Anti_Proton

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I think you missed the entire point of the OPs post. This isn't about making improvements to PvP for PvPers, but making it more accessible to those that may not nessesarily have considered PvP for whatever reasons.

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by further breaking pvp for pvp-ers?

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How exactly does this break PvP? Switching on the flag still allows you to PvP, it's really a matter of when PvP is initiated, upon entry into the zone or when the flag is raised. It's not like you can jockey for position either.

I think you missed the entire point of the OPs post. This isn't about making improvements to PvP for PvPers, but making it more accessible to those that may not nessesarily have considered PvP for whatever reasons.

I'm gonna go into left field and suggest sets of Power animation options. Based on Origin, but can be used by anyone with the corresponding power. It would be a lot of work to new animations of each power, so I would suggest a few be released every issue and new power sets be equipped with them upon release.

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And to Tal-N I ask, what does that same Scrapper do when he has to chase down a flying NPC?

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Flying NPCs can be brought down through patience and sometimes tactics, because the developers know that not all heroes and villains have the ability to fly you will notice that flying NPCs are somewhat rare in the game as a result. When NPCs do fly away they will inherantly return to their ground based spawn point if left alone plus you are able to duck out of LoS to cause the NPC to follow you at which point they usually return to ground level.

You point is moot however, we're dealing with PvP here and ways to keep it enjoyable. An NPC might have a tactical advantage over a ground based melee character but has no sense of survival, no sense of enjoyment and in many cases does not need to be defeated by the player to advance through the game. In PvP all of these things are different, there is no fun in fighting a fight you have no chance in losing and there is also no fun in a fight you have no chance of winning. Enjoyment comes in PvP from the fight, the to and fore between two players fighting for victory. If this doesn't happen the enjoyment of the game is greatly reduced.

The solution to have a PvP spec character isn't going to help because it's the ATs which provide the problem, the fact that the devs have been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole now is self evident. They've had to make special rules for status effects, changes to how blaster damage functions, endurance drain is tweaked, invisibility has to be restricted to name but a few special conditions which change how certain ATs function. The thing is though that despite all of these changes it's possible to go into a PvP situational casually and run up against players you have utterly no chance of defeating or can defeat with utter discrimination not because of how skilled you or they are but because their AT and build has weaknesses which happen to be your strengths.

That's broken and can't be easily fixed.

Example:
A regen brute, has fury to help with extended fights. So a blaster comes down with frontloaded damage and obliterates him in 2-3 hits before the brute can even get a hit off. Now only the most pathetic of players will get any enjoyment from doing this again and again when that regen brute has almost no chance of countering that kind of attack. And you can be sure the brute is getting more and more frustrated at having to sit back as hospital waiting for Rest to recharge or his health to return normally.

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So that same Brut has no way of getting in the air and punishing the blaster at melee range? Or even to bring that same blaster out of the sky? I agree, an initial attack in that situation will result in the Brutes demise, but such shortcomings are easily remedied through the purchasable temp-powers available at the entrance of the zone.

People are jerks in PvE zones so what's the difference? Again, all I am hearing from quite a few veterans of the boards is that PvEers have no business in PvP, well there is the root of the problem. How long do we really expect PvP to survive with this attitude? Sooner or later the Devs are going to realize that the population of PvP isn't enough to support it and it will be allowed to slip into the wayside. All I am hearing is "Leave my PvP alone!" or "If you don't like PvP well don't enter the zone!" The point is to GET people interested in PvP! And to Tal-N I ask, what does that same Scrapper do when he has to chase down a flying NPC? Exactly! I think everyone need to do a little more reflecting on the topic and take a second look at the real motivators of their objections.

I have to thank HB for cluing me in on his post. For all the innovations CoX has made in the MMO world, when it came to PvP, they used the same old mechanics with the addition of creative window dressing. The savagery and mean-spiritedness was left to fester in these zones until they were so bad that they could be compared to the PvP servers of WoW. I've been around here a long time and rarely have I seen a post that summed up the feelings of so many as this one.

