Abominations should be ungrabbable.

[Cleaverwolf]

Remember when abominations could never eat anyone because you could walk  right out of the grab? Well this issue has a sort of revival. You can just grab an abomination itself and walk around with it, which stops the devour ability dead in it's tracks. Since the abomination's sprite is so big, it's quite difficult to hit the person beneath you, and a crafty enough player can repeatedly grab the abomination to prevent them from eating anyone. Maybe this is just a skill issue but I feel like this is a little TOO easy to pull off.

[BioFrequency]

I would be fine with Abominations being unable to be grabbed.

However, As perhaps a solution that doesn't make them completely unable to be grabbed.....

Maybe a programming and flavor solution would be: Players grabbing the Abomination automatically suffer the same Damage over time effect "Devour" does.

"every 1.5 seconds, they suffer 15 BRUTE and lose a limb"

This would make grabbing a abomination still possible - but whatever you're planning to do it needs to be done fast as you might not have your arms for very long at all.

[GARGATHUGANOKSREVENG]

What's stopping the abomination from just punching the guy grabbing him. I don't think you should remove features from the game

[BioFrequency]

What's stopping the abomination from just punching the guy grabbing him. I don't think you should remove features from the game

I think the complaint is that - depending on how the sprites overlap that might be hard. If the abomination sprite is covering the person doing the grabbing.

[Torchwick]

Honestly when the abom comes out it's usually already surrounded by people, which adds to the amount of visual noise on screen. I'm not sure about anyone else, but when I abom form, I very quickly lose focus of what abilities I'm even casting, who I've hit, who is near me, etc-- because the chaos and subsequent beatdown of an abomination fight is a lot of info on the screen to process. Half the time I don't even notice I've BEEN grabbed by someone amidst the flames and shooting.

Maybe that's a skill issue, but I do think it'd be nice if abominations couldn't be grabbed so easily. I do like the "grab at a cost" idea, though. I'd argue that's the best of both worlds. Ultimately I personally enjoy when the best counterplay to an abomination is to run away and try not to get stuck with it.

[Kotlol]

Wasn't there something like: "If you grab an abom they bite you automatically?"

[GARGATHUGANOKSREVENG]

I think the complaint is that - depending on how the sprites overlap that might be hard. If the abomination sprite is covering the person doing the grabbing.

You can just resist and break out of the grab though. Then the guy who was grabbing you is screwed because they're in close range combat with you, don't abomination arms do a lot of damage?

[Lord_earthfire]

What's stopping the abomination from just punching the guy grabbing him. I don't think you should remove features from the game

Calling that "removal of a feature" is a very odd take. We're modifying a feature here, not removing it.

And giving some mobs, like abomination-form, grab-immunity for balance reasons is very sensible.

[GARGATHUGANOKSREVENG]

What's stopping the abomination from just punching the guy grabbing him. I don't think you should remove features from the game

Calling that "removal of a feature" is a very odd take. We're modifying a feature here, not removing it.

And giving some mobs, like abomination-form,  grab-immunity for balance reasons is very sensible.

Grabbing is a feature. It allows you to do a lot of things. Getting rid of the ability to grab abominations is getting rid of that feature, in that specific area. It removes a whole lot of potential ingame, just because a handful of players don't want to put effort into fighting.

Making the grab harm you, however? I don't think players should be punished for using one of their only strong abilities against an incredibly powerful antagonist but it's not as bad as removing the ability to grab altogether. 

The player hitbox is pretty small even when you're a regular human being grabbed by another human. It's a great thing that people, including shambling abominations*, can just press the resist key to break out of grabs. 

*I haven't tested it out myself but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Prove me wrong if it doesn't.

[Glamurio]

Grabbing is a feature. It allows you to do a lot of things. Getting rid of the ability to grab abominations is getting rid of that feature, in that specific area. It removes a whole lot of potential ingame, just because a handful of players don't want to put effort into fighting.

I think this is a really reductive take. Feature suggestions aside, please don't just say "people don't want to put effort into fighting". SS13 is a very mechanically deep game and a large majority of the playerbase isn't necessarily great at the micro-manage side of fighting. Robustness comes in many forms, people might want to put effort into being good, but being able to click on pixels or spam resist has nothing to do with putting effort into the game.

All that being said, I do think it's silly for abominations to be grabbable in the traditional sense, it doesn't really make sense. Maybe there should be a skill bar, or you should just receive constant damage when you try to grab them. You SHOULD be punished for trying to wrestle the nightmare creature with 10 arms that's flailing wildly. You should be able to do something with grabs, yes, but it should take a form that makes sense in the game.

[Skotcher]

I'm a fan of the idea that you'd take damage from trying to grab the abomination - maybe something like the damage you take when trying to grab a rose with its thorns intact? After all, trying to grab a warping mass of flesh with gnashing teeth seems like... a terrible idea, frankly.

[BadShot]

Making the grab harm you, however? I don't think players should be punished for using one of their only strong abilities against an incredibly powerful antagonist but it's not as bad as removing the ability to grab altogether.

Well, abom isn't meant to be fought alone; going solo against an abom is suicide unless you're really robust. They're meant to be fought with a group which is typically when it's used and grabbing the abom (who is already kinda boned if they have to resort to abom) basically allows all your buddies to get free hits while the abom has to frantically try to get out of the grab, who mind you is likely panicking and we all know panicking can make you do dumb things.

Basically, it turns what is supposed to be a bloody mess of a fight into a bunch of secoffs using the abom as a free punching bag.

[freedo5]

Personally i would give abominations magboots effect so they can't be pushed around at all. Also those arms and grabby things they get should give you better grip.

[RSOD]

i don't get how any spessman would be able to get a firm grip on a mass of constantly shifting flesh, to be honest

[GARGATHUGANOKSREVENG]

Well, abom isn't meant to be fought alone; going solo against an abom is suicide unless you're really robust. 

Yeah but a changeling needs like a minimum of 4 absorbs to use that form and it can roll with any player requirement. This change is gonna suck on classic where combat matters most, and where there's the least amount of players.

I'd be a lot more tolerant of this kind of change if they just made the changeling grab resist harm players or something because it's a giant monster flailing around and you're right up in its face.

Removing it entirely is a death sentence for anyone playing on lowpop, and making it automatically damage people is kinda cheap but it's better than the other option. I like freedo5's magboots effect suggestion too.