Request: Weapon Animations for Ranged Power Sets

[keyguardactive]

I don't know how difficult/possible this is, but for thematic purposes, something I would like for the various ranged powersets is to have the option to look like it was shot from a weapon.

 

Like, apply the animations from dual pistols or Beam Rifle to my character, but the actual power projected is Fire Blast or Sonic Attack. 

 

I think it would grant greater customization to characters,  (I would also love it if I could have them cast things using a wand or a staff for Magic origin, but that seems like it would involve a bunch of brand new animations so I'm sticking with the guns thing)

[Rudra]

19 minutes ago, keyguardactive said:

(I would also love it if I could have them cast things using a wand or a staff for Magic origin, but that seems like it would involve a bunch of brand new animations so I'm sticking with the guns thing)

Circle of Thorns. Low level mages use staves for their attacks. So the animations exist. (Edit: At least to an extent.)

 

Edited September 3 by Rudra

[gabrilend]

I would adore this! I think it would massively increase the potential customization options. I have no idea how feasible it would be.

[Psyonico]

It would still require new animations even if we stuck to weapons that already exist.  Because those weapons don't have the right projectile coming from them or animation times wouldn't match up.

[megaericzero]

I'm all for it, even if it's a pipe-dream.

 

Animation times would be the biggest concern. Purportedly, the engine doesn't do well when swapping animations that are different durations, so new animations would have to be made for existing powers that have no current weapon animations that match.

[Chris24601]

Conversely, could we get “no gun” animations for the dual pistols, assault and beam rifles? I’m fond of wrist launchers and similar for powered armor type PCs.

[Rudra]

2 hours ago, Chris24601 said:

Conversely, could we get “no gun” animations for the dual pistols, assault and beam rifles? I’m fond of wrist launchers and similar for powered armor type PCs.

Weapon sets are defined as having weapons. So I oppose a no weapon option for weapon sets. If you want an alternate weapon that is gauntlet, vambrace, glove, or whatever? Sure, let there be integrated weapon options to choose from. They still need to be weapons though.

[Chris24601]

36 minutes ago, Rudra said:

Weapon sets are defined as having weapons. So I oppose a no weapon option for weapon sets. If you want an alternate weapon that is gauntlet, vambrace, glove, or whatever? Sure, let there be integrated weapon options to choose from. They still need to be weapons though.

Pedantic much?

 

I already stated “wrist launchers” and “similar.”

 

You know what that effectively looks like? No discernible weapon in your hand.

You just point your arm at something and bullets, grenades, flame, etc. comes out because it’s built into some contraption on your forearm or into a cybernetic hand.

 

Or are you demanding that there be one preset “not in the hand” option that must be visible while in a combat stance? Because that’s just so needlessly nitpicky as to basically be a suggestion intended to shut down others’ suggestion because of your arbitrary standards.

[Rudra]

34 minutes ago, Chris24601 said:

Pedantic much?

 

I already stated “wrist launchers” and “similar.”

 

You know what that effectively looks like? No discernible weapon in your hand.

You just point your arm at something and bullets, grenades, flame, etc. comes out because it’s built into some contraption on your forearm or into a cybernetic hand.

 

Or are you demanding that there be one preset “not in the hand” option that must be visible while in a combat stance? Because that’s just so needlessly nitpicky as to basically be a suggestion intended to shut down others’ suggestion because of your arbitrary standards.

What I am saying is that I'm fine with integral weapons being available for weapon sets, but those integral weapons are going to be weapon options selected from the weapons menu for that power set. So no to a no weapon option where you just say your thick glove is the weapon because without a doubt there will be characters that are being made that don't even have that. (Edit again: Hook hands that are shooting bullets is just too ridiculous in my book.) So using Assault Rifle as an example. Your character chooses the Assault Rifle power set. You get to the costume creator. And under the Weapons button, when you click the Assault Rifle button and it brings up the list of available weapons, somewhere on that list would be say a Wrist Gun that has a back of hand gun that is used as the weapon. Or an Integrated Forearm that uses the existing Advanced Clockwork Blaster. Or a Power Gauntlet that uses a bulky glove of some type with a visible built in weapon. So on and so forth. However, there would not be a No Gun option trusting players to just go find a suitable costume piece that can be interpreted as having a gun for it.

