7thCynic

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While i agree with the stance that a paid espansion would be the best bet for Power Customization, I don't think we'd be wise to expect everything from the surver to be folded into one expansion. For one thing, the survey was broken down into several distinct sections and "Going Rogue" was just one of them. For another getting ones hopes up for a major upgrade like Power Customization based on what is very likely a symbolic piece of animation (the character is talking about it not being as easy to see the clear cut line between being good or evil while the power color changes) is a recipe for disappointment if it doesn't materalize.

In my view, its best to take the information we have at face value and speculate (and we will) on it rather than attempting to mind read the devs based on one symbolic scene in one trailer.

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Yes, its possible not all of the 'survey' will make it into this expansion. But were talkin abt making that assumption on the video AND the survey. I do believe the video CAN be seen as a reference having known abt the survey AND a logical guess that side switching alone may not be enough to push an expansion out. Add power customization and thats a whole other story.

As for the survey being divided in to sections, the power customization section WAS part of the Going Rogue expansion mentioned.

Finally in regards to taking things at face value: had you done that abt the survey, you would probably not believed this was coming as I did. OR you would have thought this email was a hoax when it was first released early last night, as other did. Why be so cautious? I say just use some common sense deduction. A survey not written like a survey is not really a survey, despite what Lighthouse says (which is damage control). See? its not that tough.

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You know, the constant acerbic, insulting spew about the developers is really tiring and dull.

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Its almost as tiring as the mindless zombies the would support the Devs regardless of reason, thought, or validity.

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OMG this!

And the funny part is most of those that criticize wouldnt really care if they were called haters, doomsayers or whatnot, because they can admit theyre being picky, and in their opinions rightfully so - but call the others fanbois and theyll argue that, not knowing that theyre always mindlessly defending.

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I think people read too much into that one scene. To me, it was It was just symbolic are being able to crossover back and forth.

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Sure, if its only this symbolism you were basing it off. But what abt the 'survey' that mentioned Going Rogue would have power customization? Yeah. Id bet on it. And I bet on it coming with the PAID part of the expansion, not on the free issue (i16) thats attatched.

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I can totally see us being forced to hit 50, THEN given the option of switching sides only to start over at lvl 1. And since the FAQ said you can switch more than once, this could be on a constant loop.

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Some1 else has suggested this, and I suggested they were crazy. It would make the moral compass idea rather pointless muchless its in general a bad idea. Im pretty sure it wont be set up like u suggested.

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This seems like a premature release of information to keep a proverbial carrot dangled in front of us.

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Wouldnt this carrot have been dangling since the similarly prematurely leaked 'survey' last Aug? That is, if you believed the survey was real - in which case you would have been right.

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What details?

Its either you kill all, kill the boss, click [censored], rescue some [censored], annnd thats about it....

Not alota detail there...just the same thing we've been doin for 4 years now

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Well considering they said u can have up to 20 different objectives in 1 mish alone, a mission can end up being be quite complicated. Certainly more than most missions we have nowadays.

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Yup. Feeling the same. For a feature that was about to be released with i13 it is taking a very long time. I am sure it'll be great and can't wait...but we're in March now...lol.

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I wouldnt say its late just yet....

They originally said it would be out Winter 09, which means the deadline for that is March 20th - next week. (Doubt it.) They may have clarified and said 1st Q of 09, which means by March 31st. (Maybe?) And Amazon has the box release date as 4/14, but they suggested we'd be playing it before then. (April 7th?)

My instincts say Tues 3/31, w/open beta starting next week and lasting 2 weeks.

To vertigo:

First: Possibly. Especially when it initially launches. But anything after that, in regards to long term, its really hard to predict. It would really depend on how many keep using it and the general success of the MA. In which case, if its that popular, it would be a good thing, wouldnt it?

Second: How is the ability to create CoH lore completely disconnected from CoH game lore? It may be a gimmick to you, but obviously many others, as well as the devs consider this a HUGE feature. You're talkin abt possibly having infinite content. Thats no small feat bud.

Third: I agree that the chances for quality may be slim, but hopefully the rating system will make the quality stand out. It all relies on how well the rating works - and that - like most of your claims - remains to be seen.

Fourth: The 'writing' of the arcs/stories will rely more on what the objectives are and less the physical text. If you cannot see that, then maybe you dont have agrasp of the MAs potential.

Fifth: This contradicts your first point. Either everyone will be doing it, thus youll have no on e to team with. Or no one will do it because its too time consuming. You cant have both, well unless its a happy medium, in which BOTH points are wrong. :P

Sixith: Sounds like DOOOM. Smells like DOOOOOOM. Must be DOOOOOOOOOOOM!

