a choice between additional damage and additional accuracy, for any temp power that makes an attack.  The third can add a boost to any defense or resistance gained by temp powers that are more armor-focused.

The fourth and fifth powers of the set increase the number of uses for temp powers that come with a set amount, and the amount of time for temp powers that have a duration before they expire.  Essentially between these first five picks, you get the ability to have temp powers that can function in higher level environments, and without having to constantly revisit shops/mission arcs to regain them.  (Though, deciding not to have those so you can "run out" of ammo is also a choice you can make.)

 

The sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth powers for the set are also auto, but I'm having trouble nailing down the ideas for them - I suspect each probably needs to add additional properties to the temporary powers you are using, but I am having trouble not making them too specific or narrow, but also not making them too broad or too easy mode.  Things like tacking on AoE splashes to single-target powers, adding damage types to certain kinds of attacking temps, reducing endurance costs for toggles, and so on.  Any suggestions welcome, there.

Maybe for the ninth I'd still like a nuke, or the ability to give a temp power nuke-like properties on a timed basis, maybe something that just procs a "hey this temp power with a single target hits up to 15 targets in a certain radius based on the power, instead", or something.

 

No idea how viable the whole thing is, but there's so many temporary powers out there that I think it'd be neat to be able to play a gadgeteer type who has to "invent" new toys and reload them and upkeep them, or an opportunist who sees a Rikti gun and says "yeah I can work with that", and so on.

 

Feel free to let me know what you think!

[Rudra]

Not likely to happen for a few reasons.

 

1) AT power sets are supposed to get the character through the game.

Sure, some power sets on some ATs may require the player to call for help or stock up on items to give the character an edge for some difficult tasks, but every AT and their power sets are meant to get the character from start of game to end of game. A primary power set that does nothing, gives the character no offense, no defense, no crowd control, and no support abilities is not going to get any character, no matter how well played, from start of game to end of game on its own.

 

2) Temp powers are not immediately available to characters.

Your proposed set can only function if the character has temp powers to empower. And a fresh from character creation character has none. Say the character was made by a new player who was in one of the tutorials. They don't get access to P2W in the Galaxy City tutorial until just before the area where they fight the giant Shivan. And in the Outbreak, Breakout, and Praetorian tutorials? There is no P2W/T2V vendor until you complete the tutorial. So now you have a character that can't even complete a tutorial without assistance from others. (Edit again: There may actually be a vendor in Outbreak, I can't remember, but I do not remember there being one in Breakout or Going Rogue.)

 

3) Temp powers are intentionally not affected by player character powers, enhancements, or buffs.

Temp powers are niceties for players to enjoy. Some give players a decided edge, but they are not meant to be mainstay attacks. So they cannot be enhanced in any way. So not only would your new power set have to be designed, animated, coded, tested, and then finally implemented, it would also require additional code to override that restriction. Without somehow breaking that restriction and making it possible for global effects, granted buffs, or self-buff powers from interacting with the temp powers. While still allowing buff powers to affect the temp powers.

 

4) Temp powers go away.

With the exception of the P2W/T2V prestige powers, all temp powers have a set number of uses or a set amount of time of availability. Many of which can't be replaced in a convenient manner. This reduces the character to random luck for viability even with the availability of temp powers. (Edit yet again: Imagine fighting an EB and you burn through all 5 charges of temp power A, all 3 charges of temp power B, all 10 charges of temp power C, and then all 5 charges of temp power D with no further temp powers left to use against said EB because you burned through the others just getting to him/her. Or running out while on an iTrial or a Hamidon league.)

 

You have an interesting idea. However, for a video game like this, it just isn't really feasible. It highlights something that is meant to not be a focus while taking away the mainstay ability of player characters: the ability to play through the game without having to rely on others, particularly temp powers.

 

Edit: Also, I know several players that would take exception to your claim that Blasters need help from others. (I'm one of them.)

Edited December 3, 2023 by Rudra

[Saiyajinzoningen]

Have you thought about making a blaster that has nothing but power pool powers?

although its not the same as your suggestion

its the closest thing i can think of that would play similarly

[Hamsquad]

Funny enough, I have done a mostly-pool-powered toon or three or five over the years, and it's tricky and fun!  

