test content
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc

Idea for new Boff ability: Remodulate Transponder Frequency

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
Ability: Remodulate Transponder Frequency

Remodulate Transponder Frequency I - Lt Commander - Science

Your Bridge Officer remodulates the enemy transponder frequency, making it appear to all vessels (including enemy NPCs and Players) as an enemy. The player/NPC affected retains control of their vessel as normal, the effect is merely illusionary, however, immediately upon application of the effect, the target emits a single AoE taunt, causing their allies to turn on them, and continue to attack them as long as they do not receive damage from any other source (such as the player) (i.e. On application, all the enemy's allies within 10km attack it, unless you or any other player opens fire on one or more of them, in which case they will re-focus their attention on the player(s)). The effect lasts for 15 seconds. Player damage to the target may break the effect early. Using this ability on very large enemy vessels over x million hitpoints (such as bosses) reduces the duration of the effect significantly (so if used on lets say, the Borg flagship in 'Red Alerts' it would only have a 4 second duration or something, so as not to trivialise the encounter).

RTF II - Commander - as above only the effect lasts for 20 seconds.

Range 10km

Cooldown 10min.

Of course this would be primarily a PvE ability, but it would also be interesting in pvp. The affected ship would then appear as an enemy to both sides, and be subject to hits from AoE abilities used by their own faction while the effect is active (and of course targeted attacks if anyone was so careless as not to realise that their ally had been targeted by this ability).

Imagine it in PvP on Vent or Teamspeak "AMG, they remodulated my transponder!! No AoE, NO AOE!!!! Agggghhhhh, you muppetsssssss......<boom>."

What do you guys think?
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    aashenfox wrote:
    Ability: Remodulate Transponder Frequency

    Remodulate Transponder Frequency I - Lt Commander

    Your Bridge Officer remodulates the enemy transponder frequency, making it appear to all vessels (including NPCs and Players) as an Undine vessel (when used on an Undine vessel, transponder modulated to appear as a Borg Sphere). The player/NPC affected/targeted retains control of their vessel as normal, the effect is merely illusionary. The effect lasts for 20 seconds and increases the target's threat generated by shield restoration and hull repair abilities by 10,000% (in other words, in PvE, as soon as they pop a heal, all their friends will turn on them). Excessive damage may break the effect early.

    II - Commander - as above only the effect lasts for 30 seconds.

    Range 11km (yes, 11, so that it can be used before the enemy is in weapon range if timed correctly, causing the enemy's allies to turn on them before you enter weapons range).

    Cooldown 10min.

    Of course this would be primarily a PvE ability, but it would also be interesting in pvp, with the caveat that it would have to somehow be incorporated into the ability that when used in battlegrounds, it would always remodulate the transponder to emulate a ship of the opposing faction. The affected ship would then appear as an enemy to both sides, and be subject to hits from AoE abilities used by their own faction while the effect is active (and of course targeted attacks if anyone was so careless as not to realise that their ally had been targeted by this ability). Not sure which career Boffs would be able to learn this, open to suggestions...maybe Science, fits in with their 'tricks and traps' style of play?

    Imagine it in PvP on Vent or Teamspeak "AMG, I'm a Bird of Prey! No AoE, NO AOE!!!! Agggghhhhh, you muppetsssssss......<boom>."

    What do you guys think?

    You lost me a little about the "The effect lasts for 20 seconds and increases the target's threat generated by shield restoration and hull repair abilities by 10,000%" part.

    But sounds like a cool idea. it defo sounds like a science boff thing. making the range 11km would make it harder for the person using the ability to make sure you let it off at the right time before weapons range. thumbs up
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Iam_Pulsar wrote: »
    You lost me a little about the "The effect lasts for 20 seconds and increases the target's threat generated by shield restoration and hull repair abilities by 10,000%" part.

    But sounds like a cool idea. it defo sounds like a science boff thing. making the range 11km would make it harder for the person using the ability to make sure you let it off at the right time before weapons range. thumbs up

    OK, let me elaborate, I realise that might be tricky to follow. The point of the extra threat generation is to make it usable INSIDE 10km as well as at 11km.

    The problem of using it in PvE solo play AFTER you had engaged the enemy, is that YOU would have the enemy's attention (threat) still, there would be no incentive for the enemy's allies to attack it, since the NPC retains control of their vessel (ie they don't attack their allies, they continue to attack you), you need a mechanism whereby the enemy's allies would turn on them, even if they were already engaged with you. In this situation, you would damage the enemy, then use this ability, so that when they healed anything, their allies would turn on them. An alternative would be to incorporate some kind of AoE taunt into the ability as it is applied, which I suppose is doable from a coding perspective.

    Does that make better sense?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Edited the OP, since the AoE taunt idea is a much more elegant solution, therefore the ability no longer benefits from having 11km range, and can be 10km like all other abilities (probably significantly simplifying the coding effort required too).

    EDIT: Reduced duration so as not to be OP and also added severely reduced duration when used on bosses.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    oooooh yes i see cool :cool:

    so you suggesting increasing threat generation from the target so other npcs will turn on it.

    id like to see that
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Iam_Pulsar wrote: »
    oooooh yes i see cool :cool:

    so you suggesting increasing threat generation from the target so other npcs will turn on it.

    id like to see that

    I've refined and simplified it significantly since the original post, check it out again in the OP. :)

    Thanks for your positive comments :)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Really? Nobody else thinks this is a well thought out, interesting and easily implemented offensive Science ability?

    Bump for the US folks waking up. :)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    aashenfox wrote:
    Really? Nobody else thinks this is a well thought out, interesting and easily implemented offensive Science ability?

    Bump for the US folks waking up. :)

    Already in game. Its called "Scramble Sensors"
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    I see the similarity, but I believe my version is more interesting :) Perhaps it could replace Scramble Sensors :)

    I don't mean to sound biased, but scramble sensors isn't very 'Star Trek'y (a projectile that causes enemies to attack each other? Doesn't really make much sense), at least not compared to the idea that a Sci Boff is hacking the enemy transponder. I realise my implementation also suspends disbelief (why would an enemy ship suddenly target its ally just because it's transponder code changed), but I still think my implementation is more feasible for the game, and it's also single target, and allows the affected ship to carry on whatever it was doing uninterrupted.

    Even in pvp mine adds some skill and thought, in that an ally has just been stung, everyone needs to switch to single target attacks in order not to harm their ally, and be extra careful what they are targeting.
Sign In or Register to comment.