Captain-Electric
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:I think you're missing Darkspeed's point.Originally Posted by TheShattered
I'm not a psychic, I don't know who likes to duo and who doesn't.
If a few other people shared your hesitation, then that means you all would have missed out on a TEAM, not merely a duo. Sometimes, if I'm just looking for one or two people to give me a hand with a mission, I'll broadcast. And sometimes, when I instead get several private messages in reply, I'll decide, "Screw it heh, looks like this is going to be a full team."
Other times, a duo will slowly become a team as we pick up extra teammates along the way (this is fairly common for me, to see a team grow over the course of an evening). You never know what you're going to get when you speak up, and put yourself out there. -
After reading the rest of it today, my initial impression still stands. Great job.
Furthermore, I think this issue stands up well as a finished work. I've seen some "needs more work" and "could use some tweaking" comments sprinkled throughout the thread, which can be helpful or poisonous for you, depending how you interpret them.
Most readers here are impressed and satisfied. But after reading these comments, if you feel like you could improve on your craft (can't we all), I'd suggest improving future projects or Golden Girl issues, rather than allowing the community to "send you back to work" on something entertaining that you gave us for free (and I'd love to see more adventures). In comics, very few first issues stand up to the quality of issues further down the line in a series. That's the nature of the art form. -
Just read the first few pages, but so far...I've got to say, I REALLY dig the way you illustrate facial expressions, gestures, and body language. I think most male heroes will be wanting Golden Girl to show them the ropes after reading this. I'm not sure how you've drawn your comic, is it a mash-up of pencils, Photoshop, and 3D-generated graphics?
I read a lot of comics, mostly Marvel and Wildstorm, so your style isn't what I'm used to. But I could get used to reading comics drawn like this, just because of the life-like characters and their mannerisms (and you've deftly avoided Uncanny Valley here)--that stuff doesn't always come through as clearly in comic books.
Thanks for a great new City of Heroes comic. You should submit it to the City of Comic Creators archive! -
This reminds me of that one time. When I ran into Zeus under Atlas. Boy was I freaking out! What should I say? How's my breath? Do I look okay? But then, The Real Zeus came walking up out of nowhere, and put his fists on his hips, and just stood there. And I wasn't sure about anything in this world, ever again.
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Quote:Not to derail the thread, but this is a good point. My (personal) perspective of an enemy NPC's threat level is always influenced by his bio and surrounding context and story. It's a role-playing game and this is one way to immerse myself in the action.Originally Posted by Eva Destruction
Why is that? Is it because they need to be dangerous to you in order to be considered dangerous?
What about the Center? He's such a weenie you never even get to fight him, but he's far more of a threat than some of the big bad AVs he sics on you. I mean, what has Maestro ever really done besides order some experiments and try to beat you up?
I can understand why someone else might only look to the game mechanics, but imagine the difference between an inhumanly strong (hard to defeat) bank robber on his first heist, and a supremely weak (easy to defeat) mastermind who has organized dozens of strikes on Paragon and is already responsible for the loss of hundreds of innocent lives. Which is more dangerous? Which is more difficult to defeat? Obviously these two questions cannot be given the same answer.
A couple of my easiest story arcs (gameplay-wise) are nonetheless memorable because of the perspective I bring to the game. If I wanted compelling game mechanics, I might not even be here. But City of Heroes is the most compelling story-based MMORPG I've ever played. -
At the time I heard about Incarnates, I had only one demi-god on my character roster and one in the formative stages. So I picked up this book by Marvel comics, a one-shot issue: Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica (2009).
The book details traits and histories of well over a dozen pantheons and hundreds of gods and god-like beings, of both worldly and otherworldly origins. And while it's Marvel's spin on these entities (so you get a mash-up of mythological "facts", and fantastic alternate histories of pantheon team-ups and such), that makes it all the more worth the while, because you're getting that "imagination-overdrive" style of world-building that comics are all about. I've been entertained by mythology since I was a kid, but this was a great way to be introduced to Aboriginal, Chinese, and (especially) Celtic gods for the first time. If you're looking for inspiration for character concepts, I can't recommend it enough (it's just a few bucks).
