Making Combat Jumpers JUMP!

I had an idea today. I was fighting a Fake Nemesis and he tried to blast me while I was jumping and he missed, as I jumped over the incoming blast. Looked really cool (wish Fraps had been running). But then my brain kicked in and reminded me it was just a coincidence, and that movement/jumping really has no effect on hit/miss in this game. After a moment of regret for that fact, I remembered a recent discussion about changing stone armor, and how it's now possible to make certain powers/buffs have effect "only" when you're on the ground...

Anyway, that made it occur to me, what if we had a +def that was available only when we not only had Combat Jumping active, but were specifically NOT on the ground. Instead of so many people taking combat jumping to move quicker, but still just standing there in combat getting a tiny +def, we could remove the existing +def, and add a more significant +def (maybe 5%) that's only active when you are specifically jumping and more than 1 foot off the ground (flying doesn't count).

We'd have these people with Combat Jumping actually jumping around in combat like spidey or nightcrawler, or other hard to hit acrobatic type supers...

Just thinking a change like this would make the power function more like it seems like it should, as well as make it more of an actively used power than just a passive toggle.

The question is, does the game code support this potential, or are those "only on the ground" powers something where the "only on the ground" part of the equation cannot be reversed?

Honestly, I don't tend to take Combat Jumping for the +def but for the -immob. (For instance, I play quite a few Fire tanks, and have a few Darks I enjoy. Fire doesn't get a built in Immob resist until Burn at 18 (for tanks, later for scrappers/brutes,) Dark gets it in the stealth toggle Cloak of Darkness @12. Electric gets it in Grounded, which only kicks in when "near the ground.")

That said - I don't think it'd work the way you think. When (to use your example) that fake nem targets you and cycles to "Whap with Nem Staff bolt," that's when its tohit calculations go into effect, and that's when you're "hit" or "missed." Jumping around would just be... irritating, frankly.

And what about those who *do* need to be on the ground - I don't recall the height where Grounded kicks in, but those who have to be on the ground to (say) activate hot feet, or summon pets, or whose powers get interrupted by movement, or who get rooted while using a power - sounds right offhand like it'd be a mess to me.

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When I first started playing this game I used to bob and weave thinking it'd make the attacks miss.

The 1st few nights I played, my blaster would be dodging incoming attacks left and right, sometimes I'd get hit, others I'd seem to strafe just in time.
Needless to say I thought this was how it worked.
Then I took a mission and was doing the same. I saw an incoming blast heading my way and ducked behind a corner.
To my shock the bolt started to arc towards me and then came phasing through the wall to smack me upside the head.

My 1st thought was "Whoa! this guy has homing missles!"

Then I slowly realized it wasn't just his attack, it was all of them. They were locked on and unable to be shook off no matter what. It was only my impression that I was able to dodge.




I also expected to be able to 'run and gun' in this game but was saddened to find out you couldn't.
Still on my blaster, I've had a few rare occasions were I won't be rooted during an attack. Nothing is as cool as chasing down a runner and clicking your attack only to keep on trucking while it fires away!

I would be all for this, but I'm sure one can run both Hover and Combat Jumping at the same time, thus keeping the suggested +Def without the downside of landing and losing it, which would make a pretty big boost to a character's overall Defense.

I realize that the attack is processed before you even see the graphic outcome of that attack, so yeah, it certainly wouldn't be possibly to actively "dodge" any attacks with this. Kinda a pity, but I doubt there's any way around that.

As for Hover "stacking", I believe it would be possible at this stage in the game to either rewrite hover, or work it into the combat jumping code that turning on a flight power suppresses combat jump.

As for people jumping around all the time, well I kinda think that's the point of the idea. Combat Jumping just kinda seems to passive as is, where it being "on" is all that matters, not whether there is actually any jumping involved. Seems kinda thematically wasted if you catch my drift.

I'm willing to acknowledge that it might still be reasonable for the +def (and immob res, forgot about that) to remain active for some period like 3-5 seconds after you stop pressing your /+up key, so that people don't need to rejump immediately upon landing to keep defense from dropping, but I'd still like to see a mechanic that rewards moving around, especially if you have a power that's all about the ability to move around.

I'm 36 and I don't do this.

Instead I run circles around people, use the chicken and burp emotes and if we don't get started by the time I get tired of doing that, I start jumping up and down.

But it's usually not my #1 move.

All criticisms being of the OP's suggestion being fair and pointed, I wouldn't mind if power customization allowed for some sort of semi- or quasi- reactive acrobatic animations for combat leaping. Tumbles, barrel rolls, etc. Even if this was an aesthetic addition and nothing else and even if these various new animations were only employed (as they likely would be) at launch, apex and landing, I think I might end up taking the power on many a character for concept and vanity purposes.

So I guess I get both sides of the argument. Dodging in real time just isn't likely to become a reality in this game (or maybe any MMO for some time)--but I really do get the OP's desire for something that looks and feels more comic-bookie. And I share that desire.