Swinglines!
And don't try to prevent me pointing out the obvious, like the fact the Devs have specifically said that there are Engine Limitations involved. Y'know, the thing the game runs on?
I'm pretty sure no ones actually addressed that point and instead skirted around it so far ![]() |
2)How are we suppose to address possible engine limitation when we don't know what those limitations might be and even if we did, none of us are qualified to put forward any solutions to those limitations? All we can do is acknowledge that yes there may in fact be limitations in the engine that could prevent the suggestion from being implemented. If every suggestion had to address every possible coding problem before any other aspect of the topic could be discussed, we'd have next to no suggestions we could actually discuss.
Huh, lot of hate for this idea, although I'm a fan and supporter of a swinging/grapnel-y power.
I always thought that an animation change to the already-existing good vs evil Jump Pack power might do for a workable swinging travel power.
Just a couple of extra inf.
I don't think that it is hate for the idea Aracknight. It's just the dead horse aspect of discussing a Swingline travel power pool or any other subject that has been brought up multiple times in the past that is considered impossible, improbable or otherwise "not going to happen". Mind you I personally have no issue with folks brainstorming to their hearts content on any idea tabled. I assume that is why this particular forum exists.
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"I am a Tank. I am your first choice, I am your last hope." -- Rune Bull
"Durability is the quintessential super-power. " -- Sailboat

I have to admit, while I do wonder how bad it might look if fully free swing-line traveling were in this game...
I'd like to see it just so all the reactionaries that post hyperbolic remarks in the suggestion threads would have to deal with it, hehe.
It is so easy to come up with completely CoH-World justifiable reasons/laws-of-physics/science/technology/magic/wackiness for such a power.
However, whether it would look good is debatable... and, of course, would always remain as a matter of opinion.
About the engine limitations...
I am pretty sure they have said, outright, that recognizing the world surfaces as sticking points is basically not possible.
I'm pretty certain that any idea of actual grappling-hook/anchor points on real objects/buildings is completely out.
And yeah, that is why wall crawling and surface climbing (for super speed) are not possible (or too difficult/time-consuming, to be more precise).
The other possible limitation, which I am not sure about...
The seemingly simple aspect of having a line connecting to a frozen spot in the game-word, while your character moves and the line only swings.
I'm not sure that this is possible with the game's engine.
It seems like a simple sort of thing, at a glance... However, having an effect and/or object emanating from a character to an invisible point, anchoring to both objects and animating a swing is something that might be out of reach for this engine.
If that is not the case... I'd like to see what could be done for such a power.
Oh, and I like some of those power pool ideas.
However, yeah, the rope-pull attack has been said to not be possible.
Possibly by using an invisible pet on the opposite side of the enemy that then performs a knockback (creating the illusion of you pulling the enemy towards you).
However, I'm not so sure that could be made to happen (invisible pet spawn point being a possibly major problem... to line up right for it to look like you pulled the enemy).
And... if effect/objects cannot attach to two points, as I wonder about above, then there's that as well.
Still... I find the concept and genre staple (no, not the stapler) interesting and I'd love to see some attempts. Even if it is a no-go as the end result.
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
Baby spiders, and some adult ones as well, will use their silk to travel via the wind. It's called ballooning. Basically they exude a line of silk and when the wind catches it they go for a ride. Spiders are also able to make different kinds of silk for different purposes (a line for hanging from, sticky line for webs and silk sheets for wrapping up prey) so it's not beyond the realm of belief that a Spider-Man clone could create web lines tipped with parachutes that were just large enough to complete a single swing arc.
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They might want to choose a name other than Super Kiting!

and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
Quote:
They might want to choose a name other than Super Kiting! ![]() |

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"I am a Tank. I am your first choice, I am your last hope." -- Rune Bull
"Durability is the quintessential super-power. " -- Sailboat

I have to admit, while I do wonder how bad it might look if fully free swing-line traveling were in this game...
I'd like to see it just so all the reactionaries that post hyperbolic remarks in the suggestion threads would have to deal with it, hehe. |
It is so easy to come up with completely CoH-World justifiable reasons/laws-of-physics/science/technology/magic/wackiness for such a power. |
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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For magic types, a variation of the old Indian Rope Trick immediately comes to mind. You literally anchor the line to nothing, and then swing (instead of climb).
And since highly-advanced technology is indistinguishable from Magic, just technobabble up an explanation as to why you can do the same without magic. ("Well you see, Timmy, I've anchored the end of the rope to a specific point in the space-time continuum, which is even better than anchoring it to a solid surface!" "Gee whiz, Mr. Lizard!")
For magic types, a variation of the old Indian Rope Trick immediately comes to mind. You literally anchor the line to nothing, and then swing (instead of climb).
And since highly-advanced technology is indistinguishable from Magic, just technobabble up an explanation as to why you can do the same without magic. ("Well you see, Timmy, I've anchored the end of the rope to a specific point in the space-time continuum, which is even better than anchoring it to a solid surface!" "Gee whiz, Mr. Lizard!") |

