Shield Swipe

[Kakuri]

Does anyone know how Shield Swipe works on live?

I don't like the current DOL implementation and have created an AOE melee attack spell handler. Shield Swipe is simply an AOE DD. This means the damage type is set in the spell (which is fine for shield swipe, but for other melee attacks it would be nice to have the damage type dynamically match the weapon's damage type). The damage is also calculated as a spell cast, rather than melee attack. It also means it has a 360 degree radius centered on the target. Since it's a swiping melee attack, it makes more sense for it to be centered on the player, and possibly have a conical area of effect. Also, for targets that "resist" the attack it says they resist it - it should say you miss them.

I've made an AOE melee spell handler that uses the damage type of the weapon and the damage from the weapon attack. The implementation isn't completely robust and has some shortcomings, but I figure some people might enjoy it and it's good enough to release in the user downloads.

I got to wondering how shield swipe works on live, though - if the live implementation isn't simply an AOE DD, then my handler may be appropriate for shield swipe in which case I'll commit it to DOL.

[stephenxpimentel]

it works as an aoe melee attack, cone in front. dmg is the same for all targets (if their the same mob type/level etc.) i used to use Shield Swipe to farm low level instances for aurulite on live =]. was a great style. Hope this helps ya

**NOT AN AOE DD**

[Sand]

Shield swipe is not an aoe dd.

If you use shield swipe, the target mob gets hit with the shield, the other mobs get hit with the weapon.

The point is that if you use shield swipe with a procing weapon, it has a chance to go off for each target your attacking, which it wouln't if you simply make an aoe dd. Oh and it is the main weapon that hits the other mobs, the shield only hits the targetted mob.

There should be code in the game to support this, Savages have styles that hit multiple targets, if that is not coded as the actual weapon hitting the target that too is not quite right.

[stephenxpimentel]

wow very good, i never thought of the style that way, couldnt quite figure out what was DoTing the mobs in the instances!

[Dinberg]

The point is that if you use shield swipe with a procing weapon, it has a chance to go off for each target your attacking, which it wouln't if you simply make an aoe dd.

Ahhh, the good old days

[Kakuri]

Mythic's implementation sounds pretty retarded... if you want an AOE weapon attack, just make one! Having a pretend AOE shield attack, except you actually attack the other mobs with your weapon sounds like a dirty hack to address the fact that they did a crap job of designing shields to fulfill dual purposes of providing defense as a shield and working offensively as a weapon. If shields had a proc that worked both defensively and offensively, I bet they would have simply made shield swipe attack all mobs with the shield. But obviously it's a nice benefit to be able to have your proc go off on each mob, so they just said hell with it, we'll take the proc from the mainhand weapon!

Anyway... implementing it the way Mythic has (which is still probably better than as a spell proc) would be a bit of work. Also, one nice benefit of having it implemented as a spell proc is that it's easy to add or remove the effect to any style. I'm not sure if a proper implementation would be best done in the code that executes before spell procs are done, or implementing it within a spell proc handler and creating the weapon attacks there.

[Sand]

The name of the style maybe misleading as it makes you think your swiping all the mobs with it but you could look at it as a shield manover that rounds up the opponents so you can hit them with your main weapon and that was way it was designed.

I suspect the fact that offensive procs have a chance of going off for each target is more likely a somewhat undesriable side effect rather than what they desired.

For whatever reason they felt they wanted the multiple attacks to come from the main weapon but they put it in shield due to it being easier to add one style rather than one for every weapon line they could have. They could of went with an ability rather than style but think it was a bit of laziness in they could rework the savage hth code for it.

Defensive procs on shields are designed with certain limitations for a reason though they probably should of just designed it so that shield procs don't have defensive procs at all. It may not be the ideal design but with how often a shield is hit, allowing procs to work both offensively and defensively would be worse.

Personlly offiensive procs on shields are the only ones I ever bothered with, mainly because I was mostly a pver and defensives don't work at all in pve, but even so a defensive wouldn't go off enough in rvr imo to make it work whie so may as think I would still just go with a proc that that might get some use.

With regards to dol implementation of shield swipe, I don't know how to specifically do it, but I would hope for a method that emulates live behaviour and doubt a spell method would be an effective/logical/efficient way of doing that.