Re: Feature Request: FR DUMMIE 2.0

@TheApexLegendNub @nebwise essentially what I meant is that you "automate" a rail system that goes off how you moved. So you could run, throw down a gravity lift, go up it, jump off, slide, then zip, and the dummy can just keep that pathing up just to help you with dealing with gravity lifts being used, tracking when they jump off, using zips and whatnot. Its like the Wattson nodes concept, except a bit more dynamic.

@Midnight9746 Ok, yeah. You'd need some way to start and stop the sequence (like recording and looping a clip), and that might mean introducing some new device or UI to the game.

You could use the waypoint UI, if all you wanted to do was place a start and stop point, i.e.: You activate the dummy, run to where you want the sequence to start, place the first point, do the sequence (it starts recording when you start moving), place the last point, shoot at the DUMMIE.

From a dev perspective, it wouldn't be difficult to buffer and loop a few seconds of player input. It would also be an inherently stable approach, as players-controlling-characters is a core feature of the game.

@TheApexLegendNub Uh, if you're controlling the DUMMIE like a Mirage decoy, how do you shoot at it?

@Midnight9746 There would be issues with Legend abilities, though. To get realistic sequences you'd have to exempt your "clone" from cooldowns and some ability-related collision detection.

Otherwise, there'd have to be some degree of AI to recognize and adapt to object placement, or a simple "dry-fire" policy that executes the input commands, but doesn't activate the abilities until the cooldowns reset (which would produce inconsistent DUMMIE sequences).

That raises the specter of many corner cases to test through for game-crashing bugs. Imagine a Valk tactical on a really short loop: the whole range would continuously shake. You could set your automaton to pile up shields, totems, etc., in precisely the same spot every time it loops.

At some point, I imagine that could crash the engine or the server.

@nebwise hmm.. good point. Maybe just look like a legend and take on ther passives, like Gib/Caustic's damage reduction.

@Midnight9746 That would be cool. Rogue Company does this with moving dummies that cycle through a different character model on each loop.