New Player Experience: Mastermind Edition

[Lunar Ronin]

As any Mastermind player knows, any new Mastermind character created automatically gets three essentially macro buttons.  Attack Aggressive, Follow Aggressive, and Follow Passive.  These are from the launch of City of Villains in Issue 6.  Issue 7 added bodyguard mode.  Unfortunately, the three default macros were never updated, and no new ones were added.  A new player playing a Mastermind for his or her first character would not know anything at all about bodyguard mode unless he or she read up about Masterminds on the Homecoming Wiki or these forums (maybe), or if he or she was advised by a veteran player.  As a result, said new Mastermind player will most likely play with henchmen in aggressive mode, and get lit up.

 

My suggestion: Replace the Attack Aggressive and Follow Aggressive default macros with Attack Defensive and Follow Defensive, respectively.  This will give the new Mastermind player a much better, smoother, and safer playing experience from the start.  Then later as he or she is more experienced, the player can learn about other macros and binds, etc.

 

Another suggestion: Add a /release_pets default macro.  Sometimes henchmen get stuck due to bugs (infinite loop near elevators for example), or geometry, and the only fix is to release them.  Not even dismissing them via the UI or via /petcom will work.  This will give the player the nuclear option without having to look it up or petition a GM.

[Rudra]

I had to make a new MM to double check the default macros since I always just edit them. I'm guessing you want the Attack Defensive so they default to Defensive Follow after the combat is done? Anyway, I support this suggestion. At least for new MM players, it should prove helpful. I just ask that if the OP is implemented, it doesn't change our existing edits to the default macros.

[Lunar Ronin]

7 hours ago, Rudra said:

I'm guessing you want the Attack Defensive so they default to Defensive Follow after the combat is done?

 

Exactly.

[gameboy1234]

On 5/27/2024 at 9:56 PM, Lunar Ronin said:

Another suggestion: Add a /release_pets default macro.

 

This is a decent suggestion.   The current "Heel" (Follow Passive) is kinda useless, this could replace that macro for default MM binds.

 

(The other suggestions are good too.  Don't forget on the Pets window for MMs there are marco buttons similar to the default macros that are set up in a tray.  These would need to be upgraded as well.)

[Rudra]

1 minute ago, gameboy1234 said:

On 5/27/2024 at 10:56 PM, Lunar Ronin said:

Another suggestion: Add a /release_pets default macro.

 

This is a decent suggestion.   The current "Heel" (Follow Passive) is kinda useless, this could replace that macro for default MM binds.

 

(The other suggestions are good too.  Don't forget on the Pets window for MMs there are marco buttons similar to the default macros that are set up in a tray.  These would need to be upgraded as well.)

I would rather not. Adding a macro for release I can support, but not replacing the existing Heel macro with it. There are times when you want your pets passive and following you. Like when you are running through a higher level area and you want your pets to just run through rather than try to fight anything because those somethings attacked you or any of the pets and you want to keep your pet losses down as much as possible. Or when you are on a team and they are just racing through the map not fighting anything for some reason. (It does happen. Not frequently, but I've been on several teams that just raced to the end for several missions, particularly for the longer TFs. And not having to re-summon pets if you can avoid it for when the team fights at the end of the map is helpful.) (Also, I like to use the Heel icon for my Stay command.)

[biostem]

The problem, IMHO, is that no matter what macros are provided to the player, unless they actually understand how the commanded pet behavior actually impacts things like how and when your pets will attack, much less what bodyguard mode is.  I'm all for adding attack defensive, follow defensive, and other such macros as options, (perhaps in the powers window that can be dragged to the actual power bar).  In addition to this, I'd love to see some sort graphical representation or other such indicator when pets are in bodyguard mode and/or within supremacy range.

[Rudra]

34 minutes ago, biostem said:

The problem, IMHO, is that no matter what macros are provided to the player, unless they actually understand how the commanded pet behavior actually impacts things like how and when your pets will attack, much less what bodyguard mode is.  I'm all for adding attack defensive, follow defensive, and other such macros as options, (perhaps in the powers window that can be dragged to the actual power bar).  In addition to this, I'd love to see some sort graphical representation or other such indicator when pets are in bodyguard mode and/or within supremacy range.

There is an indicator on the pets that shows when they are in Supremacy's range. The Supremacy indicator is attached to the pet's buff/debuff tray whenever the pet is within the radius of Supremacy.

[biostem]

49 minutes ago, Rudra said:

There is an indicator on the pets that shows when they are in Supremacy's range. The Supremacy indicator is attached to the pet's buff/debuff tray whenever the pet is within the radius of Supremacy.

I meant more like a circle around their feet or something...

[SeraphimKensai]

Pairing this with the removal of negative level shifts for mm pets would go a long ways towards helping masterminds out. Perhaps even a pop-up on loading in a new mastermind to direct them to a forum guide about mastermind macros/binds for learning about advanced pet commands (vets would just click the button to dismiss the pop-up).