HAF: Taunts

Taunts

The taunt system in Hyper Action Force focuses on adding gameplay benefits to using basic in game communication. Each taunt consists of a voice line, a pose, and a buff to a specified attribute. Each taunt takes 2 seconds to complete, and if the player is damaged during this time the taunt is cancelled. Experienced players are able to use these taunts to bluff; making the enemy prepare for the wrong type of engagement.

SUBFEATURE 1: Voice Lines / Poses

Voice Lines and Poses are the primary means of communicating to other players in Hyper Action Force. As such, each pose and voice line is distinctive enough for the other player to gain information from it. A taunt is triggered as soon as the corresponding D-Pad button is pressed, unless the character is in the middle of another animation. In such a situation, the taunt would begin as soon as the aforementioned animation has ended. When the taunt is triggered, the taunt animation (pose) begins, and ends after 2 seconds. During this same time, clip of the player’s Commanding Officer is played on the enemy player’s screen. This clip also takes 2 seconds or less. There are 4 taunts in the game:

■   Offensive Taunt: [D-Pad: Up] Pose is aggressive, voice line indicates enemy to prepare for attack.

■   Defensive Taunt: [D-Pad: Down] Pose is guarded, voice line indicates that enemy player is stronger than expected.

■   Movement Taunt: [D-Pad: Right] Pose shows robot ‘stretching’, voice line warns enemy player to expect faster movement.

■   Ranged Taunt: [D-Pad: Left] Pose shows robot preparing to aim, voice line indicates player is going to be using ranged weapons.

SUBFEATURE 2: Buffs

Buffs are stat boosts the player receives upon full uninterrupted completion of a taunt. A taunt is interrupted if the player receives damage at any time during the 2 second animation. If it is interrupted, the taunt does not yield a buff to the player. Only one buff can be present on the player at a time, so if the player performs a taunt while a buff is active, the active buff is nullified. There are specific buffs to the player based on which taunt they completed:

■  Offensive Taunt: Player gains an additional 20% damage for the next 10 seconds. This means that any damage the player inflict upon the enemy player is increased by 20%. Performing an offensive taunt while this buff is active does not yield any further damage boost, but extends the current buff back to its max duration.

■  Defensive Taunt: The player does not take damage from the next attack they successfully block. It does not matter how powerful said attack is. Any crowd control effects still happen normally. Performing a Defensive taunt while this buff is active does not yield any further damage protection, but extends the current buff back to its max duration.

■ Movement Taunt: The player gains an additional 20% to movement speed. This speed increase lasts for 10 seconds, and applies to movement in all directions. Performing a movement taunt while this buff is active does not yield any further speed boost, but extends the current buff back to its max duration.

■  Ranged Taunt: The player immediately fills an ammo slot of its missile weapon. If the missile ammo slots are entirely full, the player does not gain any additional ammunition.