Zem

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe they should let the players actually using the power make that distinction.

[/ QUOTE ]

Balance decisions like that can't be left to players. Who'd nerf their own powers? I suspect the devs just took a look at how much damage you could do with the power vs recharge/end/animation and decided it was doing too much.

I say we take off and nuke them from orbit.

[ QUOTE ]
Either way, I can easily see Broadsword Stalkers making sense just as much as Katana Stalkers do.

[/ QUOTE ]

Except that Stalkers weren't really supopsed to be using Katanas either. Yeah, the powerset is identical, but they changed the weapon model to look more like a Ninjato. Whether that's historically accurate or just Hollywood accurate, they made the effort to fit concept and give them a weapon that, at least in fiction, might be used by a ninja.

Probably they needed a new animation because not all of the Broadsword models can accomodate two hands on the hilt. At least I seem to recall that being the reason for the limited selection of swords for katana and ninja blade when weapon customization was rolled out.

In any case, I agree with the earlier sentiment: There are a number of Broadsword models that would work just fine for a Stalker concept, if you care about such things. The Tsoo 'katana' for one. That might be the same blade used by the Knives too... not sure. Longsword, Fantasy Sword, Roman swords. The Valkyrie blade looks good too.

Also worth pointing out that while realistically a broadsword was more difficult to swing than a longsword, we ARE talking about superheroes (er... villains) here. Just because there isn't a Stalker primary "Super Strength" doesn't mean your villain isn't stronger than a normal human being.

[ QUOTE ]
Redraw on almost every single attack? Ewwww.

[/ QUOTE ]

Corruptors can do one "better".

AR/TA/Mace.

[ QUOTE ]
Not like ElM wasnt copyed from claws or anything >.>

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, but what would they copy to make a Broadsword AS? Ninja Blade's animation is two-handed and I don't think all of the Broadsword models can accomodate two hands on the hilt. Doesn't mean they couldn't do it, but it might look like crap.

Assault Rifle / Trick Arrows!!

...

What?

*goes to reserve "Redraw McGraw"*

Feel the twang?

[ QUOTE ]
Neither are animals that kill and eat humans. They're just predators. But if a human does it (killing and eating other humans... or poisoning them), that's evil.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unless it's Soylent Green.

I've had worse experiences in Mayhem missions. Ambushes are always player-targetted and they will happily enter the PPD station, use the elevator, and arrive in the jail room just as you're breaking out so they can kill you again... and again... and again.

Can I have his stuff?

[ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't be mad at all! I would love to see where the PL N00B AE Babies will run to next. Possibly..... King's Row?? **GASP**

[/ QUOTE ]

I wouldn't count on it. They'll probably still be leveling faster in AE even without 2xp. In all seriousness, if they want people to step outside AE for a weekend, they SHOULD consider making it a 1/2xp weekend for AE.

[ QUOTE ]
Agreed on those points - but they could choose to arbitrarily make that decision.

[/ QUOTE ]

What? The devs would make a hugely unpopular change to the game?

Unpossible!

[ QUOTE ]
Yes and no - since it's going with a system to determine whether you're a hero or villain based on actions, they could simply have the Empathy powers move you along the path to being "heroic" (or inversely, the Poison powers moving you to "villainous").

[/ QUOTE ]

I really doubt the morality system will be powerset based. Side-switching is THE big feature of Going Rogue. I don't think they are going to tell people they can't take their favorite characters across enemy lines because of a choice they made long before GR was even announced. Haven't they already said the morality system would be based on clearly-marked and optional story-arcs anyway (or am I imagining that?)

[ QUOTE ]
I was merely commenting on what the devs said about proliferation.

[/ QUOTE ]

Understood, but I think GR represents a major shift away from that previous philosophy. They're saying it no longer matters WHAT you are playing, but how you play it and what choices you make in the morality-based missions. Whether those missions will provide branching decisions that take you one way or the other or if it will simply be a matter of which contacts you choose, that seems a far more likely mechanic than telling Empaths they can't "go rogue" but Rads can because... they heal with Radiation instead of happy thoughts??

[ QUOTE ]
Which do you prefer in a battle, Smoke flash or Blinding powder?

[/ QUOTE ]

Caltrops.

[ QUOTE ]
One word: Linderman.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh that got mentioned too. Didn't change their opinion. Heroes can soak their enemies in propellant and then set them on fire. Shower them with "lethal" radiation. Suck out their souls. But let's not give Villains empathy. Oh no... that's not evil enough!

