Bosstone
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Posts
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Quote:Did you miss the part where he said he was leveling a VEAT redside? Praet was only a minor mention.Originally Posted by Slashman
Not THIS again.
Praetoria isn't significantly harder than any other part of the game. -
Quote:I want to expand on this, because I think it's very important.Originally Posted by Void_Huntress
But most importantly, any battle like that needs an actual win condition.
We have win conditions of a sort in some of the PVP zones. The objective in Bloody Bay is to obtain a Shivan, in Warburg it's the nukes. The major problem with these conditions is that they actually discourage PVP. The objectives have nothing to do with other players, except that you might be able to get a launch code off one in Warburg. They're PVE objectives, basically, and that means that any PVP that does happen is simply an unwelcome intrusion. You're working to meet the objective, killing random NPCs, and along comes an enemy player to hassle you. They don't actually get anything for attacking you, except the aforementioned potential launch code. It's not attacker vs defender, it's mission-runner vs griefer. The distinction may be psychological, but it's quite real, and it's just not fun.
Win conditions have to be based on fighting the opposite side. Even if it's just a kill count, you need something that sets one side against the other, not something that encourages avoiding the other side. Aside from pure kill count, because that's just boring, base defense is the simplest form of this; your win condition is based on attacking the enemy base, and the enemy's win condition is based on stopping you from doing so. Right there, you have a reason to engage and to expect to be engaged in a fight. It provides a context and a framework that allows for tense competition and the thrill of success that's not based in simply ruining someone else's day.
On a different note, team play. Team play is simply more fun and makes PVP more accessible, for a couple reasons: AT balance and player balance. If you focus on one-on-one play, you eventually wind up with two outcomes: either you wind up with a single competitive build that everyone has to use to stand a chance in PVP, or every AT plays the exact same way. Neither is enjoyable. Teams allow players to cover each others' weaknesses, just as in PVE, and as a whole provide a more distributed level of power that's easier to predict and balance around, just as in PVE.
At the same time, while teams allow ATs to not be homogeneous by allowing the players to cover each others' weaknesses, they also lower the barriers for new PVPers. Again, look at PVE. Right now, you can take a team that's half veterans and half total newbs into a TF and still expect to do reasonably well; provided the newbs aren't idiots, merely inexperienced/underpowered, the veterans can cover for the newbs and help keep them alive while the newbs learn how to be veterans. It makes it far easier to get into PVP if you don't have to suffer alone.
The turnstile system could be a great boon to PVP; if you can join teams or even leagues for proper team-based play, that would also lower the barrier of entry for new PVPers. It matters a lot that a player be able to jump into a PVP zone and be able to hook up with a team rather than find a premade or flail around, blind and alone.
Unfortunately, there is a big issue endemic to City by focusing on team-based opposing-sides play; redside is vastly underpopulated compared to blue. Unless you allow skirmishes or wargames regardless of which side you're on, finding people may well be difficult, and you can't have fun in PVP without at least two sides.
I realize this post only obliquely addresses the issue of what I find fun, so let me state it explicitly: team-based battles, preferably on a large scale, that allow for and encourage strategy and tactics, and give you a reason to throw yourself at the enemy with the intent to prevail. While large-scale warfare is somewhat at odds with the genre, it's the sort of PVP I've always enjoyed; like Void, Planetside was simply perfect for me, as is/was WoW's battlegrounds. -
Quote:There is never enuff dakka.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
The recovery cap is 500%, or 8.33%/sec. That's not too much recovery, that is just enough recovery.
Although if you manage to slot three shifters, you could have 8.93%/sec recovery. Dark Melee could slot theft of essence and panacea and build for the recharge cap (don't know, not my problem) and end up with an additional 17.5% endurance every 20 seconds on average, 0.875%/sec. You could also slot procs in Dark Regen.
Then of course there is recharge capped Transference. Theoretical maximum 12.1%/sec, or the equivalent of 726% recovery. You might find it difficult to burn that much endurance. -
It took a little longer, but casual is starting to lose its meaning too. If it ever had one in this context, anyway.
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Let's see...
Brute: Hurl + Mu Lightning = dead bifurcation, Rage + KO Blow = dead Trapdoor.
Blaster: Significant amounts of fire = dead bifurcation and Trapdoor.
