If I recall correctly, that was actually the original intent of the power.
Rumor has it, though, that even though doppleganger tech is around, it's more trouble than it's worth to do.
While it sound fun, the question is whether the Devs should spend the time on that or one of the many other projects they have on the table. I'd rather see some bug fixes (like the one where Phanty keeps running into melee) or new content.
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Guide Links: Earth/Rad Guide, Illusion/Rad Guide, Electric Control
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Yeah an hour of coding (probably copy pasting mostly) to make your pets look like you with or without a color variation.|
Originally Posted by Local_Man
While it sound fun, the question is whether the Devs should spend the time on that or one of the many other projects they have on the table. I'd rather see some bug fixes (like the one where Phanty keeps running into melee) or new content.
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It's not rocket science.
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Simple, right? Simple like adding the Fitness pool as inherent? So simple it broke Kheldians and Dominators and prevented people from leveling new characters beyond level two.|
Originally Posted by icemanstryketh
Yeah an hour of coding (probably copy pasting mostly) to make your pets look like you with or without a color variation.
It's not rocket science. |
It is far from simply replacing x with y in an equation and would most certainly take more than hour of coding. It is a desirable feature, but it comes at the cost of development time. I think that time is a steeper cost than some folks estimate.
To introduce it now, you'd have to have it as an option.
I'm sure there are quite a few Illusion Controllers out there whose concept involves them summoning featureless energy people rather than duplicates of themselves. So would this be a new option somewhere just for this one power, or baked into the animation effects like choosing Original/Bright/Dark, or what?
Its more than an hours work, even just the coding. Then there's the whole QA/tetsing cycle on top of that.
But, it would be very very cool to have this option.
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... where's that brick wall picture when I need it.|
Originally Posted by icemanstryketh
Yeah an hour of coding (probably copy pasting mostly) to make your pets look like you with or without a color variation.
It's not rocket science. |
A: No.
B: No.
C: No.
Now, I'm actually debating whether or not I really want to go into debunking this particular derailment of how the game actually works.
For starters there is the idea that the Doppelganger tech is applicable to the player controlled player pets tech. After all, the technology has been in the game since day 1 to display another players unique costume on another players game, so of course the code is easily interchangeable and can just be copied over.
What we know from the developers is that all of the pet-class objects in the game are exposed as costume overlays using hard-coded costume definitions. We know that the database and rendering systems that contain, dispatch, and render these costume overlays were never designed with the idea that the players could, or would, be able to modify a pet-class costume design. We also know that redeveloping the backing processing, database, and rendering engines just for the primary and secondary powers, took the better part of a 2 year period.
Now, given as you don't know how the engine works, why it works like it works, or what the developers see on their development branches, there's no way you can make a judgment call about how long any particular feature would take to develop and implement, nor whether or not any particular segments of code are indeed re-usable in a copy and past format. We do know from public statements and at least one convention demonstration, that simply copying existing customization code segments is not a viable a solution for pet-class costume overlays.
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Ya don't say. I guess that's why I chose Audio Technology over Computer Science.
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Originally Posted by je_saist
... where's that brick wall picture when I need it.
A: No. B: No. C: No. Now, I'm actually debating whether or not I really want to go into debunking this particular derailment of how the game actually works. For starters there is the idea that the Doppelganger tech is applicable to the player controlled player pets tech. After all, the technology has been in the game since day 1 to display another players unique costume on another players game, so of course the code is easily interchangeable and can just be copied over. What we know from the developers is that all of the pet-class objects in the game are exposed as costume overlays using hard-coded costume definitions. We know that the database and rendering systems that contain, dispatch, and render these costume overlays were never designed with the idea that the players could, or would, be able to modify a pet-class costume design. We also know that redeveloping the backing processing, database, and rendering engines just for the primary and secondary powers, took the better part of a 2 year period. Now, given as you don't know how the engine works, why it works like it works, or what the developers see on their development branches, there's no way you can make a judgment call about how long any particular feature would take to develop and implement, nor whether or not any particular segments of code are indeed re-usable in a copy and past format. We do know from public statements and at least one convention demonstration, that simply copying existing customization code segments is not a viable a solution for pet-class costume overlays. |
Actually, I'd like to see the Doppelganger device used for a new Time Control set. Something akin to summoning a slightly out-of-sync version of yourself to help you fight. Or maybe you from a parallel universe where you happened to be a fire blaster or broadsword scrapper. Maybe you get a different "you" every time you cast the power.
I know some people hate that kind of uncertainty, but hey, you're messing with the fabric of the universe!
Stay Gold, Paragon. Stay Gold.
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.
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I have a couple WW1 inspired toons that "conjure" ghosts from their past to fight for them like the old days.|
Originally Posted by DrMike2000
I'm sure there are quite a few Illusion Controllers out there whose concept involves them summoning featureless energy people rather than duplicates of themselves. So would this be a new option somewhere just for this one power, or baked into the animation effects like choosing Original/Bright/Dark, or what?
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Originally Posted by DrMike2000
But, it would be very very cool to have this option.
