I rather like the sonic powers. As some other players have stated, please do *something* about the sound effects. They're horrible! A power set about sound shouldn't be hard to listen too.
This would be a good time to add a
/suppresssound all
/suppresssound me
or
/suppresssound playername
commands.
Also, it would be nice if males and females had different vocal effects. Males and females shouldn't be shouting in the same range, even if that range is the particular one that bursts an enemy's eardrums.
I add my voice to those saying the sound needs to get a change. It sounds absolutely horrible as a female character.
Sounds and effects definitely need work.
All in all, however, the set is massively overpowered, IMO. -RES is a huge effect to be throwing out, putting the set on par with Fire for damage.
It only takes 1 attack to get an immediate 20% damage boost on following attacks - FOR THE WHOLE TEAM!
Overall impressions so far:
I really like the animations. I'm not quite sure why, but they seem to be about the right look for a comic-style 'sound' set; rippling, air distortion, etc.
The sounds could use some work. None of them are bad individually, but they seem to be drawn from different sources. A little more coherency would be good.
The initial blasts also seem very strong. Not sure how they'll stack up later on - the mid/end powers seem more control-focused - but it seems at least 20-40% faster than the other blast sets, even before the debuff. I can also really see a problem once you get two or three sonic blast-users in a single team; imagine AV or monster resistances dropped by %100+? Don't want to neuter it, since -Res is a handy and unique effect, but it may need toning down.
Well, I'll go on record saying I like the sounds. I've heard a number of people in game say they also like them, though in all honesty I've probably heard more say they don't.
Like I said in the Archery thread, I wouldn't expect a Blaster secondary unitl they finish re-evaluating the current sets. Expect Sonic Manipulation about the same time we see the other re-vamped.
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I have a sonice/ice blaster currently up to level 7 so far on text (The Hyperbole) and I'm loving sonic blast so far. A few points to make:
* I love the rapidfire DoT. As an elec blaster and a warshade, I've never seen that before like my AR brothers have. It actively made me insanely giddy to see those numbers fly above the head, even if they were all 1s and 2s.
* The sounds need work, especially for female heroes like my blaster. It sounds like she's Buffalo Bill telling us to put the lotion on the skin everytime she opens her mouth. Even though I usually play with the sound off so I can listen to background CDs, it would be nice if the sounds were a bit more gender-neutral.
* I'm amazed at the range these powers have. If you are slyly hinting that us blasters should be blasting from the edge of our ranges, consider me game to your ploy.
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The sounds of the set are completely obnoxious. Playing a female with the sounds is crazy. Also I don't think of sonics as shouting. More like crazy vibrations and very intense musical notes.
The -res is way too powerful.
I'd love to test it more, if only the sound wasn't so irritating.
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Perhaps they should use the cupped hands around mouth animation.
[/ QUOTE ]
NO NO NO!
The set has the ability to double as Psionics, and with such a crappy Psionic current set, many Psi users will want it, especially with it's ability to meld better with FF or use Sonic Debuff as Psionics as well. The hands would ruin that completely.
I only played a little bit (got the first three powers) and I like all the animations for them but like others have said the sounds for the powers are kinda "blah". The first one is just the Council's gun shooting and the cone attack one (Howl I think) is kinda like the Werewolves.
*shrugs*
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[ QUOTE ]
NO NO NO!
The set has the ability to double as Psionics, and with such a crappy Psionic current set, many Psi users will want it, especially with it's ability to meld better with FF or use Sonic Debuff as Psionics as well. The hands would ruin that completely.
[/ QUOTE ]
Heaven forbid you ask the developers to actually change the set you want instead of hampering the visual style of another. It's sonics, not psionics. Deal.
With that said, I do not like this game's interpretation of sonic powers. When I thought of sonics I thought of being like the Shocker or Shriek, firing blasts from my hands/arms. This set apparently takes after characters like Black Canary though, so I'm pretty much boned.
i think its cool but the main thing i noticed is that it seems too powerful....now dont get me wrong i dont want it to change but thats my honest opinion.
And second is that most everyone hates the sound. But you have to realize that its supposed to hurt so it cant sound wonderful 
but in all honestly what ever sound you change it to (if at all) is gonna suck cause its screaming over and over and over. Its all gonna get old fast whatever you do unless you change it to a sound thats not a scream but a powerful "noise" so to speak. something that sounds more like a jet engine or more man made.
and thats my 2 cents
I like the animations on the set, some of the sounds are eerie and sound cool, others sound just horrible (the Howl for instance).
