[New Power] Force Barrage

grimvane · May 2016

The Force version of Micro Munitions (Technically, much more like Fire All Weapons in terms of mechanics). Hopefully could be built from repurposing/slightly modifying existing assets.

Stance: Hand emanation like Lightning Arc, force effect gathers around the out-stretched hand while it is charged.

Instead of multiple arcing looping missiles, fires multiple arcing looping force bubbles (like Mind Break, only MOAR ORBS) at the target. The bubbles explode like mini Sonic Arrow Explosions or mini Force Eruptions on impacts (stun), feeding into a second, much larger secondary explosion (AOE knock forward/up/backward) similar to Energy Wave.

Cooldown similar to Fire All Weapons. I'm envisioning this as an impressive looking heavy hitter, most effective on groups but still worth casting on bosses, too. Force nuke.

The attack this guy in black does in the first 15 seconds of this video is a decent visual example of the power idea (without the secondary explosion), but substituting existing CO animations and effects. I know this is not the inspiration for this power but I can't think of it so it's the best I have to offer as an example.

legendarylycan · May 2016

what you're describing sounds similar to that energy barrage attack you see often in dragonball z used by various heroes on the current villain of the arc that makes dozens of large explosions and a huge dust cloud but does absolutely no damage

grimvane · May 2016

shadowfang240 said:
what you're describing sounds similar to that energy barrage attack you see often in dragonball z used by various heroes on the current villain of the arc that makes dozens of large explosions and a huge dust cloud but does absolutely no damage

I tried to find something from DBZ on youtube but came up empty. A single charged attack that splits into multiple "comet tail" orbs which wind and converge on an area/target, creating multiple small explosions and one really big one. Something like that.

A huge dust cloud would be cool but the performance hit isn't worth it, imo, unless it's really short, then maybe. I think I have a decent rig but I notice a framerate decline when i.e. Devanna Hawk hits me with a gas cloud arrow. That circular "cracked floor" effect might be a cool, less resource intensive, after effect. Maybe that with just a hint of dust cloud sprinkled in.

legendarylycan · May 2016

devanna hawke's gas cloud is resource-intensive because it creates a cloud for every valid target caught in the AoE at the time of the cloud's creation instead of just creating a single cloud like the player version

as for the attack i described, it's official name is Continuous Energy Bullet and an example of it can be seen in this clip starting at the 0:52 mark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDcU4LYyEow

grimvane · May 2016

shadowfang240 said:
devanna hawke's gas cloud is resource-intensive because it creates a cloud for every valid target caught in the AoE at the time of the cloud's creation instead of just creating a single cloud like the player version

as for the attack i described, it's official name is Continuous Energy Bullet and an example of it can be seen in this clip starting at the 0:52 mark:

I almost asked if you could post a link, thanks. The Advent Children version I posted is still the best example I can find. A single charged attack that bursts into multiple projectiles. The DBZ version is a lot more manic and uses a casting animation more like a sped up alternating hand cast energy builder. It would be cool in it's own right, but the thing I want is a little more subdued. That DBZ attack looks like it would be very easy to implement simply by copying Force's EB (?or 100 hands?) and beefing up the particle effects/casting speed. I'd love to be teamed with a toon using an attack like that, but it wouldn't quite appeal to me personally like the AC attack does.

I probably shouldn't have said I wasn't satisfied with the example I posted. Mechanically and visually it is what I'm describing, I just can't shake the feeling that I've seen a more stylized cartoonime depiction of it somewhere, still possibly from DBZ.

The name "Force Barrage" might be better suited for your offering, so:
DBZ version = Force Barrage/?Bombardment?/?
AC version = Force ?Annihilate?/?Bombardment?/?Barrage?/?

What kind of wine and chocolate does Kaiserin like? I want to see this happen.

chaelk · May 2016

so another Force cascade.

raighn · May 2016

I'm honestly curious if any of ya'll have used Mind Break before... it has the visual your looking for... the only problem I can see with it theme wise is that it uses the Psi-stance animation... I can actually get behind making a Force version though just recycle the Mind Break power effects with an altered immination point instead of spawning from the back of your head lanch them from your palm or whatever...

grimvane · May 2016

chaelk said:
so another Force cascade.

Yeah, pretty much.

Yep.

Or... it's nothing like force cascade?

One of those, though. Yeah.

raighn said:
I'm honestly curious if any of ya'll have used Mind Break before... it has the visual your looking for...

No, I had not! The particle effect is very good, yes. The looping motion, multiple orbs with a tracer tail from a single emanation point. Very nice. I think the impact effect would still be cooler if each orb resulted in a mini sonic arrow explosion or force erupton. edit: And MOAR orbs. Many, many more.

I see that the Mind Break version has at least 4-6 patterns that the orbs follow. So, if this was a nuke like Fire All Weapons, maybe those patterns could fire one after another until the energy gauge is depleted. Tapping Mind Break repeatedly gives the effect I'm describing.

Or maybe those patterns could fire all at once after the energy gauge is fully charged?

raighn said:
the only problem I can see with it theme wise is that it uses the Psi-stance animation... I can actually get behind making a Force version though just recycle the Mind Break power effects with an altered immination point instead of spawning from the back of your head lanch them from your palm or whatever...

I really don't care what tree it ends up in, I just want a visually impressive energy projection power with the same utility of Fire All Weapons, but an AOE sphere as opposed to a cone attack, and most definitely not a cylinder.

TL : DR
So what is this power like?

Visually, it looks like the first 15 seconds of the video I posted in the OP.
Mechancally, it behaves just like Fire All Weapons, only as an AOE sphere as opposed to a cone or cylinder.

grimvane · May 2016

gradii said:
Fire All weapons is an AoE. a large AoE.

*sphere. Sorry. Left out a word.

grimvane said:
as opposed to a cone attack, and most definitely not a cylinder.

One of the advantages of the cone attack is it continues to damage enemies as they close on your position, so if this is a charge and release all at once sphere AoE power I think it should be one or two big bursts of damage in quick succession.

If it fires in succession for a duration while the energy gauge is depleted**, then it should probably track the target if/as he moves.

Is Magic Missiles a D&D exclusive term? It could just as easily be called Magic Missiles and tossed in a magic tree.

**I think "maintain" is the proper terminology for this?

legendarylycan · May 2016

if it were exclusive, diablo 3 wouldn't have its own version of the missile (and yes, it is called magic missile there)

[New Power] Force Barrage

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