Minimal FX For All!
By
Afterimage,
Posted on: 2010-09-09 18:48 in Archetypes and Powers General Discussion
We need minimal FX for Speed pool. I would take hasten for all my characters, but I cant because the light bubbles doesnt fit on everyone.
Also, super speed gets a bit annoying for same reason. If you like, get it as is it, if you dont you have minimal FX 
We need minimal FX for all defensive toogles. This include Kheldians and Arachnos.
If we dont get Power pool and Epic archetype customization, at least this option would help with the role of our characters.
Specially with fitness becoming inherent, lots of us who care about character customization and roleplaying will find more powers to get without your head exploding.
For elec, dark, ice, fiery aursas... Minimal FX would mean having those element effect but much more discrete. That would end up having 4 option:
Original, bright, dark and minimal.
I don't know that I'd argue for minimal effects on elemental armors (though if they go that route could we please add shield defense to the top of the list, I'd love to play a /shield scrapper without having to carry around a dorky shield, and even more I'd like to be able to play shields with the sets it isn't currently allowed with), but I'd certainly like to see different elemental armors. I'd love to play a stoner without having random blobs of earth and lava and crystals stuck to my skin, and I'd love to be able to use granite armor without turning into an 8-foot tall rock beast. It would be awesome if the powers left your character model alone and simply turned your skin to stone. And could we maybe get a granite that actually looks like granite, rather than slate?
Ice armor would be great if it didn't make you look like a walking pile of ice cubes. And the idea for fire armor that was already given (the air warping effect with flares when something hits you) sounds awesome.
I'd definitely use the air-warping effect over the costume-obscuring one that's present on live now. Bursting into flames when in combat also sounds really cool.
But what I really want to see are just those floating fiery rocks from thermal, except without the character itself being on fire. Same with the ice cubes from Frostwork for frost armor.
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I've wanted minimal fx for as many sets as possible for a long time. Why can't my Ice Armor tank just have a supercold invisible aura that protects her? Justifications are easy, more options for people are better.|
Originally Posted by Forefinger_
I really like this idea. Ice armor, for example, could be kind of an icy aura and the ice armor could appear when hit. Same with some of the others. A fiery aura and flames appearing to block the hits would be an interesting visual.
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I run suppressclosefxdist 99 all the time just so I don't have to look at all the power effects.
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I know, my post was to the people jumping on Rush_Bolt's "make sense" comment, which was a reply to your first post, when you asked why the "Minimal FX option" isn't available to all sets.|
Originally Posted by GetBackJack
If you read my second post, I'm saying something less obtrusive would be nice.
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Since the only minimal FX option currently in-game means "no FX except in PvP", Rush's response was understandable.
After your second post, most people who posted that "no FX" wasn't going to happen also said they'd be in favor of actual minimal effects for the other sets, but other posters were acting as if everyone who agreed with Rush's first post, which was an appropriate response to your first post, were completely against any change at all and were just ******** for the sake of it.
That wasn't the case, and I wanted to clear that up.
Minimal effects fire armor ... minimal effects ice armor ... Fear my minimal effects shield!
The Bacon Compels You.
In game type:
/suppressclosefx 1 to enable the suppression of particle effects on your character
/suppessclosefxdist 99 to move the distance way out so you don't see them anymore
This works on the original FX but not on power customization FX, so customize powers you want to see, leave the other powers alone
OR
Tweak the colors in the power customization to minimize the color FX.
For example, I like Brute/Stalker Energy Aura, even though it sucks, for concept reasons. But it is way too bright. So I use power customization to change the colors to Bright effects, with a dark blue color. The result is a set of faint blue glows.
Seen an Ice tanker who had modified the colors of Ice Armor to create a faintly visible outline of the armor, with the costume clearly visible underneath.
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In a thread about alternate animations, the shield being carried on the back or something when not in combat was brought up. I thought it was a good idea. You have your toggles running, and the shield is slug on your back until you attack or are attacked and then your toon can wear it on his or her arm.
