Difference between revisions of "Talk:Power Icons Legend"

Revision as of 03:36, 19 November 2008

Hierarchy

Symbols have a hierarchy. If a power does damage and has a mez effect, the mez icon would be used.

If one effect of a power is much stronger than the other, the primary effect's icon is used. Frozen Armor provides defense and resistance, but the primary effect of the power is to provide defense. The defense symbol is used.

Control trumps buff/debuff trumps resist/defense trumps damage.

There are a couple of specific things that trump one another in the same general category.

Compound symbols (see below) trump standard icons.

Hold trumps disorient trumps sleep trumps immobilize.

Increase recharge speed (Hasten) trumps increase run speed (Swift).

Running trumps jumping trumps flying.

Healing trumps endurance.

Defense trumps resistance.

Damage trumps accuracy if the power's effect is equal.

Knockback/up/down sometimes trumps other control powers even when it is not the strongest effect.

Buff/Debuff Symbols

Buff/debuffs have 2 main types of symbols. One is an arc, the other is a triangle. Buff/debuffs with the triangle have an instant effect. Buffs/debuffs with an arc have persistant effects. A triangle or arc at the top of the icon means a buff. A triangle at the bottom of the icon means a debuff. The exchange symbol is only used when the two things being affected are the same. Powers that buff/debuff multiple aspects should be using the icons found in Powers like Equip Thugs, Tactical Upgrade and Serum. Usage of which icon depends on the strength of the buff/debuff.

Compound Symbols

A few of the symbols used in power icons are combinations of two or more icon graphics. Some of the best examples of this are the power icons for Unchain Essence (defeated plus damage), Invincibility (defense plus accuracy/to hit plus buff) and Shiver (slow recharge plus slow movement). Many, many of the powers currently in the game could use compound icons to replace the current graphic. For example, Dark Extraction could use the defeated plus single pet summon icon. Stygian Circle could use the defeated plus heal buff icon.

Icon Table

Icon Type	Icon Example	Notes
Buff, Accuracy		Persistent accuracy or tohit buff.
Buff, Range	File:.png	Persistent Range Buff.
Buff, Mulitple	File:.png	Persistent Buff to Multiple Attributes.
Confusion		Confuse control effect.
Damage		Damage power.
Damage Over Time	File:.png	Power that does Damage Over Time.
Damage, Extreme	File:.png	Power with Extreme Damage.
Damage, Minor Melee	File:.png	Power with Minor Melee Damage.
Damage, Moderate Melee	File:.png	Power with Moderate Melee Damage.
Damage, Heavy Melee	File:.png	Power with Heavy Melee Damage.
Damage, Superior Melee	File:.png	Power with Superior Melee Damage.
Damage, Elemental Weapon	File:.png	Power that creates a weapon from one of the four classic elements (air, earth, fire, ice) to do damage.
Damage, Heavy Elemental Weapon	File:.png	Power that creates a superior weapon from one of the four classic elements (air, earth, fire, ice) to do damage.
Damage, Assassin's Strike	File:.png	An interuptable melee power that does damage.
Damage, Chaining	File:.png	A power that does damage to one target and has the chance to do damage to multiple targets.
Buff, Defense		Persistent defense buff.
Debuff, Defense		Persistent defense debuff.
Fear		Fear control effect.
Form Shift	File:.png	Power that shifts form.
Fly		Flight related power.
Instant Heal		Healing buff.
Hold		Hold control effect.
Immobilization		Immobilization control effect.
Intangibility		Intangibility related power.
Jump Distance		Jump distance related power.
Jump Height	File:.png	Jump height related power.
Knockback		Knockback related power.
Knockup	File:.png	Knockup related power.
Knockdown	File:.png	Knockdown related power.
Ranged Damage, Minor or Moderate		Ranged Damage power that has a recharge of fast, but not very fast.
Ranged Damage, Minor	File:.png	.
Ranged Damage, Heavy	File:.png	.
Sniper Attack	File:.png	Interuptable ranged damage power with increased range.
Short Ranged Damage	File:.png	Ranged damage power with decreased range.
Effect Over Time		A power that has an effect over a period of time.
Endurance		Endurance related power.
Placate	File:.png	Placate related power.
Resistance		Damage resistance related power.
Smashing/Lethal Resistance	File:.png	Power that .
Fire/Cold Resistance	File:.png	.
Cold Resistance	File:.png	.
Energy/Negative Energy Resistance	File:.png	.
Energy Resistance	File:.png	.
Negative Energy Resistance	File:.png	.
Run Speed		Increases the run speed of a power.
Sleep		Sleep control effect.
Slow Movement		Movement-slowing power.
Slow Recharge	File:.png	.
Slow Movement and Recharge	File:.png	.
Stun		Disorient control effect.
Summon One Ally	File:.png	Summons one pet or henchman.
Summon Two Allies	File:.png	Summons two pets or henchmen.
Summon Three Allies	File:.png	Summons three pets or henchmen.
Teleportation, Self	File:.png	.
Teleportation, Group	File:.png	.
Teleportation, Target	File:.png	.
Taunt		Taunt related power.

