Erlkoenig

I'm still following your story from back on the beta boards. I remember the disussions about the value of a MAC-10 as the weapon of your choice in the first part of the story .

Still loving it and checking daily for an update. Now please don't tell me it will be over in just 3 more parts!

Great story, great writing style.

Thanks sleepy for pointing out my error. Makes much more sense that way.

So I've completely overhauled point 4 of the FAQ. Unfortunately I can't edit the original any longer but it should read now:

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4. Q: I heard Teleport sucks because it uses way too much endurance per port. Can I enhance the power effectively somehow?

A: Teleport self can be equipped with either Increase Range or Reduce Endurance Cost enhancements.

Range is increased by 10% per DO or 20% per SO enhancement. Endurance cost is decreased by 16.7% per DO or 33.3% per SO respectively. Base range is 300 feet while base endurance cost is 15.

The formulas are as follows:

endurance cost = (base cost) / ( 1 + (sum of endurance reduction modifiers) )
range of port = (base range) * ( 1 + (sum of range enhancement modifiers) )

max ports = (max endurance) / (endurance cost)

max range = (max ports) * (range of ports)

So using one DO range enhancer increases range to 330 feet and one endurance cost enhancer reduces cost to 12.86.
With the range enhancer and a full endurance bar (100 end) you can do 6.67 jumps of 330 feet each and cover 2200 feet. With the endurance cost reducer you can do 7.78 jumps of 300 feet each covering 2333 feet.

Another thing to note is that the time per teleport is constant so slotting in endurance enhancers increases how far you can go without needing to rest and range enhancers reduce the time it take you to get somewhere.

As you can also see range enhancers increase linearly while you have reduced gains with endurance enhancers the more you stack them. For instance you can halve endurance costs with 3 SOs but 6 SOs just reduce cost to 1/3. So there has to be a point where slotting another range enhancer gets you more total range out of your endurance bar than you would get by a endurance reducer. Extensive calculations have shown this sweet point to be 4 SO endurance cost enhancers. After that you gain more value out of range enhancers.

Another interesting configuration (at least to me) is with three enhancement slots into Teleport self. If you'd slot them with 3 SO endurance reducers you could cover 4000 feet in 13.3 jumps. BUT if you put just one SO range enhancer in instead of a endurance reducer you can cover the same 4000 feet distance with one endurance bar in just 11.1 jumps effectively being there faster!

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As questions about the Teleport power seem to be a hot topic at the moment I thought compiling a FAQ on it would be a good idea.

I hope this FAQ will be helpfull to some,
so here we go:

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1. Q: Should I take Teleport or Fly as my travel power?

A: That really depends. Both have their pros and cons.
Fly is more intuitive (more easy) to use. It can get you everywhere, drains less endurance, you can use it for scouting around and it is generally safer to travel around with.
Teleport is way faster if used correctly over short to medium distances when it doesn't burn through your whole endurance bar. Over longer distances where you have to rest in between it usually is still faster even if not by a large margin. But it can cause you to take falling damage if you don't port in time again in midair or you can inadvertedly jump into a pack of enemies that you didn't see.

In combat, if you're a hero using ranged powers mostly you will probably find Hover/Fly more useful to keep yourself out of harms way. But if you're a meleeing hero you could find Teleport Foe/Self more to your liking as it can get you in the thick of battle quickly or a fleeing enemy back to you.

After all it depends on your personal preferences what travel power you find cooler. You may only be sure on this until you've tried both.

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2. Q: Can I select a destination on the overhead map and teleport there?

A: No!

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3. Q: That sucks! How does Teleport (self) work then?

A: Teleport Self is strictly line of sight with a maximum range of 300 feet. After you activate the power you get a ground target cursor. Put the cursor where you want to go and press the left mouse button. You will go through a short animation and teleport to your destination after using up 15 units endurance.
After that you are put in the built in hover mode. This immobilizes you for its short duration (about 2 seconds!?)) but you can still do everything else in the meantime, like teleport again, smack a foe or use another power ... just not move.
If you were moving before the port for some reason, for example because you began falling after taking too long to port again while in the air, you will still be put in hover mode but retain the momentum from before teleporting. That is you will continue to fall without being able to move on your own until hover wears off.

