A way to make phase powers usable
By
Berzerker_NA,
Posted on: 2010-11-26 19:56 in Suggestions and Ideas
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All of these have been suggested before.|
Originally Posted by ChaosExMachina
I just tried the black hole power for the first time. Yikes. While I can imagine situations where it can be occasionally slightly advantageous, any enemies that don't phase now have a phantom army of invincible, identical enemies to interfere with the ability to target them.
Obviously these powers have a bad reputation, but that has lots to do with the fact that they are not supported by the game interface. 1. Add an immobilize while PVE, not PVP, enemies are phased so they can't run in front of the unphased enemies. 2. Add some sort of large and obvious visual effect, like the confuse purple dots but bigger, so that the team knows not to attack. This effect should also signal the phase stopping so that you don't get suddenly swarmed. This would also make carnie illusionists much more fair. 3. Make target commands skip phased enemies by default. After trying the power the first time I was immediately killed because it was impossible to target. Even after learning of that and preparing, targeting was inconvenient. |
Still don't think it would make a great deal of difference...
And for the record? There IS an immobilize in the phase attack powers. The thing is... first, it's only a Mag 3, and second... the very nature of the Phase seems to be canceling out the immobilize, making it utterly useless.
Phase powers just don't work very well at all. To make them at all useful, what they really need is a powerful -Regen and -Recovery power... so enemies Phased don't heal and recover their Endurance while phased.
To be truly worthwhile, they would need to be something that the user could turn off at will... but I've been told that, again, the very nature of the Phase attacks mean that they can't be turned into toggles.
Alas, I think the mass phase powers powers will remain the red-headed step child of the powers in this game. There is simply NO situation where phasing groups of the enemies is actually a helpful tactic...
-This Space Intentionally Left Blank.-
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As a redheaded stepchild, (albeit a 43 year old one...) I always found this phrase a bit prejudicial.
| I think the mass phase powers powers will remain the red-headed step child of the powers in this game. |
The Sly Bold Renardine - " I am Scraptastic!"
I always thought, to make phase powers more usable, give them more use. Phasing is so rare, no one knows how to react or change their strategies to compensate for them because no one ever uses them. I *could* pick phase shift up, but it's been nerfed into such uselessness, it'd just be easier to softcap defense and pretend I'm phased.
Want to make them more useable? Make more powers that use them with strategies that revolve around them. I'd love to have a control set that focuses on it *if* we could attack phased targets while we're phased ourselves and this set happens to have a means of self phasing. A niche strategy, yes, but boy is it powerful...
To be honest, what I'd like to see from Phase powers is for the AoE ones to be location based, and effect both enemies and allies in a way where if you and your enemy are phased you can attack each other.
It could be useful by making it so you can phase enemies to give yourself and team time to breathe, and able to get close to the enemies when they are ready to fight again and also can be used to make a safe zone to fall back to (Aslong and the bad guys don't follow you)
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This is the only thing I really agree with. Though carnie illusionists aren't that difficult - it's fairly easy to tell when they can and can't be hit (are they translucent or not?) unless they're in a big group - in which case it would also be hard to see triangles, dots or whatnot with all the other effects going off.|
Originally Posted by ChaosExMachina
2. Add some sort of large and obvious visual effect, like the confuse purple dots but bigger, so that the team knows not to attack. This effect should also signal the phase stopping so that you don't get suddenly swarmed. This would also make carnie illusionists much more fair.
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| 3. Make target commands skip phased enemies by default. After trying the power the first time I was immediately killed because it was impossible to target. Even after learning of that and preparing, targeting was inconvenient. |
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Personally, I went ages without knowing they went translucent. To me, the effect is so subtle as to be effectively imperceptible, even when I'm only fighting a MI her pets. Accordingly, I presently just have to keep attacking until hits land, because I usually can't TELL otherwise.|
Originally Posted by Memphis_Bill
This is the only thing I really agree with. Though carnie illusionists aren't that difficult - it's fairly easy to tell when they can and can't be hit (are they translucent or not?) unless they're in a big group - in which case it would also be hard to see triangles, dots or whatnot with all the other effects going off.
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Originally Posted by Memphis_Bill
Disagree. I want to be ready the second that phase drops - which means having that enemy targetable so I can attack/drop a debuff/whatever as soon as they come out.
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Of course, while they're touching targeting, it'd be nice to flip off the targetable bit for civs in mayhems and such. That, or let us actually KILL them.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Softcapping an Invuln is fantastic. Softcapping a Willpower is amazing. Softcapping SR is kissing your sister.
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I just had a second thought, regarding visual effects.. They could use something similar to the useless cloak we got from the GR kit. Something that shadows the target's textures, making them darker. That'd let them be distinct from active targets without making it difficult to notice they're around.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Softcapping an Invuln is fantastic. Softcapping a Willpower is amazing. Softcapping SR is kissing your sister.
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I wouldn't mind if they disappeared entirely. It would make more sense too. They're on a different plane and we can't interact with them anyway, so....... why not take them off the screen?
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I never knew how to tell if they can be hit or not and I been playing for 3+ years. So I wouldn't say it is that easy to tell.
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Originally Posted by Memphis_Bill
This is the only thing I really agree with. Though carnie illusionists aren't that difficult - it's fairly easy to tell when they can and can't be hit (are they translucent or not?) unless they're in a big group - in which case it would also be hard to see triangles, dots or whatnot with all the other effects going off.
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"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time"- Chesty Puller US Marine Corps
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Score 1 more for Stalker/stealth tactics, then. It's super easy to tell when an Illusionist is using their phase when you're up close and in their face.|
Originally Posted by BrokenPrey
I never knew how to tell if they can be hit or not and I been playing for 3+ years. So I wouldn't say it is that easy to tell.
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Another tell is the sound they make just before phasing. I've learned to listen for it then wait some time before jumping in to attack (I should really time it so I can put a count to it). Can't remember where I learned either trick of telling they phase so I might not be able to attribute that knowledge to me playing Stalkers a good deal of the time.
At first I thought this was a suggestion in reference to phase shift powers, suggesting to possibly revert them to how they were before without a duration, or at least give them a longer duration.
I agree with whoever suggested turning phased enemies black like the stealth power we got from GR
Other than that I don't agree with much proposed. Making them untargettable is a terrible idea in my opinion. I already hate circle of thorns missions when those stupid ghosts dissapear into thin air and fly away making me have to stand there like a dufus and wait to kill them.
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Not all of us can hear the sounds. :(
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Originally Posted by Leo_G
Another tell is the sound they make just before phasing.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Softcapping an Invuln is fantastic. Softcapping a Willpower is amazing. Softcapping SR is kissing your sister.
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I just tried the black hole power for the first time. Yikes. While I can imagine situations where it can be occasionally slightly advantageous, any enemies that don't phase now have a phantom army of invincible, identical enemies to interfere with the ability to target them.
Obviously these powers have a bad reputation, but that has lots to do with the fact that they are not supported by the game interface.
1. Add an immobilize while PVE, not PVP, enemies are phased so they can't run in front of the unphased enemies.
2. Add some sort of large and obvious visual effect, like the confuse purple dots but bigger, so that the team knows not to attack. This effect should also signal the phase stopping so that you don't get suddenly swarmed. This would also make carnie illusionists much more fair.
3. Make target commands skip phased enemies by default. After trying the power the first time I was immediately killed because it was impossible to target. Even after learning of that and preparing, targeting was inconvenient.
A game is not supposed to be some kind of... place where people enjoy themselves!