City of Heroes will probably always emphasize Greco-Roman myth, which is reasonable: the Well of the Furies feeds the Fountain of Zeus. Cole and Richter discovered this relic, and made possible the super-powered world that City of Heroes is based in. This is much the same way Asgard takes center-stage among Marvel's various historical pantheons (Thor and his ilk just seem to be at the center of things more often in that universe).
But it's a big multiverse, and I think it would be great if City of Heroes explored other mythologies, or gave its less-explored mythologies more attention. Croatoa, the Coralax, the Banished Pantheon and Dark Astoria are just a few that come to mind, all brimming with story-telling potential.
At the same time, we have no excuse for waiting idly. From what I've read, Paragon Studios plans its content pipeline months, even years in advance. You may have to wait for a very long time to see your favorite mythology represented in City of Heroes. If you have an idea for how some obscure mythology could be incorporated into the game and its lore, we may all be better off if you bring it to life with the Mission Architect. A well-composed arc that places as much emphasis on story as it does mechanics (and rewards) is always going to be "official enough" in my book. -
I disagree with the original poster; and judging by the increased patching, installing and loading speed of the game on my machine, the OP's complaint calls into question the age, maintenance and performance of his computer.
Beyond all that, the new launcher looks slick, as opposed to the unpolished launcher we're all used to. I've been playing MMORPGs for several years, and my first impression of the old launcher was not favorable compared to many other games I've seen. It looked like a slapped-together afterthought, unlike the NCSoft launcher, which is polished and well-designed.
I'm also impressed by the way the Terms Of Service has been designed into the UI itself. This is standard in many MMORPGs, and legally, it's just the smart thing to do for Paragon Studios and us players who like to play by the rules (and who would prefer that everyone else does too). -
Quote:Thank you for this.Originally Posted by Ruff_Tuff_n_Buff
OKAY!
Until the developers acknowledge the accessibilty problem, I have created replacement cursors.
Preview:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/120706/cursor-sample.png
Download:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/120706/cox_cursors.zip
Installation:
Place the contents of the zip in your CoX folder with the suggested path. If the folders do not exist, you must create them. Fear not! This will not alter your actual CoX installation (like Vidiot Maps). Exit the game, relaunch.
32-bit Windows:
C:\Program Files\City of Heroes\data\texture_library\GUI\Cursors\
64-bit Windows:
C:\Program Files (x86)\City of Heroes\data\texture_library\GUI\Cursors\
The zip contains:
cursor_hand_open.texture
cursor_hand_closed.texture
cursor_point.texture
cursor_select_enemy.texture
cursor_friendly.texture
cursor_select.texture
Junk info:
If you want all your cursors identical (bit for bit), I am sorry. The game has some bizarre checks in place to prevent this. It will even give a warning that having them the same is bad for your health and then refuse to launch. If you change even ONE pixel, it's good to go. Yeah, I don't know, either.
The game APPEARS to expect a certain file size for cursors and will just truncate any data beyond that, so, this is why the pointers are relatively small. If I figure out how to make them bigger, I will let everyone know.
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I would become a super hero in real life, and start flying around in a cape and shooting electricity out of my hands at bad guys.
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Quote:Forumites should help spread this around. Most of the people I play with don't look at the forums.Originally Posted by Emberly
Just use the door on the boat adjacent. Had the same problem last night and some helpful soul in broadcast (I know, right?!) told us about the door on the boat trick.
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Quote:Awesome idea!Originally Posted by Wooden_Replica
The one thing I have always thought would be great is if we had an Issue called World Tour, where two maybe three new zones are introduced( PC International Airport, RI International Airport, and maybe a Preatorian Imperial Airport), where your sent on missions across the Globe( with a lot of new mission maps), and get a get an idea how the rest of Primal Earth( and maybe Preatorian Earth) are different from our own. For example, on Primal Earth, maybe there was no Restoration, and Britian is still a republic, or the US had taken Canada during the War of 1812.
In some way or another, I'd like to see more of Primal Earth. Dimension hopping is fine and exciting, but what else is out there in Primal Earth's dimension? What's the west coast like? What's Paris like, or Ireland? What's New York City like on Primal Earth? How about the Antarctic, the Sahara, or the Amazon?
