Official Thread for Masterminds: Thugs
By
008Zulu,
Posted on: 2006-05-01 11:49 in Developers' Corner
Not sure if this is should go under Thugs or Bodyguard, and it may be premature. When I'm putting my pets into Def/Follow mode, they seem to go crazy and run all over the place. I have 5 MM characters on live, and my main in CoV beta was an MM. I'm used to the quirky behavior that comes along with MM pets, but I'm seeing some particularily stupid behavior from the pets.
For instance, when I first started off in Mercy near Kalinda, I summoned a Punk and put him in Def/Follow. He proceeded to follow me for a few seconds, then started running back and forth for about 30 seconds. He then ran up to the edge of the fort wall and jumped over. He managed to make his way back up by the ramps, then proceeded to jump over again. I seen similar behavior before, but only when teamed with other MMs and the pets run off to help them. I wasn't teamed here tho, and I've never noticed a pet do that before.
1) PLEASE find another emote for thugs, i can imagion the fotm's all thug mm's and when they summon their punks, the whistling gonna be horrorible, it's cool for while, but seriously people will just learn to shut their sound off cause it's gonna be VERY annoying....
2) my god i almost thought Steve Urkle from family matters was my thug!!! please make the punks more thugy wifebeater shirts or tank top punks, street pants or shorts, NOT KHAKI's!! lol...
but anyhow, i'm so gonna roll a thug/dark likew i planned, just hope these short issues do get some help =D
Love the pistols and their animations and sounds 
Also, I like the standard thugs. They look like a random guy off the street when at their most bog-standard.
So far so good. Just please make the pistol sound like a heavier caliber. It looks like a desert eagle and sounds like a .38
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I find it funny a lot of people here are talking about clothes.
My path is still applying right now...
How long ago did i7 get on test?
TEST server is DOWN!
DAMN YOU! 
Can we get a red name to post what powers these guys get for the individual henchemen?
Bump and Grind Bane/SoA
Kenja No Ishi Earth/Empathy Controller
Legendary Sannin Ninja/Pain Mastermind
Entoxicated Ninja/PSN Mastermind
Ninja Ryukenden Kat/WP Scrapper
Hellish Thoughts Fire/PSI Dominator
Thank You Devs for Merits!!!!
regarding pets doing wierd things around Kalinda in Mercy Island,
I was recently back at mercy in that spot with my MM & had the same problems on live!
I summoned them up & set them to dance & then they ran all over the place & eventually ended up below me by the hospital/rez station things & I found it rather difficult to get them to stay in 1 spot. Even with goto/stay binds & the like.
So this might be an 'area' problem, just with that spot.
BUT I also havent copied my MM over for test yet so...
Horse-Flesh
Only level 5 so far, but I really like the feel of the pistol sets. The graphics and sounds are fine and give a sense of impact when they hit.
I also noticed that the ejected shell casings have "weight" now. I.E.- I can kick shells lying on the ground. 
OMG My punk is actually taking aggro off of me!!!!
I really like the Pistol powers. They have a nice style and flow to them. Heroes need pistols too, I dont care what AT gets them. After messing around with a thug MM I so want a run and gun pistol Hero.
Ok, got to level 5, and this is whats been bothering me so far:
1. The thug seems to lag behind all the time. I don't know if its server lag or if its the thug, but their run speed seems to be pretty slow. I keep leaving him behind and having to wait a while for him to catch up.(Its been a while since I've played an MM, so forgive me if thats just the way it is for the AT)
2. Is it supposed to say "Call Thugs" above their HP/END bars? Shouldn't it just say "Thugs"?
3. As was said above, the whistle to summon them might get annoying after a while, especially if its used for every one of the minions.
Everything else seems good so far, as far as I can tell.
"Through Avarice evil smiles; through insanity it sings"
Forum Troll Rule #1: Anyone who disagrees with my point of view is either a fanboy or an idiot.
I'm a proud carebear.
I think a good alternative (though it may be harder to push through the art department than I imagine) to the whistling would be if your character popped out a cell phone and called your thugs in.
Has anybody lackied with a higher level Villain yet? I really want to know how the "Arsonist" plays. If it's like having a Scrapyarder with a fire bomb...then I'm all for it baby! I can't wait to hear about Gang War, that sounds like a sweet power!
