Hypothetical: Most cool looking power v. Most powerful power
By
Arcanaville,
Posted on: 2011-03-23 24:20 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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I think this is the rub. It depends on what the performance spread between the coolest and most powerful power was. If the spread was small enough that I could justify the performance hit, I'd go for coolest. If the spread was too large, I'd probably go for power... either that or I'd argue with myself into indecision until later. Honestly, I've done all three of those.|
Originally Posted by Lazarillo
Well, assuming "the most cool looking power" is still something moderately useful, and "most mechanically strong" isn't absolutely horrible[...]
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[edit: For example, a lot of people pick up Hasten, even if they hate the visual effect, because the power outweighs their hatred of glowy hands. (I don't mind said glowy hands.)]
[edit: Inverse is true for Flurry.]
I would cool looking any day of the week. I remember playing my DB scrapper and hearing "BS and Katana are much better." Perhaps, but I look cooler.
I could get pure power from a MUD, or a table top game. Here it LOOKS cool too.
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I hear this, and realize we still need a Dual Pistol/Armor AT just do I can have the best of both worlds!
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Originally Posted by TriAngel_EU
Basically what it comes down to for me is this:
The visuals of each particular power are just one thing adding to looking cool, but there are more. For instance: if you leap into a LARGE group of mobs and fight an epic battle, doesn't it look cooler to come out on top standing there possibly scratched but dominantly in the center of the group as the last few mobs fly off of you in their incapacitated state than it does to get owned in a visually pleasing manner and end up doing pro floor inspection with bored mobs stood around you? Yet aesthetics as such aren't the fuel that gets you there. |
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Assumptions:
1) Ultimate Cool move still gets the job done, just not optimally.
2) Ultimate Power move, first time I use it every session, makes me make The Disappointed Face, but not enough to keep me from using it again.
Given the above, Cool wins, with one important tipping point, if the power looks *too* cool, I will become disappointed that performance isn't matching appearance. The power Nalrok described, if I used that and ANYTHING lived through it, that would be a colossal letdown.
Also, to add my $0.02 on a power brought up by others, if the game caused my PC to unleash a bee sting on me every time I used Lightning Rod, that would not deter me from using that power. 
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Function. Lightning Rod is just all-around a very awkward and very inefficient power for me.
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Originally Posted by Mega_Jamie
our differing opinion on LR basically sums up the whole thread.
Was it the Form or Function which put you off the power that I think is best Form + Function in the entire game? |
My main, whose build is carefully crafted and filled with the best IOs, who has the tier4 Alpha and will eventually have all-purple Incarnate powers, still has Group Fly. Because to me, floating and glowing and little motes of light that make everyone *else* fly are what defines an Incarnate of Wind.
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I would happily take a melee range Pistols set for the Melee ATs. According to police statistics I've read, pistols are most effective within 7 to 15 feet against live targets. Coincidentally, most melee attacks are 7 feet, with the largest range melee attack (KoB) being 15 feet, so that matches up pretty well.|
Originally Posted by BrandX
I hear this, and realize we still need a Dual Pistol/Armor AT just do I can have the best of both worlds!
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This is a superhero game, so of course we should have superhuman pistol usage at an 80 foot range (as we already do), but I don't understand what the problem is with also having some realistic range usage as well for people who want pistol users that have some defensive training, powers, or armor aside from gadgetry and elemental melee attacks. For some reason, everybody laughs at that, without having any problem with the massive range reduction on Assault Rifles in comparison to their actual effective range.
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Lightning Rod is just one of those powers that is, for me, a perfect marriage of form and function. Kills lots? Check. Looks freaking awesome? Double check. It also does knockdown, which is another great combination of cool and functional.
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Originally Posted by Gatecrasher
Also, to add my $0.02 on a power brought up by others, if the game caused my PC to unleash a bee sting on me every time I used Lightning Rod, that would not deter me from using that power.
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whyiotta...|
Originally Posted by Blue_Mourning
You like ugly not very powerful powers?
:P |
actually that was part of my point. the ma animations could be a great deal better, really i have only seen one mmo that had really "good" representations of martial arts techniques, and that was because swg was so heavily motion captured, but my point was that the power at launch(technically 2 months after launch) was really anemic, recent buffs have helped considerably, but given the reuse of animations in ss and the elemental melees, i really couldn't go with anything but ma for my main character, it was flawed but at least distinct. even the original crane kick, which had the weird hand thing before the kick, still was a blast to play because it was distinct, while i watched all the stoners, ss's and energy melee guys use 31 flavors of an overhead axe handle slam.
