Suggestion: Macros That Activate Powers Display the Cooldown

[RiktiHater]

I think that if a macro has a powexec_name command should display the cooldown of the executed power like it is the power (also make this apply to image macros) because it would allow for much more customization.

 

Also add the toggle indicator if you can please.

Edited July 19 by RiktiHater
More suggestions

[mistagoat]

While I agree that would be wonderful, I don't think the code allows for such a thing. 

[biostem]

22 hours ago, RiktiHater said:

I think that if a macro has a powexec_name command should display the cooldown of the executed power like it is the power (also make this apply to image macros) because it would allow for much more customization.

 

Also add the toggle indicator if you can please.

Here's the problem with that - the macro that gets created when you use the macro command isn't actually a power - it's just a button to trigger the effect;  It doesn't check if the power so-called has a cooldown or even if said power can actually be activated - it's only the system log that would display that info.  You'd have to fundamentally change the way it works to sort of make a call to the relevant power, then query it, and finally to display the cooldown, if the power is in fact still on cooldown.  Why not place the power in a slot that's easy for you to see, then instead use a powexec command that calls the power by slot number, instead?

[WanderingAries]

17 hours ago, biostem said:

Here's the problem with that - the macro that gets created when you use the macro command isn't actually a power - it's just a button to trigger the effect;  It doesn't check if the power so-called has a cooldown or even if said power can actually be activated - it's only the system log that would display that info.  You'd have to fundamentally change the way it works to sort of make a call to the relevant power, then query it, and finally to display the cooldown, if the power is in fact still on cooldown.  Why not place the power in a slot that's easy for you to see, then instead use a powexec command that calls the power by slot number, instead?

 

I imagine because the downside would be that you can only trigger that single power / effect when doing so the 'normal' way. Whereas a Macro can do a few things in sequence.

[RiktiHater]

13 hours ago, WanderingAries said:

I imagine because the downside would be that you can only trigger that single power / effect when doing so the 'normal' way. Whereas a Macro can do a few things in sequence.

The main reason I want it is to be able to add more flavour to characters but that is another good reason.

[ThatGuyCDude]

The trouble is that macros and binds are functionally equivalent to typing a slash command into the chat window, and while powexecs tell the native copy of powers to animate their cooldown timers and toggles, there's no appropriate slash command to do the same with a macro button.

Which suggests we perhaps need a slash command to do so.  Maybe "/powmimic <powername>" that you can add to the tail of a macro command to make the button animate in the same way as the specified power would on a bar?  Wouldn't work for a power chain, obviously, but would certainly help for those macros that are intended to address target troubles (like teleports).  There are some powers that conditionally change their icons (The Fire Armor pinnacle comes to mind), so there may be tech there that can be explored for macro function.

[srmalloy]

21 hours ago, WanderingAries said:

Whereas a Macro can do a few things in sequence.

Exactly -- you can have a macro that tries to fire off a half-dozen or more things -- toggle on Fly, toggle on Hover, toggle on Stealth, fire an attack if those three are already active -- so that you can just slap the one macro several times to turn on the toggles, ending with the attack. The game can't know which of those you want to show cooldown on, and if you've got  emotes scattered into the macro, it gets even more complicated.

 

I've always handled this by having a toolbar for the icons of the location powers that I've built into targeting popmenus:

 

// Rain of Arrows
Menu "ArrowRain"
{
Title Rain of Arrows
Option "Rain of Arrows &1" "powexecname Rain of Arrows"
Option "Here &2" "powexeclocation down:max Rain of Arrows"
Option "Target &3" "powexeclocation target Rain of Arrows"
}

 

With the icon for Rain of Arrows sitting in the 'drop powers' tray, I can see the icon for the location AoE power with its recharge countdown and keep track of whether it's ready to fire again.

[megaericzero]

16 hours ago, ThatGuyCDude said:

Maybe "/powmimic <powername>" that you can add to the tail of a macro command to make the button animate in the same way as the specified power would on a bar?

I'd imagine this still entails new backend code as the commands in a macro aren't constantly firing off whereas looking at a power-in-question would require the hypothetical new command to be doing exactly that.

 

You could try getting around this by having the command fire only once when the macro is activated and read the target power's net cooldown time then put the macro button itself on a fake cooldown for the same duration but that would get desynced if any de/buffs get mixed in after. Plus similar sync issues if you also try to have it imitate the blue "I'm a toggle and I'm active" ring as suggested in the OP.

 

On an unrelated note:

16 hours ago, ThatGuyCDude said:

There are some powers that conditionally change their icons (The Fire Armor pinnacle comes to mind)

Can that please get its own icon in the same palette as its power set instead of redirecting to Inferno's icon?

[RiktiHater]

On 7/21/2024 at 8:30 PM, ThatGuyCDude said:

Which suggests we perhaps need a slash command to do so.  Maybe "/powmimic <powername>" that you can add to the tail of a macro command to make the button animate in the same way as the specified power would on a bar?  Wouldn't work for a power chain, obviously, but would certainly help for those macros that are intended to address target troubles (like teleports).  There are some powers that conditionally change their icons (The Fire Armor pinnacle comes to mind), so there may be tech there that can be explored for macro function.

I was think a pow_apply_recharge or something along those lines but yeah, seems like a better idea than picking a random power if you have multiple in the macro.

 

16 hours ago, megaericzero said:

On an unrelated note:

On 7/21/2024 at 8:30 PM, ThatGuyCDude said:

There are some powers that conditionally change their icons (The Fire Armor pinnacle comes to mind)

Can that please get its own icon in the same palette as its power set instead of redirecting to Inferno's icon?

Maybe /macro_image "icon 1" "icon 2" "Tooltip" "Command" instead of only one icon or maybe specify multiple in the fisrt quotes.

[megaericzero]

38 minutes ago, RiktiHater said:

Maybe /macro_image "icon 1" "icon 2" "Tooltip" "Command" instead of only one icon or maybe specify multiple in the fisrt quotes.

Oh, I wasn't talking in context of the thread topic; just mentioning that it bothers me that Rise of the Phoenix Phoenix Rising now conditionally redirects to an icon in a different palette - and one that's part of another power set so I can't just swap icons without impacting that set.

[RiktiHater]

13 minutes ago, megaericzero said:

Oh, I wasn't talking in context of the thread topic; just mentioning that it bothers me that Rise of the Phoenix Phoenix Rising now conditionally redirects to an icon in a different palette - and one that's part of another power set so I can't just swap icons without impacting that set.

Oh okay, I think that what I suggested should still be a thing if they change macros with suggestions from here. I would also like if the palettes were consistent in multiple icons for one power, I just haven't ran into it much.