Blood Red Arachnid

I wonder if they made them to-scale in the game. In real life those are some big kitties. Ligers grow to around 800 lbs.

This does sound kind of cool.


Something I noticed that this game lacks is the challenge arena. Basically a series of difficult stages for players to get through. There, you can custom make an enemy to have a specific amount of power, like an AV built specifically to be soloed or a team of EBs with weird effects.

It is labor-intensive on the powers division, but nonetheless awesome.

It was more or less an issue with loading and uploading than anything else. I can easily produce the 3 gig version, but uploading it to youtube would've taken nearly four hours. Downloading the video into flash would've also taken forever. I use this computer a lot, and as a network to some other computers for internet access. The only time I can upload a video and tie up this machine for 230 minutes is when it won't be used for that timeframe, and I will be awake to monitor the progress.

As it happens, right now is one of those times. Now that I know the resolution that youtube allows, I can just export the video to fit that resolution. The video was originally recorded at 1440 x 900, so I will see if exporting it at 1280 x 720 makes it any prettier.

Well, for the indestructible it isn't painful so for them it is like a rollercoaster ride. For the others... well... it isn't common superhero knowledge to know how to make a bomb. All they see is an LCD clock and a bunch of wires and some cop on the phone going "CUT THE GREEN ONE!" while they go "THEY'RE ALL GREEN!".


Boom Shaka laka!



But seriously yeah this does get annoying. Something else I find a bit annoying is when a destructible object on the map causes an explosion that does a lot of damage, but there's no indication that it will do so. Then you are suddenly flying across the room at 1/10th your health.

I sit in a lazyboy chair with the laptop in my lap and a fan blowing on the back of the laptop to cool it down. I have drinks on a small table on my right side, and on my left I have a cat who loves to shove her butt in my face and is never satisfied with the food I give her.

I am *really* new to the whole video making thing, however I decided to make some video guides on how to go through the trials.

Currently... I have all 8. One for the TPN:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZDeApB7C9Q


One for the MoM:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68wW3gEJK6M

One for the DD (Mo run):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU_eqHET6sA

One for the BAF:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilsp81hrHBw

One for Keyes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX9K0-osdCM

One for Lambda:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nghYQJVgW4

One for Underground:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3_8BPWpjdY

And finally the Magisterium:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0WafRzzgm4


I had to cut some quality so the video was less than 3 gigs. I went with the text in-boxes instead of a voiceover because, well, frankly, I am the king of stuttering forgetfulness. However, these videos aren't really meant to be super pretty. What I am trying to do is convey the necessary information for the trials through them.

Again, this is my first video, so I'll need a lot of honest feedback so I won't go shoving my mistakes down everyone's throat over and over again as I make more videos. Made with iMovie, which is IMO a very clunky program.


EDIT: I am also very new to uploading videos to Youtube. I am fairly certain I exported the video at a higher resolution than 480p, so if there are some tips and tricks that would be good to know, I would appreciate it.

EDIT AGAIN: I have updated it to have better graphics. The resolution is a byproduct of the recording device I use, and unfortunately I can't increase detail any further.

Times like this I wish I was actually good at communication, because then I would know what you are referring to:

Are you referring to the DD/MoM/UG being harder when compared to other trials, or being harder when compared to multiple hostings of the same trial? I'm not sure if I was clear enough, but I was talking about multiple hostings of the same trial (DD/MoM/UG).

Anyway, it is the standard dilemma between who is at fault with something. It is one of those things where the trials themselves may alter player behavior, and yet player behavior can alter so the trials are no longer an issue. When you make things harder or have different tricks and systems, there will always be preferential treatment from the playerbase. On virtue I see BAF/Lam running almost constantly, and I have run them to monotony. I didn't even think those trials could be hard until after DXP weekend. But, dealing with those new players reminded me of what it was like when the TPN/MoM were first released. On release week, the TPN had a much higher failure rate than the MoM, which is I believe the reason that the 60 thread reward was added to the trial. Before we learned that an all-inside run could work, balancing the Telepathists, HD, Maelstrom, Taunters, and Terminals all at the same time was the most difficult thing I had ever done as a trial host. It took me 20 minutes before the trial just to explain everything while organizing the teams and answering questions. It was idiot prone, since it required everyone to be able to do their jobs without mistake. Now, it is run into the ground.

I get the feeling the same thing is happening with the MoM on virtue. As of late I've been on a few "speed MoMs", which skip explanations and just run right toward the phase with no waiting. I almost always join them late in the forming, but the last few I've been on hasn't broadcast any requirements. Usually the leader will handle some of the key aspects like Aurora and drawing voids, with the assistance of one or two other individuals. The rest of us just spank the AVs. Yeah... spank (roflpun). These MoMs are being done (ROFLPUN!!!) in well under 15 minutes (Core Tier 4 Lore had a few minutes to recharge after using at the beginning of the trial). Something unique about MoM is that there isn't anything other than the objective to do. If you have a team that knows what is going down well enough that they don't need instruction, these things can be conquered really quickly

As for the DD, I get the feeling that a lot of the difficulty in the trial comes from the lack of knowledge about it. Even I'm not sure exactly how everything works with the sentinel, and during the trial I have to still constantly yell instructions to the league who may or may not listen. Once everything gets figured out, levels will become even less of a requirement to stomp the trial. About the only one that can't get much better is the UG.



