BrandX

Originally Posted by Arcanaville

I believe the right question is "to what degree should we balance unrealistic fantasy with realistic diversity."

Having asked the question, I don't have an obvious answer in mind.

Originally Posted by BeornAgain

I make most of my toons this way.

It'd be nice to make a huge female or a heavy/fat/fluffy hero/villain, but it ain't gonna happen.

Once again, I reckon I am in a minority, but I'd make many look way big.


My opinion, and only my opinion, is colored by my own personal situation...

In real life, I am 6'6" and well over 400lbs. I am 3 standard deviations on a gaussian curve beyond what is considered "normal" and though there are some folks taller than me, and some folks heavier than me, the number of people who are larger than me in both dimensions is relatively small.

In other words, I am larger than 98% of the people on the planet.

I've always been bigger than my classmates, my friends, my family (though my father and an uncle are/were over 6'4"/6'6" respectively), and most everyone I meet. It does not define who I am, but it often does modify the behavior of those I interact with.

I WANT to make a dude with a gut. I'd dig that. I have a concept for a "fallen hero" who tries to "get back his life" and the physical changes could actually be seen by those around him (a la Virtue server)

I WANT to make a female bodybuilder type. I have a few concepts for heroes AND villains that'd be cool.

I WANT to have the bosom slider go to A cup or so on regular females. Huge chesty females aren't the only females in comics, or as superheroes.

I WANT to have sliders for a few more aspects of body modification (I saw a photo of Baryshnikov from the late 70s and, while he had almost ZERO body fat and was extremely toned from the waist up, his thighs and calves looked like they belonged on a bodybuilder [which makes sense as a ballet dancer {and for which a really killer new stalker emerged in my brain <new leaping attack for the win!>}]).

I realize that I am unlikely to ever see these additions, but I can still say I'd like them.

The human form is myriad and wonderful... The hero/villain form, apparently much less so.

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow

I have to disagree with you on Sister Psyche. Her portrayal in the tutorial pic is just horrid. No offence to the artist, I'm sure he thought this looked sexy (though why she'd be trying to look sexy when the city is falling down around her is anyone's guess), but she doesn't. Her spine looks like either it's broken or it's made of rubber bands and her mouth looks like that of a blow-up doll. There's no reason for Sister Psyche to look like she does EXCEPT to titillate, and that's not an expression of her character or personality. She's not trying to be sexy around the other people in the shot (BABs and his weird jaw). It's like god folded her back in half so that she would be titillating to the PLAYER. And that's just wrong.

I mentioned before that I don't mind objectification of characters when it's accompanied by an otherwise compelling character, but this only extends to objectification of said character that makes sense. If Sister Psyche wants to a lace curtain because she's liberated, fine. We know it's fanservice, but if it makes sense for her character to do that, we can roll with it. Why not? But to pose her sexy in front of Galaxy City being destroyed is just horrible, poor taste. People are dying, homes are being destroyed, aliens and villains are invading, lives are being devastated before our eyes, but check out the butt on her! Poor, poor, POOR taste, that's all I can say.

There's a time and place for sexuality, even for cheesecakes. Horrible, appalling devastation is neither the time nor the place for it. Whenever I read a story, watch a movie or even so much as look at a picture and I see not what's actually being shown to me, but instead spot the shadowy hand of the creator trying to TELL me something through the work I'm observing, I get angry. And that's exactly what I'm seeing here - the artist telling me that Sister Psyche has a butt, breasts and large lips. That's not what you should be telling me, comic. I'm well capable of reaching that conclusion on my own without you rubbing it in my face and going "Look! Look! You're not looking!" What you should be telling me is that Galaxy City is being destroyed and these two heroes are fighting for their lives and fighting for the lives of the people. They should look heroic, or at least desperate. Instead, Sister Psyche looks like the meteors interrupted her exotic dancing practice.

