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City of Heroes System Focus: Movement Powers and PvP
MMORPG.com City of Heroes Correspondent H. Hussk writes this dissection of travel powers in the City of Heroes franchise, and how it has affected PvP combat.
By The Hussk on August 31, 2009
The Frequency of Travel Powers in Player vs. Player (PVP) and Zone Player vs. Player (ZPVP) Combat
The following Travel Powers dominate CoX:
- Flight
- Concealment
- Leaping
- Speed
- Teleportation
The campaign world of CoX revolves around these five powers because of the importance of reaching a task-based destination (usually called Player vs. Environment, or PvE) and all forms of PVP. The Concealment power pool is of special mention because, although it does not change your method of travel, it does increase your ability to reach the destination without being challenged.
In the CoX PVP and ZPVP (which will be now be broadly referenced as "PVP") environment, nearly every character (referred to as a "toon") has the Super Speed power; this can be observed directly by watching a PVP battle or going to a PVP zone. Often, Super Speed (also referred to as "SS) is used in combination with the Super Jump power, which creates an extremely fast, high-and-low reaching character.
Flying, or the Fly power, is surprisingly one of the lesser chosen powers in ZPVP. If taken, it will mostly be chosen with other existing travel powers. For example, even though a person wouldn't think jumping is needed when you fly, the Jumping power pool has the powers Combat Jump (which gives more maneuverability and some protection from immobilization effects) and Acrobatics (which gives limited protection from hold and knockback effect).
As well, a strong majority of the players use invisibility, or some variant of stealth, for their characters in PVP. One of the most predominant methods for avoiding the "Concealment" power pool, where Stealth and Invisibility reside, is to use a +Stealth "process". This process is something that can be bought and/or created through the CoX invention system, and will grant the user a degree of invisibility when activating the power linked to it. For most players, the linked power will be Super Speed.
Teleportation waxes and wanes dependent on the current mechanics surrounding it. The Issue 13 release has changed teleportation enough that it is less desired by characters and less seen on the battlefield.
The Leaping power set is probably of equal, if not more, prevalence than any other pool set. The basis of this belief is due its ability to operate (and provide functionality) simultaneously with all other travel powers, while having two very desirable powers that are heavily needed to survive, those being Combat Jump and Acrobatics, described above.
While it is a debatable point, it can be observed that the travel powers have led to the creation of the artificial response mechanic (ARM), namely "Travel Suppression" (TS) in PvP. Because of the relevance of movement to using techniques such as kiting, and escape, this sparks less of a debate.
The notion of suppressing travel only came through the observations of developers who saw players "strafe" and "kite" their attacks in one fluid motion, being unassailable due to the speed of the action. The result was to "force", through TS, an artificial mechanic that keeps the player in the confrontation as long as possible. (It should be noted that the timer for suppression is completely arbitrary; right now your ability to run or fly away is a few seconds, but they could easily raise it to one minute.)
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A Description of Outcomes of PVP and ZPVP Due To Travel Powers in CoX
What has been observed is a constantly changing environment in all forms of PVP. Because of the prevalence of travel powers, some other powers have become less effective.
Melee attacks, as a whole, are less effective unless supported with super speed (and usually Super Jump). Without super speed, a ranged attacker will consistently have an advantage of dealing damage and getting away from a close range fighter. The advantage is with the ranged attack at this moment.
Invisibility, or Stealth, has the obvious advantage of determining the battlefield in ZPVP. CoX has one archetype (AT) completely developed as a stealth template (The "Stalker") and, coupled with Super Speed, he is easily capable of closing in on an opponent and striking, only to get away. Subjectively, it appears that is his sole purpose, but it should also be noted that the developers of CoX are currently using Travel Suppression as a mechanism to keep the Stalker "attackable", visible, and in the confrontation for a few more seconds at this time (however, there are other powers the stalker can use to be completely intangible to attack for example, Phase Shift, which makes you intangible, and Hibernate, which encases you in a block of ice, untouchable).
