PGP - Perfectly Generic Powersets

[Greycat]

Given the popularity of "I hate this look" threads, apparently, maybe it's time for this.

 

Powersets that are nothing but stat changes. No effects, no animations, no model replacements. No personality or theme to them at all. Generic icons in the tray and in the status window. You want a look, you now have complete control - just use the tailor, where all auras, shields, etc. have had their effects moved to.

 

Armors - since the devs found doing a "choose the power" a royal pain, we get one Defense set, one Resist set. And that's what they're called. Armor: Defense and Armor: Resist. With a fairly generic set of armors, mez resist powers and the like inside, which themselves have thoroughly plain names (Auto: Defense, Toggle: Smashing/Lethal Defense, etc.)  For the sake of people being able to tell what's happening in PVP, icons might appear overhead there.

 

Controls - Same thing. We already have standard Sleep, Stun and Confuse indicators. You'll have to infer things like Holds and Immobs from watching mob actions.

 

Buffs: Some people hate having their costumes hidden (even if they're surrounded by mobs and can't see them anyway.) So - no buff graphics. Some things already show numbers, such as heals, so you'll have that. Otherwise, keep an eye on that status window. But hey, that costume will be visible, I guess. Naming's the same - we're trying for themeless after all, so "Teammate: Defense," "Teammate: Status resist" and the like.

 

Debuffs: Since toggles tend to be delineated with auras, probably an all click-debuff set. *Maybe* they'll have to have some circle on the ground showing the radius of an area of effect on a mob, but otherwise, going with standard generic icons when defense or resistance is down.

 

Blasts: All blast effects in the tailor. Or you can go with no blast effects. There's no secondary effect - damage will probably be a touch higher to compensate for this. Though they'd have to introduce a generic damage type, I suppose. So yes, you could take no effect and just stand there with damage occurring. (PVP would probably have to have an arrow or something briefly to make up for the lack of other effects.)

 

Melee: See blasts, with appropriate range. Powers like "Melee: Light," "Melee: Medium," "Melee: Heavy," "Melee, cone," "melee, PBAOE," "Damage buff" and the like.

 

Side benefit would be *all the stuff* in the tailor now.

[biostem]

Joking aside, I think, ideally, the effects of the powers should be what define them, and not necessarily the GFX.  I mean, fire armor has its fire damage aura & burn.  Dark armor has its fear cloak, etc.  You don't need to be a formless blob of particle effects to sell the theme.

[Akisan]

[Rudra]

(Sorry. I knew what you were doing, but I had to.)