Wonderslug

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I don't know about you, but I've NEVER had "tens of millions" of influence...EVER. Also, what difference does it make how much influence you make? The amount of prestige doesnt change. It's apples and oranges anyway. They're used for entirely separate purposes and can't be interchanged.

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My 50 still has over 26 million, and he's given out 19-20 since he hit the Ultimate Ding. (I never bothered ++ing my enhancements unless I happened to get drops I wanted, so that's probably why.) It's not like I've played him much since then, either.

In any case, above 35 or so you probably make at least as much from selling trays full of SOs as you do from fighting. I know when I exemped down for the Eden trial I made about as much influence as I would have gotten for selling 10-11 SOs at the proper stores.

It's not entirely correct to say that inf and prestige aren't interchangeable: you can convert inf directly into prestige, albeit at a horrible exchange rate.

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wait... so you loose out if your sg has more than 15 ppl? mine has 75! >.< it would be better to just lessen the amount you get after the first 15 or something. we already feel that the devs are against big sgs, but really, you don't have to poor salt onto our wounds

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And? You still get the 300K to start with. And if you have 75 members, and if most of them are reasonably active, you're going to have a vastly easier time gaining prestige to begin with than some SG that only has 15 regular players.

To attach some actual numbers to this...at 22, in beta, running a mission with three people on heroic/villainous garnered around 900-1000 prestige per person. At 50, tonight, I got over 1350 running one mission solo on rugged. Assuming 1000 prestige per person per mission, on average, and that each member of your SG runs 4 missions per week, on average, you will match that kickstart in one week's time.

Now, it's true that the best and/or largest of the base stuff is mighty (one might say larcenously) pricey. But honestly, 300K a week doesn't sound too shabby to me.

If, on average, half of those 75 people log on and run 2 missions a day, you're looking at 525K per week.

And if you normally form large teams, or do task forces or trials regularly, well, you're even better off.

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muahahaha

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evillaugh works for this one too.

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panhandle

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Unless they added this in a recent patch (which they might have), it's actually "panhandeling." And yes, that's misspelled on purpose.

Two more: assumepositionwall, and laugh2, which I would describe as a sort of depricating chuckle.

Whether the correct number for a six-slotted Wet Ice is 3% or 1.1%, it is, quite literally, statistically insignificant. Allowing a power like that to be slotted for defense AT ALL is a total trap for anyone who doesn't read the boards regularly. Remember that thing you said about not letting players make uninformed decisions? Yes, that was cause for much mirth and frivolity, but even by the low, low standards set by the current power descriptions this is totally unjustifiable.

Also, on a more general note, it's all very well to say that defense fares better over time than res, but the fact is that def-based sets as a rule don't take damage over time. They take damage in raw, bloody chunks. The great benefit of res is that it is reliable, especially since comparatively few enemies have the means to reduce its effectiveness. Defense is a gamble, and the random number generator often stacks the deck. In the worst case scenario you're putting tanks--tanks! and I agree they needed to come down a notch or three, but come on--in a position where the HP bar has only two settings: on and off. I'm curious to know what the design team sees as the benefit to counterbalance that risk--especially if seven other people are riding on that gamble paying off. An entirely def-based set works for scrappers, who are frequently just watching out for themselves, but do you really think it works for people who are, by design, actively trying to be be shot and swung at all the time by as many foes as possible?

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You.....DO realize that if he takes off that suit, antimatter will mix with matter, and there'll be a huge explosion. Right?

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Still funny when put to the Benny Hill theme music.....

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Agreed, although explosions and resulting carnage are more of a Monty Python touch, really.

You know what? Scrap the Hellion dealie--for the Steel Canyon zone event we should have to contain Positron, running around in his skivvies and flailing his arms like one of Paragon's finest.

You know, in a few hours I'm sure I'll come back and totally mark out over how utterly kickass this stuff looks, but right now I'm having trouble seeing it all through the fog of annoyance. Seriously, I'd rather wait another issue or two with no new powersets than get two more copy/pasted defender hand-me-downs, which I cannot imagine will do anything but perpetuate the issues of interarchetype toe-stepping in the high-level game. Seriously, are controllers ever going to get a unique secondary? Are defenders ever going to get more than one? I'd really like a straight answer to that question, if anyone with a red name happens to be reading this, even if it's "We don't know." Even if they do it seems like it will be a looooooooong time coming, since both are now sitting in the ledger with the "Got new powersets!" box checked off.

I remember spending ages tweaking the costume on my very first character (level 47 and going strong, thanks) on the first day of live. In retrospect, it sucked. It has not been missed.

I remember doing the Patient Zero mission for the first time. A sick ice controller and an emp/psy defender with one attack do not an optimal team make, but by gum we did it.

I remember tackling Dr. V for the first time and really being scared. He was huge. And he took ages to fall with just me and a blaster. The game's never quite given me another adrenaline rush like the one when he finally went down.

I remember my first TF. Me, two empaths, and five blasters, mostly fire/dev or AR/dev, against about a zillion clockies, before the smoke grenade fix. I felt pretty damn worthless, but I hit 20 and picked up Speed Boost, so I got over it. Eventually.

I remember the week or two when Behemoths spawned in Perez Park and King's Row.

I remember during that time on a pickup team the leader selected the level 12 mind controller's CoT mission (none of the rest of us were over 10). The carnage was horriffic.