Teleportation has been more affected than any other travel power. One extremely common power in the Teleportation pool is "Teleport Foe". It has the ability to target an enemy at long range and bring them to your feet. At the post-I13 release, any foe who is teleported has a moment of intangibility which they can use to run off. As well, players that used to teleport out of combat, now find that their power does not function for a number of seconds after they are hit.
Flight may be underrated, but this may also be because there are so many powers in the past that removed the ability to stay aloft (some powers have a "-fly" effect in them). After I13, powers that immobilized or held characters became less effective because of their short durations, the fact that passive powers no longer toggled off when held, and that the hover power will normally keep you flying even when immobilized or held.
But one of the reasons flying is used fairly infrequently could be because a flier cannot catch up to a person running at super speed. Subsequently, since traveling at super speeds is extremely common in all forms of PVP, fliers lack the ability to chase characters running from battle. It should be noted that characters cannot fly at super speeds (The two do not work together).
As stated before, some attacks are less effective. At the same time, though, other attacks are nearly completely ineffective. For example, among one hero archetype, there is a power known as "Time Bomb", which resides in a secondary power set known as "Devices". The time bomb takes eight seconds to set and will go off after 15 seconds. The problem with this power is that it is easy to be killed in the eight second preparation and extremely unlikely that the bomb will even be near a battle when it actually explodes with its extreme damage. Needless to say, Time Bomb is not a PVP chosen power and the occasions where it has been chosen are rare.
The viability of choosing a power for PVP is, therefore, based not only on its damage. The animation time, or prep time, of the attack is extremely important. (It should be noted that NCsoft has lately been working with the powers to establish a link between the amount of damage done and the prep time.)
But what seems of most importance to choosing a power is how easily it can connect based on travel powers. Since their prevalence, all powers that require range to continuously work (such as the Radiation Infection power, which requires you to stay within 70 feet of your target) are often, but not completely, ignored. Maintaining a specific range is very difficult, and therefore more immediate powers that "Fire and Forget" are chosen.
This could be solved if they go back to how it was originally with the travel powers.
Your ACC use to be severely reduced when you had them activated, so that would make everyone have to drop out of it in order to even fight.
They can make it so in only PVP if they want, but I saw nothing wrong with the original plans.
These days, people don't even bother switching to hover or combat jumping in PvE, much less PvP.
I swear I have read this before,most likely it is regurgitated from CoXs boards.
Either way it reads to me as someone who played a melee toon and couldn't win because everybody was moving around to fast.
But what ever,I personally just didn't like the article.I do not believe the writer has a good understanding of his subject.
This is a good idea and makes things not only more fair but believable. Travel Supression takes away from game immersion and is unrealistic.
Travel powers should be allowed to be used but with an accuracy penalty. I mean, how accurate is your arrow going to be when your super speeding by your target at 100mph? If you use the arguement that your character should have super hand eye coordination to compensate or something of the like, then slot the heck out of your attacks with accuracy enhancements to demonstrate your superior coordination and ability to strike at high speed.
Over all I am against nerfing, changing various power sets, and the creation of things like travel suppression in order to create a completely level playing field in PvP. Some powers should be better for PvP and some should not. Not every hero should be created equally. As far as PvE goes I feel the same way. If I can super jump or tunnel it shouldt be surpressed in combat and I should be able to use it as an advantage. At the same time certain foes in both PvE and PvP will have various advantages that your toon may not, it really is give and take. If someone wants to take a whole raft of travel powers they may not have enough power choices left to buy other things like healing powers or additional attacks, or stealth powers, etc.
this game is a fucking waste of time.
travel supression is retarded. it was put in to deal with the moronic fiteclubbers that couldn't compete and the idiots who said they'd pvp if they changed pvp their way, but never showed.
so yeah.
the best way to fix travel supression is to remove it from the game.
My guess is that NPC's will not be affected so will actually hurt Melee characters who are running after their opponents :S
makes me sad travel suppression is stupid.
