Blackavaar

[sarcasm] Yes, by all means make it cheaper and easier for RMT spammers to keep their accounts open while draining the pockets of poor unsuspecting newbies. [/sarcasm]

The move of a game to "free play" has always lead to the arrival of hacks and cheats and RMT farmers by the droves. We don't need it to get worse than it already is.

Thanks but no thanks.

The only restricted zones villainside are PvP zones, RWZ and Cimerora.

Did you think about villains when making this suggestion?

Then what happens when you fill up your Broker/Detective's progress bar and you are stopped in the middle of your Radio/Paper arc to do a Safeguard/Mayhem?

Radio/Paper missions are meant to be used as filler and to unlock Safeguards/Mayhems and to gain introductions to contacts. I can't see how adding arcs to them could be done (where would the little book appear?) or why it would need to be. We need new contacts with more Story Arcs. We need Hazard and Story zones for villains. We need more content throughout the game, not limited to a few extra missions in one system.

And yes, the Radio/Paper missions could easily be used for a Nemesis type system, throwing in a mission involving your nemesis now and then. Those shouldn't be story arcs though. The devs don't know the background of my nemesis and therefor cannot be expected to write an arc involving him. That's the kind of thing the AE is actually meant for.

July 14 Birthdays in History

1977 Victoria Ingrid Alicea Desiree, Princess heir apparent of Sweden
1976 Yesim Cetin, Miss Turkey Universe 1997
1975 Matthew Kessinger, born in Louisville, Kentucky, fig skater, 1995 Gt Lakes, Jr. champ
1974 Erick Dampier, NBA center, SF Warriors
1973 Kieren Perkins, born in Brisbane, Australia, 1500m swimmer, Olympic-2 gold-92, 96
1972 Ben Talley, NFL linebacker for the New York Giants
1972 Joe Aska, NFL running back for the Oakland Raiders
1972 Lou Roe, NBA forward, Detroit Pistons
1972 Matthew Campbell, NFL tight end for the Carolina Panthers
1970 Mark Brandenburg, born in Houston, Texas, pitcher for the Texas Rangers
1970 Mark Strickland, NBA forward for the Miami Heat
1970 Michelle Sawatzky, born in Steinbach, Manitoba, volleyballer 1996 Olympics
1970 Missy Gold, born in Great Falls, Montana, actress, Katie-Benson
1970 Todd Rucci, NFL guard for the New England Patriots
1969 Jose Hernandez, born in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, infielder for the Chicago Cubs
1968 John Maginnes, born in Atlanta, Georgia, Nike golfer, 1994 NIKE Texarkana Open-5th
1968 Mark Lenz, U.S., 3m spring diver 1992 Olympics gold
1967 Glen Scrivener, CFL defensive tackle for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1967 Hashan Tillekeratne, cricketer, Sri Lanka wicket-keeper/batsman
1967 Leonardo Lavalle, Mexico, tennis star
1967 Robin Ventura, born in Santa Maria, California, infielder, Chicago White Sox
1967 Patrick J. Kennedy, American Politician
1966 D J Johnson, NFL cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons
1966 Matthew Fox, born in Crowheart, Wyoming, actor, Party of 5, Fredhman Dorm
1966 Tayna Donelly, rocker, Belly
1965 Reina Olea, female jockey
1964 Barbara Chiu, born in Canton, China, Canada table tennis player, 1992, 1996 Olympics
1964 Brett J Ogle, born in Paddington Austral, PGA golfer, 1993 AT&T Pebble Beach
1964 Jack Kay, born in Jr., Montreal Que, Canadian Tour golfer, 1991 Singapore Open
1963 Bel Le Harper, NFL tight end for the Atlanta Falcons
1962 Diane Ratnik, born in Toronto, Ontario, volleyball setter, Olympics-8-92, 96
1961 Jackie Earle Haley, Northridge California, actor, Breaking Away
