Chase_Arcanum

More than anything- If devs can't make the system hide what I already have or am already entitled to (VIP status freebies), let me hide them. Sifting through the mess as it is just isn't user-friendly. The costume pieces that I have yet to buy are buried by the pieces I already have.

Hey, Bloody. Welcome back. Sorry your return was that bumpy.

Obviously, every F2P transition is going to have some pain points- some things that were once part of the subscription have been gated away, either under smaller monthly fees or free if you're a high-enough tier Premium subscriber (you did apply the Paragon Points you've already earned? right?)

Unfortunately, you seem to have stumbled upon most of those pain points- archetype locks, IO locks, etc.

I do wish there was more ingame feedback for these as you stumble into them- yes, others will point to the info on the website and such, but you aren't the first to miss it.

Stick with it- if it makes you feel better, you really HAVE hit the worst of the barriers already.

Of course, there's a simpler explanation:

As a participant in "A Faultline in the Sands of Time," the 12-year-old was "entrusted with the secret" of Ouroboros.


Big.
Mistake.

There are conflicting reports on whether she spent the next decade of her life traveling through time honing her skills as a heroine or whether she spent it attending her favorite boy-band's concerts over and over and over (and over and over), but at least one Justin Beiber concert video shows at least seven Penny Yin lookalikes in the front row.

I'm beginning to see this as less of a "writing issue" and as yet more proof that my once-in-jest theory may in fact be true.

We have Dark Astoria's fall identified as occurring in different eras, characters of shifting ages in different eras, numerous plaques that seem to contradict one another, and continuities that... well... aren't. We even have hints of dimensional barriers weakening and "versions" of our selves from other worlds appearing in our own.

It really IS as if the developers decided to take all the continuity, retcon, and "retelling" elements of comic books and built a world that intentionally incorporated all of it in its very fabric: universes in constant collision; time travel paradoxes knotting up the timeline; and reality-shifting devices that have rewritten parts of the world more than once. Maybe the CoH "world" our characters call home is more like the fragmented convergence of many worlds and reflects not just an amalgamation of past dimensional reality-shifts, but of ones ongoing at this very moment.

Most of my 'Villains' are actually more vigilantes/rogues than true villains. I keep my vigilantes as "rogues" just so they remain based in the Rogue isles, rather than just visiting. Most of my bad guys are defined by their weaknesses- that one flaw that keeps them from rising to true heroism.


Partizan sees himself as something of a champion of the little people. I like the idea of otherwise heroic characters put under the overwhelming pressure of trying to survive in the Rogue Isles. He's a claws stalker- no real powers of his own so he doesn't have the luxury of "fighting nice." He uses disguise and deception to get close enough to "cull" the worst from Arachnos. He strives to protect "the weaker" at all costs and has built up a powerful little network to support his cause. As he's risen in power, though, some of the "weaker" underneath him have started to prey upon each other, forcing him to sometimes use intimidation, force, and even lethal measures to make these people live within his rules. He once hated Marshall Brass for "deluding himself into believing he could use the power of Arachnos to protect the people." Now he hates Brass even more... because in Brass he sees a reflection of himself.

Michio is a young man haunted by his personal failings. He looks back on his life and the places where he came up short in doing the right thing. Partially transformed by the Rikti, he was freed from "the shift" but found he'd rather not BE who he was before. He doesn't admit remembering his past, and in that way, escapes his failings. When Arachnos gave him the chance to be someone else- to turn his back entirely on those failings- he took it. Initially reveling in the lifestyle Arachnos offered, he's gradually started to question it and has finally come to learn where true strength lies. He's just feels too powerless to change the path he finds himself or try to recover the life he abandoned.

Russian Blue is a product of Genengineering, born and raised in the lab- used as a test subject. Through her telepathy she learned from her captors- and learned to see the world as they saw her... with indifferent, cold, and cynical eyes. Eventually, she mastered their thoughts and reversed roles, rewriting minds, forcing them to perform experiments on one another, playing with them like bloody puppets. The media called the lab "a torture chamber of unspeakable horror" and its discovery made her an international outlaw. She's survived in the less lawful states like the Rogue Isles surrounded by the darker souls of the world. Sickened by what she's seen in the minds of man, she's blocked herself from reading the surface thoughts of those around her- and in doing so, failed to ever witness other aspects of humanity. Thus, she's never learned hope, charity, or empathy.

"Business as usual."

The missus and I have joked about "cancelling everything" for 2xp weekends, but the reality is we haven't taken advantage of the last few at all. Despite the buildup, we go about doing what we usually do. Leveling fast just isn't something that drives me to play the game.

Ever wonder what the Praetorian Hamidon is restoring earth TO beyond those sonic barriers? The entire planet could be a massive "Lost World" now, if the devs had the resources.


Personally, I want the new zone to be sunny, bright, and cheerful with rainbows and ponies...

... and then I want it to put a villain storyline in it that makes use of the game's phasing technology to turn it into a desolate wasteland.