Like I said, it was worth a good laugh remembering that when I saw the announcement for Going Rogue.

[ QUOTE ]
i once one shotted a tower buffed LR with my stalker........................................... ............just sayin

[/ QUOTE ]

Hax!

I know. We're talking about someone who soloed the RSF prior to i15, so it would be the old rules. Old or new, however, as far as the mez duration goes, it still just appears as a line-item in each mez power description. Furthermore, it looks like you only get double-mag effectively for the normal mez duration and then sinlge-mag for the remaining domination-extended duration. e.g.

[ QUOTE ]
+17.88s Held (mag 3) PvE only
+26.82s Held (mag 3) PvE only, in Domination

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
each application of domination does +50% duration, and increases the magnitude of confuse *shrugs*

[/ QUOTE ]

You sure about that? Domination, the inherent power, does enhance damage so stacking Domination stacks the damage bonus, but it looks like (from City of Data's descriptions at least) that the extra mag and duration of mezzes is handled in each individual power description by an "if domination" clause. That would mean that no matter how many dominations are stacked, you are still just "in domination mode" as far as the power is concerned and you get just the one instance of extra mag and duration.

[ QUOTE ]
The devs said (when power proliferation was first being talked about and around the time that they announced which sets) that heroes wouldn't get Poison and villains wouldn't get Empathy.

Traps, on the other hand, wasn't ever mentioned.

[/ QUOTE ]

Irrelevant anyway. Whatever arguments they used to deny Villains Empathy are now out the window as soon as Going Rogue arrives and each side effectively gets access to every powerset in the game whether it "seems" good or evil.

There is no longer any reason to deny any particular AT a powerset based on "good vs evil" because every AT will be both a hero and a villain AT.

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe he doesn't want to get shot by deer hunters.

[/ QUOTE ]

Since when does wearing bright orange safety clothing prevent that?

I'm confused by something. If spammers moved away from tells because trial accounts can't send tells now... how are they sending emails? I thought trial accounts couldn't use the email system either.

If they can, then why not just shut off email for trial accounts? Almost no one uses it anyway except the spammers, so no great loss for trial accounts. I'd shut it off on my own full account if I had the option.

[ QUOTE ]
They still need to give the Midnight Grasp treatment to flamethrower.

[/ QUOTE ]

Or the Fire Breath treatment. I'd be happy with either. It just needs to deliver its total damage faster. If I want to slow roast something, I've got Ignite for that.

In terms of damage-per-activation-second, Ignite is about as good as Slug on a single target, with the added benefits of (a) Fire damage, and (b) small radius AoE (which is admittedly difficult to exploit well, but worthwhile when you can). I also like using it in doorways or at my feet if a melee mob is charging me, for the "afraid" effect. May not be all that it once was, but I think it's still worth it.

[ QUOTE ]
Interesting...if we would like to form one tonight to do some testing i am free. Also Caltrops is technically a pet unlike PBAoEs like hurricane and hot feet.

[/ QUOTE ]

That could be it right there. I've noticed during Rikti/Zombie invasions that MM pets, caltrops, rains of fire, etc. all affect the enemy while they are still in their spawning animation, whereas you cannot attack them directly during that time.

Haven't done an STF in a while but I usually lay down an Ice Slick if I'm on my controller so it is more or less centered on the tower. I figure knockdown ought to interrupt them too.

[ QUOTE ]
That's where more defense, or stacked up To Hit debuff comes in handy. The "soft cap" is actually a minion soft cap. It's not the cap for anything better. Even just a higher level mish and the yellow or orange minions will have +5% or + 10% To Hit you. You need 55% defense to floor the latter. Or a bigass To Hit debuff.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, no. Higher level and higher ranked opponents get accuracy buffs, not tohit buffs. At least for the first five levels above you, if I recall correctly. Arcana's guide has all the math and a better explanation that I would give here. Worth a look. Short version: The soft-cap for an even con minion is the soft-cap for a +5 LT. Defense over 45% won't matter unless he's packing tohit buffs as well.

And some NPCs DO have tohit buffs of their own and a great many dish out defense debuffs. If you're not an SR with 95% defense debuff resistance, it pays to be over the soft-cap if you want to mix it up with Cimeroran traitors, for example.