1960 Ray Herndon, Scottsdale Ar, singer, McBride and Ride-Can I Count on You
1959 Rodney Rash, horse trainer
1958 Eric Heiden, U.S. speed skater, 1980 Olympics gold
1957 Peter Webb, New Zealand cricketer, batsman against West Indies 1980
1955 Brent Bozell, American Journalist
1954 Bebe Buell, born in Norfolk, Virginia, wife of Todd Rundgren/playmate, Nov, 1974
1954 Jos Zoomer, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, rock drummer, Vandenberg
1952 Chris Cross, [St. John], rock singer, Arthur
1952 Eric Laneuville, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, actor, Larry-Room 222, St. Elsewhere
1952 George Louis Francis Lewis, composer
1952 Jerry Houser, born in Los Angeles, California, actor, Slapshot, Summer of '42, Class of '44
1952 Joel Silver, South Orange, New Jersey, producer, Warriors, Xanadu, Die Hard
1952 Stan Shaw, born in Chicago, Illinois, actor, Mississippi, Roots Next Generation
1951 Esther Dyson, born in Zurich, Switzerland, computer publisher, Release 1.0
1951 Judi Brown, born in East Lansing, Michigan, 400m hurdler 1984 Olympics silver
1950 Bruce Oldfield, British mode-designer
1949 Joyce Benson, LPGA golfer
1949 Lukas D. Barnard, head of South Africa secret service, NIS
1948 Tommy Matola, rock manager/CEO, CBS records
1948 Tom Latham, American Politician
1947 Nick Benedict, born in Los Angeles, California, actor, Pistol-Birth of a Legend
1947 Steve Stone, born in Cleveland, Ohio, sportscaster, Monday Night Baseball
1946 Maureen O'Connor, Mayor, San Diego
1945 Peter James Leonard Klatzow, composer
1943 Lynn Loring, born in New York City, actress, Patty-Fair Exchange, Barbara-FBI
1942 Javier Solana, Spanish Politician
1941 Tatyana Dmitryevna Kuznetsova, cosmonaut
1938 Bob Scholl, rocker, Mellow Kings
1938 Jerry Rubin, activist, Chicago 7, stockbroker
1938 Moshe Safdie, Canadian Architect
1937 Khalid Hassan, Pak cricket leg-spinner, took 2-116 at 16 in only Test
1936 Gloria Lambert, born in Worcester
, Massachusetts, singer, Sing Along With Mitch
1936 Robert F Overmyer, born in Lorain, Ohio, Col USMC/astronaut, STS-5, STS-51B
1934 [Robert] Lee Elder, born in Dallas, Texas, PGA golfer, 1974 Monsanto Open
1933 Del Reeves, singer/guitarist
1933 Robert Bourassa, born in Montreal, premier of Quebec, 1970-76, 1985-
1932 Roosevelt Grier, born in Cuthbert, Georgia, NFLer for the New York Giants/actor, Movin' On
1931 Donald Eugene Webb, Oklahoma City, murderer, FBI Most Wanted List
1931 Robert Stephens, Bristol England, actor, Uncle Kurt-Holocaust
1930 Eric Norman Stokes, composer
1930 Polly Bergen, born in Knoxville, Tennessee, actress, Rhoda-Winds of War, Baby Talk
1929 George Alan Dawson, jazz drummer/teacher
1928 Elizabeth Jane Lloyd, artist/teacher
1928 Nancy Olson, born in Milwaukee, actress, Absent-Minded Professor, Pollyanna
1928 Pierre Olaf, Cauderan France, actor, Kraft Music Hall
1927 John William Chancellor, born in Chicago, Illinois, news anchor, NBC, VOA
1926 Harry Dean Stanton, born in West Irvine, Kentucky, actor, Alien, Cool Hand Luke
1925 Luis Antonio Escobar, composer
1924 James W. Black, Scottish Scientist
1923 Dale Robertson, Harrah, Oklahoma, actor, Death Valley Days, Walter-Dynasty
1923 Frances Lear, Larchmont, New York, Woman's magazine publisher, Lears
1922 Peter Andrew Tranchell, composer
1921 Geoffrey Wilkinson, chemist
1921 Leon Garield, writer
1919 Lino Ventura, born in Parma, Italy, actor, Happy New Year
1918 Arthur Laurents, born in New York City, playwright, West Side Story, Gypsy
1918 Ingmar Bergman, born in Sweden, director, writer, producer for stage, film and television, Academy Award winner
1918 Jay Wright Forrester, invented random-access magnetic core memory