I read the stuff on the official website when I first started playing, and recently found a bunch of lore on the Paragon Wiki that used to be on the official website. Check out that link. The Paragon Times section has a bunch of official in-universe news articles.Quote:Originally Posted by DumpleBerry
I always loved how deep the old-school backstory was. -
Devs-
If you take away our cutscenes, then I'll write an even angrier forum post than Vanden did above! It'll be twice as long, at least two more sentences! And if you don't read it, I'LL KNOW. Don't ask me how.
Think about it, devs-- it's just not worth it.
Signed,
Defender of Cutscenes!
The Courageous Captain-Electric -
TrueGentleman's post sums up the likely intention behind the design aesthetic. If you can wrap your mind around Praetoria's shtick, then you can see the point behind its austere trading house.
Sorry to interrupt the bickering personality conflict going on here. Carry on. -
Quote:For a guy named Signpost, you sure are preoccupied with speed!Originally Posted by Signpost
Depends on your definition of "pretty fast" On a character who usually would take 0.5-1 seconds to travel that distance, 4 seconds is an eternity.. (Not to mention all the retoggling that needs to be done after you come back out, taking up even mroe seconds.)
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These days, my experience with City of Heroes is pretty bug free, or I know the relevant workarounds. But during my first few months, I had some problems--granted, they were almost always the result of user error.
I dealt with GM Lloyd several times, and want to add to the chorus, he's above and beyond professional in every sense of the word. Dude knows his stuff.
Support for City of Heroes has room to improve. But on average, time and time again, City of Heroes support has proven to be the best I've ever experienced in any MMORPG (and I've been playing MMOs for over a decade).
One time, my computer caught on fire and exploded while playing City of Heroes, and I wrote to support to complain about a possible bug (exploding computers). GM Lloyd responded by sending me a copy of the Malleus Mundi, which I used to bend reality to my own will, thereby un-exploding my computer. -
Reminds me of the first person I met in CoX. We hung with different groups and didn't team all the time, but we stayed in touch for my first year and a half in the game. She would frequently just go AFK in the middle of conversations (almost every time), or fly off and join one of her SG's teams. She was always glad to see me and introduce me to her friends, so it's not like she was giving me the cold shoulder. I just couldn't keep her attention for more than about two or three minutes. Eventually I gave up even trying to interact with her. Later on, she admitted (rather casually) she was usually in Vent or randomly web-browsing, and didn't consider in-game chat a priority over those things.
She is no longer on my friends list. -
Quote:Where are you getting this from? (Really, I'd like to know, always fun discovering wildly-conflicting lore.)Originally Posted by Fleeting Whisper
To be perfectly serious, that's pretty much the case according to the lore. During the Rikti War, we used the War Walls to compartmentalize the fighting. Afterward, little has changed, except the enemies we're using them against. Instead of Rikti invaders, we're using them against Hellions through Devouring Earth and beyond.
The War Walls aren't meant to keep things out. They're meant to keep things in. Perhaps that's why it's so easy for the new Rikti invasion ships to get through from the outside.
Those areas are devastated, in many cases irradiated (or otherwise completely uninhabitable), and in other cases completely overrun by villain groups--in case you ever wondered where the never-ending supply of villains comes from. When the stories talk about how "hard hit" Paragon was in the invasion, they mean it. The city and its surrounding areas didn't get "just kind of hit in a few spots, with swaths of untouched suburbs in-between". Quite the opposite.
Which leads to the concept of Hazard Zones. Typically, these outlaying zones are the most hotly contested, and they're where the various villain groups are most deeply entrenched. This is why you don't see civilians wondering around them. They're categorized as "Hazard" zones because the heroes and authorities haven't yet managed to take them back under the rule of law. Lore-wise, though, these Hazard zones are probably very nice compared to many of the areas in-between the war walls.
So it follows, we could open up more Hazard zones farther beyond, if only we could make headway and clean up our present ones. -
I'm not necessarily agreeing or disagreeing (I'm far too diplomatic for that). But what I see is a lot of people saying, "Our bow defenders are working out just fine, sounds like your problem, maybe you should learn how to play." Except, there's a lot of beating around the bush, and people are--in general--taking you way too seriously. I'm fairly suspicious that you DO know how to play, that all you're doing is having a bit of fun with us.