I don't mind objectification or sexualisation of characters because, in the end, it's all fantasy. If you can make a compelling character who's also a cheesecake, then more power to you. But if you CAN'T make a compelling character but still choose to objectify it or, worse still, CAN make one but objectify it in such a way that you undermine your own characterisation, that's not a good thing. That's never a good thing.

Originally Posted by Hydrophidian

Glad you brought this up.

I want developers to work on all sorts of things, even if I'm not personally interested in them. Because that expands the playerbase, which in turn makes the game more successful, which is good for me and everyone else playing it.

That aside, I don't think expanding character design options is ever a bad thing, because it contributes to character uniqueness, and I think just about everyone appreciates that. Even if you don't use a particular option, someone else will, which further distinguishes them from you.

Originally Posted by Electric-Knight

I'm not really disagreeing with what you're saying...
It's just that I don't entirely agree with being quite so adamant about it.
You see, you say that we hardly see people using x or y or z... but people do use it. Just a smaller amount of people, for sure.
However, I sometimes think that is a great aspect of options. Should options provided be based around wide usage or about greater variance for the fewer used extremes?

Obviously the business side looks for the more attractive popular choices, as that might entice sales, subscriptions, interest... However, there is validity to expanding the choices to the rarer interests to satisfy those extremes as well.

I do, however, think that the marketing, design and development team agree with you and they will not "waste" efforts on such things.

I'd just love to see things well-enough so that resources could be put to those things. I don't think that'll happen though.

Originally Posted by Jagged

When I read the new Starfire character I was actually speechless. For a moment, speech would not form because I was so shocked and surprised that DC would so change a character. I would be disgusted enough were it a completely new character, this is the 21st Century for **** sake!

Originally Posted by MrCaptainMan

Come to think of it, wedon't have a 'fat' slider either, do we? We can't make a villain like The Blob for example.

Eco

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow

Maybe, but me suggesting it means I don't know anything about feminism... Probably means I don't know anything about feminism

In either case, I'm trying to sidestep the heavier of the problems for no reason other than because I don't feel confident enough to speak about them with any authority or conviction, and if I did try to, I'd make a double-cheeked *** of myself.

Originally Posted by Smersh

My wife tends to clothe her female characters in skimpier clothing than I do, and that's okay.

The issue is more the options that are given to female characters. Reference the Magic Pack, and the reasons why females aren't allowed to have awesome steampunk jackets.

Originally Posted by Zyphoid

I would say they are represented as petite because that is how they are mostly represented in comics. The game only followed the comic book example. There are female characters in comics who are not petite, but they are the exception, and not the norm. The game does allow for that representation for female characters.

That is one of the great things about this game, the costume creator allows for almost any representation of any character.

Now, as long as you have guys making female characters, you are going to see more skimpy costumes. I personally do not play female characters, but I do know guys who only play female characters because they find them more pleasing to the eye.

I have a wife, and three daughters. I have enough women in my life without adding another in an MMO.

I also have a 14yo son, and there have been times in this game where I almost felt the need to cover his eyes. I am betting in most cases costumes like that are designed by male players. I however assume everyone on the internet is male, not matter what they say.

Originally Posted by Nericus

Eh, probably was Sony. Doesn't matter as Venom was forced in.

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow

Long story short - I don't think Titanic Weapons is going to suck

Even longer story short: I want to see the female model scale increased to match the max height of the male model, then I want the height scales on all three models increased to match Noble Savage, a Fake Nemesis or a Greater Devoured, whichever is most convenient.

I DO want weapons to scale with model HEIGHT, but I don't want weapons to scale with model GENDER, so I want my giant woman to have a bigger weapon than my tiny woman, but I don't want my giant man to have a bigger weapon than my giant woman.

Those really should be three separate threads, however.

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow

I haven't seen the set called Titan Weapons yet, but I could be wrong.

