Spring Attack

Great concept but the execution is bothering me even though I keep trying to pretend.

It's too bad the animation couldn't have actually been a jump. I'm trying to think if there are other animations in the game like this or lack of to try and figure out why it's being treated this way.

Love the idea of Hulk/Neo jumping into the fray landing fist into ground sending the mob into the air... and the attack itself is mathematically satisfying... but watching this "Vicious Descent" go down as a Teleport instead of a Leap is unsettling.

I'm pretty sure the animation is as close to a jump as we can get since the game engine doesn't support automated movement. Spring Attack is basically a shorter range version of the standard Teleport power with a different animation that fires off a PBAoE when you arrive. An actual leaping attack would require a way for the game to actually steer your character to the target, which doesn't currently exist and would probably take a lot of code time to add.

I appreciate that explanation - and still try to rack my brain against all odds because I swear I have seen something similar. If I click on a target and click follow my hero is dragged to the target.. seems like the basis for this might be in there somewhere. Perhaps with a bit more thought there are other examples. Just kicking it around a bit for fun... and I admittedly perhaps am thinking of having felt and seen things like this in other cities sans Paragon.

If I do hit a brick-wall in similarities (something I have never done with natural claws) I perhaps I would have voted (as if I had a vote) the power re-thought as a whole then - as it just doesn't feel right as a "leap" - at all. But then again i know people have mentioned personal issues/problems with all the travel power add-ons.

Just seems like something like maybe a self AoE straight up leap and descend to smashing damage and knock-back would have been a better fitting Super Leap option then a short Teleport.

You know what I'm trying to say... the thing advertises Hulk but sells Nightcrawler. So perhaps a bit more think-tanking was in order to find the right fit. Seems rushed/forced or half-baked to me.

It actually sort of works for me. Because of the angle of my camera, I barely notice the teleport, because it's so short a distance and directed away from me. Obviously I see the flash and I'm aware of the "bamf" effect, but it doesn't diminish the effect.

In my experience, leaping attacks are hard to implement, usually because of patting issues. WoW recently implemented a leap attack for Warriors after several years of trying to get it right, and there are still a lot of issues with it. Namely that the leap usually won't let you get over obstacles or change your starting/ending altitude very much, causing it to fail a lot on rough terrain.

If it turned out that these are the same problems the Paragon team ran into, I'd rather they do it this way than implement something that only works if you're fighting on a flat surface.

My biggest problem with the power is it always sets my camera position so I'm looking straight into a wall or a tree and can't see what's going on anymore.

I have to agree I'm somewhat unhappy with the animation, but I can accept that there are limitations to the engine. Considering those limitations, it isn't bad.

I actually like Spring Attack. It's damage isn't "bad". It's no Foot Stomp, but it's nice for grinding up herds of minions in ADDITION to Foot Stomp. I've gotten so that I'm entering tightly packed groups (like some of the mobs in those little dead-end foyers in office hallways) doing SA, FS, Judgement. After that I just mop up the remaining bosses and trot on down to the next group.

It's also a GREAT combat positioning tool. Ever gotten swamped in a lousy position (like back to the wall so the camera angle bites) by a group of enemies (like Knives of Artemis). And can't jump to reposition due to enemy power effects?

Spring Attack. Select the location and GO!

A couple things need to happen with this power though.

1: The recharge duration is CRAZY.

Now I realize there's a tradeoff between the superior mobility introduced by SA, but six times the recharge?

2: They need to do something about the sound effect at the end of the SA animation. It's identical to Rage's power-up/down sound and can be seriously disconcerting in heavy battle. This is a minor quibble. But it's one that does need looking at.

That said, I'm going to be mirroring this build onto my SS/Inv Brute. It ought to be absolutely terrifying. Run into a group, let them whack at me to build rage, then SA, FS and Judgement.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

Is also a stupidly fun addition to an electric melee / shield defense character. An unstoppable juggernaut of annoying "bamf" attacks.

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Originally Posted by Hyperstrike That said, I'm going to be mirroring this build onto my SS/Inv Brute. It ought to be absolutely terrifying. Run into a group, let them whack at me to build rage, then SA, FS and Judgement.

Am already working on this for my SS/WP Brute. Only level 30, so no Foot Stomp, yet, but with Rise to the Challenge, standing there and letting mobs beat on him is already entertaining.

Do it on an outdoor map with the camera pulled back. Your character does leap.

WARNING: I bold names.

Part of the reason it has to be a teleport is clickables don't check line of sight. If you actually jumped, you'd fly through walls, floors, low ceilings, etc.

Loving the attack on my recently respeced DP/TIME.

Both Spring Attack and Hail of Bullets have the same initial recharge, and in my build Spring Attack is just less than 2 seconds off in recharge.

Spring Attack into the group and then release Hail of Bullets

It does add to the clickie nature of /TIME tho, but damn if it wasn't fun and had me staying busy.

Kids these days...

I used to play MUDs - you know, text-based? If you want an idea of what Spring Attack would look like there, just start reading your combat log. >.>

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Originally Posted by PleaseRecycle it has gone from unconscionable to downright appalling that we have no way of measuring our characters' wetness.

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Originally Posted by Brillig It's hard to beat the entertainment value of Whackjob Wednesdays.