[CLOSED PR] Reworks wraith's "Absorb Corpse" ability.

[github_bot]

PULL REQUEST DETAILS



[balance][input wanted]
About the PR
This PR changes wraith's "Absorb Corpse" ability to instead have an 6/4/2 second action bar, during which the wraith must stay in the vicinity of the corpse. This should give the crew counterplay to prevent the absorption of corpses in populated areas, such as cloning. Beyond this wraith's gameplay shouldn't be affected too much.

The absorption will be prevented if the corpse has formaldehyde inside them or the wraith is too far away. In this case, the cooldown until the next available cast is halved (subject to change).

I originally wanted to PR this once it was done, but I'm honestly terrible at DM and doing a draft would be easier than constantly posting out of context code in #imcoder.

- [x] Change the interruption to get.dist with 4 tile range.
- [x] Lower the cooldown to 6/4/2 seconds depending on decomp_stage.
- [x] Implement a formaldehyde check.
- [x] Refund some cooldown time if the action is interrupted.

Why's this needed?
In it's current state, the wraith can absorb the corpses that are about to be scanned, preventing them from being revived in any way, unless the target has already been scanned, as the ability also removes the corpse's brain. The crew cannot prevent this in any way, as even salt, currently one of the wraith's only weaknesses, cannot feasibly prevent this from happening. This change should allow the crew to have a way of countering the ability, whilst allowing the wraith to still be able to easily absorb abandoned corpses.


Changelog

Code:

changelog
(u)Josephin23
(*)Wraith's "Absorb Corpse" ability has been reworked.
(+)Instead of being instant, absorption now takes from 6 to 2 seconds depending on the decomposition of the corpse.
(+)During this time, the wraith has to stay near the corpse, but can otherwise move around and cast abilities.

PULL REQUEST DETAILS

[ZeWaka]

10s way too long, that's a very long time

[kyle2143]

I'm 100% on board with the general idea here of making absorption take time, but execution needs a bit of refinement. My suggestions are:

1. Remove the current interrupts from the action bar, instead in the OnUpdate proc for it, make the wraith need to be within 4 or 5 tiles of the body each time that ticks. So they have to stay near it, but people could teleport it away to stop the absorption or just throw it around playing hot potato. Maybe being made corporeal should stop the absorption as well

2. Injecting Formaldahyde into the corpse currently prevents absorption, it is further up in the ability proc, you should at least add that check into OnUpdate for the action bar. Similarly, chucking them into the morgue body holder object should prevent further decomposition.

3. Make the action bar private for the wraith.

4. Not sure if your code handles this, already but I didn't notice it offhand, but if the absorbtion gets interrupted, then it should refund some of the cooldown for the ability for the next cast. (I think we do this for at least one other channeling ability, but I forget which)

5. Lastly, it would be pretty cools, since decomp_stage 4 is a complete absorption, the onUpdate proc would slowly increase the decomp_stage as it goes on. Maybe letting it absorb a body that is in a higher decomp stage faster than a lower one.

Edit: Oh whoops. I didn't really read the pr description, just looked at the code. You had some of my suggestions in the desc already.

Also, and this is probably BYOND the scope of the PR, but if the wraith has to stay near the target, maybe the smoke/decay particles coming off of the corpse should move towards the wraith to give people who can't see the wraigh an idea of where it is, in order to use salt, or bring the body a different way.

[Mouse]

Ten seconds is way, way too long for an ability that already has a punishingly long cooldown.

[AmazingDragons]

2. Injecting Formaldahyde into the corpse currently prevents absorption, it is further up in the ability proc, you should at least add that check into OnUpdate for the action bar. Similarly, chucking them into the morgue body holder object should prevent further decomposition.

Is this documented anywhere? I'd never heard about it. I can add it to the chemicals page if this is fr.

[kyle2143]

Might not be. But it prevents bodies from decomposing and wraith absorb decomposes bodies, so it sorta makes sense there. If the wraith tries fo absorb someone with the reagent in em, it removes a fixed amount of formaldyhde from the corpse, I forger how much, but you can keep trying to absorb em to drain through it. I added it a while ago when I was doing some wraith things, forget what really.

[Mouse]

1. Remove the current interrupts from the action bar, instead in the OnUpdate proc for it, make the wraith need to be within 4 or 5 tiles of the body each time that ticks. So they have to stay near it, but people could teleport it away to stop the absorption or just throw it around playing hot potato. Maybe being made corporeal should stop the absorption as well

Strongly disagree with corporeality stopping absorption.  I've mentioned it before but I think a major part of what makes wraiths so frustrating to fight is that they have no real incentive to ever manifest.

[Kotlol]

Strongly disagree with corporeality stopping absorption.  I've mentioned it before but I think a major part of what makes wraiths so frustrating to fight is that they have no real incentive to ever manifest.

Pretty much this. in RP they do this for various reasons, but manifesting is a deathwish really.
So why not make it so the absorb corpse abillity works during manifesting with like 2 seconds of absorbing?

[kyle2143]

Yeah that idea sounds pretty good to me. I wasn't really talking about that though.

I meant, if you're intangible and start abrobing someone, and another player pours salt on your tile or forcibly makes you manifest, then it should interrupt the absorption.

Giving people slightly more counterplay against wraith absorptions than just enbalming them, or moving them out of range.

[Josephin12]

5. Lastly, it would be pretty cools, since decomp_stage 4 is a complete absorption, the onUpdate proc would slowly increase the decomp_stage as it goes on. Maybe letting it absorb a body that is in a higher decomp stage faster than a lower one.

Regarding the first part: due to the changed duration doing this would remove the main point of the PR, as wraith would still be able to prevent the cloning of bodies. It could also easily cause overflows or other bad stuff.

Also, and this is probably BYOND the scope of the PR, but if the wraith has to stay near the target, maybe the smoke/decay particles coming off of the corpse should move towards the wraith to give people who can't see the wraigh an idea of where it is, in order to use salt, or bring the body a different way.

This, in combination with #8289, would make it really easy to find the wraith's location and kill it, so unless there are balance changes made to that it's mostly a bad idea. Plus it would mostly likely require custom assets and i'm not that great at animating.

[ZeWaka]

2. Injecting Formaldahyde into the corpse currently prevents absorption... Similarly, chucking them into the morgue body holder object should prevent further decomposition.

Is this documented anywhere? I'd never heard about it. I can add it to the chemicals page if this is fr.

definitely is, for both