Devs- Auras? Players- WEIGH IN!

cybersoldier1981 · November 2013

So we'd heard Auras would be available some time this year, and we're in the last months. I'm not super butt-hurt over this at all. I mean, we got some pretty cool lil' things costume-wise. But I'm still hoping to see auras, and I'd rather wait than get something mediocre and rushed and make the wait we've already had seem all for naught.

So, for the Devs- might as well ask, and even if the community knows- it'd be good to get some answers.

1- Will Auras be 'obtained' as one theme and be applied in a variety of ways? (I say 'obtain' because I'm not stupid enough to think they'll all be C-store purchases) What I am asking is that will I be able to 'obtain' a 'Steam Aura' and apply something like 'Steam Body Aura' or 'Steam Eyes' or 'Steam Fists'? CoH had a pretty sharp method of the Auras, and after tinkering with their standalone offline character creator, you could do some pretty cool stuff to enhance the character's cosmetics.

2- Will we be able to change the color of the Auras? Because, let's face it- if I'm stuck with 'yellow fire' and 'blue electricity', then I'm not going to bother.

3- Can there be a 'Weapon Aura' option for people who want 'fire swords' or 'electric pistols'?

4- Will we be stuck with basic elemental auras, or will we get interesting things like smoke, binary code, holographic armor, etc?

5- Can the auras be silent, for the love of God? Nothing annoys me more than the 'noisemaker' powers people have on looming around. It's a pain.

6- What are the odds of having Auras work with our Passives when they proc or overwrite the passive's FX? Because some of the Passives have some really bad/obnoxious FX (AoPM).

For the community:

What Auras do you want to see?

bluhman · November 2013

These.

jonsills · November 2013

You know that temp aura that covers you if you get too close to a fire in-game (for instance, the burning patches in Let's Stop A Riot!)? The one that actually looks like fire covering you?

I'd like that as a Fire Aura, please.

Also, the aura that accompanies Fire Flight can be pretty cool, especially if you color it - Penitent uses Fire Flight with the purple default color of a Grimoire, and it makes for a really cool magical-flight appearance. Like so:

flyingfinn · November 2013

Tick-tock-tick-tock.

theravenforce · November 2013

bluhman wrote: »

These.

Nice ideas, I've added a few I'd like to see to that thread!

bellatorrex · November 2013

OH how I would love for there to be a wide variety of auras and that they would over write some passive auras since some are very bad or ruin concepts. I'd like to see a lot of auras to be honest, so I"ll just make a small list.

Auras:
Steam
Smoke
Improved Earth, how about gravitating rocks?
Repelling Gravity (you have a small crater on the ground where ever you walk, small pebbles slowly move away from you)
Fire
Ice (like... what you get when you fully charge up the ice blast, or even random snowflakes or ice dropping from the sky since you are freezing the water in the air temperature)
Elec
glow veins
hologram
drawn
90's
Old Style Comics (You know where you could basically see the dots in the shading and stuff)
Kirby Crackle
ominous Full Body Glow (Just your typical ominous glow)
Wind (Somewhat similar to repelling gravity but you blow around debris more often than not. Easter Egg: In the desert you would blow around tumbleweeds.)
Divinity (You have a holy light around you, as if Angels follow you)
Demonic (You have evil near you at all times it seems... odd for a hero)
Full Body Chi Aura
DBZ basish Aura (lets face facts, it doesn't have to be exact, but it would be funny to see)
Spiral glow Aura (Your powers manifest as a double helix of energy or your element letting all know the power you wield.)

Thats it for now.

flyingfinn · November 2013

I think they are working on the Lost Weapon Skins for Auras because they have been sketchy with them and not dumping them in C-,D- or Z-stores yet.