1917 Arthur Leavins, violinist
1917 Douglas Edwards, born in Alda, Oklahoma, newscaster, CBS Evening News, FYI
1916 Natalia Ginzburg, Italian author, Family dictionary
1916 Phyllis Stedman, politician
1915 Jerome Lawrence, American Playwright
1914 Sidney George Gray, company secretary
1913 Fritz Erler, German politician, SDP
1913 Gerald R. Ford, 41st Vice President, 1973-74, 38th President, R-1974-77
1913 Jimmy Hoffa, missing labor leader
1913 Nigel Thomas Loveridge Fisher, politician
1912 Woodie Guthrie, folk singer, This Land Is Your Land
1912 Northrop Frye, Canadian Critic
1911 J de Graaf, Dutch ethicist/president, Church and Peace
1911 Terry-Thomas, born in England, actor, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
1910 Peter Stadlen, pianist/critic
1910 William Hanna, animator, Hanna-Barbera
1909 Suzanne G Charpentier, born in Paris, actress, Dinner at Ritz
1908 Joseph Kotalla, German war criminal, 4 of Breda
1906 Arthur James Bramwell Hutchings, composer
1906 Tom Carvel, ice cream mogul, Carvels
1904 Isaac Bashevis Singer, born in Poland, Yiddish novelist, Enemies-Nobel 1978
1903 Irving Stone, U.S., author, Love is Eternal, Lust for Life
1903 Ken Murray, born in New York City, comedian, Ken Murray Show, Judy Garland Show
1902 Paul Guilfoyle, born in Jersey City, New Jersey, actor and director, Curiosity Kills
1902 Richard Clarkson, aerodynamicist
1902 Truman J. Hedding, U.S. Vice-Admiral, WW II
1901 George Tobias, born in New York City, actor, Abner Kravitz-Bewitched
1901 Gerald Finzi, composer
1901 Gerald Raphael Finzi, composer
1898 Ivan Triesault, born in Estonia, actor, Cry of the Werewolf, Black Parachute
1895 Cliff Edwards, born in Hannibal, Missouri, singer, 54th Street Revue
1895 Frank Raymond Leavis, British literary critic, Culture and Environment
1893 John G Strijdom, premier of South Africa, 1954-58
1893 Spencer Williams, born in Vidalia, Louisiana, actor, Andy-Amos 'n' Andy
1891 Henry Oscar, born in London, England, actor, Saint in London
1890 Ossip Zadkine, Russian/French sculptor, Destroyed City
1884 Charles Meldrum Daniels, born in Dayton, Ohio, swimmer, Olympics gold 1904, 08
1883 Alexandru Zirra, composer
1880 Donald Meek, born in Glasgow, Scotland, actor, Stage Fair, Stagecoach
1874 'Abbas Hilmi II, last khedive, Ottoman viceroy, of Egypt, 1892-1914
1874 Andre Debierne, French chemist/physicist, Actinium
1869 Owen Wister, U.S., novelist, Virginian
1868 Gertrude M L Bell, British archaeologist, Desert and The Sown
1865 Annie Jones, Virginia, bearded lady
1862 Florence Bascom, U.S., 1st American woman PhD
1862 Gustav Klimt, born in Austria, Art Nouveau painter
1858 Emmeline Pankhurst, born in England, found, Women's Social and Political Union
1857 Maytag, inventor, washing machine
1855 Richard Samuel Hughes, composer
1854 Alexander Alexandrovich Kopilov, composer
1839 Edward Sydney Smith, composer
1834 James McNeill Whistler, American Artist
1834 James Whistler, American Artist
1831 William Dwight, Brigadier General Union volunteers, died in 1888
1830 Richard Henry Jackson, Major General Union volunteers
1818 Nathaniel Lyon, Brigadier General Union volunteers, died in 1861
1804 Ludwig A. Benedek, Austrian general
1801 Johannes P. Muller, German Scientist
1794 John G Lockhart, [Scorpion], biographer, Life of Sir Walter Scott
1756 Thomas Rowlandson, English painter/cartoonist/etcher
1707 Jacques-Philippe Lamoninary, composer
1634 Pasquier Quesnel, French theologist/jansenist, Jesus-Christ Penitent
1610 Ferdinand II, monarch of Toscane
1602 Jules Mazarin, France, cardinal, French 1st Minister, 1642-61
1486 Andrea del Sarto, Italy, painter, Recollets