Crab Soldier: Crab = dead bifurcation, pets = dead Trapdoor.
Those are the only ones so far. In no fight did Trapdoor ever bifurcate more than twice, and he never had two out at once.
I do think ranged helps; I've got a 50 BS/Regen Scrapper I haven't run through the arc yet. I might, to see how lack of ranged changes the fight. -
Quote:Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
I said she said what I said she said was not what I said she said, she said what I said she said not what she said I said she didn't say.
If what I said what she said I said she said was not what I said she said, what she said I said she said was not what she said. But as I said, I said she said I said what I said she said I said she said I said.
I don't see what the problem is, its pretty straight forward. -
Quote:By the seashore.Originally Posted by Memphis_Bill
... she said she said.
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Quote:Well, I think that somewhat explains the stance toward the "ebil marketeers who are clearly manipulating the market" (and I've definitely seen this attitude in game). Casual folk (or at least a certain segment) want the instant gratification but haven't spent time building up their own wealth, preferring either to level alt after alt rather than play at 50 or else not selling much on the market themselves.Originally Posted by Aura_Familia
Heh, I'd say those that can afford to put up any price (/em raises hand) to full-fill their instant grat needs aren't frugal and don't take their INF (play money which can be easily remade) seriously. I would say I'm most definitely NOT casual.
They get an IO they want to craft and discover it needs a common salvage that's currently selling high, like 500k. If they put in a 1000 inf bid and left it overnight, they'd almost certainly get one, but that's far too long. So resentment over "being forced" to pay the high prices sets in. -
Quote:I'd argue the opposite. Instant gratification is what 'casual' players want. Being frugal means you care about your money supply and take it seriously.Originally Posted by SerialBeggar
So does being frugal and not pursuing instant gratification make me a "casual player"?
Tangentially, I don't believe that anyone who posts on the forums is truly 'casual'. We come here because even when we're not playing we're still thinking and talking about the game.
(Casual in quote marks because Arcana makes a good point about degrees of casuality.) -
Quote:That's close, but I'm not sure I'd entirely agree with that. Casuals can and do respond to carrots dangled in front of them; the whole Alpha slot progression certainly requires, if not planning, then the pursuit of a goal at least, and that's definitely not a hardcore-only part of the game.Originally Posted by Eiko-chan
I'd define casual as "without planning". Casual players hop in and do stuff - they don't plan out when to play and what to do. They just do whatever.
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I don't think you can use inf as a guide. It's absolutely possible for a thoroughly casual player to get a Hecatomb while playing their 50 and suddenly be 350 million inf richer.
Hours played per week is an indication of casualness, but I don't believe there's any hard cutoff.
Badging is also a potential indicator, especially if you're working toward the Master of badges.
In my opinion, the best indicator is how far you push your characters with IO builds. If you build a character to solo x8 content, you're hardcore. If you build for perma-Hasten, perma-Dom, or more specific permas like perma-Heat Loss (I just came up with a great build for my Cold Defender last night), you're hardcore. IOs by themselves aren't a necessary indicator, though; if you just fill your attacks with Thunderstrikes or Crushing Impacts and don't think about them beyond that, you're still casual. -
Quote:Werd. Sometimes it's subtle, but it's there. I've been playing my VEAT and my Cold Defender a lot lately, and unless the team is overflowing with support I notice health bars dropping much faster when someone on the team splits away from me rather than stick close where I can reach them.Originally Posted by Westley
Are your teammates still alive? If so, then your powers do plenty.
It would be nice to have some more satisfying effects, though. Benumb is ridiculously awesome, and when I apply it I can visibly see the effect as the enemy's health bar just vanishes, but sometimes I can't tell that I used it at all because the cast animation is so dry and the visual effects are minimal. -
Quote:And the thread takes a hard right onto Did-you-just-call-everyone-here-unoriginal/uncreative Avenue.Originally Posted by Chaos Creator
None
My names are all original creations!
Fabulass was an original creation. I thought of it entirely on my own. But it's been my experience that what I think of on my own has usually been done before in some shape or fashion. -
Quote:I think I actually used that on Virtue at one point. I wound up deleting it because I couldn't get into the character (all the DB chars I've tried have fallen short).Originally Posted by _Caliban
Ray Pierre (for my rapier/main gauche dual swords scrapper)
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I'm not too surprised that I got Electrofyte for my SS/ElA Brute, but it's such a perfect name that it seems like it should have been done before.