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Originally Posted by firespray
I don't know that I'd argue for minimal effects on elemental armors (though if they go that route could we please add shield defense to the top of the list, I'd love to play a /shield scrapper without having to carry around a dorky shield, and even more I'd like to be able to play shields with the sets it isn't currently allowed with), but I'd certainly like to see different elemental armors. I'd love to play a stoner without having random blobs of earth and lava and crystals stuck to my skin, and I'd love to be able to use granite armor without turning into an 8-foot tall rock beast. It would be awesome if the powers left your character model alone and simply turned your skin to stone. And could we maybe get a granite that actually looks like granite, rather than slate?
Ice armor would be great if it didn't make you look like a walking pile of ice cubes. And the idea for fire armor that was already given (the air warping effect with flares when something hits you) sounds awesome. |
@Joshua.
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No. No no no. Not what I want at all. I absolutely positively 100% do not want anything that adds more redraw to this game.
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Originally Posted by Forefinger_
In a thread about alternate animations, the shield being carried on the back or something when not in combat was brought up. I thought it was a good idea. You have your toggles running, and the shield is slug on your back until you attack or are attacked and then your toon can wear it on his or her arm.
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Well, I guess that might come with the option to choose the minimal FX or something.
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Originally Posted by firespray
No. No no no. Not what I want at all. I absolutely positively 100% do not want anything that adds more redraw to this game.
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@Joshua.
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Alot of people here seem to be, but that's not the point and I don't want to sparkle a flamewar. |
Originally Posted by Trickshooter
Nobody is arguing against a literal implementation of minimal FX for those sets, i.e. an actual minimal amount of FX that still convey the theme of the set.
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The point being raised by several proponents of the Minimal FX For All! is that *all* armor thematics should have the option to be depicted by costume design (and the auras you unlock at lvl 30) rather than being imposed by simply activating the power. This is why from day one we have enhancements instead of armor and equipment, so as to not being thematically burdened beyond what we wish our costumes to reflect. And slabs of dirt shouldn't be the exception, just because.
Of course we'd all like our own detailed version of each and every power, spinning flame-eyes and all, but the devs are limited in what they can deliver and thus their priorities might not allow it. Minimal FX, however, doesn't really impose much work on the dev teams and we can then use the best costume designer in the history of video games to make our toon as close to what we want as possible. Check:
- Does Minimal FX Option on elemental armors interfere with other players' ability to enjoy the game? - No
- Does Minimal FX Option on elemental armors create any sort of heavy burden on the Dev teams so as to delay other content they might otherwise deliver? - No
- Does Minimal FX Option on elemental armors go against the Dev teams' creative designs? - This one I don't know, though I can't imagine it being true.
Exactly. My Ice Tanker uses his costume and a costume aura to convey his icy defense. He doesn't need to be covered in huge ice cubes.
I get the feeling that the people that are arguing against it, don't even play these power sets, because they didn't like how the armors looked, and it's more of a spite thing.
I believe BaB has already said "no" to true minimal effects on the elemental armors.
So going with that as our answer, I'd like a "less obtrusive" option. Even if they did go back on BaB's "no" and gave us a true "FX in PvP only" option, I wouldn't use it, and I do use the "FX in PvP only" option on nearly every character that allows it. I might use a "less obtrusive" effects option if I liked it better though.
Allowing for minimal effects for ally buffs is totally pointless unless it's from the receiver's end, since it seems many players like to make their ally buffs flashy and distracting. And oh, how I want to not see ally buff effects. No more being encased in hideous Cold shields, ever. No more searingly bright Thermal shields. No more puke green bubbles or sonic shields that look like someone traced around my character with a magic marker.