) i'm wearing my Pwetty Plewse Stach

meedacthunist · November 2013

Kirby Crackle/Dots

Null Aura (overrides all graphical FX from passives and effects on your character making them not displayed at all)

draogn · November 2013

I hope they aren't turned into become devices that get stuffed inside lockboxes. I hope they are something we can alter in the tailor.

cybersoldier1981 · November 2013

http://co.perfectworld.com/news/?p=1042411

Well.

rugrothrumbor · November 2013

Can our block powers not be shown? Like that beehive of Energy Shield.

jeffometer · November 2013

meedacthunist wrote: »

Null Aura (overrides all graphical FX from passives and effects on your character making them not displayed at all)

Oh my god, I would pay so much money for this. Devs, PLEASE add something like this in!

jonsills · November 2013

jeffometer wrote: »

Oh my god, I would pay so much money for this. Devs, PLEASE add something like this in!

If I understand what's going on on the PTS right now, they are adding it in - for free...

crosschan · November 2013

I would like a completely invisible aura that just makes the wind blow on your toon all the time. For the hero who likes capes, scarves, and/or tassals. It would also prevent this particular joke from continuing to be a sad sad reality.

$(KGrHqUOKooE1z2kNsmbBNoBe1wj9g~~_35.JPG

$(KGrHqUOKooE1z2kNsmbBNoBe1wj9g~~_35.JPG

"Oh SURE....like it's windy ALL the time!"

Oh hey, they mentioned "Legacy Auras." Does this mean stuff like PFF's old persistant orb effect? :biggrin:

sagewithbubbles · November 2013

crosschan wrote: »

Oh hey, they mentioned "Legacy Auras." Does this mean stuff like PFF's old persistant orb effect? :biggrin:

Nope.

But that's likely to be added as a new one, since they're open for suggestions.

The Legacy Auras are in to maintain character continuity, but new stuff's going to be added. The ones that are up right now are only a few to test the concept and have a base to build on, I think.

Also...

AOPM'S GRAPHIC IS SLAIN! :biggrin:

...unless you're some sick deviant that wants to keep it.

cybersoldier1981 · November 2013

Just gonna chance a guess here.

Someone's going to realize that you can stack these things. So, we'll have a neon lightning fire runes frost aura. Just blasting noise, sparks, snowflakes, and damned rocks everywhere repeatedly. Loud as hell and blasting crap everywhere, just as much an earsore as they are an eyesore.

Trolls, your trade tools have arrived.

somebob · November 2013

Oh, the stacking is kinda nuts right now - 4 out of combat effects AND 4 in combat effects. THAT SAID, you need to spend a LOT of money to get that as they're all Legacy Auras and you only get one of those for free (per character).

But yes, you can stack effects to be quite the glowing person.

Finally - this IS AWESOME. Devs, I absolutely LOVE this. AMAZING work so far!

xcaligax · November 2013

You can stack different auras, but not the same auras. Right now, if you had all aura slots filled, you would be stacking 8 auras.....at one time.

stellariodragon · November 2013

I love it a lot, but I'm kinda hoping they add console commands to move auras around. I manly use builds game-play wise to change my items, gear, powers, and role and use key-binds for cosmetics.

Something like /aura <auraname> <slotnumber> with aura being the name of an aura in your aura bag. Heck, I'd settle for /aura <aura bag index number> <aura slot number> with what ever aura that was slotted moving back to where it was in the aura bag before.

Also I'm still hoping for an astral/ghost aura to make the character translucent.

crosschan · November 2013

somebob wrote: »

Oh, the stacking is kinda nuts right now - 4 out of combat effects AND 4 in combat effects. THAT SAID, you need to spend a LOT of money to get that as they're all Legacy Auras and you only get one of those for free (per character).

But yes, you can stack effects to be quite the glowing person.

Finally - this IS AWESOME. Devs, I absolutely LOVE this. AMAZING work so far!

Waittasec, hold the phones, stop the presses. If I buy the Z-store kit with some of these buggers do I only get one copy as opposed to one per toon? My unlocks are accountwide so I can use them on EVERYBODY if I so choose for the cash I spend. Are they at the very least account-bound? If this is per toon BoP then....yeah...my will to care is lapsing.

Also, what's the price point? How many do I get for how much cashola?

jonsills · November 2013

crosschan wrote: »

Waittasec, hold the phones, stop the presses. If I buy the Z-store kit with some of these buggers do I only get one copy as opposed to one per toon? My unlocks are accountwide so I can use them on EVERYBODY if I so choose for the cash I spend. Are they at the very least account-bound?