 

And to Rudra's many fine points, I largely agree.  Like I said, this is a pipe dream that got stuck in my craw that I wanted to gauge the validity of. 

 

I think the tutorial point is a little weak, pretty sure with Brawl and any Blaster secondary I can at least punch my way through any tutorial opener at +0x1, and there's no reason the proposed power set might not come with a freebie baseball bat to start you off, or maybe have it so each of the first two auto powers also awards you a freebie temp power alongside any patrol XP you earn, or some such, similar to what day job badges award, to help early levels out.

 

I'm not saying the coding is possible or even doable, but I have you on one point - I specifically suggested that the powers in the set are autos that do nothing visible.  No animation required.

 

And as to point 4 - that's the point.  Temp powers go away.  Are you stocked up for your AV fight? Do you need to hit up P2W to literally W?  Is it worth it to go by Ouroboros, run a short arc, to obtain a Rikti blaster to help you out on the next story arc you're about to do?  Did you show up to Hami with 3 charges left on your best ranged attack?

 

It's absolutely a thinking player's goof-around, but it's one I think people would have fun with.  Or at least gripe about.

[lemming]

11 hours ago, Rudra said:

2) Temp powers are not immediately available to characters.

Your proposed set can only function if the character has temp powers to empower. And a fresh from character creation character has none. Say the character was made by a new player who was in one of the tutorials. They don't get access to P2W in the Galaxy City tutorial until just before the area where they fight the giant Shivan. And in the Outbreak, Breakout, and Praetorian tutorials? There is no P2W/T2V vendor until you complete the tutorial. So now you have a character that can't even complete a tutorial without assistance from others. (Edit again: There may actually be a vendor in Outbreak, I can't remember, but I do not remember there being one in Breakout or Going Rogue.)

There's a P2W in each tutorial.

Outbreak right in front of you when you start.

Going Rogue just to the right when you start. Transact for Victory, natch

Breakout is a bit obfuscated as Keister, but does show as a store in map.

 

Other than that, I'm not sure about the idea, but one could just run thru most of the game as a temp power user.  Most I think use them more for flavor, though there are some that are situational useful.

[Frozen Burn]

5 hours ago, Hamsquad said:

And as to point 4 - that's the point.  Temp powers go away.  Are you stocked up for your AV fight? Do you need to hit up P2W to literally W?  Is it worth it to go by Ouroboros, run a short arc, to obtain a Rikti blaster to help you out on the next story arc you're about to do?  Did you show up to Hami with 3 charges left on your best ranged attack?

 

It's absolutely a thinking player's goof-around, but it's one I think people would have fun with.  Or at least gripe about.

 

This is the big issue right here.  Anyone who picks this power set has to continually purchase - spend Inf - on new temp powers to have half of their powersets work.  That's unfair.  It is also possible for someone to use up an entire temp power before a mission or even Task Force or Trial is over and you can't refill.  Not all temp powers are available at the P2W vendor either. 

 

Additionally, new toons - and especially new players to the game - who do not have Inf to spend at the P2W vendor are out of luck.  

 

I get your idea and see why you would want this.  It does seem like a nifty idea to have something to boost temp powers.  But NOT for a primary set of an AT or even as a secondary set.  And you are sorely mistaken if you think Blasters need a hand.  Or any other AT for that matter.  

 

If anything, this would need to be a Pool Power set open to all.  You only need 5 powers in a Pool set and you've outlined them (so then there is no need to come up with anything for powers 6-9).  

 

[Rudra]

6 hours ago, Hamsquad said:

And as to point 4 - that's the point.  Temp powers go away.  Are you stocked up for your AV fight? Do you need to hit up P2W to literally W?  Is it worth it to go by Ouroboros, run a short arc, to obtain a Rikti blaster to help you out on the next story arc you're about to do?  Did you show up to Hami with 3 charges left on your best ranged attack?

Did you buy 1,000,000 charges of temp powers but the arc needs you to use 5,000,000 because RNG has decided that aside from Streakbreaker you just won't hit, the targets are weathering the temp powers better than expected, the maps are huge instead of small, or any of a plethora of other possible reasons while on a TF/SF (including running anything through Ouroboros) so you can't just run out and hit up a P2W vendor for more? Did you run out while on a Magisterium run so now all you can do is stand at the back of the map and dodge Olympians hoping no one will notice and think you're just leeching?