Anyway, on topic for a moment-- the thing is about Manticore, for me, isn't just game mechanics. I also think his characterization is cool. The way Mark Waid wrote him in the Phalanx's opening comics. His character, almost single-handed, set the tone for a really cool opening arc. Not just for the IP, either. Those were all-around good stories.
So, back off topic, maybe you're the type that only likes the best of the best of the best lining the slots of his character bank. I don't know. Some of us want a real fight every now and then. And by real fight, I mean the kind where the odds are stacked against you, and strategy and skill--not raw power--is the only way you MIGHT make it. When one thinks of an underdog character, you know, the "ordinary guy living in a super powered world" type of guy, the bow defender is one of the more classic (and obvious) options. These power sets clearly aren't brimming over with raw power. If they were, they wouldn't be NEARLY as fun to play. -
Quote:If a pack had only this one thing in it, I'd buy it.Originally Posted by SilverAgeFan
- Shoulder (and other body) details made of various animal trophy bits. Think Kraven the Hunter's lion head or Hercule's lion skin cloak.
(One of my characters has a vested interest.
)
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Hey, I got somethin' real important to give you.
So just sit down and listen.
You know we've been together such a long long time.
And now I'm ready to lay it on the line.
You know it's Christmas and my heart is open wide.
Gonna give you something so you know what's on my mind.
A gift real special, so take off the top.
Take a look inside -- it's CoX in a box!
Not gonna get you a diamond ring.
That sort of gift don't mean anything.
Not gonna get you a fancy car.
Ya gotta know you're my shining star.
Not gonna get you a house in the hills.
You needs somethin' real!
Wanna get you somethin' from the heart.
Somethin' special, hero.
It's CoX in a box, CoX in a box babe!
It's CoX in a box, CoX in a box, hero!
See I'm wise enough to know when a gift needs givin',
And I got just the one, somethin' to show ya that you are second to none.
To all the sidekicks out there with heroes to impress,
It's easy to do, just follow these steps:
1: Cut a hole in a box.
2: Put your enhancement in that box!
3: Make 'em open the box.
And that's the way you do it!
It's CoX in a box... CoX in a box babe!
It's CoX in a box, CoX in a box, hero!
Christmas; CoX in a box,
Hanukkah; CoX in a box,
Kwanzaa; CoX in a box,
Every single holiday CoX in a box!!!
Over at your super group base, CoX in a box!
Mid day at the costume contest, CoX in a box!
Backstage at Wentworth's, CoX in a box!
Cox in a box!
Edit: A fitting 200th post, yes? Hahaha ha ha ha! -
Quote:Brawl is my auto-attack on many of my characters during their first 15-20 levels or so. Sometimes even after. I think my SS/Invulnerable tank does 36 points of damage with brawl-- I've got three of those Fisticuffs things in there (which is the whole set, I had some extra slot space to play with after a respec). That's a pretty effective smack to fill the time in between power punches!Originally Posted by Obscure Blade
You never use Rest or Sprint? Why?
And Brawl is useful for Brutes if you have any, as a zero endurance filler attack spammed between normal attacks to keep up Fury.
Sprint is useful during early levels for my squishier characters, but on the tank mentioned above, I use it for stealth (thanks to Unbounded Leap's bonus power).
Rest, well, gets used a LOT by me. Hats off to ya, Necrotech Master.
Oh, and shadowy presence. It's good for RP on characters that it fits with (and for hiding during a quick AFK), so I'm not going to knock it.
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Quote:Why were those removed from the game? Those were all pretty cool to read.Originally Posted by RazorasQuoted from: Gamespy's Signature Sidekicks article. Just book mark it and every time you're at one of those trainers and you want to click "Info" pretend you do while alt-tabbing to your browser!
I'm starting to think you're pulling my leg here. About bow defenders, I mean. Either that or you haven't learned how to play a pure archer.Quote:Originally Posted by Satanic_Hamster
3rd Runner up: bow defenders No one has EVER complained about my archer locking every villain down with nets or stickies, or stunning them with flash-bangs, or (for dessert) making pin cushions out of them. Can he dish it out like a blaster? No. Can he lock them down like a controller? No. That is why I mostly use him to team with other concept characters (his main purpose), and often solo him (yes, solo--and doing just fine).