I remember when the game was so new there were always two or three instances of Atlas and Galaxy, because everyone was still that low level.

I remember when exploding mages weren't interruptable and were seriously bad news for any team with more than one melee character.

I remember hovering to the top of the zone box in King's Row at level 8. It took a really, really long time.

I remember seeing someone's leftover Sky Raiders behind King Garment Works and thinking how cool and exotic and high-level they were. Actually, they're still pretty cool.

I remember when virtually every door mission in King's Row was in King Garment Works. They should charge rent.

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Skills is in Issue 5...

Issue 4 revolves around the Arenas (now under construction)....

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Arenas better be good!!!! *shakes fist!*

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They had better make my head explode with fun!

*sigh* Evidently "sooner than you think" is a lot later than I thought.

An Open Letter to the Civilians of Paragon City
by Ashen Gray, Captain, Bizarro School for Very Strange Children "Muted Colors" Strike Team

I am sure it comes as no surprise to you that the life of a superhero is a rather stressful one, especially for those of us who would rather spend our evenings and weekends watching TV or enjoying ourselves than being slathered in zombie vomit. I believe most of you realize that, and the majority of you are respectful of and even helpful to our efforts. However, in the past few weeks it has become increasingly obvious that many of you appear to have had your brains surgically replaced with under-refrigerated cole slaw. By this I mean that there are those among you whose tendency to wander blindly into danger borders on the actively suicidal. In the interests of making all our jobs easier, I would like to provide you with a few helpful behavioral pointers.

I realize, of course, that not everyone needs such help. For this reason I have devised a simple quiz that will easily determine whether or not you are at risk. It has only one question, so think carefully!

1. Imagine that your office building has been seized by Fifth Column troopers. You stumble into a hallway. At one end of the hallway is a Column officer; at the other end is a hero who is collecting several thousand joules worth of energy in his hands with the intention of disintigrating [he means "apprehending" -ed.] the officer. Where is the wisest place to position yourself?

A. Behind the officer.
B. Behind the hero.
C. Running spastically between the officer and the hero.
D. Outside, or in another building entirely.

If you answered D, you may safely disregard the remainder of this letter. If you answered B, it would not hurt to continue reading. If you answered A, you quite likely spend a great deal of money on tacky "collectors'" plates with the intention of selling them in thirty years and retiring on the proceeds, and you should most definitely continue reading. If you answered C, well, franky, the gene pool won't miss you.

Now that we have eliminated the smart people, gather round while ol' uncle Ashy dispenses some golden nuggets of wisdom.

1. Do not stand in the line of fire between two opposing forces.
2. Do not walk across the line of fire between two opposing forces.
3. Do not run, crawl, sprint, jump, cartwheel, somersault, waddle, bounce, pogostick, roll, bellyflop, or otherwise cross the line of fire between two opposing forces.
4. If a fly-encrusted man wearing a human skull for a hat asks you to step into a dark alley to "look at something really neat," decline his offer and run like hell.
5. No matter how much more direct they may make your route, abandoned industrial zones are never "nifty shortcuts."
6. If you find that your office space has become infested with Nazis or gang members, let them have your stapler.
7. If, while walking along the sidewalk, you see someone encased, for example, in a block of ice, there is no need to walk directly up to him and peer at him myopically before running away. You can safely assume that any situation involving people encased in ice is a situation you do not want to be involved in. This includes screenings of the movie Encino Man.
8. Do not ingest anything that glows.
9. Do not ingest anything you receive as a "free sample" from tough-looking youths on street corners.
10. Do not ingest anything you receive from a giant man wearing garbage.
11. Despite any truth there may once have been to the urban legends, Bettis Hills is no longer a "primo makeout spot" unless your idea of a romantic evening involves a picnic, stargazing, and mugging and/or ritual sacrifice.
12. Often people desire to thank heroes who have saved them. Sometimes heroes go inside before this can happen. This may be puzzling, but most doors are equipped with a "knob" or "handle," by means of which it is possible to open the doors and proceed inside, rather than repeatedly running into them and ricocheting off like a deranged superball. Do be aware, however, that the hero is quite likely heading into an even more dangerous situation (in which case you would be in trouble--we want to avoid danger, remember?) or possibly entering his or her house or apartment (in which case you could be prosecuted under anti-stalking laws).
13. As a general rule, legitimate insurance salesmen are not the size and shape of dumptrucks, nor do they have names like "Nicky Kneecaps" Vitelli.
14. If a robed man with eldritch flames streaming from his eye sockets knocks on your door and claims to be the meter man, milk man, postman, telephone repairman, cable guy, paperboy, or anyone else with a reason for entering your home, do not open the door. Alert the authorities immediately. Exception: IRS auditors. Request to see ID first.
15. Avoid anyone or anything that stands on cardboard boxes and harangues the public, especially if they have heavy artillery or hideous deformities.
16. If it's large enough to eat your head, poking it with a stick is probably a bad idea.

By following these simple guidelines and a little common sense, you can do your part to make Paragon City a safer place to be. And if not, well, like I said--the gene pool ain't gonna miss you.

Disclaimer: The views of Mr. Gray are not necessarily those of the Paragon Times, its editors or staff, or of Professor Bizarro's School for Very Strange Children.