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwVA698Hx2g
Hmm,
Not sure why you couldn't make a swingline or grapnel that could attach to a wall or ceiling.
Once you establish an anchor point I would think the swinging part would follow without too much difficulity.
The key concept would be to make an object which would colide with a surface and stick. This has already been done in the game with many of the effects: fire, acid arrows, glue patches, ice etc. The player would use standard AOE targeting.
Next would be to establish a vector line from the player character to the sticky point. Again shouldn't be too hard.
Follow this by allowing the player to reel in the vector line: player gets pulled after the line toward the anchor point as the vector line shortens pulling the character off the ground. You could reverse the process allowing them to play out the vector line making it longer... in essence lowering them.
Swinging on the vector line could be accomplished by creating an arc based on the direction and angle of movement of the character. Pressing forward would swing forward. Pressing 'strafe right' or 'strafe left' would swing the character out to the right or left. Hitting jump would release from the swing line (which would disappear) and the character would continue under their current trajectory and drop much the same as characters do now when jumping. The only thing that would be required would be a swinging animation. Half of that is already there with the ninja run jumping animation.
I don't see it working in areas where it would not logically work (over open water, or places without buildings). I.e. I only see it as being useful in areas where there are structures to attach your anchor point to and swing from. Otherwise you should use your other travel powers. I only see this as a situationally useful power... i.e. places like Steel Canyon or other places where there are large structures which will make contiguous swinging locations. Would probably work fine in Oranbega large rooms or some of the bigger indoor rooms in office and Arachnos Maps.
Conceptually:
-netting has already been done.
-Hitting an opponent with a grapnel and dragging them to you would be equivalent to teleport foe. You'd just have to draw the vector line from the player character to the target then move the target toward the character and shorten the vector line. We have a similar idea but reversed with energy blast. I don't know why there would be a problem reversing that.
-Wall crawling... well I've never understood what the problem was here. I think that would be easily enough done. First establish a crawling animation. Use the hover routine and a wall proximity routine with the power so the character does not float away from the wall. Press the crawl toggle, character is checked for proximity to an object. If the character is near an object they jump to it. The hover routine checks for elevation, the proximity routine keeps the character next to the object, the animation makes it look like the character is crawling up /down a wall. The crawl toggle pops off when the character reaches a horizontal surface.
For magic types, a variation of the old Indian Rope Trick immediately comes to mind. You literally anchor the line to nothing, and then swing (instead of climb).
And since highly-advanced technology is indistinguishable from Magic, just technobabble up an explanation as to why you can do the same without magic. ("Well you see, Timmy, I've anchored the end of the rope to a specific point in the space-time continuum, which is even better than anchoring it to a solid surface!" "Gee whiz, Mr. Lizard!") |
I am now awaiting to see people running around with a beast run, while looking like a normal human being
If swinglines that go offscreen is considered bad by people, I can only think normal human beings running around like an animal will be just as bad.
BrandX Future Staff Fighter

The BrandX Collection
I am now awaiting to see people running around with a beast run, while looking like a normal human being
![]() If swinglines that go offscreen is considered bad by people, I can only think normal human beings running around like an animal will be just as bad. |
The reason people like me detest "swinglines" is two-fold. First of all, there is no "offscreen" in this game. Your camera angle is not limited, which allows you to look straight up, something you will have to do when scaling a building straight up - something a grappling gun should be able to do, and which is pretty much half of what Batman uses his for. Secondly, grappling thin air over open ocean or, worse still, grappling the air next to a building instead of the building itself, looks stupid. Far too stupid to tolerate being added to the game.
Running like a beast has nothing to do with it, because running like a beast is not inherently stupid.
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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This makes no sense and follows no path of logic. How do you define "normal human being" when half the X-Men mutants look like humans but act like beasts? If "normal human beings" can fly, shoot lasers out of their eyes, turn to stone and meld with aliens, then running like a beast is just one more super power.
The reason people like me detest "swinglines" is two-fold. First of all, there is no "offscreen" in this game. Your camera angle is not limited, which allows you to look straight up, something you will have to do when scaling a building straight up - something a grappling gun should be able to do, and which is pretty much half of what Batman uses his for. Secondly, grappling thin air over open ocean or, worse still, grappling the air next to a building instead of the building itself, looks stupid. Far too stupid to tolerate being added to the game. Running like a beast has nothing to do with it, because running like a beast is not inherently stupid. |
And the one's I recall in the X-Men running around in a animal style, had animal characteristics.
But if you think Batman running around on all fours doesn't look stupid. Okay!

