If they can't give most of these to players, why do you think they can give them to MA characters?
Mainly because I suspect that there are more things possible in-game but which haven't been implemented for fear of unbalancing the game. Or they can implement a power but it wouldn't be a strong enough reason to build an entire powerset around it.
For example, while a wrecking ball would be awesome, it really just amounts to a customization with new animation. (Of course, this would be true of most melee-type weapons, like nunchuks, frying pans, giant rolling pins, etc.) So far the Devs have tried to avoid that sort of PC powerset, but it might not be out of place for unique NPCs.
Plus giving NPCs unique abilities keeps new ideas flowing for opponents and allies. It keeps things exciting and fresh, and a new experience each time.
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Mainly because I suspect that there are more things possible in-game but which haven't been implemented for fear of unbalancing the game. Or they can implement a power but it wouldn't be a strong enough reason to build an entire powerset around it.
For example, while a wrecking ball would be awesome, it really just amounts to a customization with new animation. (Of course, this would be true of most melee-type weapons, like nunchuks, frying pans, giant rolling pins, etc.) So far the Devs have tried to avoid that sort of PC powerset, but it might not be out of place for unique NPCs.
Plus giving NPCs unique abilities keeps new ideas flowing for opponents and allies. It keeps things exciting and fresh, and a new experience each time.
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They're not avoiding stuff like this because of balancing concerns. Balancing concerns are easy enough to address because they're simply based around changing the numbers in the set, which is pretty easy. The big problem is that they are a large amount of work (designing new animations and visual effects and testing them to make sure they work) for a small benefit (how many players would actually create these special NPCs?). The other issue is that, if they create these "micro-powersets" for NPCs, players will start wanting them which simply generate an additional demand for low effort:return ratio work.
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Mainly because I suspect that there are more things possible in-game but which haven't been implemented for fear of unbalancing the game. Or they can implement a power but it wouldn't be a strong enough reason to build an entire powerset around it.
For example, while a wrecking ball would be awesome, it really just amounts to a customization with new animation. (Of course, this would be true of most melee-type weapons, like nunchuks, frying pans, giant rolling pins, etc.) So far the Devs have tried to avoid that sort of PC powerset, but it might not be out of place for unique NPCs.
Plus giving NPCs unique abilities keeps new ideas flowing for opponents and allies. It keeps things exciting and fresh, and a new experience each time.
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You're forgetting that these NPCs have character-like models.
Why do you think you don't see Sorcerers with Martial Arts? It's because their little skirt-thing doesn't support it. Things like Nun-Chucks, a 'Wrecking Ball', and so forth seem ripe with clipping issues depending on how you make the character.
As for Shape-shifting, and so forth... Again! They can't give these powers to PLAYERS. They sure as hell aren't about to give them to NPCs.
You guys are so negative. What's the point in offering suggestions and ideas if they're strangled in the crib? The point is to offer ideas, not shoot them down as soon as they're aired. Plus, somewhere along the line, instead of letting the devs speak for themselves, posters decided to do it for them. I have a unique idea that I think might be worth exploring, not exploding. I'll keep my ideas to myself from now on and not even bother. What's the point?
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You guys are so negative. What's the point in offering suggestions and ideas if they're strangled in the crib? The point is to offer ideas, not shoot them down as soon as they're aired. Plus, somewhere along the line, instead of letting the devs speak for themselves, posters decided to do it for them. I have a unique idea that I think might be worth exploring, not exploding. I'll keep my ideas to myself from now on and not even bother. What's the point?
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You know, no one is just saying "Your idea is bad and you should feel bad." You're being given reasons why it wouldn't work, and instead of saying "Oh, what if they did it this way instead..." you just say "You guys are so negative"
I've seen some of the regular posters here actually help people sort their ideas out to make them better and workable. But for that to happen you have to accept their criticism, not ignore it. As it is now, the devs would see your suggestion and think "That's not possible" and that would be the end of it. If you really think you have a good idea, work to make it work.
Or, learn to accept when something just isn't doable or worth the developer's time (in their eyes) and move on.
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You guys are so negative. What's the point in offering suggestions and ideas if they're strangled in the crib? The point is to offer ideas, not shoot them down as soon as they're aired. Plus, somewhere along the line, instead of letting the devs speak for themselves, posters decided to do it for them. I have a unique idea that I think might be worth exploring, not exploding. I'll keep my ideas to myself from now on and not even bother. What's the point?
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And you, sir, should get acquainted with the search button. She can be a bit frigid, but touch 'er in the right places, and she REALLY opens up to you.
Perhaps having shape-shifting and stretching WOULD require a new model. Then MA would be the place to test it out. Have it be a new figure type that you could purchase with tickets. Have it be something you could win in a contest. Have it be something you could win after completing a task force, or even better a dev-developed MA mission that introduces the new figure model.
Set up the limitations on the figure beforehand (costume restrictions, etc.) and BAM! new figure! Maybe because of its unique nature, it would be precluded from use as a PC model, but at least it could be Ally-ed or used as an enemy.
While I use the shapeshifting and stretching as an example, this could also be used for other unique abilities like the Wrecking Ball weapon. Set up the limitations beforehand and let it loose for the MA.
