Decepti0n Critical Bonus Oversight & Mod Fixes
So, for everyone who's unaware, Zer0's action skill, Decepti0n, is supposed to give a stacking bonus to Gun Damage, Melee Damage, and Critical Hit Damage. The stacking buffs are only active as long as Decepti0n is active, and firing your gun or hitting an enemy with a melee strike ends it. The Gun Damage and Melee Damage work as intended, since the Gun Damage is applied prior to the shot being fired, and the melee strike actually hitting the enemy is what ends Decepti0n, not the melee swing itself. For keen-eyed readers aware of how critical bonuses are handled by the game, you might see the problem:
Critical hits are calculated at the point of contact, but Decepti0n ends as soon as you fire the gun, meaning you don't get a critical hit bonus on your shot that ends Decepti0n (Demonite made a fun video demonstrating this, and even demonstrating that slow-moving projectiles fired BEFORE using Decepti0n, or other damage sources that can hit enemies while Decepti0n is active without ending it early get the crit bonus).
Sadly, a large part of this issue is the game's engine conflicting with the spirit of the skill. The game only starts to check for critical hit modifiers once the bullet makes contact with a critical location. And because GB wanted Decepti0n to only boost the damage of a single shot, Decepti0n's bonuses HAVE to end as soon as the shot is fired and before crit bonuses take effect...or do they?
I noticed that most mods that address this issue just remove the mention of a crit bonus from the skill description with the reason being that "it doesn't work," but would it be possible to make it so either Decepti0n (or at least the bonus damage stacks) stays active a fraction of a second after firing the shot? The worst case scenario is that guns with a high fire rate might get an extra bullet or two boosted by Decepti0n, but would that really be such a game-breaking buff? If the duration is just long enough for fast-projectile guns to get the bonus (like 2-3 frames or whatever), I think it would be plenty sufficient.
I don't know how many BL2 modders are active on this sub, but I'd be interested in hearing their thoughts, if something like this would even be doable. It would also be nice to hear from anyone who would be interested in a mod like that. It's not like Zer0 even needs a buff, but it seems like such a nice QoL feature to have for those who want it.