I was very disappointed when I found out there was no Sonic secondary set though. I had envisioned a Sonic Manipulation with cool Sonic Melee attacks (if that's even possible with the way Sonic is set up now) -- objects made of Sonic barriers or somesuch nonsense. It's kind of a letdown that Sonic has no real Secondary set to accompany it, as all the other sets do (even Archery -- I think Devices fits it pretty good).
This powerset is loaded with single-target damage, and very little in reliable crowd control.
My only caveat with this powerset is the low Endurance costs associated with these attacks. The Sonic attacks debuff the mob's resistance to ALL attacks, not just the continuing Sonic barrage. Accordingly, it needs a mild tap increase in Endurance Costs, as it's acting as a Debuff on top of a nuke.
I'd like to add to the comments on the sound effects of the set:
first of all i think a female set of sounds is in order; since they are (apparantly) vocal based, it's rather clucky to have your dainty (yeah right) girls sound like a growling guy.
Second of all and this only goes for powers up to howl: shriek sounds like a sonic gun instead of an actual shriek, howl sounds too much like a warwolf; not human enough, the second tier power (scream? it's the dot one) is right on the nose, for a male hero.
All in all, i think that the set is rather good, except for some of the sounds which need a looking at.
Sonic Blast. I like it. It fits what I expected Sonic attacks to look like. The animations may not be the best in the world, but it fits very well with the set. How many ways can one really scream? 
My only concern is the stackable effect of the -Resistance might end up being too powerful. Also, the Cone Sleep sounds more like a Secondary attack for Blasters rather than a Primary.
Cyclone Jack
-= idspispopd =-
[size=1]Arc ID: 3155 - Project Prometheus (Seeking Feedback, now with less invalidation)[/size]
To see this same review with inline pictures of the animation poses, go here.
SONIC BLAST
Here's an illustrated review of the Sonic Blast set, up to the fifth power, with evaluations of the animations, sounds, and special effects. More to come as I gain levels.
Overall, the animations need to be tweaked so that the power emanates from the character's mouth. That applies to all of them. OTher comments below.
Shriek (PICTURE)
Animation: Below Average. The Shriek animation should be reminiscent of the Scream animation, but not exactly the same, since they are the weak and strong of the same attack. Currently both are identical, and although they convey the projection of force, they are too much like (exactly like) the animations for Mind Control.
SPFX: : Great. I love the "heat seeking cheerio of DOOOOOM."
Sound: Very Good. The "sonar ping" quality of this power works very well for characters of both genders, and is not unpleasant to listen to. It also has a kinetic quality that imparts the feeling of force, probably because of the low-to-high pitch change in the sound which makes it sound like a "bounce".
Scream (PICTURE)
Animation: Below Average. This animation is unsuitable for the same reasons as the Shriek. It's not that it's a bad animation, it's simply below average as an attempt to differentiate Sonics from the other powers in the game. Specifically, Shriek and Scream should use the "hands cupped around the mouth" emote that we all do in real life when we want to channel sound in a long straight line (as in when you are calling for someone over a great distance). Shriek should have one hand up to the side of the mouth, and scream should have both.
SPFX: Excellent. The concentric circles homing in on the target are very effective at portraying a sonic blast.
Sound: Poor. This distinctly male "Rrrrah!" sound is simply inappropriate for female characters and is irritating to listen to over and over. This set could benefit from a set of sounds that do not sound like a human voice specifically, so that they will be appropriate for all characters.
Howl (PICTURE)
Animation: Good. The use of the arms helps convey the feeling that the character is letting more force flow from her, but is channeling the force into a cone. The open face-up palms (instead of clenched fists seen in Shriek and Scream), specifically help this impression of guiding the force into a cone.
SPFX: Good. The one larger "pulse" ripple is great at showing the sonic shock washing over the enemies.
Sound: Poor. We are not wolves. Really. That's not what I meant when I said "not like human voices." I do like having a distinct "TONG" that coincides with the emanation of the larger "ripple," though. That feels very nice.
Shockwave (PICTURE)
Animation: Good. The raised arms give the feeling of projecting force in a wide area, but different than the Howl animation. Just letting it go, so it can permeate everything and shake the rafters.
