Temporary Travel Powers

Here are some screenshots of the special/temporary travel powers mentioned in this blog. (Note that the Jump Pack from the Good vs Evil edition was a permanent power.)

Bubblegummer using the Jump Pack.





Another view of the Jump Pack. The character is Frog Solid.





Gromar using the Zero-G pack.





Stocker using the Raptor Pack.





Jingle Jet worn by Billy Coffin. This holiday flight pack has cheery music that plays when the power is first activated.

Travel Powers Part 2

Gromar's story:
 
If you want to start an argument among heroes state an opinion on various travel powers. People become comfortable with certain powers - especially ones they rely on like travel powers
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Some people do combine powers if they complement each other (superspeed and superjump, for example, or superspeed and hover).

Lee has occasionally thought of learning hover to complement his superspeed skill but so far has stuck to flight packs. I have no idea what type of scientific potion or pseudo-cosmic ray would be needed or if it could be done at all.‎

I went to the Hero Resource Center I volunteer at and used a virtual reality simulation of Skyway City I had created. I played around with different types of travel powers.

Superspeed was fast but had a problem with heights. Augmented superspeed had the added problem of being harder to control. It was best for getting a good view of things at street level but flight was usually needed  for streethunting and finding things.

Superjump and Teleport were the fastest but also required the most work. Teleport was more precise than superjump but if you took too much time finding a landing spot you may fall out of the sky.

Streethunting with superjump involved jumping high, looking around, landing, and doing it again. I find it too busy.

Flight is the travel power that works the best for me. It may be the slowest travel power but it is flexible in that you can fly as high or as low as you need. You can hover and search for things and then fly directly to them.

I found it interesting to simulate various travel powers even if I wouldn't want to use them in real life.

Notes:

I had characters who used each of the travel powers. I was most fond of flight but other characters fit other travel powers so I used them. Villain characters in the Rogue Isles really needed flight or at least a flight pack.

I usually took Hover along with flight because certain powers could knock flying characters to the ground while a hovering character would just backflip. Hover was also slower and more manageable when used indoors.

I usually didn't take stealth with melee characters unless they were superjumpers. Superjump could be a bit erratic when landing and you had to land often and then jump again when traveling. Stealth meant you were less likely to be attacked while traveling. (One team mate without stealth was heading to a mission in Founders Falls when he was shot by a sniper and sent to the hospital).

The big issue with superspeed was balancing speed and control. If you had superspeed optimized for speed it was more difficult to use effectively indoors or in certain situations. For this reason I tended to just slot stamina reduction enhancements and knockback and/or slow resist

I didn't often take Teleport as a travel power because it needed too much micromanagement. If I did I took Hover to offer some safety and stability.

I tended to put stealth enhancements into travel powers if possible.

Travel Powers Part 1

Gromar's story:

I had been thinking a lot about travel powers in the days since our neighbours came to visit. Having a travel power makes life much easier as a hero.

Sometimes a power comes naturally but sometimes one has to prepare for a power and then train for it. One can prepare for a power in different ways. For example someone with a mutation background may have the necessary genes spliced into their system. For someone with a magic background, like me, the process may involve anything from a spirit quest to simply learning a new spell.

When I was a new hero in Paragon City travel powers were strictly regulated and you could only be certified at security level 14. You could learn basic powers earlier on though.

I was lucky when I arrived in Paragon City. There were a number of promotions going on for new heroes and I picked up a Pocket D VIP Pass and a Jump Pack. The former allowed me to teleport to Pocket D while the latter allowed me to jump great distances (it did have a cool down period though).

You could get by using flight packs or jump packs lent to you for completing missions for the police. These items were meant to be rewards to help out new heroes - not permanent gifts.

I obtained the Zero-G Pack for stopping a robbery attempt at the Kings Row bank. It was a jump pack that simulated the Super Jump power. There was also the Raptor Pack flight pack but I didn't get that until later.