Well, judging by what I've been reading in the PTS forums (as I can't access PTS directly), each toon will be given one free aura that gives the appearance of whatever aura their current slotted passive does; that particular aura will, it seems, be character-bound. However, we are assured that the auras from the Q-Store and the C-Store are per account, and can be traded amongst toons on a single account, not completely unlike vehicles.

Also, apparently, any toon rocking Dark Aura will receive an appropriate replacement aura.

somebob · November 2013

Yes. Long story short:

Every character past, present, and future, will be getting one free Legacy Aura Unlock. Those LAs are the auras that all the current CO Passives have as their effects (the fire from Fire Form, the sparkles from Invul, etc etc). But you can pick whatever Legacy Aura you want (so you can get Fire Form's look even if you have Invul).

But it's only one free one per character, and no doubt that'll be character bound. And as of right now on PTS, it costs 200,000 Q to buy another.

There will also be Q, C-Store, and mob drop auras that are more 'general use'. They'll come in full body aura (like the Passives now), Torso, Feet, Hands, and Head. These should be account bound once you've put them on the first time (and some/all of them should be BoE until that point).

You can combine them into both Always On effects and In Combat effects (4 of each total) - but you only get the first pair free. The other 3 you have to buy (unknown on price or if it's per character or per account).

You can use whatever effects you want in each slot. As long as they're not the exact effect in the exact effect type slot (so you can't use Sparkle Hands twice in Always On, but you can use a Sparkle Hands in Always On and In Combat), they'll all stack with each other. And you can assign a different color to each of the auras you slot in.

So, for example:

You can have Legacy Ice Aura always running, along with the Kirby Krackle on your hands and feet. When you jump into combat, you can add on say, Legacy Ego Form along with an additional set of effects, and they'll all stack and run at the same time.

Yes, these can make your character much more of a mess than they are now on Live.

rugrothrumbor · November 2013

Is this going to be like the vehicles? You pass them around your characters and not unlocking for the entire account? That's really dropping the ball. It's also about 200,000 questionite for just one.

And as for the passives that generated these auras on default, Way of the Warrior is not generating it's usual effect.

If you asked me the auras we already had for power passives should be completely free to use. Any new auras they make should become paid by any currencies we have right now.

draogn · November 2013

Unless it is a bug, not all characters (*atleast not on the PTR*) are given a free legacy aura token. So far of the couple I have copied, only those who had passives such as Fire Form, Ice Form, Pestilence, and one of the arcane passives have been granted the token.

Though there will likely be plenty who get the short end of the stick, I know several who have multiple passives with auras. Some to be flexible for groups, some to have a different look per costume. While the auras are nice, how they are handling the passive auras we've already been using is not. 200,000 Q for something people have been using since they were introduced is absurd.

markfalcone · November 2013

And what of characters that already have passive powers that have an aura? Will we automatically be given that aura or will we now have to buy it back?

EDIT: Ah, just read someone's response. Don't agree, though, because what of the travel power auras? Completely different. So if I have a Grimoire character with one aura who uses a travel power with another aura, one token isn't going to cut it to give back to him what is already his. Hate this idea. Instead you should be giving us the exact aura that already exists on the character and then we would have to buy any other aura.

aiqa · November 2013

markfalcone wrote: »

And what of characters that already have passive powers that have an aura? Will we automatically be given that aura or will we now have to buy it back?

You'll get one free token to get one legacy aura (those are the auras that add the same effects as the passives we have now) per character.

Travel powers, active offence power, or other powers that have visual effects are not losing those effects.

roughbearmattach · November 2013

Aiqa beat me to it.