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It also depends on what you mean by content. More missions, contacts, story arcs, strike forces, enemy types, archetypes, enhancements, powers, costume pieces, some of that or all of that plus more?

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If I were him I wouldnt hold my breath for any of that. That is, for anything that doesnt already come w/MA. (Missions, story arcs, strike forces, enemy types)

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It would be the first time ever that there wasn't additional content in an expansion beyond what was first announced, so i'm going by the previous 13 issues.

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This would also be the 1st time ever they announced an issue, just to backtrack and split it in 2.

Youre additional content was i13.

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The dealbreaker is that you won't get drops while playing so that will limit the time I spend in MA missions.

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Well, Im not sure how it works, but it these tickets allow you to PICK your reward specifically, and the reward ratio is the same - wouldnt the ticket system be BETTER than random drops? Id suppose the only issue would be w/purples.

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It'd just be nice if they'd reveal a bit of the non-MA content

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What makes you think there is any?

Just to amend my previous post abt not being able to vrate your own faction...

Altho the devs never specifically mentioned being able to do it, and based on what has been said here it seems as if it would be difficult, I recall a bugged paper mission I had recently where EVERYONE appreared as a Longbow Warden as the faction 'CUSTOM CRITTER'.

I guess you can consider that as proof that it is possible to create your own faction in the MA.

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If all NPCs in player created missions are not customizable then the MA is a bust. Period. You can't tell me they delayed the MA for 3 months and counting JUST to customize bosses. That's just horribly stupid and I really hope it isn't true.

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To you, not to me. I never assumed youd be able to do such a thing as create your own custom faction. And I don't recall the devs even hinting at that, tho they DID suggest you'd be able to create your own boss, or at least put your own toon into the mission. Now releasing the MA without that (after claiming it could happen) would have been a bust, thus the wait.

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Observations:
1) The server sync is indeed triggering every 10 seconds.
2) The server sync is not doing the same thing as the /sync command, and does not clear the problem for the affected characters.
3) The problem seems to be tied to specific characters, as none of my other characters encounter it on a regular basis.

Speculation:
Could there be something about the character-specific data that is somehow interfering with the normal sync process? Balanced is L50, and has more stuff (badges, accolades, souvenirs, temp powers, etc) than any of my other characters. Could something in all that extra data be causing an overflow? Are other people seeing this issue principally on characters with lots of influence, or badges, or what-have-you?

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Just to add to Balances observations, based on my 2 experiences listed here, for me...

1) The rubberbanding/sync did not aways take as long as 10 sec. I had the loop going myself maybe every 3.
2) this is most likely true. Altho, thats assuming that the rubberbanding is the server sync.
3) I cant say that this is the case. It has only happened 2x and somewhat randomly.

A few other points:
I cant say its directly tied...

-to lvl, influence, badges, temps etc.
(1x was with a maxed out lvl 50 badger, the other time was with a lvl 38 with barely anything.)
-w/zoning either.
(1x was after zoning out of a mish, the other time was randomly in a map.)

I know I have only 2 definite experiences w/the OOS bug to report on, but I think thats enuff to prove theres no absolute rule to it. Sorry for possibly making things more confusing.

Well now it happened to me. Same thing, only smaller distance.

Exited mish, walked 10 feet, rubberbanded back, then did the same again, then again, then paused (for the 10 sec), it happened yet again. My gf was watching me the whole time, says I never moved. I typed /sync, then it worked.

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mission completion should award merits.story arcs need to award at least 20, all recipes need to be for sale for merits, 5-10 yellow , 10-15 orange, 15-20 purp. my opinion. haters will be ignored.

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Consider me as one of the haters cuz thats CRAZY.

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We would like to know if you stay out of sync for more than 10 seconds. The server should automatically try to /sync if you're out of sync for that long.

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It was WAY more than 10 seconds - maybe over a min of rubberbanding the same distance. The distance itself between points was moderate, and I watched her do it over and over. It almost felt like a joke.

I dont know what specific info helps, but...

A few days ago my gf was doing some Cim missions and all of a sudden she started rubberbanding like Ive never seen. Whenever she passed a certain place on the map, it would put her back a few halls back. She prolly ran that route a dozen times, outcome was always the same. When u checked the map, it looked like she wasnt moving. I suggested /sync and all was well.