 

Edit again: Yes, this will require that the glove option for the costume be disabled for the integrated weapons. That is by design. Though having the weapon gloves available under the Gloves menu so they can be mirrored should also be considered.

 

Edit yet again: Bear in mind that the animations will need to be adjusted for the new emanation points otherwise the attacks will continue to come from the current emanation point and not be connected to the attacking character. Requiring players to choose their integration from the list of available weapon models insures the attack emanation points are linked to the corresponding weapon.

 

Edited September 3 by Rudra
Edited to remove "that is not currently available if you choose the Assault Rifle power set" since it turns out it is available still.

[TheMoneyMaker]

1 hour ago, Rudra said:

What I am saying is that I'm fine with integral weapons being available for weapon sets, but those integral weapons are going to be weapon options selected from the weapons menu for that power set. So no to a no weapon option where you just say your thick glove is the weapon because without a doubt there will be characters that are being made that don't even have that. (Edit again: Hook hands that are shooting bullets is just too ridiculous in my book.) So using Assault Rifle as an example. Your character chooses the Assault Rifle power set. You get to the costume creator. And under the Weapons button, when you click the Assault Rifle button and it brings up the list of available weapons, somewhere on that list would be say a Wrist Gun that has a back of hand gun that is used as the weapon. Or an Integrated Forearm that uses the existing Advanced Clockwork Blaster. Or a Power Gauntlet that uses a bulky glove of some type with a visible built in weapon. So on and so forth. However, there would not be a No Gun option trusting players to just go find a suitable costume piece that can be interpreted as having a gun for it.

 

Edit again: Yes, this will require that the glove option for the costume be disabled for the integrated weapons. That is by design. Though having the weapon gloves available under the Gloves menu so they can be mirrored should also be considered.

 

Edit yet again: Bear in mind that the animations will need to be adjusted for the new emanation points otherwise the attacks will continue to come from the current emanation point and not be connected to the attacking character. Requiring players to choose their integration from the list of available weapon models insures the attack emanation points are linked to the corresponding weapon.

 

Are you saying that my concept for a reality bending villain who wills bullets and other projectiles into being does not meet with your approval? Because if not then I would have to disagree with your disagreement.

[Rudra]

11 minutes ago, TheMoneyMaker said:

Are you saying that my concept for a reality bending villain who wills bullets and other projectiles into being does not meet with your approval? Because if not then I would have to disagree with your disagreement.

If you are taking the Assault Rifle power set, then there needs to be a gun of some type shooting. If you are taking Dual Pistols, then there needs to be a pair of projectile firing weapons. If you are taking Broadsword, then there needs to be something in your hand that you cleave, carve, and bash your targets with.

 

If you have a character that bends reality and simply wills bullets to appear and shred targets, then where is the dev team going to place the emanation point? Where is the assault rifle part of the Assault Rifle power set?

 

(Edit: In a table top game, something like that works just fine because you just tell the GM what your power is and how it works. In a video game, there are constraints placed upon us because everything we do has to have a model, mechanic, and animation that matches it. In a table top game, you can say your character just generates bullets that shred targets out of nothing. It isn't an Assault Rifle set. It is a matter manipulation or creation set that you have defined as creating bullets already at velocity striking your targets. Assault Rifle as a power set is an assault rifle set. You can't just declare the bullets do force damage or holy damage or whatever. Not in a game mechanics sense. The game has it doing a specific damage type. And the powers have required animations with their required emanation points.)

 

Edited September 3 by Rudra

[Psyonico]

1 hour ago, Rudra said:

Hook hands that are shooting bullets is just too ridiculous in my book.)

But hook hands that hold pistols isn't?

[Rudra]

Just now, Psyonico said:

But hook hands that hold pistols isn't?