There are those so tethered to the standard concepts of PvP that any change is met with resentment or a sense of intrusion upon the familiar. There are many people out there that came here in the beginning to get away from the standard trappings of other MMOs such as loot and PvP. Many opposed the invention system as giving in to those trappings, but now the game feels a little more diverse because of it. The last hurdle was PvP and with no real ideas as to how to be different, we got the Arena. The problem was once the thrill of being able to turn our powers on each other faded, so did interest in the Arena. In came the PvP zones with a wide open expansive feel, but in the end, be it a PvP zone or server, it was really the same old thing many had come here to forget.

Now it appears that there are many who would like to PvP (I myself included), but the climate was too reminiscent of that "Other" game. Many (myself included again) were really torn when it came to the PvP zones. On the one hand we could finally have those superhero battles we longed for out in the open, but on the other hand we had to swallow the nasty medicine of typical PvP. Some people would like to allow PvP to continue being so distasteful that it would eventually go away, but that notion has sailed. It's time we found a way to make this work so that it can finally entice people like myself into having that epic superhero battle, but win-or-lose, come away with their dignity in tact

I have an idea. Lets make those same cheating NPCs as smart as the players, give them 2 dozen powers to chose from intuitively and set them loose. Whenever you complain about how some mob has an ability the player doesn't, remember they are dumb as posts and follow the same fight or flight patterns every time. They could be as smart as the AI in FEAR and hunt you down like dogs.

Peter Thermari should be the next leader of Arachnos IMHO and Westin should be his twisted lap-dog. Thermari is so much more devious and methodical than Lord Recluse, I would be much more fearful of him in charge. One more thing I noticed in this game is that there are no executions for failure.

I guess the secret is officially out (as if there were any doubt). The question is now, what's got him so spooked that he would actually interact with heroes and villains directly.

All clues (as mentioned by Tal N) point to the coming of the Battalion.

Ahh! Very cool. I approve. Now I to need to wash the WoW stench off.

No, I think that was the point.

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I am having a little trouble wrapping my head around this. Will this allow use to view our characters and Bios online?

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It'll let /everyone/, if you opt in, to see things like build (and possibly enhancements), costumes, badges, and, presumably, bios online. This also might cut down on board spam where people cut 'n' paste their current builds from hero planners and instead use a link to their heroes' online info.

If the devs really nail it, the system will also (finally!!!) let people see what their set bonuses add up to without using a spreadsheet or a hero builder.

I, for one, am digging this announcement

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Sweet! It's hard to sell this game sometimes to folks who haven't played an MMO, but with this, I can show them some of my characters to seal the deal.

I am having a little trouble wrapping my head around this. Will this allow use to view our characters and Bios online?

Matrix Online is still running?

It doesn't have to be one or the other. PvP can be developed without sacrificing PvE. I think there will be inprovements in both.

It really doesn't need to even be the CoP. Imagine how many members you could get if you had a Shiva meteor that gave bases members a shivan temp power or a Heavy mech launch pad? Or even a temp weapons rack with special models that only bases can get? There are lots of options to the CoP trial IoPs.

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RP styles vary, and I respect that. Still, I find that a base with a city-wide TP grid, full storage lockers, and crafting areas is a nice asset. I don't disagree that it could do more, but after two years (right?) of no CoP, it's harder to see bases WITH IoP stuff, than WITHOUT.

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I personally am not hung up on IoPs, but for the amount of Prestige (granted less for larger SGs) there needs to be some tangible incentive to players that a.) Dont have enough friends to join a SG. and b.) Are not really into RP.

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*shrugs* I find bases add something for those of us who roleplay.

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Those actors guild fees (see: Prestige) are something ehe?

I agree 100%. If I had my choice, I would rather HAVE SG bases with the IoP, or any significant incentive for PvE-ers to join.

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Click here to read more about Issue 11.

