AI prediction and grappling hooks

[(PSN)theelix]

Maybe this isn't as much a problem on PC, but I find these to be extreme problems to me. 

TL;DR: Enemies with instantaneous reaction speed doesn't make the game more difficult in a positive way. Please make them react.

AI prediction and reaction speed

The problem that I find to be in Warframe since the enemy accuracy changes is that AI can predict your movements in ways that aren't counter-able. From maneuvering to going at speeds unintended by the developers, our enemies have complete omnipotence in higher levels, or even mid-tier. Some examples are MOAs with radial knockdown abilities. If you have a Volt, or Turbulence Zephyr, or Loki with Dispatch Overdrive and all the other speed mods, you can see that they don't care how fast you're going or if they can see you or not. They can predict, accurately, through walls, that you're going at a speed that would allow you to be knocked down by their radial. I notice this too many times while playing. It doesn't matter if my movement is dynamic or linear, sporadic or predictable, slow or fast. If they exist in the map, they've already started their animation. I haven't seen anything more about accuracy changes or reaction time changes for AI, but I'm assuming that, after the initial accuracy changes that made most ranged units unable to hit you until you get to level 20, it all fell flat. What I would like to see is an update not to their accuracy, but their reaction time. Enemies react to you instantaneously, and that's a problem.

Coming out of invisibility or blinding effects behind an enemy is dangerous, when it shouldn't be. Of course, this isn't a stealth game. I don't expect there to be points of a degree accuracy on enemy view cones. However, I do expect that enemies don't react so fast that they shoot through themselves and hit you, and then turn only their torso around a full 180 degrees to look at you and fire more shots before their legs actually catch up. Coming out of things like stealth it should take at least the amount of time it takes to recast before they react to you, granted you're not standing in front of the enemy. I understand that stealth shouldn't be so powerful as to be able to infinitely chain casts without facing any danger, but enemy reaction speed also shouldn't be so powerful as to be able to hit you in less than quarters of a second of you coming out of an ability. 

Having a high velocity doesn't change enemy accuracy enough. When you're actually traveling at speeds that cause your character model to fall behind your accessories and still get hit by a large amount of bullets, or a grappling hook, that an enemy is firing, there's something wrong. Understandably, you're moving in a linear fashion, with small variations. But at such speeds, it shouldn't matter that you're moving linearly, it should be far too fast for the enemy to be able to accurately predict in the amount of time that they see you. Going at extremely high velocities into a room with any enemy there, you'll observe as they pre-fire at the air before you've even actually entered the room. 

 

TL;DR: Grappling hooks should be removed, because they weren't implemented correctly. If they stay, at the very least, fix the telegraph animation so that it actually shows where the grappling hook is going.

Grappling hooks

Grappling hooks in this game were a good edition, and I was somewhat happy (yet severely disappointed since, to this day, it still doesn't make sense) when infested Ancients were given grappling hooks. However, the accuracy factors that govern them are poorly designed, determining factors for when they use them barely exist, and the telegraph is pathetic for Scorpions and infested Ancients alike. 

The accuracy factors on grappling hooks actually barely exist from what I can see. Sometimes, doing a thing avoids you being targeted. I have no idea what that thing is, because it's not any of the dodge rolls. Dodge rolls allow you to ignore them, they don't stop you from being hit by them, ever. Grappling hooks will dynamically change their trajectory as you move through the world, homing in on you. I think this was tweaked a bit, but that's not good enough. 

When these enemies use their grappling hook is very important. This has been given the second least consideration of the grappling hook itself, as a whole. The grappling hook won't be used when you're running away, the grappling hook is used when you're closing in, when you're out of their melee range by a couple meters, when you're knocked down already, when you're dashing into the enemy. They only ever use the grappling hook when you're getting closer, not when you're trying to escape. 

The telegraph has been given the least consideration, because it hasn't been given any consideration at all. The telegraph for infested Ancient is the exact same as their basic attack, which doesn't help at all for predicting which one they're going to use because they use them both at around the same range. Along with that, for both the Scorpion and infested Ancient, they stop and aim, but not where the grappling hook is going. The grappling hook can go in a full 360 degree sphere from where their hand is, regardless of if that is in a position where it would have to pierce their own arm in order to hit you. Maybe I just played Dark Souls too much, but I like when something aims an attack at me and I move away from where it was aimed, it doesn't have the capability to hit me anymore. 

Also, I'd like grappling hooks to be able to be parried. The actual parry, where you can counter attack. Or, maybe a more fun option, if you parry it, it thus "wraps" around your weapon and you pull them in. Would be very satisfying, and give more depth to killing Ancients than just beating them into a pulp. 

[Helljack84]

5 hours ago, (PS4)theelix said:

The telegraph for infested Ancient is the exact same as their basic attack, (also toxic ancient fartcloud of doom) which doesn't help at all for predicting which one they're going to use because they use them both at around the same range. Along with that, for both the Scorpion and infested Ancient, they stop and aim, but not where the grappling hook is going. The grappling hook can go in a full 360 degree sphere from where their hand is, regardless of if that is in a position where it would have to pierce their own arm in order to hit you.

It's even more ridiculous if you slow these guys down with MP and/or ice effects. Get hooked halfway across the room from that one ancient that still stares down the hallway where you entered the room 12 seconds ago, he also threw it right through himself and his (los blocking) buddies who then engage in a good ol' tenno tug of war.

[NeoRetro10K]

Ancients and Scorpions can hook you while facing the opposite direction.

They can hook you even though you're in the middle of dodging or bullet jumping.

They can hook you even if they get knocked down during their animation. That's right, knocking them down doesn't interrupt it, even if the animation has only just started.

Groups of them can chain-grab you again and again (and again). You can't fight back while you're being dragged. It's completely out of the player's control.

The only way to stop it is to kill them in one shot, and regarding Ancients, that's pretty hard without endgame weapons.

There need to be ways to A) anticipate, B) interrupt, and/or C) escape from grappling hooks, or else unavoidable chain-grabs will continue to get us killed unfairly.

To allow players to anticipate the hook, a unique charging sound and wind-up animation should precede the hook's launch.

Interruption of the hook should be possible by shooting the hook itself as it travels. Additionally, it should also be interrupted by proccing any status (physical, elemental, stagger, knockdown) on the enemy itself.

Escaping the grab should be possible via rapid button-mashing (I'd even take a quicktime event - as much as I hate them, I hate having no control at all even more). Additionally, while grabbed, we should be able to shoot our secondary weapon in an animation similar to the bleedout state.

Giving more countering methods to the player would lead to more active and rewarding gameplay.

Edited January 26, 2017 by NeoRetro10K