Either way, I recognised since the very inception that winding myself up for Titanic Weapons before I knew anything about the set but the name <insert joke here> would be unfair to the studio. It was easy for me to expect the world just because I'm excited and then when I get less than that, have my head explode in angry frustration. That's not going to happen, because I can't hold the studio to task on things they never promised and that I just imagined in my mind.

However, there are a few things that "the studio" in general and David Nakayama in particular have promised. One of those is that the weapons are big. Specifically in reply to my bringing up the Legacy Broadsword for women, he said the weren't just going to make these weapons slightly bigger, and that they were taking the idea seriously. Someone official also posted a pic of the only three weapons we know of - the Buster sword, the railroad crossing sign and "that other thing." I can, therefore, expect at least those three weapons, in at least a very large size, because that much has been officially promised. If that doesn't happen, I will be upset.

By contrast, a tech sword for Titanic Weapons has never been promised. If Titanic Weapons come out and we DON'T get a supersized version of the Tech Sword (like I hope it will) and it's all severed lamp posts and uprooted trees and giant elongated rocks and a drive shaft + transmission + V8 engine and so forth, then I'll be disappointed, but have just myself to blame for getting my hopes up. Then I'll have to scramble and find SOMETHING to do with Stardiver, because that would be catastrophic.

Secondly, the set isn't called Titanic "Swords," but Titanic Weapons, and we've actually only seen one sword out of three props. We also know (or at least have a pretty good guess) that the set will deal Smashing damage. I intend to use the set to swap out my current Sword/Inv Scrapper to a TW/Inv Brute with a giant sword... If there actually IS a giant proper sword in there. If there isn't, I'll be disappointed, but again - we were never promised a giant claymore or a giant scimitar or, really, "a sword" at all, therefore I have nothing to hold against the studio.

You seem to have gotten the impression that I'm somehow promising to become a level-headed person, and that's unlikely to happen if you ran my head through an angle grinder. What I AM promising is to be much more fair to the studio than I have been in the past. No personal attacks, no holding them to task for things they didn't promise because "that's what the game is about," no incessant whining I didn't get precisely the thing I wanted which was never even on the drawing board. Probably no drawing "large picture" conclusions based on minor details.

But at the end of the day, we're banking on the set bombing and... Honestly, I'm not actually worried about that. If I were, I wouldn't have planned three characters who will use it before I see a iota of a finished product I choose to be optimistic on this, and if my optimism fails, well, that's my own fault, isn't it. If their promises fail, on the other hand...

Originally Posted by _Elektro_

Ok, well here's the deal....

I originally slotted Distortion field with slows... and it was mighty nice. I found it extremely useful, especially solo. It is very potent.

But the original question of my post was what to slot it with, and now I am starting to think from your posts that I should stick with slows over holds then.

Because with slows, I find it a must keep. I mean Rain, Fireball, Firebreath, with the mob nice and tight for the whole show... what's not to like? What I thought was it would get better with the holds. I think the reaction I'm getting here is it's not a good idea.

Too bad the slow I/O's are kind of... blah.

Originally Posted by DJMadman

Very Very nice. Yes at this time I have found for the three man team I am running that at the lower levels at least before I get the other powers distortion field is a blessing when pulling the room full of spawns. Yes I end up pulling them We have found having our brute do this ends poorly more times then not. However a well timed dual pistols shot around a corner with your team waiting in toe tossing distortion field up at that corner spot and then the brute running in to grab the agro with me in toe with temp mending seems to do the trick nicely. At this time I find that time selection isn't just for the damage boost as much as it at these low levels for the aid it gives the willpower brute in heals off temp mend and his own regeneration.

It may be a purely psychological thing however our fire/pain corruptor rarely has to switch to healing beyond healing me after I take some of the alpha and then if by chance boss agro goes poorly

I will take your build and alter it as needed, I have the board/ninja run for my travel powers both of which also fit into the theme of my toon so travel isn't something I am worried about. I may pick up hasten and then combat jump for the added defense though. As for expensive. Time and a patience will earn that *laughs

Originally Posted by Clouded

Has anyone tried slotting the two Psi procs from the hold sets? Wasn't sure if they would proc enough during the life of this power to make it effective at AoE damage.