 

Your idea would work just fine for a PnP superhero game. You ran out of charges on the powers you had? Okay, scrounge from the environment so you can keep fighting. Call your butler to drive/pilot one of your many vehicles and drop off more charges of powers for you to use. Whatever. In CoX though? Where we can't interact with the environment to scavenge other "temp powers" or juryrig  more temp powers because the environment is non-interactable? And for new accounts with limited inf' available to replenish their stock of temp powers and equally limited access to missions that grant weapon temp powers due to low level? Sure, they can use Brawl, but their primary power set is useless to them until they can find/buy temp powers. Their best work around? Grab attacks from the power pools. Only now the primary power set is forcing the player to make a... what were they called? MAN builds? (And if a player wants to run one of those, they already can without being forced into it by their AT's primary power set.) It doesn't really work. Especially as notoriously buggy as the game's code is and now a new set of game code has to be added that only partially disables the existing code.

[Hamsquad]

More totally fine replies.  I think there's some suggestion being inferred here that I expect this to be a powerset for newbies to HC, or somehow a beginner set.  People have managed with the complexities of Kheldians, power sets with attack string combos such as Dual Blades, power sets with stance-like toggles such as Bio Armor, and Masterminds exist.  This is not an idea for the faint of heart or the new of game.  If it were locked behind an in-game obtainable I would in no way complain.

 

To clarify:  I don't expect this to be a set that nullifies your secondary set, so you wouldn't ever be utterly without powers. And pool powers, too.  No reason you can't get by with those if you have run utterly out of options.  And as mentioned, not every temp power is purchaseable at P2W, nor is everyone able to afford them all.  But that is a two-way street.  There are a sizeable number of missions and arcs that reward temp powers as well, or provide them at the start, and one merely needs run a simple mission or five to obtain several, if you're really strapped for supplies.

 

I don't think this idea works as a power pool for the same reason I think it needs to be a Blaster primary:  Any other AT would break this wide open.  And I don't mean that as a slight to Blasters, either, as seems to be another incorrect inference here.  Blasters would have the most to gain from the set, and while I could see an argument for adding it for Sentinels, Corruptors and Defenders too, it's probably best to restrict it.  There are simply so many ranged damage oriented temps out there that just giving them to most of the other ATs and then buffing them on top of that would be too much.

 

Rudra gives me a fine idea, however, since I was floundering on later-choice powerset options for this idea.  No reason one of them can't be a power that lets you exchange inspirations for additional charges of powers on the fly, effectively "scrounging" from your environment.  Set it up so that using a red or a yellow has a chance to replenish a temp power you're running lower on, and using a purple or orange can replenish time for toggles, perhaps.   Or to go even more directly to scavenging, another idea I had adds to indoor missions:  Just as having Kheldians on your team can spawn Void enemies and Quantum gunners, having Blasters with this set on the team could spawn additional glowies for them to click, which scavenge you up some temporary powers. 

 

There's plenty of design room here, but it seems everyone's pretty down on the idea.

[biostem]

I had this idea some time back for a "survivalist" powerset, where you'd have to prep before battle to create your throwing knives, arrows, spears, traps, med packs, and so on.  So in essence, while you could craft stuff mid-battle, you'd be vulnerable in doing so...

[Hamsquad]

I had thought about including a power at the start to give you something level-appropriate at random, but for one that's such a wide pool at basically any level range, and for two it kinda dilutes the idea of manifesting a custom powerset of your choosing from temporary powers the game has available.

[Wavicle]

In Final Fantasy XIV there is a character class called Blue Mage which is basically its own sort of minigame within the greater game.

Blue Mage can learn many spells from FOES throughout the game, ultimately becoming FAR more powerful than any of the other classes.

However, Blue Mage is considered a Limited Class, meaning it is restricted from entering many types of content, because it would be totally OP.

Now, I'm not suggesting the idea in this thread would be OP, but maybe that would be the solution, that it would be restricted from certain kinds of content.

Edited December 10, 2023 by Wavicle

[seebs]

You could do a power set that's all powers that are Just Like iconic temp powers, but are actually just normal blaster powers which happen to have those animations or graphics.