Why do you see it as a dangling carrot and not just a hint of what's to come? Is it because you don't have an ETA on when youll get that carrot? Sure youll prolly get it eventually, but specifically when wont be known to u unless its in the following issue. Just enjoy the fact that they are probably working on it.

Maybe u guys can answer this:

Whats the diff between the xp bonus % u get WORKING on the Criminal day job, and the xp bonus % u get after HAVING the Criminal day job? (The 'potency' is supposed to increase once u have the badge, isn't it?)

And I take it, none of it will work during double xp weekend, right?

EDIT: Nvmnd, I think I found my answer...

From paragonwiki -

While working toward the Criminal badge, characters accumulate patrol XP credit at a rate of 1 bar for every 24 hours up to a maximum of 10 bars.

After earning the Criminal badge, characters will accumulate patrol XP credit at a rate of approximately 1 bar every 20 hours up to a maximum of 10 bars.

I agree that no T3 insps is a REAL bummer. As someone already said, once u have all the badges - thats the main thing u look forward too. Yes I do hoard them in my base, but for the SGs use, not resale. And lemme state ahead of time that even the 10% chance suggestions isnt cool. It was fine the way it was, even w/the longer door times.

That's really my only complaint tho.

EDIT: Expanding on the 10% idea...
If last year there was 100% chance/60 sec, and now the timer is @ 10 sec. Then the % chance should be 17% minimum, or 1 in 6. Still not great, but more fair than 10%...or ZERO for that matter.

I say the 51 mnth vet reward (helmets) makes a decent (not great) lvl 45 vet reward. Swap that out and go back to the drawing board on 51 and 54.

Wow bud, no offense - but that chart is almost unreadable. And I practically do Excel for a livin. Im not exactly sure what kind of info youre tryin to relay in it, but Im sure most are comin to this thread for the bare fact. Sumthin simple, like this:

================================
Blaster Primary: Psi Blast
Blaster Secondary: tba

Brute Primary: Battle Axe and War Mace
Brute Secondary: tba

Controller Primary: Plant
Controller Secondary: tba

Corruptor Primary: tba
Corruptor Secondary: Storm

Defender Primary: tba
Defender Secondary: tba

Dominator Primary: tba
Dominator Secondary: tba

MM Primary: None
MM Secondary: tba

Scrapper Primary: tba
Scrapper Secondary: tba

Stalker Primary: tba
Stalker Secondary: tba

Tanker Primary: tba
Tanker Secondary: tba
================================
(For those who dont know, tba = to be announced, and the bold red has been confirmed.)

So keep your spreadsheet goin if u like, but Id say add/update sumthin like this to your 1st post as well.

7th

I wanted to compliment your excellent guide and touch on a few things here. My main is a lvl 50 ss/da brute and thats what I play a majority of the time so I'm quite familiar with it...

First off, I personally take CoF over OG. I would rather keep all the baddies terrorized around then scattered about. But like you've suggested, its a matter of choice and its usually 1 or the other.

I skipped jab and instead use Air Superiority, since I took the Flight route. Which ends up feeling as a natural SS power w/its knockdown. Also the Soaring set in Flight gives +Recovery as well.

I also use Hasten cause I never play a brute/tank without it. Practically have it perma. But understand with that, comes even MORE end management.

As you suggested, as a variation I took the fighting pool. Kick for personality (although I'm probably going to switch to Boxing for the +Recovery bonus in the Stupify set) and Tough for more smash def. I never made it to Weave because its too many toggles to manage. But its always an option if you can handle the end issues.

For Patrons, I chose Widow for thematic reasons. I only ended up sticking with 2 of the powers. And even those are just extras. Gloom as a snipe, since I skipped Hurl for the same reasons you stated, and Soul Tentacles as my immobilize for those runners. Dark Obliteration was too messy and the Widow counter productive to CoD, as any pet would be. Not to mention her damage is negligible comparatively.

IOs: The slotting I'm not completely sold on. We seem to have different set ups in regards to them. But w/IOs, I'm still learning and changing. It may just be personal choice as well. The only issue worth commenting on is your wanting your toggles to recharge faster. I guess w/me having Hasten, that has never been a problem. But here's a quick suggestion based on your previous slotting guide:

Dark Embrace, Murky cloud, Obsidian shield:
Titanium Coating: res/end, end, res & standard res IO
Approx bonuses: 57% resist, 69% end

The only bonus you lose is the Stun Res (which I don't need).

But otherwise, all in all, your guide is spot on - give or take personal tastes. Perhaps when I figure out 'my' ideal IO build is, Ill post it here.

Good job.
7th