As cumbersome and impractical as doing so would be, you can either learn how to manipulate a gun despite having hooks for hands or get a gun custom designed to work with your hooks. How is this little hook going to shoot bullets just by itself?

[TheMoneyMaker]

15 minutes ago, Rudra said:

If you are taking the Assault Rifle power set, then there needs to be a gun of some type shooting. If you are taking Dual Pistols, then there needs to be a pair of projectile firing weapons. If you are taking Broadsword, then there needs to be something in your hand that you cleave, carve, and bash your targets with.

 

If you have a character that bends reality and simply wills bullets to appear and shred targets, then where is the dev team going to place the emanation point? Where is the assault rifle part of the Assault Rifle power set?

 

(Edit: In a table top game, something like that works just fine because you just tell the GM what your power is and how it works. In a video game, there are constraints placed upon us because everything we do has to have a model, mechanic, and animation that matches it. In a table top game, you can say your character just generates bullets that shred targets out of nothing. It isn't an Assault Rifle set. It is a matter manipulation or creation set that you have defined as creating bullets already at velocity striking your targets. Assault Rifle as a power set is an assault rifle set. You can't just declare the bullets do force damage or holy damage or whatever. Not in a game mechanics sense. The game has it doing a specific damage type. And the powers have required animations with their required emanation points.)

 

If you are invulnerability (and various other power sets) there needs to be auras.  Oh wait no there doesn't.  Options exist to enhance player creativity.

 

But if you mean there must be an option on the costume customization menu, then I would point you to the same option that those no f/x power options have and just call that option "No weapon"

[Rudra]

5 minutes ago, TheMoneyMaker said:

If you are invulnerability (and various other power sets) there needs to be auras.  Oh wait no there doesn't.  Options exist to enhance player creativity.

 

But if you mean there must be an option on the costume customization menu, then I would point you to the same option that those no f/x power options have and just call that option "No weapon"

As I've stated on the No FX Everywhere thread, I oppose no FX being added to existing power sets unless the No FX still maintains the power set's visual theme. And in the case of weapons, that visual theme is a weapon.

[TheMoneyMaker]

15 minutes ago, Rudra said:

As I've stated on the No FX Everywhere thread, I oppose no FX being added to existing power sets unless the No FX still maintains the power set's visual theme. And in the case of weapons, that visual theme is a weapon.

well then, I disagree and hope that you aren't a member of the dev team.

[megaericzero]

10 minutes ago, Rudra said:

As I've stated on the No FX Everywhere thread, I oppose no FX being added to existing power sets unless the No FX still maintains the power set's visual theme. And in the case of weapons, that visual theme is a weapon.

I thought the visual theme was bullets?

 

For the melee weapons, sure, though even that has some wiggle room as War Mace can also be a hammer or a wrench.

[Rudra]

6 minutes ago, megaericzero said:

26 minutes ago, Rudra said:

As I've stated on the No FX Everywhere thread, I oppose no FX being added to existing power sets unless the No FX still maintains the power set's visual theme. And in the case of weapons, that visual theme is a weapon.

I thought the visual theme was bullets?

It's the Assault Rifle set, not the Bullets set. It also includes a grenade launcher (which is also used to launch bean bags) and a flamethrower. So no, the visual theme is not bullets, it is a weapon that fires bullets and a few other things.

 

Edited September 3 by Rudra
Edited to correct "not" to "no".

[megaericzero]

5 minutes ago, Rudra said:

it is a weapon that fires bullets and a few other things.

 

I can't currently be bothered to find a picture of a cyberpunk character with discrete, built-in versions of the weapons instead so please enjoy this generic smart-aleck image response for the time being.

[Rudra]

10 minutes ago, megaericzero said:

18 minutes ago, Rudra said:

it is a weapon that fires bullets and a few other things.

 

I can't currently be bothered to find a picture of a cyberpunk character with discrete, built-in versions of the weapons instead so please enjoy this generic smart-aleck image response for the time being.