What I am shocked that I got, and will hang onto until the game dies, is Fabulass. Right now she's a Invuln/Kinetic tanker, but I don't feel that I've found the right niche for her yet. But right now I'm of the opinion that there is no better superheroine name out there than that. -
Oh, man, you're going to hate me.
I wanted to run Tina too, since I decided I wanted Portal Jockey on my level 43 scrapper.
I ran 5 radio missions, did the PI safeguard, and when I spoke to the detective, one of the contacts he offered me was Tina. Simple as that.
But I do agree that the design isn't great. It's often difficult to figure out where and how to be introduced to a particular contact. -
Quote:That's nothing.Originally Posted by DarkGob
Clearly nobody else in this thread got it, but I just wanted to say that I appreciated your reference, at least.
Tell 'em about the twinkie. -
Quote:Beautiful.Originally Posted by Kyria_Shirako
Here's my predictions:
1. Blasters will be overshadowed almost completely by Controllers, or indeed any powerset capable of making tapioca pudding, thanks to the requirements of the Incarnate Chef trial.
2. Likewise in that same trial, Plant doms and controllers will be rendered useless due to the curiously specific Salad Shooter attachment.
3. Scranklastfendruptrollers will be the only multipurpose builds capable of handling the requirements of the Philby the Wonder Squid trial, because they're the only name Philby will be unable to pronounce so that he chokes on his tongue and dies.
4. No one will ever love you.
5. In a note completely unrelated to point #2, cucumber sandwiches are being served in Pocket D. -
Quote:Did you add the Steadfast Protection +3% Defense IO?Originally Posted by ClassH
I got 42.8% doing this.
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Quote:Fantastic. Now you all have another activity you can do together.Originally Posted by Tyranny_NA
Talking about promoting level 50s and lowbies playing together on TFs and all this stuff....its been going on LONG before the WTF. My family and I and our friends regularly gather groups of people regardless of level/AT whatever and run missions or TFs together.
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On the other hand, Cardiac does also have Range. Range, too, is not in itself worth taking Cardiac, but it's a pretty good bonus. It makes cones amazing, and Omega Maneuver's base range is kind of short; you have to go just inside aggro range to land it in the middle of a spawn.
If you're tight on end, there are plenty of nice things in Cardiac to make it worthwhile, but if not, Spiritual or Musculature are going to do far more for you. -
Quote:See, all that says to me is that these two groups (the Incarnate 50s and the lowbies) each have a reason to run the WST. These are not mutually exclusive benefits, and in fact make for a fantastic motivator for both lowbies and Incarnates to get involved in the same activity.Originally Posted by Fomsie
but because of how they stuck two systems/benefits into one that can obviously end up of extremely limited value to one side or the other.
What is mutually exclusive is turning off the Incarnate abilities below 45 but asking Incarnates to run TFs lower than that. It's not like it's not doable, and you always have the option to sit out for a week, but it's just odd. -
Quote:No, but the introduction of a-merits has made it a lot easier to have a slick IOed out build. I'd throw that in as a general increase in power too.Originally Posted by PumBumbler
You didn't need incarnate stuff to do that in the first place.
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Quote:The groups I run with usually leave the tank to have tea with Reichs while everyone else dogpiles the free AV.Originally Posted by reiella
See, I thought that's how you were supposed to handle that fight in Kahn.
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Quote:True 'nuff. The best thing about the increase in power level is the wild stuff you can do in TFs now. In my last few TFs, we dragged Rommy and Requiem down to the Phalanx computer and trashed them all at once, pounded on NICTUS Rommy and his guards and the ambush and the fluffies without slowing down, and just generally ratcheted the crazy up several notches. I've run Kahn several times in the last month or two, and I'm seeing teams just drag the AVs in next to Reichs and murder them as afterthoughts while pounding on Reichs.
On the other hand, seeing how quickly you can blow through an ITF is kind of an enjoyable challenge. It encourages your group to think of new strategies for completing the content and about how the different members of the team work together. If the group figures out a new way to do something that speeds up the run, that's gratifying.
City has always made things more interesting by throwing more enemies at you, not numerically tougher enemies.