Happy birthday, Bill!

[ QUOTE ]
Oh! You can turn off XP now. Under Menu - Options - General Tab - Miscellaneous - Disable Earning XP. So, you'd be able to slow down your progress on an arc if you really like where it's going but fear you'll out-level it.

Pst, while you're there you may as well turn off those pesky in-game ads for real-life products. That's just my pet peeve.

[/ QUOTE ]

You do realize there hasn't been a new ad in game for over 2 years now?

[ QUOTE ]
In fact, if the arc has been started, you will eventually have to run it for no XP (or drop each mission using mission drop) to clear out space for other arcs, since you have a limited number of arcs open at any given time.

AFAIK, doing the Ouro version of the arc will not clear it from your limit of open arcs.

[/ QUOTE ]

Note: Story Arcs (Blue Bookmark) are limited to two.
Mini-Arcs (Green Bookmarks) are not limited at all, though there have been bugs with some of them (RWZ) limiting both Story Arc and Mini-Arc receipt.

If you have already started the arc (doing a single mission is usually enough to open an arc villainside, you may need to do several heroside before the arc begins) you can come back and finish it at any time, but the enemies will be set for the maximum level for the arc, which means they will likely be worth no XP for you.

If you outleveled the arc before starting it there is no way other than Ouroboros to experience that arc.

Contacts with multiple arcs can be outleveled even if you started their first arc previously. If you outlevel the contact before starting their second arc you don't get that arc. Again you have to go to Ouroboros to do the arc.

[ QUOTE ]
It's simple math. By level 20 you have about 10 powers, five of which are probably devoted just to basic functionality like stamina and travel.
It's not until level 30 that you start to feel combat complete, and it's not until 40ish that you've probably got all the powers you need to have the most fun with your character.
Given the limited number of actual powers, and the way you only get one every two or three levels, CoH is a game that has very little sense of reward for leveling compared with every other MMO, where abilities are plentiful, characters start to be solid and interesting around 10, or 20 in higher cap systems, and there is alternative advancement as you go along.

Regardless of whatever your opinion may be on that, the fact is that most people don't enjoy the leveling process and just want to realize their character concept or start having fun with their character's full range of powers as soon as possible. Thus, the farm.

You're also losing sight of the whole reason this was even brought up: Which is that AE is not to blame for farming, the game design itself is responsible for pushing people to farm as fast as possible to the top without much regard for the content. That much is undeniable, as farming and power leveling has been a huge part of CoH since day one, in various forms.

Given that, there is ultimately no harm in allowing greater control over mission scripting, even if it does make for better farms, because farming is something that has been and always will be with us regardless of how effective it is - The best thing you can do for the game is to simply make it fun by providing players with the tools to script interesting missions that are worth experiencing for the sake of it (although you could cap exp per minute or something if you really wanted to).

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually the fact is that some people are impatient and boneheaded. They can't see the forest through the trees. And there's a lot of forest to see in this game. But you'd never know it because all you are interested in is how fast you can get to the end.

AE didn't start farming and power leveling, it perfected it. We don't need it to be improved on even further.

No, to making it easier to make farms. Yes, to more usability to enhance creating interactive stories.

My best guess would be early to mid November. Just in time for the start of the Christmas shopping season. It just makes sense from a marketing perspective.