BrandX Future Staff Fighter

The BrandX Collection
Sooo...normal human running around like a dog, doesn't look silly?
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But if you think Batman running around on all fours doesn't look stupid. Okay! ![]() |
But if you think Batman running around on all fours is somehow unusual, then I dare say you haven't played many Batman games. A lot of those have him crawl around on all fours half the time. Hell, I spent the better part of Arkham Asylum doing the duck walk, yet that game is critically acclaimed.
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I know you're being intentionally dense to make a point, but your point is empty, especially when it comes with bias.
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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I know you're being intentionally dense to make a point, but your point is empty, especially when it comes with bias.
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"I am a Tank. I am your first choice, I am your last hope." -- Rune Bull
"Durability is the quintessential super-power. " -- Sailboat

For the record it is no less biased than saying that a swinging travel power without a visible anchor is a bad idea because you think it looks silly.
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An avatar that looks like a normal man in a suit, running around on all fours like the Beast or Nightcrawler or Felica (from Dark Stalkers) without any sort of animal characteristics will look stupid (at least imo), but be made possible.
And anyone who says it won't happen is kidding themselves.

BrandX Future Staff Fighter

The BrandX Collection
Exactly. But I get the feeling Sam was never going to see my point.
An avatar that looks like a normal man in a suit, running around on all fours like the Beast or Nightcrawler or Felica (from Dark Stalkers) without any sort of animal characteristics will look stupid (at least imo), but be made possible. And anyone who says it won't happen is kidding themselves. ![]() |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z2KDLbqbJw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k3We...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUYEV...eature=related
And nobody drowns. Besides, you can "push" yourself from the water, somewhat, as water's got a physical presence. (And there's no telling what's underwater, either.)
Tell me what you're swinging from going between Talos and the northern islands. Yes, it would be limited to certain areas if you wanted it to look *somewhat less* lame. Lines to nowhere look ridiculous. |
Good question, but...
I remember seeing a Spider man cartoon and Spidey often used passing by aircraft, helicopters, blimps and what not to hang from with his web.
One could imagine, if willing, that the web caster is hanging from a plane or soemthing...Imagination is what drives the world to the future....
If one is to nit pick too much, super jump is horribly dorked up. Please explain how one can control flight direction and ranges in mid jump? I don't see the physics for it, can you? Frankly Jump should be only in straight directions, and the range controlled by how long you press the jump button. And over water, sure water has some density, but I can't recall the last time I saw anyone jumping out of deep water in real life, as I understand the density of water is too low to allow such a feat.
So the issue with slinging is mostly in our minds, how open or close minded we want to be.
with the open water issue, the web animation could create a blimp for the web to attach to and complete the illusion...
As a whole its a bonafide request, we have spiderman to thank for that.
Stormy
Good question, but...
I remember seeing a Spider man cartoon and Spidey often used passing by aircraft, helicopters, blimps and what not to hang from with his web. One could imagine, if willing, that the web caster is hanging from a plane or soemthing...Imagination is what drives the world to the future.... If one is to nit pick too much Stormy |
Well fine. If it's that darn important to their immersion in the game that their power be believable for their characters Origin then they can't use those powers to cross water or swing from empty air because it destroys our immersion in the game.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
That's when all the excuses started. They couldn't imagine why a Natural Origin character could have Fly, SS, SJ, or TP but suddenly they're imagining all kinds of BS that would allow Swinglines to attach to empty air.
Hypocrisy. Gotta love it.

This argument has been going on for so many years it's possible people have forgotten what originally started it.
Oh, and 'Knock Forward' attacks are impossible. The Devs tried to make them work, and couldn't. Knock *back* is possible, and down. But not 'towards the caster'. It's a technical limitation.
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