Gadgeteering--Realizing Its Potential

eviltwintwo

I believe it's time to talk about the Great White Elephant in the room, the powerset many of us are expecting a revamp for. Other than the sorcery stuff, devices (gadgets) are reasonably expected to versatile. Now don't get me wrong, Gadgeteering already has some good things in it, but there's room for more!! Although to be honest maybe fewer additions are needed than in previously revamped sets.

Gadgeteering already has sonic blasters, particle rifles, boomerangs, pets, control options (entangling mesh, bolas, etc.), some debuffs/damage adds (toxic nanites, miniaturization drive, etc.). The one area where it is surprisingly lacking is direct heals. Oh, it does have heals, but...well, let's think about them a bit.

Medical Nanites. A support passive that grants team members health every 3 seconds; it also has a small damage resist. However, its heal isn't meant to compare to direct healing, and it doesn't seem to be affected by Compassion. It does what it's supposed to do, and combines well with Sentinel Aura. [NOTE: It once affected any hero/friendly around you, but Onslaught content convinced the devs to limit it to team members only.]

Bionic Shielding. One of the more unique heals in the game, it grants you five charges of heal-on-hit, and a high-presence user can easily reach 400, 500, or even 600+ per tick noticeably before level 40. It can be used on any ally (player or NPC) at 100 feet, but a debuff limits it to one application every 15 seconds on any target, which isn't unreasonable considering what it does (and the fact that it's a click). It's useless out of combat, but if you're out of combat your health should be returning, anyway; it's just that it's no good, for example, in getting those soldiers in the first part of the desert up because the mobs don't target them.

Support Drones. Two bots who follow you around, healing you and allies. Can be hard to use on some builds since they get blasted apart by AoE's. Otherwise, very nice and gadgety.

Aside from these, there are a few powers with advantages that give some maintenance healing. ex., Nanobot Swarm + Rejuvenating Injectors. However, there isn't a traditional character-based direct heal. Odd for a set with such logical flexibility. The first and foremost "needed change" to this set must be a healing beam, perhaps using the Experimental Blaster. Not sure whether I'd want it to be a charge or maintain, but it could easily fit into the 50' direct heal club since Bionic Shielding is 100'. Also, if support drones can heal a sphere (at rank 3), why shouldn't the gadgeteer be able to do the same?

Other than healing, a few adjustments to certain powers and concepts might be nice. One odd thing I've noticed is that bad guys who use guns from the gadgeteering set seem to have a different cone attack; I've never seen them use Experimental Burst Ray; instead they have a power somewhat like Submachine Gun Burst (except energy darts instead of bullets). I'd love that as an experimental blaster option. Or it could be a particle rifle power. (I guess it could be argued, "homogenization!!!", which is why I'd prefer it on the blaster; alternatively, there is an energy pistol ablity some Viper agents use (the ones that summon a healing drone & a munitions bot, I can't think of what they're called right now), which could be duplicated as a blaster option.)

And speaking of Experimental Blaster, I both love it and hate it. The extra damage (chance is doubled with the Death Ray advantage), is a nice boon, but the Teddy Bear thing...well, I don't see an advantage in an effect which makes the mobs harder to defeat. Frankly, I wish it was removed from the game as it serves no useful purpose; it isn't even amusing after the 3rd time you've seen it. The Death Ray advantage is...well, the actual death ray effect (instant defeat) only works on mobs you're going to crush with the extra damage anyway, so what's the point? It doesn't work on anything of any threat (it adds even more extra damage to these targets). Frankly, it should just to the extra damage to all targets, without an instant defeat effect, because anything that would work on isn't going to last that long.

If the devs want to leave Experimental Blaster as it is, they could always make a new power by cloning the shot you get off Support Drones in attack mode.

Then there's Sonic Boom Generator, which costs too much for the damage it does. Considering how it compares to Sonic Arrow, I'll just use Sonic Arrow; it would be nice if SBG was an option, but unless I have an Int-End-Xxx build, it just isn't particularly usable.

An option for using Tech Gauntlets with more or less the same options & abilities as the blasters & stuff might also be a nice addition. Not every gadgeteer would have to carry a gun then.

kjodell

What I am really hoping to see are more energy-blaster weapons

Experimental Blaster: I'd switch from random effects to radiation effects and remove the Teddification nonsense
Experimental Burst Ray: I'd go more of a shotgun Blast with radiation effects and switch it the Gadgeteer Particle Rifle skin
Pulse Beam Rifle: This would become basically an Assault Rifle with radiation effects
I'd also like to see equivalents for submachine gun, gatling gun and sniper rifle that do particle damage with radiation effects and using the gadgeteer particle rifle skin as well as maintain, combo and energy-builder versions of Experimental Blaster

I'm also hoping to see two variants on particle accelerator one that is geared for range damage over melee damage and one that is a flat rate return for both melee and range damage (for mixing these weapons with the Laser Sword powers)

My ideas may be to samely for some people but I think they would fill a niche that is currently vacant

Plasma Grenades would also be cool

eviltwintwo

Interesting. Thx for the reply!

legendarylycan

it's hardly EXPERIMENTAL if you go and remove the very thing that MAKES it experimental...even though the random debuffs are useless more often than not - individual ones just aren't strong enough to be worth a damn​​

eviltwintwo

shadowfang240 said:

it's hardly EXPERIMENTAL if you go and remove the very thing that MAKES it experimental...even though the random debuffs are useless more often than not - individual ones just aren't strong enough to be worth a damn​​

Interesting points. However, considering that gadgeteers are supposed to be both super heroes and super geniuses, they should have an aversion to what is essentially a gun that performs human experimentation. Not being overblown about this, the game isn't real, ya know. But that point you made about some side effects being useless certainly also applies.