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can someone please post the text to this? for some reason it is blocked from work

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Issue 11: A Stitch in Time reveals that all that is and was is not as it should be! The mysterious Ouroboros organization, a group of beings from the ends of time, enlists the aid of Heroes and Villains to rewrite the past. Heroes and Villains are able to travel through time using the new Ouroboros System, which opens the gates to both new and existing content for players. Issue 11 also unleashes two brand new power sets: Dual Blades and Willpower, giving Heroes and Villains a slew of new power options. Additionally, Dual Blades offers Weapon Customization – taking the “City of” Character Creator to the next level! And the Inventions system is enhanced with new “Very Rare” Purple invention sets.
Ouroboros System

Through the mysterious Menders of Ouroboros, players gain the ability to “Flashback”, that is to travel through time and relive major events from the history of Paragon City™ and the Rogue Isles™. Heroes who travel back in time will embark on missions such as preventing the Circle of Thorns from unleashing a devastating demon on a defenseless world, a story originally presented in the City of Heroes comic book. Villains who journey through time will get the chance to assist Lord Recluse™ in his initial campaign to conquer the Rogue Isles, and much more.

Heroes and Villains also use the Ouroboros System to return to story arcs that they may have missed and replay hundreds of missions from earlier in the game. Players will even get to set mission parameters for these missions to earn special badges. Heroes and Villains will be auto-exemplared to the appropriate level for each story arc to ensure the challenge level remains constant.
Weapon Customization

Sometimes an assault rifle just isn’t the right tool for the job, or character, especially when he or she should be using a sniper rifle instead. Players can now change their weapons in the same way that they change their costume parts! From within the costume creator and tailor screen players select the new “Weapons” region. A number of new options are now available for appropriate power sets. Current power sets that benefit from this upgrade include Assault Rifle, Mercenaries/Assault Rifle, Bow, Broadsword, Claws, Villain Claws, Dual Blades (see below), Katana, Ninja Blade, Mace, Robotics/Pulse Rifle, and Thugs/Dual Pistols.
Two New Power Sets

The City of… universe expands with two new amazing power sets: Dual Blades and Willpower.

Dual Blades

With a flashing blade in each hand, the Stalker made quick work of the Coralax hybrids guarding the shipwreck.
Now Heroes and Villains can wield paired weapons to devastating effect! Use the new Weapon Customization interface to choose from several types of weapons. Dual Blades also uses a brutal new Combo system, where the order of your strikes can create new advantages for you to take down your foes! Dual Blades is available to Brutes, Scrappers, Stalkers and Tankers!
Willpower

Available to Tankers, Scrappers, Brutes and Stalkers, the Willpower set offers a strong mix of resistance, defense and regeneration powers. This is the perfect power set for those characters who have the mental will and determination – the willpower – to ignore pain and press on through insurmountable odds!

New Inventions

Issue 11 brings with it new invention sets including “Very Rare” Purple sets, as well as brand new invention sets for Taunt, Buff and Debuff powers, among others.

There ya go.

After watching the video, I must say, the number of Pirates and Ninjas is going to increase ten-fold. I hope this is just a taste of the combo system and the will be combos for more power sets.

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Why is it that I can't get any of the CoH Windows media movies to play? I have the latest player and have zero problem with any other site. The CoH ones simply will not work.

Downloading the Quicktime version now. Need to wait and see if that one works.

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Nope, corrupted. Anyone else have this problem?

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Ok Ironik, here's the fix. Right click the link, hit properties and copy the entire FTP link. Go to Media Player, go to File and select "Open URL". In the box provided, paste the FTP link. The video will play as it should. Media Player has a problem with FTP sites.

Seriously, I can only speak for myself, but theis is really the only thing keeping me from joining a SG. I don't care if the buff is no more than that of an IO set, I will defend that IoP with my (conceptual) life. Of course, there are other things that could make bases a more pleasent place to hang out, but this has always been a show-stopper for me.

Looks like a world without Arachnos (at least as a world threat)