Pseudo pets / Targeted AoE placement not working on certain maps under certain conditions

[tidge]

I have long observed that on some maps, a placement of a pseudo pet via a macro like this won't work, even though clicking on the power itself will bring up the reticle to allow placement.

 

    powexec_location target Caltrops

 

One of the easiest places to observe this behavior is on the open world Croatoan map in the Grim Vale. The targeting reticle allows Caltrops to be tossed, but targeting an enemy doesn't even allow the power to be activated. This also occurs on some of the elevated areas of Grandville.

 

There are a handful of similar powers where (on certain maps) the power will be activated, but the pseudo pet is not placed at the feet of the enemy, rather it is (I believe) placed at some geometric level below (z-axis) the target $loc. I've observed this with Bonfire, when on instanced "tall room maps", the macro will trigger, but it won't be placed at the target location.

 

A similar sort of issue occasionally happens with target location "teleport macros" (which I use for Burst of Speed, Combat Teleport, etc.) where despite the target being in range and the power being recharged, the macro will not fire. This is rarer, but I have observed it.

 

For years, I just accepted this.. it is annoying to not be able to rely on favorite macros, and it appears to be limited to certain map geometries. However...

 

With the Terra Volta respecs as the weekly, I observed that a different, non-macro power appeared to be not working: The Blaster Epic Melt Armor. Melt Armor works like the macros do... pick a target (it won't work without a target) and then a patch appears at the targets feet. In the Terra Volta map, I can cast the power, but the patch doesn't not appear. This also happens in the Grim Vale. At some Grandville locations I can't even cast the power.

 

I have also observed in some player constructed bases where floating "floors" appear, there are other powers that require a floor surface won't work... like summoning teammates, so I am relatively sure this is a map geometry issue. This doesn't really bother me for Quality of Life... but for some powers (like Melt Armor) this strikes me as a "bigger deal".

 

I put this in the BUG forum, but perhaps a suggestion is appropriate? Maybe Melt Armor could be applied to the target, rather than to the target location?

[Trickshooter]

Melt Armor doesn't target a location or place a patch. Are you confusing it with something else?

[Jacke]

I'm familiar with issues like you've encountered, @tidge, though I didn't realise that some Powers suffer from it directly.

 

My Ice/Cold Controller has two click-binds and macros to deliver 2 Location patches:

/bind LCTRL+LBUTTON "powexecname Ice Slick"$$macro tIS "powexeclocation target Ice Slick"
/bind ALT+LBUTTON "powexecname Sleet"$$macro tSlt "powexeclocation target Sleet"

 

I normally uses the macros.  Sleet always works.  My experience with click-binds is they always work too (though with your experiences I wonder now).

 

The macro for Ice Slick often doesn't fire.  Good example is during MSRs: Ice Slick only fires in well under half the times I try.  Because I think whatever code is used to turn the location of a target into a location for Ice Slick to be cast leads to an illegal location for Ice Slick.

 

Also, I used to use "powexeclocation cursor ...." macros but they were harder to use and often didn't work in a similar fashion to the problems I had with the target macro for Ice Slick.

 

The next paragraphs are my conjectures of what's going on here.

 

It's likely down to the definition of the ground and how that compares to the location of a mob walking upon that ground.  The code for "powexeclocation target ...." likely in the cases that fail for Ice Slick somehow return a location that's above or below the ground.

 

Considering the massive number of maps with multiple defined ground surfaces, this would be impossible to fix by modifying maps.  It may be fixable by changing the code for "powexeclocation target ...." to be better at getting that location for the Power.  That could be easy or very hard.  Alternately, it could be fixed by changing the Location code to allow for a greater range of vertical space for legit locations for them to be cast.  One way or another, they would involve being better at placing a pet at a nearby location, even a short distance above or below the surface, just correcting it to the actual surface.

 

 

Edited June 24 by Jacke

[tidge]

I think fixing the maps would be too much effort. However.... didja ever notice how the new Pumpkin Patch from nuEochai doesn't need to be cast on a "ground surface"? It triggers just as well in the air as it does on the ground.