The only thing in DDO that looks bad.

[Mad_Bombardier]

Had an interesting experience last week that I needed to bring to someone's attention. I was running a quest and told my group, "Hold on I'm getting some really nasty artifacting here." Turns out, it wasn't my computer/graphics. The Ranger in my party was casting the spell Spike Growth.

For the most part, DDO is visually stunning; character detail, armor/weapons, landscape, spells, all outstanding. Sure, the Shining Adamantine Plate looks like dingy longjohns and a brown sports bra, but even that I can deal with. Spike Growth is downright terrible. It's pixelated, has little discernable form, greyish, and it's low quality is unlike any other element of the game. See example (and yes, that's on High graphics).

Take as a counter example, the purple crystal growth all over the Gianthold (not the giant ones, but the ground cover). Small clearly defined clusters that look like clumps of grass. They look more natural and would be a great source material for Spike Growth to be updated in the future (colored green or brown as natural spikes of course).

[AEschyl]

better question, why the h3ll was your ranger casting spike growth in the first place?

[Shecky]

That's not Spike Growth. That's a blue spruce bush.

[Rathic]

actually while standing around or running while holding a two handed weapon you look downright stupid... "ok ok ok, I got the hang of the swinging part, but do I hit the monster with the flat side or the sharp side?"

[Mad_Bombardier]

better question, why the h3ll was [the] ranger casting spike growth in the first place?

A good question (note: wasn't my Ranger), but so not the point. I think s/he was just mucking about with some different spells.

P.S. I also tested with the other "new" Ranger spells. Snare looks cool when it lands! Spike Growth looks like someone crapped out an 8-bit Hydra or snake.

[captain1]

u know ...Im the kinda guy that wants to make things work for me.

ex: every1 hates grease, very few use it at all, no one uses it in combat (that I know of) I wanna try and make it work....so I mem it and use it when Im solo and try to learn the dimensions of the spell....how wide it is, how long it lasts..so that one day I ll be able to use it in a party without getting yelled at. I have successfully integrated sleet storm, and now it seems Ice storm is hitting party members also.

When my ranger first got spiked growth I tested it in WW on normal.
It was ugly...only did 1 pt of damage....and barely slowed the mobs down.
Its also a reflex save and thus easily avoided all together.

The spell if aimed wrong, spawns at eye level and blocks all veiw from the players perspective.

But I practiced.....and tried to use it in combat with a party.

1st attempt = landed as intended but got complaints that it was ugly (had 0 effect)

2nd attempt = someone walked in front of me as I was casting, which thru my aim off....the result was all of the party having there heads engulfed in the spiky growth (or as I call it "my magic bush") ...the leader attacked me verbally and insisted that I never use the spell again....and I did not.


Now Im not a bad player, I try to avoid causing grief and making bonehead mistakes, but that spell is worthless: looks ugly, can blind your party if it lands wrong, does 1-4 pts of damage max, easy reflex save to avoid all effects, barely slows down a kobold in WW on normal.

Mind u Im a 14th level character with 10 levels in ranger....I think the kobolds in WW are CR-1 or less .....I had to run them in circles and cast the spell a 2nd time before they would die and they kept chasing me, didnt seem to slow them at all (well dying did slow them but it took about 2 mins)

If someone can find a good use for this spell please let me know.


*It would be better if it did 1-2 pts of damage automaticly per 2 seconds, on a failed save you could not run forward and jumped around like you were stepping on hot coals, on a successful save there is a 10% chance of suffering a tendon slice effect unless u are immune to the damage from 1-2 pts of DR or spearblock..something similiar....and casting the spell meant it only sprung from the ground not oddly hanging in mid air. It also needs to be thinned out a little, as it is now its an eye soar to look at*

[Klattuu]

It almost looks like the graphics for that spell has been size modified far above what it is designed to be. That pixelation would hardly be noticable if the object was 10% of its presented size.

[Memnir]

I have to agree... the first time I saw Spike Growth I thought my graphics card was having problems.

That spell needs a redesign, pronto.

[Turial]

Problem with spike growth is that the DC for the save is based off of a rangers wisdom score. Not to many rangers have a "caster type" wisdom score that would let those spells land and hold.

As far as the graphics go, spike growth is really bad. When I first heard of it I imagined something like brambles covering the intended area. I agree fully with Mad that the small crystal growth from the Giant Hold Ruins should be used to improve the look of the spell.

[Mad_Bombardier]

I agree fully with Mad that the small crystal growth from the Giant Hold Ruins should be used to improve the look of the spell.

On second thought... That is unless they are already using the small crystals, enlarged 1000% (as per Klattuu's note below).

It almost looks like the graphics for that spell has been size modified far above what it is designed to be. That pixelation would hardly be noticable if the object was 10% of its presented size.

[Bombalo]

Its a Brillo Pad...great for cleaning off that stuck on lasagna or irritating the hell out of your part .

[Blind_Skwerl]

Hehe. I saw the magic bush for the first time in Prison of the Planes last night. No one in my party, other than the caster, had ever seen it. We all simultaniously said it was without a doubt the worst graphic we had seen in the game. It also did next to nothing except block visability. A waste of spellpoints... and coding.

[geoffhanna]

I don't know how to aim it correctly. I've tried. But all I've ever done is fill the screen with useless ugliness that obscures everything else.

[Blazer]

The only use I've seen for this spell is complete comedy.

Best moment ever with this spell: we've got 2 rangers in the group, one has Spike Growth memorized, one has Summon Nature's Ally (the cat one). My guild is just outside the entrance to DQ Ch 1 and one of the enemy gnolls summons those Flaming Spheres.

Well, those spheres linger around for a bit after the caster dies. The spheres end up following us to the shrine where one ranger casts his growth, perfectly centering it around the rez shrine. The other ranger summons his cat. The spheres roll up around the shrine and settle on either side of it.

So now we have a shrine (very phallic image, btw) with a ring of "bush" around it, along with 2 flaming "balls" on either side and a cat who is attacking the "balls".

Yeah, we laughed pretty much nonstop throughout the entire DQ Ch 1 and 2 about that. Yes, toilet humor is still funny.

[captain1]

I don't know how to aim it correctly. I've tried. But all I've ever done is fill the screen with useless ugliness that obscures everything else.

hold down left click, this brings up your targeting circle

aim the circle down toward the ground, this will be the point where the center of the bush will spawn.

release left click when its where u want it to be and active spell in whatever fashion u normally would...either double click or hot key whatever makes u comfortable.

*Note = if anything crosses your path as you are casting the spell it will throw your target point off*


people who play casters do the exact same thing when placing firewalls and similiar spells...so Im not reveiling any great secrets here...hope this helps.


what would help more is probabaly a better spell.

[JelloMold]

That's not Spike Growth. That's a blue spruce bush.

Bring me a Shrubbery!


Ne

[Kaish]

I do disagree, the Shining Adamantine Plate look a lot more like wearing tight then anything else.

[Cupcake]

I do disagree, the Shining Adamantine Plate look a lot more like wearing tight then anything else.

Men in tights.

Snickers..