legendarylycan

it's less human experimentation and more 'i made this new gun that is supposed to do X, but there might be a few bugs that need working out...wanna be my guine-i mean, tester, hero?'

think moira brown's exploding molerat repellent stick from fallout 3 - which wasn't supposed to make them explode​​

catstarsto

Or take from STO and SWTOR and create an actual support medic. Heal, stim and extended shield tech. You can use the revive hypo gun to give a HoT for one, and remove debuff or gain buff stim, you can also have personal shields and and extended shield web. This would also be a good opportunity to expand the games lore for ether Unity or Until/Viper Until versions can focus on buffs like (HoT, damage resist and shielding) and viper can focus on debuffs (poison,tech viruses or draining powers) But you can also add in a pistol energy weapon for them inplace of the particle rifle, it can have a heal frequency for allies while doing damage to enemys, just like the heal beam in magic powers. Their TP could also be a medivac chopper(jetpack base) or akira style bike painted white with a red cross and flashing lights(running base).

eviltwintwo

shadowfang240 said:

it's less human experimentation and more 'i made this new gun that is supposed to do X, but there might be a few bugs that need working out...wanna be my guine-i mean, tester, hero?'



think moira brown's exploding molerat repellent stick from fallout 3 - which wasn't supposed to make them explode​​

Umm, what?! Exploding molerats?! Hahahaha! I've never played any of the Fallout games, so I've never heard that before. Thanks, I got a good laugh out of that!!

eviltwintwo

catstarsto said:

Or take from STO and SWTOR and create an actual support medic. Heal, stim and extended shield tech. You can use the revive hypo gun to give a HoT for one, and remove debuff or gain buff stim, you can also have personal shields and and extended shield web. This would also be a good opportunity to expand the games lore for ether Unity or Until/Viper Until versions can focus on buffs like (HoT, damage resist and shielding) and viper can focus on debuffs (poison,tech viruses or draining powers) But you can also add in a pistol energy weapon for them inplace of the particle rifle, it can have a heal frequency for allies while doing damage to enemys, just like the heal beam in magic powers. Their TP could also be a medivac chopper(jetpack base) or akira style bike painted white with a red cross and flashing lights(running base).

Interesting ideas, though it could be argued, I suppose, that Gadgeteering is already a support set. More options would still be nice, of course. We'll have to wait and see what they do.

catstarsto

eviltwintwo said:

catstarsto said:

Or take from STO and SWTOR and create an actual support medic. Heal, stim and extended shield tech. You can use the revive hypo gun to give a HoT for one, and remove debuff or gain buff stim, you can also have personal shields and and extended shield web. This would also be a good opportunity to expand the games lore for ether Unity or Until/Viper Until versions can focus on buffs like (HoT, damage resist and shielding) and viper can focus on debuffs (poison,tech viruses or draining powers) But you can also add in a pistol energy weapon for them inplace of the particle rifle, it can have a heal frequency for allies while doing damage to enemys, just like the heal beam in magic powers. Their TP could also be a medivac chopper(jetpack base) or akira style bike painted white with a red cross and flashing lights(running base).

Interesting ideas, though it could be argued, I suppose, that Gadgeteering is already a support set. More options would still be nice, of course. We'll have to wait and see what they do.

The medical nanites can be a nice little boost but would require a lot more in a cosmic or TA or even event bosses...the heal drones are nice for alerts and story mode, but after you are leveled they are a joke for end game, and not just because the aoes require you to waste time resummoning due to the bosses like dino who can seem to throw aoe after aoe at you like a machinegun, and even when its attack doesnt hit you, it places a hold on you so you cant heal or activate until you get loose, and then its too late, it ether hits you while you are bound or you have to block again after you are free. So a combat medic (gadget one) would need to be fully equipped with counters and HoTs for such fights. The current gadget setups are for strategic PvP and a "no specified role of importance" in an end game fight.



DPS/Tank: "Heals!"
Me: "Imma little tied up atm!"

eviltwintwo

catstarsto said:

The medical nanites can be a nice little boost but would require a lot more in a cosmic or TA or even event bosses...the heal drones are nice for alerts and story mode, but after you are leveled they are a joke for end game, and not just because the aoes require you to waste time resummoning due to the bosses like dino who can seem to throw aoe after aoe at you like a machinegun, and even when its attack doesnt hit you, it places a hold on you so you cant heal or activate until you get loose, and then its too late, it ether hits you while you are bound or you have to block again after you are free. So a combat medic (gadget one) would need to be fully equipped with counters and HoTs for such fights. The current gadget setups are for strategic PvP and a "no specified role of importance" in an end game fight.

Yeah, I said {cut&paste} Support Drones. Two bots who follow you around, healing you and allies. Can be hard to use on some builds since they get blasted apart by AoE's. Otherwise, very nice and gadgety.

So I do know about the AoE's thing. In fact, I'm not sure that can be mentioned enough. And medical nanites is a maintenance heal, not a primary heal. The Sorcery set has primary heals--even fire has a couple now. Gadgeteering, which is logically the first or second most adaptable skillset in the game (or should be) definitely needs primary heal options. The current setup really does require a FF character who grabs an AoE heal from another set to make up the difference; Gadgeteering should have its own. More options, please!!

Otherwise, they could add Gadgets that prevent the next hold or restore energy over time to the team, stuff like that, to make the set more versatile.

And may I say, even though I removed them from my replies to shorten the thread a bit, the pictures you included in your posts were awesome. I especially liked the cat & yarn pic and its caption.