[ QUOTE ]
I really like the Pistol powers. They have a nice style and flow to them. Heroes need pistols too, I dont care what AT gets them. After messing around with a thug MM I so want a run and gun pistol Hero.
[/ QUOTE ]
/agreed.
Just at L6, with two (equipped) Thugs, and both Pistol attacks ... damn but the alpha strike is fun - and effective, too. Most white-con minions drop in one salvo of dual-shots.
The pistols are fantastic. The only problem I have with Thugs MMs is that none of the secondaries seem to fit, and I can't even think of one that would.
I really, REALLY hope you guys consider Pistol Scrappers. I'm aching for some Equilibrium style Pistols/SR with these awesome animations. Make it identical to Spines, with all the melee attacks as pistol whips, and probably trading Quills for one more 20-40' ranged attack.
Please try my custom mission arcs!
Legacy of a Rogue (ID 459586, Entry for Dr. Aeon's Third Challenge)
Death for Dollars! (ID 1050)
Dr. Duplicate's Dastardly Dare (ID 1218)
Win the Past, Own the Future (ID 1429)
Ok, just found a text error in the Thug Desc. that, for some reason, hadn't caught my eye until now.
The text reads: "His gang related acativitied has taught him well..."
I'm guessing its supposed to say "activities have taught"
"Through Avarice evil smiles; through insanity it sings"
Forum Troll Rule #1: Anyone who disagrees with my point of view is either a fanboy or an idiot.
I'm a proud carebear.
After 3 short levels of Thugs, the only thing I noticed is the henchman AI is a bit dodgy.
I was near the Jailbird badge in Breakout and I summoned a Thug. I put him on follow. I proceeded to go down to my contact and my Thug got stuck on the 2nd floor. I have a level 40 Ninja MM and a level 26 Necro MM and usually calling them with "Follow" usually works but it didn't this time. I had to dismiss my Thug and summon him again.
Otherwise, I love Dual Wield. And I can't wait for Equip Thugs.
I'd have to say (and a lot of people on Test today agreed) that the pistol sounds are a bit weak. Particularly on the single pistol shot, but also on the dual pistol shot.
I agree with the poster that said they look like Desert Eagles (depending on how big you make your Character) but they sound like .38's.
I'd like a meatier sound for them if possible.
Arc Salvo: Okay hold one sec guys, we can't just rush in blindly vs these Nemesis, they've got these ranged aoe's tha-
Teammate1(charging in): Shut up, Arc Salvo, you lame*$% Viewtiful Joe wannabe! What do you know?!
Teammate2(also charging): yeah, ST#& arc salvo u PWR RANGR U!
Arc Salvo: *sigh*
while i do love a meaty gunshot, you do have to consider the possible scenario of such a sound effect un multiples and in unison with others of its type.
ie: a single shot might sound a bit weak. the same shot fired of by 8 different sources (2 thug masterminds with 3 henchmen each) shooting in rapid succesion could be a bit much.
just as i thought, the Empty clips (first available at level 8) animation is several shots in rapid succesion for a very quick 5 hit DoT.
It's a cool looking animation, but I wish that was the Dual Wield animation. I'd love to see a really wide, short range arc, starting with crossed arms and overlapping cones of fire until your arms reach their normal positions. Just a dream, I know, but I'd love to see it happen.
As for pistol scrappers, well, being identical to spines with pistol whips would just be lame. The whole set should be short ranged cones, PBAoEs and single target blasts, with maybe one semi-long ranged attack and melee attack. Definitely lower damage than other scrapper sets due to the ease of use and AoE nature.
And as for pistol-wielding heroes? There's always the good ol' Shadow...
"OOOOPPPSSSS." -Statesman
Arsenal (Roy Harper) uses pistols, and just about anything else that remotely resembles a weapon.
Only problem is that the upgrade animation is exactly the same as the mercs animation for the first upgrade. Can we get somethign differenant then the clip toss? Hell, toss em a beer or something?
This thread is solely for discussions regarding Mastermind Thugs (Primary Set). From the Issue 7 Training Room patch notes:
"New Power Sets
Mastermind Primary Thugs"
All off topic posts will be removed. Please do not post bugs/feedback/balance issues before testing this content. All bugs/feedback/balance issues should be posted AFTER playing a Mastermind Thug.