[ QUOTE ]
Was it unintentional that your ladder/elevator / superman analogy made me think:

Top of building. Two heroes, bantering.

One says "I'll see you in Eden then!" and flies off.

The other says "where's eden?" And falls, subsequently saying, "what's that stupid button do? I don't know how to flyyyyy!"

[/ QUOTE ]

lol

No, it was intentionally added for just that kind of mental image.

[ QUOTE ]
The way i see this working is:

--go to the enhancement buyers guide that has TO, DO, SO, IO, & HO...maybe not purples
--select server, character, and build
--the enhancement screen pops up
--you click on a slot
--select exactly the enhancement you want (it tracks your subtotal)
--slot everything you want & buy
(respecs cause enhancements gained in this fashion to be sent back to the online store where they can only be redeemed by that character and reslotted for free)

this way the enhancements are slotted the second you buy them and you do not have to worry about people selling/trading/RMTing them

this sounds as fool proof as it could get...and is the minimum i would ask for if this were actually done

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the way I see it working....












Not!

It's never going to happen. Your mommy and daddy can't buy you the power you want. You have to EARN IT! Nothing more needs to be said.

I always talk to Wincott before going to my second contact. That way I am not made to go to him first thing for the new contact.

Just talk to Wincott, don't even ask about his missions and walk away. Go to your second contact in Kings, Atlas or Galaxy and do missions for them instead.

The Hollows is not mandatory at all. You just haven't realized that you can bypass it.

This guide I made was originally intended to help players ensure they could get the Spelunker badge before outleveling it. However, it is also a good guide on how to get your contact base set up for your future career.

Heroside regular zone contacts depend greatly on the introduction system. Making sure you have the maximum number of contacts (5 regular zone contacts per level range after 1-5) for your level 5-10 hero will ensure he has that same number of contacts to choose from for each level range (10-15, 15-20, etc.) thereafter.

Edit: Yes, you can now circumvent the introduction system with Radio missions and Safeguards, netting you an intro from a Detective, but it is much faster and easier to set your contact base up early so, you don't have to do Radio missions at all.

Well, if you are wanting to buy the most recent box so that you have the majority of updates before hitting the updater, you would want to go with the Architect edition.

If you are just purchasing a download code then get whatever you want. They all give the same access to the game. They just come with different bonus goodies.

Wait wait wait. You have to Research the Salvage first. To do this you click on the book case next to Boram, not the Invention worktable.

After Researching the Salvage you will then get a mission to retrieve the salvage.

Later you will get the mission to Create an Invention, where you get to choose from a number of generic IO recipes one you can craft. When you choose the Recipe you will then be given the Salvage and Recipe you need to actually craft it.

[ QUOTE ]
Of course, I'm curious as to how one can read "Mayhem" as "Safeguard".

[/ QUOTE ]

Many players often refer to one when they mean the other. Generally hero players who have recently started trying the dark side will refer to Mayhems as Safeguards. The opposite happens very infrequently but it does happen.

He made a mistake. There was no need to capitalize when correcting him (often taken as a yell) and there is no need to continue making fun. Let it go.

[ QUOTE ]
Considering that they aren't currently powersets that can be proliferated, he may very well have been attempting to be funny.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, he was attempting to give a hint at upcoming powers without giving away too much. Most assume he meant to say that they don't need to proliferate more powersets (yet) when they're introducing new ones but without actually saying it.

We'll know for sure Soon™.

As of yet, this in not released and no dates have been announced. Don't fret though. It is coming Soon™.

[ QUOTE ]
It's annoying that you can't flashback those. There's at least one MM map that's -very- easy to outlevel at early levels before you get it...

[/ QUOTE ]

MM map? It's a Mayhem, not a Mega-Mayhem.

And it's only easy to outlevel if you're using PL techniques like running Mongoose's Bank mission over and over or using the AE.

Otherwise you should run out of missions in Mercy and be forced to head to Port Oakes around level 7 or 8.

To the OP: Offer some start-up funding for a lowbie with the Mayhem mission you want. Players are usually quite receptive when they have something to gain from the arrangement.

I think you are completely wrong.