SPFX: Good.
Sound: Good. The sonic-ey warble is good, but this power could benefit from a low bass rumble in it. Don't remove what's there, but add a track below the current sound which evokes "rumbling ground" (perhaps borrowed from an earth power).
Shout (PICTURE)
Animation: Average. The same as Shriek and Scream, but for this level 8 power that does way more damage, I expected something new. Oddly, if the ones for Shriek and Scream were changed, I think this one would be fine.
SPFX: Good. There's a sort of "spray effect" when the attack strikes the target, which reminds me very much of the vaporous blast surrounding an aircraft when it breaks the sound barrier. It's a nice touch.
Sound: Good. The bass line in this power makes it feel more powerful than Shriek or Scream. The ping echo at the end goes on a little too long, though - it starts to feel like a sound effect from a 1950s sci-fi movie.
I love the sonic blaster does decent dmg. I HATE THE SOUND EFFECTS. to high pitched and VERY ANNOYING.
PLease change the sounds to something softer soother and shorter
The sounds aren't annoying enough. This is the one set where people have already accepted there going to be annoying, but they're not. Dark Armor Scrappers just laugh at us Sonic heroes. Sonic Blasters have to get Targeting Drone before they can near the "Annoying Sounds," caps.
Also, like others have mentioned, female heroes should have higher pitched attacks.
I love this set! That said, it could use some work in the sound/animation department. I'm not sure if you can put different sounds for the powers based on the sex of the character but that will go a long way in my book. The animations aren't that bad (as in there is no obviously ugly ones) but I think they look too much like psychic powers instead of vocal type powers.
My character, Bansheera, only has up to shout so far so I can't comment on the higher end powers.
I don't really like the sounds, but I don't hate them; I'm only L6 thought. It seems to be a nice set, but the fairly nice -res secondary effect really is a reminder of how badly elec/* stinks.
The set so far is VERY fun, but the DoT on scream seems to be abnormally fast. Is that intentional to reflect the unusual nature of sonic damage?
The sounds arent that bad. You can hear just a bit of warwolf in the Shriek power I think (The first cone power you can get) I think it's a little below par as far as accuracy goes in comparison to the other powersets. Expecially the cone attacks, how can you miss with a sound?? But thats realism kicking in. Also the damage scale seems a little on the weak side in comparision with the speed of the attacks. The short range sonic attack (cant remember the name, but it's like the 3rd power in I think) doesnt say anything in the description about it being a shorter range attack (Like blaze is for fire blasters) I bugged it for consideration that something should be added into the description. Overall I do like the sound effects, except maybe for the first power, but as it's your most common attack, I can understand it being toned down a bit. (HAHA I said TONE!!! PHEAR MY BAD PUNS!!!!!!!1cuppajo'scoffieiscold!!)
Bleh, I think I'm losing my mind.
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This is a pretty good set, but Shockwave is already a power in the Claws set, the name in Sonic needs to be changed.
The sounds are definately... off. The problem is that I don't know what to suggest that would both sound right and yet not actually hurt our ears or bother us after hearing it for hours on end. My inclination is something a little more... melodic? But while I think we could listen to something more musical more often, I think it would also come across as not something which would hurt enemies.
Also, is this set more powerful than other blaster sets when starting off? It certainly seemed like minions were very easy to kill.
Personally, I love this set.
I don't feel the -res is overpowered, all rad or all dark (Radiation Emission and Dark Miasma) teams have been around stacking -res for a long time, but in practice you can't balance around what an extremely vast minority of people do (any set in large numers has the same effect anyway.)
The sounds, are OK..I don't really mind them but something a little more bass heavy with some echo would be nice.
Graphics, some colour would be good..I liket h eshockwave graphics alot (if I'm not mistaken, theres a nice blueish thing going on there) all grey IS a little dull.
As for it dealing smashing damage...wouldn't be my first choice. But I can see how it would be a balancing issue. It kind of makes sense, but in my opinion all energy would be prefered (though not enough to want to lose/change any other part of the set for it), it a minor thing.
I love having the knockback tool, as a guaranteed knockback power, and not random like energy blast. It makes it more useful strategically.
Overall, great set. A+
(on a side note, it does more damage than archery because the arrow set's powers recharge faster, on par with the Radiation Blast set, while Sonic is more like the slower recharging/frontloaded damage sets)