I like it, though the name seems weird, and the other powers could use work. I don't think a travel power should need another power to be better.
Issue 16 made me feel like this.
Warning: This poster likes to play Devil's Advocate.
As someone who has been wishing for an Ice Slide for my ice characters since I started playing... /signed!
That said, what you've laid out sounds quite complicated in terms of mechanics. I do not have any experience in coding, graphics, or otherwise, but a couple things strike me as difficult to implement.
First, setting an altitude limit for a power with fly aspects. From what is already in the game, flight seems to be multidimensional movement, with the only height restrictions being the hard graphical height of the map. Now, for all I know, it could be as simple as just plugging in a number that they have previously left blank for all existing flight powers, but from what little experience I do have with programming, it is almost never that easy.
Second, purely an art thing, but I think there would be a big issue with the "support pillars" of any animation, particularly as you got higher.
Actually, from what you've described in your aesthetics section, I think this could be two different projects. Some of those powers sound like simple alternate animations for Fly, while others seem to involve an actual sliding function.
The sandstone, discus, serpent, and hoverboard all have one problem: "If I can make this thing levitate, why can't I levitate it as high as I want?" Which makes sense to me. If I have control over the earth, and can levitate a boulder, I should be able to essentially fly on that boulder, and the same could be said for the other above powers. I would prefer to see those as fly emotes or something.
However, any type of sliding involves momentum, and if you've ever played through the Frostfire mission from Flux, you know what I'm talking about. Or, for a real world example, think of coasting a bike up an incline. In order to get to the top, you have to be going fast enough, and the higher and/or longer the incline, the faster you have to be going for your momentum to carry you. IMO, that is what is needed in a slide power.
Perhaps we could make the power have an increased running speed and jump height, much like Ninja Run. Except the air control you have while jumping is slim (i.e. while airborne, you can slightly alter your course direction, but there's no way you would be able to completely reverse direction, as is possible with Super Jump). As you gain levels, both the speed and jump height increase proportionately, but for enhancement purposes, only running speed can be enhanced. That way, an increase to run speed (in either this power, or in Swift, or by an outside buff) will increase your jump height, but not the other way around. An increase to jump height, through whatever means, would not affect the run speed. Now, I do not know how much easier that is to implement, but I think it would be a step toward achieving the feel of a slide power.
The closest thing to this I have ever seen in-game was someone who had Prestige Power Slide and Swift slotted for speed, and Hurdle slotted for jump height. The effect was actually quite cool, but he admitted that it was tough putting up with the hot pink amorphous energy thing beneath his feet 
@Winter. Because I'm Winter. Period.
I am a blaster first, and an alt-oholic second.
For the first two tiers, perhaps
Balance, which provides magnitude 1 knock-back protection and 2.5% resist all. (which is less protection than combat jumping provides)
Slick patch, which would work like Ice Slick, but with a smaller radius and a significantly shorter placable range.
As to why a hoverboard has a maximum height ceiling, it's easy enough to say that the board has maximum thrust capability, and past a certain distance from the ground, it does not provide the thrust disperses too much to keep the board aloft. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlnGBk4221g
Wouldn't this be the same as Super Speed and Super Jump combined minus touching the grpound to increase speed?
Ialways use these at the same time.
Rikti Invasion Music Video
Borg King MySpace
Help support my photography!!
My RedBubble Page
My Deviant Page
My Zazzle Page
My Characters:
Lady Sheenah on Liberty
Sukothai on Liberty
The Gymnist on Liberty
While it sounds like you put a lot of thought into this... it doesn't really work.
Most of these would work better as an alternate animation for Flight and Hover (And just the thought of how much work it would be to actually create alternate animations for those powers kinda makes me shudder...)
Then there are the actual ones you suggested connect to the ground, which would be a graphical nightmare for this game to implement.
It's a nice idea, and I would like to see things like flying on levitating boulders and sky surfers... but I don't think they are worth making a whole new power pool for.
Grapple Swinging, on the other hand...
-This Space Intentionally Left Blank.-
When I first saw the title, I thought it would be summoning a giant wheelchair ramp in order to walk up to the tops of buildings etc.
Quote:
It must not speak the word.... it will anger them!|
Originally Posted by OneWhoBinds
Grapple Swinging, on the other hand...
|
Seriously though, I like the idea of some sort of hover board/disc/platform but I agree that something like this is better served as an alternate animation for Hover/Fly.
^
"I am a Tank. I am your first choice, I am your last hope." -- Rune Bull
"Durability is the quintessential super-power. " -- Sailboat
Great idea, well described, but probably a technical nightmare to implement.
My characters at Virtueverse
Faces of the City
I like the idea that it could be done with alternate animations for the flight set.
Quote:
That'd be about my own thoughts on my own idea, heh.
|
Originally Posted by Megajoule
Great idea, well described, but probably a technical nightmare to implement.
|
What shall claim a Sky Kings' Ransom?
PPD & Resistance Epic Archetypes
New Travel Power Pool: (Unnamed)
What is Ramp?
Ramp is the catch-all term for a method of travel inbetween true flight, jumping, and travel across the ground.
A ramping character uses his powers to conjure -- or simply control -- a mobile platform upon which he or she travels, either immediately above ground level, or at a certain elevation.
Mechanically:
Ramp can be likened to Super Speed with limited flight capabilities. It has poor acceleration and considerable inertia. Functionally, it works similar to Fly, however, there are notable differences:
- Horizontal ("Ramp") speed is separate from vertical ("Climb") speed
- A Ramping character cannot exceed a certain height above the ground directly underneath. If the character's altitude exceeds the maximum (due to knockup or the ground lowering, for example), they will lower to maximum at climb speed.
- While Ramping, you may raise at your climb speed, or lower at your falling speed.
- Ramping may or may not be controlled by camera angle like Fly is, depending on what works better.
- Being knocked down causes a certain altitude loss.
- Ramping while touching the ground increases the character's ramp speed.
Ramping speed is dictated by the following attributes:-Flight Speed affects Ramp Speed
-Air Control affects Climb Speed
-Jump Height affects Maximum Altitude
Ramp is mutually exclusive with Super Jump, Combat Jump, Ninja Run, Fly, and their varieties.
Ramp may be slotted for End Reduction, Flight Speed and Jump Speed. It accepts Flight, Jump and Universal Travel sets.
Ramping through the air is faster than Flight but slower than Super Jump. Ramping near the ground is slower than Super Speed, but faster than equally enhanced Super Jump. Ramping speed hard-cap is the same as Jumping speed. With enough bonuses, Ramping through the air will be as fast as along the ground.
Aesthetics:
A Ramping character in movement uses the 'sliding on ice' animations.
Ramping FX depend on Pool powers being customizable. Example aesthetics:
What's Sky Ramp?
The fourth power in the set is an unslottable auto power. What it does is make the Ramp power grant a higher Climb speed and a much higher (think 300' rather than 30') maximum attitude.
What shall claim a Sky Kings' Ransom?
PPD & Resistance Epic Archetypes