Travel powers and other powers with VFX are not affected by this new system. Only passives.

trailturtle · November 2013

Quick note on something people were asking about -- unfortunately, a Null Aura isn't feasible. I liked the idea and asked LordGar, and he said that because the Aura system works by stacking FX, he couldn't think of a way to set up an aura that cancels other FX instead. It's a cool idea, but unless one of the devs has a brainstorm, it won't be feasible.

jonsills · November 2013

trailturtle wrote: »

Quick note on something people were asking about -- unfortunately, a Null Aura isn't feasible. I liked the idea and asked LordGar, and he said that because the Aura system works by stacking FX, he couldn't think of a way to set up an aura that cancels other FX instead. It's a cool idea, but unless one of the devs has a brainstorm, it won't be feasible.

Actually, since the auras are apparently being removed from the passives, it seems to me that if you don't want an aura, just don't slot one. If my understanding is correct, that will result in the passive being at work, but without any visible "glow" of any sort, which would be the same net effect as "aura nullification".

jeffometer · November 2013

After fiddling around on the PTS, it seems the FX are gone from Invulnerability and AoPM, but stuff like IDF and Defiance still have their pulses.

aiqa · November 2013

jeffometer wrote: »

After fiddling around on the PTS, it seems the FX are gone from Invulnerability and AoPM, but stuff like IDF and Defiance still have their pulses.

Only effects from slotted passives were removed. IDF isn't slotted passive.... and the only possible conclusion would be.. neither is defiance.

ashensnow · November 2013

81501 wrote:

Only effects from slotted passives were removed. IDF isn't slotted passive.... and the only possible conclusion would be.. neither is defiance.

The defiance matter might be related to the same reason it still sales with Con rather than SS.

Defiance provides access to a buff, "defiant'" that scales with CON and perhaps has its own VFX.

meedacthunist · November 2013

trailturtle wrote: »

Quick note on something people were asking about -- unfortunately, a Null Aura isn't feasible. I liked the idea and asked LordGar, and he said that because the Aura system works by stacking FX, he couldn't think of a way to set up an aura that cancels other FX instead. It's a cool idea, but unless one of the devs has a brainstorm, it won't be feasible.

Actually, as Jon mentioned, with current solution in works Null Aura isn't even needed.

It was mentioned because some costumes simply doesn't look good with any aura. But if all graphical effects are removed from passives and ported to slotted auras, it's even better.

Players who do not want any FXes on their costumes will have option to not slot any auras and be fine.

Actually, it's much more simple and elegant solution than Null Aura could ever be.

Of course it also means that pulsating nenon glow from slotted passives like Defiance and Lightning Reflexes also needs to be removed.

Not needed for Regeneration, though - since FX from Regen is triggered only when character is damaged.

ashensnow wrote: »

The defiance matter might be related to the same reason it still sales with Con rather than SS.

Defiance provides access to a buff, "defiant'" that scales with CON and perhaps has its own VFX.

That's my understanding as well. FX is from stacks of Defiance, not from passive itself.

enixonbb · November 2013

meedacthunist wrote: »

That's my understanding as well. FX is from stacks of Defiance, not from passive itself.

Hopefully they can remove the FX from the stacks like they can from the passives themselves, that glow has a way of making your toon look radioactive, which might be an asset for some RPers but because everyone with LR or Defiance or Way of the Warrior or whatever glows you can never tell if the toon is supposed to /really/ be glowing IC unless you ask every toon OOC.

jeffometer · November 2013

enixonbb wrote: »

Hopefully they can remove the FX from the stacks like they can from the passives themselves, that glow has a way of making your toon look radioactive, which might be an asset for some RPers but because everyone with LR or Defiance or Way of the Warrior or whatever glows you can never tell if the toon is supposed to /really/ be glowing IC unless you ask every toon OOC.

That's my hope too. Ideally i'd like to see Defiance and Inertial Dampening have without their pulses, but if I can't get that, i'll be more than content with having a non-sparkly Invulnerability.

agentnx5 · November 2013

I agree with the people wanting more realistic auras and graphics than cartooney graphics.

I also agree that comic-style outlining should be OFF by default, not ON.

I respect that some people may disagree with these two opinions.

sagewithbubbles wrote: »

AOPM'S GRAPHIC IS SLAIN! :biggrin:

Aleluia! Woohoo! Hooray!

About time I can simply leave AoPM's graphic DISABLED/OFF!

Devs- Auras? Players- WEIGH IN!

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