Sprinting

[Sycopath]

Does anyone know how sprinting actually works?

 

To explain, I've been tooling around with the sprint function and it seems that sometimes you can turn sprint off mid-move (i.e. after at least one step) but sometimes you can't.

 

Here's how it goes: Let's say we have 2 agents with 8 AP base. Since sprint adds +3AP, their sprinting AP is 11. So far so good. You can only trigger sprint if you have max AP--I think this is max AP based on Speed stat which led to funkiness with net downlink and predictive brawling. If you turn sprint off it subtracts 3 AP from your current total and if that subtraction drops your AP below max you can't turn sprint back on. This is good because it prevents exploits. However, there are times where you can't turn sprint off once activated. The problem that I have is that it doesn't seem consistent as to when this is. Sometimes a character will have 6 sprinting AP left (which would presumably leave 3 non-sprint AP when sprint is turned off) and when i try to toggle back to sneak a tooltip tells me that I need max AP to do that. However, other times 6 sprinting AP does allow me to turn back to sneak.

 

EDIT: On further examination I can't seem to be able to reproduce the above, wierd. It seems that once you go below max base AP based on speed (sprinting or otherwise) you are locked into whatever state you are in currently in. So if you sprint from 11 down to 7 you are locked in sprinting and if you sprint from 11 down to 10-8 and go back to sneaking you are locked in sneak. This actually makes toggling a really bad idea because you will never have more than your base AP if you go back to sneaking and you have just made noise. Will still test with augs.

 

Also may we please have a tooltip of the precise number of tiles our noise extends to? That would just be helpful. I've noticed the animation of the sound extending and it's very cool but I'd like to know if it's 5 or whatever. If the devs left it out on purpose that's cool. 

 

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[pendant]

[...]

 

So if you sprint from 11 down to 7 you are locked in sprinting and if you sprint from 11 down to 10-8 and go back to sneaking you are locked in sneak. This actually makes toggling a really bad idea because you will never have more than your base AP if you go back to sneaking and you have just made noise.

 

[...]

 

I wouldn't call it a 'really bad idea'. I (admittedly a newbie) currently see the main appeal of sprinting as its distraction value. A few measly additional AP is incidental.

 

In fact I'd prefer to have an action called 'Yell!' costing 1AP, but that's OT

[Spider1011]

the whole point of sprinting 1-3 tiles and then turning it off is to make noise to attrach attention. lure a guard to a location but not to your hidding place.

 

but i think there should be some leeway to turning sprint on. if you start your turn at a door and peek through you can't turn it on anymore. but if you had tunrned it on before the peek you can now turn it off or use the extra AP to retreat/attack.

also anything that gets you back up to max base AP or beyond enables you to sprint again. this inclundes stim, wings, predictive brawling, etc.

[ebrl]

I think turning off sprinting after taking a step shouldn't be allowed; it feels too much like an exploit. And you can already fool guards by sprinting if you end your turn outside their hearing range (they'll only check as far as they could hear you).

[Nerava]

Turning on sprinting for one step is more or less just stomping the ground. I do it fairly often to distract guards.

[pendant]

Onepence:

 

If sprinting is mainly used for distraction (is it?), isn't this an argument for having the ability to create a distraction at an AP cost?

 

If so... I feel that the conversation is hampered by a conflation of idioms.