Xanatos

If this is true, then:

Stop trash talking people.

Stop commenting on PVP.

PART III: SPAR THE ROD
Day of The Attack
Old Guard Academy, Steel Canyon
The Old Guard Academy is one of the largest buildings in Paragon City. It towers over the majority of the surrounding buildings in Steel Canyon, its large steel exterior an ominous sight for any hero or villain. It was originally constructed in 2009 by Xanatos based on his desire for a building that was grand enough not only to train new heroes, but also to act as a bastion of hope for the entirety of Paragon. While it operated as little more than a school for aspiring heroes and vigilantes, the academy was nevertheless built and designed very much like a modern-day fortress. Reinforced walls, bomb-proofed foundations, impenetrable impervium doors, and bullet proof glass windows were the academy's way of keeping its students safe. And on those rare occasions where the building itself was not sufficient enough to protect its students, there was the security detail. Two hundred heavily armed guards, each one personally trained by ex-Malta espionage veteran Fox Masters. Each one more than an equal to their counterparts in Longbow or Arachnos.

Not to mention...the place was absolutely teeming with super-powered heroes.

While The Old Guard Academy was one of the safest places in Paragon, its students were not averse to getting hurt when the situation warranted it. Because of this, the academy was full of dojos designed for all manner of super powered heroes looking to test their mettle against one another. And today was no exception. The main dojo of the academy, a room nicknamed “The Dungeon” due to the intense training that went on there, was open and humming with life. The dojo mats, dust free and warm in the intense summer heat, were now joined by two young heroes preparing to spar atop them. In the far corner of the room stood the head trainer of the academy; The Imperial. He was smiling.

The Imperial was one of the oldest heroes in the city and was one of Xanatos' closest friends. An aged hero, preserved in his later years by the potent and immortality-inducing magics of the Pearl of Gilgamesh. (An ancient relic he’d discovered many years before he became a superhero.) His battle experience and wisdom were second to none, and it is for this reason that Xanatos offered him the role of head trainer to the future icons of Paragon City. A role he graciously accepted.

Now the Imperial leant lazily against the warm wooden walls of the dojo, smiling to himself as he watched two new hopefuls square off with one another.

One of the heroes was Johnny Turbo, the enigmatic and egotistical speedster. Originally an enforcer for the Marcone crime family, Johnny Turbo later went on to become imbued with superhuman levels of speed after volunteering for one of Dr. Aeon's many experiments in Cap Au Diable. While originally a lone wolf, Johnny later became part of a family of crime-fighters. A family of superheroes that included the man he was now squaring off against. The man known only as...

Rave Spider. A fellow team-mate and ally to Johnny Turbo; Rave Spider is a principled martial artist with superhuman levels of power mimicry. Originally born a mutant, Rave Spider initially had poor control over his powers. After his younger brother was shot, things changed. The shooting shook Rave Spider to his core and set him on a path of self-discovery. A path that has, since the incident, granted him greater control over his superhuman ability to mimic other peoples' powers, and has granted him the level head to know when not to.

The two heroes glared at each other across the dojo. While they were close friends to the point of having a brotherly bond...they were nevertheless very competitive. They were going to spar. They both wanted to win.

"Okay heroes..." said The Imperial, his eyes giving each of them the once-over, "Xanatos was very impressed with what he saw in the two of you. He says you're the best of the new breed. And while I have never questioned his judgement, I'm not so sure I see it..."

Without warning Johnny Turbo interrupted. His usual wit and charm on full display.

"Maybe that's 'cause, like, you're old and you can't see ****."

The Imperial just stopped and glared. Johnny Turbo smiled at him, completely oblivious to the fact he'd just insulted one of the oldest heroes in Paragon City. Rave Spider, mouth hanging open in disbelief, slowly put his head in his hands. After an awkward silence, The Imperial continued talking.

"As I was saying", continued The Imperial, his eyes still lingering on Johnny Turbo, "You two are apparently two of the best this city's got to offer. But I haven't seen you fight." As he said this, The Imperial once again leant back against the wooden wall of the dojo, his hands beckoning them to move to the centre of the floor, "So let me see what you've got."

Johnny Turbo was halfway through yet another a witty retort, no doubt something to do with The Imperial saying "let me see what you've got", when Rave Spider's fist smashed into his mouth, sending him flying backwards into a nearby wall. To his credit, Johnny Turbo recovered well, ricocheting off the wall and leaping towards Rave Spider, his foot soaring through the air as he did so.

Caught completely off-guard, Rave Spider’s head snapped back as Johnny Turbo’s foot connected with his jaw. Surprised as always by the Turbo's speed, Rave Spider was thrown to the ground, the taste of blood thick in his mouth. The setback was only temporary. For as he fell, Rave Spider rolled, braced himself, and with a casual capoeira flip, was back on his feet.

The Imperial nodded in approval. Both men seemed evenly matched. And they hadn't resorted to using powers yet. He beckoned for them to continue.

The two men ran at each other, their arms raised. Rave Spider frowning, Johnny Turbo smiling. They came together like a thunderstorm - the two of them dancing around each other, fists flailing, looking for an opening. While Johnny Turbo was not as accomplished a martial artist as Rave Spider, he was significantly faster. For every punch that Rave Spider landed, Johnny Turbo was able to throw five. The only problem was that none of them were connecting.