I found the two jump packs very useful but found them less precise than I liked. It was easy to miss a target and land amongst a group of enemies.

My experience with the jump packs pushed me towards learning to fly. Once I had settled on a path I quickly learned Hover and Fly. I never looked back.

Notes: I was late getting a travel power because in the beginning I wasn't sure what I wanted. Later on I had to prioritize powers - especially the fitness pool
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Developing Powers

Gromar's story:

The neighbours were over for dinner. Rob has no super powers but has worked with heroes. At the moment he is a stay at home dad. Carol can fly and has super strength. She is a hero liaison in our city.

Our neighbours have no problems with super powers but are finding it challenging to deal with their children's developing abilities.

Mikey is six and is super fast. When he gets running around in the back yard Lee is the only one that can catch him. The boy was worried for a moment when Lee suggested his parents give him concrete shoes to slow him down. Lee was joking but his comment highlights the fact that the parents have more to deal with than a hyper six year old.

Karly is an adorable three year old girl but she sometimes scares people with her telekinetic powers. Recently she has developed a new power.

Carol and the kids were shopping when Karly lost sight of her mom for a second. Carol said Karly called for her and she replied. Then her daughter levitated above the clothes racks and said "Now I see you mommy."

After dinner we talked about powers and the kids. Someone asked when was the optimum time for powers to develop but we had no definitive answer. Both Lee and Carol had powers in their teens and their travel powers developed during that period. Most of my powers didn't develop until my mid twenties.

It was an interesting evening and got me thinking about Paragon City again.
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Lee Sends An Email

Joey!

Dude, thanks for the letter. I tried calling when I heard you were back from holidays but communications were messed up (probably due to Rikti interference).

I just made Security Level 14 and got my Super Speed certification. I am soooo fast now - even when I activate Stealth. Learning Stealth was one of the best decisions I ever made. It's saved my butt many times. The only problem is it slows me down. Now I can get to missions without worrying whether any crooks have gotten away.

I saw the wildest thing the other day. I was in that dimension called Pocket D and I heard that whining sound Rikti teleporters make. I immediately went on edge and then relaxed 'cause the place is neutral and I have seen Hellions and other crooks there. Anyway, I found a bar with a big cage in it and there were Rikti Monkeys fighting each other in it. It was hilarious!

Today I was fighting something much less exciting: Vazilok. Those creeps and their zombies are tough and smell really bad. :) One zombie almost got me but I fed him some ice balls. I haven't been defeated since those Circle fanatics sent me to the hospital.

Don't tell my mom - she'ld freak - but I thought I was dead when one of those cultists sliced my chest open. I knew heroes were teleported when defeated but didn't really believe it until I woke up in the hospital. I was healed and didn't have any scars. Even my clothes had been repaired. If that happened in Ridgeback I would be dead now or mangled for life.

When I came out of the hospital I saw a guy wearing nothing but a bath towel. With a straight face I said, "Nice costume." He laughed and said he had been drinking and fell in the shower. Luckily he was teleported to the hospital. I should have asked him his security level and whether he had to pay debt. :)

I got a new contact today. I wonder if he's good looking. And no, I haven't met anyone yet. Give me time.

You'ld like the eyecandy down here too. You might find some of the girls hard to handle though. Some of them could tie you in knots. Hehehe

I have to go. Ttyl.

Lee aka Bubblegummer.

Notes:

Pocket D is another dimension characters can travel to by teleporting or using gates in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. The bar Lee mentions is The Monkey Fight Club.

The Rikti are aliens that have attacked the Earth.

Stealth - I like this power because it makes it harder for enemies to see your character. This helps on the street as well as in missions. If you use all your healing inspirations fighting on the way to a mission you may not have enough to keep you alive once you get there.

Superspeed - SS is one of the travel powers characters can get at level 14. It allows a character to run very fast. This is the first time I've tried SS. I have several characters who have Flight and one with Super Jump. Travel powers do make it easier to get around.