Stretching Powers

themightymo

So I GM'd quite a bit of a tabletop superhero game before I discovered Champions Online, and I was super (heh) excited about this game. However, I found very quickly as I was playing with the character creator, that I wouldn't be able to recreate one of my favorite characters from that tabletop because there isn't a stretching or elasticity power in this game. Is this even something that people would be interested in, or is it just me? Also, what kinds of powers/abilities would that translate into in terms of gameplay? Any ideas?

championshewolf

Well I will be blunt, it most likely won't happen. Cryptic tried before way back in beta, experimenting with said things, and it tended to break stuff, mechanically speaking. Furthermore, as of this moment, Champions is on the low priority list as far as new character animations are concerned (which a power set like stretching would require a lot of skeletal animation work to make it even possible) so as such is unlikely to happen. Finally, there is only so many things you can really do with stretchy powers in the action combat oriented atmosphere. So, at this present time, it is very unlikely we will get a power set centered around stretchy powers.​​

themightymo

That's kind of what I figured, really. Kind of a bummer. Maybe in a sequel or later expansion eventually.

As far as it being a viable combat skill, though, I think that it's at least as useful as any of the other unarmed melee classes, like the Fist or the Master.

However, the fact is its still a VERY long shot because of the aforementioned animation issues.

jonsills

With Stretching, you could turn One Hundred Hands into a Ranged AoE attack.

Sadly, as the wolf said, the game engine simply can't handle it.

riverocean

A giant growth build with powers like one-hundred hands and Inexorable Tides actually simulates stretching quite well. The only thing really missing is a lunge power based off "Armadillo Roll" and a copy of the "Knock To" power that the Roi'nesh use regularly.

If you have access to the "invisible weapons" unlock for dual blades, Sword Cyclone.. then you have your spinning stretchy arms attack.

I had a build like that on test for a bit..and it was a blast. Even with the hit to Giant Growth due to CDR fixes.. it's still viable.

But if a set were built if they focused on effects centered around the hands.. instead of full skeletal changes.. it might work.

*It also helps if you build your costume to "look" like you have elongated limbs and a very thin body. ... here's my old Rubber Maid costume..

themightymo

Do they have a way to view characters outside the game, like your picture there?

riverocean

There are several animations that exist in game already that could be used to simulate "stretching". Not actual full body stretches.. but good enough to work.

- Armadillo Roll
- Various Roi'nesh attacks.

In fact some of the Roi

ironhellkite#3289 said:

Do they have a way to view characters outside the game, like your picture there?

Your costumes are stored in your screenshot file folder. They are meant to be shared.. but it's an option the game doesn't take much advantage of.

themightymo

Way cool. I will have to look into that. As for the whole stretching powers thing, I will have to simply be content with saying my character has Elasticity whenever I RP in game.

spinnytop

riverocean said:

There are several animations that exist in game already that could be used to simulate "stretching". Not actual full body stretches.. but good enough to work.

- Armadillo Roll
- Various Roi'nesh attacks.

In fact some of the Roi

ironhellkite#3289 said:

Do they have a way to view characters outside the game, like your picture there?

Your costumes are stored in your screenshot file folder. They are meant to be shared.. but it's an option the game doesn't take much advantage of.

I get the feeling those roi'nesh attacks use animations that are purpose-built for the roi'nesh, that wouldn't be easy/possible to use for player characters.

bluhman

Cryptic engine games have used some 'stretch/shapeshifty' animations in the past. In fact, the Champions game even includes some unused animations for a stretchy lunge and jump. They are unused, because the animations do not have the real 'plasticity' that an actual stretch-super would have - polygons are just that, straight geometry; they don't arc or curve well like an actual stretch effect would on someone like Plastic Man or Mr. Fantastic.

With the use of some liberal visual effects and perhaps some creative application of material options and colors on a morphable weapon geometry of some sort, however, I think it could be done.

STO actually makes use of these exact stretch animations for a changling boss battle. The effect actually doesn't look half bad:
https://youtu.be/XDo2c6ztZdg?t=58s

kjodell

I think they could pull off stretching Powers, They just have to forget about heroes like Mister Fantastic or Plastic Man and think most in line with Dhalsim from streetfighter or Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece

championshewolf

I think the part people are forgetting is, Champions does not get much int he way of animation time or budget. There is a bit more involved than simply porting things over and in fact, from what I understanding, hooking up animations for player use is a bit more complicated. Furthermore, animations have to also take into context things like swimming, flying, running, walking etc, everything that would not be set up for Champions. A prime example of a power not set up for those animations and just let work as is are the bestial animations. Go ahead and fly with those sometime, especially shred or massacre. And there are several other powers that ignore flying rules as well.

In short to get animation time Champions needs to see more money coming in, so in basic order for new power sets, for now, you kind of have to think in terms and limitations of what we have going on now. Saying unused files in the game means they are ready is very, very misconstrued logic. They might be unused because they have not been set up to animate with everything the player does, and they further might be unused by players because NPCs use them, which is a whole other ball game in itself.​​

themightymo

That's not to mention the process of balancing. That's it's own separate can of worms. Obviously there is not much chance of this ever getting implemented in-game, but it is still fun to think about what kinds of moves and powers such an archetype could have. (hint hint, for anyone who posts after this)