The Imperial didn't say anything at first. He studied the two men as they fought. While he himself had no powers of superspeed, The Imperial had fought enough speedsters to know what telltale signs to look for when watching them fight. Sure Johnny Turbo was telegraphing his movements. (He was not a subtle hero by any stretch of the imagination.) But it did appear that Rave Spider was dodging his attacks before he'd even thrown them. The fight continued like this for a while, with Rave Spider wearing Johnny down defensively. It soon became apparent that Rave Spider was using one of the many powers he had collected over the years: clairvoyance. He knew what Johnny Turbo was going to do before Johnny even did it.

"HE'S LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE! THAT'S SO CHEAP!" Complained Johnny Turbo, suddenly angry. "STUPID GAY *** SPIDER! WHY'S THAT YOUR NAME ANYWAY YOU CAN'T WEBSLING OR ANYTHING!"

Apparently Johnny Turbo had figured it out also. Once again The Imperial shook his head in disbelief. Considering he was the fastest man in Paragon, Johnny Turbo could certainly be slow at times.

"Johnny, stop creating a future where he is able to dodge," said The Imperial, raising his hands in the air with exasperation, "You're a speedster. Limit him."

Realising the old guy might be talking some sense; Johnny Turbo decided to go for it. He pushed himself to his limit; as fast as he could go. Ten, twenty, thirty punches per second. Eventually his fists were moving so fast that the only future Rave Spider's clairvoyance was able to show was one where he was being punched in the face. While Johnny Turbo was not particularly strong, he was throwing his opponent around like a rag doll with pure kinetic energy. He was winning.

Eventually Johnny Turbo stopped to pose and deliver a witty one liner. This gave Rave Spider the split second he needed to compose himself. Closing his eyes briefly and inhaling deeply, Rave Spider used his powers of superhuman empathy to absorb and mimic Johnny's speed. When he opened his eyes, Rave Spider saw a very content looking speedster charging at him, leg raised, fully intent on knocking him out. It was only when his overly dramatic finishing manoeuvre missed that Johnny Turbo realised something was not quite right. When his second attack missed he went awkwardly silent and studied Rave Spider with suspicion. When his third attack missed his face became contorted into a mixture of horror and pure rage. It was most certainly not Turbo Time.

"WHY DOES EVERYONE IN THIS CITY HAVE SUPERSPEED? THAT'S LAME!" complained Johnny Turbo as he began to whirlwind around the room, tearing up the floorboards as he did so.

As the two heroes continued to fight at superhuman speeds, each one trying to outthink the other at many hundreds of miles per second, the doors to the dojo swung open, causing the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees. Thinking they were under attack, and with all pretence of competition and complaint swiftly forgotten, the two heroes stopped fighting. They stood side-by-side, eyeing the tall man now wading confidently into the room. Despite their exhaustion, the two young heroes were ready for a fight. However, when they saw who it was, they breathed a sigh of relief.

It was Xanatos.

Judging from the expression painted across his features, he was not happy.

"Heroes, suit up," Said Xanatos, looking at each of the three heroes in turn, nodding sternly as he did so, “There's been an incident at the Ziggurat."

The Imperial nodded and reached to his belt, his hands hovered over the buckle for a brief moment, before his entire body disappeared with a blinding flash. Another flash later and he was clad, head to toe, in his trademark purple and gold spandex. His famous war mace, The Sceptre of Kings, firmly clenched in his right hand. He stared at Xanatos, his deep voice echoing around the now heavily damaged dojo.

"Who's broken out?"

Xanatos exhaled and turned towards the door, his footsteps pounding against the wooden floorboards of the dojo as he did so. Reaching the doorway, he glanced back over his left shoulder, clenching his fists. He didn't meet The Imperial's gaze. But he did respond, coldly.

"Everyone."

Surely if demonstrating it here is beneath them...then talking about it here should be beneath them too.

It just sounds Like Tokyo really cares what we think of him. Yes he's bad at this game, but ohmigosh please don't think that means he's a bad gamer! His e-reputation will be ruined!

Who care about other games.

Better stop making new content then. Herpa la derpa la derp.

IMO LoS only matters when evading ranged attacks. When evading melee attacks all you have to do is get out of melee range. This would basically be stepping/jumping/running - aka the sort of thing Batman/Spiderman/Captain America do...they don't stand still. They also utilize ranged attacks to subdue their foes (web/batarangs/the shield.) So I dunno...I'm not really seeing the comic book comparison here.

The only guys I can really imagine doing fiteklubbing in comics would be the Hulk/Juggernaut types. Most other comic book fights tends to utilize travel powers in some way.

As an aside. Do you know if INV/SS tanks are still any good for fiteklubbing? I've got one collecting dust and thought of bringing him back.

I guarantee that the good suggestion will have come from Dr. Aeon. Aka a guy who used to RPVP on virtue and actually knows what players enjoy from their PVP experience.

Whether Positron will listen to him...no idea.

I dunno. I can think of heroes that are sluggers, but nonetheless rely on evasion in order to stay alive. (Batman/Spiderman/Captain America/etc.) I always thought fiteklubbers were people who just didn't like the fast-paced nature of COH's PVP. Which is fair enough, it's obviously not for everyone.

Progress.

So there is literally zero evasion?

I just don't get the purpose of limiting players' movements.