I'll explain where people like me are coming from. Since you're dying to know. (Shut up! You're dying to know.)
I'm not much of a gamer outside of this game. I write and read science fiction, and I read comic books. This game feels more like a big interactive comic book to me. Many of my characters are going to be inspired by cool origin stories, with game mechanics a secondary consideration. Fortunately, judging from my global friends list, I am far from alone in these sentiments, at least on the Virtue server.
Sure, I enjoy improving my characters. I take advantage of invention sets. And I do my time with super-efficient whiz bang characters that contribute to every team they're on-- though most of those were lucky builds, since that wasn't my primary goal for them. But there are a ton of power sets in the game to choose from. And there are 36 character possibilities on every server's bank of slots. I'm not here exclusively to recycle cookie cutter recipes. So I'm going to use my imagination, and do different things. -
Quote:Ah, I see where you're coming from now. I've heard this argument a couple times. See, I have several really effective characters--so when friends see me playing gimpy characters (of which I also have a few), they sometimes want to know why. There are a couple of reasons. I could be experimenting. But usually, it's because I'm playing a concept character.Originally Posted by Satanic_Hamster
And that doesn't change the fact that he's still a bow defender. That is, after all, little better then being a stalker, melee player without mez protection, or a person without a travel power. Sure they're on the team, but you can smell their gimpness from across the map. It's just unpleasant and unfair to all those involved.
"But," I can hear you saying, "concept characters are a waste of everyone's time!"
Yeah. Uh huh. Tell that to the regular group of concept players I team up with. I guess we're wasting each others time in harmony.
(What's nuts is that I play on Virtue, where I wouldn't expect to have to explain the notion of a concept character.)
My "random" comment may have come off as rude (not intended), but ditto on the Pandora suggestion.Quote:Originally Posted by Satanic_Hamster
All my listenings it random, generally. See, I have a lot of music, so I generally have Excel spit out a random album choice until it comes across one that fits my current mood. Then I'll put that cd in the turntable along with five others related to the first cd (either same artist or similar style). -
Quote:He's my favorite Phalanx member. And my pure archer (also a natural origin) is one of my favorite characters. And yeah, it would be nice to be able to read bios for these characters.Originally Posted by Satanic_Hamster
Well, for one thing, no one likes Manticore. He's an bow defender for Christ's sake.
That was random.Quote:Originally Posted by Satanic_Hamster
Currently listening to Heather Nova's Redbird -
Quote:I'm right there with you, got my 18-month badge last month. Except, I started playing MMORPGs the month the first one came out. That was in 1997. So I've had a lot of good and bad (and worse) experiences to compare City of Heroes to. City of Heroes, by far, has been--if not my most memorable experience--my best experience with an MMORPG.Originally Posted by Eden's Fall
I've been on this game for about 18 months now (I'll get my 18 month badge on Feb. 2). As my first MMO, I really had no idea what to expect concerning the game community. But, in this time, I have realized that the City of Heroes community is, by and large, a friendly, fun, helpful group. We share tips and tricks with one another, help each other out, congratulate one another on our accomplishments, and commiserate with one another over bad PUG stories. In short, the CoX community actually feels like a community.
A lot of people say the best part of the community is here on the forums. That isn't true for all of us-- most of my closest allies in the game don't even have forum accounts. I have been careful to build an awesome global friend list over the past 18 months, and it has added to my enjoyment immensely.
Other people think you can only find community in a super group. Strangely, if I had to rely on super groups for community, I wouldn't have the community I've got.
If someone appears out of nowhere to help me out of a bind with a few villains that con orange, I don't let that moment pass without seizing the opportunity to make a new friend. What has that led to? Now, I run with a regular group of heroes and vigilantes, few (if any) of whom are in a super group, linked only by our shared experiences. This is a big deal. I've played MMOs where you couldn't even chat with someone across zones unless you were in the same guild. Most of us use super groups only to collect our own characters into.
Edit: My 18-month badge is something, too. In a decade, I've never subscribed to a game for this long of a stretch. After 18 months, I'm perhaps even more interested in the game than during my first few months. That's a first.