My favorite time with a character is in the developing stages. That's level 1-30. During this time you are discovering the characters powers, learning tactics and generally shaping the character into what you want them to be.

PLing is for the ignorant!

AE farms are also for the ignorant!

The reason these draw more people than regular mission teams is clear to me. There is little to no actual work involved. You don't have to travel anywhere and sometimes you don't even have to fight. You just get to pick up power after power and see the kool pretty colors when you use them not really knowing what they do. That's pretty tempting to new players from games with the "End Content is the real game" ideals who don't realize that the real game here is between 1 and 50. There's no one in Atlas Park or Cap Au Diable screaming in broadcast that the game is about the journey, not the destination constantly, so obviously not everyone knows.

1. You can tell a fun interactive story very easily if you create your own enemies and stop using pre-built enemies to assure auto-SK. I do agree we should have some control over the spawning areas and it would be wonderful to be able to design our own maps, but that doesn't limit you to only being able to create farms. People create farms because they're unimaginative and ignorant, not because they are trying to be creative. There are a number of very good stories in the AE that people would have never heard of. They are not farms and they are not designed to force the auto-SK. They are not Developers Choice and they don't get a lot of stars. These are the real stories created in the AE, and despite their lack of play many of them are actually quite well written. But you wouldn't really care about those because they aren't speeding your way along to 50.

2. As mentioned above there is no flaw in the design of the leveling system. The flaw is in the mentality of the player, in their impatience and their misconception that they should feel like Superman right out of the box. You have to work your way up that ladder. Taking the elevator doesn't really help you understand your powers or any of the rest of the game any faster. In fact quite the opposite.

3. It's not really necessary to IO your character out the moment you reach 50. You can easily get along and play just fine with SOs or generic IOs. You are misreading something that is optional as necessary. It is not so.

[ QUOTE ]
Anyway if we assume the "Clear Fog of War" power is going to be the 63th (or any month) Vet Award then I could only really see that being useful in the case that we ever get any -new- maps (like in the Going Rogue expansion).

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually not really. It only really makes sense for the maps we have already. Our knowledge has given us the power. We would have no knowledge of "new" zones, though it will probably work on them anyway.

The real usefulness of this power is for those of us (which are numerous) with OCD who insist on clearing every single map in the game, no matter how long it takes.

Otherwise it's just a nice little bonus you might never have the urge to use at all.

It will not show glowies (such a location function for objects has not been added) or hostages (these only appear on the map after they are rescued). If it was going to do that, it would definitely say it in the description. Also, that kind of usability might considered overpowered for a Vet Reward.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Head to Nerva Archipelago. Do some Newspaper missions and Mayhems there and start to get your next tier of contacts.

Don't bother doing more Paper missions in Sharkhead. At 26 you're ready for Nerva and there are much more contacts in your level range there.



[/ QUOTE ]
Diviner Maros (some of the best story Villain side) and Operative Kirkland are both in Sharkhead 25-30. I wouldn't skip those.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I don't know about the OP but by the time I reach 26 I have usually done both of their arcs myself (or at least started them so that I can come back and finish them later).

I wouldn't want to outlevel Shadowy Figure though or Lt. Demitrovich.

Head to Nerva Archipelago. Do some Newspaper missions and Mayhems there and start to get your next tier of contacts.

Don't bother doing more Paper missions in Sharkhead. At 26 you're ready for Nerva and there are much more contacts in your level range there.

[ QUOTE ]
It may not be used for the Fog of War.

Notice how we now have arrows on the map to reveal where a Hostage/Ally is? They don't show up until you save them. Perhaps this makes them appear early?

Maybe glowies too?

[/ QUOTE ]

The description of Reveal posted on Red Tomax says, "Your extensive knowledge of your surroundings will allow you to clear the "Fog of War" from any map once every 5 minutes." So, your assumption is unlikely.

I want Pepsi!

[ QUOTE ]
Good thing that wasn't a Pepsi...

[/ QUOTE ]

Pulls up a chair and drags in a giant cooler full of Pepsi.

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