that said, and as others have mentioned, there are limits to both, if a power is so weak that it makes fighting against even con minions tedious, then that degree of performance just isnt going to support a fun experience. but the power is just not a top tier power, but still is playable ,such as dual pistols, then i'll sacrifice some efficiency for something that looks good. the original thunder kick was like this, the look was undoubtedly cool, but its damage was just pathetic for the time of the animation and as often as not, got you killed by taking so long to execute. still wished we could get a newer faster version of it as an alt animation.
for me and gek, i think it boils down to my old problem that mmos are bad games, there are people that think mmos have gameplay, and i envy their ability to find it, but compared to a moderate level of quality single player game, they quickly get overtaken. If i am playing an mmo, and i try not to, its because of elements like amazing art or customization, that sadly dont tend to show up in single player games, so i play for that and that alone. if i wanted gameplay, its never, ever going to be a mmo that i turn to.
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Originally Posted by EvilGeko
Where's my peeps looking for power? All these cool looking powers mentioned here are hardly seen on an ITF so I know I'm not the only one!
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I have Fly on every character and Hover on most, thank you very much.|
Originally Posted by Eva Destruction
That's only what I recall off the top of my head. I also saw a lot of dead Romans. Oh, and did you know some people still use hover and fly? How quaint. Maybe if you stopped doing uber min-maxed speed runs all the time you'd see some of this coolness in action
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And speed runs are fun! Slow boring shard runs are not.
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Depends on a couple of judgement calls for me. I lean toward 'cool,' but performance isn't irrelevant to me, either. A lot depends on whether or not other people in the gameworld get the same choice.
Can I have a decently competitive character if I skipped the Power option? Would my character be considered gimped by the choice? Would I feel gimp compared to other players? Would my choosing Cool instead of Power affect my ability to run challenging content? Would I be passed over for teams for skipping the Power option?
Is the Cool power a bad power? Does the Cool power pick have no other redeeming features other than its coolness (Whirlwind, I'm looking at you), or does it have real use? Is it less effective than similar powers of its type but still functional, like Propel and Hail of Bullets?
If I'm making the choice for the whole game - as in, I get to choose one power to add to the game for everyone, and the choice is between a power that is cool or a power that provides a high performance boost - I'd choose Cool over Powerful. If everyone got to make the choice individually... it'd be a much harder decision and would depend on many subjective factors.
Aw, who am I kidding? I would pick Powerful, but would then whine on the Forums that Cool should be a viable option.
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If shard runs are slow you're doing it wrong.|
Originally Posted by EvilGeko
And speed runs are fun! Slow boring shard runs are not.
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Speed runs are about as much fun as superspeeding through a zone clicking on plaques.
Speed running during pregnancy has conclusively been linked to ADHD and "that annoying kid in the mall who won't shut up and stop bugging his parents for every shiny he sees" syndrome.
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Note: I have nothing personal against anyone who prefers speed runs or shard runs, but the imagry this passage envokes strikes me as... wrong. The first thing that came to mind as a counter point? The Olympics - a lot of those events are about who can do X the fastest.|
Originally Posted by Eva Destruction
Speed running during pregnancy has conclusively been linked to ADHD and "that annoying kid in the mall who won't shut up and stop bugging his parents for every shiny he sees" syndrome.
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Speed runs aren't necessarily about ADD "getting the shinies fastest" (albeit a nice side effect), but also about trying to beat prior records (be it personal or other).
I want my most cool looking power to BE the most powerful. If it's not, there's a problem.
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Well that's something we have in common.
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Originally Posted by EvilGeko
I have Fly on every character and Hover on most, thank you very much.
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Subjective judgement.
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Originally Posted by TriAngel_EU
Perhaps the cooler looking one is also only a few % cooler looking... or wait... how do you intend to measure this?
How do you make a decision based on an equation with something absolute on one side and something relative on the other? |
I don't suffer from altitis, I enjoy every minute of it.
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So sad to be ending ):
Call me boring, but the most powerful one. I have lower limits on how uncool a set as a whole can be before I'll refuse to use it (Mind Control bores me to tears animation-wise), but I'm fine with bland but useful for a power or two. I love Blaze, and it doesn't do a lot except make hella big orange numbers. I think Assault Rifle looks pretty cool, but it usually leaves me wanting mechanically, which is what matters when the coolness wears off after a few hours. I love the look of Ninja Blade for Stalkers, but I couldn't tolerate such a ST-oriented set to save my life.
Of course, when a character is powerful and stylish, that's when I fall in love. <3 Earth Control, Storm Summoning, and Thugs.
Edit: Also, as of this post (and Canine's below it) I see 26 votes for cool, 7 votes for power, 9 votes for other.
Having Vengeance and Fallout slotted for recharge means never having to say you're sorry.
I'll take good looking and works over ugly and instagibs the target.