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Perhaps having shape-shifting and stretching WOULD require a new model.
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It wouldn't require a new model. It would require a unique model. No variations possible for any limb that would do any stretching. No tweaking colors. No changing textures. Nothing. They're not going to put a powerset that is that limiting into the system simply because everyone would complain about it being too limited or that it doesn't let them do absolutely everything they want to with it. The fact that they delayed AE for an entire issue because everyone was screaming for custom critters is fairly demonstrative of this. The devs won't release something unless it's roughly 90% of what the playerbase expects/wants from it.
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Why do you think you don't see Sorcerers with Martial Arts? It's because their little skirt-thing doesn't support it.
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Actually, there are a couple Tsoo bosses that wear Sorceror robes and use the martial arts kick set. The robe just stretches a lot.
The Bacon Compels You.
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Perhaps having shape-shifting and stretching WOULD require a new model.
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It wouldn't require a new model. It would require a unique model. No variations possible for any limb that would do any stretching. No tweaking colors. No changing textures. Nothing. They're not going to put a powerset that is that limiting into the system simply because everyone would complain about it being too limited or that it doesn't let them do absolutely everything they want to with it. The fact that they delayed AE for an entire issue because everyone was screaming for custom critters is fairly demonstrative of this. The devs won't release something unless it's roughly 90% of what the playerbase expects/wants from it.
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Well, players deal with costuming limitations now and have come to deal with it. If I pick those giant Steampunk gloves, that cancels out choices I might have been able to make if I picked a different set of gloves.
Plus players might be able to forgive limitations if they could do stuff like this.
Then again, this is about MA-only powers and abilities. If MA would allow players to create critters that have the powers in the above video, but not as player character options that'd be like saying you can have Lord Recluse or Statesman but you can't play as them.
Come to think of it, Lord Recluse and Statesman have costume options and powers that are unavailable to players yet players have adapted. I think having MA-only powers and abilities would come under the same category and players would again adapt.
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Perhaps having shape-shifting and stretching WOULD require a new model.
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It wouldn't require a new model. It would require a unique model. No variations possible for any limb that would do any stretching. No tweaking colors. No changing textures. Nothing. They're not going to put a powerset that is that limiting into the system simply because everyone would complain about it being too limited or that it doesn't let them do absolutely everything they want to with it. The fact that they delayed AE for an entire issue because everyone was screaming for custom critters is fairly demonstrative of this. The devs won't release something unless it's roughly 90% of what the playerbase expects/wants from it.
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Well, players deal with costuming limitations now and have come to deal with it. If I pick those giant Steampunk gloves, that cancels out choices I might have been able to make if I picked a different set of gloves.
Plus players might be able to forgive limitations if they could do stuff like this.
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Choosing one set of gloves merely prevents you from using a different set of gloves. That's completely different. We're talking "bare hands, one pre-specified standard skin color only" type restrictions. Ones that will hurt character concepts badly.
The biggest draw of this game is the character creator. The devs are not going to design an entire powerset that sabotages their biggest sell point.
Never surrender! Never give up!
Help keep Paragon City alive with the unofficial City of Heroes Tabletop Role Playing Game!
I never said there should be only bare skin options for stretching. A simple glove set up could be available, perhaps with stripe variations for the arms (because the Spots variation would look funny when it's stretched out ). It'd be no different than you'd get if you had Mr. Fantastic, the Sandman, Hydroman, Metamorpho, Plastic Man or Elongated Man as a player character. Just 'cause you couldn't get robotic stretchable arms doesn't mean you can't still make some cool costume variations.
I was talking about what Umbral was saying, not what you said.
Never surrender! Never give up!
Help keep Paragon City alive with the unofficial City of Heroes Tabletop Role Playing Game!
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I was talking about what Umbral was saying, not what you said.
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Cool! Maybe somebody's OK with my suggestion! 
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I was talking about what Umbral was saying, not what you said.
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Cool! Maybe somebody's OK with my suggestion!
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I'm not agreeing with your suggestion in the least. I've been disagreeing with it from the beginning. What I don't think you realize that is that it's not possible to do what you want with the engine the way it is. The model and the power are 2 completely independent things. Changing the skin of the model will not (and cannot) change the animation thanks to limitations within the engine. Any "flexible limb" powersets would, by definition, restrict the entire limb to a single set up. No choices whatsoever. You wouldn't get to choose between a number of stripes or get any color selections. You'd get nothing. That's what we've been saying and you haven't been reading.
Make the MA a place to create creatures and characters with unique powers and abilities, maybe even as a testing ground for possible release for player character powersets.
Possibilities could include things like:
- Unique weapons, like a Wrecking Ball (similar to that used by the Absorbing Man), or nunchuks, or tridents.
- Unique powers, like stretching and shape changing (which might necessitate using brand new meshes or other behind-the-scenes game tech), or water powers, or wall-crawling, or whatever.
- Unique pets, like animals or new robot designs.
Essentially, these new and unique powers would be NPC only. Applying unique powers to NPCs is not new, and was often done in D&D and other PnP games. This would be a way to get user feedback, iron out any kinks, and build up anticipation for eventual release on powersets that users have suggested over the years.