Co is doing it as well. =/
Super heroes who had travel powers almost ALWAYS used them in combat.
instead of removing travel powers from the mix, make it an integrated part of the design.
but it's a lot more organic in CO i think. Your slower in combat, not as effective but hey if i'm flying and get in a fight i need to be a bit more careful. as opposed to CoX where i drom for 56MPH to 2 it more like 52 to 46
Except teleport, but teleport is always a red headed stepchild
still ive been able to port out of a fight in PvE pretty easy.
Again; and I've said it before... I think certain powers...travel powers included should give you certain advantages and/or certain disadvantages that others don't. This would be an advantage of teleport. A disadvantage would be dropping out of the air from 100ft and not clicking it again quick enough and sustainging a huge amount of damage from landing near a hostile mob or another hostile player, or simply from hitting the ground really hard. Another TP disadvantage (in CO more so than CoX) is that it wears off every few seconds and you have to reclick it, at which time an opponent could snap off a pretty hefty ranged attack and nail you pretty hard.
In CoX there is a big disadvantage that goes along with TP that I never could understand and that is the fact that it costs you a good chunk of endurance each time you use it. No other travel power in CoX has an endurance cost, just a penalty I never understood this since most people take hover with it to be above ground and avoid aggro without having to click really fast in mid air before hitting the ground. These disadvantages seem to outweigh the fact that you could simply TP out of a fight if you are getting your butt kicked. In fact, it seems kind of silly and ruins story continuity if a toon with TP can;t do exactly that. Or, why couldn't a speedster zip out of combat when injured to save their hide, or a flyer, fly out of range, or a tunneler dive into the ground. All of these options would be used instinctually for self preservation, so I'm not sure how further nerfing to powers is making PvP any more fun.
Nerfing = less fun an equal playing field (Not all heros are created equal... not all heros are designed for PvPing)and a button mashing contest..... I am not an avid PvPer and this is why. It's fun for me for about the first 10 minutes and then I get tired of mashing out an attack chain while zipping around in circles.
it just seems the PvPers that lose matches are very loud to game devs about how unfair it is that the speedster sticks and moves while they are stuck with hover and fly (just an example bot you ge the point) In boxing if your fast and light they train you to stick and move, why can't a PvPer do this? Why take super speed if you can't use your speed as a combat advantage?
I just don't get the idea of total equality in the PvP ring. Might as well all have the same powers then.
Im a very casual COX player and have done no PVP. I have friends, however, that up and quit because of this nerf. I really hope a better fix can be put in for all camps on this issue. A combination of ideas could be interesting. Enviorment issues coupled with slighter reductions could be the trail towards fixing this. Use your superspeed and cause a sonic boom that brings a building down or your TP causing strange effects such as cars being wirled around in the magnetic force. Accrucy lowering for range and action cost redux on Melee, maybe. Not sure but there should be a balance there somewhere.
JYCowboy has some good ideas here. I can't believe this stuff hadn't been thought up before. Especially the sonic boom from SS. I really like that one.
Remove the travel suppression and just put back in the -ACC component to travel powers. There, everyone happy now. :D
I'm not entirely convinced that's the case... but the Article itself is WAY too basic and just Generic'y feeling. It does a good job of explaining the basic interplay of travel powers in PvP but it's sorely lacking on contemporary details thus It could have just as easily been written 5 years ago. IoW: Even though a lot was learned, you wouldn't ever guess it by only reading this TL;DR article.
OtOH: There are a few good points made at the very tail end of it though... IE: Accuracy "Ramping-down" the faster you move, or fully integrating movement effects into all combat powers or using the environment around you to even the odds ...and finally... The BIGGEST problem in CoX IMO is that all Damage functions are totally independent from Accuracy. (and this was ALL Geko's fault for being an Incompetent SHUT -IN when it came to actually dealing with customers). If accuracy was tied to damage better, there would have been a lot more ways to balance Velocity VS. "Build". As it stands right now, they're ironically still using "Suppression" as the biggest balancing Crutch around, and the Writer did do a proficient job of getting that point across.