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This is what I did on my Ice tanker. I chose a dark blue shade for the Ice armors and you can only vaguely see that there's ice around the character. On my Fire/Ice tanker I changed the Fire auras to a subtle blue color which is unobtrusive.|
Originally Posted by Afterimage
Seen an Ice tanker who had modified the colors of Ice Armor to create a faintly visible outline of the armor, with the costume clearly visible underneath.
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By customizing the powers with pastel or dark colors (which depends on the exact power set) you can get minimal effects on most sets.
Has the OP gone through this exercise with the powerset he wants minimal FX on?
Admittedly I can't make some of the powers as translucent as I'd like: Burn, for example, is hard to get right. I want to see what's going on around my character when I use Burn -- the default coloring obscures too much of the action.
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You seem to keep saying that minimal effects is easy for the devs to do. I'm wondering why you would think that? |
Originally Posted by Zemblanity
Of course we'd all like our own detailed version of each and every power, spinning flame-eyes and all, but the devs are limited in what they can deliver and thus their priorities might not allow it. Minimal FX, however, doesn't really impose much work on the dev teams and we can then use the best costume designer in the history of video games to make our toon as close to what we want as possible. Check:
- Does Minimal FX Option on elemental armors interfere with other players' ability to enjoy the game? - No - Does Minimal FX Option on elemental armors create any sort of heavy burden on the Dev teams so as to delay other content they might otherwise deliver? - No - Does Minimal FX Option on elemental armors go against the Dev teams' creative designs? - This one I don't know, though I can't imagine it being true. |
Do you have anything to back up that it wouldnt delay any other content?
I'd rather that time spent of the power pools & APPs. Not against minimal effects, but really doubt its that easy.
Each would need a new animation (x3 for body types), that animation would need to work with every possible power combination for that armour (x3 for body types). Insert the rest of standard code rant.
I don't suffer from altitis, I enjoy every minute of it.
Thank you Devs & Community people for a great game.
So sad to be ending ):
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Do you think the devs are spending a large amount of time on new content?|
Originally Posted by tanstaafl
You seem to keep saying that minimal effects is easy for the devs to do. I'm wondering why you would think that?
Do you have anything to back up that it wouldnt delay any other content? I'd rather that time spent of the power pools & APPs. Not against minimal effects, but really doubt its that easy. Each would need a new animation (x3 for body types), that animation would need to work with every possible power combination for that armour (x3 for body types). Insert the rest of standard code rant. |
The costume auras are plenty enough to back up the fact that it's easy for the devs to implement. (and if the wp/sr minimal fx were implemented, it's already in the game and would take no effort, whatsoever, to implement as well)
The biggest factor holding back that from being implemented is ego. What developer wants to admit that everyone hates their graphics?
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I've done that on my Ice Armor tanker, but I still run suppressclosefxdist 99 (and have for years). The ice armors, even colored dark, still aren't something I like to see. Heck, I don't like to see the goofy ringy windy effect of Combat Jumping, much less blocky Ice Armor. I want to see my costume and that's it.|
Originally Posted by Rodion
This is what I did on my Ice tanker. I chose a dark blue shade for the Ice armors and you can only vaguely see that there's ice around the character. On my Fire/Ice tanker I changed the Fire auras to a subtle blue color which is unobtrusive.
By customizing the powers with pastel or dark colors (which depends on the exact power set) you can get minimal effects on most sets. Has the OP gone through this exercise with the powerset he wants minimal FX on? Admittedly I can't make some of the powers as translucent as I'd like: Burn, for example, is hard to get right. I want to see what's going on around my character when I use Burn -- the default coloring obscures too much of the action. |
Suppressclosefxdist works for what I'm seeing, but it doesn't keep other people from seeing my character without the blocky ice, so it's not the perfect solution.
Now, toning them down a bit or making them "flare" only when in use, ie being attacked like the Praetorian PD "energy armor" seems to work, would not be a bad idea, unless the power has an additional effect(stealth, damage aura, etc) or specific description(Granite Armor, Power Surge). But non "inherent" armor types should have some visual effect fitting with the power concept.
@Joshua.