Spector tests and checks in upcoming beta

[Overworld.9613]

A lot of the discussion of the Spector have relied on assuming how various mechanics will function.

Specifically the Endless Night beam and the Wells.

 

So below is a list of tests we need to do so we aren't talking out of our arses when trying to check how viable Spector is in an empirical sense.

 

Ideally we'll need these tests done with players on low and high ping as there's some features that just don't work on High ping and will make the profession very unreliable in practice if a commander starts asking for a player to jump on Spector to fill a role.

We'll consider the threshold to be 200 ping as an arbitrary threshold, but if you do manage to do some testing try to keep an eye on the average ping for all players involved in the test.

 

Tests for stacking situations:

1. Can you target an allied character out of combat with siphon?gnkv
2. Do players standing inside or right behind a Spector get affected by Endless Night if not the target.
3. Does the Spector snap to face their targeted support ally if they teleport or leap while endless night is channelled (equivalent to target getting launched)?
4. Does the spector snap to face their target support ally if the ally was behind them at the start of the cast?
5. How wide is the beam for pierce effects?
6. Does the beam end at the allied target, if it does, how generous is the game for allied players standing on the far side of the targeted player?

 

Tests for solo situations:
7. With no other allied characters nearby how much self sustain can the spector do without attacking?
8. Many of the spectors sustain scale by hitting multiple targets, what kind of sustain can it produce in a 1v1 fight?

 

Generic situations:
9. Well teleports seem to have no animations for the teleport. Can dodges or her instant skills interrupt the utility wells or the elite well?
10. Both Scepter/pistol 3 alt and Shroud 4 are called endless night, are they identical skills?
11. Mind Shock (shroud 5) grants stability per units hit, is it a flat increase per target hit and does it have an upper limit?
12. Twilight Combo (Scepter/Dagger 3) fires 2 projectiles, a slow and then a fast that pushes the slow forward. Does it act differently if the slow projectile hits a target before the fast one is fired?
13. Well of bounty pulses boons targets don't currently have, logic implies the boons it gives out last longer than a single pulse interval, can we force a specific boon to be reapplied rather than lots of Might? Also does it follow the same logic as boon stripping on which boons it will apply first?
14. Do shroud skills use initiative or count as using it for the purposes of Assassin's Reward?
15. Does going into shroud count as a weapon swap?
16. Does larcenous torment trigger from allies affected by Skale Venom that inflict torment on hit? And does it generate shadowforce if the thief doesn't enter combat?
17. How does Improvisation interact with shroud?

 

Allied targeting scenarios:
18. While targeting an ally do any scepter or shroud skills get blocked by an enemy and consume the projectile? And vice versa?
19. Does using scepter skills while targeting an ally put you in combat? Do they put you in combat if used on ambient fauna?
20. Does siphon trigger Mug's heal on steal effect?
21. Does thrill of the crime center on the Thief or their allied target when using Siphon?
22. Does Burst of Agility trigger when using weapon skills on allied units?

23. Does signet of Nullification (or similar on hit) weapon signets trigger on using weapon skills on allied units?
24. Does Endless Night target a location x units above targeted character's feet or center of character model? Such that Asura or Norn characters cause the pierce effect to miss allies between player and target. Similarly will a character jumping be unaffected by the beam?
 

Let me know any more tests to add to the list and the results once the beta goes live.
I'm down in Australia, so I'll only be able to check the behaviours for high ping scenarios.

Edited October 26, 2021 by Overworld.9613
added additional scenarios

[Overworld.9613]

Take note: These are just feature and functionality checks. Dps and healing numbers are inconsequential in this investigation since we're still so far from actual release.

[RyuDragnier.9476]

A well put together list, and definitely things we should all check. The sooner we figure out whatever bugs and problems Specter has, the sooner they can be fixed by the devs before either next beta weekend or launch.

[Overworld.9613]

Would you believe I've got a history in software QA and development.

With the focus on modal skills with this expac I'm suspicious that the ally targeting version of the scepter skills are actually secretly modal change where if you're in ally targeting mode the skill is secretly a different skill so results might get a bit muddled.  

[ASP.8093]

2 hours ago, Overworld.9613 said:

Would you believe I've got a history in software QA and development.

With the focus on modal skills with this expac I'm suspicious that the ally targeting version of the scepter skills are actually secretly modal change where if you're in ally targeting mode the skill is secretly a different skill so results might get a bit muddled.  

My guess is that's definitely how the Dual Attacks are implemented.

For the auto they hopefully just coded the effect into the projectiles (similar to how Mesmer staff works).

[Zacchary.6183]

I will be testing to see if ally-targeted attacks will proc Signet of Malice passive as well as coming up with a few builds, plus one balanced one for my own use.

[Tails.9372]

5 hours ago, Zacchary.6183 said:

I will be testing to see if ally-targeted attacks will proc Signet of Malice passive

Well I hope that they will, it would be ridiculously bad if they don't as you, for the most part, don't get any of your own support.

What I want to see is how the specter summon from Thieves Guild behaves, hopefully he spamms barrier and that venom thing on you.

[BunjiKugashira.9754]

Signets are one thing,

I just hope ally-targeted attacks don't proc stuff like Sigil of Nullification.

[necromaniac.7629]

i think the clear synergy between shadow saviour and traversing dusk could make it a good healer cause 3k heal total on a shadow step (assuming good healing power and the outgoing healing increase) seems pretty good

[Za Shaloc.3908]

Curious how certain traits will interact when targetting an ally. Will Bountiful Theft copy allied boons or just simply grant vigor? Will Mug still grant health? Will Improv have any skill classified as a "Stolen" skill, perhaps within Shroud? Will the fear from Rending Shade proc on nearby enemies if hitting an ally with a stealth attack?

[shrew.3059]

2 hours ago, Za Shaloc.3908 said:

Curious how certain traits will interact when targetting an ally. Will Bountiful Theft copy allied boons or just simply grant vigor? Will Mug still grant health? Will Improv have any skill classified as a "Stolen" skill, perhaps within Shroud? Will the fear from Rending Shade proc on nearby enemies if hitting an ally with a stealth attack?

 

All good questions! I hope they’ve thought of this and we don’t just have a lot of traits invalidated, reducing our options.

[Trianox.3486]

I had hoped that shadow shroud would be granted by stealth actually replacing stealth by the shroud for the granted initial duration of the skill or traits..., and along with it its defensive bonuses applied to the stealth allied. Synergies would have been amazing, now it's a new system on top of another, which I like too, but I too hope they didn't neglect all the potential real synergies like the one @Za Shaloc.3908 mentions!

 

I'll be curious to see the ratio of healing between targeted allies and surrounding allies.

I'd also look toward testing projectile interactions, behaviors with terrain or Asura (like how piercing bullets on Asura on close range actually go upward too fast avoiding targets standing right behind), and curious about shadow shroud gen/degen rate, and how that is or not affected by context.