I'm trying to remedy this. I'm making video guides for the various I-trials with in-video text explaining what to do and how things work. So far the only one I have done is the beta version of the TPN... though I'd really like to record an MO run, but hosting that AND dealing with video editing at the same time is maddening.

Why doesn't it read?!

The trees were all fine and dandy until they started attacking people.

You, my man, have "the gift". I, too, have "the gift". Sucks, doesn't it?

I run a KM/ElecArmr stalker, and they are essentially squishie unless you IO them out for defense or if you have liberal use of purple inspirations. If you do that, though, then they become incredibly tough. I don't turn AVs off anymore for my stalker, and he only has around 30% defense for Melee/S/L.

I rerolled my EM stalker into a KM stalker the second KM was released. This was after I IOed out the EM stalker, too. After going to KM, I have *never* looked back. This was when ET was awesome, too.

EM itself generally lacked flare. Any time I was teaming I felt constantly like I was under-performing, even after IOs and next to other stalkers. The lack of AoE was part of it, but the other part was the general "not-stellar" facets about the rest of the set. It gave plenty of stuns, but as a single-target set generally those stuns weren't of much use, since I would usually AS my target to death or ET my target to death, and by the time the stuns would rack up enough to matter on hard targets that were somehow not AS or ETed to death, they were near death anyway. The only time the stuns really had any impact is if I would change my target, spend a union coffee break using TF on another enemy, then change back to my original target. This quick-switching was hard, since in the throws of team combat it is often very difficult to just quickly click on an enemy then quickly click back. Trying saying that five times fast... quickly click quickly click quickly click quickly click quickly click.... it is even a pain to type... MUST... RESTRAIN... A.D.D.!!!

Back now. ET came with a heavy cost that would occasionally get me killed off an AVs big hit happened to layer up alongside of the health drain. I had a self-heal for it, but seriously, it was kind of whack. Aside from Energy Transfer, the whole set is quite low damaging at the time, and nowadays it is even worse now that ET has been cut down. Pretty much every other set has more utilities, more base power, and at minimum is more entertaining than the pink pompoms of death.

I have the hardest time reading some of the stuff on that website... To be frank unless I have someone there to explain it I don't know half of what that stuff is supposed to mean.

Ah... so scaling increases HP as well as regen. That's good info to have, even if it is buried so far within City of Data I couldn't find it.


Anyway, I scanned the Elite Bosses from the UG trial. This is what I could get:

All EBs have 0% defenses, 50% debuff resistance, 0 additional status effect protection, 5416 max HP, 1.3 accuracy bonus, and 64 to-hit.

Seeker Turrets: have a perception bonus granting them 90% perception. 0% resistance to all damage.

Devoured ones: have 20% smashing, 20% energy, and 40% toxic resistance.

Olympian Guards: Have Unstoppable, which gives 18 points or so in some status protection and I believe some resistances. Exact values couldn't be obtained because all Olympian Guards who used Unstoppable would die very soon afterward.

It is kind of hard to just pick out which mobs are I-trial exclusive. I don't know THAT much about the game. There are only a few I can name offhand that I am certain are only found in I-trials:

Olympian Guard
Technician
Security Team
War Walkers
Devoured Ones

So when I get a chance, I'll start with those. I'm not sure that those enemies scale with the trial, so I will try and list other relevant things like their HP, Mez protection, To-Hit, and so on. I'll start with Elite bosses then bosses, then work my way down.



Something I did find interesting is that a lot of the higher level AVs don't have resistances like the lower ones. Instead, they rely on their level shifts to make themselves more durable. The big exception being Maelstorm, whom I always thought was incredibly hard to kill.

Snipes are a stalker issue, too.


Now, my default solution to problems is to take the simple ways first, and then when those are exhausted try and go with the more complicated ways. As with such, there are two very "simple" ways to improve snipes:

#1: Increase their damage to have an appropriate DPA.
#2: Decrease their activation time to have an appropriate DPA, and make them interruptable for the entire firing of this shorter time initially.

And thus ends the very simple suggestion for the Snipe: If they aren't doing what they are intended to do, then just make them.


However... there are a couple of cool ideas out there. The stalker treatment is one of them, so I won't reiterate too much. But... Sniping in the real world isn't about running into the middle of the street in a combat zone and then shooting. What you do is pick a location with a good vantage point and plenty of cover, then hunker down there. From that point, you can fire off shots at an enemy from a long range while also being protected from by cover. Even enemy snipers in CoH do this to some degree. Try flying around Founder's Falls at a low level without stealth. Don't worry, I'll wait for... back already? Yeah, you got sniped by some guy hiding at the top of building.