Originally Posted by Swifty_NA

By S/L/E I take it you mean scorp shield right? Still pretty much against using a PPP die to reasons given above, but will think about it. I can see how it would remove the need for lots of other powers.

Originally Posted by TriAngel_EU

Not picking it.

Debuff is more important and I don't generally have a week to lay down non-damage AoEs before even starting to scratch the mobs.
Slowed Response needs casting and that takes long enough.

If I did take it I'd not look too much at the token hold, but slot the slow up 'cause that's what you really want it for. It's a mob lockdown. You wanna keep stuff from walking away from you, how doesn't matter, so you may as well opt for the reliable approach.

Originally Posted by Frostburnt

Well I am running an Ultimates/Ultimate Avengers themed SG. We're basically a government sponsored team that is stationed in Paragon City. We work closely with the various blueside factions (ex. Longbow, Vanguard, etc) to make sure Arachnos or any other threat to Paragon are stopped. We're still in our infancy but we have a great player base already created and we are working on getting our own guild site and developing a SG costume for SG functions. So if you would like an invite, my global is @Frosburnt. and I'll see to it you get an invite.
.

Originally Posted by NewScrapper

Eh, my RP'ing takes place in my head, since I'm a 95% soloer, which is why having dialogue put in my character's mouth is frustrating. It feels like I'm playing someone else's character (albeit with my power choices and costume design). I'm just lucky the character concepts I picked sort of blend well with the GR dialogue options, or I probably would have rerolled something else that fit better.

Originally Posted by Hercules

I'm sure many will find it amusing making a 4 foot dwarf with a 10 foot long weapon, but personally I'd like a character who looks like he/she can realistically handle the weapon.

My suggestions:
1) Addition of another foot in height to the male Huge model.

2) Creation of a female huge model or addition of another foot to the female model.

The concepts that I have in mind are:
- A huge "Shrek" type ogre.

- A rather large female barbarian wielding a huge broadsword or Axe.

I sincerely hope they dont intend to scale the weapon size to the character height. It was done like that in DAOC, with some rather disappointing results.

Originally Posted by Nericus

To be honest I don't think it is the right people in charge. Remember the initial reaction when Sam Rami was announced to helm the Spiderman movies? I think understandably skeptic was a good description, but turns out Sam is a major fan of Spidey that understands and respects the character, and history but also understands that somethings that work in the comics don't work as well on the big screen. Sam also gets the right cast for Peter and MJ and they all worked well together and made a successful trilogy. Spiderman 3's problems were that Marvel was insisting that Venom be in it despite that not being part of the plan, and of course dancing Peter. (then again in keeping with the rating of the movie they couldn't have Peter get too violent when he wore the symbiote).

Look back at the assorted Bat-films. Tim Burton had a good grasp of the characters, then comes Joel Schumaker for Batman Forever and Batman and Robin.....bad choice of director, too many characters, weak plots.....Then years later we get Batman Begins and Dark Knight, both very well done.

Superman Returns: the "spiritual successor" I believe it was referred to regarding the first two films and ignores 3 and 4, but the plot was basically the same as #1, while making Superman into a stalker regarding Lois and the "super kid" just didn't work. Lois is still under the effect of the "Jedi mind kiss" from Superman 2, knows that Superman is the father but still can't "Connect the dots" regarding figuring out that Clark is Superman?? Yuck. Plus of course the long quest to find someone that can replace Chistopher Reeve in the role...

Originally Posted by JayboH

Just use flight then - don't ask for a second power that is flight + phase shift and call it teleport - I find that silly.

Now, this isn't you, but I have found most people that complain about our teleport just don't understand how easy simple and fast it is to just bind a key to the teleport power, such as the E key for example.