[MoM] Buff Telekinetic's pushing abilities about cataclysm-dda

[Terrorforge]

Well, that's unfortunate. I guess this can just sit here as a wishlist item for Some Time Later, then.

I don't know if you have unlocked the relevant powers yet, but there is more to telekenetic than that, e.g. Momentum Alteration and Inertial Barrier are effectively a form of armor (and MA does a bit more as well), lift vehicle is an utility power not relevant to combat, Lifting Field is about moving loot around (or carrying around rocks to throw like a feral, whatever).

I'm aware that it does other things, as does Teleporter. I'm just saying the shoving enemies around is a core part of its identity, but that part doesn't 100% work.

[Standing-Storm]

unless that just makes it instagib zombies when you push them into walls.

This is exactly what happens, yes, and is the reason the powers are tuned the way they are now. Force Shove used to be the single best power in MoM and it wasn't close thanks to the way directed_push works. Damage doesn't seem to depend on distance from the object that you hit, since targets standing next to a wall can be turned into mush the same as targets thrown 10 meters can.

Basically, I'd want some way to specific the force of the throw--once that's in place, then the distance should be upped

mid-tier cone-shaped AoE that pushes back all enemies in front of you; that could be useful even with relatively short pushback, since it lets you get an entire horde off your back for a few turns.

This may be possible and is in-theme but I'd have to test it--last time I tried AoE directed_push there were tons of issues with it (that could include monsters moving closer to you), which is why in the code Wave of Force is implemented as "use a single-target directed_push multiple times on random targets within 1 square" instead of an AoE

[Terrorforge]

unless that just makes it instagib zombies when you push them into walls.

Damage doesn't seem to depend on distance from the object that you hit, since targets standing next to a wall can be turned into mush the same as targets thrown 10 meters can.

Oh, I assumed it was dependent on remaining tiles of pushback or something. That's pretty wack.

Basically, I'd want some way to specific the force of the throw--once that's in place, then the distance should be upped

Is it possible to force a monster to cast an arbitrary spell? Because the "dash" effect just kind of bonks harmlessly into any wall it hits, which could be used for a non-smushing pushback effect. Zero damage wouldn't be ideal for Force Shove either, but I think I would prefer the longer-range utility version, or it could be used for another power entirely

This may be possible and is in-theme but I'd have to test it--last time I tried AoE directed_push there were tons of issues with it (that could include monsters moving closer to you), which is why in the code Wave of Force is implemented as "use a single-target directed_push multiple times on random targets within 1 square" instead of an AoE

Yeah I reported that and even tried to fix it myself, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it. I'm impressed you got it working in the end, but since you did I figured something like this might be possible.

[Standing-Storm]

Oh, I assumed it was dependent on remaining tiles of pushback or something. That's pretty wack.

Most of telekinesis's problems are due to lacking appropriate tools. Like, I'd love to let you open up the pickup/drop interface at range with Farhand... Hopefully some day.

Is it possible to force a monster to cast an arbitrary spell? Because the "dash" effect just kind of bonks harmlessly into any wall it hits, which could be used for a non-smushing pushback effect. Zero damage wouldn't be ideal for Force Shove either, but I think I would prefer the longer-range utility version, or it could be used for another power entirely

Yes, but it's not possible to make them pick a particular destination. So if you tell them to dash without target, they could move anywhere (including toward you).

I could make a power that's just "Take this monster and put it here" but it wouldn't do damage, and the ways to check whether there's an obstacle to apply some kind of damage wouldn't discriminate so that throwing a target parallel to a wall would be exactly the same as throwing them into a wall head on (because in both cases the destination would be "next to a wall").

It would also have no vector so you could "throw" them directly through a wall and they'd just phase through it

[emixa-d]

So Telekinetic's gimmick is moving enemies away from you,

I don't know if you have unlocked the relevant powers yet, but there is more to telekenetic than that, e.g. Momentum Alteration and Inertial Barrier are effectively a form of armor (and MA does a bit more as well), lift vehicle is an utility power not relevant to combat, Lifting Field is about moving loot around (or carrying around rocks to throw like a feral, whatever).

[Standing-Storm]

I actually tried the "oh, I'll just have them cast push on themselves, hahaha, how delightfully devilish Standing-Storm" thing when I was reworking Force Shove and the result was...the monsters always got closer to you. Oops.