Potential Option for the Compatibility of Travel Powers between Players and Pets

I think it would be fair to suggest that an option could be created so that characters with pets can choose whether they want their pets to replicate the travel power that they themselves use or not. For example, a Corruptor with Dark Servant can click an button allowing their Dark Servant to use Flight with the player, as opposed to the pets inherent Jumping.

Those who read this might be thinking; "Hurr durr, that's what Group Fly is for!", but that's different. Group Fly is mainly designed for teammates, which is to say that you had to choose an extra power so that you could get your teammates to fly with you because they are not initially under your control. The thing is with pet(s), although there are different types of pets thus resulting in different levels of control over your pet(s), they are still under your control in the end. If you can slot a pet for a specific aspect of their powers (From Damage to Endurance Cost to Heal to Mez), you are even dictating whatever aspect of them you deem the most important. For example, I max out Damage output on my Robots, because I think that their damage is the most important thing about them. You do the same.

Despite this, pets of any archetype that pets are available to are still subject to a limitation in travel, which you cannot properly control without sacrificing a power slot for Group Fly. Thus, unless you choose to use a method such as Group Fly, such a limitation results in a split of power between you and your pet(s). You are no longer an effective unit, because you might be high up in the air with Hover dishing out blasts and healing your teammates down below, whilst your poor sod of a pet is running around trying to decide who to attack on its own or simply trying to reach you with only the ability of Jumping at its aid.

Now, despite potential debate over the amount of control you have over a Dark Servant (apparantely only fighting for you because you chose the power and it is binded to you for 4 minutes at a time) compared to Mastermind Pets (forever until death), it can be said that further control could be added overall. For if you can:

1. Slot pets for whatever is available to be slotted, thus dictating their effectiveness and importance in a certain field of combat.

2. Choose when to summon them AND dismiss them.

3. Create binds, macros, and click Advanced Control Options dictating their stance in combat (be it Aggressive, Defensive or Passive) and even dictate how they act (Go To, Attack My Target, Follow Me) in a variety of combinations in conjunction with eachother.

4. Give them Inspirations and buffs (to an extent).

...then why can't you dictate what method of travel they use, without having to subject them to Group Fly or anything along those lines? I think that if you were a pet user and you chose Hover, there should be an option to allow them to replicate YOUR mode of travel. It could save a vital power slot, and a unit of Mastermind + Thug Pets hovering together would be considerably more effective in combat than a split unit of Mastermind + Thug Pets using different travel methods in different areas of the map. Large maps with huge drops would be easier to navigate, targets would be easier to defeat, and the whole experience of using pets would be improved if an option like this were to be made available.

Discuss.


~Muzzz

....I just had images of Singularity using combat jumping inside of combat and Super Jump outside of combat.. bouncing up and down continously. Needs a boing sound effect.

I hoped that there would be more interest in something like this. Oh well.