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4. Q: I heard Teleport sucks because it uses way too much endurance per port. Can I enhance the power effectively somehow?

A: Teleport self can be equipped with either Increase Range or Reduce Endurance Cost enhancements.

Range is increased by 10% per DO or 20% per SO enhancement. Endurance cost is decreased by 16.7% per DO or 33.3% per SO respectively. Base range is 300 feet while base endurance cost is 15.
So using one DO range enhancer increases range to 330 feet and one endurance cost enhancer reduces cost to 12.5.
With the range enhancer and a full endurance bar (100 end) you can do 6.67 jumps of 330 feet each and cover 2200 feet. With the endurance cost reducer you can do 8 jumps of 300 feet each covering 2400 feet. Using more enhancers widens this gap even more.
So in conclusion: Use endurance cost enhancements before using range increasers!
Of course there will be a yet unknown cap on optimal endurance reduction ( 3 SOs should reduce endurance drain by 99.9%). After this it would seem wise to slot in range enhancers.

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5. Q: I also heard you really need Hover to get around with Teleport safely? Then I heard it comes with its own hover built in. What's up with this?

A: The built in hover is really just there to eneable you to chain teleport through the air without falling down and hurting yourself in the process. It's relatively short and doesn't give you enough time to look around and decide on the route you want to take before letting you go. You really should have your route preplanned and just chainport in rapid succession without Hover.
If you want the comfort of being able to float in the air for longer and enjoy the sight I'd definitely advise on taking Hover. If you can live with Teleport being just a quick means of travel you don't have to take it. I probably won't either.

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6. Q: How can I get on rooftops etc. with teleport?

A: The most obvious method is porting high above the rooftop and then porting back down on it but there is a better way to accomplish the same thing:
When teleporting, just target a destination just slightly below the edge of the roof. You will appear floating near the rooftop. Now just face towards it and try to move forward onto the roof. You won't be able to until you hover period expires but then you will jump on it and be there in just one simple port. You can do the same thing with other higher ledges.

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7. Q: What's that infamous keybind I've heard rumors about that will change my teleport experience entirely?

A: /bind lshift+lbutton "powexec_name Teleport"

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8. Q: Oookayy!? And what does it do exactly?

A: Hold down your qualifier key for Teleport (left shift in this case) and just left-click with your mouse at the spot you want to go. This makes Teleporting around as easy as point and click as it gets rid of the additional targeting with the ground target cursor after activating your teleport power.
I find this bind invaluable if you plan on taking Teleport without taking Hover, too.
While you can chose another qualifier (like alt or control) in your bind if you want it is mandatory to bind to your left mouse button as this bind exploits the 'select' feature of this button.

Likewise you could create a bind like [/bind lcontrol+lbutton "powexec_name Teleport Foe"] to use the same feature with your Teleport Foe (or Friend) power.

If you want to know more about how keybinding works have a look at my favorite threads:
The Incomplete and Unofficial Guide to /bind (1.1) by Curveball and
Post your /bind's here by Grotus

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9. Q: Does Teleport Self have any applications in combat?

A: Yes, for example you can port directly into the fray and unleash your wrath on your surprised enemies. While you can't move while the built in hover state is active you can surely use your powers. PBAoEs (Point Blank Area of Effect) seem to be a good choice with this tactic.
Also you can use Teleport to get out of hairy situations. Just plan in Teleports windup time and endurance cost before it's too late to flee ... err ... tactically retreat.
As an added bonus you can even Teleport while immobilized/snared/rooted as long as your not mesmerized/sleepy/stunned.

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Todo: expanding this FAQ on Teleport Friend, Foe and Group.

If you have any ideas, tips etc. feel free to add them here.