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It's my thought that the Doppleganger tech is a branch off from the MA. The MA first allowed you to create duplicates of your characters as NPCs in a mission. The hardest part of this was not duplicating your costume, but duplicating your POWERS. It wasn't until the MA that a custom selection of powers could be attached to a critter.
It's apparently a lot easier to customize the color of a pet than its appearance. Henchmen still cannot be customized, presumably because it would be so difficult to let you actually select the henchman's appearance, which is what most MMs would want. So while you can customize the color of your Phantom Army, you can't customize their costume itself.
The good news is, since the Phantom Army does now have a recognizable costume, you can create YOUR costume to match theirs. And you don't have to just create a blank white costume.
Illusion was the first set I played back in '04. I enjoyed playing it. My only issue with the set was the summoning powers always looked unfinished.
I'd like illusion control to have mastermind Grave Knight models summoned for phantom army with the same color scheme, powers and aura as the current PA. I'd also like to summon a phantasm that looks like a CoT spectral demon, but with the same color scheme, aura and powers of the existing phantasm. It may even be something that could be added as alternate animations while they're adding options for other powers.
Ill/Emp, Stn/Ice, FF/Rad, Plt/Fire, Nrg/Nrg, Ice/Cld, Mrc/Psn, Ice/WM, Mnd/Psi, Earth/Son, SS/Inv, DB/Drk, Fire/Ice, NB/SR, Fire/Elc, NW, Fort, Bot/TA, Son/Kin, Crab, Arch/Fire, Drk/Elc, Nin/TA, Grv/Elc, Elc/Wll, Mnd/FF, Drk/Thm, Clw/Reg, Stn/Nrg, Elc/Mnt, Ice/Earth, Spn/Fire, DP/Trp, AR/Rad, BA/SD, DB/SR, Fire/Stn, WS, Drk/Stm, Dem/Drk, Rad/Nrg, SJ/SD, Fire/Psn, Elc/Nrg, SF/SR, Bst/Stm, DP/Fire, Thg/Trp, Wtr/Psn, BS/Wll, Nat/Psy. BR/Time
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Can you get hired by NCSoft so they can kick out issues at the rate of one per week? |
Originally Posted by icemanstryketh
Yeah an hour of coding (probably copy pasting mostly) to make your pets look like you with or without a color variation.
It's not rocket science. |
Also, there's the doppelganger of you from the arc you can do at lv 20, and the doppelganger from the positron TF... so the game (at least in these instances) seems to be able to take your look and apply it "on the fly" to some other mob. Would be indeed cool if they eventually offered some sort of customization of PA and Phanty at some point down the road.
I like the idea of clones, personally I always wanted a ghost like concept, so my guy is trapped between the spirit world and the physical world, he can manipulate his spirit energy as well as energy from the spirit world but it has its limitations, and the fact he cannot touch anything physically or return to his own world.
I love my ghost.
It would be cool PA (or even Phanty) was something like this?
Super Ero-kawaii - Grv/FF Go Girl - Kin/Rad
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Sorry, I don't agree. That wouldn't be very cool in my opinion.
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Originally Posted by LovelyLarose
It would be cool PA (or even Phanty) was something like this?
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"Most people that have no idea what they are doing have no idea that they don't know what they are doing." - John Cleese
@Ukase
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That would be quite awesome! I can even see "summon past self" as maybe a tier 6 or 7 pet. A "you" with only 4 powers and much less HP, but it'd still be beneficial.|
Originally Posted by MaHaBone23
Actually, I'd like to see the Doppelganger device used for a new Time Control set. Something akin to summoning a slightly out-of-sync version of yourself to help you fight. Or maybe you from a parallel universe where you happened to be a fire blaster or broadsword scrapper. Maybe you get a different "you" every time you cast the power.
I know some people hate that kind of uncertainty, but hey, you're messing with the fabric of the universe! |
Of course, someone with that kind of mastery over time an space probably wouldn't need to summon help in the first place. *shrugs*
-STEELE =)
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This specific topic was brought up at the SF Meet and Greet (as a response to my question no less), and it was the original intent to have Phantom Army be duplicates of the toon. Posi intimated that the tech could be relatively easily added to the power, but he reminded the audience about what happens when you change something already in the game... even if you are improving it: People complain incessantly. From what I could gather, even though everyone in the room thought it would be a wonderful change -and a very doable one- it isn't happening anytime soon. |
Originally Posted by BenRGamer
If I recall correctly, that was actually the original intent of the power.
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They also said that they are always looking for ways to put the doppelganger tech into the game. They all think it's cool and want to use it more.
Never argue with stupid people. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
@vanda1 and @nakoa2
Not only would I love Phantom Army to use the doppelganger tech, I also want Phantasm to use it. 
My only stipulation is that you wouldn't be able to alter the 'ghostly' appearance and aura. No exact duplicates, hehe.
I would like it as "alternate", however, in case people still want to keep the original appearance of the decoys.
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"Keep living the dream, and never let any jerk tell you what to do."
-- High-Roller
So I was just thinking with the technology used for the whole doppelganger thing why not incorporate it into your phantoms. Just imagine 3 phantoms of YOURSELF! I think it sounds pretty sweet.