[[Category:]]

Icons Explained.

Control/Mez icons: Almost all of these you'll be familiar with as they are the same graphic used on a training enhancement. A few exceptions and some unique icons (Force Bubble, Telekinesis, Wormhole) are out there.

Buff and Debuff icons: Buff/debuffs have 2 types of symbols. One is an arc, the other is a triangle. Buff/debuffs with the triangle have an instant effect. For example, Healing Aura gives you hit points. Buffs/debuffs with an arc have persistant effects. For example, Recovery Aura increases your recovery rate for a period of time. A triangle or arc at the top of the icon means a buff. A triangle at the bottom of the icon means a debuff. The exchange symbol is somewhat ambiguous. The way I conceive it, the exchange symbol is only used when the two things being affected are the same. For example, in Absorb Pain caster loses hit points, target gains hit points. Usage is correct. Dark Consumption target loses hit points, caster gains endurance. Usage incorrect. Powers that buff/debuff multiple aspects should be using the icons found in Powers like Equip Thugs, Tactical Upgrade and Serum. Usage of which icon depends on the strength of the buff/debuff.

Resistance icons: The basic resist symbol is the icon used on the training enhancement. There are no resistance buffs used in the iconography. All resistance is assumed to have a buffing effect. Resistance debuff could certainly be a valid symbol, using the downward arc described above. Resistance icons have variations depending on what type of resistance they provide. Temp Invulnerability uses smashing/lethal, Resist Elements uses fire/cold, Resist Energy uses energy/negative energy and Minerals uses a psionic resistance symbol. The symbol for increased resistance to mez effects is used in powers like Unyeilding and Rooted.

Defense icons: The basic defense symbol is a shield. Flavors currently exsist for melee, ranged and AoE defense. Missing are icons for the different types of damage (smash/lethal/fire/cold/toxic/energy/negative energy/psionic). If we used the same symbology as resistance, we could have the flavor of defense on top of the shield symbol and it would be more clear how each defense power functions. A boost to your current mez defense is the symbol used by Clarity.

Melee icons: Any power that does damage could use the icon found on the training enhancement. I consider it the default damage icon. Melee icons have three tiers depending on how much damage they do. Look at Brawl, Punch and Haymaker for examples of tiers 1, 2 and 3. Barrage uses the icon for melee damage over time. The extreme damage symbol used on Nova can also be added into this category. A few more icons exsist such as assassin's strike, elemental weapon, greater elemental weapon and chain-type powers that are used only in certain specific powers.

Ranged icons: Once again, any power that does damage could use the icon found on the training enhancement. The extreme damage symbol used on Nova is part of this category. There are four tiers of standard ranged damage. Only powers with a recharge time of "Very Fast" should use the tier 0 ranged icon as in the power Nuetrino Bolt. Small, medium and large powers use the other ranged icons that appear as skinny, normal and thick beams and I call them Tier 1, 2 and 3. Sniper powers have a unique icon. Short range powers have a unique icon like the one found on the Power Burst icon.

Pet icons: Any power that is a pet or henchman, or effects only a pet or henchman should have a ring at the bottom. If a pet has a specific power effect (taunt or fear) that icon should replace the rising sphere on most of the pet icons. The number of pets summoned should be the number of rising spheres found on the power icon. The pet power icons should be used only when the power summons something that can be killed. Voltaic Sentinal is not a pet, Gun Drone is.

Form icons: Icons should be used when you actually shift forms. Kheldian Nova and Dwarf powers use this icon. IMO, Granite should use this as well.

New Icons Needed In thinking about this, I found the game really, really needs some additional icons not currently used but are consistent with existing iconography. Flavored defense and resistance debuffs are desperately needed, imo.