My creative idea for snipers for blasters is as follows: Sniper Powers would come with two attacks.

• First is the "in position" power. It is a toggle power. What you'll do is crouch down similar to rest and/or brace yourself and prepare to fire off snipes. While in this position, you have a mild stealth bonus of 20 feet PVE and a mild defense bonus of 5%. Also while in position, all single-target ranged attacks will receive a range increase of 20% and an accuracy increase of 10%

• The power will have a long enhanceable recharge time of 1.5 minutes. You cannot move from this position until you de-toggle the sniping power. If you are hit by any attack you will immediately lose the stealth and defense bonuses. If you are mezzed or KBed you will move out of position and the power will detoggle. Currently the activation time for this crouching position is undecided, however I am leaning 2 seconds. You cannot use non-ranged attacks powers while crouched, but you may use affect-self powers. Accepted Enhancements are Recharge and Accuracy.

• The second attack is going to be the actual sniper attack. This attack will have an animation time of 2.8 seconds, a recharge rate of 10 seconds, and will have the current damage and range of sniper attacks for each of their perspective power sets. This attack cannot be used unless you are "in position". This attack is interruptable for 1.4 seconds. Accepted enhancements are the same as always.

And that is the end of my idea. None of those numbers are final. Somewhat elaborate I know, but just think of the possibilities that are available with this kind of power. Imagine the following:


*A couple of blasters, corrs, and defenders setting up while a tank taunts enemies around the corner to be picked off by the snipers.
*A blaster going up to a high position on a rock or building behind cumbersome environmental obstacles and firing off their snipes while enemies jump around trying to get to them.
*A player slotting their range attacks with, get this, range increasing enhancements so they can fire off a full single-target attack chain at over 130 feet.
*A player backing off during a hard AV fight and taking pot shots with their now damage-relevant sniper attacks.
*PVP! Placement and strategy would mean a whole lot if you want to have an organized team.
*Throwing down caltrops and then watching as enemies get stuck while helpless while you shoot them. Or even a repel power as they keep trying to run to the blaster/defender/corruptor but keep getting stuck on a strategically placed repel.





It is unlikely (though far from impossible, since I am certain we have the technology in-game to do this) that this will happen, but I will nerd myself through a window if this gets put into the game.

I ran the whole arc redside. Haven't bothered to do it blueside yet, but that's because I'm red at heart. If I was blue at heart... call a doctor because my trachea is firmly plugged.


The best part of the finale was the maps. The floating island and ships were awesome. Even though I had flight, I used combat jumping to try and explore the ships as a mandatory form of terrain to go through. The outer-space map was awesome, and while watching the world from afar it truly felt like it's fate was in my hands, especially as I took flight and purposefully battled Rulu-Wade in the space above it. I love atmospheric battles! My only regret was that Rulu-wade wasn't harder than he was.

Second best part was the Arachnos. They didn't feel like a static organization that is standing around ordering me to do things. Their roles were active. Playing through it, I felt Lord Recluse's motive, and his actions gave an air of a leader about him. That whole thing about how no one on the ship would even talk to you EXCEPT Recluse, and how the patrons were right next to you as the battle went on. The arachnos were capable and strong. Having to couple together the few remaining heroes and assets made the game feel like the world was falling apart. IMO, the only thing they could've done more was make a city-wide map being invaded by Rularuu being fought off by various heroes from the Rogues Gallery.

... Am I the only one waiting eagerly in anticipation for what they might do next? I have a habit of reserving judgement until long after I know that things are over with. With every end is a beginning, and these updates can let us do all sorts of things.


As far as all of the events go, I'm standing firmly neutral on most of the events that took place. I lack any sort of attachment to those characters, other than them being those guys I have to occasionally deal with while playing redside. But, regardless I am looking forward to seeing what is done with Penelope Yin, and how the Phalanx will change under new leadership. There is a lot of potential, and I would like to explore those avenues before demanding a do-over.

It's all a big conspiracy. They're out to get us...

Well, Psychic blast has plenty of -recharge, so if you want to capitalize on that you can go with storm, cold domination, or time. Storm has some stuns that can layer up with Psychic's stuns. As for the other two sets, I don't have much personal experience with them.

I would go with either storm or cold domination since you haven't experienced those ones yet.

Currently have it slotted with Generic IOs. 3 Recharge, 2 Heal. Though if you want a higher boost, you could try to six slot it, or four-slot it and just +5 all of the enhancements with boosters.

So, I've done the SSA Who Will Die, and episode 6 has Manticore kill of Sister Psyche, and at the end of the arc she is never rezzed.

While doing the Dilemma Diabolique trial, however, I still see Psych alive and well. Or... how much you would say is "well" when they're brainwashed and are feeding power to an evil deity. During the same trial, Mot/Diabolique mentions how Statesman's death left them a "gift" while The Sentinel is rolling out of Mot's Maw.

So, my question is this: Did I miss something? Was the DD trial made to specifically occur after Statesman's Death but before Psyche's, or at some point did Psyche come back/not truly die off and I just missed it?