 

2 hours ago, Rudra said:

So using Assault Rifle as an example. Your character chooses the Assault Rifle power set. You get to the costume creator. And under the Weapons button, when you click the Assault Rifle button and it brings up the list of available weapons, somewhere on that list would be say a Wrist Gun that has a back of hand gun that is used as the weapon. Or an Integrated Forearm that uses the existing Advanced Clockwork Blaster. Or a Power Gauntlet that uses a bulky glove of some type with a visible built in weapon. So on and so forth.

Again, and I don't know why this part of my comments keeps getting ignored or missed, I am fine with integrated weapons. Those are still weapons. Have those added to the available weapons list so they also have the correct emanation points.

 

Edit: Even those Cyberpunk or Shadowrun characters with their built in weapons have physical weapons that get deployed to be used. They still have weapons.

 

Edit again: And in the case of the example given by someone earlier in the thread about having a reality bending character that simply manifests bullets that kill their targets? That isn't an Assault Rifle character. That is a material creation character that just happens to be creating bullets already at velocity. That same character can be creating bullets from behind the target, above the target, below the target, anywhere they please. That character can be manifesting bullets behind himself/herself/themselves/itself to attack enemies behind them without bothering to even look at them or turn anything in their direction. Or be manifesting them to be firing perpendicular to their facing down a hall 300 feet away from them where they can't even see targets and still be killing them. How do you animate something like that in a game like this? Or even count it as an Assault Rifle character?

 

Edited September 3 by Rudra

[Owl Girl]

i would also like to suggest a 'minimal fx' option for weapon sets in which the animations remain the same but without any weapon visible. would Love to cut people up with an invisible sword conjured by my mind ❤️

[megaericzero]

16 minutes ago, Rudra said:

Edit: Even those Cyberpunk or Shadowrun characters with their built in weapons have physical weapons that get deployed to be used. They still have weapons.

There are some cyberpunk universes where the armaments are so small they're basically dots on the skin that are invisible at arm's length. Well, aside from explosives specifically.

 

Also, personally, I feel that integrating more primitive animations for the non-bullet options like lobbing actual grenades or fire bombs is a better solution than making an entire redundant power set that would just boil down to AR in all but name and animations. Nomenclature would seem to be laying the groundwork for that possibility given the control and assault equivalents are named Arsenal instead of Rifle.

[TheMoneyMaker]

25 minutes ago, Rudra said:

 

Again, and I don't know why this part of my comments keeps getting ignored or missed, I am fine with integrated weapons. Those are still weapons. Have those added to the available weapons list so they also have the correct emanation points.

 

Edit: Even those Cyberpunk or Shadowrun characters with their built in weapons have physical weapons that get deployed to be used. They still have weapons.

 

Edit again: And in the case of the example given by someone earlier in the thread about having a reality bending character that simply manifests bullets that kill their targets? That isn't an Assault Rifle character. That is a material creation character that just happens to be creating bullets already at velocity. That same character can be creating bullets from behind the target, above the target, below the target, anywhere they please. That character can be manifesting bullets behind himself/herself/themselves/itself to attack enemies behind them without bothering to even look at them or turn anything in their direction. Or be manifesting them to be firing perpendicular to their facing down a hall 300 feet away from them where they can't even see targets and still be killing them. How do you animate something like that in a game like this? Or even count it as an Assault Rifle character?

 

So you're just being nitpicky. Because integrated weapons could be so discrete that they can't be seen. But I'll stand by my idea of also just willing bullets into existence as a form of reality manipulation rather than being projected from a gun as just as valid a concept as holding a gun or having integrated weapons.

 

[Psyonico]

We need a gun finger option for dual pistols!

[Rudra]

25 minutes ago, megaericzero said:

There are some cyberpunk universes where the armaments are so small they're basically dots on the skin that are invisible at arm's length.

Show me or provide a link. Because even micro weapons in a cyberpunk game are either single use, point-blank range attacks or are visible weapons.

 

Edit: And even the single use, point-blank attacks are obviously weapons after they have been used.

 

Edited September 3 by Rudra