I skipped Gamblers Cut on my Katana/Regen because I hated the animation. This was back in issue 3, I still don't have it, regardless of how good it may be now on a DPA front with the changes since then.
I took and kept Repair on my Bots/Traps MM, even though it's got a recharge that moves like Golden Syrup in a walk in Freezer.
I've got and use regularly Eagles Claw on my MA/Shield scrapper.
On a side note, Storm Kick, when used on a flying/hovering scrapper leaves you in a seriously cool pose. I use it a lot
Not the largest image, but you remain in the pose until you move away or attack again.
I could go on, but never mind.
Warning:
The above post may contain Cynicism, sarcasm and/or pessimism. If you object to the quantities contained, then tough.
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287 doctors agree that Speed Runs are essential to heart health!|
Originally Posted by Eva Destruction
If shard runs are slow you're doing it wrong.
Speed runs are about as much fun as superspeeding through a zone clicking on plaques. Speed running during pregnancy has conclusively been linked to ADHD and "that annoying kid in the mall who won't shut up and stop bugging his parents for every shiny he sees" syndrome. |
932 lawyers agree the Speed Runs are an absolute defense to fail!
2579 engineers use Speed Runs instead of pocket calculators in making safety calculations!
The City of Heroes Community is a special one and I will always look fondly on my times arguing, discussing and playing with you all. Thanks and thanks to the developers for a special experience.
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You heard it here first folks. Speed runs are directly responsible for heart attacks, clearly guilty people going free, and buildings collapsing. Buildings full of cute fluffy kittens. Kittens I tell you! WON'T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE KITTENS?|
Originally Posted by EvilGeko
287 doctors agree that Speed Runs are essential to heart health!
932 lawyers agree the Speed Runs are an absolute defense to fail! 2579 engineers use Speed Runs instead of pocket calculators in making safety calculations! |
This message has been brought to you by the Coalition of Concerned Citizens Against Speed Runs.
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Arc ID#161629 Freaks, Geeks, and Men in Black
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Eagle's Claw is slow, does too little damage, has a crit-boosting effect that malfunctions, and a stun that is so ridiculously short it wears off in almost as much time as it takes to stack cobra and EC in the first place.|
Originally Posted by Canine
I've got and use regularly Eagles Claw on my MA/Shield scrapper.
On a side note, Storm Kick, when used on a flying/hovering scrapper leaves you in a seriously cool pose. I use it a lot Not the largest image, but you remain in the pose until you move away or attack again. I could go on, but never mind. |
On the other hand:
So, yeah. And on that note, the alternate punch animation... does anyone use it? I tried, really hard to get used to it, and finally just gave up. Taking EC and then using the punch is like like taking Siphon Life and slotting it for tohit debuff. I'm sure there are people that do it, I just will never understand why.
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You just convinced me to finally try an MA scrapper. I had no idea Eagle's Claw looked that neat. I know I certainly wouldn't change that animation.|
Originally Posted by Arcanaville
So, yeah. And on that note, the alternate punch animation... does anyone use it? I tried, really hard to get used to it, and finally just gave up. Taking EC and then using the punch is like like taking Siphon Life and slotting it for tohit debuff. I'm sure there are people that do it, I just will never understand why.
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I've always avoided MA in the past because I want more punches to go with the kicks.. and I thought 'hey, I can go check out the new punch animations like I've been meaning to'.
... I'm less than impressed with most of these. :(
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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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See, I like the punch. The kick looked cool at first, but the sloooooooooooow juuuuuuuuuuuump started grating on my nerves after a bit, especially since it's so, well, slow compared to how fast-moving the other MA animations are. The sloooooooooooow puuuuuuuuunch at least doesn't defy the laws of physics, and the alternate animation helps avert the 'MY SUPERPOWER IS KICKING' thing.|
Originally Posted by Arcanaville
So, yeah. And on that note, the alternate punch animation... does anyone use it? I tried, really hard to get used to it, and finally just gave up. Taking EC and then using the punch is like like taking Siphon Life and slotting it for tohit debuff. I'm sure there are people that do it, I just will never understand why.
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If they took every animation over about 1.5-2s and found a way to cut them down to size without losing the good parts, I certainly wouldn't complain.
Having Vengeance and Fallout slotted for recharge means never having to say you're sorry.
For me, cool looking will always trump super powerful Powers.
Beautiful powers with horrible performance take up my pity spot of things I'll use against my better judgement, and while I will enjoy the spectacle every time, I'll always feel cheated at the end.
That said, a power that has great stats but horrible effects (like Bitter Ice Blast) is just as bad as a power that has horrible stats but great effects (like Bitter Freeze Ray). Neither is good on its own. We need both at the same time.